The Big Scary Dream: Launching CloverLock Lane on YouTube

Happy very belated New Year from CloverLock Lane! I’ve spent the last few weeks in a state of 70% utter chaos, 30% joy and relaxation between cooking, guests, the holidays, and a trip to see friends and family in Florida. With all that, C and I took a huge step back from the house and the sea of projects, focusing on getting through the day and keeping the house at mostly right angles. 

We don’t really vacation a lot, so spending this trip actually resting and enjoying my time doing not-that-much instead of three jobs has been really refreshing and I feel way more ready to take on 2026 and the laundry list of things on my Project List. It’s also giving me a new mindset for the year; focusing more on a balanced, offline life. 

I feel like everyone made analog their word of the year for 2026, but it really is something we all should be prioritizing. The world has gotten so consumed by social media and instant gratification and the utter selfishness of it all, and I’m no exception to that. I’m exhausted by the eye strain and the inability to be bored and the social pressures to keep up with the Jonses’, and it all never ends online. I know, that’s rich coming from me, I work in digital marketing, writing a blog, and building an online brand. But I think they key for me is finding a balance between the real world and the online. Everything is okay in moderation you know, the dose makes the poison. The internet is amazing and incredible for connection and education, it’s just about making sure it has its place in your life and doesn’t take over your life. How does the platform I want to build fit into that ideal? Well, I’m so glad you asked, what a timely question.

YouTube is Coming

I grew up in the golden, pre-streaming era of YouTube, and it’s been so incredible to see that industry grow from my perspective as a consumer and as a marketing professional. I always wanted to be a cool YouTuber as a kid, I was jealous of the vlog girlies in college, and have always been impressed by the folks who’ve been able to build incredible careers from YouTube. This year, I’m turning 30, and as silly as it feels to think/say/write this, I kind of want to give it a go?? In moving to CloverLock Lane, I saw an incredible project, and an opportunity to share that with the world. Not just in a lame vlog kind of way, but as an opportunity to connect with similar folks, encourage others to learn similar lifeskills, and to share the knowledge I do have with others. 

We’re looking at a March launch, with videos every other week. It’ll be mid to longer form videos following smaller projects from start to finish, and larger projects will be more serialized. There’ll also be a few vlog style videos with local events, conversations with other similar creators in our area, and small how-to style videos for some projects. I’m really excited about the how-to videos, as it’s an area I really see a gap for content by and for women, practical tutorials without condescension or assuming you have every tool in the universe and know what a drive shaft is. 

The channel is called CloverLock Lane, give us a subscribe to help the channel kick off strong!

The Big Projects 

The Big Projects on my list will be a big focus of my time and budget this year as well as the focus for the YouTube channel. Here’s what on the docket, in no particular order:

• Barn Rehab - I’d really like to have this bad boy done by the end of the year, but there’s a LOT of work!

• Backyard Fence - will we contract out? Or will we DIY? Stay tuned to find out, mostly because I straight up do not know

• Building the Coop - I told C this is what I want for my birthday, coop and birds! We’re debating a custom build, so definitely follow along to see what we end up with.

• Starting the gardens - the Secret Garden is going in the ground this year, and we’re going to start work on the raised garden, something which is going to probably be a three-year project for us

• Wedding Plans - now this I’m giving a stay tuned to for dramatic reasons!

What You Can Expect from the Blog

Alongside the video content, I’ll be sharing more here on the blog too! I have always enjoyed writing and blogging (genuinely, it’s in my blood!), so continuing it as a part of building up everything around CloverLock Lane really excited me. Some of what’s here will be project updates, behind-the-scenes of the videos, and how-tos for new builds/fixes/DIYs. I’ll also have inside-the-house content as we finally get to improving and designing the rooms beyond the basics we brought with us from our last home. The blog is also an opportunity for longer thought pieces on things that make my brain light up, but don’t necessarily fit on YouTube or need video content with them. Most of all, you can expect honest documentation of the journey to build our lovely little homestead in the woods. I just don’t have the time and money to cultivate a fake, glamorous journey for the internet. And I’m exhausted by seeing the folks who do! In this era of being real with ourselves and grounding our lives in what matters, lying to the world about it all is just not the energy we need to bring to a platform. 

The Vision Behind CloverLock Lane

This is my favorite part. This is the part where I talk about The Big Dream. The reason I wanted to launch CloverLock Lane. I’ll keep it simple. I want to build a cozy, capable life for myself. I want to learn to be self-sufficient. I want a life where I feel confident in myself and my knowledge and my skills. And I want to build a community of people who want the same things. 

Not a community of perfection, but a community of progress. People who are willing to try, fail, learn, and try again. People who believe that becoming capable is empowering and that a cozy life is one you actively create, not one you perform.

The scariest part of The Big Dream is the idea of learning in public, and not having a perfect presentation or mastering the skills before sharing it. The idea of sharing the real version of life and making mistakes on the internet for everyone to see is terrifying. But like I said before, presenting the perfect version of yourself is exhausting and it sets such an unrealistic and frustrating standard for what life should look like. 

It’s scary and hard, and I’m genuinely afraid to do this. But spending your life huddled in the safe corner of your comfort zone won’t help you live and grow and thrive. The best it’ll ever be is good enough. And who dreams of ‘good enough’?? Life is short. Life is scary. And as the ancient wisdom goes: YOLO. 

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If you’ve made it this far into the blog, thank you for reading! I’m really excited to bring this project to life, even though it scares the pants off me. At worst, it’s a cringy thing that happened. At best, I’m about to kickstart the coolest stage of my life. 

Give CloverLock Lane a follow in all the best places: YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

And sound off in the comments, what are you working on in 2026? Are you climbing your big, scary mountain this year? You should!

7 Months at CloverLock Lane: What We've Learned (The Good, Bad, and Expensive)

I can’t believe it’s been over 7 months since we moved into Cloverlock Lane. Time really does fly, especially when you’re drowning in boxes and contractor quotes. After finally coming up for air post-holidays, family visits, and vacation, I’ve finally had the time to reflect on what we learned in the last seven months and what’s ahead for 2026.

The Great Unpacking That Never Ended

One of the most surprising things about the last year was what an actual time suck moving can be! I thought it would be easy peasy, nicely labeled boxes, unpacked in a week or two, then onto finding pretty furniture and home finishings. Joke’s on me, my office looks like a storage unit exploded into it. Boxes, totes, random items balanced in random places, and a half clear desk for working. Who knew we (okay, I) had so much stuff?? And nowhere to put it! This has set up my biggest goal for the first part of this year, finish buying the last few furniture pieces we need for storage. We don’t need too much; a couple of bookshelves, a hutch for the hall, and a small bureau for my office. But that much still isn’t cheap to buy or easy to move. Hopefully, we’ll have those pieces by the end of February, and I can spend the rest of the year getting my office into an actual, functional space that I enjoy being in for all the hours I spend there. 

Where Reality Meets Budget

Another surprise was just the cost of everything that needs to get done. This is one of those things everyone tells you, and you very much know, but until you’re in the moment, it doesn’t really sink in. Within the first 90 days, we got quotes for our biggest projects: gutters, backyard fence, tree clearing, barn rehab, chimney fixes, and water heater. The total? Let’s just say I laughed, then cried, then laughed again. I will never forget the moment where the tree removal company casually tossed out their quote. I stood there, smiling, nodding, sounds good-ing, while doing the mental math on just how many months of groceries that represented. Spoiler: a lot. 

At that point, I realized I was crazy to think I could get them all done within that first year. Some projects, like the barn rehab, got relegated to a DIY. Others like the fence and chimney were deemed things that could wait. The gutters and water heater, were projects that a professional would do best, and that could potentially cause more damage in the long run.

Would I Do Anything Differently?

Looking back, there wasn’t much I would change about the last seven months. I mean there was, I wish we did more with the garden and finished fixing up the shed and a temporary fence for the dogs. Reality check: I was juggling full-time work plus two side gigs. C had long office days and a difficult commute. Free time? Never heard of her. What little time we did have was carefully split between resting, cleaning, and exploring the area on top of working on the house. 

The Biggest Lesson: Building Capability

The biggest thing I’ve learned over the last seven months has to be the importance of being self-sufficient. Not necessarily being able to DIY everything (though it would be handy!), but being able to do a lot of the little things, a few of the big things, and otherwise know what you’re talking about when you hire jobs out. The jobs we did hire out for, I spent a fair amount of time with them, asking as many questions as I could to the contractor or researching online. Going into this year, knowing our goals and our budget, we’re going to be spending a good amount of time investing in equipment and in knowledge. 

Looking Ahead in 2026

So what does all of this mean for the year ahead? A few things:

First, we are fully embracing the DIY life. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s necessary. Rehabbing the barn, building a coop, the raised garden beds, fixing up a 40-year-old recently vacant house? We’re figuring it out as we go, and I’m documenting every step. (More on that to come. YouTube, filming, and all kinds of chaos in February!)

Second, we’re getting strategic about what to tackle when. The fence can wait until summer, but the shed needs attention before spring showers. The gardening is happening no matter what, because I refuse to go another summer without my homegrown tomatoes and zucchinis. 

And third, we’re giving ourselves grace. Not everything will get done this year, no matter how well I plan. Some projects will fail too. We’ll learn things the hard way. And that’s okay because the point isn’t perfection, it’s progress. And this super chill acceptance is something I’m learning too!

Seven months in, CloverLock Lane still has boxes in the office, projects in hold, and a to-do list that does not end. But it also has a working water heater, new gutters, a dry crawlspace, and two people who are slowly but surely figuring out how to build the life we want. 

What I’m Cooking for Thanksgiving

I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time in 2022. I cooked for six that year, the most people I’d ever made a meal for, the most complex meal I’d ever cooked, and the first time I’d ever roasted a bird. Every single recipe I cooked was brand new to me, and fully tooting my horn here, it was a delicious dinner. Now with three Thanksgivings under my belt and serving as many as fifteen guests, I’ve come to love the tradition of cooking and serving dinner.

This year, we’re looking at just seven family members making the trek across state lines to visit. I opened the doors up to others in a service group I’m a part of, offering a seat for anyone who isn’t spending the holiday with family to join ours for the night. So I’ll be cooking for ten, expecting seven with plenty of leftovers.

New to the Menu: The Breakfast Buffet

Growing up, we always watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade every year. The first year after C and I first moved in, I went back to my parents’ house early to watch the parade! Since then, we had settled into a nice routine of morning tea, eggs, sausage, and fluffy (mostly) homemade cinnamon buns, and enjoying the parade in relative peace before the cooking commenced. This year, we’ll be hosting my sister and her boyfriend in our house, so breakfast is going to be a bit more of a spread than usual!

Our mini breakfast buffet will include: fluffy cinnamon buns, blueberry lemon muffins, English muffins, toast, sausage, bacon, and fruit. Plus coffee, tea, apple cider, orange juice, and prosecco.

Appetizer Spread

Controversial: I don’t believe in having a big appetizer spread if dinner is the center of the gathering. If you put out a big spread of apps, most folks will go to town on them, leaving little room for dinner and none for dessert. I don’t want my guests to leave my house feeling either overstuffed or craving dinner when eleven o’clock rolls around. I keep my appetizers pretty limited and simple. Apps are limited to a large but basic charcuterie board and a spinach dip wreath. The spin dip wreath is not basic and a real pain in my neck to make, but I made it for one Christmas, and it’s been requested for every winter holiday since!

Main Course: Thanksgiving Dinner!

The pièce de résistance of my year! I always opt for simpler, classic dishes for Thanksgiving. It’s just not the day to try wacky recipes on folks, everyone likes a simple, classic Turkey Day meal. For the past three years, I’ve also had to plan for vegan dishes, gluten-free dishes, and top 8 allergen-free dishes. Last year, everything I made for dinner was safe to eat for all my guests. Well, except the bird, obviously, that wasn’t vegan. Almost everything was made from scratch to make that happen: dinner rolls, bread for my stuffing, veggie broth, etc. It was a lot of work, but very satisfying to see all my hard work come together for a beautiful meal. This year, I don’t have to be gluten-free, so I’m really cutting corners by buying store-made bread for the stuffing.

For 10 people, the rule of thumb is 15 lb turkey, 2 starchy sides, and 2 veggie sides. I know our family, though, and we are all big side dish people, so I can skimp out on the bird a bit. So here’s what’s on the table for our Thanksgiving dinner: 13ish lb turkey, make-ahead roasted potatoes, stuffing, garlic roasted green beans, Chelsea Fagan’s Restaurant-Worthy Brussel Sprouts, homemade cranberry jelly, my highly requested 1 Hour Dinner Rolls, and a double batch of gravy made without drippings.

Dessert: The Best Meal of MY Day

Dessert is both the best and worst part of my day. Best: it means I’m D-O-N-E done for the day. Nothing else to put in the oven, no more serving spoons to hunt down, no more careful dances of into and out of oven, and I don’t have to touch tin foil for at least a day. On the other hand, Worst: no one ever eats the desserts and I’m stuck with seven to fifteen people’s worth of sugary desserts that I can’t help but eat! Seriously, no one ever wants the leftover desserts. Add on to that, I’m fairly picky about what desserts I like, and I’m often stuck with desserts I don’t really want. Usually I just keep them, we eat what we want, and then just toss everything else when it goes. This year, I’m mixing it up, I’m making all the desserts.

Potentially crazy? Yes. Overwhelming? Hopefully not. Here’s what’s on the menu for desserts: Homemade Apple Turnovers, Rosemary Shortbread, and maybe Beatty’s Chocolate Cake (Ina’s iconic recipe!).

The process has already started for me, the hour-by-hour schedule for Thursday is done, the first dishes to prep are already in the fridge, I sold my soul to Costco to get all my groceries. All the prep is done, and all I have left to do is cook and clean every last inch of my house. No sweat!

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Follow along on Insta for this weeks progress and a live tracking of Thanksgiving Day as it rolls out!

Hosting Thanksgiving in a House We Just Moved Into

For the past three years, I have hosted family Thanksgiving, and thrived while doing it. I’m talking spreadsheet schedules, two weeks of prep, a notion dashboard just for recipe planning, even a pivot table to plan my grocery list. It was like the Olympics for a Type A gal. And not to brag, but I know I got Gold every year. Before 2022, the biggest group I’d ever cooked for was just four people. My first Thanksgiving I cooked for seven, then twelve, and last year fourteen (and one was a last-minute add that day!). I was so proud of my table every year, providing allergen-safe, gluten-free, and vegan options so everyone could safely eat and enjoy together.

When we left New Jersey, where all of our family is, I thought we left hosting behind too. I was planning to cook up a chicken with a mini green bean casserole and some roasted potatoes, buy a pie from the local bakery, and have a simple dinner for two. That was until I got the text:

So what day should we come down?

And all of the sudden, I’m back in the game! Official invites went out, notepads whipped into shape, and I’ve got only a few weeks to get not only the meal planned, but the house in tip-top hosting shape again!

The Challenge

Boxes on boxes on boxes! We unpacked 95% of the house within the first month of moving, which is awesome. We were able to live normally in the house right off the bat and even host family and friends for long weekends not long after we settled in. However, there are probably 10-15 boxes of homeless items that have been plaguing me. It’s things like framed art and corkboards, books for my office, my collection of American Girl dolls, the sewing machine, my lovely fiancé C’s game consoles, items that belong in the shed (which is in dire need of a new floor), and the biggest box of all: the mountain of clothes to sell/donate.

These items have been extra hard, purely because they just don’t have a place to go! We had considered doing a quick IKEA order to finish our library corner, then appropriate the mismatched Billy cabinet to the office/second guest room. This would’ve gotten a few of the boxes put away, but who just has a spare $800 lying around?? Not us for sure!

The Plan

Stack and repack! Some garden items are going to end up on some outdoor shelves we finally put together, but for the most part, it’ll be repacking items more carefully and condensing what we can so the stacks of boxes look neater. That, and hope that Facebook Marketplace delivers me the bookshelves and dresser I’ve been hunting for!

In reality, I’m just hosting family. They’ve seen our house in much messier and boxier moments, so having a wall of neatly stacked boxes really isn’t the worst. The house is clean, the company is great, and the food is delicious. In the end, that’s all that really matters for a good Thanksgiving! When I invite the Homeworthy team next year, then I’ll worry. (and yes I am manifesting that for 2026!)

The Barn Rehab Project

Welcome to the Barn

The barn is a little rectangular building with one ‘stall’ space with a sliding barn door, a small feed or tack room space with a separate Dutch door, and an overhead hayloft. The stall has what I think is a hay manger, a small door dividing the animal area from the food area. There aren’t any rubber mats or stones for storage, only the natural clay dirt that has hardened into a really solid stone-like floor. There are cobwebs galore, and something has burrowed quite cozily under the feed room area.

On the outside, there are a few points where there clearly used to be a fence attached to the barn, but it’s been gone for a very long time. The sliding barn door doesn’t really slide anymore, so it’s been open for our six months, plus the last three years of the home being vacant. It’s a wooden door on wooden tracks, so it’s not going to slide as easily as modern metal rollers. The Dutch door to the feed room is barely a door anymore; every week, it’s sliding further and further off the hinges. We’re not messing around with it yet, leaving the door shut until she gives up. The roof needs some love, though luckily, the overhang on the front is in great shape

There’s also a lot of damage to the bottom of the back wall. Our property has a pretty significant slope, so the water rolling down from the house gutters flows directly into the back here. The barn backs up to a pretty big tree, and there are a few others in the way of the new fence we’re planning. The trees are dropping a lot of branches and litter on the roof of the barn, causing more damage to the already leaky roof.

The Goal

Based on what the previous homeowner left, we think they used to have a horse in this little barn. Despite having five acres, which is technically plenty of room, we’re not planning on fencing a big enough space for a full-size horse. Instead, we’re aiming for some smaller friends: a couple of goats, a couple of sheep, and maybe a donkey or pony, depending on the field size. The field we build will be shared with our chicken coop too, which we’ll build from scratch a couple of yards down.

The To Do List

There is a lot to be done on the barn! Here’s the to-do list we’re starting with, roughly in order:

• Cut down the big tree behind the barn

• Repair the water-damaged back wall and protect from future water damage

• Repair the back roof and add overhanging shingles on the sides

• Clean! Sweep the cobwebs out, remove the trash, toss the old furniture

• Repair the floor in the storage room

• Repair the gate in the storage room

• Check flooring in the hay loft, repair if needed

• Replace the Dutch door

• Fix the sliding stall door - replace? new tracks? TBD!

• Stall flooring - need to figure out a plan! Level, bluestone, and mats? TBD!

• Paint the exterior

• Bring water to the barn

• Bring electricity to the barn

• Build the field fencing & gate - DIY? Hire out?

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Keep an eye out on the Barn Rehab Project Page to catch all the newest updates as they’re posted and follow along on social!