If you’ve ever wondered who those thick product manuals are actually written for — it’s my dad. 

He’s the guy who reads them cover to cover. For fun. 

He’s also the guy who will happily spend hours (days, even) researching something online — a new car, a software update, the perfect cat name. (We once got a cat and he spent DAYS deep in research, only to proudly announce he’d chosen “Dusty” — for Dusty Springfield, naturally.) 

That curiosity and love of learning has always been one of his most “classic dad” traits. If you asked a question at dinner, he might not know the answer right away — but you could bet that by the next morning, after hours of research at the computer, he’d have it ready to tell you (whether you still cared or not). 

I had a different post planned for this week. 

But with Mother’s Day around the corner, I kept thinking about how much of what I do — and how I do it — was shaped by one person: my mom. 

If you’ve followed Nest & Notion for any length of time, you’ve probably picked up on a few themes around here: 

→  Home should feel like you, not like someone else’s Pinterest board. 

→  A little creativity goes a long way. 

→  You can figure out (or DIY) almost anything. 

→  Bold choices are good choices. 

Well — I didn’t pull those ideas out of thin air. 

I grew up with them.