No. 87: Reporting Live from Move-In Weekend--The June Content Guide

and the moving logistics

Friends. It’s a strange thing to announce you’re renovating your home on the internet. We shared this video after owning the home for ten months and working hard behind to begin bringing it to life. I didn’t want to share anything until we had a set plan in place—a one year top-to-bottom renovation with the finish line being Christmas 2022. Almost immediately after sharing the news, things started to reveal themselves as exponentially more difficult, extensive and expensive than we could have imagined. I’ll share all the nitty gritty details in a series in the future but for now, it’s finally here. The move-in day that almost never was. It’s actually, really, unbelievably, time.

Earlier this week, a portion of the furniture we’ve ordered or had made throughout this process was delivered after months spent in storage. As you’re reading this, O is unloading our own storage unit with the rest of the furniture, decor, lamps, mirrors and everything in between. This weekend, between birthday parties and events, my incredible family will help put together beds and unroll rugs and hang shower curtains and open things wrapped in intentionally obnoxious layers of plastic wrap or buried in styrofoam. The goal is to spend the first night in our home on Sunday and while it truly seems impossible here at this end, I fully believe we’ll be able to do it. And we better…because we have company coming to stay with us on Tuesday. This is the soft-launch, if you will, and after our trip at the end of the month our rental lease will be up, we’ll come back to empty the garage and it will be officially official.

Thank you so much for your excitement and encouragement and understanding throughout this process, friends. I realize and understand that there is zero grace for a sob story of “how hard it is to build a custom home, boo hoo.” In these days where there is an unspeakable harm unfolding overseas, storms raging and destroying everything in their path right in our backyard and strain across all areas and walks of life, no one cares about something so trivial. I don’t need to share that part right now. What I will say is that as is the case with many beautiful things, the road to that beauty cost more than was initially anticipated—not just financially, but in every sense of the word. I’m grateful down in my bones to be here.

moving with an 11 month old is a cardio like none other

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The Summer Schedule:

For the next month, we’re hosting O’s family, road tripping to 30A to celebrate my parents’ 40th Anniversary, celebrating O’s birthday and then E’s first birthday (!) all with unpacking woven in. I figured instead of taking a break late this summer, it makes the most sense for you and I both to take the break from the Friday letter this month. The Sunday letter, however, will still go out each week in varying forms, more resembling a “weekly photo and link recap” than usual but sometimes that will be heavy on behind-the-scenes move-in content.

I’ll still be in your inbox every week, but the next Friday letter will be July 12th. The majority of Substacks I’m subscribed to send monthly letters rather than weekly, so envision that being the case here for a few weeks. Thank you so much for respecting healthy habits when it comes to work and this space. I still read your responses to the announcement of last year’s Summer schedule every now and then and am spurred on by your encouragement. So, in that spirit, I’m going to move in faith and not fear trusting that this is the absolute best decision for my family and my mind. Without further adieu, here’s your Gold Standard June Content Guide.

Gold Standard June Content Guide:

If you’re looking for Style/Lifestyle Content:

My 30 Favorite Items I Own
The Spring/Summer Momiform Capsule Wardrobe
10 Products I’ll Repurchase Til’ the End of Time
What to Wear When You are (Not) Yourself // Part One
How to Dress When You Are (Not) Yourself // Part Two
4 Perfect Summer Capsule Wardrobes
The 2023 Gold Star Trophy Winners

If you’re looking for Heavier Topics:

You Will Be a Brave Mom
That Used to Hurt
Why Did I Write an E-Book About Sex?
What Happens When You Open Instagram Two Years After Quitting the Platform?
An Anniversary Podcast Q & A With O
I Thought I Failed January--Turns Out I Just Failed to Name and Accept my Season.

If you’re looking for Food Content:

The Fall Recipe Roundup: What to Make and How to Make it Happen
Every Single On My Body & On My Plate

If you’re looking for Home Content:

The First Juicy Home Renovation Update
The Juicy Home Renovation Update You've Been Waiting For--A Photo Journal of our New Home So Close to the Finish Line
The Juicy Home Renovation Update You've Been Waiting For --A Photo Journal of our New Home So Close to the Finish Line No.2
How to Design a Room for Littles that You Both Love & the Kids' Spaces I'm Most Inspired By

If you’re looking for Motherhood Content:

Rhythms and Routines Working in Our Household Right Now
The Ultimate Companion for When You or Your People Are Under the Weather
How Much do Babies Cost?

If you’re looking for Travel Content:

The Ultimate Cheat Code for Traveling With Kids
The Complete Packing Checklist + Guide for Disney
Everything I Wore and Did on a Girls Trip to 30A
Road Trip Essentials with Kids + Our Time in 30A
Everything I Wore and Did on a Sister Trip to LA

You can pre-order my children’s book here and you can shop the coziest, chicest merch of all time here.

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Okay. I think that’s all the housekeeping for today! I hope the next time you see me I’m bronze, I’m rested (let my delusion live,) I’ve finished another good chunk of my AIP healing adventure and I’m down to the final few boxes. Essentially, this is my dream vibe every Summer. I pray your June is sweet, friends. Make a fantastic pasta salad, roast hot dogs over an open flame, buy the water balloons, have the picnic. Wear the tank top, wear the swimsuit, wear the sunscreen. Do all the things with reckless abandon—We all know how quickly it’ll fly by. I’ll see you Sunday, as always.

Have a beautiful weekend, friends.