Weekend Recap

Good morning! I hope you all had a nice Halloween weekend! Here’s a bit of what we’ve been up to over the past week or so.

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Home Projects & Updates

We had visitors at our house all week (more on that in a bit) so we only swung by the new build once. There was a lot of wood filling, sanding and caulking happening on the exterior. They also delivered our fireplace insert for the back porch!

I’m excited to see how this area progresses. We changed it a bit from Chris and Rachel’s design, so it will be fun to watch the differences.

Yesterday, we went and did a little more backyard cleanup. We have some incredibly invasive vines in this area of Florida that will essentially cover and kill trees. We could see quite a few starting out back in one corner of our lot since it was left pretty wild as an empty lot. Kurtis found the base of one of the vines and cut it out. It was crazy how big it was! And it was pretty pliable, much like the smaller vines. You can see back over his shoulder in the dense area just how many vines are wrapping that tree. The large trees on the property are all so beautiful and we want to ensure they aren’t killed by these dang things! It was legit Tarzan level density of vines in some of the areas and so creepy looking.

The fall colors are so fun to watch in our new backyard too! They were much more vibrant in person, and it’s fun to see the seasons change here.

On my agenda this week is to set a countertop slab appointment, and follow-up with the cabinet company. Our tile and hardwood floors have officially been ordered and the pool company has filed the permit so they can start digging! Lots of fun updates coming soon! I’d also love to nail down most of our lighting over the coming weeks so that I can get them ordered during Black Friday sales. Lots of mood boards to come!

Around Town & For Fun

My brother and sister-in-law flew in late Sunday night and we got to spend the week with them. It was their first time visiting 30A to see us (my sister-in-law had been many years prior on a friend trip).

The night they arrived, it rained what I’m guessing was the most we’d had in months. It was crazy through Monday morning. But, the skies cleared and I was able to take them down to the beach and be in the sunshine with them for a few hours. The waves were pretty rough, but it was still a beautiful afternoon!

Unfortunately, the bulk of the rest of the week was pretty overcast and cold which was so odd for this time of year. But we made the most of it! My brother had a lot of work to do while he was here, as did Kurtis, so Ashlee and I spent some time exploring and shopping one day in Rosemary Beach.

We found the cutest new store called Harbor, on the north side of Rosemary. Lots of nautical looks that were so fun!

I always love visiting the Rosemary bookstore, The Hidden Lantern. This ship chandelier in their little reading area is still a favorite!

I loved this whole mood board situation at BeCasa. The owner, Emily, is one of my favorites to follow on Instagram. Her shop is always a must to visit when you’re on 30A!

Wednesday night, we held our weekly friends dinner, since Friday was Halloween.

On Thursday, we met some of my brother and sister-law’s neighbors from Idaho that also have a home nearby. I was excited to try a new-to-us spot on the west end, Vue 30A. The view really was phenomenal despite the dreary weather! The food was really great too!

We took them to Cuvee that evening to try their new happy hour menu. We always loved the previous one, but the new one has so many more options and it was excellent! It was probably our favorite meal of the week!

Halloween morning, there was steam coming off the pond because the air was so much colder. It created quite the spooky effect out my office window!

The sun came back out (finally!), so we headed to the beach fairly early. We got to the beach just as the lake spilled into the gulf again. It definitely gave off some Halloween vibes, too 😉

We then met a mutual friend (another former co-worker of Kurtis and my brother) for lunch. It was beautiful so we enjoyed the sunshine while we chatted. I always love the purple grass plumes that give us fall color this time of year!

My friend Marissa hosted a pre-trick-or-treating party like she did last year so we all headed over late afternoon. The sun was still out and it was such a beautiful evening! This was the only time I remembered to take a photo of the four of us. And Rue decided to photobomb. My brother was giving her massages and all the attention, so I think she was wondering why he stopped. Ha!

Our tequila and lime costume was officially complete, with the addition of our salt!

My brother and SIL both said they’d never seen anything like our neighborhood on Halloween. It’s such an incredible vibe, and all the adults really get into it, as well. There’s almost as many treats for the adults as there are the kids! We actually left before the crowds got even bigger because they had flights out the next morning.

It was so fun to have them here – we just wish the weather would have been more cooperative! But, it sure beats the snow where they came from (near Jackson Hole)!

Saturday after our visitors headed to the airport, we headed to the storage unit. Kurtis is out of town most of the coming week, so I wanted us to grab a Christmas tree and a little decor so I could get started. Even though I literally just finished my fall decor. Ha!

As we were pulling up to our house, I found this little “elf” delivering a very inappropriate prank. Let’s just say she was lucky I caught her so she could take it right back home with her 😉 It’s a running joke just how much I don’t love blow-up decor so I think she really double-downed. Ha!

Pretty scenes from our future backyard on Sunday.

Kurtis and I opted out of bocce league this week, needing a little quiet time before he travels this week and our next round of guests arrive later in the week. He has super quick trips to Tampa and then Chattanooga, and then returns Thursday when his oldest sister and brother-in-law arrive for a week!

It’s absolutely wild to me that it’s already November. I plan to take my final fall home tour pictures today and hopefully share it with you all tomorrow! Which is a good thing, since I already plan to start decorating for Christmas this week while Kurtis is away. Planning to take it slowly (and not decorate nearly as intensely as I did last year when I had my mom helping). But it will be fun to have some sparkly lights now that it will be getting dark so much earlier!

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. You can shop their site here.
• ANN TAYLOR is offering 30% off your purchase, plus an extra 15% off $200+. You can shop their site here.
• ANTHROPOLOGIE has a number of new items in their sale section. You can shop their site here.
• BODEN is offering 10% off women’s wear with code C7R7 You can shop their site here.
• CHICO’S is offering styles starting at $39. You can shop their site here.
• CRATE & BARREL is offering up to 40% off kitchen brands and up to 30% off rugs, tables, and accent chairs. You can shop their site here.
• ETU HOME is offering 20% off your purchase with code LOVS20! You can shop their site here.
• FRANK & EILEEN has a number of new items in their sale section. You can shop their site here.
• GAP is offering 50% off your purchase, including sale. 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.
• J CREW is offering 30% off your purchase and an extra 10% off for cardmembers with code SHOPFALL. You can shop their site here.
• J CREW FACTORY is offering 40% off everything and an extra30% off orders $150+ with code CYBER. You can shop their sale here.
• LANDS’ END is offering up to 60% off sitewide as well as an extra 60% off clearance with code MOSS. You can shop their site here.
• LINDSAY LETTERS is offering 20% off her new holiday art! You can shop her site here.
• LOFT is offering 50% off your entire purchase and free shipping, plus get an extra 15% off at checkout You can shop their sale here.
• LULULEMON has a number of new items in their sale section. You can shop their site here.
• MARK & GRAHAM is offering up to 50% off gifts and free shipping on orders $150+ with code SHIPFREE. You can shop their site here.
• MARSHALLS is offering free shipping on orders of $89+ with code SHIP89. You can shop their site here.
• MCGEE & CO. is offering 25% off trees and tree decor. You can shop their site here.
• MIGNONNE GAVIGAN is offering 20% off your purchase with code LIFEONVIRGINIASTREET20. You can shop their site here.
• NORDSTROM is hosting an early Black Friday sale with an additional 25% off clearance styles. You can shop their site here.
• OLD NAVY has nearly everything sitewide on sale! You can shop their sale here.
• POTTERY BARN is offering up to 60% off furniture, outdoor, bedding, plus an extra 20% off select clearance. You can shop their sale here.
• REJUVENATION is offering up to 40% off furniture, lighting, and more. You can shop their site here.
• SALT & STONE is offering 15% of your purchase with my custom code SARAHS15. I have really been loving their clean deodorant! You can shop their site here.
• SERENA & LILY is hosting their Sale of the Year with best pricing and free shipping. You can shop their sale here.
• TARGET has a number of home deals like up to 40% off indoor furniture, up to 70% off rugs, up to 40% off smart home devices, and more. You can shop their site here.
• TJ MAXX 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 number of new items in their sale section. You can shop their site here.
• U BEAUTY is offering 20% off your order with code LIFEONVIRGINIASTREET20. You can shop their site here.
• WAYFAIR is offering up to 70% off during their Black Friday Early Access Sale. You can shop their sale here.
• WEEZIE is offering 15% off sitewide for my readers with code LIFEONVIRGINIASTREET15! You can shop their site here.
• WEST ELM is offering up to 60% off during their Fall Sale. You can shop their site here.
• WILLIAMS SONOMA is offering up to 50% off for their fall cookware event. You can shop their site here.

I hope you all have a great week!

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