I hope you all had a great weekend!
:: Eyelet Skirt + Wish List Wednesday ::
I realized I never posted Sunday’s instagram post to the ‘ole Blog so wanted to share this adorable skirt with you all!
This is a great one that can be worn for work + weekend alike!
I love the blue and white colors and the eyelet for summertime.
AND. The best part….. remember those built in bra tank tops that you used to always wear from Express!?
Welp. They still got ’em and they’re just as great as ever.
Also, my scalloped heels are *finally* back in stock!!!
:: Home Favorites ::
Happy Tuesday!
Today I wanted to share a few favorite home products that I have come across lately!
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Have you seen the Lily Pulitzer + Pottery Barn Collaboration!? Yes, please!
No need to have outdoor space of any kind to get your hands on this snack jar.
This would be so cute on any kitchen counter or bar top!
I’d love to get some of these indoor/outdoor pillows and these planters for our patio, too.
:: Home Updates : Screened In Porch ::
Our back porch renovation is finally complete (enough)
to share some before and after photos with all of you!
Here is a shot of the porch before:
This was the listing photo, so we had some different furniture out there for 9 months, but this was the layout of the deck and we had the same string lights. Â The deck needed to be replaced no matter what, because the wood was starting to rot and the railings were a bit shaky, but we were hoping we would be able to build the porch we were dreaming about having.
(to just see the end pics, scroll a little further!)
Two bids and 8 months later, we had given up. Â The quotes we had gotten were twice the amount of what we had hoped and budgeted for, so we had settled for just a new deck to replicate the old one.
Then we gave it one more chance and got a quote we could work with!
The week we got back from Italy, they got to work – it was crazy how fast all of the woodwork and structure actually went up. There were pauses and days with no work in between while waiting on things, but the bulk of it was really fast.
 
A few things that delayed work : We came home to the black metal railings but we had wanted a
wood design, so that change paused work at one point.
We went with a whitewash type of brick and kept the ceiling beams
exposed instead of painting them white.
We also came home to the screens in black wth the border showing all around from the interior. Â In a way, I liked the way it looked with the black trim (kind of like the interior windows that are more popular now that look so pretty and crisp and fresh) but it looked wrong with all of the white. Â All you saw when you walked outside were the screens. Â It looked like a total accident, and turns out it was, and now with the correct screens they just blend in and you don’t even notice them.
And finally, a completed porch!
We still need to get things and decorate more (a high top table maybe, put out our big beverage holder, I’d love to make it really feel like an interior with some pictures or something) but it is fully in use and has been our go-to spot for everything from breakfast on weekends to dinner after work and everything else!
We had the two french doors already, so now we just keep them opened up and make it one big space.
sources : SOFA + PILLOWS from Costco // SIDE TABLES/GARDEN STOOLS // STRIPED RUG from Annie Selke
Kip helped out everywhere he could, from painting to digging out this area and hand laying all of these stones for the walkway out to the yard.
This other door below goes into our master bedroom, which was an addition made to the house from previous home owners. Â It’s great to have the option to walk straight out from our bedroom. Â There’s a ton of space on this side area of the porch that we need to make use of still.
I’d love suggestions for what to do with the the empty space (the area area by our bedroom door) to add more seating or make it more cozy!
This was just a quick set up to get it functioning,
and we added some plants and pumpkins from Lowe’s this weekend!
We are so excited to have it for all of these gorgeous upcoming fall weekends though!
:: Saturday Steals ::
:: Home Updates, Draper James, and Tuesday Thoughts ::
Some random tidbits for Tuesday!
:: HOME UPDATE ::Â
We moved into our house in September/October of last year (it was a slow and gradual move!) and have known that we needed to replace the back deck since we bought it. Â The current situation is old and rotting wood, but it worked for the time being.
Here is a photo from the previous owners in the property listing :Â
Our dream was to have a deck with a screened in porch.  Living in Atlanta we can be outside year round, and we knew it would be such an amazing thing that we would use every day.  Not in the dramatic sense, but it would be “life changing” for us after all of the years of cold and snow to just sit outside on the deck with a fireplace (we hoped!) and maybe a TV over it for me 🙂
We got bids from two separate contractors over the last few months, both of which were double what we had anticipated spending. Â So we figured it just wasn’t going to happen. Â We live in a 3 bedroom 1950’s ranch, and no matter how great our area is and how much the property value increases, we can’t just pour money into it that we would never get back. Â I am obsessed with our house and have no plans to leave for many years, but we can’t spend money like it’s a forever house when it definitely is not.
Luckily, a friend at book club heard me say something about the crazy high bids and gave me the name of her contractor that only does decks. Â (The first two people were home builders and contractors that did much more than decks!)
He came and met with us about 2 or 3 weeks ago and I am happy to say that he gave us something much more in our budget and we are able to go forward with the project.  To say we are excited is a huge understatement! Kip has wanted this since the second we decided to move South and I am so excited that he is going to be able to have it.  I know he will live out there! (He literally sat in the bed of his truck to read on Sunday afternoon because he said the bugs were too bad in the backyard but he wanted to sit outside….. I think he is just that obsessed with the damn truck, but still).
The plans are for construction to start early June and they said it would only take 2-3 weeks. Â We are doing a screened in porch for the majority of it, with a smaller portion unscreened, and right now we have plans for a fireplace + TV. Â I keep waiting for the bid to go higher than what we got or for there to be some mistake…. so we will see what actually happens….. but for right now I just can’t wait to be able to sit out there – bug free!
The bugs in the South are seriously the worst thing in the entire world.
Give me a huge rat in the alley ANY time.
:: SPLURGE VERSUS STEAL ::
This color combination is one of my absolute favorites. Â Ever.
// Â SPLURGE Â // Â SAVE Â //
:: FITNESS ::Â
Reading about Goop @ Nordstrom led me to “Foam Roller Extraordinaire Lauren Roxburgh”.  I have been so bad about foam rolling lately.  As in nonexistent.  And I can tell.  I am super sore and sensitive.  I know I need to get back to it, and reading about how foam rolling can actually make you skinnier and look better (what!?) is just the thing I need to get back on that torture device of pain.
I mean…. if Goopy Paltrow says it works, it must be true, right?Â
The reviews on the book Taller, Slimmer, Younger are mixed – everyone says that without a visual it is too hard to understand.  So I went found tons of videos instead!
Check out more of her foam rolling routines on her YouTube Channel.
:: REESE’S DRAPER JAMES @ NORSTROM ::
Speaking of Goop having a pop up at Nordstrom,
now Reese Witherspoon’s line Draper James is available at my favorite department store too!
Draper James is filled with seersucker, gingham, and pastels.
What more could a girl need!!!
My favorites are this dress, this shirt, these sunnies, and this cute little apron!
It is all just so feminine and perfect for Summer!
ONEÂ Â Â // Â Â Â TWOÂ Â Â // Â Â Â THREEÂ Â Â //Â Â Â FOUR
here is a close up of the pink and blue so that you can see the gingham + seersucker!
// Â Â PINK GINGHAMÂ Â // Â Â BLUE SEERSUCKERÂ Â //
ONEÂ Â Â // Â Â Â TWOÂ Â Â // Â Â Â THREEÂ Â Â // Â Â Â FOUR
ONE Â // Â TWO Â // Â THREE Â // Â FOUR
// Â Â GINGHAM SHORTS Â Â //Â
Apparently Reese wore a lot of Draper James While filming Big Little Lies ;
she was always in the cutest outfits.
ps. I miss Big Little Lies.  Did I admit to all of you that I read the book the day it came out, which was hopefully a long time ago, because I couldn’t remember for the life of me how it ended. So when I was watching the show it was just as exciting for me as when I read the book.  What kind of moron doesn’t remember the ending of this kind of book?
But it made it so much better watching the show!
I also could just not have been more obsessed with her character. Â I wanted to be her BFF.
Do you think I worked enough gifs into the end of this post?
Me neither……
Happy Tuesday Y’all!!!