May favorites

Peonies and pillows and personal trainers, oh my!

1. A pillow swap. We’d had the same pillows in our breakfast nook since we renovated our kitchen in 2020, and they never felt quite right. I recently ordered these pillows to replace the green and these to replace the blue velvet (which I’ll use in another room — maybe our playroom?) and I’m so much happier with how it looks I wish I’d done it years ago.

   I’m planning to order a new Sunbrella bench cushion in blue with white piping as the white with blue piping was absolutely not the play with four little kids who use this table for coloring (we had one baby at the time I ordered it and let’s just say it’s looking a little worse for the wear!).

   We were in the mode of back-to-back-to-back gut renovations for a few years there but this simple swap was a fun reminder that little updates can make a real impact too.

Before…

…not quite an after but progress! And very much in keeping with knowing what I like. 😉

2. Peony season! We have probably a dozen peony bushes lining our driveway, some of which were planted from tubers from Will’s grandmother’s garden in Indiana. They spring to life the third week of May every year and my dad dutifully fills vases and vases full and sprinkles them all throughout the house. They smell like heaven and feel like this little reminder of both my dad and Will’s grandmother everywhere I look. The best!

3. J.Crew denim shorts. I will happily spend $250 on a great-fitting pair of jeans (see all my favorites here + my favorite white jeans here), but with denim shorts, I’m telling you you don’t need to spend a penny more than this blue pair and this white pair from J.Crew. They often go on sale for under $70 — I bought two in each color, in one size up for a looser fit around the leg, and I’m set for the summer.

4. Strength training. I worked with a couple personal trainers on and off during and between pregnancies the past 6 years, but this is the first time in my life I’ve made it a priority to go more than once a week. Will and I see a trainer together twice a week and then my friend Sam, her sister Audrey, and I are working out with Lauren one morning a week.

   I think the 3x/week frequency is unlocking progress that once a week never could, which probably sounds like the most obvious insight in the world but it’s honestly the first time I’ve felt like exercise actually made a difference in how I look and feel. It’s a commitment both financially and time-wise, but I feel like it’s exactly the right kind of investment in our late 30s.

Pardon the screen grab from this video!

5. This Amazon gingham workout set. I’m pretty ruthless when it comes to Amazon returns — I’ll get excited about something I see on TikTok and then be totally underwhelmed when I see it in person. But that means that the things I do keep are things I genuinely want to shout from the rooftops, and this $38 gingham workout set is one of them! I bought it in the light blue and I’m going to order the navy and pink for summer. They could easily charge three times as much for the quality and it’s going to be my go-to for throwing on with a white sweatshirt and sneakers for coffee runs on Nantucket.

6. Family swims. We had a few really hot days last week where we swam with the boys every night after dinner and I can’t tell you how effective the pool is for tiring them out before bedtime! We also had four other families (12 adults + 15 kids!) over the weekend before last and had so much fun grilling out and hanging outside all afternoon. Fun to see our backyard overhaul and the years of swim lessons finally paying off!