Monday Moodboard | Week 32

WELCOME BACK TO MONDAY MOODBOARD — my weekly roundup of actual life in SWFL. You’ll find everything I’m eating, loving, wearing and doing, all from a local’s point of view.

Looking back through my camera roll this week, I realized I really lived in the moment. Sharing my life online has been a completely new journey since January, and I’m doing my best not to get so caught up behind the camera that I forget to actually enjoy what’s happening in front of it.

Coming off Labor Day weekend made this week feel even faster than usual. Monday was spent at the gym, catching up on the usual things around the house, shopping a few LDW sales and, before I knew it, cooking dinner.

The rest of the week was honestly a blur — Grazing Haus is officially feeling like it’s heading into season, I somehow spent about 36 hours in NYC, and then it was right back home to SWFL.

So here’s exactly what I’ve been up to lately…

Around Town

I had to run to Costco for a few things this week and was immediately greeted by a chaotic Christmas setup followed by decorative pumpkins galore.

Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE FALL. My birthday is literally as fall as it gets, but living here in SWFL my whole life, I’ve never really had fall.

Which brings me to these gorgeous pumpkins that I SO desperately wanted to buy…but couldn’t do it.

All I can imagine is decorating the front of my house, followed by a Florida downpour, followed by the sun’s melting rays and BOOM — my beautiful pumpkins are suddenly a moldy, gross mess.

So for now, I’m not allowing myself to think fall at all. It’s still linen, sandals and summer outfits for me.

But I genuinely need to know: Does anyone in Florida actually buy these pumpkins?! And if so, are you successfully decorating with them outside?

Please leave me a comment and help a Florida girl out because I really want an excuse to go back and buy them. 😂

From the Haus

I am weeks away from filling my shoes as SWFL’s first charcuterie girl again. 😂 I have been swamped with event inquiries, partnerships and, of course, holiday parties already starting to hit my calendar.

I also wanted to share that I’ve finally made myself feel a little more at home at Sweet Real with a new, improved and MUCH-needed exterior banner!

So for those of you coming back into town for season: place your Grazing Haus orders online and come on by to pick up your savory — and now SWEET — treats all under one roof.

Like I mentioned before, season is officially “here” and my books are open. As a little reminder of what that means, here’s a recent grazing table I set up at the new Ritz-Carlton Residences down in Estero Bay.

If you’re looking to host this season and make it look effortless, let’s talk grazing tables sooner rather than later.

Grazing Table Inquiry form HERE.

36 Hours in NYC

When a decade of friendship calls you to NYC for wedding dress shopping, you book the flight.

As a token beach-town girl who is used to suburban neighborhoods, 20-minute drives in my own car and staring at the water most of the time, NYC has always been a little overwhelming to me. Luckily, this trip was hosted by a real-deal New Yorker, which made our 36 hours in the city feel surprisingly homey. <3

My Travel Outfit Details Linked HERE.

A few things I am DYING to tell you about this trip:

• I invested in a BÉIS carry-on bag and genuinely didn’t think I could love a travel bag this much. My Delta Amex was also running a 15% cash-back offer, so naturally, “it was basically free” in my brain.
• I packed two dinner outfits AND two shopping outfits…and proceeded to wear the exact same outfit from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. all day, minus a shoe change. I actually felt like one of those cool New Yorkers for a minute LOL.
• I had the BEST espresso at Blank Street.
• Lunch at Zaf’s was CHIC. I ordered the burger — SHOCKING — plus a gorgeous bottle of rosé to celebrate all things women.
• Beefbar, IMO, was not worth the hype for the food. But the VIBESSSS were incredible, and I had one of the best dirty martinis I’ve ever had.
• LaGuardia Airport is now living rent-free in my head. As a Delta-loyal girl, this hub DELIVERED. The construction is almost finished and, dare I say, I actually enjoyed being at the airport?!

 

We stayed in Astoria, and when I tell you I immediately felt at peace seeing the river, I mean it. Something about being near the water just felt like home to me.

I already can’t wait to go back with Jeremy someday. Until then, we’re officially planning our trip to Ireland next July for the wedding!

At Home

So…I may have gone to HomeGoods today and bought a bunch of new pillows to fulfill my “fall decorating” itch because, again, it’s basically 99 degrees outside.

Apparently, if I can’t put pumpkins on the front porch without imagining them rotting in the Florida heat, I will simply bring fall inside via throw pillows. Problem solved. 😂

I also wanted to remind myself of something while putting this Moodboard together: I spent less time documenting my life this week because I was busy living it.

My camera roll is a little sparse, but that’s okay. Sharing my life online has made me much more aware of capturing the little moments, but I never want documenting them to become more important than actually being there for them.

And this week, I was there.