Editor’s Note, 3.25

It is finally Pisces season! My birthday month (yes, I'm one of those).

To me, March will always epitomize new beginnings. It brings us the shift to Spring—which always makes me feel so full of hope and alive. I live for the softer seasons, spring and fall, and the beautiful and captivating transformation of nature all around us. Cherry blossoms are bursting in our neighborhood and green leaf buds are sprouting in our garden. It's a beautiful time in life, one I always marvel over. Excited to catch up with you all a little bit, it's been a while!

I cannot snap out of my sleepy state these days. With Grace, I had so much more energy in the second and through most of the third trimester (until the end). This baby is zapping it all! Trying to surrender when need be and rest as much as I can—but let me tell you... it is tough! Between my nesting urge to update and fine-tune our home before our baby's arrival and SPRING in sight... I am, by nature this time of year, an energizer bunny. But my eyelids are like um, can we please take a nap? I am not a fan of naps... an internal struggle! Currently juggling some days of getting shit done... and then giving myself the breaks it very clearly needs. Good thing warm weather is on the horizon because I'm totally okay with sitting on a chaise lounger outside with a book and my sparkling balsamic.

We have a very exciting couple of weeks ahead. This coming Monday, we have Grace's closet installation (went with California Closets again, love them) so I'll be able to organize the girl's bedrooms. Right now the nursery is filled with all my old office stuff, Grace's clothes, all the hand me downs we have left over from G in big bins ready to unload when nursery dresser arrives... it's a mess! By the way, if you're local, I am selling a handful of furniture/decor things for pickup (asap) I listed here and I reduced pricing this weekend.

On Wednesday, Matt finishes his annual winter busy season. If you've followed me for awhile you have definitely heard me talk about it. It's always Jan—March where he works much longer hours. Our weekday evenings and some weekends together are put on pause, so I always look forward to this time of year where we can go back to normalcy! And fortuitously, it always wraps up right around my birthday on the 7th. Excited it's on a Friday this year—we are going to a fun lunch at a very favorite spot in the city. And then a little bday escape for a handful of days to somewhere we love! Last trip before the baby arrives and as a family of three.

Some noteworthy things as of late and what is inspiring me in this season—

READS

LISTENS

WORDS

Go dark. Turn off the phone. Turn off the news. Turn off the noise. Build something. Obsess over a project, your craft, your art. Dedication without distraction creates magic. Silence and isolation are tools for creativity. But, most won't give up attention for devotion. And that's why they never become who they truly could become.

Reads

I bought the new Patina Homes book that released this year and it made me want to revisit my other books from them. Incredibly inspired by their work and the insane homes they create. Definitely favorites in my design book collection.

Listens

I discovered this album and really enjoyed tuning into it. Feel like I don't discover artists that really speak to me as much as I used to! So I was very happy to stumble upon this one.

And the pod! Have to reiterate this recommendation because it was such a beautiful listen. I actually want to write a whole post on why it resonated so deeply—and brought some clarity on things I have felt a bit back and forth about with my work. Just want to say that you should press play because he is an absolute breath of fresh air. I have a podcast playlist where I save the most life-changing episodes that shifted my perspective or opened my eyes in some way. It got added to this list!

Words

Saw this quote on Pinterest and jotted it down. We all need this in our lives. I'm going to be a constant reminder to myself and this bunch, that creation over consumption is immensely important. Being very strict with our phones, what we consume, how to design our days and time. We are the first generation to live in this fast-paced, phone-based culture... and I fear that a lot of us look back on our lives and wish we leaned into a simple life more. Full of boredom, immersing into hobbies, and finding out what we love based on living—and not looking to the internet and others to always tell us how we should think, decorate, live... what we should be doing, buying, etc. I agree that if you are always distracted and so caught up in what the world around you is doing... when do you have time to tune into your inner longings, interests, and curiosities that are buried deep beneath all the fluff and noise?

The Moodboard

Planting new seeds

The last four years of creating our garden, we have designed such a lovely foundation. We essentially were lucky to start off with a blank canvas and we have reimagined every inch of ground. Staining our fence, adding lots of mature trees, pea gravel, our tiling. We invested in beautiful outdoor furniture and accents to create little outdoor "rooms". We've planted lots of things peppered throughout. Over the years we've had a good amount of trial and error, as you do! It has been such a fun and rewarding learning experience.

Our front yard was the one area we had neglected until this winter. So now our whole property is set up to be slowly filled in! I'm very excited to spend the next month plotting and planting. I have a garden moodboard if you want to see a peek into my mind and what visuals and ideas make me beam! Very inspired by English countryside gardens with layers of texture and whimsy. I made a list of posts I want to put together this spring and one is covering what we've planted and what I add this year, so I will work on that soon.

Picking up a paint brush

I bought G and I wooden easels to paint outside on warm days in the garden. I've been saving artworksI love for inspiration, as I'm thinking it would be fun if I end up creating something worthwhile to hang on our wall. I used to love art class and painting when I was younger and even picked it back up for a little when I first moved to the city. It's just been a long time so I am feeling rusty! But either way, I'm really looking forward to that fun and therapeutic activity with Grace.

Self-soothing before baby

If there is one piece of advice I'd give to all mom's leading up to giving birth, it's to take the last trimester to get yourself into good habits and rituals of self-care. Get your mind right. Meditate if you're into that sort of thing—even listening to Sarah Blondin on Insight Timer before bed is incredibly relaxing and meditative. Read over scrolling. Give yourself lots of moments to get lost in flow of doing something you love—gardening, meal prepping... things where you are fully focused and lose track of time. Eat well and drink tons of water and coconut water (electrolytes are crucial in pregnancy I've learned). Be outside in nature.

My priority is to be in a grounded state and to be in the habit of taking small pockets when she's here to continue to do little things that are good for me. I tried out prenatal massages and actually didn't love them... it was uncomfortable laying down, even with their props to help with your belly. So I decided I will just hand it over to Matt to give a few min massage before bed to loosen my back—and instead opt for nice facials! My skin went through a lot postpartum with Grace, so my skin will be getting a good dose of TLC from me to the lead up. Also, the same goes for hair!

A few other ideas to care and nurture: magnesium baths (I subscribe to this stuff), at-home facials, dry brushing, LED mask sessions. Whatever it is you love to do, do more of that during your maternity leave!

The girl's rooms!

I love saying that, it's so fun. I can't wait to share the rooms once they are finally done this month. Everything should be here and in order by mid-month, so will be sure to capture and share everything with you on here! In the meantime, I have linked the main foundational things in each room here.

Find me in the garden

Both my pregnancies were in the same seasonal timeline and it was quite nice. Cozy winter lounge through most... but then come spring when the countdown is dwindling away, being outside in the garden makes for the perfect distraction. So, plan on seeing lots of this from me in the next two months!

A seaside escape

Very giddy about our upcoming family trip to celebrate my birthday. Delicious meals, shopping, walks, golf for Matt, spa for me. Off to one of our most treasured spots—where we plan to retire! I can't wait.

Snack plate season

I am obsessed with swapping snack plates for lunch on the weekends in the spring. We will go to our favorite market and pick out cheeses, crackers, olives, veggies, jams, nuts, and a freshly made baguette. It's the best to just graze, such a treat. A great excuse to pull out my vintage dish collection, too! Side note, speaking of cheese plates, I just got these cheese knives and they are the cutest.