A Butterfly and a Homeowner Guide
A yellow butterfly, a breakdown, and the most useful homeowner guide you'll ever save!
One of my mom's favorite stories to tell is about the day a giant purple butterfly landed on my shoulder.
Her grandmother had just passed. And without missing a beat, she decided: that was her.
A sign. A moment. A message.
I've thought about that story more times than I care to admit.
And then, this week, I had my own version.
My son had just boycotted golf camp (a saga for another time), and I'd finally sunk into the couch. Exhausted, overstimulated, and ready to play work catch-up from the day. Then my husband called me outside.
I almost didn't go. I was tired. Frozen, honestly. But something in me said, “Move.”
There it was: a massive yellow butterfly, still as sunlight on a branch above our heads. My son was singing softly to it, just to make sure I saw (The mind of a six-year-old is pure magic). The butterfly even waited as my parents and brother wandered outside, and we all stood there, watching.
The butterfly didn't fly away. It circled us. Landed again. Waited. As if it were trying to tell us something.
In that moment of feeling, I realized something: I hadn't felt anything all week.
Everything's been too loud, and I had been too still.
I've felt frozen since Tuesday.
If you've been there, you know exactly what I mean.
I've always felt things deeply. I cried over unfair endings in books. I interrupted adult conversations when I felt that things were cruel or wrong. I was raised to speak up. To care even when it made me uncomfortable. To remember that what makes this world beautiful is not sameness, but its mix of stories and cultures. The people.
The only thing that separates any of us from an entirely different life is luck.
Where we’re born.
What we’re given.
What we've had to survive.
And every day, your life, luck, and privilege can change. So always speak up and never take it for granted.
That's the whole point, right? Looking out for one another.
When the butterfly showed up, it reminded me that transformation doesn't always come crashing in. Sometimes, it arrives quietly. Circling. Waiting for you to notice.
Even when the world feels unrecognizable, we can always hold on to hope.
Something will unfreeze you, too.
Maybe it'll be a butterfly. Maybe a song. Maybe someone else's words when you need them most.
And when it comes, I hope you let it in: slowly and gently, on your own terms.
If you've felt stuck, heavy, or unsure how to move through this moment, I just want to say this: you're not broken. You're human. And you're not alone.
✨ Okay, okay… now for the most chaotic pivot of all time, but hear me out:
This weekend, we deep-dived instead of doom-scrolled.
I compiled every tool, trick, hack, and gear tip I've ever researched, tested, or received from readers into one giant list.
I know. I know. From butterflies to drain snakes. But here's the thing: sometimes the most radical act is taking care of what's right in front of you.
Your home. Your family. Your small corner of the world.
This isn't just about fixing things, it's about maintaining your foundation, both literally and figuratively. Something that holds you when everything else feels uncertain. It's about building something that weathers a storm when everything else gets blown away.
So... I'm doing this again.
The “Buy It Once” list two weeks ago broke the internet (okay, maybe just my inbox). But apparently buying the right stuff is only half the battle. You also need to know how not to accidentally burn your house down with it.
Enter: The Homeowner's Survival Guide.
What you're getting:
The complete “Everything-in-One Homeowner Survival Guide”
Exact maintenance schedules that prevent disasters (not just “clean gutters sometimes”)
Day One priorities that save you $$$’s later
Emergency preparedness that makes real sense for real people
The seasonal checklists you and anyone can follow
Financial tricks that blew my mind (bi-weekly mortgage payments alone save 5-8 years)
Monthly updates when I discover something worth adding or you point out I’ve missed something!
The trial offer closes on June 24th!
