Good morning! I hope you all had an enjoyable and safe holiday weekend! Here’s a bit of what we were up to this past week (it was a busy one)!
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Home Projects & Updates
The biggest home-related news of the week for us – as of Friday, we’re officially now renters! We closed on our house Friday (and one of our rental properties Thursday)! It still is a bit surreal, but definitely making the upcoming move to Florida start to feel a whole lot more real!
Last week, I finally got a chance to start working on some summer throw pillows! Granted, I didn’t get any further than cutting three of them out, but I’m glad I got started. It’s my goal to wrap them up this week!
SPRING DEN SOURCES: DEN SOURCES: Sectional (read my review here) | Coffee Table | Scallop Light Fixture | Gallery Wall Frames (look for less here) | Art: Personal Vacation Photos (coming soon for download!) | Linen Blackout Drapes | Cast Iron Curtain Rod | Woven Cordless Shades (color is Tuscan) | Similar Palm Branch | Vase | Carpet (color is Beach | TV Stand: Walmart (old)
My little assistant, too tired to help finish the job.
This one wasn’t much help either 😉
Friday was our walk-through at the house that flooded back in January. The work is now 95% of the way done, and should be wrapped up this week so we can get it rented again! I went over with Kurtis for the meeting, mostly because I wanted to check out the flooring. We ended up going with this flooring in the Wisteria color. I literally chose it one day after Kurtis dropped me off at the door to Nebraska Furniture Mart, ran in, asked what fit our budget, pointed to the one I liked best of the options and went with it. Ha! It ended up being only a little over our $4/sq ft budget with the NFM pricing ($4.99 retail) and then the builder discount. We’re really happy with how it turned out, and loved the beveled edge on the pieces!
Well, we officially started some preliminary packing yesterday morning! It honestly felt a bit weird! But our niece is entering vet school this year and needs some items for her home near campus. They’ll be down with a trailer to get a few items in the coming weeks, so I wanted to see what else I had that I could give to her. I also packed up most of my seasonal pillow covers, so they’re ready to go! As I mentioned last week, we’re considering moving down in two phases. Kurtis and I have to head to Florida in August for some building selections, so we may just take a truck down at that time rather than fly.
DEN SOURCES: Linen Sectional | Scallop Light Fixture | Tripod Lamp
My little assistant once again fell asleep on the job. This time, in the box intended for donations 😉
I’ve quickly decided that Lantana is now one of my favorite planter fillers. These multi-color beauties have been blooming so well all summer in my planters out by the pool waterfall! I’m loving the red/orange/yellow combo of the ones I used this year. They look so pretty with the sweet potato vines and petunias!
Top Sellers Of The Week
Following are the top sellers of the past 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
In Case You Missed It
Following are the posts I shared over the past two weeks, in case you missed some days!
Following are the most read blog posts of last week (excluding any of the new posts already mentioned above). Many times this includes old posts that are popular on Google or Pinterest.
Around Town & For Fun
There really isn’t much better than summer meals! We grilled some peaches with our caprese, burrata and baby arugula last week and they were so delicious! We could only find white peaches so we definitely plan to try it again with other varieties. We just used a simple balsamic, olive oil and salt for the dressing.
My in-laws were back in town Thursday through Saturday and stayed at our house. Our brother-in-law and Kurtis’ sister moved Pat’s mom to Omaha from Tennessee over the past week. Kurtis’ parents went with to help, and then we all helped unpack her on Friday. We hosted a dinner at our house for everyone Thursday and Friday night, since they had all had a long week of travels and packing.
I threw together a quick charcuterie board with items we had on hand. I really just wanted to share it because I used my new star food cutters on all the cheese (similar option here). I envision a lot more star-shaped food in our future 😉
SOURCES: American Flag Plates | Wood Serving Board | American Flag Napkins
Friday was unloading day! We got to the house bright an early, and despite a little bit of drizzle at times, we were able to wrap up around noon!
I spent some time Saturday night taking some dusk and nighttime photos around the pool. I just love how the space glows and reflects on the water (despite all the cotton on the surface)!
Another day, another moment with Bailey’s head stuck in the Easy Mac bowl. She doesn’t like human food but is obsessed with Easy Mac cheese (understandable) and likes to like the remnants when I’m finished.
Sunday we headed out to Bella Terre Vineyard in Glenwood, IA. Our friends became part-owners last year, but this was our first time visiting. It’s a wedding reception venue, but they also have some open Sundays in the summer for “Under The Tuscan Sunday”. This time around they were raising money for first responders in the area, so kids could meet police officers, firemen, see the helicopter, etc. There was also live music all day, food trucks, a bounce house, and a bunch more activities!
Our goddaughter Zoe had a blast, especially once her cousins showed up! Turns out I’m a terrible selfie taker. I got more of the woman in the background (who I tried to blur out) than I did of us. Ha!
The kids also got their faces painted and Zoe had her first snowcone. It was a really fun afternoon!
That evening, Kurtis and I had dinner reservations at Dante (our favorite Omaha restaurant) to celebrate closing on the two houses. We were honestly a bit exhausted after the fun-filled afternoon and drive back, but we’re glad we powered through! Dinner on their patio is always our favorite.
Despite getting his stitches on his foot removed Thursday, it wasn’t healing quite right. The doctor didn’t want him to get in any lakes or rivers this weekend, and said the pool was questionable. So, being the resourceful person that he is, Kurtis found a way to still get in the pool. Nothing a little wastebasket liner and the umbrella rope can’t handle 😉 I built a little prop with another pool float so it wouldn’t get submerged, and he was good to go!
We ended the holiday weekend with dinner down at our friends’ house! There was really no need to head to a fireworks show since our neighborhood is a constant stream of fireworks for three days straight. It was a fun night hanging out for a few hours but then calling it early prior to starting a new week.
The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale kicks off tomorrow for some cardholders, and Amazon Prime Day start next Tuesday! I’ll plan to post my favorite picks from each of those sales over the coming week, as well!
With all the activity over the past week, it definitely didn’t feel like a long weekend. But, it’s a major relief to have the house closings behind us, a little bit of packing done, and most of the summer still ahead of us!
Recent Buys & Sales
Following are some sale from the holiday weekend that have carried over and are still going strong! You can see my top picks here.
- AMAZON has a number of deals in their Today’s Deals section. You can shop their site here.
- AMBER INTERIORS SHOPPE is offering 20% off sitewide with code JULY20. You can shop their site here.
- ANN TAYLOR is offering an additional 60% off sale styles. You can shop their site here.
- ANNIE SELKE is offering 20% off made to measure rugs with code CUSTOM. You can shop their site here.
- ANTHROPOLOGIE has added some new sale styles! You can shop their site here.
- ATHLETA is offering up to 60% off in their semi-annual sale. Prices as marked. You can shop their site here.
- BALLARD DESIGNS is offering 20% off sitewide! You can shop their sale here.
- BEDROSIANS is offering 20% off full-priced tile, vinyl and slabs with code JULY4. You can shop their site here.
- BODEN is offering up to 60% off tons of items sitewide. You can shop their site here.
- CIRCA LIGHTING is offering 20% off sitewide and free shipping. It’s a great resource for designer lighting options (including Visual Comfort)! You can shop their site here.
- CRATE & BARREL is offering up to 60% off for their 4th of July event. You can shop their site here.
- DUDLEY STEPHENS is offering 40% off select styles with code FLEECEFOURTH. You can shop their site here.
- GAP is offering up to 75% off markdowns when you take an extra 50% off with code SALE; up to 50% off regular prices styles; and an extra 10% off regular priced styles at checkout with code GOSHOP. You can shop their sale here.
- J CREW is offering up to 75% off original prices when you take an extra 60% off the sale price, plus 25% off almost everything else with code GOFOURTH! I’ll be stocking up on a few more pairs of my favorite Linen Shorts! You can shop their site here.
- J CREW FACTORY is offering 40-70% off sitewide, no exclusions. You can shop their sale here.
- KIRKLANDS is offering up to 60% off sitewide – prices as marked. Plus, get 25% off entire regular priced purchase with code JULY. You can shop their site here.
- LINDSAY LETTERS is offering 15% off sitewide – no code required. You can shop her site here.
- LOFT is offering 30-40% off regular styles and an extra 50% off sale styles with code OMG! You can shop their sale here.
- LULULEMON has added a bunch of popular items to their sale section. You can shop their site here.
- MARK & GRAHAM is offering up to 70% off for the 4th of July sale. We have this marble star cheese board and love it so much! It’s just as perfect for patriotic holidays as it is Christmas! You can shop their site here.
- MARSHALL’s has a number of deals sitewide plus free shipping on orders of 89+ with code SHIP89. You can shop their site here.
- MCGEE & CO. is offering 20% off select lighting with code BRIGHTIDEA. You can shop their site here.
- MICHAELS is offering 20% off regular priced items with code 22MADEBYYOU. You can shop their site here.
- NORDSTROM has a number of new markdowns sitewide. Plus you can view the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (all 6,700+ items) to save your favorites! You can shop their sale items here.
- OLD NAVY is offering 40% off kids’ styles with code FORTY and 30% off your purchase – no code required. You can shop their sale here.
- OVERSTOCK is hosting their 4th of July Clearance Sale with 1000s of items up to 70% off! You can shop their sale here.
- POTTERY BARN is hosting a Warehouse Sale with items marked up to 70% off. You can shop their sale here.
- REJUVENTATION is hosting a Warehouse Sale with items marked up to 75% off. You can shop their site here.
- RIFLE PAPER CO. is offering 30% off swim, sleep and sale with code SUNNY30! You can shop their site here.
- SERENA & LILY is offering 20% off your entire purchase with code SPLASH (includes sale items)! Plus, if you spend $5,000+ the discount goes up to 25% off! You can shop their sale here.
- SUMMERSALT is offering 30% off your purchase sitewide! You can see some of my favorites in this post. You can shop their site here.
- TARGET is offering 25% off college bedding, decor, furniture and more! They also have 25% off wall decor! You can shop their site here.
- TJ MAXX has a number of deals sitewide and is offering free shipping on orders $89+ with code SHIP89! A few recent favorites are shown below. You can shop their site here.
- TORY BURCH has a number of new items in their sale section. You can shop their site here.
- TUCKERNUCK has a bunch of cute items in their sale section. You can shop their site here.
- VINEYARD VINES is offering an additional 40% off up to 2 sale items and an additional 50% off 3+ items with code WOAS22. You can shop their site here.
- WEST ELM is hosting a Warehouse Sale with items marked up to 70% off. You can shop their site here.
- WILLIAMS SONOMA is hosting a Warehouse Sale with items marked up to 70% off, plus an extra 20% off clearance. You can shop their site here.
- WILLIAMS SONOMA HOME is hosting a Warehouse Sale with items marked up to 70% off, plus get an extra 20% off clearance items with code EXTRA. You can shop their site here.
- WORLD MARKET is offering 10% off curbside and store pickups to members (it’s free to join)! You can shop their site here.
I hope you all have a great week!
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Eloise Fitzsimmons says
I love your blog ! I’m wondering if your vaca rental will be ready by October. I’ll be celebrating my 80th birthday with my three “kids”. We’re looking at different options.
Sarah says
Thank you! And how exciting! The house has actually been available to rent all of this year. I believe we only have one week reserved in October. You can get all the details and see the availability here: https://www.coastaldreamin.com/479378/. I hope you have an amazing birthday wherever you end up! Thank you for thinking of our rental!
Patti says
I wish you all the very best but Florida? Such a scary State!