Happy New Year! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful few holiday weeks! I know winter weather and travel got pretty crazy in most parts of the country, but hopefully you’re all home safe and settled now. Here’s a bit of what we’ve been up to around here the past few weeks.
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Home Projects & Updates
We finally started to see some more progress over at the new build later into the holiday break. I have a lot to share over the coming weeks (and likely months!) in regards to the floorplan, design plans and more!
The best part? We can now officially say that we’re moving in THIS YEAR! In fact, it could be as soon as seven months from now. So crazy to think about that!
We have some projects planned for Hola Beaches this month, as well! With consistent bookings basically since we left last March, it’s been hard to get in there and do much. But, we blocked two weeks this month to have the interior and exterior paint refreshed. I also have some new furniture arriving (it’s a slow and $$$ process getting things swapped out).
In the spring, we upgraded the main floor bedroom with this braided seagrass bed. But the nightstands were leftover bulky chalk-painted wood ones that came with the house and looked more country than coastal. I ordered these nightstands a month or so back and we finally got them in place this weekend! They are really heavy, and I think the painted surface will clean up nicely! I need to get them styled a bit more (I love that I can do that with the open shelves, rather than take up prime top surfaces). The lamp was a HomeGoods find last spring.
While we were at the house, I also took a better picture of the new ceiling fan in the living room. It made such a difference getting rid of the old one with cherry colored blades! The new fan keeps running low in stock (I see one available at the time of posting) so if you see other fans only, it may be sold out on that link.
Side note: we’ve had these affordable swivel armchairs in the space for nearly 10 months now and they’ve held up great! Vacation rentals take a lot of abuse, and these still look great!
SOURCES: Swivel Armchairs | Rug | Cabinet | Brass Bamboo Linen Pendant Lights | Woven Counter Stools | Similar Recycled Glass Demijohn
Speaking of fans, we also swapped out the one in our living room at our house! I wanted something that just kind of blended in so it isn’t such a statement in the room, and we’re really happy with this one we installed. It’s one of the more affordable ones I could find (it has a $50 coupon you can clip) and comes in a few color options too!
I don’t know if it’s the smaller space or just me looking for a fresh start, but for the first time ever I took down all of our Christmas decor the day after the holiday. I did leave our tree up with just the lights. But I feel good having it all packed away already, and not having it hanging over me!
I have a lot of home content coming at you soon! It was great to spend the holidays being more creative and not so caught up in the day-to-day grind. Lots of home updates coming at you soon!
Top Sellers Of The Week
Following are the top sellers from last 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!
- 2022 Christmas Home Tour
- Wednesday Watch List
- Spring 2023 Studio McGee Collection at Target
- The Best 2022 After-Christmas Sales
- Wednesday Watch List
- 2022 Top 10 Reader Favorites
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
It’s been a few weeks since my last Weekend Recap, and we had lots of fun for the holidays since then!
We had a few fun dinner parties to attend and I was assigned dessert for both. At my mom’s suggestion, I made these no bake peppermint cheesecake cups. Each time I also made a non-peppermint version and tried one with blueberries, a cookies and cream one (with more Oreo’s) and a caramel one! They were really good and relatively easy!
My friend Marissa wins the queen of charcuterie and apps title! Holy cow, these were all so good!
Christmas Eve morning, we awoke to no power, the inside of our house only about 59 degrees, and reports from neighbors with frozen and/or burst pipes. Outside temps were in the teens, with the wind chill making it even colder. Definitely not typical Florida weather! The power was out about six hours and thankfully, the extra padding Kurtis added to our pipes the night before kept ours safe. We packed on the layers and drank mimosas to stay warm.
That evening, we headed to our friend’s house for a Christmas Eve celebration. We had lots of food, fun, and met some new neighbors! They also had reindeer games (mostly for the kids), but I thought my blindfolded snowman drawing should have won, if only for the fact I also included baby Jesus!
Christmas Day, I finally made “Christmas fettuccine” a’la The Holiday! It was so delicious, even if it definitely wasn’t healthy! I used this recipe.
We got in a few bike rides over the holidays. We hadn’t used our bikes nearly as much as we hoped in December with all of our visitors here. So we have some pretty aggressive goals for 2023 to stay active with them. We’re shooting for 1,600 miles this year!
Speaking of goals, we did our annual goal setting on the beach a few days before New Year’s. We had to take advantage of the gorgeous weather, especially after being stuck inside thanks to the cold, for so long! Every year, we’re very intentional about setting aside a few hours to talk through and write down personal goals, as well as goals for our three businesses.
We also went out to dinner a few times, and it’s always so fun seeing the towns lit up with Christmas lights!
We spent New Year’s Eve night at Rachel and Chris’ house again, celebrating with her brother and a few other friends! We drove to Seaside to watch their fireworks show over the Gulf, and it was quite the party down there! My friend Kelli also introduced us to queso dogs at one of the food trucks, and it was so good. We’re definitely loving all the small-town activities the nearby towns have for various holidays.
On New Year’s morning I convinced Kurtis to do the polar plunge at our beach club. Not sure how “polar” it was, but they all had fun 😉
He and Chris then decided to take it up a notch and go into the Gulf. It was so incredibly foggy, but it looked so beautiful down on the shoreline!
Thankfully the weather started to turn from there and we enjoyed a few days in the 70’s! The cats were happy to get to use the catio again – even if means looking out into the yard where many plants froze (and likely died) during the hard freezes we experienced for so many days.
I’m feeling re-energized with the new year! 2022 was a good year for us, but it was also a very hectic and emotional one with the move. I don’t think things will be slowing down for us any time soon this year, but we have a lot to look forward to (including, hopefully, getting back to some fun travels)!
Recent Buys & Sales
Following are some sales from the weekend that have carried over and are still going strong!
- AFLORAL is hosting their end of year clearance sale. You can shop their sale here.
- AMAZON has a number of daily deals happening now! You can shop their site here.
- ANN TAYLOR is offering $35 sale sweaters and an extra 40% off sale styles. You can shop their site here.
- ANTHROPOLOGIE is offering an extra 40% off sale styles (prices update in cart – no code required). You can shop their site here.
- ATHLETA is offering up to 60% off during their semi-annual sale. Prices as marked. You can shop their site here.
- BALLARD DESIGNS is offering up 25% off indoor furniture, drapery and pillows! You can shop their sale here.
- BANANA REPUBLIC is offering up to 60% off sale styles, plus an extra 30% off at checkout. You can shop their site here.
- BOLL & BRANCH is offering an additional 20% off sale items with code EXTRA20. You can shop their site here.
- BODEN is offering up to 60% off sale styles plus an extra 20% off with code USES. You can shop their site here.
- DUDLEY STEPHENS has added a bunch of new items to their sale section, with items up to 75% off. You can shop their site here.
- GAP is offering an extra 60% off markdowns with code SALE and 30% off regular-priced items with code THIRTY. You can shop their sale here.
- J CREW is offering an extra 75% off select sale styles and an extra 50% off all others with code NEWYEAR. You can shop their site here.
- J CREW FACTORY is offering up to 60% off everything plus get an extra 23% off orders $100+ with code YAY2023. You can shop their sale here.
- LOFT is offering an additional 50% off sale styles and 30% off regular-priced items with code TREAT. You can shop their sale here.
- LULULEMON has a large end of year finds section with some major markdowns. You can shop their site here.
- MADEWELL is offering up to 70% off with their end-of-year sale with code LETSGO. You can shop their site here.
- MARK & GRAHAM is offering up to 70% off in their end of season sale. You can shop their site here.
- MARSHALLS has a number of deals sitewide plus free shipping on orders of 89+ with code SHIP89. You can shop their site here.
- MICHAELS is offering 20% off regular priced purchases with code 22MADEBYYOU. You can shop their site here.
- NORDSTROM is hosting their Half-Yearly Sale, with items marked up to 60% off! You can shop their site here.
- OLD NAVY is offering an additional 40% off clearance items with code EXTRA, and 30% off your regular priced order. You can shop their sale here.
- OUR PLACE is offering their famous Always Pan for $99. I finally ordered one for us and we’ve really been enjoying it! You can shop their sale here.
- OVERSTOCK is their New Year’s Home Sale, with up to 70% off 1000s of items! You can shop their sale here.
- POTTERY BARN is offering up to 70% off furniture, rugs, lighting, and more found here. Plus get free shipping on 1000s of items sitewide and up to 40% off their best-selling furniture. You can shop their sale here.
- REJUVENATION is offering up to 30% off bedding, bath, and more. You can shop their site here.
- RUGS USA is offering up to 75% off sitewide as part of their New Year New Home sale. You can shop their site here.
- SERENA & LILY is offering 20% off furniture, rugs and lighting with code CHEERS. They also have special pricing on wallpaper. You can shop their sale here.
- TARGET has a bunch of deals sitewide including up to 50% off clothing, shoes, toys and more. You can shop their site here.
- TJ MAXX has a number of deals sitewide, up to 75% off select items, and is offering free shipping on orders $89+ with code SHIP89! You can shop their site here.
- TORY BURCH is offering an additional 25% off items in their sale section. You can shop their site here.
- TUCKERNUCK has a lot of cute new items in their sale section. You can shop their site here.
- WEST ELM is hosting their Big Winter Sale with items marked up to 60% off! You can shop their site here.
- WILLIAMS SONOMA is hosting their end of season sale with items marked up to 70% off. You can shop their site here.
- WILLIAMS SONOMA HOME is offering up to 20% off bedding and bath. You can shop their site here.
- WORLD MARKET is offering 50% off Christmas, and 0% 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 and start to the new year!
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Carol H. says
So smart for you to protect your pipes! Your experience with cold weather up north came in handy. Christmas with family was a week late this year in Buffalo, but everyone made it through the storm safe and sound. I like your idea of setting goals for the new year which seems more positive than making resolutions. Best wishes for a great new year.
Sarah says
Glad to hear you and your family are safe and could still celebrate! We definitely take the cold a bit more seriously than others down here. After our rental house in Omaha had pipes burst last winter (when the tenant left for the holidays and shut off the heat) we don’t mess around with potentially frozen pipes!
Monika V says
Carol,
My whole family is in Buffalo – man what a Holiday season for you all! The pictures and stories were incredible. I’m in MD and all we had was Rain.
Sarah – What is a good central point (Rosemary / Seaside ? ) for a first time visit to the area. We are contemplating a move to the Panhandle in the next 2-3 and need to start exploring the different areas. TIA and love all of your Local pictures !
Sarah says
Hi Monika! Hope your family is doing well after those crazy storms.
Rosemary and Seaside are both great locations. Rosemary is at the east end (and right next to Alys Beahc) and Seaside is closer to the west end (and right next to Watercolor and then Grayton/Santa Rosa Beaches. We love the area where Hola Beaches is (previously called The Hub and is now The Big Chill but also known as Prominence), especially for a first time visit. It’s about halfway between Seaside and Rosemary Beach and there are smaller townhomes on the north side of the road and larger homes on the south side (almost all rentals), depending on your needs. You really can’t go wrong with any of the towns or locations though. They’re all so unique and cute with different vibes and things to offer. We’re hoping to publish a big guide soon with more details on each of the pockets. Another great resources is 30A.com!
Lynn F says
Hey Sarah
Could you give more info/directions on the alternative versions of the cheesecake cups?
Sarah says
Hi Lynn! I kind of just winged it. But essentially did all of the same steps but just left out the peppermint and the food coloring. For the cookies and cream I did the Oreo base, the cream cheese layer as directed (without the peppermint and color) and then still topped with whipped cream and then more Oreo crumbles (I found if I froze the Oreos for about an hour ahead of time they broke a lot easier). For the caramel and blueberry versions, I actually did a graham cracker base (following the original instructions, but subbed the Oreos for grahams, and used the same amount of butter) and then just topped with blueberries or caramel at the very end (I just used the bottled Ghirardelli caramel sauce from the grocery store). I hope that helps!
Sarah says
One other quick tip. If yours will need to sit out a bit, you can use CoolWhip instead of the homemade whipped cream. I always prefer fresh, but the CoolWhip will hold up better if they’ll sit out for a bit!