Hi friends 💛

Life has felt pretty full lately— it’s September, that’s just the way it goes. A new school year full of new routines and lots of activity. With the hustle and bustle of September, I’ve found myself really appreciating the little things that make my days feel more like mine.

A glowing porch at the end of the day. Flowers I can’t stop looking at. A little less time on my phone. Finding my way back to my sketchbook.

Nothing huge. Just small things that have been making life feel a little sweeter lately.

Here’s what I’ve been loving, noticing, and creating…

All summer, I’ve been slowly turning our front porch into a place where I actually want to hang out. We added comfortable new chairs (a hand-me-down from my parents), potted some flowers, brought a speaker outside—and the latest addition: string lights.

The funny thing is, I bought these lights a couple of years ago with every intention of hanging them.

And then they sat in my basement.

For years. 😂

But they are finally up, and I LOVE them.

They make the whole porch glow at night and have turned it into the perfect place to curl up with a good book after dinner, listen to some music, or just sit outside for a little while longer.

Such a small thing.

And one that makes me wonder…

Why didn’t I do this sooner?

Maybe this is your reminder (and mine) to do one of those little things you’ve been meaning to do.

Hang the lights. Pot the flowers. Move the chair. Use the thing you’ve been saving.

Sometimes a tiny change can make an ordinary corner of your life feel completely different.

Okay, not literally.

But I did buy something called a Brick, and I’m kind of loving it.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how easily I reach for my phone without actually deciding to. I pick it up to check one thing…and suddenly I’m scrolling Instagram, checking email, clicking on something completely unrelated, and I’ve forgotten why I picked it up in the first place.

Sound familiar?

I’ve tried setting app limits before, but apparently I have absolutely no problem ignoring a limit that I set for myself.

Enter: the Brick.

It’s a small physical device that works with an app on your phone. You choose which distracting apps you want to block, tap your phone to the Brick, and those apps are unavailable until you physically go back and tap it again.

It sounds ridiculously simple. But that little bit of friction is exactly what I needed. I can still use the things I actually need my phone for. I’m just making it harder to mindlessly fill every empty moment with scrolling.

And I’m realizing how much I want some of those empty moments back. To read. Make something. To sit on my newly glowing porch. To let my mind wander.

The point is I’m never going back to a time before cell phones (I don’t think I’d even want to)…

I just want to be a little more intentional about when I choose to give it my attention.

While filling vases for a baby shower we hosted at our house this week, I picked up two bunches of Dianthus Solomio at Trader Joe’s.

I don’t think I’ve ever bought this particular flower before, but I’m completely charmed by them.

They’re beautiful in their simplicity—delicate and a little whimsical. The petals almost remind me of tiny butterfly wings.

I originally bought them for the party, but they’ve become one of those little things I keep noticing as I walk through the room.

I recently picked up my sketchbook again after putting it down for a bit.

Earlier this year, I joined the 100 Day Project with the goal of making 100 sketches in 100 days.

Well…that didn’t exactly happen.

The project has since morphed into 100 sketches by the end of 2026—and I’m completely okay with that.I’m trying to let my creative practices work with my life instead of turning them into another thing I have to keep up with.

The point was always to draw more. To experiment. To play. To fill a sketchbook. Not to make myself feel behind because I didn’t do it according to the original timeline. So, I picked it back up.

And in light of my newfound love for those little Dianthus flowers, I thought I’d share a few of the florals that have made their way onto these pages.

I’ve always been drawn to drawing flowers.

I can remember sketching them as a little girl, and all these years later, I’m still coming back to their shapes, colors, lines, and tiny details.

I love that.

Some creative threads just seem to follow us through our lives.

Sometime this weekend, put your phone somewhere out of reach for 30 minutes and do something that feels good for no other reason than…it feels good.

Sit outside with your coffee.

Pick up the book you’ve been meaning to read.

Pull out your sketchbook.

Cut a few flowers from the yard and put them in a tiny vase.

Turn on some music and make something.

Or just sit somewhere lovely and let yourself do absolutely nothing.

No multitasking. No documenting it. No trying to make the time productive.

Just 30 minutes of being where you are.

Consider it a tiny edit to your weekend.