I’m sitting in bed working on this blog post and reflecting on July and everything that’s happened over the past week. Life is going so quickly. It feels like I blink and another day is over.

We had so much fun with our youngest daughter, Sarah, and her family. My grandchildren are absolutely adorable, and spending time with them is the most special thing to me. Bristol is my youngest grandson, and he is so smart and inquisitive. Little Lawson (we call her Sissy) is just like her mama. She has the biggest personality, and I’m quite sure she’s going to do everything her own way. I love watching them grow and feel so privileged to be their grandmother. Our time together always ends much too quickly.

My son-in-law is in the Army, and they’ll probably be moving (again) this year, which means they’ll be even further away from me. I’m just going to have to get in the car…or get to the airport, and go see them as often as possible.

As wonderful as this week has been, I’ve also been thinking a lot about how I’m going to feel when we get home and see the damage the tree caused when it fell on our house. I’ve been surprisingly relaxed about it, but now that our time here is almost over, I can feel the anxiety creeping in.

This is all obviously going to be a huge disruption to our lives. The insurance company is being difficult, and we can’t even really begin cleaning up the mess until all of that is sorted out. On top of that, all of the furniture we were able to salvage is being stored in our den, so that room is completely out of commission. And then, at some point very soon, we’ll be tearing out walls to begin the kitchen renovation that was planned for spring.

I had hoped to have every single detail of the renovation planned right down to the drawer pulls before we started. Instead, when I get home, planning that renovation is going to move to the very top of my list. I am so grateful that we weren’t home when the tree fell and that no one was hurt. Still, it’s amazing how quickly life can hand you something you never saw coming.

As you can see from the pictures, the tree that fell was enormous (I’ve wondered if any squirels got into the house). The ground was saturated with water from too much rain and it just couldn’t stand any longer. We’re incredibly fortunate that most of the furniture in the room wasn’t destroyed. I’m anxious to get the chandelier off the table so I can see how badly the glass top was damaged. Unfortunately the chandelier is vintage and one-of-a-kind so it can’t be replaced and that breaks my heart.

I do think the chairs can be recovered, and the lamps will simply need new shades. Looking at these pictures, it’s hard to believe the tree fell in just the right place. Structurally, the room is unsafe, but somehow most of the furniture survived and can hopefully be repaired. It really feels like a small miracle in the middle of so much destruction.

---

And…I’ve been thinking a lot about how I want our new kitchen to look. I’ve started a Pinterest board filled with ideas, but the most important thing to me is creating a kitchen that’s functional and has plenty of room for our family to gather.

The plan is to extend the kitchen from the two exterior walls and open it up to our den so that we have one large family space. Since we live in an older house, the kitchen is on the small side which was the style of the time (1929). I think it’s the same with any kitchen…everyone ends up gathering there, no matter how large or small it is. I’m really looking forward to finally having a space that feels big enough for our family now that it’s grown so much. Nothing makes me happier than having everyone together.

I do know that I want marble countertops. I was talked out of them during our last renovation in 2009 (I think!), and I’ve always regretted not standing my ground. Marble is timeless, and I actually love that it develops stains and a patina over time. To me, that’s character and I want a kitchen that’s meant to be lived in and used every single day.

Having said that, I’m also pretty sure I want a huge butcher block island with a sink. In our last house, the island was butcher block, and I absolutely loved it. I also love the warmth that wood brings into a kitchen, especially when it’s mixed with marble.

One thing I’m especially excited about is finally having enough room for a butler’s pantry. I’ll have a place to store my ever-growing collection of dishes instead of trying to tuck them into every available cabinet. If you’ve been here for very long, you know my love language might just be pretty dishes and a beautifully set table.

I’m still researching appliances, but I’ve dreamed of owning a La Cornue range for years, and I think that’s probably the direction I’ll go. As for the refrigerator, I’ve truly loved my glass-front Sub-Zero, but it’s not large enough and I’m leaning toward a full-size side-by-side refrigerator and freezer.

The only thing I’m completely certain about is that I want handmade wood cabinets made by a cabinet maker. During our last renovation, we chose customized but pre-made cabinets from a local cabinet shop, and while they’ve been beautiful, they just haven’t held up the way I had hoped. Solid wood cabinets can be repaired, repainted, and customized. I love the idea of creating something that will age gracefully and still be beautiful decades from now and that’s designed with my specific needs in mind.

As you can see…there are so many decisions to make, and I’m making them much sooner than I ever expected. Then again, life has a funny way of rewriting our timelines.

Credits for above image – Home Beautiful and Pinterest (no credit given on Pinterest)

In the photos above, I love the butler’s pantry in the first picture, although mine will be more of a galley style. I also love the soft blue cabinetry, but I think I’ll go with an off-white paint color and fill the space with beautiful art and collected pieces. I learned my lesson with black cabinets during our last renovation. They looked beautiful, but they showed every scratch and every speck of dust. I also know I want marble behind the range as the backsplash, along with marble countertops. It’s classic, timeless, and exactly the look I’ve always been drawn to.

I am literally dying over this pantry. The molding is a little more ornate than my style (or the style of our house), but the organization makes my heart so happy. The pantry I have now is tiny, and it’s become so crowded that I can never find what I’m looking for. At some point, I gave up trying to keep it organized! I love the extra refrigeration, the appliance storage, and the idea of having everything tucked away instead of sitting on my countertops. I can already imagine opening those cabinet doors and actually knowing where everything is.

Image from Jane at Home

I also love the idea of having a dedicated coffee station. It just feels so practical, and I love the thought of having everything in one place. I can already picture making my first cup of coffee there every morning.

---

This time at Bald Head has definitely been a little different than most of our beach trips. I always work, but I’ve actually worked quite a bit more this trip, which always makes people think I’m a little crazy! But…the truth is, I genuinely love what I do, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have built a business that doesn’t really feel like work most days.

That doesn’t mean it’s been all work, though. I’ve spent afternoons by the pool, made fresh pesto one evening, read a few chapters of my latest books, wandered through a few of my favorite little shops (and bought a few things), and managed to slow down enough to simply enjoy being here. Those quieter moments have felt especially calming after everything that’s happened over the past couple of weeks.

---

I’ve also been trying a few products that I’ve absolutely loved and have been living in some beautiful new dresses from Avara and Jude Connally. I’ll share everything below in case something catches your eye. These are pieces and products that will fit into your everyday life and I know you’ll love them! FYI…Avara is having an end of season sale and offering 50% off sale items so it’s a great time to shop!

Below, find a few of my favorite dresses from Jude Connally. The pre-fall collection is really good and I’ve loved everything I’ve tried on. I love this black dress that I wore last night and this olive green cotton dress with 3/4 sleeves that I wore several days ago. These are pieces you’ll wear on repeat!

---

The clothing in the boutique below is from Avara, and I’ve also included a few of the products I’ve brought to the beach with me this week. One of my favorite parts of this job is discovering products that become part of my everyday life. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to try so many wonderful things and then share the ones I love here on the blog.

One of my favorite discoveries has been the Alice Mushroom Chocolates. I’ve been trying two different varieties…one for stress and one for sleep. They arrived at exactly the right time since this has been a bit of a stressful week in so many ways, and they’ve become part of my routine. I take the stress formula during the day and the sleep formula an hour before bed. They’re absolutely delicious, and I really do think they’ve helped.

---

In closing…

I am dreaming of a beautiful kitchen, but more than that, I’m dreaming about the life that will happen inside it. Sunday dinners with the family gathered around the island, grandchildren helping me bake cookies, quiet mornings making coffee before everyone else wakes up, flowers and a candle on the counter, holiday meals, and dishes stacked in the sink after a house full of people. That’s what I’m really looking forward to.

I don’t want our new kitchen to feel trendy or like it was designed in 2026. I want it to feel as though it has always belonged in this old house. Warm, welcoming, well-loved, and ready for whatever life brings next. Funny how one unexpected moment can completely rewrite your plans…and sometimes even your dreams.

Thanks so much for reading this loooong post today!

~XOXO Suzanne