Southerly summary - June 2023
June gloom has been in full force here and to be honest, my mood mirrored it this month. I’m ready for some steady sunshine!
There were many busy days working with our contractors on house decisions this month. We had a last minute floor plan change (for the better), and revisions are a bit challenging due to timing and city approvals. So far, so good though.
We selected our kitchen slabs (though the kitchen is in a later phase of our project). The family room finally has walls (woohoo!). We also found some beautiful reclaimed wood to be used on our new fireplace as well as the exterior of our house. Slowly but surely things are starting to take shape.
Things are also coming down, too. Demo is scheduled this week to begin work on one of the new downstairs bathrooms. So, we pivoted a bit to revisit design for that space. I’m loving our selections so far but we have had to navigate lead times. Amber Lewis has been one of my faves for a while, and we are using one of her designs as our primary inspo. I will try to share more design details soon as you guys seem to be loving that!
I have still been struggling with digestive issues and working on figuring that out. Stress is always a big factor for any health challenge - and I can attest that living in a construction zone has certainly not helped my case. But I continue to find little areas of peace - especially in our backyard or by the beach. And for that, I’m so thankful.
We’re quickly approaching the Fourth of July, which happens to be one of my favorite holidays. For the last several years, my husband and I travel lakeside to spend time with a special group of friends and it has become a tradition we all look forward to. Growing up, my family spent every summer at our family cabin on Lake Michigan (and I also grew up near a lake in SC), so summer at the lake holds many memories for me.
I haven’t had a chance to come up with some fun new cocktail or entertaining hack this season, but after planning a wedding (and continuously planning our house!), I had to give myself space to just be. As a creative, it can be a very isolating and draining to constantly “keep up.” And my body has been telling me to take a bit more time so I am trying to listen.
I have been focusing more on writing and with that, finally got my first newsletter out into the world! I decided on using Substack (you can sign up below) since it is a simple, clutter-free space - something I think we can all appreciate these days. Thank you to those who have joined my community. I’m excited to see how it continues to evolve. Also, just a friendly reminder that if you like something I post, please use my affiliate link to make a purchase. This supports the work that I do!
As for July, there are a few small trips in the works, baseball games, and barbecues on the horizon. We are hoping to have the bathroom work finished relatively quickly so construction can progress throughout the downstairs (before we move on to upstairs which is the priority). I hope you can enjoy a bit of a summer slowdown. As hard as it is sometimes to have schedules disrupted, it’s a special time of year where I find we’re all a bit more relaxed. Let’s take advantage of that.
