From the Front Porch

Several years ago, my parents were vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard and every day my Mom called to share a new discovery.  

“You would not believe the hydrangeas here,” or “I can’t get over all these fresh herb gardens. I bet Ina’s looks just like this!” or “I found the cutest shop with lobster printed sweatshirts today.”

Truly, every day was a delight because we had no idea what she would call to tell us about next.

My Mom was so inspired by the trip she went to the garden center and bought lots of herbs for her lanai the minute she got home.

And for a while, she put rosemary on her chicken, lavender in her baths, and sprigs of mint in her cucumber water.

But as happens to so many of us, despite her best intentions, she ultimately found herself in a new and very unexpected season of life.

One where it became too hard to use or maintain the herbs due to time, travel and physical constraints.

For weeks, my Mom was frustrated every time she thought about the herb garden because she had poured so much love and effort into a dream she knew was slowly dying.

And even though it was a great idea at the time, she eventually came to terms with the fact that it was just not the right season of life to commit to growing herbs.

So, she adjusted her expectations.

I share this because last week I found myself sitting on the bench of a beautiful botanical garden filled with butterflies I had only previously seen in books.

It was hot, humid and incredibly peaceful and I was in complete awe watching the butterflies and the tiny birds dance about.

My first thought was, “I could totally recreate this experience in my backyard. We already have the heat and humidity. All we need now is to bring in some water features and lots of tropical and butterfly friendly plants!”

But just as quickly as that thought entered my mind, I thought back to my Mom’s herb garden and realized it was one of the many ideas that sounded amazing yet was simply not a good fit for this season of our lives.

And I knew immediately I would have to adjust my expectations as well.

As we dive further into the month where change and transition abound, I encourage you to find the areas of your life that are filled with resistance or frustration due to unmet expectations.

Grieve your original idea or plan if you need to, then think about how you can grow through your circumstances.

Do you need to find peace and let the situation go completely or can you find a way to adjust your expectations and enjoy the experience in a different way?

Learning how to adjust our expectations will be some of the hardest lessons we will ever have to learn.

But they can also be some of the most rewarding.

Cheering you on as you navigate unexpected growth and change this season.

A Few of our Favorite Posts From Around the Web This Week…

Beautiful Home and Garden Tours:

• This Inlet Beach project from Bria Hammel Interiors is seriously so gorgeous. Here’s Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
• Have you seen this home by the design firm Calimia Home in Coconut Grove yet? It’s layered with so many beautiful features.
• This post about creating an English country garden in Connecticut from Flower Magazine is filled with inspiration.

Seasonal Inspiration:

• If you love hydrangeas, you’ll love Debra of Common Grounds post on Summer to Fall Flowers in Vintage Containers. They’re so pretty.
• Speaking of flowers, wait until you see Wendy’s 35 Outdoor Table Centerpiece Ideas. They make me thankful we have a long porch and patio season.
• Wait until you see the pumpkin wreath Rachel of The Ponds Farmhouse made from dollar store materials. It’s filled with fabulous layers of texture.

Health and Wellness Inspiration:

• 100 Simple Ways to Immediately Improve Your Life (via Becoming Minimalist)
• This 6 Step Routine is called “The Miracle Morning” because it creates your dream life (via The Everygirl)
• Short Naps Have Major Benefits for Your Mind (via Scientific America)

Style and Travel Inspiration:

• 10 Smart-Casual Fall Outfits: Modern and Minimalist for Work and Everyday (via Classy Yet Trendy – loved these so much)
• This post 5 Skincare Combinations to Avoid was super helpful. (via The Everygirl)
• It was so much fun to peek inside the famed Marabella Club thanks to Vogue.

Simple Pleasures and Little Luxuries:

• This pillow cover from Pottery Barn would be such a pretty way to transition to Fall. 
• Speaking of which, have you seen this dress from J McLaughlin yet? It’s dreamy.
• Has anyone tried this peel and stick wallpaper from Studio McGee? I would love to use it in our laundry room.

If You’ve Missed Anything from the Blog or the Archives Recently, Here’s a Peek At What We’ve Been Up To…

How to Create a Simple Breakfast Station at Home

Pink Sunflower Arrangment and Sunflowers in Bloom Blog Hop

9 Quick and Easy Ways to Find Fall Inspiration

Marrying a Farmhouse Hutch and Dresser

You can find last week’s From the Front Porch: Country House Edition here if you missed it…

Inspiration We Spotted Online at Amazon This Week…

(Amazon affiliate links have been provided for your convenience. As an Amazon and Impact Media Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Any sales made through such links will support us with a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read our full disclosure policy here)

• What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking I can’t wait to check out these recipes.
• Spoon Rests We keep these small spoon rests in our coffee station and use them multiple times a day.
• Dress Add a belt for a simple pulled together look
• Blouse This blouse has longer sleeves and comes in pretty colors.
• Tank Easy to layer under a cardigan if you also have a longer transition to fall.
• Earrings These budget friendly earrings come in 4 different colors.
• Sandals I can’t wear shoes with straps but if I could these would be in my cart.
• Mask Excited to add this mask to my Self-Care Sunday routine.
• Eye Cream I’m constantly looking for effective eye creams. This one and this one got great reviews.
• Notebook This is like having a binder and a clipboard in one.
• Erasable Pens After using and loving these for years, I’m excited to try these.
• Fall Pillows These come in multiple colors and prints
• Fall Doormat Love that this doormat comes in 2 sizes and can be used from now until Thanksgiving.
• Laundry Hamper Technically this is a small laundry hamper, but it would also be great for storage, and it comes in two colors.
• Trunk Organizers This or this would make keeping your trunk organized so much easier. Plus, I love that they fold up and have lids and handles too!

I hope you have a peace filled and relaxing weekend, we can’t wait to share more next week! 

Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo