Remember back in the day when there was actual time to write? Lately I’ve felt like day to day life is swallowing me whole. Everybody needs something from me, and if it isn’t an actual person who needs boogers or a poopy rear end wiped, then it’s the pile of dishes in the sink and endless laundry. By the time I get everybody in bed, I’m so braindead that I have nothing left in me for blogging. It’s hard – I miss the therapy of writing and connecting. Instagram Stories seems to be where I land more often than not – it’s easy, immediate, etc. So some of this may be repetitious for those of you over on IG, but this is all good stuff for the archives.

/ 1 / RESIDENCE CLUB @ CARLTON LANDING

I’ve been finalizing a few things out at Carlton Landing for the new Residence Club that’s opening at the end of the month. All the interiors were designed by the fab Tracery Interiors out of Rosemary Beach, but it needed a few accessories and tons of artwork, which is where I was asked to come in by the CL folks. I’m excited to see it all come together. It’s been a huge job for me in all the best ways, and it’s one of my favorite things – styling and zhushing and rearranging to my heart’s content.  Art makes all the difference, no? I’ll have better photos later, but here’s the shipment that greeted me on Friday when I showed up at CL.

/ 2 /  THIS GUY

My gratitude for SImon only continues as we barrel on towards our 13th wedding anniversary this summer. He challenges me in all the best ways, and he’s the perfect partner as we navigate the ups and downs of parenting our two boys. And he’s funny, which, in my opinion, is an absolute must. I’m so glad I married my best friend.

/ 3 / ARCHER & THE SHARPIE; I SOB & CLEAN SIMULTANEOUSLY

Internet, if I’m being bare bones honest, motherhood and parenting in general has been next-level challenging in the past few months. I’d even go as far as to say it’s kicking me while I’m down. Preteen angst, hormones, girls, the whole shebang. And then? There’s the toddler who doesn’t realize he’s only 3.

The weekend before I went to High Point was a cluster of emotion and angst. It would have been Mom’s 80th birthday and I was feeling so emotional. I went to the cemetery for the first time (I KNOW, I KNOW – that’s a whooooole other can of worms) and cried all the tears and then some. And then on Sunday, I was just … weepy. So when Archer went down for a nap after church, I took the opportunity to grab a nap too. It was one of those super hard sleeps — you know the kind. Where you don’t exactly know what day it is when you wake up, or where you are.

Except this time I was brought abruptly out of that deep sleep by Jude who was all “MOOOOOM, ARCHER HAS A SHARPIE ON THE FURNITURE.”

This is, in fact, THE ABSOLUTE WORST WAY to come out of what was otherwise a very satisfying nap.

Turns out, Archer had gone to town on my Crypton-covered console and my pair of Bungalow 5 pagodas (OMG ALL THE CRYING EMOJIS). And Jude? He sat there and WATCHED HIM DO IT AND DID NOTHING TO STOP HIM.

So naturally I had to send them both to jail.

I don’t even know where he found that sharpie. And he also went on a spree upstairs on Jude’s walls. I *think* he is going to be my artistic one, but I won’t lie. I totally LOST MY #$#@! when I saw it all. And then, I sat there and simultaneously sobbed and cleaned. And sobbed. And cleaned. And sobbed some more.  Because you know who would’ve thought it was the funniest thing ever? Mom. She would’ve said it was the most precious thing on the planet, and that I should save it for all time. And then she would’ve told me how to clean it all up.

Thankfully, Simon’s mom came to the rescue with the suggestion of rubbing alcohol and Dawn dish soap, which TOTALLY WORKED. I need to take “after” photos – I could not believe that the majority of the sharpie actually came out. I texted my contact at Crypton and was like LOOK AT THIS.

/ 4 / LET’S GET TO SUMMER ALREADY

We’re t-minus one and a half weeks til summer break, and I am here for it. I am ready for lazy mornings, and swimming, and long weeks at Carlton Landing. We’ve been going down there every weekend for the past month and I think this is going to be our best summer yet. Arch is finally big enough to make friends and enjoy swimming, etc., and it’s not constantly watching him to make sure he doesn’t accidentally fall off the porch. I’m excited for what the summer will bring, and not just because of the new master bedroom sitch.

Life is messy and hard and glorious and exhausting and highs and lows. And I’m still convinced that someday we will look back upon this season and confidently say that these were the best years of our lives.