Wow. What a week. Last week may very well may go down in history as one of the craziest weeks of many of our lives. And I hope last week is the worst of what we see, and we, as a country, can turn things around quickly.
I like to keep things pretty light around here, but the virus impacted our community, and likely many of yours, in a big way. Local schools have closed. Local businesses have announced some temporary closures. Kurtis’ company is being super cautious and has closed their doors, asking most people to work from home for the foreseeable future. We will be self-quarantining for an unknown amount of time in order to ensure more vulnerable people in our community remain safe.
I’ve spent entirely too much time on social media this past week, and I quickly realized that mentally it’s not always the best place to be. Yes, we absolutely need to stay informed. Yes, we need to be prepared. But, as we prepare to enter this new “normal” of isolation, social distancing, and being self-quarantined, I also think mental well-being needs to be prioritized along with the physical side of things. Sometimes that means staying off of social media!
I’ve pretty much stayed off the blog and my business social media channels for most of the past week. It felt a bit too trivial to be jumping into a sales post and talking about pretty home decor and I just needed a step back. However, I have also realized after several days of being home, I also need a sense of normalcy and routine, and I’m guessing many of you do too, as your feeds are inundated with talk of the virus.
Tomorrow, I plan to share some ideas on things to do while stuck in your home tomorrow, including ways we can support local businesses and those in our community that could use a little extra love and support. Kurtis’ six weeks of being home from hip surgery gave us a lot of ideas and I’ve been brainstorming many more as we prepare for what may lie ahead.
But I also feel like I need to continue with my old content and provide an escape for others as much as myself. I am taking this all very seriously, but I also can’t let it be my sole focus the next few weeks. If you have any tutorials or posts you’d love to see from me over the next week, feel free to comment and I’ll do my best to accommodate!
So, let’s get on to the actual details of what went down around here this past week.
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Home Projects & Updates
On Monday, I finally started making some of my spring throw pillows! It was fun to get into this mode again. Although I only got a handful of them cut out (and not actually sewn), I should be able to wrap them up pretty quickly sometime this week! You can see more about my plans for each of these fabrics in my 2020 Spring Decorating Ideas & Design Boards. You can find my tutorial for making your own throw pillows here.
My little “helper” loves to be right in the center of the action. Literally. 😉
On Tuesday I was running early for a meeting and drove by our prior home. It’s crazy to think that’s where it all started – and that it was also TWELVE years ago in January!
I met with a contractor about our ideas for our backyard (for our 2021 project). It was a great first meeting and we hope to get a time scheduled once all the craziness dies down to discuss more formal plans. Now that we know it’s likely a go, I’ll share a lot more ideas about it soon.
I was also able to grab some more paint samples for the office early in the week. I don’t think I have a winner yet, but I feel like I’m almost there! If you missed the info previously, you can check out my plans for our office here.
Top Sellers of the Week
Following are the top sellers of the week across all of my channels. Links to each item are below the graphic.
BEST SELLERSÂ (each number is clickable):Â #5Â |Â #4Â |Â #3Â |Â #2Â |Â #1
Around Town & For Fun
Monday morning, little Hawkeye had his surgery to remove his stones. He didn’t get to come home until Tuesday afternoon, but has been handling his recovery like a champ! He’s got a new belly scar (and shaved stomach) but is otherwise doing well! He mostly just hates taking his pills – but loves the treats he gets in return.
Henley just stopping and remembering to smell the flowers over the weekend 😉
Late last week, our new mulch for the year was delivered. It’s always such a fun day because it feels like spring is just around the corner! They still haven’t quite finished, but it’s almost there!
And then we woke up to this on Saturday. Nothing like crushing your dreams of spring pretty quickly. Thankfully, a lot of it has already melted!
Early Sunday morning Kurtis noticed our brother-in-law pulling into our driveway. He proceeded to drop off two cases of water, some beer, and some disposable wipes on our front porch. All the essentials that he thought we might need this coming week since he had found them in stock 😉 We had to cancel (or, rather, the NCAA cancelled) our 18th annual Selection Sunday meal with them. Since technically they cancelled, I’m saying we aren’t actually breaking our streak. They just skipped a year on us and we’ll continue the tradition next year!
We also couldn’t have been more excited when our BFFs dropped off corned beef and hash yesterday. We originally had plans to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Saturday night at their house but decided it was best to cancel. So when they brought this food by, we were so excited to eat something other than frozen pizza and the other random meals we had thrown together for the past few days!
We’re 100% okay with cancelling these events we love so much if it means protecting others. These are scary times and I think it’s worth putting others’ lives (especially those that will be most impacted by the pandemic) in front of your own wishes, especially for non-essential events. I realize that since I work from home, my life is not being impacted like many of yours may be. So I’m praying for the best for all of you and that we can all get through this together and be stronger because of it!
Like I mentioned, I plan to get back to regular posting later this week, but I’d also like to ask each of you to really consider your non-necessary actions this week and in the coming weeks as needed. Please stay safe and let’s all do what we can to help our communities and those most vulnerable around us also stay safe!
Recent Buys & Sales
Following are the sales that have carried over from the weekend! You can see all of my top picks from last week here, as many of those items are on sale again this week.
- ABERCROMBIE is offering up to 50% off tons of items (prices as marked), plus get an extra 15% off select styles at checkout – no code required. You can shop their sale here.
- ANN TAYLOR is hosting a mystery sale, where you discount is shown at checkout with code MYSTERY. You can shop their sale here.
- ANTHROPOLOGIE is offering an additional 25% off sale items. No code required – prices update at checkout. You can shop their site here.
- BALLARD DESIGNS is offering 20% off everything. You can shop their sale here.
- BANANA REPUBLIC is hosting their Friends & Family event with 50% off full-priced items with code BRCARD50. Plus, if you’re a cardholder, you get an extra 10% off at checkout with code BRCARD. You can shop their sale here.
- BLOOMIST is offering 20% off your $100 or more purchase with code WOMEN20. It’s a great time to try one of the wood chains that looks like the one in our living room! There’s also several other options available as well (including marble and black) – just search chain! It won’t let me link directly to that page for some reason. You can shop their site here.
- EVERYTHING BUT WATER is offering up to 70% off select styles in their sale section. It’s a great place to look for spring break or summer finds! You can shop their site here.
- GAP is offering up to 40% off sitewide, plus is offering an additional 20% off your purchase at checkout with code MARCH. You can shop their sale here.
- JCPENNEY is offering an extra 20% off your purchase under $100 and 25% off your purchase over $100 with code SPRING20. You can shop their sale here.
- J CREW is offering 30% off your purchase, 50% off swim and an additional 50% off select sale styles with code GOSHOP. And, if you’re a cardholder, get an extra 20% off your purchase with code CARDLOVE. It’s a great time to order many of the items I featured in my Nevis packing post! You can shop their sales here.
- J CREW FACTORY is offering 40% off everything and an extra 20% off your purchase with code LUCKYDEAL! I’m finally really excited about their current inventory! You can shop their sale here.
- KIRKLAND’S is offering 25% off your entire regular-priced purchase with code ENTIRE25. You can shop their sale here.
- LOFT is offering 40-50% off full-priced styles and free shipping with code YESSS. You can shop their sale here.
- MADEWELL is offering 25% off your purchase with code WHATASALE. You can shop their sale here.
- NORDSTROM has added a lot to their sale section. You can shop their sale items here.
- PIER 1 is offering 25% off regular priced items with code OFF25. How gorgeous is this cane bookcase?! And I’m dying over how much these rattan dining chairs look like these from Serena & Lily for a fraction of the price! So in love with them! You can shop their sale here.
- POTTERY BARN is offering 20% off furniture and 25% off everything else and free shipping with code SPRING. You can shop their sale here.
- RUGS USA is hosting a St. Patrick’s Day sale with up to 70% off items sitewide. You can shop their sale here.
- SERENA & LILY is offering 20% off sitewide with code FRESHMIX. You can shop their site here.
- TARGET is offering up to 25% off home and patio items, plus an extra 15% off on media furniture with code MARCH. You can shop their sale here.
- TJ MAXX has some great new arrivals and amazing prices. I’m loving this jute and chenille pillow – plus it’s got a down insert! I’m also thinking of snagging this cute art for one of our guest bathrooms. So perfect for summer guests! You can shop their site here.
- TUCKERNUCK has some pretty killer sale offerings that are worth checking out! You can shop their sale here.
- WAYFAIR is hosting a 72-hour clearance event, with items marked up to 70% off! You can shop their sale here.
- WEST ELM is offering 25% off your entire purchase and free shipping on $79+ with code FRIENDS. You can shop their sale here.
- WILLIAMS SONOMA HOME is offering 20% off furniture. You can shop their sale here.
- WORLD MARKET is offering 30% off all living room and office furniture. You can shop their sale here.
I hope you all have a great week! Please stay safe out there!
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disclosure: some affiliate links used
joni says
What happened with the buying of the house, is it on hold for now. How did that go
Sarah says
We just had the inspection Friday and are waiting to hear back on a few things. Hopefully still moving forward!
Cat K says
Hey Sarah! You may have done this before, but a tutorial on how you make your vision boards/Wednesday Watchlist would be fantastic. I’m planning our home build right now and it’s hard sometimes imagine how everything will look put together. I’d love to know what software you use to create those and then see a demonstration. I’ve looked on YouTube and even other blogs and didn’t love anything I saw.
Can’t wait to see you fix up your new cottage. I think showing a smaller place get fixed up would be helpful to lots of people.
I know you’re taking this COVID-19 pandemic seriously, but after also spending the past week full of anxiety and reading about it nonstop, I could also use a break.
Sarah says
This one is definitely on my list! I use PhotoShop, but I’m going to try and train myself on a more cost-effective (or hopefully, free, option) so I can write a tutorial! I appreciate that feedback!
Nancy says
Thanks for the update Sarah! Our church was sad that we were advised to not follow through with our mission trip to Omaha in June. We will decide soon if we should plan on going later in the year or postpone all together for this year. You two take care! 💞
#lowerthecurve
Sarah says
Oh man! I would have loved to see you but it totally makes sense. Let me know if they reschedule! I hope you and your family are doing well. We are all about flattening the curve here too!!
Amanda says
I’d love to see what you did on the upstairs hallway…..been waiting patiently! 😉
Sarah says
Haha! Crap! Thank you for the reminder 🙂 It’s 95% percent of the way there but I totally slacked off after I was all gung ho. I’ll try and finish it and photograph it this week!
Diane says
Nice words, Sarah. Thanks for the blog.
Ana says
Nice sensible words. Reading your post from Europe, from Spain, and in lockdown since Thursday.
Angi says
Please continue the posts and updates. I have missed them the last few days. Trying to find my new normal and it is difficult! Your posts provide a nice escape.
Becky says
Thank you for continuing to post! Just bought the TJMaxx pillow and another one. Doing house projects is what is keeping me sane through all this. My daughter is flying home from Spain as we speak!