3 Things That Are Working & Summer Views
We’re wrapping up all things end of the school year around here!
Yes, much to our daughters dismay, our three girls are STILL in school.
And yes, it IS mid-June!!
That’s Maryland for you…
Nonetheless, Wednesday officially wraps up another school year that will ultimately tie a bow around Livvy’s elementary school years and Maci’s middle school years!
Wow.
We will go from having one daughter in 3 different schools, high school, middle school and elementary school to having TWO in high school and one in middle school!
If there is anything I know for sure?
The older your children get, the faster the clock ticks.
So, I am soaking it all in – as much as possible!
Sending Livvy off
Last week, I was grateful to step away from my interior design work to chaperone Livvy’s field trip to Philadelphia!
It started out as a dreary, chilly day but eventually the sun shined and of course we enjoyed Philly cheesesteaks for lunch!
Sending Maci off
Also last week, we sent Maci off to the big 8th grade dance with all of her girlfriends!
And right after we waved goodbye to Maci?
Shawn and I popped into our favorite local spot for a celebratory dinner.
Because?
Because last week we quietly celebrated our TWENTY year wedding anniversary.
Yep.
It was a big one.
Here we are June 4th, 2005…babies….
And now?
Now, here we are 20 years, wedding day wiser. 🙂
Eventually, I will have more words to say about our 20 year wedding anniversary and what it means to us.
Because, so much has been running through my mind over the last week, as I have spent time reflecting back on the last 20 years together.
But for now, I am enjoying keeping our little anniversary milestone and all that it stands for and what we toasted to – reserved for “just us.”
So what’s in store right now?
Today on the blog, I am sharing a tour of some home views from inside our home…decorated for Summer.
Because as the calendar edges blur into mid-June, school doors close, and summer slips in, while our heads have been busy buried in lists, and our legs are tired from the race…
There is a need.
A need to reset.
To allow permission granted – for necessary recovery time.
And this past week, as I looked around our home – I realized something.
Our home feels good right now.
Not picture perfect or magazine camera ready clean.
But calm.
Functional.
And most importantly?
Us.
Because it feels simplified…and ready for Summer ease.
Why?
Because, I’m clearing away the clutter build up from the year and making space…for Summer to breeze in and breathe…and linger in our home, ready to hold a lighter posture and grip on the day.
So, if you’re curious about what the inside of our home looks like for Summer and what 3 things are working for us right now….you’re in the right place.
Follow me friend…
3 Things That Are Working To Embrace Summer In Your Home & Heart & Current Home Views
For us, Summer is the chance to realign, to come up for breath, to build back our stamina and strength.
Which means…there is a mental off loading process that needs to take place as well as an editing and elimination process of some physical stuff to help us – live lighter.
While our weekends will be busy with lacrosse travel, our weekdays are a little – looser.
Offering a chance to settle into slowness, stillness, and delight.
Here’s what’s working for us to live lighter in Summer:
1. I am not buying anything new.
Crazy idea, I know.
I am using what I already have, to bring Summer alive in our home.
First, I always love giving our outdoor branches a haircut and bringing the stems inside to evoke a sense of growth and energy versus buying trendy store bought cookie cutter decor that I won’t love next year.
And per usual, I continue to love decorating with my shells that I have collected over the years and right now my gut is giving me a strong aversion to bringing anything MORE into our home, where the goal is to feel light and easy.
You will likely notice a common theme in how I decorate for Summer is by sprinkling shells in bowls…
Everywhere.
You can see 21 Simple Ways To Decorate With Shells HERE in this post.
2. I am keeping decor simple and counter surfaces clear.
I am following my rule of “touching paper once.”
Which essentially means, when I bring in the mail, I sort it and toss what needs tossing, file what needs filing.
The same goes with any type of working papers, or in progress papers.
Everything has a place, a bin, or file inside a cabinet and I am putting the papers in their proper places, the first time I touch them, so this way they don’t pile up and create clutter.
I shared more about how I keep our counter surfaces clear from paper clutter, HERE in this post. (This post is especially helpful if you have kids and want to keep their important memories organized.)
3. I’m letting go of unreasonable expectations.
This is the biggest game changer friends.
The Summer season requests and really requires something different of me…
And?
It’s up to me to acknowledge that and accept that what has worked for the last 10 months, most likely will not work for the next twoish months.
I’ve written about this idea of letting go of unreasonableness before HERE in this post from 2022.
In a nut shell, sometimes my unreasonable expectations of both home and heart, can lead to relational destruction with the people whom I love the most.
Putting down the microscope I sometimes tend to pick up and magnify, turning a small thing into a big thing, is helping me to learn a new way to live…a lighter way.
Yes friend, this last idea of letting go of unreasonable expectations is at the core of what I am clinging to as I prepare to welcome Summer in my heart and my home.
So, here’s to letting the start of Summer be our invitation to reorientation…
Our return, and needed resting.
Our sinking into a new rhythm –
That allows for more breath, more light, more noticing, more love, more room for reasonableness for our reality…and embracing it all.
If you’re new around here, then you may not know that last year I took the Summer off from my weekly blog writing here and it was one of the best decisions I made as a creator and writer.
So friend, I am embracing this same practice again this Summer, taking the next few months off from blogging…
So that I can come up for air…and regain my heart clarity that is needed to begin again in the Fall.
I hope you will meet me back here in a few weeks as I know we will have much to catch up on.
Know that I am sending you much love and think about you often.
Until then, as you make space for Summer…think on this one question…
I can’t wait to hear what the answers are when we meet again.…
This Summer…Ask Yourself This Question…
What Needs To Go…and What Needs To Grow?
I’ll share with you the answers to these questions when we meet back here again, after we’ve both had time to reflect, replenish and respond to what bubbles to the surface in the midst of the waves of Summer’s whispers…
Living on a prayer…and a house decorated with shells,
Heather
Well said! You’ve inspired many of us! Btw, what is the source of your wooden coffee table? Thank you.
Thank you so much! I appreciate you! Our coffee table is Nathan James from Amazon! Linked here: https://amzn.to/4lTu66g