Good morning! How was everyone’s weekend? Hopefully things are slowly warming up where you all are! Here’s a bit of what we’ve been up to around here!
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Home Projects & Updates
There was a lot of behind-the-scenes activity over at the new build. We were able to walk through with the elections and see where they were placing outlets, switches, etc. It actually went pretty quickly because we really didn’t see too many things that needed to be changed. I did however cancel all of the wall-mounted TV boxes in every single bedroom. This house had them in literally every room and I hate seeing those outlet and junction boxes eye-level if I don’t plan to use them! The nice thing is, they can still add all the necessary boxes at standard outlet height by the floor, so it’s easy to add the wall-mounted ones down the road if anyone ever wanted to. But two televisions is more than enough for us (especially with another one going outside and one in the carriage house).
They also added the support half-wall for the kitchen peninsula. It’s nearly 15′ long, and with that, you can see below they also zigzag the electrical above the peninsula so we can get the island pendant light spacing perfect when the time comes!
The house next door to us is supposed to close soon, so their fence is going up and they’re in the final stages of landscaping, etc. With the addition of the (partially completed) fence, it gives us a much better idea of our lot lines, etc. So much more helpful when there are items nearby to envision scale! They also place the two stakes in the ground for the back two corners of our cabana.
I thought I’d share this next backyard to share what you can expect from ours. I’ve mentioned before the lots are a lot smaller here. Kurtis is actually very excited that there is very little grass to mow. Below is an image from a neighbor’s yard (still under construction too) that will be very similar to ours. You’ll quickly see it’s pretty tight. But they make great use of the space, and I believe our lot is actually 10′ wider than theirs, so we’ll have more space between everything.
We will not be doing the elevated spa like they have below (ours will be flush with the pool water line). The stairs on the left lead up to the carriage house (there’s also an outdoor shower underneath them), and this future homeowner chose to do their outdoor kitchen in their cabana. Our kitchen will be up on the screened in porch behind me so our cabana will have a slatted wall along the back side behind the fireplace. It’s hard to tell in the picture but the far end of the pool has plenty of room and depth for chaise lounge chairs, umbrellas etc. It was fun to see a backyard similar to ours getting so close to completion! I’m planning a lot of really colorful planters filled with flowers (and maybe some citrus)!!
We spent several hours Friday through Sunday over at Hola Beaches. The weekend was pretty much our deadline for getting off-season projects completed and we got done just in time! The next few months are booked almost solid (you can check availability and the old pictures here), so while it was a lot of work these last few weeks, we’re glad to be done for a bit now! Kurtis had to partially regrout one of the shower floors, so that always ends up being an extended project to allow for drying times.
The cleaners come today to do a deep clean. We then have updated photos scheduled this week for the vacation rental sites, and I’m hoping to get over there this week as well with my “real” camera.
BEDROOM SOURCES: Woven Bed | Nightstand | Striped Rug | Indoor/Outdoor Bench (no longer available – Serena & Lily) | Pillows (no longer available – Pottery Barn) | Lamp (HomeGoods) | Faux Fan Palms | “Coastal Blues” | “Dream Decor” | “Surf Shack”
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 week, 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.
- Cute New Arrivals From J. Crew Factory
- The Best Green Paint Colors
- The Best Blue Gray Paint Colors
- Light Wood Dresser Options
- Omaha Home Tour
Around Town & For Fun
Kurtis and I are trying to wrap up a 30A travel guide, full of our favorite restaurants, shops, etc. With that comes a lot of “research” on our part. I use the term loosely because it basically just means us trying as many restaurants as we can 😉 The weather was beautiful early in the week, so we hit up Surfing Deer, a spot we’ve been wanting to try ever since we started coming to the area. I took the photo below through the window at our table, but it all had such a great vibe. The food was excellent and we were both dying over the banana pudding cheesecake. Definitely ranks in one of my top three desserts of all time!
The hummus platter at Citizen is also another item not to miss! It’s served with pita bread and crostinis. Even if you never visit 30A, I thought their board was worth sharing for some ideas!
Friday was a rain out all day. So, we went with our friends Jake and Marissa to their favorite dive bar in Panama City Beach called Dusty’s Oyster Bar. It was such a fun vibe and the entire building, walls to ceiling, was covered in dollar bills. We had wings and oysters and beer and it was all so good!
It was our friend Rachel’s birthday on Saturday, so we went with a group to Amigo’s to celebrate. Always another local favorite! This ceiling happens to be covered in hundreds of hanging light bulbs. I remember when we took our goddaughters there, two year old Elle said “look at all the stars!” Ha!
Sunday after spending several hours at Hola Beaches, we grabbed a quick lunch at The Big Chill (formerly The Hub). It’s steps away from Hola Beaches and has four or five restaurants and a common eating area which always makes it so convenient! We saw several people already claiming their seats for the SuperBowl events that night! It was so great to sit outside for 20 minutes or so after several rainy and dreary days! But, after so many meals eating out, I’m thinking we need to grill at home this week!
We then met our friends Chris and Rachel and their boys at the new build for our weekly tradition of walking through the houses. We then headed over to their house later in the day for a mini SuperBowl party! There was admittedly a lot more talking than football watching going on, but that’s how I like it 😉
Hawkeye is full-blown obsessed with opening our bedroom door now. If I see him trying I tell him no, and then he’ll just sit like this a few feet away staring at the handle. He’s also learned quickly that if he makes it in, he has to run under the bed as fast as he can so we don’t immediately grab him. He needs to find a new hobby – quickly!
SOURCES: Console Table | Lamps (look for less here) | Abstract Art | Baskets | Large Ceramic Bowl | Similar Moss Balls
I have an eventful week ahead with golf lessons (which last for two months), a charcuterie board class with friends, and several events around Mardi Gras (including a golf cart parade)! There are so many fun things to do in the community, especially in the off-season. We’re really trying to take advantage of as much as we can!
Recent Buys & Sales
Following are some sales from the weekend that have carried over and are still going strong!
- AMAZON has a number of daily deals happening now! You can shop their site here.
- ANN TAYLOR is hosting an end of season sale, with items marked up to 70% off. You can shop their site here.
- ANTHROPOLOGIE has added a number of new items in their sale section. You can shop their site here.
- BALLARD DESIGNS is offering 30% off sitewide, as well as up to 70% off all clearance items! You can shop their sale here.
- DUDLEY STEPHENS has added a bunch of new items to their sale section, with items up to 60% off. You can shop their site here.
- GAP is offering an extra 30% off sale items with code MORE, and an extra 10% off regular-priced styles or 20% off $100+ with code ADDON. You can shop their sale here.
- HOMEGOODS has a number of new arrivals, as well as free shipping on orders $119+ with code SHIP119. You can shop their site here.
- J CREW is offering 40% off your purchase to J. Crew Passport members (it’s free to join) with code EARLY. You can shop their site here.
- J CREW FACTORY is offering up to 50% off everything and an extra 50% off clearance styles. You can shop their sale here.
- LOFT is offering up to 40% off full-priced styles and up to 70% off sale styles. You can shop their sale here.
- LULULEMON has a large sale section with some major markdowns. You can shop their site here.
- MARK & GRAHAM is offering up to 70% off in their winter clearance sale, as well as up to 30% off bags and accessories and free shipping on orders of $100+ with code SHIPFREE. 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 DAILY23US. You can shop their site here.
- NORDSTROM has dresses, boots, sweaters and more marked up to 60% off! You can shop their site here.
- OLD NAVY is offering 50% off dresses and button-down shirts. You can also get 25% off your order (including clearance) – no code required, prices update at checkout. You can shop their sale here.
- OVERSTOCK is hosting their Presidents’ Day Sale, with up to 70% off 1000s of items! You can shop their sale here.
- POTTERY BARN is hosting their Presidents’ Day Sale, with up to 50% off furniture, bedding, decor and more. You can shop their sale here.
- REJUVENATION is offering up to 20% off in their kitchen and dining sale. You can shop their site here.
- RUGS USA is offering up to 75% off sitewide. You can shop their site here.
- SERENA & LILY has up to 30% off all dining (includes furniture, chandeliers, rugs, and more), as well as up to 70% off and free shipping on their sale styles. You can shop their sale here.
- TARGET has a bunch of deals sitewide including up to 25% off furniture online only. Our favorite striped cube bench is 25% off! 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 has a number of new 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 offering up to 50% off all sale and bedding plus up to 20% off quick-ship sofas & sectionals! You can shop their site here.
- WILLIAMS SONOMA is offering up to 75% off in their clearance section. You can shop their site here.
- WILLIAMS SONOMA HOME is offering up to 50% off in their clearance section. 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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I LOVE your blog! You have an incredible eye for design! I can’t wait to see what you do with your “new build.” I know it will be stunning. The guest room at Hola Beaches is gorgeous. I would love to bring my family for a vacation sometime! We’re leaving for a cruise in two weeks, but I definitely have Florida on my wishlist of places to visit. I have a suggestion for Kurtis and the lawn. Have you looked into synthetic grass? We live in California and there is always a water shortage. We have a large lot similar to your Omaha home and used a company called SynLawn to install grass in our front and backyard. It looks beautiful…no more mowing the lawn!
Have a wonderful time on your cruise! And I will definitely pass that along to him. Sounds like a great solution! Thank you!
Hi. Do you have a source for the Roman shades on your door? Thank you!
Unfortunately I don’t! I have a few more of the window coverings to inspect, but I haven’t been able to find a label (they were here when we bought the house). I really love them, so I’m hoping I’ll eventually be able to track down some info to share!
That Hawkeye cracks me up. He’s so sweet and smart!
I love the trees at the back of your lot! Will make a beautiful backdrop above your fence.
So I’m from Nebraska and then we moved to Florida for 2.5 years and now in Washington,DC. When we moved to Florida I couldn’t wait to have citrus trees. Found out they were banned in our neighborhood because they bring roof rats. Something to look into. I hope you love your new home. I really enjoy your blog and style. You have taught me a lot over the years.