Monthly Recap – March 2026

Good morning! I hope your weekend was a great one and your month has gone well! Here’s a bit of what we’ve been up to over the past month or so.

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There has been consistent daily progress over at the new house. You can read my latest update post here. In the last week, they’ve finished most of the upstairs hardwood floors (still have to do the carriage house), poured the driveway, and got all the fence posts installed in the backyard! The driveway alone has made everything feel so much closer to completion.

This next pic is on wide angle, so don’t get too excited by our “large” backyard 😉 It’s pretty tight in real life like most are in this area. The fence will only be 4′ high when it’s all finished (I’m guessing it’s sitting at about 6′ right now with the base about 2′ in the ground). We’ll be keeping it simple with a white rail on top (posts will also be painted) and then that black wire fencing you can see on the carriage house balcony above so it doesn’t block our view of the pond.

Here’s a look at the entryway floors before they covered them. We’re really happy with the color and tone! There are a lot more dark knots than we expected but I think it will all look good once everything is finished and we’re not hyper-focused on the floors. I still don’t have any idea what I’m doing for an entryway light fixture yet so that’s something I need to figure out quickly!

The plaster guys have started framing out our fireplace mantel and range hood. Everytime I see the painters with their wood fill and caulk I just laugh. Like HOW is there that much fill needed?! Ha! I’m just glad I don’t have to sand it all and we very much appreciate their attention to detail!

It’s hard to see but the front of the range hood will have a gentle slope backwards towards the top. I’ll get a better picture once they have it drywalled. They’ll then apply the plaster to that, as well. It’s hard to gauge in the picture with our 12′ ceilings, but we’ll have a 48″ range, and I believe the range hood will be 50+” wide once it’s all finished. The range actually sits several inches below the window trim. I’m hoping to share the kitchen design plans very soon!

You can see above a lot of the electrical is happening behind the scenes, as well. All the can lights have been installed as have most of the outlets and switches. So once they paint, that portion will be in really great shape too!

Around Town & For Fun

It’s absolutely wild how quickly March flew by. We didn’t arrive home from Kurtis’ company trip in Hawaii until March 3rd, so I feel like that already set us up for it to move super quickly. We then had to quickly scramble the next day to have our photos taken to list our house. We then listed two days after that, and had showings starting the next day (March 7th). Thankfully we immediatley went under contract, but since that time, the buyers requested another showing (not all of their children were with the first time), and then we had things like the home inspection, termite inspection and appraisal for the next ten days or so. But, we’re still on track to close next week!

The cats have done such an amazing job with all the chaos surrounding the listing. We camped out in Rachel and Chris’ carriage house for several hours the day of the showings. I was shocked just how confident they were walking around. I had far to many flashbacks to listing our Omaha home and how not great they did (particularly Henley). They live very sheltered lives and don’t always do well with change or strangers in and out of “their” house. But they’ve done incredibly well, and were both so curious and wanted to explore everything at Rachel’s!

Our friends Lisa and Dennis visited the area from California and stayed at Hola Beaches the first part of March. We had first met them back when I worked in the insurance industry and they were our clients. We had an incentive trip in Tuscany that Kurtis and I had to host last-minute when the other executives couldn’t attend. Long story short, we all hit it off right away. We hadn’t seen them for probably a decade, but Lisa and I have kept in touch over the years. They’re such great people and it was so fun to catch up (and meet their friends that were staying with them)!

The weekend we listed our house, our beach club hosted its annual free concert. This year’s main act was Brett Young and he was so great! I was only familiar with a few of his songs, but he put on such a wonderful show! This is always such a fun event each year.

Henley in her litltle cat dome in the Publix parking lot while we waited out the buyers’ second showing.

Spring break tends to bring in lots of friends from around the country! Rach and I had happy with our friend Jen, whom I just met last fall at an Amazon event. She and I have talked a lot since then and I just love her! She’s a fun one to follow if you don’t already. I had to laugh that, at 5’9″, I was definitely the shorty in this group of ladies! My top is an old one from Sezane.

Kurtis and I were invited one evening to try the new Vue On 30A menu. We had first tried the restaurant last fall when my brother and sister-in-law were in town and we met up with some of their neighbors that were down in the area. The food is fantastic and the new menu was killer. I would also argue they have the best water views of any restaurant along 30A! It was a bit windy and brisk the day we went but they also have really great patio seating with views too when the weather warms up. The Coca Cola Glazed Duck Wings (something we almost didn’t order) were one of the best appetizers we’ve ever tried. So, so good!

We’ve tried to maintain a bit of our Hawaiian glow, but have only made it to the pool and beach once or twice each with the busyness of the month. Every little bit helps!

The warmer weather and daylight savings time means bocce Sundays are back! We actually only had one event this month, but it was so fun to have the gang back together! Not sure what we’re all going to do when our builder starts building this year on the empty lot next to Chris and Rachel, and the one next to us shortly after that.

We celebrated our friend Louise with a girls’ night on St. Patrick’s Day at Rachel’s house. Louise is a big fan of matcha so it was a traditional Irish meal with matcha margaritas and matcha cheesecake.

The weather has been gorgeous for the most part and things are really greening up. We love our golf cart rides to Starbucks or dinner!

We’re still in the throes of spring break along 30A (and will be until mid-April) which means it’s extra busy. But we’ve still hit the beach once or twice! Our last visit, the dolphins were out playing pretty close to shore and it was so fun to watch since you don’t see them super often! I actually have a video here if you’re interested.

After the beach, I talked Kurtis into going to Clay30A, a local nursery, with me. Is there anything better than shopping for plants after the winter? You can see a bit of what I planted here.

I then promised Kurtis some queso and margs after the nursery adventure. We stopped into Local Cantina across the street from the nursery. We always enjoy it every time we’re down in that area of 30A! It’s only a few minutes away from Hola Beaches and Hola Beaches Casita and has a really fun and funky vibe!

The spring wildlife is out in full force! Every single year, I forget just how dormant things really do go around here. Since we always have some plants with green, we tend to forget. But man, we definitely get four seasons here, and spring has arrived!

The time change also means Friday nights in the 30Avenue green space after dinner at Amigos are back! It’s always so fun to get back to this tradition with our friends.

I’ve been wearing this top and these wedges a lot this spring! I need to ship this purse back this week so I can pick a new one for April! I’m still loving this designer borrowing subscription so much! They extended my code (LIFEONVIRGINIASTREET) for one free month if you’re interested.

SOURCES: Floral Top | Necklace | Jeans | Chanel Purse | Raffia Style Wedges

I spent most of last week in Atlanta for a business meeting and mastermind session I joined. I was supposed to fly up Tuesday, and on Sunday night I cancelled my flight with all the TSA issues in Atlanta. So I got up bright and early Tuesday morning and drove to the meeting and then drove back Friday (it’s about 5.5 hours from here). I had a few hour break at one point and decided to pop into a few shops I hadn’t been to in person in ages!

I can’t even remember the last time I visited a brick and mortar Serena & Lily but I really enjoyed it! This light fixture wasn’t on my radar for the new house but when I saw it in person, I think it might be “the one” for our bedroom – it is stunning in person! I was also able to verify a few other items in person that I want to buy. Now I just need to wait for their next sitewide sale, and I’m hoping that occurs before Memorial Day!

I also popped into Rejuvenation, which I’ve purchased a lot from in the past, but had never actually seen in brick and mortar form. For the new house, the builder has provided a list of their vendors for various items, and I was supposed to use someone specific for cabinet hardware. But after visiting the store and picking up a few pieces to bring home, it reaffirmed I prefer Rejuvenation cabinet hardware over the other brands that were being offered to me. It really came down to not loving the bin pulls from other retailers (and I love these ones). The builder has already agreed to let me order on my own so I’m excited about that! I also got to see this sconce in person that I was considering for one of the bathrooms. I like it even more now that I saw it in person!

My meeting was so great and I met some really wonderful entreprenuers, but it was pretty intense and exhausting and left me with a lot to think about! With that, Kurtis and I had dinner at Amigo’s Friday afternoon once I got back but then laid pretty low all weekend.

It turns out I’ve officially reached the age where I need multiple pairs of readers. I recently ordered another pair (these frames in the sesame tortoise and wide size) from Warby Parker recently because I love how cute all their frames are, and the fact you can “try them on” virtually. It’s super slick and quick and makes it so much easier to tell what looks good or bad on your face shape. I also love they offer a bunch in wide sizes (that’s my biggest issue with most grocery store option – my head is too big for them and I get headaches)! I always add the blue light filter too because I do so much computer work. But you can also load prescriptions and even add non-prescription/reader lenses. My original pair was this pair and I still love those too! But now I can have a pair at my desk and a pair in my purse for all the places I can no longer read menus in dim lights 😉

SOURCES: Glasses Frames | Le Weekend Sweatshirt | Clover Earrings

I came to the realization yesterday that we could realistically be moving in about 90 days which is wild. It went by so slowly at first and now everything seems to be flying by! Between now and then, Kurtis has several work trips and meetings, we have more visitors (mostly dinners and lunches here and there), and I’ve somewhat alluded to this, but we’ll finally be taking my 40th birthday trip! At the ripe old age of almost 46 😉

I turned 40 in 2020 and I had all my eggs in one very specific vacation basket that we ultimately couldn’t do because of the pandemic. The Amalfi Coast. This is the year we’re finally able to take the trip. We’ve been before but only on day trips and I’ve always wanted to stay in Positano and Capri. It’s not the greatest timing with the move (we started planning it well before we knew when we were moving), but I’d already waited 5.5 years and didn’t want Kurtis to reach 50 (next year!) before I got my 40th trip. Kurtis will probably be most grateful that I won’t be able to say I never got a 40th trip any longer. Long story short, we have a trip to Italy in May which also feels a bit surreal that we’re less than 40 days out from departure since it always seemed so far away too! Lots to do before then to make sure the new house is ready!

Alright, that about wraps up our past month! I’m guessing April and May are going to fly by just as quickly!

Recent Buys & Sales

Following are some sales from the weekend that have carried over and are still going strong! You can see my top picks here.

• AMAZON is hosting their Big Spring Sale (basically Prime Day in March). I’m sharing all of my top picks from things we own and love in this post. You can shop their site here.
• AMERICAN EAGLE is offering 25% off $75+ and 30% off $100+. You can shop their site here.
• ANN TAYLOR is offering 40% off your purchase. You can shop their site here.
• ANNIE SELKE is offering 20% off sitewide or 40% off $1,000+ (the biggest discount I’ve ever seen if you need rugs) with code GOBIG! You can shop their site here.
• ANTHROPOLOGIE has added a number of new sale styles. You can shop their site here.
• ANTLER is offering 25% off sitewide with code SPRING25. You can shop their site here.
• ARHAUS is offering 30% off $2,500+. You can shop their site here.
• BALLARD DESIGNS is offering 30% off sitewide. You can shop their site here.
• BODEN is offering 15% off new styles with code 6THX. You can shop their site here.
• CAMP SNAP CAMERAS is offering an additional 7% off their viral cameras with code LIFEONVIRGINIASTREET. You can shop their site here.
• CHICO’S is offering $20 off $100+ or $50 off $200+. You can shop their site here.
• COCO & EVE is offering 15% off sitewide with my code SARAHST15. You can shop their site here.
• COLLEEN ROTHSCHILD is offering 25% off their best-sellers, including my favorite peel pads! You can shop their site here.
• CRATE & BARREL is offering up to 30% in-stock furniture, decor and more and up to 60% off clearance styles. You can shop their site here.
• FRANK & EILEEN has a number of 100s of new items in their sale section, with markdowns up to 70% off. You can shop their site here.
• GAP is offering 50% off your purchase during their Spring Style Event. You can shop their sale here.
• GROVE COLLABORATIVE is offering 25% off a $75+ order with my code SARAHSTEWART. You can shop their site here.
• HSN has a number of deals sitewide, including our favorite single serve blender on sale for $20 less than Amazon’s price today only! You can shop their site here.
• J CREW is offering 40% off your purchase and 25% off select cashmere. Plus, today only you can take an extra 50% off sale styles with code SPRING. You can shop their site here.
• J CREW FACTORY is offering 40%+ off sitewide plus an extra 20% off $125+ with code NEWNOW. Plus get an extra 50% off clearance items with code SPRING50. You can shop their sale here.
• J MCLAUGHLIN has a number of new items in their sale section. You can shop their site here.
• LANDS’ END is offering 40% off sitewide plus an extra 60% off clearance with code SEATURTLE. You can shop their site here.
• LOFT is offering 60% off tops and sweaters and 50% off everything else. You can shop their sale here.
• LULULEMON has 500+ new sale finds in their sale section. You can shop their site here.
• M. GEMI is offering 15% off your purchase with my code LIFEONVIRGINIASTREET15. You can shop their site here.
• MARK & GRAHAM is offering up to 50% off select styles and free shipping on $150+ with code SHIPFREE. You can shop their site here.
• MARSHALLS has tons of markdowns and is offering free shipping on orders of $89+ with code SHIP89. You can shop their site here.
• MCGEE & CO. has a number of new items in their clearance section. You can shop their site here.
• NORDSTROM has added a number of items to their sale section. You can shop their site here.
• OLD NAVY is offering up to 50% off almost everything. You can shop their sale here.
• POTTERY BARN is offering up to 60% off furniture, outdoor, bedding, as well as free shipping on 1000s of items. You can shop their sale here.
• REJUVENATION is offering up to 50% off lighting, furniture, and more. You can shop their site here.
• RUGGABLE is offering 15% off your purchase with my code LIFEONVIRGINIASTREET15. You can shop their site here.
• SALT & STONE is offering 15% off your purchase with code SARAHS15! I have really been loving their clean deodorant! You can shop their site here.
• SERENA & LILY is offering up to 30% off outdoor items and up to 70% off hundreds of new clearance items. You can shop their sale here.
• SHOPBOP is hosting their Spring Event with 20% off most items sitewide with code SPRING20. You can shop their site here.
• SOUTHERN TIDE has a number of new items in their sale section. You can shop their site here.
• TARGET has a number of home deals like up to 40% off spring styles for all, 60% off rugs, up to 60% off indoor furniture, up to 60% off bedding, and more. You can shop their site here.
• TJ MAXX has markdowns up to 75% off and is offering free shipping on orders $89+ with code SHIP89! You can shop their site here.
• TORY BURCH is hosting their Spring Event with 25% off $200+ and 30% off $500+. You can shop their site here.
• TUCKERNUCK has a number of cute new items in their sale section. You can shop their site here.
• TWOPAGES is offering 23% off sitewide with code TP23. We’re considering some of their automated shades for our new house! You can shop their site here.
• U BEAUTY is hosting their Spring Sale and offering 20% off sitewide plus a free gift with $300+ purchase. You can shop their site here.
• VISUAL COMFORT is hosting their Spring Sale Event with a number of markdowns. You can shop their site here.
• VIVRELLE is offering your first month free of borrowing designer bags and jewelry with my code LIFEONVIRGINIASTREET (requires 3 month membership, so you only pay for 2 months). Their selection of designer bags and jewelry you can borrow is stunning! You can shop their site here.
• WAYFAIR is offering up to 60% off during their 72-hour clearance sale. You can shop their sale here.
• WEST ELM is offering up to 50% off select sale and clearance. You can shop their site here.
• WILLIAMS SONOMA is offering up to 75% off in their sale & clearance section. You can shop their site here.
• WILLIAMS SONOMA HOME has a number of new items in their sale section. You can shop their site here.

I hope you all have a great week!

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