Brought to you by
May 2026
Cassy West
How to
Boost Your
Wellness at Home
Backyard Project Ideas That Add Style, Comfort, and Function
Spring Cleaning
Checklist That Actually Works
Compliments of
Cassy West
Cassy West
Holistic REALTOR® & Wellness Real Estate Expert
Your Home Environment Matters
This spring is a meaningful moment to pause and reflect on what you want to shift, reset, or bring more fully into your life. As the year unfolds, it’s a natural time to slow down, clear what no longer serves you, and create more ease, clarity, and intention in your home.
In this issue, we explore that idea through simple, everyday wellness—backyard upgrades that extend how you live at home, insight into why some spaces feel draining instead of supportive, and small kitchen micro-habits that can meaningfully impact your wellbeing.
This season, I invite you to make one small change in your home or routine that helps you feel more grounded and present. My hope is that this issue supports you in doing just that.
Recipe of the Month
Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas
Heather Christo, Deliciously Allergen Free Recipes
These tostadas have everything you want in a little byte- crispy, lime-y, spicy, sweet and fresh- just so good. Basically a perfect bite as far as an appetizer goes.
Photo Credit: Heather Christo
Organization
Upgrade Your Garage: Smart Ways to Create a Clean, Functional Space That Works for Your Lifestyle
By Jolene Nannette
In our home, the garage serves as a multi-purpose space, providing storage for tools and crafts, outdoor and sporting equipment, a home gym, and vehicles. However, without proper organization, it can quickly become cluttered and chaotic. It doesn’t have to be this way. There are many things you can do to create an efficient and well-organized garage that maximizes space and functionality. By implementing these ideas, you'll be able to easily locate items, save time, and create a more enjoyable space to work in.
Feng Shui Essentials
Backyard Retreat: Designing Outdoor Spaces That Actually Restore You
By Dee Oujiri
Most outdoor spaces are designed to be looked at rather than lived in. We invest in curb appeal, tidy mulch lines, symmetrical planters, and the particular furniture set that photographs well against a stained deck. The yard becomes a presentation: what the house offers to the street, what the patio says about the people who chose it.
Featured Article
Living Well
Staff Writer
When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, we often focus on diet and exercise. While these are certainly important factors, they're not the only ones that contribute to our overall well-being. The truth is, the environment in which we live can also have a significant impact on our health and well-being.
Research has shown that the home environment can affect everything from our mood and energy levels to our immune system and sleep patterns. Factors such as air quality, natural lighting, and green spaces can all have a positive impact on our health. On the other hand, exposure to environmental hazards such as chemicals and mold can have negative effects.
Creating a healthy home environment can involve a range of actions, from choosing homes with healthy features to making modifications to existing homes. This might include investing in energy-efficient appliances, improving air quality with proper ventilation, and minimizing exposure to environmental toxins.
By taking steps to create a healthy home environment, we can improve our overall well-being and lead happier, healthier lives. After all, our homes are where we spend the majority of our time, and the environment we live in can have a significant impact on our health and happiness.
Wellness Design
How to Boost Your Wellness at Home
By Cassy West
A room’s acoustic design can have a profound affect on human health and wellbeing. Have you ever felt irritable, distracted, or unexpectedly drained while inside a room and found yourself yearning for a quieter, area where you could focus better or have a undisturbed thought?
Spring Season
Spring Cleaning Checklist That Actually Works
By Lucy Chatman
Spring cleaning sounds productive in theory, but in reality it often turns into an overwhelming weekend of half-finished projects, overflowing donation piles, and closets that somehow look worse than when you started.
Wellness Design
Backyard Project Ideas That Add Style, Comfort, and Function
By Lucy Chatman
Backyards are becoming more than just open space. For many homeowners, they are turning into places to relax, entertain, garden, and enjoy daily life. Because of that shift, more people are looking for projects that improve both the appearance and usefulness of their outdoor areas.
Healthy Home
Healthy Kitchen Micro-Habits: Mold Prevention & Hormonal Wellness
The kitchen is often called the heart of the home, but in my work as a building biology practitioner, I have come to see it as something even more significant. It is the primary interface between your home’s environment and your family’s biology. Every time you boil water, open the dishwasher, or flip on those bright overhead lights to prep dinner, your body is responding to its surroundings.
Architecture
Why Some Homes Are Exhausting to Live In
And what you can do about it
By Kate Hamblet
Have you ever walked into your home and felt… tired? Not just physically, but mentally. Like something about your space is draining your energy instead of restoring it. Most people assume that feeling comes from a busy schedule, poor sleep, or stress. And while those matter, there’s another piece that often gets overlooked: Your home itself might be contributing to that exhaustion. The good news? Once you understand why, you can start making simple changes that make a real difference.
