... catching up. Ep. 01
Highlights from the week, things I bought and love, recipes, & a closet makeover.
On the backend dashboard of my Substack, I have 14 drafted post ideas. Anytime I come up with a good topic, I draft the headline in a post. Some of them need more work and I’m not ready to hit publish on and some topics just don’t feel good to write about yet. However, since my goal is to send out a weekly newsletter (not out of obligation but excitement!) I realized I don’t have to overthink or overcomplicate everything. So this week I’m keeping it simple with this catching-up series sharing highlights and what I was up to this past week, things I bought and loved, and recipes I cooked.
(The rest of this email is a bit photo-heavy and best read on the Substack website or app)
The week was mainly spent doing a lot of photo editing since the week prior was full of back-to-back photoshoots. I love having a full week without a photoshoot in the middle of the busy season so I can cross off edits from the queue. There has been some construction going on at my house because the builders *forgot* to install two shear walls on the first floor. Don’t ask me how that even happened or how it passed inspection. First-time homeowner here who had to Google the purpose of a shear wall and apparently shear walls are structurally necessary for resisting lateral forces like strong winds which ummm… sound essential for all the hurricanes we get here! How was that even missed?! After having to remove and move around a lot of my belongings for the construction workers, it caused my mind to enter chaotic purge mode. The saying is true “An organized life is an organized mind” and my home and mind have been in disarray. I listed items on Facebook Marketplace, brought clothes to sell and donate, and reassessed what wasn’t working in the house.
The closets in the bedrooms are incredibly small and not very functional. There is one wire rack in each and that’s it. There is so much wasted vertical space. I decided to start with the “larger” sized closet in my primary bedroom just for some peace of mind. I’m going to take baby steps with this entire reassessment of the current home organization situation. I considered the IKEA closet systems and out of curiosity also inquired with Closets by Design of South Carolina and set up the quickest consultation appointment. They sent a Senior Designer from their team to my house within two days. I told her what I needed, and she took measurements and was quick to put a rendering together of what we could change.
Before she arrived for the consultation, I considered turning one of the tinier guest bedrooms into a full walk-in closet using the IKEA PAX system, but I realized a bigger closet was not exactly going to fix the problem. I think having a large walk-in closet (which everyone dreams of) would end up being a place to hoard clothes that I no longer wear and may set me back into thinking “If they have a place in the space to hang then I don’t need to address it.” I think when you’re a little bit more restricted with your space you learn to work with what you have and it also forces you to address what isn’t working. So in an effort to only own the clothes that work for me and stop myself from buying the unnecessary, I’m sticking with the mini closet makeover and dialing down on inventory. I’m excited about this closet update and will share more once it’s completed in a month!
Things I Cooked and Loved
Amidst an unorganized home, I’ve been proud of my dedication to my workout routine and healthier eating habits as of late. Two weeks before leaving for Miami I was not all that thrilled about my body (how it looked and how I felt in it). I wasn’t wishing that I looked the way I did in my 20s, that’s unrealistic, but I wanted to look toned and feel stronger. Back in 2020 when the world shut down and I had nothing better to do than to exercise and walk 6 miles every day, I was in the best shape of my life. I had also cut out alcohol and refined sugar at that time and felt incredible. Then the work schedule opened back up and the busyness of freelancing kicked my solid workout routine to the curb. I told my girlfriends that I was going to workout every day before we left for our girls’ trip to Miami. They were my accountability buddies and it really motivated me. Making the time for 30 minutes in the morning to move my body, and do some strength training and pilates has changed my mood for the better.
I’m seeing some small physical changes and am feeling more like myself. I don’t have it in my budget right now for monthly workout studio memberships and I am someone who can easily enjoy working out at home at my own pace. I have loved Sami Clarke’s FORM for streaming workout classes. She has pilates, strength training, and meditation classes available for subscribers. I have to rave about the user experience of her app and website. Her team has done an incredible job with the interface making it easy to follow daily/weekly workout programs, finding a quick 15-minute core exercise, and access to delicious recipes and meal plans. I crossed off an extensive grocery list the other day that was full of ingredients listed for recipes I found in her app. Here are a couple below that I ate 2-3 days this week:
I’m finding that since her recipes include such simple ingredients, it is much easier for my brain to remember the steps needed to whip these up as a healthier go-to meal. Repeating the actions and steps in recipes like these makes life and grocery shopping a breeze! I’ve been keeping up with the workout routine even now after my return from Miami and my biggest focus in addition to these healthier recipes is my protein intake. Hemp seeds, Chomp sticks, and bone broth are my favorite easy options for consuming extra protein.
I don’t love sharing photos or screenshots of recipes from cookbooks because I want to encourage people to buy the book to support the author, but I want to make an exception here with one recipe to give you a taste of how simple they are on the FORM app. I highly recommend subscribing to her streaming platform or even just trying out a 7-day trial. I think you’ll love it.
Things I Did
On Thursday night I went to a Candlelight concert with my friend, Margaret. It was a string quartet performing some of Taylor Swift’s greatest songs. The event was hosted at the Unitarian Church in downtown Charleston and it was an insanely gorgeous setting! I hope you can guess the song in the last video. If you want to see a Candlelight concert in your city, you can browse the FeverUp website.
At the beginning of this year, I was honored to be asked to be an ambassador for The Charleston Gaillard Center, a beautiful performing arts venue in the heart of downtown Charleston. I love supporting the creative arts community here in my city. So on Saturday night I hosted a pre-show happy hour at Vintage Lounge downtown to spread excitement around The Gaillard Center and the variety of performances they host throughout the seasons. The Gaillard Center has a variety of shows that come through their venue like Broadway performances, concerts, and comedy shows (I will never forget attending John Mulaney on his ‘Kid Gorgeous’ tour at The Gaillard Center when I first moved to CHS), dance performances, and classical music.
After the happy hour, my girlfriend Chelsea and I headed over to The Gaillard Center for the Blackstar Symphony The Music of David Bowie. It was an incredible show and a fun girls’ night idea. We popped over to my favorite sushi spot, Shiki, across the street afterward.
Things I Bought and Love
Mary Glenn McElveen dropped a special collaboration collection with Antonio Melani at Dillard’s. I bought this Sophia linen vest and the Ombre Deep V-neck dress (which hasn’t arrived yet) to potentially wear to a wedding in Tuscany this summer. I love the fit and color of the vest with the shell button details.
Wavytalk Thermal Brush - since I don’t have TikTok I didn’t know that this product went viral. It was my hairstylist friend who suggested I order this ASAP because she knows I love a good blowout look for my hair. I currently use a Hot Tools Round Brush Dryer but have found that as the weather gets warmer, my hair doesn’t hold a blowout with this tool unless I use it with my hair 75% wet. This thermal brush is the perfect tool for styling my hair when it’s completely dry (do not use it on wet hair). Usually, I take my showers at night, blow dry before bed, and use this tool the next morning. So quick and easy for straightening and curling!
This is one of my favorite buys of the week. A hair, body, and linen mist and a roll-on perfume oil both in a delicious Palo Santo Sage scent. I use the linen mist on my bedding in the morning and the perfume oil wears so well throughout the day. Both are under $15!
I hope you had a lovely weekend. Until the next catch-up!
xx, laura
Stunning as usual! Loved reading what you’ve been up to!! Excited to see how your closet turns out! 😍😘
I’ve been contemplating this hair tool! I have such wild out of control cowlicks 😂