Hi there!
I hope you had a great week!
Wow, have I really written 100 of these weekly blogs already? Time flies!
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Random Things Happening Behind the Scenes at Bricks ‘n Blooms
What a week it was!
Behind the scenes, I have been crazy busy with the family.
So let’s go!
The End of Summer
In super sad news, we closed up the pool and hot tub this week.
Not gonna lie, I shed a few tears watching them put the cover on.
I spent ALL SUMMER out here both in the pool and under an umbrella blogging so I was sad to see it close up on Monday.
I’m already counting the days until we open it back up again. LOL!
College Visit
Tori and I started her college tours with a visit to Rutgers University here in New Jersey.
What a great school!
When I visited colleges with my older two, Rutgers was not on the list and I have to say, Rutgers is really amazing!
It’s a Big 10 school with a few campuses but they have a way of making it feel smaller and close-knit for the student.
We both enjoyed the tour and I’m excited she is applying to colleges now!
The Last one! It’s bittersweet.
Parents Weekend – Take 2
Speaking of Rutgers, they played my daughter Shana’s school, Ohio State, this weekend.
What a game!!!
We are actually IN Columbus, OH as I’m writing this because we spent the weekend here hanging out with Shana, meeting some of her friends, and we got to see our first Ohio State game.
Last year, we were supposed to see a game, but I had a little health scare and wound up in the emergency room so we sort of missed it.
And her first year at school, we were not allowed to visit due to all the social restrictions from that illness that shall not be named.
So, we finally got to see a game in the shoe!
You might be wondering what happened that caused us to miss it last year. I’m not sure I mentioned that I was in the ER, but I had a complication with uterine fibroids that caused my iron to drop extremely low.
LIke really low.
In fact, it was so low that I passed out while at a restaurant the first night we were visiting her and had to have a blood transfusion before I left the ER.
It was a scary experience that prompted my hysterectomy a few short weeks after. And yes, I had the surgery, packed, and moved at the same time.
What a crazy time that was!
I don’t think I mentioned much about it here because it was a lot to process at the time.
So anyway, we came back to Columbus for a total redo THIS WEEKEND and had the best time visiting with Shana.
We went out to dinner at this super yummy restaurant called the Townhall on Friday. And then we went out to a few fun bars.
And yesterday we tailgated all day long and saw the big game in the shoe for the first time.
My husband was dying to see a game here, so this was a big day for him.
But the most fun part was watching Shana and her friends before the third quarter on the field running around with these huge plastic balls on.
Shana is in the red ball on the left and if you watch my IG stories from yesterday, you’ll see the event in action it was pretty funny.
What a fun weekend!
We had a great time seeing her and meeting her friends with their families.
Ohio State is not close to where we live in New Jersey, so any chance we get to hang out with her, we’ll take it!
We are heading back home today and are both pretty exhausted.
A lot of fun, but we are tired!
In addition to visiting both Rutgers and Ohio State, it was my husband’s birthday this week!
We celebrated with our kids and also went out to dinner with my in-laws.
I told you it was a busy week!
But that’s not all.
A Little of This and That
My chairs arrived for the sunroom and they look AMAZING!
I am starting to bring my plants in, tweaking things, and can’t wait to show you all the changes in this space soon.
And I’m still working on the lawn! I asked my landscaper to aerate it for me so I could oversees with tall fescue.
The ground is pretty compacted and needs it so hopefully, it will fill in better for next spring and not suffer from the summer heat and Japanese beetles as badly next year.
This week, I’m moving on to fall plantings and dividing perennials to fill in the gardens. I can’t wait!
I Wrote My First Ebook!
If you are a subscriber to my emails, you heard I wrote my first ebook that is going live for sale this week!
I worked hard on this ebook all summer long so I’m pretty excited to finally share it with you.
My 40-page guide for decorating with fresh greens for the holidays is chock full of budget-friendly projects with some of my best tips and tricks that are only available in this book.
While the guide is available for individual purchase here in my new Etsy Shop, it is also being offered as part of a bundle for a limited time only this week here.
This incredible bundle is a GREAT deal because it includes ebooks and guides from some of my favorite bloggers like French Country Cottage, Thistlewood Farms, Robyn’s French Nest, Simply 2 Moms, Jennifer Rizzo, and so many more!
The bundle will be live from October 4th through October 8th but I’m pretty certain you can get on the waitlist here if you want to register early so you don’t forget.
I’ll be sending more information out about it this week – so if you are on my subscriber list, keep an eye out for these emails.
And if you are not on my email subscriber list yet? You can sign up here.
What I’m Shopping For This Week
Another big week of shopping to make my house feel more like home.
Here’s what I bought or am shopping for this week!
- This gorgeous end table for the family room arrived on my husband’s birthday. And it is perfect for my boho farmhouse.
- I ordered this beautiful poof ottoman so we could put our feet up in the sunroom.
- And am also shopping around for some throw pillows. I love this round one but may go with something made of mudcloth like this one or these.
- My area rug for the front entry hall arrived and I LOVE IT! It is a little thin so it definitely needs a rug pad, but the print is gorgeous and it looks so vintage.
- I also just ordered this portable steam vac to help clean up some of the messes that my dogs do. We have an upright one, but this one is easier to store upstairs in the bedroom closet.
What’s Happening at Bricks ‘n Blooms
It was a fun week on the blog!
We kicked off the week with my first home tour in fall here at the new house.
After a fun summer outdoors in the garden and by the pool, it was really fun to come inside and start decorating!
Wait until you see all of the changes we’ve made and how cozy it all looks!
In addition to my fall home tour, I also shared my FAVORITE Italian soup recipe.
It’s a hearty dish that’s easy to make and the whole family will enjoy.
Wait until you try this recipe for pasta fagioli.
But that’s not all!
We also chatted about ways to update furniture on a dime with this before and after heirloom bench makeover.
To keep costs down and update my thrifted dining room set quickly, I may paint the fabric before recovering them.
I also addressed the pros and cons with pieces that I would not use this technique on in this painting upholstery fabric with chalk pain FAQ post.
Amazing Inspiration from Around the Web
I love finding cool inspiration from around the web and wanted to share some of what I love right now.
My good friend Rachel from the Ponds Farmhouse shared how she decorated her front porch for fall this year and I LOVE IT!
Her sweet pup Rudy seems to enjoy it as well.
Someday, I’d love to drop by and visit my bestie to hang out on the front porch and see her incredible home.
And how pretty are these terra cotta pumpkins that are all the rage these days?
My good friend Wendy from WM Design House shared her simple DIY to make them.
It’s easy to do and adds a lot of neutral, organic texture with fall decor.
And here is some more inspiration you’ve got to see!
These DIY pumpkin project ideas.
I love these fall mantel decor ideas for the Vermont cabin!
These trash to treasure Adirondack chairs.
This gorgeous fall home tour in New Hampshire.
And I love this navy and neutral fall home tour.
This beautiful farmhouse tour in fall.
And this cozy fall home tour.
If you enjoy these posts, you can find past Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly posts here.
And… If you’re catching up on blog posts you may have missed, be sure to sign-up to get my newest posts via email to stay up to date with everything that’s happening here on the blog and more.
Thank you so much for following along.
Enjoy a beautiful day! xo
