Kate Baer’s House Is Brimming With Kids and Pets, But The Door Is Always Open
Photos by Lyndsay Hannah Photography
“We’re a hosting house,” says bestselling poet Kate Baer. “Our family culture is, ‘Let’s have people over!’” She lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with her husband, four kids, three cats, and dog named Maybe (as in “maybe we’ll get a dog”). Here, Kate reflects on marriage, parenting, and writing, and shares the toy her kids are still fighting over…
LIBRARY
Wall paint color: Benjamin Moore. Ceiling fixture: Home Depot. Rug: West Elm via Facebook Marketplace (“12 years ago!”), similar. Entry table: Facebook Marketplace.
On finding a dream home: My friend’s mom lived in this house for many years and actually raised her own four children here. I never thought it would be my house! But in 2021, we bought it from the family and have been slowly making it our own.
Bookcase paint color: Benjamin Moore. Table, chairs and rug: hand-me-downs from relatives.
On recently loved books: I was bowled over by The Correspondent, a warm, exquisite novel by Virginia Evans. Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino was absolutely stunning. And I inhaled Heart the Lover so quickly, it went up my nose and out my eyeballs.
Flower photo: Jamie Beck. Sofa: Poly & Bark. Stool: Home Goods, similar.
On a beloved piece of art: The Jamie Beck photograph on the left is my most prized art piece. She sent it to me because she said it reminded her of my first book cover.
On board games: There are tons of memes about how people don’t want to play games, but I actually think they do. You don’t have to play games the whole time you’re hanging out! Spoons is so much fun for adults, while kids are watching a movie. Other popular games in our household include Fishbowl, Mafia, and Codenames.
LIVING ROOM
Paint: Benjamin Moore. Sofa: Interiors Home, similar.
On a very glam piano: The piano came with the house. It belonged to my friend’s grandmother, Lucille, so we call the piano Lucille in her honor. I feel like Elton John when I sit down to play. Some of my kids take lessons, and it’s my dream for all of them to be able to play at least one song.
Print: Etsy. Chair: Interiors Home, similar.
On sneaking in plants: I have a hard time picking decor, so I just put plants everywhere. They bring so much life and beauty to a space. I slyly collect them and hope that my husband, Austin, won’t kill me because he’s the one who cares for them all.
On the best spot in the house: The kids gravitate to this chair to do their homework. I love reading here in the evening. Everyone fights over that chair, but it’s mine.
KITCHEN
Table: made by Austin, Kate’s husband. Chairs: “My parents got them off the side of the road for $40 ten years ago.”
On the joy of hosting: Gathering people together and fostering community is something I work really hard at. We’ve hosted fall fests, as well as movie nights in the basement. We invite people over every Fourth of July and every New Year’s Eve. There’s a misconception that you need a perfect home to host. But I was doing this when our family of six lived in 1,200 square feet. When I’m invited somewhere, I could not care less about what the kitchen backsplash looks like or what we eat for dinner. Being welcomed into someone else’s home is such a gift.
On swinging stools: They’re squeaky as hell because they’re like 30 years old, but it’s so easy to sweep under them. More people need stools like these.
On country living: After dinner, my husband and I try to leave our phones behind and walk our dog in our neighbors’ fields. On warm days, we’ll drag chairs to the front yard hill and look across the valley. Even if we sit in silence, it’s just nice to be together.
On special souvenirs: We take an annual family vacation to Florida, where we all love hunting for shark teeth. I got a big shadow box and my husband glued them in. He also put one sneaky shell in there. We tell any kids who come over, ‘There’s one thing in there that’s not a shark tooth.’ It takes forever to find.
On playlists: Every night, I play the same dinner playlist. It’s French café vibes, very low key. The music tells everyone that it’s time to come to the table. I have a Saturday morning playlist that I turn on when we’re getting our chores done so we can enjoy the rest of the weekend. I have a writing playlist and a playlist to pump myself up before going out on the town. Every routine gets a playlist — they’re such a nice way to signal where we are in our day.
STAIRS
On a controversial print: My friend’s mom, the former owner, picked out the leopard print runner. Everyone called her crazy and said she’d regret it, but she never did. We’ve changed a lot of things since we bought the house, so this carpet is a nice reminder of who lived here before us.
On the family cats: One day, a cat showed up on our property. My youngest, the first grader, named him Hot Dog. We got George and Kimberly a year ago. My soul-cat had passed away, and we were looking to add some new friends into our lives.
PRIMARY BEDROOM
Bed and bedside tables: Warbler Woodworks.
On an oasis: I always wanted a bedroom that felt like sleeping on a cloud, and I feel such deep peace when I’m in this room. We kept it very minimal and mostly white, which feels very different from the rest of the house.
Chair: Facebook Marketplace.
On a sweet holdover: When I was younger, I started dating this guy. It felt very casual, so I put him in my phone as Boyfriend. Then, on our wedding day, one of my friends grabbed my phone to change it to Husband, and I said, ‘Oh, please don’t do that!’ There’s something about Boyfriend. It just feels a little bit sexier and cuter. I’ll never change it.
OFFICE (BEDROOM CLOSET)
On squeezing in work: I dropped out of my MFA program when I got pregnant. My husband was in med school, and realistically, we couldn’t pursue both at the same time. Since only one of those paths definitively makes money, it was very easy to decide which one to prioritize when we were talking about finances and having a family. Still, I wrote when I could.
On self-motivation: I say this to young writers all the time: “No one else cares if you write a book or not. You have to care. No one’s going to make you sit down and write. It’s up to you to do that.”
On a room of one’s own: In our last home, every inch of the house was taken, so there was no room for me to have an office or even a desk in a corner. So, I wrote my first book and a lot of the second one at a nearby Panera Bread. The staff there was so kind to me. When the pandemic happened, I wrote in their parking lot, stealing WiFi and turning the car’s heater on and off.
BATHROOM
On parenting four kids: I’ve found that having four kids does two things: It makes you extremely organized and also extremely laid back. Because there are so many of them, you have to let things go, but then you also have to focus on what is most important. So, the house isn’t picked up, but everyone had dinner.
On toys: I don’t really buy toys, and I haven’t for a long time. And yet, they’re everywhere. I don’t know where they’re coming from. I don’t know how they get into the house.
BASEMENT
On a knockout gift: My daughter got aerial silks last Christmas, and my kids fight over them more than anything else. My daughter does tricks, while the boys just swing and crash into each other. The kits are easy to find online, but the tricky part is anchoring it to the ceiling. It needs to be very secure.
On ageless toys: My youngest is in first grade, and my oldest is in ninth. There aren’t many things that all the kids want to do together, but Legos are definitely a unifier. I try to have times where the while family comes together, at least once or twice a week. That could be a sit-down dinner, a round of cards, or talking while putting Legos together.
Thank you so much, Kate! And congrats on How About Now.
P.S. Kate’s beauty uniform, a funny evening with Kate and Joanna, and Kate’s rules for her forties over on Big Salad.
(Photos by Lyndsay Hannah Photography for Cup of Jo.)
Tags: house tours
Comments
117 commentsHello randomly after a complete deep dive into the archives of House Tours as I prepare to nest in advance of my second baby. CoJ house tours share a lot of common elements, even going back to like 2015. And they’re so aspirational
I love this home!!!! I love this woman!! Everything about this residence is cozy and lived-in and full of love. I have to say we have a sensory swing anchored into basement ceiling (also drop with tile removed). And my three kids too are unified by legos. I feel like I just got a hug :) Loved the artwork, the animals, everything. And the shark tooth shadow box!!! Immediately texted my brother, who collected 64 shark teeth one summer vacation in Hilton head ;)
Oh my goodness, this home is like a warm hug <3 What a dream to buy it off old friends as well. It feels so lived in already, the perfect relics from the 80s and 90s inside, contributing to that relaxing vibe from a time without internet and cell phones. That home office (former walk-in closet?) and soaker tub bathroom date the property but are also so enviable. Making a huge house feel welcoming is difficult (would love to see the kids' rooms!) but perfectly achieved here. I would LOVE to have a home like this for my family one day, but I don't think it's within our budget — such a shame!
I am now OBSESSED with the swinging stools in the kitchen. My new life’s quest will be how to integrate some into my home.
Sequence is so fun! I love Kate. That’s all.
How does anyone have four kids. I am envious because it sounds wonderful and also because I absolutely could not do it so it just breaks my brain to contemplate.
Same!
I have two cats and two kittens and I was thinking the same thing! If these four are a lot in the morning, how do people with four young kids do it.
I cannot stop thinking about the part about not buying toys but how new toys are everywhere in your house. I am living the same. HOW?!?!? Hahahaha
Would love to hear more about why / how Kate settled in Lancaster. (I don’t think she is from there? But I am! I grew up in Mount Joy. Now I live in Brooklyn…and I think sneakily about someday moving back…)
Hi Maddie! I’m from the Philly suburbs (go Birds) and went to college in Virginia where I met my husband. He’s from this area (E-town!), and while he would have moved anywhere, we ultimately moved here back here a few years ago due to a great family support system, close enough proximity to my own family, and to be near some of our closest friends <3
The blue bookcase! The green walls! The glam piano! The old timey phone on the kitchen wall! Love the mix of old and new, it all feels very real but also aspirational. It’s the perfect mix. Kate Bear, Catherine Newman and Heather Ross are my top three favorite COJ house tours!!!
I love this home tour!
This is my fave home tour ever! And definitely creating a family playlist now.
Is there a word for our times when you feel like you’re friends with someone from the internet even though you don’t know them personally? As time goes on and I continue reading Kate’s work, I sometimes find myself wondering for half a second if I should text her to see if she’s up for a walk with the dogs. Alas. In another life. 💫
we call that a “parasocial” relationship….like how Taylor Swift and I get along *great* when we’re hanging out, baking cookies with my kids :)
Love her home. It’s very welcoming.
I lived in Lancaster PA for 25 years. We moved there because of our career’s. Finding it very monochromatic and full of pre-judgement, we literally moved out on the last day of my husband work in higher education there. It was such a non-inclusive place.
Absolutely love your home, Kate. And it is clearly a home. My main question though is how do you get your pothos that thick? They are gorgeous!!
I noticed that too! Every plant in that house looks amazing. I want to know what plant food they’re using.
You have to prune them so they start growing from the top again https://youtu.be/8fFxIe-iwz0?si=Jm87L1ADfCT3TeB9
This house reminds me of Catherine Newman’s house tour! Lived in! Not everything is brand new! Looking at it feels like a hug! It’s the best.
This is the best compliment.
14th row from the top, 6th row in from the left
Haha nice work! I think you’re right!
Also, my husband is from Lancaster and I dream of running into Kate when we visit family there!
I’m in the process of building a library very similar to Kate’s! This is giving me motivation to complete it.
I love this house tour so much. There’s LIFE in there! And I audibly gasped when I saw the playbill for John Proctor is the Villain. I was on the crew for that show’s Broadway run and I relished listening to it 8x a week. Such a gift. …I love knowing Katie enjoyed it enough to keep the playbill.
Love this very normal very fun very family friendly house! Jealous of the aerial silks!
OMG. That house is HUGE. Love the whole thing. Could move in tomorrow.
I need to know what the non-shark tooth is. It’s driving me bananas!
BOYFRIEND! That’s hot. ;-)
“So, the house isn’t picked up, but everyone had dinner.” That is my family with one child (soon two). I cannot imagine with four!
Me: OMG, Kate Baer lives in a literal mansion! Narrator: “Critics are calling this home tour: relatable, attainable, and real. ‘Stars – they’re just like us!'” Made me laugh : ) Kate, if you’re reading, at least one COJ reader thinks your house is not relatable or attainable! I hope it’s also your dream home <3
Honestly, my favorite home tours are the ones where people work with what they have, rather than gut the space. Sometimes you have to, I get that, but there is such a warmth and coziness to a space where you can see generational wear and tear.
Thank you for featuring a home that is so normal! It’s beautiful and they’ve made it their own, but it’s not modernized or renovated to an unattainable standard for most of us. More of these!
Agreed! I was feeling the same thing. It’s so refreshing.
What a beautiful home! Thank you for sharing it with us
as a Texan, i will forever be jealous of homes with basements
Omg you are SO lucky ! My basement caused me unending anxiety every time it rained in PA. Flooded numerous times. Plus when we moved here, getting out of our house if 35 years, it was just one more space to empty. They are nice if they work right ha.
Basements are sent from the devil to bankrupt you and give you constant anxiety.
What a lovely, welcoming home! Appreciate Kate so much as a writer and am delighted to see what a celebration of life her home is.
How real and beautiful is this home! Some corners carefully curated, some a random mix! It felt so comfortable and familiar. Thank you for featuring the home of a poet I admire so much! Her home feels just like her writing… familiar, earthy, true
I have followed Kate online since her oldest was a baby…I now have three of my own. This was such a beautiful interview. Waving hello from Ireland.
I love so many things about this home but I LOVE all of the finishings that are sort of “dated” in the house (big oval tub, brass and plastic fixtures, and the tiles in the kitchen) are just there as they are… and they look seamlessly rad and no one felt compelled to rip it out and redo it just because it was from the 90’s.
Looks amazing! I am in awe how the kitchen is in such good shape, unless that’s just convenient blurring. I mean, I see the scuffing by the stools, but that’s a cheap, easy fix. Occasionally we looking into buying a home (well, apartment), but hat’s still a longs ways off. One of many things that holds me back from buying is how insanely short kitchens seem to last before they need to be renovated. I’m fine with not perfect, but my husband draws the line at cabinets that won’t close no matter how much fiddling you do with hinges (our current kitchen). The only kitchen I know of that’s lasted decades was a custom solid-wood one with owners who took exceptional care of it (polished their granite countertops multiple times a day), which will never be me. Is there hope that I wouldn’t either A) need to replace a kitchen multiple times over a 30 year mortgage or B) live with a kitchen that gets sadder and with time?
Elly, I’m not sure where you live or what types of apartments you’ll be looking at, but my first house was built in ’73 I think and the basic wooden cabinets held up so great. Seems like houses pre-’85ish were just made with more solid materials. My current house was built in ’60 and all it’s original cabinetry was in good shape too (though I replaced it bc we reconfigured).
My kitchen is at least 20 years old (and SO brown, every single thing is brown), and the functionality is just fine. Cabinets, tile, counters, everything is good. Ugly, but good.
Hi Elly, or house is a 1995 build, builder spec home in a new then subdivision. It’s tiny. And my mom described by kitchen cabinets as “the cheapest they could get” lol. They are oak, formica countertops and good old white Kenmore appliances. We’ve had to replace all appliances, but the fridge lasted until last year! And those oak cabinets? Sorry mom, but the doors are solid real wood and they polish up beautifully with some oil, close perfectly and don’t show scratches etc very badly at all. My countertops are very scratched, but honestly? Who cares? Certainly not me. If we had remodeled, a “new” kitchen would already be dated. I refuse to participate in the capitalist idea that homes can’t look “old”. I’m so grateful just to own my home.
My friend and I had the pleasure and absolute joy of attending one of Kate’s events last week and meeting her afterward. She was so warm, kind, and funny and all we could talk about on the way home was how we want to be friends with her! Love Kate’s home tour and how lucky to be one of her actual *real life* friends who gets invited to hang out in such a warm and welcoming home!
This home is absolutely gorgeous especially the plants. Thank you for linking our little independent bookstore -Pocketbooks 😊
Love the whole deal, all of it. Just reserved Beautyland at the library. But we NEED the bathroom paint color!
Hi Enid! I checked with Kate, and sadly she does not know! That particular paint was there when they bought the house.
I second Beautyland! Such a quirky and amazing read. Highly recommend!
I listened to Beautyland on audiobooks. The narration is pitch perfect. Highly recommend if you are out walking and want to get swept up into another world!
Marie-Helene Bertino posted an Instagram story today of a woman with the caption “Happy birthday, Adina” and I squealed aloud.
You think you couldn’t love an author/person more, and then you see her furniture from family, marks on the island from kids shoes, Facebook marketplace purchases…our relatable queen, Kate Baer.
Yes Liz!! This resonates with me so much. We love you, Kate!!
Your house is huuuge (by french standards), I would get lost but you’re a big family so you would need that space! I actually grew up in a very big house aswell and today, I could NEVER cope with it. Your carpet stair is fantastic, I would paint the stairs either black or red ah ah! I think your house is gorgeous, I love your poetry (I got your books in Paris from the Shakespear and Co bookstore) and I love that you make poetry close to people. Thanks for sharing and your literary success makes me happy! Love from Paris
I just wanted to say what a sweet message this is! I love the positivity that radiates from your words.
LOVE the color of those bookshelves, but the color at the link is sooo much more gray, really? I know colors look different depending on the website, the light, etc. but I am contemplating if it is an error?
Hi Julia! Yep, Kate confirmed that’s the color. (I love it too, and was determined to find out!)
I have Hale Navy in my bathroom and can confirm it is a deeper blue than it appears at the link. It’s gorgeous and I love it!
This is my favorite home tour ever and that’s saying something! Adore, Love, and Totally on the same page. Thank you for sharing!!! Super fun read on this Friday morning.
Those bookshelves! What a beautiful and delightful home. It suits Kate.
I just renewed my Soundiiz subscription so I could migrate the recommended playlists from Spotify to Qobuz. WORTH EVERY PENNY, THANK YOU! Let’s see if the writing playlist works from magic for my grading. :)
Reading about Kate’s playlist just hit me with the biggest wave of nostalgia (a true “Proust madeleine” as we say in French) : when I was a kid, my dad would play the local radio station (80-90s tunes) every Saturday morning and I always loved waking up to it. I think I need to bring week-end morning music back into my life…
This is my absolute favourite home tour to date!! I’ve read and loved (and own) all of her books and so seeing her beautiful home is just so special!
Wait…I need to know which shark tooth is actually a shell!!
Same!!!!
Thank you Kate for inviting us into your home! My bff sent me a signed copy of your last book. What a treasure. xoxo
Just when we all thought we couldn’t possibly love Kate more than we already do – RELATABLE house tour! I’m still looking for that shell amongst the shark teeth!
“I’ve found that having four kids does two things: It makes you extremely organized and also extremely laid back.” As a mom of 4, this is so true. People always make comments about how my hands are full, but I always say that it isn’t as hard as people think it is because there are SO many things I don’t care about anymore. My daughter has gone to school with pants, a skirt, and a dress on. I have one kid who regularly wears his shoes on the wrong feet and his pants backwards. If they’re not naked, it’s not worth my energy.
Three here and same same. I say, when someone has said – wait their shoes are on the wrong feet! ….Their pants are backwards! (Usually not all at the same time lol.) “Hahaha thanks!!! Well,…. You know they dressed themselves!”
ah ah ah I love your comment! I have one child and I try to picture siblings around him to take the pressure off (who cares about unbrushed hair, he’s had breakfast, is cleaned is ready for school!); love from Paris
Sara, I laughed out loud at the idea of a small human wearing pants, a skirt, AND a dress :) YOLO indeed!
This was my very favorite part of the article— also a mom of 4 and I felt very seen 😊
CandiceZ, I’ve had multiple people ask if I’m going to switch their shoes and I’m like…no? It’s not bothering them, what do I care?
Llama Llama good enough mamas!!!! As a preschool teacher I’m routinely helping children with clothing. “Murphy, your pants are on backwards (or inside out!!), would you like to fix them?” “Nope!!” “Right on! Carry on friend.” Some kids have sensory issues and it WILL bother, so you all, but most, couldn’t care less. As long as they are dressed for the weather, I’m happy! (And if they aren’t, it’s still OK, because we have extra clothes to borrow).
Love that you have kept Boyfriend. When my rascal husband is feeling cheeky, he introduces me as his ex-girlfriend (current wife).
My sister used to introduce my first husband as my “first husband” while I was married to him. Turns out she was right! Haha. :
Thanks for sharing Kate’s playlists. I found it funny because her Spotify playlist, What Kind of Woman, is MY cooking playlist. I put ear buds in and it’s just for me.
This was so cozy. Reminds me of my house in suburban Michigan. Very lived in!
Kate’s sense of design is basically exactly what I aspire to in real life. Color, lived in , not gut renovated, lots of serendipity. Also so many other ways she shows up as someone I admire. Thank you Kate and Jo for this piece!
I didn’t think I could love Kate any more, but that basement playroom with the hot wheels and the giant tv and the 90’s sofa is 10/10 relatable. Stars–They’re just like us!
Dream home
Hi ! This is definitely not the right post to be asking for advice but here I am ! So.. I invited some friends over for lunch three weeks ago and they asked if they could bring their neighbour who had an accident a month ago . He’s technically fine but can’t drive till the end of the month , so they thought he might love to join us which he did. We’ve been having lunch or dinner every monday for three weeks now and I’ve been thinking about him a lot more than I would love to admit. He’s shy and introverted ( I could feel he’s nervous whenever he talks to me) but has a lot of humour and is very kind. I bumped into him the other day while walking my dog, so we talked for a couple of minutes. We’re both introverted so this is veryyyy stressing but we did it ! They’re coming over for dinner next monday. Now my question is , how do I get the person to talk more ? How do we get to the place where we exchange numbers ? How do I NOT feel stressed talking to him ? If I could feel his stress he could feel mine too I suppose. How do I sound interesting when hosting someone I’m interested to know more about. I’m 31, he’s 37 if that could help . Any tips ? Advice? Shared experience?!
Can you think of a fun activity and casually ask him to join you? “Oh hey I was thinking of attending next weekend. Would you like to come with?”
As a shy person at my core (with an artists tender heart) it took me a LONG time to learn the following: ask for what you want and model the behaviour you expect. Don’t waste your one precious life waffling about how to talk to him more. Ask him questions. Want to go see a movie with him? Ask him to join you and be clear of the context of which you are asking (1:1, as a friend, as a date, in a group etc.) The pain of rejection is real but it’s a blip on our life’s timeline, the real pain is missing out on something beautiful because we are too shy to ask for what we want. Avoidance is a pain we cause ourselves and it denies us the possibility of actually living our lives. If you are at the point where you are asking for help on how to do this (and not enjoying the murky waters of avoidance) you already have the bravery to just ask for what you want!
Mom of a 2 and 4 year old here to say I need this on a mug — “On toys: And yet, they’re everywhere.” I took a trash bag to goodwill today and still I’m tripping over them. Where do they come from?!!
Mom of 3 almost all grown… When my girls were little I was convinced Polly Pocket was replicating and planning a coup. Now I cannot figure out why we have SO MANY SHOES.
Love this tour, and love Kate’s approach to hosting regularly! It’s so true that people just want to get together and no one cares about the backsplash.
holds list is going strong at 364 for my library! Can’t wait until my turn!
Dream come true! I made it onto Cup of Jo! Thanks, Kate. Xoxo
Yay, Virginia! The Correspondent was absolutely one of my favorite reads of 2025! COJ community, if you haven’t already read it, please get yourself a copy and thanks us later!
Virginia Evans!!!!!!! My book club died for your book! I can’t wait to read it again and again. Thank you for caring enough about getting it written to write it so we could enjoy it! <3
Virginia! Your book was like a warm mug of hot chocolate during these wild times. The passage about raising children being the best years of your life but also feeling like busy-ness, worry over bills, etc. resonated so much. I read it aloud to my mom and sister on a recent visit and we all wept in recognition right there at the kitchen table. Thank you for putting this beautiful book into the world.
Virginia–I adored The Correspondent. It was a book that held me in its hands. I cried tears I didn’t know I needed to cry and I sat with that book for a long time after finishing it. It was beautiful. Bravo! Thank you for sharing your gift with us.
My book club read it too! Beautiful work. It inspired me to write to one of my favorite authors. I then passed the book to my neighbor and her book club read it too! I hope the chain carries on. I must say, at the same time I read the book I got my first pair of progressive lens glasses. Getting used to the distortion while reading about a woman losing her sight was almost TOO timely for my tender heart. Thank you for your writing!
Another fan of The Correspondent! Great to see you here, Virginia!
OMG Virginia Evans reads Cup of Jo! I LOVED The Correspondent and wanted to gift it to my mother and sister for Christmas, but it’s so universally beloved that they both had already heard about it and bought it for themselves! :)
Ahhh I loved your book!! Thank you a million times ❤️❤️❤️
I chose The Correspondent for my book group selection for 2026! I’ve read so many good things about it. My goal is to be the one who chose the best book of the year. (I’m a type A person.) This year I think I’ve got a real chance! Thanks!
VIRGINIA! Your book is too good. I have two young kids and stayed up reading until the wee hours to finish it despite an early morning followed by a full day of travel on the docket. Bravo.
Virginia, you made it onto the comments section months ago! I submitted your book as the best I had read all year. I am hosting my book club next month to discuss The Correspondent.
I love this house. It feels like mine.
what a lovely unpretentious home. love how it looks like a large well-lived in suburban home with a cool and talented mom who prioritizes her family. thanks for showing it, coj! it is nice to see variety and appreciate all styles and the loveliness of each.
I love this line: “So the house isn’t picked up, but everyone had dinner.” New life philosophy.
We need the other playlist recommendations from Kate! Love her!
Love this. Also from Lancaster / live in Lancaster. Spotted all of the local tomatoes on the counter :)
Lancaster County tomatoes are one of the things my husband and I mourn since our move West. Tomatoes and corn on the cob !!!!! People think they have corn on the cob out here but they don’t ha. Ditto tomatoes. Also miss Finks Fries. East Coast Pizza. Crab cakes from Woody’s in Maryland. Twin Kiss Hollywood burgers ( although my Twin Kiss closed before we moved so not as painful but still ) I ate them all my life. Nothing can duplicate them. Cheesesteaks. Rice and Noodles restaurant. Central Manor Mart. I was only going to say one thing ha. Plus Roots. I think that’s it (?) But my daughter and son-in- law are here !!!! And the glorious summers !!!
I love that other Lancaster natives noticed the tomatoes on the counter <3
I love her! Her poetry is so fierce and tender and affirming. And her home is lovely! I especially love not seeing a $150k grey and white kitchen…
Me too! CoJ, please do a round up of readers’ un-renovated kitchens. Mine is awful. I would love to share.
Sitting here in my tiny Chicago condo, my heart leapt when I saw those Library shelves…Big Blue and Beautiful. Le Sigh.
What a pick-me-up this post is!! Thank you, Kate and the CoJ team!
my favorite house tour yet. thank you so much for this!