From the Front Porch: The Comfort and Joy Edition

The day after Hurricane Helene hit my hometown, I was in the front yard at Loblolly hauling debris to the road with several other family members.

It was a symphony of sounds as a professional crew tried to figure out the best way to remove the tree from the roof, and my Dad directed our debris piles all while generators, chainsaws and heavy equipment buzzed from one end of the neighborhood to the other.

I was so caught up in the task at hand, I didn’t even notice that one of my young cousins had quietly started raking alongside several other family members.

When my Dad realized she was there he called her name and said, “Is everything ok? I didn’t hear you come up and you haven’t said anything since you’ve been here,” to which my cousin replied, “This place is a mess, it didn’t seem like the time for small talk,” which made my Dad burst into laughter.

While picking up a rake and getting to work without a lot of fuss might seem like a small thing to do, it’s been those acts of kindness that have made the biggest difference. 

The words of encouragement, nourishing meals, extra supplies, provisions, ice, the phone calls that start with, “We have water if you need a hot shower,” the text messages that say, “I’ll be there at 7:30 to help,” and the unexpected glimmers of hope we’ve experienced along the way.

I know it can seem overwhelming at times to know where to start or how to help.

Sometimes, it can even feel like what we have to offer is not enough.

But rest assured you have important gifts to give and each one no matter how big or small is important.

It might be picking up a rake or a shovel to help clear debris, supporting a small business based in one of the affected areas, taking a meal to a loved one, babysitting, pet walking, shopping for groceries, donating to your favorite cause, lighting a candle or lifting up a family in prayer.

Because comfort and joy shouldn’t just be reserved for the holidays when we can give each other those gifts today.

Sending so much love to my fellow Floridians in the path of the Hurricane Milton and to those still recovering from Hurricane Helene.

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

Beautiful Home and Garden Tours:

• Have you seen the Southern Living Idea House featuring designer, Allison Elebash yet? It has such a calm and relaxing vibe.
• Wait until you tour this Dreamy Napa Valley Cottage and Gardens via AD. They are positively dreamy.
• Speaking of dreamy, I can’t remember if I shared this Inlet Beach House from Bria Hammel Interiors but it’s worth checking out. She is so talented!

Seasonal Inspiration:

• Pumpkins are a Fall staple so it was fun to see how Rachel of The Ponds Farmhouse created this foraged version and how Kim from Cottage in the Mitten created this mum version. I definitely want to try them both.
• Just looking at this moody Fall mantel Courtney from French Country Cottage created reminds me to slow down and savor the season even though it hasn’t turned out anything like I had imagined.
• Michelle from Thistle Key Lane shared this fabulous dough bowl tablescape.
• And I loved all the mushroom accents KariAnne featured in her historic home tour as well.
• Have you seen these spiced acorn cakes Elizabeth from Pinecones and Acorns made yet? They’re almost too cute to eat!

Health and Wellness Inspiration:

• 50 Meal Train Ideas to Help Comfort Friends and Family in Need (via Southern Living)
• Tips for Helping Someone Going Through a Hard Time (via Today – this post is in the context of someone who’s recently had a baby but the information on how to help a loved one was fantastic)
• Tackling Chores When You’re Feeling Super Overwhelmed and Unmotivated (via Self-these are great reminders)
• How to Break Free from a Chronic Stress Cycle (via Goop)

Style and Travel Inspiration:

• As someone who wears a blazer or a cardigan nearly every day, I loved these 13 Tweed Blazer Outfit Ideas via Wit & Whimsy.
• Every year, I look forward to Allure’s Best of Beauty Award Winners List.
• Where To Go in Europe in Autumn (via CN)

Simple Pleasures and Little Luxuries:

• Love the idea of sending these Open When Envelopes to loved ones who have been affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene. They’re such a simple pick me up!
• These duffle bags would make a great go-bag because they can be monogrammed.
• This affordable sweater is giving Ralph Lauren without the logo.
• Has anyone tried these budget friendly ballet flats yet? They come in a variety of colors.

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

How to Refresh an Old Cigar Box

Elegant Fall Home Tour

Elegant Fall Front Porch Tour

DIY Brown and White Transferware Pumpkins

October Amazon Prime Day Finds

If you missed it you can find last week’s From the Front Porch: Celebrating Fall post here.

A Few Things We Placed In Our Disaster Kits and Items We Needed But Didn’t Have That We Spotted on Amazon…

**(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)

• Cooler Bags (these make transporting hot or cold meals easier)
• Work Gloves (keeping these budget friendly gloves on hand in case someone shows up without a set)
• Waterproof First Aid Kit (need to add this waterproof first aid kit to our hurricane box)
• Sunscreen (a must have when you’re working outside)
• Mini Chainsaw (we’ve purchased this mini chainsaw 3 times and gifted it twice, it comes in so handy for small limbs and branches)
• Cooler (so many of my family members have and love this cooler)
• Work Boots (need these after poking a hole in my sneaker during hurricane clean up)
• XL Wipes (these wipes would have been handy given there was no power or water so I’m adding these to our kit)
• Water Bottle (have the mauve version of this water bottle, it keeps drinks and ice cold for hours)
• Work Socks (my athletic socks gave me blisters after picking up debris all day so I’m adding these to our go bags too)
• Water Resistant and Fireproof Document Bag w/Lock (keeping your documents organized and safe during a disaster is so important. This one also got good reviews)
• Work Pants (I realized after the storm I have more jeans than work pants so I need to add these to our go bags as well)
• Liquid IV (these hydration packets are easy to store and use. I even carry them in my purse)
• Work Shirt (Our cotton shirts worked ok but we needed something with wicking because it’s in the 90s here still)
• Insect Repellant (this comes in multiple deet options)
• Meal Pans with Lids (these make and take meal pans are simple to use no matter the season)

That’s all for now!

As always, we appreciate you so much and we hope your weekend is peace filled and relaxing. We can’t wait to share even more with you next week!

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

Many blessings,

CoCo