Rhyme & Reason: The Catch-Up

what caught my eye

Shop my Recent Finds

what caught my heart

On little boys: I was in a conversation this week with a friend of mine who has two high school aged boys. The general theme of the conversation was how unprepared women are to have sons. Society really reinforces the want for a girl and so, mothers are often shocked by the admiration and love from a son. She said, “The thing about boys is that they rip your heart out and they never give it back, holding it forever. Even still, in high school, my boys are so loving with me. The love from a son is a love that doesn’t waver and just keeps on giving.” I said, “Amen! Put it on a needlepoint pillow!!!!” Boys are everything!

what caught my interest

Something about being a woman: jewelry is never far from the top of our minds. It’s not always in the sense of coveting jewelry (although, honestly, that’s fun too!) but also in the sense of cherishing, admiring, and appreciating special jewelry we already have because every piece tells a story - from the heirlooms to the new beautiful pieces to the beaded bracelets made with love by our children. With that being said, there is a new-to-me jewelry designer (although she’s not even remotely new to the world, she’s been designing jewelry since the nineties!) who has really sparked my interest…! French jewelry designer Marie-Hélène de Taillac.

It all started for me with her multicolored incandescence gem earrings. I can’t resist a playful take on color and these earrings have that in spades. You absolutely wouldn’t believe the movement they have in real life too - they move with just the right amount of whimsy. They are mini works of art that I never want to take out of my ears.

I’ve since gone down a rabbit hole with Marie and learned that she works with gorgeous gems and semi-precious stones so her pieces are positively special and undoubtedly un-fussy. She lets the stones do all the talking. This also means her pieces are priced within the realm of possibility, which is so refreshing for jewelry these days! The colors she works with are gorgeous, many light and almost airy. I think she is doing something different than what is so popular right now. I’m just completely taken with her designs!

what caught my imagination

I just finished reading Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune and, before that, Pink Sand Summer by Chassity Evans. In both, I was completely transported to Tofino and Harbour Island, respectively. I loved the female leads of both books and was so invested in their love stories, I couldn’t put either book down! SUCH. A. GOOD. FEELING. The women in both books, Frankie and Lucy, are a bit younger than me. I raced through reading along with them as they found themselves and, in the process, discovered who their one true loves were. I love love and love reading stories of self-discovery and wide, expansive, all-consuming love. It made me think about how I’m always reading such grand love stories in the context of young love and the dawn of a relationship when two people are brazen with their affection for one another. I think about this time in my relationship with Edwin because, in many ways, it honestly was a storybook young love. I ADORED this time in our relationship. However, now that I’m in my mid-thirties with three children and have been with my husband for 16 years our early unabashed love was actually quite some time ago.

I never want to stop reading stories of people finding each other in young love but both of my recent reads also got me thinking about how compelling it would be to read a book about a couple in my season of life - years into a relationship, with a family, a full life, and endless obligations. I’d just devour a book about a couple who hasn’t lost any love but whose love has grown, expanded, evolved, and deepened in many ways while still maintaining the type of dynamism that makes you blush, wink, and not want to miss a minute together. In young love, you don’t take a minute of time together for granted. Sometimes time together is literally made up of stolen minutes. They are precious. I want to read about a couple years down the road who still seek out stolen minutes. I don’t think people blush enough years and years into relationships. I’m striving for a love that still makes me blush, 16 years in because, how fun! I want to read that. Does anyone have any recommendations?

It feels obvious that a novel could be about a couple in their 30s or 40s who have grown apart and then re-found themselves. I like this too. However, I’d love to read a book from a master of words or a master of feelings about two people who turn into each other and fall in love again and again. Things will go pear shaped, there will be a conflict and a second act, but it’s a love story for people committing to the years instead of a love story of young love. A piercing exploration of love and rapture and wanting in the face of laundry and grocery lists and sports practices. Is this possible?? Does what I’m trying to convey even make sense?

People want to feel like love is looking for them. But, do we still get to feel that way when we’ve been in a years-long relationship? It is a privilege to have found love but we never want to feel like we’re walking through life without feeling like love is waiting around every corner, keeping an eye out for us and ways to bubble into our lives. In short, I think I would be so taken by a love story about a couple almost two decades into their relationship that mirrors, in ways, a love story about an early love.

what caught my kids

My boys got out for summer break earlier this week and I can’t believe I’m saying it but, summer break is here!! I love to surprise my boys with end-of-year gifts on the morning of their last day of school. They work hard and play hard all year long + the gifts are a fun kickoff for summer! I know our preschool got out on the early side so many of you might still be looking for some early summer fun if you haven’t hit the last day of school yet. Here’s what I gifted my boys this year and a few other ideas. ☺️

My End-of-Year Gifts:

Beachy Palms and Anchors Pajama Sets (can’t beat this price point!)
Who Would Win Books (Rowan is OBSESSED)
Inflatable Dinosaur Sprinkler
Other Ideas:
Shower Foam (my boys live and breath for this stuff)
Goggles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Water Blaster
Disposable Cameras
Waterblast Set
Camp Snap Cameras
Red, White, and Blue Swimsuits
Fresh Native Shoes

Thank you so very much for reading this week’s edition of The Catch-Up. I’m so grateful you are here. Feel free to drop a comment below - I love to chat! Also, if you made it this far and like what you read, would you consider heart-ing this post, just below here? It helps Substack know people like my writing, which means the world to me! See you next week with vol 46! x

My Mother’s Day Gift Guide

The Hours of Waning Light (The Catch-Up | Vol 44)

Jillian Eversole — Fri, 08 May 2026 19:41:53 GMT

Hello, hi!

Happy Friday and happy Mother’s Day weekend. In anticipation of Mother’s Day, I shared a lot of thoughts on motherhood in this post and how I’m, quite frankly, so over any weird toxic social media pressure, shaming, guilt tripping, what-have-you around being a mom. Where is the messaging about how energizing motherhood is? I think I have trained my Instagram and Substack algorithms to know I have no interest in that dialogue so I don’t get served it much but I know it’s out there. It’s the opposite over here. 😊

Anyway, this is our last weekend of the school year. Our little preschool gets out for summer break next week. As you’ll read below, I’m excited to see where the summer days take us! I hope you all enjoy the weekend and have a mother in your life - your own mom, grandmother, aunt, sister, mother-in-law, mom friend - you can say I love you to. xx

Also, bonus, if you are feeling friendly, would you give this post a heart? It helps with the algorithm. 💙

What you may have missed on the blog:

what caught my eye

Shop My Recent Finds

what caught my heart

I shared this post on motherhood on Instagram and someone dropped a quote in a comment that reached right out from my phone, directly into my heart -

“You get two childhoods - one for you and the one you make for your children.”

This was so sweet to me. I didn’t think of it as pressure, oh you better make your kids’ childhoods wonderful because your choices now will impact them FOREVER, nope! Leave that pressure at the door! Rather, I thought of it as an uplifting way to look at raising a family. It is all cyclical. It is also a happy reminder that life is FUN! When I’m with my kids, it isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, but I have the power to make it loose, easy, joyful, carefree, and not rushed. I can set the tone.

I liked this quote so much in the context of summer break starting too. Summer is where childhood shines. Childhood gets to be free in the summer and there’s an innate happy-go-lucky carelessness to it that invites you to wake up and see where the day takes you. I’m taking this quote with me into summer as the tone I want to set for myself and my family. Let’s live like we were able to as kids - let’s laugh breezily, let’s braid our arms around each other, let’s be outside in the hours of waning light with the hum of insects in the air, let’s make a lot of guacamole and ice cream. What do you say?

what caught my interest

The most ordered item from my Mother’s Day Gift Guide completely surprised me. I didn’t even know about the product until this year! I have become a total convert though and now wax poetic about it to anyone who comes within 5 feet of me (watch out!) so I believe it’s the most useful and beautiful little luxury but I suppose I was surprised by how many of you also felt a need for it in your life. In retrospect, of course we all do - it’s indicative of our culture, our go-go pace of living, and the realities of mothering young kids (hello sleep disruption, is that you?) - but, if I had a crystal ball, I wouldn’t have guessed it would be the most shopped item from a long list of beautiful things.

In my Mother’s Day Gift Guide, I described the rose magnesium oil from Behrhaus as the gift she won’t know how she lived without this before being gifted it. I use it at night as part of my wind-down routine. It is completely clean, natural, and hormone safe. The benefit I LOVE it for the most is its ability to enhance my sleep - it gives you that “I slept like a baby” feeling because it calms your nervous system, helps you regulate cortisol levels, and keeps your hormones balanced (all the cortisol in our bodies all day long wrecks havoc on our hormones).

In all honesty, the bottle is beautiful on a bedside table or a vanity too and the ritual of applying it to your legs, feet, wrists, neck, stomach, wherever (!) feels exceptionally lovely after carrying your kids around on your back all day (we love a good piggy back ride!!) or after a demanding day of deadlines and other commitments.

It’s a perfect gift for yourself and every other mom + woman out there and, it turns out, many of you think so too! P.S. She has a few magnesium products (I love the baby and kids magnesium bath soak for my boys!).

what caught my imagination

Today, I’m spilling on the books I recommend + predict everyone will have in their beach bags this summer. If you want to be able to join in on book chatter during cocktail hour or on walks with your girlfriends, then these are the books to add to your beach bag!

Pink Sand Summer by Chassity Evans (my dear friend’s debut novel!!! It’s getting so much press - it was just in Southern Living for goodness sakes!)
Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune (P.S. Quick! If you haven’t read Carley’s debut novel Every Summer After from 2022, read it ASAP before the show comes out on Prime!)
Whistler by Ann Patchett
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
The Calamity Club by Katheryn Stockett
Kin by Tayari Jones
Strangers by Belle Burdern

What books are you excited to read this summer? Please share in the comments!

what caught my kids

Edwin is a surfer and our boys think the world of that. For Henry’s birthday all he wanted in the world was a wetsuit so he could be like dad. His birthday is in April so the comedy is there - just as the ocean warms up, he’s prepped for cold water temperatures. He is so so happy I fear he’ll be suiting up even in the dog days of summer. If you live somewhere where the water temps don’t rise into the 70s, you have kids that never want to get out of the ocean, or have aspiring surfers on your hands, then this just might be the niche recommendation for you… children’s wetsuits. Edwin likes the children’s wetsuits from Abysse, which was perfect because Henry wished for a yellow wetsuit and Abysse delivered. Their colors are fantastic and fun! Edwin got Hen a 2mm fullbody suit but they have warmer suits, springsuits, rash guards, you name it. How adorable does Henry look in his new wetsuit in these photos!?

My Mother’s Day Gift Guide

We'll Shine When It's Our Time (The Catch-Up | Vol 43)

Jillian Eversole — Sat, 02 May 2026 13:01:42 GMT

Hello, hi!

I got a little behind on my days this week and my usual Tuesday Collected This Week post went out on Friday and my usual Catch-Up post is here today, on Saturday, but, you know what, we still show up! I’ve made it a point to be consistent here, on Substack. I want to be a touch point in your week that you can count on. I hope my posts are like a friend you look forward to hearing from! That’s the ultimate dream.

I can’t remember if I’ve shared this with you or not but I think it is so spot on and hilarious that it doesn’t hurt to potentially share twice… last summer, when ChatGPT had so many people’s brains in a complete choke hold (by the grace of God it feels like people have backed off somewhat with having Chat write their emails, Substack posts, articles, social media captions etc.), we were in California and our friend said if he started reading an email and saw an em dash, he would immediately hit delete. People would follow-up or see him and comment about how he hadn’t emailed them back to which he would reply with some version of, “when you want to take the time to formulate your own thoughts and ideas, I will take the time to read them.” I laughed out loud at the story and just loved his brazen, matter-of-fact energy. It’s incredible to see a person so confident in their morals. So, here’s where I land the plane…

I love writing my Substack and feel immense gratitude that you are here reading it! I feel a responsibility to myself and to you - the most thoughtful, smart, and clever readers - to share quality content and recommendations with you so I’d rather get behind and do it right than share any form of slop with you. ☺️ We all deserve that as readers and consumers! I’m working on a post that shares some of my other favorite Substacks. I’m excited to share it with you when I’m done! Happy weekend to you and yours! x

Also, bonus, if you are feeling friendly, would you give this post a heart? It helps with the algorithm. 💙

What you may have missed on the blog:

what caught my eye

Shop My Recent Finds

what caught my heart

A girlfriend of mine has a grandmother-in-law who does the most special thing for her whole extended family - she sends their big family group text a “tidbit” at the start of every day. My girlfriend, Markey, has shared this with me and with Instagram before and, every time she does, I’m struck with how beautiful and reassuring it is to have that constant in your life and to get a glimpse into the mind of a grandmother (Markey’s children’s great grandmother) on a daily basis. A grandmother who has seen the tide come and go, watched the sun rise and set, and acknowledged the little worries and the big picture bedrocks of life. I don’t know this woman but I know she must have a perspective filled with value to live such a long life so full of family. I’d jump at the chance to hear an uplifting reminder from one of my grandmothers every day. I imagine some days I’d count on it, waiting for its arrival and other days I’d be caught up only to be stopped and reminded of something great that took me out of the nuances of my day for a minute. I must talk to my girlfriend more about how she anticipates the tidbits every day! Anywho, Markey shared one of this week’s “tidbits” that I’d be remiss not to pass along to you because both the visual and the sentiment behind it evoke such a sense of wonder AND reassurance…

“Don’t compare your life to others. There is no comparison between the sun and the moon. They shine when it’s their time.”

Doesn’t this mother/grandmother/great grandmother sound like a treasure? I lovingly opine that we could all learn a little something from grandmothers every day.

what caught my interest

High Sport came to town this week for a lovely pop-up that benefited local non-profit, Neighbors Together. Shopping is more fun when doing it for a cause! I’ve been wanting to try High Sport’s Kick Pants for years but there is nowhere in Charleston to buy them in person so, for some unexplainable reason, instead of shopping online, I’ve just been sitting on my desire. My friend, Jackie, is my local muse. She has a few pairs and wears them so well. Dressed up, dressed down, paired with a crisp white button-down or with a tailored top. The look is honestly smashing. After trying them, I can tell you they are as worth the price point as anything can be. Is everything made in Italy just 110% better? The quality will knock your socks off. I immediately engaged in what I fear will be a lifelong love affair for me.

Guess what I also did. I hopped on The RealReal to see their High Sport selection and it is pretty great! Their pants look hilarious on their mannequin bodies but I don’t hate the price savings! For reference I’m 5’4” and probably around 120 lbs and the size small was perfect for me in the pants. I now have these 5 pairs saved on TRR: peach, red, butter yellow, royal blue, and navy. SOS.

what caught my imagination

I’m imagining the Mother’s Day cards I want to write this year. I just put two copies of Small Wonders in the mail this week with cards written on the inside cover of the books. I also have a little stack of yet-to-be-written cards on my desk (aka our card table) that I’m going to give/drop in the mail this coming week. There’s nothing more important than telling the women you love that you love them!

Here are a few of the Mother’s Day cards I ordered this year:

what caught my kids

I am unwell over the Misha & Puff summer collection! Unwell. What are us parents to do when faced with such darling and playful clothing for our littles? I had a field day when I saw the Seaside Plum Island Beach Jacket (novelty at its finest!) and the shorts, backpack, hat to go along with. HALP! My other two favorites are this printed tee for little boys and these lobster shorts. That’s really all you need to know.

what caught my husband

Everyone in Charleston is talking about Cadets. They popped up here last weekend with the cutest build-out. We all love the shorts for our boys but we were all clamoring to see more of their fit for womens and mens now that they have expanded their line beyond little boys shorts that, praise be!!, free the knees. I wrote about my 5 favorite shorts for little boys here - Cadets included! Neither I nor Edwin had shopped Cadets mens for Edwin prior to this but we both were very impressed. So, here’s what Edwin was a fan of:

The swim trunks are devilishly good looking
The terry shorts (the waist band is in a league of its own) and coordinating casita polo
The vintage washed crewneck
The breeze hooded sun shirt and the coordinating coastal swim shorts

P.S. I got Rowan, Henry, and Peter each the Camp Shorts in Bandana Blue! How cute and funky fun!? Should I get Edwin a matching pair?

The Most Fragrant Backdrop for Living (The Catch-Up | Vol 42)

Jillian Eversole — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:18:56 GMT

Hello, hi!

Aren’t we glad it’s Friday? My Catch-Up goes out on Thursdays and, sometimes, the occasional Friday. This week, it’s a TGIF post!

Edwin was in Mill Valley this week for work so I was solo with the kids. We got back at about 1am this morning but, you know, the week flew by! We were outside every chance we got. I’m pretty sure the hose was an extension of Henry’s body this week, his third arm. He watered every plant and blade of grass in sight a million times and “accidentally” sprayed his brothers over and over again. Today, my boys’ preschool has a Mother’s Day celebration - it’s one of my favorite days of the year. The boys so look forward to it and to having us in their classrooms! Then, the whole school puts on a “Three Little Piggies Opera.” Can you even!? I’m off to enjoy my family. Happy weekend to you and yours! x

Thank you for being here and for reading my thoughts, inspirations, and obsessions. Also, bonus, if you are feeling friendly, would you give this post a heart? It helps with the algorithm. 💙

What you may have missed on the blog:

what caught my eye

Shop My Recent Finds

what caught my heart

A one screen rule. My girlfriend recently told me that at night, after her kids go down, she and her husband have a one screen rule so they actually spend time together. So, if they are watching a show, then their phones are in the other room, so they watch together. If they are on a phone, it is one phone so they are showing each other something together. It’s the same with computers - no laptops on during a movie or while the other is on a phone. She says it has made such a big difference in their connection at the end of the day and honestly brought more enjoyment to that time of day because they aren’t so pulled to different devices and sounds, pings, and alerts. They get to unwind together. It sounds so simple but I thought it was a lovely “rule” for a marriage.

what caught my interest

A few fun happenings in Charleston…!

Today, Friday, April 24th, one of my favorite fabulous British friends, Wiggy Kit, is visiting Charleston for a pop-up at Tara Guerard’s Studio (downtown at 70 Queen Street) from 9am-6pm. Her spring summer collection is to die for!

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 25th, two of my most creative friends, Ashley and Hart, are hosting a day at Ladybird Books in honor of Independent Bookstore Day (from 10am-6pm)! Ashley is doing bespoke bookmarks and Hart is popping up with lots of jewels. I’m going with my kiddos!

Next week, on Thursday, April 30th, High Sport and Retrouvai are hosting a shopping event to benefit Neighbors Together at Sorelle. This one requires an RSVP but anyone can RSVP! Let them know you are coming here.

All are open to everyone!

what caught my imagination

It’s berry season!! Hallelujah! So, today, I have an ode to berries for you! We went strawberry picking two weeks ago here in Charleston over spring break and my boys had a ball and a half with their cousins picking baskets and baskets of ripe strawberries. We ate our bounty of berries for days and also used them to make strawberry pancakes, strawberry ice cream, a strawberry cake for Henry’s birthday, and a delicious salad. We were filthy rich in strawberries! So, here’s a bit of berry love for you today:

Recipes:

Pretty Berry Bowls:

Fruit Storage For Your Fridge:

I recently became obsessed with fruit storage containers for the fridge. I swear to you, they make berries last longer. A new kitchen staple. I have 3 options for you:

Note for Charlestonians: we’ve never been but the Boone Hall Strawberry Festival is this weekend.

what caught my kids

“Mom wants us to stop and smell another jasmine wall” - Rowan.

My kids know me too well. You know what else my kids know? The names of trees, flowers, plants, and birds. I’m not an expert (I’d actually like to increase my knowledge around these things) but they know the names of the ones I know, which is a pretty good amount! I think it’s important knowledge to have - do my boys need to know the names of different flowers blooming around town? Maybe, not necessarily. However, it does teach them the act of slowing down, the act of noticing, the act of appreciating. This time of year in Charleston, we’re all about frogs too! They are a dime a dozen and we love to watch them and go on late evening walks to listen to their nighttime symphony.

But, back to the jasmine! We are swimming it in right now. Next Friday, our friends have their annual “jasmine party.” It’s a party that exists for the sole purpose of celebrating the huge wall of jasmine at their house, serving as the most fragrant backdrop to the most fun neighborhood party. Rowan, Henry, Peter, and I have been cutting jasmine and bringing it in-doors to make our house the most fragrant backdrop for living. They like to see who can find the most fragrant blooms and they arbitrarily assign each other as the winners. It’s simple fun!

If you don’t find yourself swimming in jasmine but want to bring the scent into your home as well, I have a few favorite jasmine candles for you. I’ve tried them all because I’m a jasmine worshipper so these have my kids and my stamp of approval. 😊

Church Street by Charleston Candle Co (I adore this local business!)

Star Jasmine by LFCO New York

Jasmine by Carrière Frères

Jasmine Damask Rose by Flamingo Estate

Antidris Jasmine by Maison Louis Marie

Tell Your People What You Love About Them (The Catch-Up | Vol 41)

Jillian Eversole — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:01:20 GMT

Hello, hi!

Charleston is showing off, big time. Every corner, block, nook, and cranny is exploding with nature. Walking the city right now is such a delight. My boys count so many lizards out and about every day that we can’t keep track. Fun! I have the pleasure this evening of introducing my friend Jen Shoop at Ladybird Books for her talk around her first novel, which came out on Tuesday. I feel honored to be a part of the celebration and can’t wait to see Jen as it has been a few years since we were together in person. Ladybird has such a wonderful lineup of upcoming events - take a look if you are local. In other news, Peter and I are spending the whole day together until the afternoon when we will get the big boys. I am excited for some one-on-one time with my little muffin. He is a dream with the most infectious smile. I can’t wait to have his smile all to myself. Have a happy Thursday! x

Thank you for being here and for reading my thoughts, inspirations, and obsessions. Also, bonus, if you are feeling friendly, would you give this post a heart? It helps with the algorithm. 💙

What you may have missed on the blog:

what caught my eye

Shop Finds

what caught my heart

What do you think when you find a penny? Do you think of it as a lucky penny? My mom always taught us growing up that an unexpectedly found penny was a kiss from heaven. My mom tragically lost her mom young and she always told us that when she found a stray penny, it was her mom sending a kiss and a little hello from Heaven. A penny would pop up in an unexpected place or at a moment just when you needed it. I’ve carried that with me through my whole life. I always think little things like that bring us peace and comfort. My mom saying, “Oh look, a penny! A kiss from Heaven.” and everything was good, a smile on her face, and delight in her demeanor.

On Sunday night, I was having the Sunday scaries about spring break ending and returning to real life after pretty much taking a week and a half off of everything. I wasn’t feeling well with a nasty head cold and I was feeling particularly emotional about something I knew we would be going through this week. I had done a handful of loads of laundry throughout the day to reset from spring break and to get us prepped for the week ahead. Back to reality. As I was willing myself to do the final load and not feeling particularly upbeat, I looked down and there was a penny. I was the only one circling the washer and dryer all day and the penny wasn’t there. Nor was it there earlier in the night when I walked out of my boys room and passed the laundry area. Think whatever you want, but I think it was a kiss from Heaven.

A kiss from someone in Heaven just dropping in with a little hello and a little reminder that we feel the full spectrum of emotions as human beings for a reason. Sadness allows us to feel pure joy and if we are feeling sad, it’s probably because we had something pretty great for a while. It was just the reminder I needed - be grateful for the marvelous spring break with family and friends visiting (something really great!) instead of being sad over its ending. It was also just the reminder I needed as I was feeling emotional about the week ahead and a goodbye I felt heartache over. I felt the heartache because we’ve had many fantastic years in the making (something really great!) leading up to the goodbye we had this week. The penny reminded me to celebrate those years, not mourn their ending.

Kisses from heaven!

what caught my imagination

My birthday is around the corner. I have a vision of having dinner with a group of girlfriends and, in my vision, I’m in red and white and it’s a bit of a coastal Italian picnic themed dinner. A yummy cheese board, a light spring-y pasta, a big piece of fish, a loaf of crusty bread, a crunchy salad, a really pale pink rosé. Peaches for dessert. Are you with me?

Here’s a little outfit inspo I have floating around my imagination:

A crisp white dress: one, two

A punchy red dress: one, two

THE pants of the year with a simple top: one, two, three, four

A too-cute set: one, two, three

A chic red and white purse: one, two, three

Easy sandals or espadrilles: one, two, three

And beads, always beads: one, two (or maybe a chord)

Let’s cross our fingers and toes that the peaches are ready by early May!

what caught my kids

Our nanny! We’ve been beyond fortunate enough to have the same nanny 2.5 days a week for over 3 years now. This week, I asked Rowan and Henry to share with me something they love about her. I was curious about what they would identify on their own without any prompting from me. I loved their answers.

Henry: “That she always finds new parks for us to go to!” This made me so happy because she really does go out of her way to find new parks and take them to new places they don’t always visit to keep things fresh, fun, and interesting for everyone. I notice it and am delighted that the boys notice too.

Rowan: “How loving she is.” This short but sweet answer was perfect. That’s all we really want for our children isn’t it - when they are away from us and in the care of someone else, be it a nanny, babysitter, grandparent, teacher, or friend’s parents, we just want them to feel and know love. She’s a loving, super-star nanny!

what caught my husband

You guys, youth sports! Edwin is hooked. Our oldest, Rowan, is 5-years-old so I know those of you with older kids are thinking, “Oh, just you wait!” and I know you’re right from my + my siblings’ sports - youth sports can take over! But, for now, Edwin is relishing in the goodness that is 5-year-old baseball. The stakes couldn’t be lower for these kids - the only things that matter are that they have fun, learn sportsmanship, and pick up a thing or two about the game - so the enjoyment level is high.

Rowan is on a team with a ton of buddies so Edwin knows most of the dads. Edwin has been taking him to his evening practices (while I’m at another activity with Henry) and his first night game earlier the other week. It is the most incredible father son time. They both come back beaming going on and on about how they had the best time together! As is the case with so many men, Edwin really shows up for his career and his family so there isn’t always a ton of time leftover for friends. Baseball is giving Edwin so much social time with the other dads and he is loving it! No need for me to have two plates of dinner ready for when Edwin and Rowan get home - they are going out to eat post-game with another dad and son. It is really making me so happy to see.

So, yes, at this stage when no kids have their sights set on school scholarships or traveling teams, parents are laid back and fun while all getting together to help coach, and the kids are all smiles and can literally only go up in skill level, youth sports rule!

A Special Easter Ahead (The Catch-Up | Vol 40)

Jillian Eversole — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:30:47 GMT

Hello friends!

Happy Thursday, happy almost Easter, and spring break! We get out for spring break today after Easter egg hunts at my boys’ preschool. Our family from Los Angeles get out for spring break today too and are coming to spend the week with us. We cannot wait! My boys have been making plans for things to do with their cousins for months now. It is so earnest and endearing. We also have an extra special big Easter ahead of us, we are finally baptising Peter this weekend on Easter Sunday! My blessed boy! He is one lucky spring duck too because all four of his godparents are here or traveling in for the occasion. It is a reminder to me of how fortunate we are to have a life filled with the most treasured loved ones. Nora, Annika, Evan, and Blake, Peter is so lucky to have you! I hope everyone has a beautiful weekend with the ones you love the most. x

Thank you for being here and for reading my thoughts, inspirations, and obsessions. Also, bonus, if you are feeling friendly, would you give this post a heart? It helps with the algorithm. 💙

What you may have missed on the blog

From the Archives: My Favorite Easter Dessert Recipes so you can make one this weekend!

The Easter Basket Edit

How to Wear Blue and White

what caught my eye

Shop Finds

what caught my heart

I know I’ve said this before and I can guarantee you I will say it many, many more times but I have the most thoughtful, fun-loving, creative, talented, and driven friends! One of my girlfriends here, Sara, just did a BIG thing. She opened a brand new store as an extension of her brand and her original flagship. Beau & Ro has been a King Street must-visit for womenswear and accessories for a few years now. Sara has ties to Nantucket so she first expanded with an über cute and successful second location there. Now, she’s back at it in Charleston giving all of us more beauty to discover and shop. Enter: Sister Shop.

The location right next to Beau & Ro became available and Sara jumped on it as a chance to expand her brand to bring in a more highly curated mix of brands from around the world and brands with really beautiful takes on things like color and fabric. I wanted to share Sister Shop on here for two main reasons: to give Sara the spotlight because she deserves every bit of glow from it and to give you all another wonderful recommendation for your next trip to Charleston. The boutique carries some of my favorite contemporary brands like Louise, Daydress, De Castro, Kate Ford, and Fanm Mon among so many others!

Sara really caught my heart a few weeks ago at her opening party for Sister Shop. To know Sara is to know that she is highly motivated and there is nothing she can’t do when she puts her mind to something. So, I asked her if the opening felt like a big deal or if it felt like just another day in the life. Her daughter turned one the day before the opening so Sara remarked that it felt like possibly the biggest deal out of all of her career accomplishments so far. She’d never done something so massive as opening a brand new store and brand since becoming a mother. She shared how her perspective shifted because she felt the push, pull of motherhood and career in such a poignant way. She smiled at the end of our chat, as her daughter came up to her, and said it was all worth it to be celebrating with her there. It was so beautiful. Truly like out of a movie. Women!

what caught my interest

Let’s make social nutrition a thing!!! Read this post from Derek, My fancy concierge doctor answers every single question about health (and happiness), right now. It is funny, insightful, and powerful. He hits on everything from Ozempic to fiber, alcohol to sleep, and inflammation to influencers! He debunks ALOT.

what caught my imagination

We are staying home in Charleston for spring break next week but my imagination went on a little trip, if you will, thinking about what I would pack for a few of my favorite spring break destinations. Pack with me!

what caught my kids

Free the knees! It is finally shorts season in Charleston! I’ve chatted about boys shorts before but, ‘tis the season so I’m back to talking your ear off about this riveting subject matter.

There are so many options when it comes to little boy shorts so I thought I’d share our five very most favorite styles:

the Bingo Shorts from Oso & Me
the Classic Shorts from Cadets
the Cloud Shorts from Cadets (my boys call these their “sporty shorts”)
the French Terry Shorts from Minnow
the Twill Shorts from Minnow.

These five styles of shorts are the bread and butter of my boys’ wardrobes. We have each style in multiple colors and in every size imaginable 5T and smaller. All five styles are fantastic quality, absolutely darling, short in length (a must!), and hold up enough to be washed constantly + passed down brother to brother. You can’t go wrong here!

A note: the Jackson Shorts from Pink Chicken are quickly climbing the charts for me. They are a bit longer but I love the way they subtly flare out. It’s a cute fit. Also, I haven’t tried the Linen Cocktail Shorts from Cadets but have them in my cart to buy for an upcoming dressier occasion. So stinking cute!

Making Weekdays Feel Like Weekends (The Catch-Up | Vol 39)

Jillian Eversole — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:45:57 GMT

Hello friends!

Happy Thursday!

You know what I’ve been thinking about? Our friends’ party last weekend. It’s an annual party at their house just for the sake of having a party. The “theme” of the party is a mixed doubles ping pong tournament with a bracket, a trophy, and lots of laughs along the way; however, when you’re not up at ping pong, you’re just having a ball at a good ole fashioned party. Another couple we love has an annual party called the Jasmine Party because they have a huge wall of jasmine in their front yard. The fragrant wall is reason to celebrate so they host a spring fling every year and it’s just a big party - stop and smell the jasmine and then find Randy at the bar. We have other friends that have done an annual summer solstice party in June. Many do annual oyster roasts and annual Christmas parties (We took last year off of our annual Christmas cookie exchange but the sugary fête will be back!). It all reminds me of the old saying, a party is a gift you give your friends.

After last weekend’s ping pong party, I remarked to Edwin how much I love a party that’s just about a party. Getting together is reason enough to put on a playlist, hire a barman, and dog ear the moment. I love Charleston for this reason. People here live! People open their doors, host, gather, celebrate, and always have a good time. So, here’s some food for thought today: have the party!

Thank you for being here and for reading my thoughts, inspirations, and obsessions. Also, bonus, if you are feeling friendly, would you give this post a heart? It helps with the algorithm. 💙

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

The Easter Basket Edit

How to Wear Blue and White

what caught my eye

what caught my heart

What Remains: A Memoir. I read this book while living in Charleston but before I had kids, so let’s say sometime around 2017-2019. I can’t remember the year. I loved it. I read it blindly after a girlfriend recommended it to me. At the time, I had no idea Carole was on a Bravo show. To this day, I’ve never watched a single minute of a Bravo show so I’m writing this without being able to speak to who she was on reality television (she’s also an award-winning television news producer). However, I loved who she was in this book. It’s a story of love and loss. It’s really beautiful. To this day, a theme she intertwined within the book has stuck with me - the theme of good fortune. I think about fortune, both good and bad, and its application to life because of this book.

All this to say, I’m thinking of re-reading What Remains in light of watching Love Story. Carole and Carolyn were best friends. Carole reveals something completely shocking and sad and, yet, also maybe beautiful (in a round about way) in her memoir - she doesn’t have a single photograph taken with Carolyn. As 1 half of a handful of dear friendships, I’d be heartbroken to lose a friend that close and not have a photo of the two of us to frame and hold onto. On the other hand, it makes me think they really lived and were fortunate enough to also live in a time when taking photos didn’t define us the way they do now.

I adore fiction but I also relish the chance to read about people. What Remains is a story of people - Carole, Anthony (JFR Jr.’s cousin/best friend who was a prince and married to Carole before his tragically young death), Lee Radziwill, Carolyn, JFR Jr., etc. If you find yourself liking this type of reading too, then I think you’ll love this book. Plus, it’s super timely right now with the show. In all, the book caught my heart years ago so much so that I want to read it again.

what caught my interest

I recently read some thoughts on the difference between self-soothing and self care. I liked it! I hadn’t really thought about self-care with this particular lens and it made me realize that a lot of what I do and deem as “self-care” is really “self-soothing.” On a high level, self-care is proactive while self-soothing is reactive. Self-care builds you for the future; self-soothing makes you feel better in the here and now. Self-care is hard. Self-soothing is easy.

As a mother of three kids 5-years-old and younger, I definitely need self-soothing in my life to counterbalance the cortisol cruising through me when volume levels and needs all rise at the same time. I love to wear a face mask and light a candle (right now, I’m burning this and this). It makes me feel better right then and there or makes me feel better at the end of the day. But, you know, I was mistaking these typse of actions for self-care. These self-soothing things are LOVELY and I LOVE them so they aren’t going anywhere but I like the idea of thinking about ways I can incorporate self-care in my daily or weekly life. Here are some ideas I have that fit the bill for both types of actions:

Self-soothing: a long hot shower, putting on a face masks, lighting a candle, a glass of wine, a cup of tea, a favorite movie I’ve seen 100 times, getting in bed early with my book, walks, calling a girlfriend, using my body stone, making a really fruity smoothie.

Self-care: making the healthy eating choice when you don’t want to, going to therapy, having a hard conversation with a friend or loved one, financial planning and being on top of your money, doing the workout when you don’t want to, going to bed early to prioritize sleep when you have things to do, making the doctor appointments, saying no to extra commitments.

Thoughts? Are you more of a self-soothing or self-care person or both?

what caught my imagination

Ways to make weekdays feel like weekends. I don’t get the Sunday Scaries. In fact, many times Monday morning evokes feelings of happiness and relief because I can get a thing or two done; however, life is also so busy that I really savor and delight in the ease of the weekend. This past weekend was a perfect example - I wasn’t anxious about Monday but I wished Sunday was Saturday so the weekend didn’t have to end. So, in a world of schedules, school, after school activities, priorities, and deadlines, how can we make weekdays feel like the weekends?

Our mid-week evening plans last night gave me the idea for this section of my post. Edwin and I went out, the two of us, to a drink and then met 3 other couples for dinner. Plans that sound fitting for a Friday or a Saturday but they happened on a Wednesday. Oftentimes, on the weekend, we want true, uninterrupted time with our kids and the week is when we might crave a change of pace or a refreshing break.

Another way we’ve been giving weekdays the easy breezy feeling of weekends is by taking advantage of the sunlight. Now that the days are getting longer, we also like to do something after dinner with the kids. It breathes so much life into a time of day that can be overpowered by routines. We finish up dinner and then walk to the water, go for a neighborhood bike/scooter ride/walk, or, soon in the summertime, go for ice cream. It makes the middle of the week feel special and Saturday-like.

At the start of the day, the biggest way I make the weekdays feel like the weekends is by getting dressed. The reality is that we do have places to be with the kids in the mornings Monday-Friday so I can’t make my weekdays feel like weekends with anything leisurely at that time of day. What I can do is channel the feeling of wanting to wear something pretty on the weekends into the middle of the week. I try to only wear athletic clothes when I am or am about to exercise. Otherwise, I get dressed. Even if it’s just jeans and a sweater - it’s a great pair of jeans and a cute sweater. It’s an instant mood booster that gives, oh say, a Tuesday, a Sunday morning trip the farmer’s market vibe.

what caught my kids

I have a quick, easy, and highly popular recommendation for you and your littles today, straight from my kiddos and me… this under $30 soccer set. It is lightweight so you can cart it around everywhere or leave it set up in your backyard. We’ve taken it to the beach the last three weekends! It glows in the dark, which my boys think is hilariously fun, but the real win for me is the ground stakes the set comes with so you can easily keep the net in place in the sand or the grass. Bring on the outdoor fun, day and night!

The Shift No One Warns You About in Motherhood (The Catch-Up | Vol 38)

Jillian Eversole — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:44:55 GMT

Hello friends!

Happy Friday!

Peter, my baby, turns two today. I am verklempt. After a handful of non-stop years of having a baby, it seems nearly impossible to not have a little, little one and to have a two-year-old sailing ahead into life without me jumping back in at square one with another baby as well. It really feels like all three of my boys are sailing ahead. Edwin and I are guiding their ships but, with each passing year, they are taking more and more steps toward the helm. Rowan is giving us real insights into his feelings with reflections on topics like how he feels when he tries new things. Henry is coming out of his comfort zone of his brothers and close friends by making lots of new friends this year. Peter is becoming so verbose, seemingly saying new words I didn’t know he knew every single day. It is all a joy. I get so, so emotional around my children’s birthdays though. Do you? The biggest blessing in the world is watching our children grow up into wonderful people; yet, I do still mourn over the passage of time, the years lived and long gone. I’m also completely excited to celebrate Peter today with a little family celebration! It’s sunny and in the 70s all weekend in Charleston. It feels perfectly fitting for my sunshine boy!

Thank you for being here and for reading my thoughts, inspirations, and obsessions. Also, bonus, if you are feeling friendly, would you give this post a heart? It helps with the algorithm. 💙

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

How to Wear Blue and White

The best winter weekend getaways on the East Coast + mini guides to each destination

Reflections on skiing with kids + my cheat sheet for how to make a family ski trip successful and as easy as possible + my ski edit and outfits.

what caught my eye

what caught my heart

I chatted about this a bit on my Instagram but thought it deserved a place here too because so many people have made comments to me, noting that my reflections struck a chord with them too. I was locked out of my Instagram for a month. I have a friend who works at Meta who helped me through the entire process and was able to raise a case file for me within their system. I’m so indebted to her because I do not think I would’ve regained access to my Instagram without her. We are friends, but we are newer friends, and don’t know each other super well. She has a young family and a full-time job. She did not owe me anything or stand to gain anything from helping me. Yet, she did! She helped me so much.

Of course, I was anxious for updates from the engineers working on my case but the last thing I wanted to do was bother her with check-ins. As I said, she has a million other things to fill her days and I never expected this to be a priority. However, she was something so many people are no longer in our day and age - she was proactive. She reached out to me and would share updates with me about how it was going on the back end. She reassured me that we would figure this out and she took it seriously as she knew it really affected my work and business to not be able to be on the platform.

So, what I keep thinking about is this: it’s all about how we showed up in the world. She showed up for me, a new friend, with so much kindness and in such a supportive, encouraging, proactive, and collaborative way. I am definitely guilty of getting caught up in my own life and in my own family. I do not always manage to have the hours in the day to do all the things I’d like to do. I like to think I help people in their times of need, but the way she moved through the whole situation was such a beautiful reminder to me that how we do anything in this life is how we do everything. I know now that this is truly the type of person she is but it also makes me wonder, did she set this example for me so I could turn around and show somebody else the same kindness? I am so thankful for her and the way she showed up in the world when I needed her.

what caught my interest

Last week, I wrote a post on favorites from 2025 that I have completely and totally carried over with me in 2026. I thought it would be fun to share a little followup to that post with a few new items. In fact, I’m liking these so much so far this year that I’m curious to see if they will make the cut at the end of the year on a list of 2026 favorites I’m bringing with me into 2027. Here are some highlights so far:

Charlotte Tilbury ‘Pillow Talk’ matte lipstick and glossy lipstick
Dr. Barbara Sturm skincare: cleanser, enzyme cleanser, hyaluronic serum, and face cream.
Eby Relief Bra
Negative Underwear whipped underwear
Hatch sleep clock
Clean Skim Club towels and pads
Roz foundation shampoo and conditioner

what caught my imagination

After my sister had her new baby, I put together a little care package for my sister. It was partially full of things for her daughter and things for her. This is her second baby so it wasn’t full of necessities like diapers or bottles but; rather, some things she might love for herself and for her little love. It was all stuff I’d love to receive myself as a postpartum mom. In case anyone is shopping for someone who is about to have a baby, here’s what I put together:

Mini blanket to be cozy in the stroller or to have on hand for springtime picnics or much-needed trips outside to the park for mom and baby

My favorite pajama set for pregnant and postpartum mothers. This style is heavenly with a belly or when nursing. It’s also nice when postpartum and you have the sweats because you have layers on the top.

Magnetic baby pajamas that will have your life during dark, middle of the night diaper changes. I got my sister this print and this print.

Alkalize detoxifying greens powder for mom! This is a great gift for new moms because life on a baby’s schedule can be chaotic and you can forget to take care of yourself. This makes it easy for moms to get their greens and start their days right.

A yummy protein powder for mom that will make her feel satisfied during the day and give her the fuel to be up at night with the baby.

The cutest outfit in the world for a baby girl.

Two cans of my ride or die formula. It’s nice for moms to have on hand just in case something unexpected happens.

what caught my kids

Pokemon. It happened a little over a month ago and now we gotta catch ‘em all. Do you have kids obsessed with Pokemon? I was sharing with Edwin last week when he was away for work that I was feeling tapped out on talking about Pokemon - a topic I know nothing about and don’t want to know anything about. Edwin encouraged me to get on board because Pokemon can stick around as an obsession through middle school. I responded by saying that I always get into whatever our boys love (dinosaurs, snakes, Star Wars, etc.) but I can draw a line in the sand - some things they can just share with their dad. I equated it to American Girl Dolls if we have 3 girls instead of 3 boys and Edwin completely got that. So, yes my boys are obsessed with Pokemon and, yes, this is a reminder that you can love your kids completely and not love everything they love completely. It’s all great to be a mother to boys and still hold on to you and not get lost in a world of Pikachu, Charizard, and Jigglypuff. I have the energy and activity level of a “boy mom” but you’ll never take the love of style, interiors, and flowers out of me!

What I Feel When My Children Tell Me I'm Beautiful (The Catch-Up | Vol 37)

Jillian Eversole — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:03:05 GMT

Hello friends!

Happy Thursday! You guys, I’m obsessed with Love Story. I can’t reiterate enough how much I am not a TV person - I watch exactly zero popular shows when they are on TV, but this show got me. Last week’s episode ended on such a leave-you-wanting-more note so I simply cannot wait to watch this week’s episode. Anywho, there’s more to life than show business so let’s move on and talk about the show again next Thursday…! Speaking of the biz, Edwin just returned home from two weeks in Los Angeles, spent producing lots of big time talent that I’m regretfully not at liberty to talk about. He was carrying around a huge weight on his shoulders leading up to these weeks and I am downright thrilled for him to have had successful productions. It’s really just terrific to see people you love succeed in life. It’s a reminder that all the hard work and sacrifices are worth it. Our boys will never grow up and wonder what it looks like to have purpose and to go the extra mile. The value of that can’t be underestimated in our day and age.

These weeks have also made me think a bit more about my role as a mother and, really, as the leader of our household too. Moms keep so much together and I forget to stop and remind myself that solo parenting 3 kids ages 5 and under for multiple weeks in a row is not the norm and I am pretty unbelievable + can do anything. I remind myself that a lot won’t get done or get prioritized but my family will. I get a downright natural high seeing my house clean at the end of the day because it’s work and it doesn’t happen without willpower. I feel lots of gratitude and pride when my boys work with me as a team. There’s a lot to recognize and celebrate! I wrote a post about how to stay positive when your significant other travels for work and it is always in my top 10 blog posts. I’ve been thinking about building off of it by writing another post with the specific lens of motherhood on it. Thoughts?

Thank you for being here and for reading my thoughts, inspirations, and obsessions. Also, bonus, if you are feeling friendly, would you give this post a heart? It helps with the algorithm. 💙

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

How to Wear Blue and White in the Winter

The best winter weekend getaways on the East Coast + mini guides to each destination

Reflections on skiing with kids + my cheat sheet for how to make a family ski trip successful and as easy as possible + my ski edit and outfits.

what caught my eye

Gingham Easter Tote Basket

what caught my heart

A short but sweet little musing this week about being told you’re beautiful by your children. Vanity aside, it does feel really nice to feel beautiful and then to have someone else tell you, “you look so beautiful today!” I always think beauty isn’t all how you look but is also, perhaps even more so, from the energy you radiate. It’s most meaningful for me to hear I look beautiful when it comes from my boys. I feel my heart break into a million tiny pieces and also feel it grow in deep, unabashed love.

I get it the most from my middle, my Henry. He is so quick to compliment, so quick to find the joy, and so quick to celebrate other people. Henry tells me I look pretty or beautiful all the time and it means more to me than hearing it from anyone or anywhere else because, to him, I’m beautiful because of the way I love him and show up for him. I think he thinks that’s beautiful and equates it with me. I hope my boys always see me, their mother, that way. They are the sun and I’m here to love, love, love them in the most beautiful but real and raw way I know how.

what caught my interest

Instead of doing a post at the end of 2025 about my favorite things from the year, I decided to see what items have stuck with me that I have actually brought into 2026. I thought it would be fun to dive into a handful of beauty, fashion, kids/baby, and lifestyle finds that held their own enough last year that they’ve earned a spot this year too. Read about my favorites here →

what caught my imagination

I have a new obsession. I have a wicked sweet tooth but decided to cut out sugar (other than naturally occurring sugar like in fruit) a bit ago in an attempt to help with skin breakouts. Even before this, I relied heavily on dark chocolate but did some digging and realized that not all dark chocolate, yes even organic dark chocolate, is created equally. They essentially all have sugar or, the lesser of two evils, coconut sugar in them (I fully appreciate there is a time and place for sugar and love those occasions but I also love being aware of how much sugar is actually going into my body and my boys’ bodies.). So, I’ve done the research on healthy chocolate so you don’t have to…

Well, I’ve become Spring & Mulberry’s biggest fan. All of Spring & Mulberry’s chocolates are sweetened exclusively with dates and dates alone. My cunning mother discovered this brand and passed it along to me - she has an absolute knack for discovering the best small brands for extra fun things in life, like chocolate. To my point though, the chocolate is delicious, has incredibly minimal ingredients, and tastes brilliant thanks to the sweetness coming from the dates. Case in point, their classic pure dark flavor has only 3 ingredients: cacao beans, dates, and cacao butter and they are all organic. I also love their blood orange, mint leaf, mixed berry, and lavender rose flavors. The last two are completely beautiful too!

There you go, a sweet recommendation from me my mom to you!

what caught my kids

Well, they don’t know it yet but Easter Baskets are about to catch my kid’s attention. If you need some Easter Basket inspiration, I’m here for you…! Hop to!

EASTER BASKETS:

Wicker Basket with Lining (can be personalized)

Bespoke Print Easter Baskets (can be personalized)

Hand-Painted Heirloom Custom Easter Basket in Blue and Pink (can be personalized)

Name Bunny Ear Easter Baskets (can be personalized)

Gingham Seersucker Easter Baskets (can be personalized)

Heirloom Basket that Can Double as Your Child’s Easter Basket

EASTER BASKET FILLER IDEAS:

Bunny Crackers (put one or two in each child’s basket)

Golden Eggs

Bunny Bait

Mini Enamel Frame with Family Photos inside

Yoto Cards: The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter and The Magic Treehouse Collection

Scrunchie 3-Pack

Easter Egg Hunt Organic Cotton Pajamas

A Tale for Easter

Easter Temporary Tattoos

Underwater Camera

Spring Swimsuits - Boys and Girls

Goggles - Boys and Girls

Peter Rabbit

Wildflower Seeds

Shorts - Boys in French Blue and Girls

Easter Potion Kit

Personalized Pencil Case

Pokemon Booster Packs

Easter Bath Bombs

Linen Stuffed Goose Toy

Easter Spot the Differences

Easter Bunny Garden Puzzle or Backyard Bugs Puzzle

How to Wear Blue and White in the Winter

The Catch-Up | Vol 36: Sharing a Dream of Mine, Stepping into Spring Color Palettes, and a Foolproof Recipe for Kids

Jillian Eversole — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 20:34:40 GMT

Hello friends!

Happy Thursday! I have to tell you, I’m so happy it is Thursday! This has been a week that has constantly pulled me in two different directions at once. I needed to clone myself! It’s been busy so I’m glad we’re moving closer toward the slower pace of the weekend (we don’t have much on the calendar this weekend!). I have also been locked out of my Instagram on my personal phone for over a week and it is definitely starting to cause some major work stress. I’m ready for the weekend!

I’m also so glad it’s Thursday because we get a new episode of Love Story tonight and I can’t wait to unwind while watching beautiful people play beautiful people on my television. The fashion, the music, the nostalgia, it’s all good. I have vivid memories of the day JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette Kennedy died. I came down the stairs at my grandparents’ house and my mom and my grandmother were sitting in two blue swivel chairs watching the tv, crying. I remember the footage of the ocean off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and have always been, like so much of America, infatuated with the golden couple. Sarah Pidgeon does a really great job playing Carolyn, in my opinion. I’m into the casting. I’m also so into the song “Set Adrift On Memory Bliss” that was in one of the first three episodes - what a song (!!!) I had completely forgotten about. It’s really really hard to top the nineties. It’s a decade that evokes such a familiar happiness. If you haven’t watched the show, I think you’ll enjoy it!

In other content news, I saw Wuthering Heights with five girlfriends and am still agonizing over it. My heart literally aches. I am going to make a terrific fuss about this movie because I walked out of the theater in a state of shock. It was a visual experience - see it in theaters if you can! I didn’t read any reviews beforehand and am so glad I didn’t read any cynical takes on the film because I went in open minded and it was something. Margot and Jacob are both so devastatingly beautiful. You can’t take your eyes off of them! For someone who usually watches the same few movies and shows over and over again, this was a big content week for me with Love Story and Wuthering Heights.

Thank you for being here and for reading my thoughts, inspirations, and obsessions. If this post is ever too long for email, simply click through to read it in Substack. Also, bonus, if you are feeling friendly, would you give this post a heart? It helps with the algorithm. 💙

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

The best winter weekend getaways on the East Coast + mini guides to each destination

Reflections on skiing with kids + my cheat sheet for how to make a family ski trip successful and as easy as possible + my ski edit and outfits.

what caught my eye

what caught my heart

I listened to something this week that motivated me to share something here that I haven’t previously talked about - I have a dream of writing a series of children’s books! I listened to Andrea Beaty on the Second Life podcast earlier this week and found her to be one of the most optimistic, happy, heartwarming people to listen to. She totally caught my heart! If you have children, then you might recognize her name as she’s the award-winning children’s author of many very beloved children’s books including Rosie Revere, Engineer and Ada Twist, Scientist, to name a few. On the podcast, she shared her unexpected journey into becoming an author of children’s books and I felt myself nodding along when she said that reading with her young children gave her the inspiration and the motivation. I’ve had a similar experience…

So, yes, I have an idea for a series of children’s books. They will be picturebooks with thoughtful text and takeaways. I’m thinking the age range will be around ages 2 - 6/7. I’ve written the first book in the series and fleshed out a few more. There is a theme that acts as the throughline for all the books and the same adorable main characters. I read to my kids so much and, before I was a mother myself, read to my students when I was a second grade teacher and then a kindergarten teacher. I have my Masters in Teaching and love children + stories more than anything so, I’m thinking, why not start talking about my idea - I’m as qualified as anyone!

One of my goals with my Substack is to build up an engaged readership that I can share as an asset when I pitch myself to try to get a book deal (unless I self-publish one day, who knows!). So, if you know anyone you think would enjoy my Substack, I’d be absolutely touched beyond measure if you sent it to them with a note saying, I think you’d enjoy this!

what caught my interest

Julia Amory. I know there are so many differing opinions on her but I have to tell you, she is a powerhouse in real life and online. We have met a number of times since she opened her store here in Charleston and she is so incredibly warm, never misses a beat in remembering who I am or tid bits about my kids, and shows genuine interest in every conversation she’s in. I am constantly impressed with both how personable and how professional she is. She also works her tail off and has built something pretty brilliant out of it. Her clothes fit so beautifully and are really classic. She does a sensational job on Instagram but I have to admit I don’t always watch her styling or beauty posts (I think I should more - especially the beauty!) because there isn’t enough time in the day. However, she’s had a few posts recently that have made me stop scrolling and watch. The first being her reflections on supporting women. She nailed it! It’s shocking this type of content even needs to be made - how are we not all supporting each other? She then followed it up with a post on small business tips. I then also loved her post on developing and owning your own personal style. She shows up as herself every day and I think that’s her secret sauce. These posts absolutely caught my interest but were also a reminder for me that I feel really great when I wear her clothes and when, you guessed it, I support her and other female-owned brands.

Julia is so in line with my thoughts earlier in this post about Carolyn Bessette Kennedy with her Carolyn Shirt. I have it in white and it is a closet MVP for me and has been for a few years running now. It makes getting dressed a no brainer.

I’ve noticed that she’s definitely making it easy for us to step into spring with her newest pieces like the Sabrina Top in the gorgeous ‘Dusty Aqua’ colorway and the Chloe Caftan in Dupioni (I‘ve never worn a caftan made with dupioni and I am VERY intrigued). I have the Husband Shirt in the ‘Verde Fleur’ print and the coordinating pareo in my cart too! I want to wear the Sophie Top in ‘Gracie Blue’ with the Luna Skirt in ‘Pear’ to a formal event this spring (last year we attended a black tie event for Historic Charleston Foundation in April and this look would be PERFECT). Speaking of the ‘Pear’ color, the Nora Dress is ‘Pear’ is the perfect mini!

what caught my imagination

The Charleston Show is happening next month! I LOVE this weekend in Charleston! If you aren’t familiar, The Charleston Show is Charleston’s annual antiques show featuring 30 exhibitors from the United States, England, and Europe. It showcases the best period to mid-century furniture, traditional and contemporary art and ceramics, jewelry, folk art, oriental rugs, silver, prints and maps, garden and architectural antiques. Tickets are available to drop in anytime throughout the weekend (Friday, March 21st - Sunday, March 23rd) and the weekend is also full of other really dynamic and interesting events. I love the show’s kickoff party, The Preview Party, every year on the Thursday night before the show to really get a close look at all the show has to offer. I’m on a committee for the weekend so they generously gave me a code for you for $15 off the opening night party ticket - code JE15. It’s a really fun night!

I also have tickets to the panel on Timeless Influence: How Antiques Shape Generational Design featuring a few favorites in the design and antiques space like CeCe Barfield Thompson. I’m really looking forward to the talk Beautifully British Interiors with Emma Sims Hilditch because I’ve never met a British interior I didn’t love and I’ve been wanting to get my hands on her book. The cover alone is beautiful!

The full line-up of events is here! The weekend is really special too because it all benefits the Drayton Hall Preservation Trust, a place that is so special to Charleston. I hope I see you there!

what caught my kids

I’ve got a recipe for you this week! I make this recipe for my kids probably every other week. I add it to breakfast plates, lunch plates, and have it on hand for after school snacks. I’ve shared the recipe on my Instagram before but it’s been a while and it hasn’t appeared on my substack + my kids were devouring them just yesterday so I thought I need to share. The recipe is foolproof and catches my kids time and time again. We call them Green Pancakes.

I love the traditional pursuits of raising a family - food and being in the kitchen with my kids is a big one for me! I feel like I’m always cooking! So, I do love quick, reliable, healthy recipes that never let me down. I also love recipes that are sweet because of natural sweeteners like fruit! Here’s all you need to make delicious green pancakes with your kids:

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup rolled oats
1 egg
1 ripe banana (the riper the better because it adds more flavor)
A dash or two of cinnamon (really as much as you want or don’t want)
A heaping handful of spinach (I put multiple handfuls in)
Coconut oil

DIRECTIONS:

Add the rolled oats, egg, banana, cinnamon, and spinach to a blender (I swear by this blender - it will last you years so it’s worth the investment + it’s on sale!)
Blend on high until you get a smooth batter consistency
Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium low heat
Pour spoonfuls of the batter onto the skillet like you would if you were making traditional pancakes
Flip the pancakes when the consistency is right
Serve or store in a Stasher Bag in the fridge until you are ready to enjoy them
NOTE: I usually double up the recipe to make a bigger batch so we can enjoy them over the following day or two

Bonus: This recipe is a great one because my kids like to put all the ingredients in the blender so they are “helping cook,” which I think is huge with inspiring kids to be happy eaters! My kids quite literally crush spinach by eating these pancakes. Try them and report back if you kids enjoyed them! I’d love to hear. ☺️

The Catch-Up | Vol 35: Celebrating Love, My Headline for the Week, and a White Elephant Gift Exchange for Galentine's Day

Jillian Eversole — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 16:06:07 GMT

Hello friends!

Happy Valentine’s Day weekend! I hope you have a lovely day celebrating with your +1, your kids, your girlfriends, your parents, whoever! I don’t like the mindset that Valentine’s Day is silly. I love silly! I love love and celebrating love will always be one of the greatest pursuits of my life. I want everyone I love to feel celebrated and appreciated by me. Valentine’s Day is an extra special nudge to make that happen. Today is also the birthday of one of the most special people in my life - happy birthday Nora! I love you and love celebrating you from afar! Have a wonderful long weekend with the people you want to hold tight.

In other news, I hope you are enjoying my new series on Substack, Collected this Week. It’s essentially a roundup of all my screenshots, open tabs, and finds from the week. This week, I shared seashell art, a granola-off, reassurance when you need it, color palettes for spring, a new Substack for entrepreneurship, motherhood, design, and travel to read, and more.

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

The best winter weekend getaways on the East Coast + mini guides to each destination

Reflections on skiing with kids + my cheat sheet for how to make a family ski trip successful and as easy as possible + my ski edit and outfits.

what caught my eye

what caught my heart

I spent last weekend in DC with some of my oldest friends. We were there for a baby shower - my friend’s first baby, a boy! He and I met in our 2’s classroom in preschool and I’m just so very excited for him and his beautiful wife. His mom is like another mother to me (and one of my mom’s dearest friends!) and his twin and their sister are like siblings to me too. We truly grew up together! He moved from Los Angeles to DC semi-recently but this was my first chance to get a glimpse of him in his new life in DC - with new friends I’ve gotten to know a little bit now from his wedding and this baby shower weekend, at restaurants they frequent, in neighborhoods they love, with family in a place I’ve never seen their family operate in before, in a climate so different than out west. It was really, really great! All this to say…

I really enjoy seeing friends I’ve known forever in action in their lives now - seeing where they live, who their friends are, their neighborhood, their favorite watering hole. I really delight in being able to picture their lives when I’m away from them and thinking about them. It brings me joy and comfort - we are all living and doing the best we can to make wonderful lives. There might be many miles between us but I can sit back and imagine what their days look like. It’s nice.

I have the weather of every city where my closest friends live on my weather app. I like to wake up and see what weather Charleston has in store for me and then to tap over to Boulder, Newport, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, New York etc. to see what my friends’ days will be like (Rain in Newport! I bet they are staying home and making strawberry pancakes for a weekend breakfast!). It grounds me in a way, to think of others I love, before I get so caught up in my own day and life. I have a heart full from friendship. 💗

what caught my interest

This week, I went to a favorite things Galentine’s party at my wonderful friend Abby’s house. She has the most gorgeously designed home and it was the perfect setting for 15 women to gather and share their favorite things! The rules of the exchange followed a White Elephant exchange and it was FUN. So much gift stealing happened and lots of laughs! I had a few gifts I loved get swooped up right from under me!!

The real theme of all the gifts was self-care. I feel like that says a lot about moms - we love something that makes us feel pampered and calm. There were a few one-off items etc but beauty and wellness won out! I went with a self-care centered gift - everything in my gift revolved around winding down and being happy + relaxed.

I thought it would be fun to share with you a few of the most popular gifts from the night:

Let’s start with my gift!

Other big hits that were stolen a lot + the gifts the gifters SWORE BY:

The Crown Affair Hair Duo: I second this! Holy grail!!!
The Osea Algae Body Oil: I agree, so popular for a reason!
OGEE Tinted Sculpted Lip Oil: I’ve never tried this but apparently it will change our lives!
Magic Wand: LOL!
Cadence Travel Cosmetics Capsules: I second this! I never travel without these!!
Mini Silicone Spatulas for Makeup Jars: The gifter said these give her a weeks more use of her favorite face serum by letting her get the hard-to-reach very last drops.
Clarins Depuffing Face Mask: I second this! I’ve used this for years!
Sophie Bille Brahe Travel Jewelry Case: That velvet one was gifted but I’m obsessed with this pistachio color.
Pure Enrichment Heating Pad: Apparently this is the Rolls Royce of heating pads!
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans: Took me a bit to get into but this was one of my most favorite books of 2025!
Nodpod Sleep Mask: this was part of my gift and I am SO excited about it! It was stolen multiple times.

what caught my imagination

I listened to the recent Gwyenth Paltrow x Scott Galloway interview this week and was just stunned by the state of boys in the world. As a mother of three boys, I wouldn’t say I was naive to what Scott was sharing (I try to stay informed) but it was still so upsetting that the shock factor didn’t go away, at least for me. There was one thing in particular that Scott said about how to measure a good man that made me hit pause on the podcast so I could write down his words...

To be a good man “you plant trees, the shade of which you’ll never sit under.” How beautiful is that? It’s simple but there’s a lot there - to think about other people and not just yourself, to think about community, to think about leaving the world a better place than how you found it, to think about future generations. It’s a great mindset + framework to live by. He applied it to boys and men but I think it works for all of humanity. It’s hard to find human decency in the headlines right now so I like “you plant trees, the shade of which you’ll never sit under” as my headline for the week!

what caught my kids

I think conversation is an art form. It comes more naturally to some than others but it is a craft that can be honed. I also think it’s a really great practice to give our kids tools to be a good conversationalist, to be curious and interested, and to know how to listen when others talk. Not every conversation needs to be meaningful, some can just be plain fun or funny. We’ve gotten into these conversation cards for kids for this very reason. The kids think some of their answers are hilarious! The questions also make my boys reflect and are thoughtful questions that don’t allow for an answer of “yes,” “no,” “good,” or, my personal favorite, “nothing.”

A Winter Moodboard / Wallpaper

The Catch-Up | Vol 34: My Friend's First Novel, a Spring Fashion Trend I'm Loving, and the Dreamy Purchase I Just Made for My Boys

Jillian Eversole — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 12:02:32 GMT

Hello friends!

Hello, hi from DC! I’m here for a quick weekend for one of my oldest friend’s baby showers! He and his wife are expecting their first child, a boy!, and I’m over the moon to get to celebrate them. It was just last May when we were in the Bahamas for their wedding so it has been a whirlwind year of joy for them and watching them start their life together. My mom is one of the shower hosts so she is here with me as is my best friend in from California! A family affair. Us friends all met in preschool/Kindergarten. When I look at my boys and their little preschool friends, I always think to myself, these could be lifelong friendships because I have four best friends from preschool/Kindergarten and plenty of other friends from that time in my life as well. Life is special that way. It’s absolutely freezing here in DC so I hope you are somewhere cozy reading this.

I also hope you are enjoying my new series on Substack, Collected this Week. It’s essentially a roundup of all my screenshots, open tabs, and finds from the week. This week, I shared Jen Garner’s new cooking series, how to politely get out of things you don’t want to do, resort wear finds from a brand you may not know, a protein-packed banana bread breakfast recipe, and more.

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

Reflections on skiing with kids + my cheat sheet for how to make a family ski trip successful and as easy as possible + my ski edit and outfits.

what caught my eye

what caught my heart

My girlfriend, Chassity, caught my heart this week! Chassity and I became friends years and years ago through our blogs and, now, I’m fortunate enough to call her a dear friend. She has done something so remarkable and we celebrated a big milestone for her feat yesterday (!!!) - she has written her first novel! It’s a beach read, romance type novel that takes place between Charleston and Harbour Island called Pink Sand Summer. We had a little celebration last night for her book cover reveal. A book cover reveal party! Can you think of a better party theme!?

I asked Chassity if seeing her cover for the first time was the most emotional step so far in the process of writing a book. She said that next to writing her epilogue, it was. I can only image! She has poured her soul into this book. I’m such a proud friend. I know it’s going to be great! Can’t you tell by the cover!? I’m so inspired by the way she has made this dream become a reality and the way she has put herself out there. It’s never not the right moment to just go for it!

Her book is officially available for preorder on Amazon so snag it now and it will happily arrive on your doorstep in May. COUNTING DOWN!

what caught my interest

No surprise here but the Alémais spring/summer collection is so much fun! I have so many items in my cart that I have to keep reminding myself I don’t want my warm weather wardrobe to all be from one designer. But, it’s so good! Here are a few pieces that have caught my interest:

what caught my imagination

Mushrooms! Not that kind of mushroom. Mushrooms are inherently imaginative and mushrooms in art, design, and culture certainly aren’t the new kid on the block but I think they are having an extra ahh ha moment right now. At least they are in my imagination!

What Matthieu Blazy has done so very quickly at Chanel has been quite remarkable. I think everyone’s Instagrams stopped when the images from the Spring Summer 2026 Haute Couture show started flooding in. The birds, the mushrooms! I read that the entire collection - the lightness, the transparency, the movement, the embroidery - was inspired by a haiku Blazy came across. Bird on a mushroom. / I saw the beauty at once. / Then gone, flown away. I’m taken with the idea that such a simple few words could inspire something as ginormous as a Haute Couture show for the pinnacle of French couture fashion houses.

Just before Chanel, Jonathan Anderson’s first haute couture collection for the house of Dior gave us gowns with the most unique and inspired hemlines. The dimensions and shapes are stunning. Show-stopping! When I saw them, I initially thought they looked like a tipped over mushroom. And then we got upright mushrooms with Chanel. Boom, my imagination took off…!

It all got me thinking about the idea of blooming, blossoming, and mushrooming. The idea of thriving, flourishing, growing, or expanding in vibrant ways. How a mushroom suddenly appears overnight! I feel this with my family. In the wintertime, we’re inside more and in closer quarters. I can see my boys taking off into this new year and growing like weeds. Peter got a little boy haircut at the beginning of the week and I feel like my family has expanded from 2 boys and a baby to three boys! It’s wonderful watching them blossom and mushroom but also, ugh, time. I’ve also been thinking of ways my business - my blog, Substack, Instagram, and TableWith - can mushroom this year. Is it a year for some gradual blossoming or overnight mushrooming? I’m energized by both! So, yes, mushrooms and mushrooming - very much top of mind!

P.S. The queen of mushrooms, Lia Burke Libaire, has a brand new collection coming out next week on February 11th to be precise. I’m sure she’ll have some mushrooms in store for us. See, mushrooms everywhere!

What areas of your life would you like to bloom and mushroom this year? It’s a nice idea to think about.

what caught my kids

My boys love being cozy. Henry would wear his pajamas all day, everyday if he could get away with it. They love their beds at the end of the day or in the afternoon while playing with their “stuffies” and reading books. I gifted Henry a little something special recently that made his bed even more loving in his eyes - a new duvet and a personalized pillow that says a line from our bedtime ritual, “I adore you Henry” on it in the sweetest ‘Touch the Sky’ print (also comes in pink).

Every single night, with each of my boys, we talk about where we will meet that night in our dreams. Sometimes it’s a concrete place like “on the beach in California with our cousins’ and other times it’s a more dream-like place like “bouncing in the craters on the moon.” I think bedtime is for books, prayers, stories, and dreaming. It’s the last burst of imaginative thinking for the day. So, I couldn’t resist the ‘Touch the Sky’ bedding because I think it evokes a sense of floating up, up, and away into dreams. Wouldn’t you agree?

I discovered Goslings years ago and fell in love with the whimsy of the brand and the personalizations. Henry’s bedding is beyond darling and he is SMITTEN with it.

A few other prints I love are: botanical berries, once upon a time, fleur + stripe, and seaside strips. They come in toddler and baby bedding sizes, pillows, and more.

P.S. When they launched I *believe* they started with just bedding but; regardless, they have lots of other really beautiful product now too! We’ve only ever tried their bedding but I’m sure I’d love the rest as well.

A January Moodboard / Wallpaper

The Catch-Up | Vol 33: Making My Days Beautiful, A Fantastic Wallpaper, and Children's Birthday Finds

Jillian Eversole — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 19:01:50 GMT

Hello friends!

Hello, hi! I’m writing with the most joyous news - my sister had her baby and everyone is happy and healthy! Our family has grown in the most marvelous of ways and I feel so so so blessed to be an aunt again! Being an aunt is the best. All the love, a beautiful relationship, and no parenting involved, ha! Everyone in our family is thrilled that we have grown with her arrival. It’s like Adeline has always been here. It’s very exciting to have the first girl on my side of the family, too. When there is a lot going on in the world, I always like to focus on what I can control and that is my role in our family. I love being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and aunt. Everyday is a blessing.

I hope you are enjoying my new series on Substack, Collected this Week. It’s essentially a roundup of all my screenshots, open tabs, and finds from the week. This week, I shared the book we’ll all be reading this summer, a room that stopped me mid-scroll, raising kids in the age of AI, reflections on gender disappointment, and more.

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

Reflections on skiing with kids + my cheat sheet for how to make a family ski trip successful and as easy as possible + my ski edit and outfits.

what caught my eye

what caught my heart

I read a line a few months ago from a Mary Oliver Poem called “Franz Marc’s Blue Horses” that reads, “Maybe the desire to make something beautiful is the piece of God that is inside each of us.” I recently rediscovered this poem and was, again, struck by this line. Every day, I think about the pieces of God I see around me - nature, goodness, pregnancies and births, food, the ocean - an array of things. What I realize I think about less is the God inside of us. I think about the good in people and in actions, yes, but I love this framing of God as a piece of our constitutions because, of course, he is.

When I wake up in the morning, I like to make the day beautiful. I like to give my kids big, beautiful hugs. I like to make my family yummy meals made from colorful, beautiful food. I *like* (sometimes like!) to clean our house to make it organized and beautiful. I like to write and share on the internet to pass along something beautiful I discovered. I like to be with my family and friends who all have the most beautiful souls. I like to focus on my marriage as a beautiful entity in my life always worth the extra bit of love. I like to stop and smell the beautiful flowers.

I like to think that all these beautiful things I like to do are a piece of God inside me.

P.S. The poem appears in Mary Oliver’s book of poems titled Blue Horses.

what caught my interest

OMG! OMG! I completely missed this announcement and JUST saw this this week. The Florek brothers and Percy are coming to a TV near you soon! Their playfulness already looks contagious and like brothers! Every Summer After is probably my favorite beach read that has come out in recent years. I walked around with a book hangover for daysssss after I finished reading it. I simply cannot recommend it enough! Plus, you absolutely must read it now before the show comes out. I am equal parts thrilled about the tv adaptation and equal parts nervous for it because I’ll be devastated if the show doesn’t get the book or the casting right.

I’ve been anticipating this moment for a few years now because, after I finished the book, I made Edwin reach out to see if the rights had been sold for film. I read the book right when it was released and Carley Fortune’s agent responded immediately saying they had already sold. Here we are! I’ll be counting down!

If you haven’t read Carley Fortune yet, then you must start with Every Summer After as it is her first book and my personal favorite (and the one being adapted!). She releases a book at the start of every summer and some have recurring characters between them! So, if you do choose to read them in the order she released them (nice but not necessary), then it goes as follows:

Every Summer After
Meet Me at the Lake
This Summer Will Be Different
One Golden Summer
Our Perfect Storm - Preorder is open now for this summer’s book. You know I’ve already ordered my copy!

what caught my imagination

In the name of finding beauty in everything, how fantastic is this collaboration from Basic Projects? It is such a brilliant reminder that everything in our life is worth noticing and that, in the age of AI, imaginations are alive and well. The owners of Basic Project, Kate and Ben, uncovered the gorgeous wallpaper in the above link when they were restoring a beautiful old home here in Charleston, on Beaufain Street. Two years later, they turned this gorgeous archival paper into a modern day wallpaper with Serena & Lily and called it The Beaufain Wallpaper. Every home has a story! More about this story here. I just eat up creative beginnings to projects and designs, like this one!

what caught my kids

We don’t have any birthdays in our little family of five in the wintertime. Henry, Peter, and I are all spring birthdays, Edwin is a summer birthday, and Rowan is an early fall birthday. I don’t hate the reprieve from birthdays but, would you believe, I’m already thinking about Henry and Peter’s birthdays in March and April? Motherhood never sleeps! The cutest little extra for children’s birthdays has caught my eye… the darling cake toppers from Camp Hollow on Hunt and Bloom. The animals with the party hats, come on! They are such a stroke of whimsy! The rabbit cake topper really speaks to me for my Peter Rabbit. Also, the goose, the golden retriever, the zebra, and the frog… each one is cuter than the last! I love that they make my life especially easy too by providing festive cake candles to pair with the cake toppers. Click through to see the toppers and the candles and make birthdays in your house a little sweeter this year.

P.S. You know I love this inspired Etsy shop. It feels like it pairs so naturally with these precious cake toppers.

3 Creative Ways to Display Memories

The Catch-Up | Vol 32: How the French Say "I Miss You," Two Trip Recommendations for Families, a Winter Poem, and the New Easy Health Habit I'm Adding to My Morning Routine

Jillian Eversole — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:47:28 GMT

Hello friends!

Hello from the Bahamas! I’m here with a few girlfriends for a little girls trip / work trip and it has been the best of both worlds. I’ll never stop pinching myself that I have been able to create a job that has given me so many wonderful friendships and takes me to such special places. I’ll be sharing more from this trip in the coming days but, wow, it has given me lots to think about and take forward with me. Blending friendship and work is the greatest blessing and always gives me a genuine feeling of sisterhood. Lucky! I miss my boys but and thrilled by the girl time. Some Bahamian sunshine pulled me to pretty early-spring rainbow pieces today. Click through below for even more!

If there is anything in particular that you like seeing from me, please don’t hesitate to drop me a comment and let me know! Thank you for being here and for reading my thoughts, inspirations, and obsessions. P.S. If this post is ever too long for email, simply click through to read it in Substack.

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

Reflections on skiing with kids + my cheat sheet for how to make a family ski trip successful and as easy as possible + my ski edit and outfits. It is a big, meaty post!

From the archives —

Classroom Valentines

Meaningful Questions to Ask Your Parents

The Kitchen Edit

what caught my eye

what caught my heart

I learned something a month or so ago that is still bouncing around my heart - the French translation of “I miss you.” In their melodic language, “I miss you,” translates to “you are missing from me.” This is so beautiful to me. As I’m out of town and away from Edwin and my children this week, I feel deeply that they are missing from me. Part of me is missing. I am incomplete without them. What an indescribable gift it is to be incomplete without another, in my case without four others. I couldn’t ask for more.

On the flip side, it is always good to miss people. I know I will return so refreshed and absolutely bursting at the seems to be reunited with my family and have them missing from me no longer. I love languages and nuances found within them. The French so often do it right (case in point: read the ‘Caught My Imagination’ section in this post).

what caught my interest

I have something new I am SUPER into. I’ve been doing it for about 6-8 weeks now and I’d go so far as to call myself a devotee. This time last year, I listened to Sarah Wragge on the Lipstick on the Rim podcast and really enjoyed the episode. Kelly LeVeque is a friend of mine and I’ve been a long time fan (not always a follower because, life etc., but one hundred million percent a believer and a fan! Follow Kelly if you don’t already! Her practices will change your life.) so I felt very familiar with what Sarah was sharing. I loved how aligned she was with what I already felt to be true and with someone else in the space I really trust (i.e. Kelly).

Something new Sarah brilliantly introduced me to though was the concept of alkalizing your body. I’ve thought about it ever since the podcast but as a classic modern woman/mother, I don’t stop often enough to think about myself. Then, this fall, I thought I know a little something I can do that I think will change how I feel on a daily basis. Little being the key word here because it is such a teeny tiny change to my day but it feels like it has sweeping effects… Sarah’s Alkalize Detoxifying Greens Powder (this sounds sponsored, it’s not!). I’m going to include Sarah’s description because she says it more concisely than I could:

Greens in the morning lay the groundwork for better digestion all day. Our bodies become more acidic overnight, and the daily toxins in modern life only fan the flames of bloat and inflammation. Alkalize (which means to reduce acidity) uses just eight ingredients to target these toxins and reset your gut — without breaking your fat-burning fast. All greens in Alkalize are among the most potent in antioxidants, the things your body needs to protect cells from toxins.

The only ingredients are:

organic wheat grass powder
organic barley grass powder
organic oat grass powder
organic spinach powder
organic barley grass juice powder
organic alfalfa grass juice powder
organic kale powder
organic turmeric powder
and nothing else!!!

Doesn’t this sound like something you can get behind? I love it because it gets me to drink lots of water quickly in the morning, I noticeably feel less bloated, and I have been wondering it is has helped me flush out some toxins / inflammation that has been showing on my skin (I’ve been exercising more too so that could also be contributing to that flush out). Regardless, I wouldn’t be getting this quick hit of these 8 greens without this. Plus, so much of what we know about living a long, healthy life is tied back to inflammation so anything to bring that down around food and diet is a win and a focus for me. I’d love to hear from you if you try it too! I’m SO INTERESTED in all of these types of topics.

P.S. I also bought her Restore Replenishing Minerals before our trip to Wyoming to work in my favor with the travel + the skiing and I liked them. I haven’t been using them long enough to really report back on the benefits I feel but I’ve taken it some nights before bed too so I will report back when I have more data/experience to share.

what caught my imagination

I am thoroughly enjoying winter this year (I fully realize I’m in the Bahamas right now so it’s rich of me to say this!) but I like the whole mindset around staying home and embracing winter and what the season can teach us (stay tuned for my post tomorrow about winter and our home, in particular). But, I saw this poem recently and loved the idea of an “invincible summer” in the midst of winter. I believe a lot of our ability to lean into winter is because we have the reassurance that summer is coming. She is strong and she will bring us warmth and sunlight and abundance.

This poem rings true for so many reasons right now so I hope it strikes a chord with your imagination on this January Thursday and brings you a sense of peace.

what caught my kids

Someone recently DM’d me and asked me for recommendations for places to travel with kids! I know spring break and summer travels are top of mind so I thought I’d share beyond just with her. I have two really fantastic ideas for you!

One: The Bahamas. Last summer, our boys got their first passport stamps when we took them to Exuma. We rented a house through The Good Life Bahamas with a pool, beach access, outdoor shower, big patio, all the things. The kids died and went to Heaven. We loved the rental company because they are a local Bahamian business so they also gave us lots of recommendations for the island (it was our first time to Exuma) and helped us rent a car and do other logistical things. I even asked them for a list of local doctors should anything happen with the kids (nothing did!) and they provided me with a full list. It was fantastic! I wrote all about the trip here, shared how to get there, and included my Exuma recommendations (restaurants, beaches, boat charters, etc.). I’ve been to a handful of islands in The Bahamas and think Exuma is brilliant for kids. It has a real no shirt, no shoes, no problem vibe and lots of great, casual restaurants on the beach. The proximity to other islands was something special too. My boys will probably talk about iguana island until the day they die and Coconut Club was excellent for kids. I can’t recommend it enough! They have houses scattered throughout all of the Bahamas to rent too if you have another island you love.

Two: Shelter Island. Edwin and I took a dreamy trip to Shelter Island last August. We’ve been talking ever since about how much we want to go back with the kids. We stayed at The Pridwin, which was basically summer camp for adults and children alike! I wrote all about our trip here and shared our itinerary + my recommendations for what to do/where to go on the island. After our trip, the hotel actually reached out with a discount code for me to share (you’ll see it in the link to our trip). I am not positive if it is still active but try it and reach out to me if it no longer works. Maybe I can get it back. We loved the hotel! Beach, pool, boats, tennis, pickleball, lawn games, stunning sunsets, a great bar, yummy food, a sweeping deck, the most well-appointed common spaces… it’s all there. I seek out spots like Shelter Island too that are pretty easy to get to but are just off the beaten path enough to keep the masses away. The hotel was originally built in 1927 and was recently refreshed in the most beautiful + authentic way. It’s the definition of classic Americana summer. The best way I can put it is that the hotel has a real, “this must be the spot” feeling to it. I can’t wait to go back!

I love The Bahamas for a spring break trip (high season there!) or a summer trip (less crowded - we went in June!) and I love Shelter Island for a summer or fall trip (we went in August and it was Heaven but fall break would be something else too!). Shoot over any questions should you have any. I’m happy to help!

3 Creative Ways to Display Memories

The Catch-Up | Vol 31

Jillian Eversole — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 14:35:34 GMT

Hello friends!

Hello, hi! I think I’m not alone in this but I have come to LOVE January as an adult. As a child, teen, and young adult, it wasn’t my favorite month because it didn’t offer the fun of other months. As a mother, wife, and woman, it’s the best. I can’t get enough of January! I was texting with two girlfriends last week and one of them said, “we are having the best January!” I am really thriving in this mindset. January usually isn’t a big travel month for me but 2026 had other plans.

Last week, I shared that we took the boys skiing in Wyoming. WINTER WONDERLAND. Next week, I have the distinct privilege of getting to go to the Bahamas for work. That trip is immediately followed by a girls trip that has been planned for months to Palm Beach. I have some heartache already about the two trips backing up to each other next week and the time away from kids but I keep reminding myself that they have been with me every waking minute for the past 4 weeks! It makes me feel better.

This weekend, we have a beloved January tradition scheduled that we do with two other families - our annual “bourguignon off.” We make a beef bourguignon and a mushroom bourguignon and pick the winner! We do egg noodles, mashed potatoes - the works! December is a month so rich with traditions but January should get her due too. A few years back, we created this cozy January tradition and I don’t think we’ll ever stop. I eat up the brilliant energy around resetting in January but also recognize she’s a month of “make your own fun.” Skiing and bourguignon are just the ticket! Throw in a warm weather vacation and the mix of dedicated time with my kids + the return to school and, wow, we’ve got a knockout month on our hands. Thank you January!

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

Reflections on skiing with kids + my cheat sheet for how to make a family ski trip successful and as easy as possible + my ski edit and outfits. It is a big, meaty post!

From the archives —

Meaningful Questions to Ask Your Parents

The Kitchen Edit

what caught my eye

what caught my heart

My wildly talented friend, Jen Shoop, wrote her first book, Small Wonders! Can you truly imagine the work that goes into writing a book? Jen is a writer. She is eloquent, dedicated, thoughtful, reflective, and so completely in touch with the modern day experience of womanhood. I just cannot wait for her book to land at my doorstep! There is a lot out there to read. It can be overwhelming to decide what to read next or what recommendation to take to heart. I will tell you that Jen’s blog, Magpie, is the only blog I read consistently every day. Her writing has made me smile on happy days, made me feel connected through times of trial, and made me feel reassured in my wonderings as a mother, wife, and friend.

My heart is full for Jen to see her life’s goal become realized and my heart is full for all of us because her work will make our days better. I just know it. I pre-ordered my copy but you can get it at any of these book destinations too. It will be the biggest gift to yourself when it arrives!

what caught my interest

My skin has not been at its best for months now. I struggled with breakouts in middle school and high school but, in adulthood, it has definitely leveled out and then fluctuates either seemingly at random or around hormonal changes. My skin is always really clear during pregnancy (always felt like the biggest win!) but went absolutely haywire after each one of my miscarriages. It’s like my skin was the stage for my joy or my despair. Since the end of summer, my skin has been a bit of a mess and for no obvious reason or hormonal reason - everything is status quo. But, it must not be. There’s nothing like the start of a new year to give me the kick in the rear end I need…

I’ve committed to a few things: cutting out processed sugar. I think it has a real negative effect on my skin! Monthly facials. There is a place here that is less frills and more in and out to get the job done. It’s close to me so I’m determined to go once a month. I’m also getting my hormones tested and testing my gut. I’m honestly incredibly excited to see if anything reveals itself from these action items. I’m ready to find a few breadcrumbs and follow the story to see what is going on in my body!

What recently caught my interest though in the world of skincare is this podcast episode with Dr. Baraba Sturm. Emma led a great interview and I have to say, I’m über intrigued by Barbara’s entire philosophy around hydration and inflammation. It makes so much sense. Oh my goodness! Her background is incredibly interesting and, the way she presents her philosophies, makes everything seem so obvious when she’s describing it. She does not believe in retinol and shared that lots of retinols are coming off the shelves in Europe. I had no idea!!!! Her products are a massive financial investment but anyone who has struggled with acne will tell you there’s not really a price when it comes to the search for clear skin. I am very intrigued and will report back on feedback I have from the products of hers I try.

Please listen to the episode and tell me what you think! I’m so curious! Emma asked her to break it down to the absolute nitty gritty of necessities and Dr. Barbara Sturm suggested the following:

Cleanser
Hyaluronic serum
Face cream
**Maybe add the enzyme cleanser 3x a week for exfoliation

***Note: If your scroll down on this page, she shares specifics for acne prone skin

what caught my imagination

My business, TableWith, has a big big update for the new year!! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to share it with you today! We’ve done a lot of consumer research since launching in the fall and we are listening to YOU. TableWith is an app that streamlines cookbook clubs and hosting to bring you back to the table with friends! The app handles all the logistics of date selection, host selection, etc. so it is a breeze for you in terms of follow through and helps with keeping your group texts at bay. Users get recipes from the cookbooks that live in the app forever so you can always go back in and use the recipes to cook your favorite recipes time and time again. The app is a great way to try out a few recipes from a cookbook first too before deciding to buy it.

When we launched, we shared a featured cookbook every month that all our clubs cooked from that month. We’ve partnered with some amazing cookbook authors like Meredith Hayden of Wishbone Kitchen, Jake Cohen, and Martha Stewart! We know now that our users love our authors but want flexibility with choosing what cookbook to cook from for their gatherings instead of being assigned a monthly author. Your wish is our command! With our new update, users now have the ability to select which cookbook to cook from + we onboarded 4 new authors to the app to give you even more selection opportunities and diversity in your food choices! Our 4 brilliant new authors and cookbooks are:

Blended by Kat Jamieson

The Very Vera Cookbook: Occasions by Vera Stewart

Family Style by Peter Som

Entertaining with Charm by Eden Passante

Moving forward, you can now select from any past author we’ve partnered with, any of our newly onboarded authors, and then, of course, any future authors. Any book, anytime! We have another wonderful author joining TableWith at the end of this month too that is an incredible Charleston-based author! The fun doesn’t stop! Our hope is that your imaginative wheels get turning with more cookbook options and recipes at your fingertips!

We will still be featuring a lead author every month going forward (with some fantastic ones coming in 2026!) and then continuing to onboard other authors over time! Speaking of, if you have written a cookbook or know someone who is a cookbook author and might be interested in putting your/their cookbook on TableWith for our users, please reach out to me at jillian@tablewith.com. We would love to chat! Cheers to dinner parties!

what caught my kids

I’ve shared this on my Instagram but the gift that keeps on giving is this kids Encyclopedia and this kids Picturepedia. Edwin and I got so tired of our kids asking us to look things up on our phones so we decided to think through some possible solutions and ways they could be empowered to look things up themselves. Books were, of course, the answer! We got them these two encyclopedia books and they have been wonderful. Both have given them new insights into topics they already love AND have also shown them new things to be interested in! I see their curiosity really expand because looking up one thing leads to another thing. My oldest, Rowan (5-years-old), in particular will really get locked in and spend CHUNKS of time with these books.

3 Creative Ways to Display Memories

The Catch-Up | Vol 30

Jillian Eversole — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 12:01:30 GMT

Hello friends!

Hello, hi! Welcome to my first Catch-Up of the year! I’m very happily writing to you from perhaps my most favorite place, snowy Wyoming. We flew here last weekend for a ski trip with the boys and it has been an absolute winter wonderland. There are always ups and downs when traveling with children but the highs have been very high on this trip – watching our two oldest boys learn to ski, a dream come true! I have many, many thoughts on skiing with kids, so many in fact that I started drafting an entire post dedicated to it. I’ll be sure to share shortly. I also have my Jackson, Wyoming guide coming next week. My grandparents moved to Wyoming in 1990, the year I was born, so this place feels like it is in my DNA. My love for it has shaped me in handfuls of ways. I chose to go to college in the mountains because of the way I feel when I’m in Jackson. It turned out to be an outstanding decision. The mountains have never led me astray. Rather, in many ways, they remind me of who I am and who I want to be. The grandness of the mountains simplifies things for me. Lots of winter content to come from me here shortly! Let’s dive into the Catch-Up this week, shall we?

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

My latest blog posts have all been holiday! Stay tuned for refreshing, quality content coming this month! I appreciate you reading. More than you know.

Meanwhile, from the archives —

Meaningful Questions to Ask Your Parents

The Kitchen Edit

what caught my eye

what caught my heart

As I share below, I haven’t established resolutions for the year and more or less won’t be this year but, as January 1^st approached, I was very excited for a new year and filled with new year anticipation. I love the beginning of something new, something great. I went into the new year with one clear message ringing through my head… how you spend the first day of the year is how you’ll spend the whole year. Of course, I’ve heard this saying before but I read it a week or so before New Year’s and it really struck a chord with me this year. There are always a multitude of reflections to mull over at year’s end and I loved the thought of using those reflections to inform me as I looked forward with a clear vision around the question, if what I do on January 1^stis a true reflection of the whole year, how do I want to spend it? A day as a year.

For the first time in years, exercise did not play as large of a role in my life this last year as I would have liked it to. It was something I often let go of in favor of doing the other thing. I also tweaked my achilles in August so I mostly laid off cardio August through November, which started to mentally weigh on me. In the days leading up to New Year’s, I asked Edwin if he would go for a run with me on the morning of January 1^st so we could do it together. By nature of having three young kids, a lot of our life is determined by dividing and conquering. It is practical and it works for the schedules of our kids so everyone can be where they need to be – one can be home napping while another is out at a birthday party etc. What dividing and conquering doesn’t take into consideration is marriage. If you divide and conquer, then you aren’t together. It’s a fine line because we don’t necessarily want more childcare and time away from our children but we do want more time for us. This is something I am very much ruminating on for 2026.

The run was great! Our brother-in-law joined us and we had the best time. We ran at the beach (half on the beach, half on the road) and did over 5 miles. The sun was shining and we were together. The run gave me renewed enthusiasm for running and made me incredibly motivated to jump at every chance we get this year to exercise together. We are on a phenomenal streak here because we have been skiing together this week! Our boys were thrilled to be with my parents while we ran and I think the importance of children seeing their parents move their bodies and do physically challenging things can’t be underscored. We chalked it up to a win! More little wins in 2026! It doesn’t all need to be big things to make a huge difference in a day or, before we know it, a year.

what caught my interest

Habit tracking! I have a whole post dedicated to this topic that I’ll be sharing early next week; however, my creative juices are flowing and my new year motivation is flying high so I’m sharing a peak into the inner workings of my brain around new year’s resolutions with you today. I have goals I want to achieve by year end and versions of myself I want to know well in 12 months’ time but how do I get there? Since having my third son, I find can’t keep anything straight and even when I write things down, balls still get dropped. So, I’ve decided to commit myself to habit tracking in 2026 because, in this stage of my life with a 5-year-old son, a 3-year-old son, and a 1-year-old son, small goals are much more attainable for me than big goals. I have to be honest with myself and the amount of time I have in a day. I think small goals that build into habits will translate into achieved goals, both personal and career. Stay tuned for my entire philosophy around this and how I am thinking about the habits I want to create and why I think they will enhance my life. I’m also going to share the exact method and tools I’m going to use to track my habits and to keep them building. I have every intention of rising to the occasion but in a realistic way. I do not want to dream big if it means feeling like I am falling short. I want to dream of the best version of myself. I love a new year!

what caught my imagination

2025 was a great year of reading! I read some books I enjoyed so much I was left in tears, left walking around with a book hangover for days, and left talking about in every room I walked into. These books set my imagination on fire and I’m so grateful for their existence. I so looked forward to picking up each one of these books at the end of the day. Here are my favorites and the books I’m starting 2026 out with…

Broken Country. This was my favorite book of the year! Part family drama, part love story, part thriller, part story of the land. It was beautiful in every way. There were twists I didn’t see coming and I thought it was beautiful from start to finish.

Heart the Lover. This book rocked me to my core. It left me both heartbroken and heart full. You have to, have to, have to read this love story. Yash 💔.

Everything Beautiful in It’s Time. I read this book on Audible because I wanted to hear the author, Jenna Bush Hager, read it herself. I LOVED this book. I told my mom to read it right away and she LOVED this book too. I wrote more about this book here under the “what caught my heart” section so I recommend you read that synopsis. In short, it isn’t political. Instead, it’s a collection of family stories, reflections, memories, letters, quotes, places. The book has countless treasures of advice in it for how to live a happier life. Jenna shares so much wisdom from her grandparents and parents and from her own life in the public eye as a mother and a career woman. She paints a realistic yet beautiful picture of life.

The Correspondent. This book is unlike anything I’ve read before. The entire book is written in letters. The thought process of establishing character development through letters and having things happen in the characters lives that we, the readers, aren’t privy to but then instantly understand through the characters correspondence is really a feat. I actually started this book the first week of October while I was in the Cotswolds but put it down because I wasn’t particularly into it or the main character; however, I picked it back up over Christmas break because so many people enjoyed it that I decided to give it another chance. I am so glad I did. I ended up loving it. As a mother, part of it was very hard to read but also, wow, so moving.

Anne of Green Gables. I listened to this on Audible over the course of a few weeks, whenever I wanted to listen to something light and beautfifufl that made me smile. It is so enjoyable! Rachel McAdams reads it and the whole thing feels like a true treat. The writing, her reading. Ooof, I loved it!

2026, here’s looking at your kid! The first book I’m reading is an advanced reader copy of my dad’s third book. I am so looking forward to reading it! My dad’s writing career is a sublime reminder that it is never too late to go for it! My dad starting writing on a whim thanks to an idea and now he has 3 books under his belt. You can read his first two books here: Blood in the Low Country (his first book) and Eli’s Redemption (book 2). I have been so wiped every day after skiing that I haven’t been reading but am anxiously awaiting the energy at the end of the day when I get home to read!

Wild Dark Shore. I feel like everyone read this in 2025 except for me and I generally love Reese’s book picks.

The Frozen River. Two friends just recommended this book to me. One described it as a “perfect cozy read” and said her husband laughed at her because she made beef stew repeatedly while reading the book.

Theo of Golden. At dinner earlier this week here in Wyoming, my mom and my aunt both praised this book effusively. They described the weight of the book by saying that giving somebody a copy of this book is giving them a real gift. My aunt said she was talking with the local bookshop owner here in Jackson and she shared with my aunt that it is currently their #1 most requested book.

what caught my kids

Yoto Minis! We have and love our Tonie Box but decided to gift Rowan and Henry Yoto Minis for Christmas in part because we had heard such great things from trusted friends and in part because we knew we had this trip to Wyoming around the corner. They have been marvelously fun for the boys. They are very small so they are incredible for travel + they have headphone jacks making them even more incredible for travel. The boys have loved listening to both stories and music on them. During Christmas break, at a time of day when the boys might have asked to watch tv, they asked for Yoto time instead. It was easy.

Pro tip: Shop for cards for your Yoto Minis here (the card are what you insert that have the stories and music on them, similar to the figurines for a Tonie Box). Then, keep track of all of your cards with these card rings. It is honestly a brilliant solution and the boys love flipping through their rings to look at their cards. I made a little ring for Rowan and a little one for Henry. Then, I’ll just add cards as they get them in their Easter baskets, for birthdays, etc. and the cards never have to come off of the rings.

The Catch-Up | Vol 29

Jillian Eversole — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 16:37:05 GMT

Hello friends!

Hello friends! Happy Black Friday and welcome to my special holiday edition of The Catch-Up, my weekly column that arrives in your inboxes every week. The Catch-Up consists of everything that has caught my eye, heart, imagination, interest, and family throughout the week. I hope you each had a lovely Thanksgiving surrounded by loved ones! I’ve been sprinkling in lots of holiday content throughout my recent Catch-Ups - wrappings & ribbons, a Christmas gift tracker + children’s Christmas pajamas, and what I’m most looking forward to this holiday season but today’s Catch-Up is dedicated to my gift recommendations. I hope you enjoy and hope it is helpful as you navigate Black Friday sales and holiday shopping.

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

Holiday kids dressing: lots of cute outfit recipes!

What to wear for family photos: for you, for your husband, for little boys, and little girls (including what we wore in ours!)

What to do with 72 Hours in London: two different complete itineraries + my full London travel guide

Meaningful questions to ask your parents: Great to ask while with family this week for Thanksgiving!

what caught my heart

My Gift Guide for Her! Where would I be without all the sensational women in my life? My mom is at the top of the list but there are so many women I carry in my heart who I simply wouldn’t ever want to live a Christmas without - my sister, my mother-in-law, my sisters-in-law, my dearest friends, my nieces, my goddaughter. They all make me who I am! I want to gift them well because, when done right, gifting is an act of love. A few ideas I love…

A really luxe hairbrush: I love it because it makes a huge difference to use a wonderful brush but it’s the type of item no one wants to spend money on for themselves so it’s a perfect gift.

Reading material: Yolo Journal subscription for the travel-minded, Frederic Magazine subscription for the design-minded, Cabana Magazine subscription for the lifestyle-minded, or an Air Mail subscription for the culturally-minded.

A reset: I’m craving a reset so badly after all the autumnal and holiday indulging I’ve been doing so I honestly want this more than anything this year.

A Sailors’ Valentine: for the Nantucket gal, get her something really special so she’ll have a piece of the island all year long.

The gift of rest: my favorite leave-in conditioner, my favorite nightgown, favorite cashmere socks, my favorite body stone, my favorite book I've read this year, my favorite hand-calligraphed personalized tea caddy, and a sourdough kit for the lovely activity she’s been craving.

Party picks: Caviar and mother of pearl caviar plates and spoons for the New Year’s host, go-to satin drawstring purse, antique silver etched ice bucket, sparkly velvet heels, and a chic “going out top.”

Shop more here.

what caught my imagination

My Gift Guide for Personalized Gifts is full of imagination! A personalized gift shows you went the extra mile and both thought ahead (in time to get it personalized) and thought of them (with something from the heart). A few ideas I love…

The eyelet pendant I wear everyday: a really beautiful, nice jewelry gift. Pro tip: give your husband a hint that this is on your personal list. On the front side of mine, I had my boys; initials hand engraved and on the backside I had a saying I always say to them hand engraved.

For the new mom: custom cozy baby blanket (my boys each have one), mama loves crew sweater, stork baby pillow, beautiful picture frame, relaxing tea caddy, custom wooden hair brush for your little one, boat tote as a diaper bag (this is what I did!), scrumptious lovey, cradle to cocktails bubble blower, and the Boobie pillow.

For the bride: a gorgeous personalized garment bag for those wedding and honeymoon looks, THE wedding clutch, travel jewelry roll for all the sparkles, embroidered scalloped handkerchief for the watery eyes, and a bespoke wedding photo album.

For him: personalized olive oil, English condiment holder, silver ice cream lid (I’m absolutely obsessed!), handwritten brass zippo, classic crewneck, and an Italian leather money clip.

For Children: bespoke tennis balls (get a set for each kid in your family!), embroidered crowns, aprons to make cookies for Santa together, cook kid backpacks, custom puzzle, and the whimsical bedding my boys love.

Shop more here.

what caught my kids

What is more fun than shopping for kids!? My guide has tons of great ideas for babies, toddlers, and kids alike. I found specialty Etsy items, mainstream favorites (hello Hot Wheels!), books, sporty gifts, art supplies, and lots more. A few ideas I love…

The gift of reading: I can’t recommend these personalized books enough. We have so many because my children love them and love to read about themselves within a story. Really, really well done.

The gift of forever: I’m a sucker for keepsakes like these hand painted chairs, holiday trunks to save all the special holiday items, needlepoint kits to learn to needlepoint together, and hand painted stools.

Stuff that is regrettably worth it: magnetic marble run, Hot Wheels track set, air toobz - it all takes up space but your kids with LOVE it all.

Items that have personally provided us hours of entertainment (this list + the regrettably worth it items above!): craft supplies kit, foldable scooters, kitchen helper stool, Toniebox, Smithsonian Picturepedia, sensory kits, water blasters, wooden tool kit, rapid-filling water balloons, light sabers, and jigsaw puzzles.

Shop more here.

what caught my husband

My Gift Guide for Men is pretty great if I do say so myself. It has everything from handsome well made clothing to Edwin’s favorite kitchen tools to smart reading recommendations to the best tequila drink! I also have ideas for men who need nothing and for men like your dad or father-in-law who might not be offering up lots of ideas to you when it comes to shopping. A few ideas I love…

For the cocktail hour guy: stainless steel cocktail shaker, wood dice box, and Edwin’s favorite tequila soda.

My dad’s first novel: a southern family drama your man will love.

Something random I like to gift because men love to wear it but hate to buy it for themselves: a cashmere beanie.

The quarter-zip Edwin wears almost daily.

Pickleball!!!

This coffee table book is beautiful.

Shop more here.

P.S. I’m sharing my exact favorite Black Friday sales right here and specifically calling out the retailer, the sale, and why I love the item.

P.S.S. Dress your holiday home with all my picks right here.

P.S.S.S. Dress yourself for the holidays with all my style picks right here.

P.S.S.S.S. Holiday books!

My personalized gift guide

The Catch-Up | Vol 28

Jillian Eversole — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 19:56:38 GMT

Hello friends!

Hello friends! Happy Sunday and welcome to The Catch-Up, my weekly column that arrives in your inboxes every week. The Catch-Up consists of everything that has caught my eye, heart, imagination, interest, and family throughout the week. This post is coming on Sunday this week, which is a little later than usual. It was such a busy week with Thanksgiving celebrations with the kids, a really busy week of work, and lots more. My boys are officially out for a week for Thanksgiving and it feels nice to have nowhere in particular to be every morning. A highlight of the week was celebrating a dear friend going back to school to become a nurse. One of our friends hosted a little gathering and everyone brought a dish or a drink + everyone dressed up as nurses. One girlfriend showed up in a Civil War era nurse outfit. It was beyond! Our friend thanked everyone for a “totally outsized celebration for going back to school” but I shared with her that, while I understood her modesty, I believed the celebration was more than important! My mom always says celebrate everything! You’ll never look back in life and say, “I wish I hadn’t celebrated that with people I love.” I also feel like it’s wonderful to show our children to celebrate when we do something hard and admirable and worth celebrating. Perhaps my mom’s outlook comes from a place of my mom loosing her mom in your early 30s or from a place of my mom being a completely happy, optimistic person - I’m not sure. What I am sure of though is that my mom is right. Celebrate everything in this life! There’s your happy reminder for the day.

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

My gift guide for her

What to wear for family photos: for you, for your husband, for little boys, and little girls (including what we wore in ours!)

What to wear for Thanksgiving: for a Turkey Trot, for cooking, for a holiday lunch, a dressed up dinner, and Thanksgiving outfits for men!

3 creative ways to display memories

Meaningful questions to ask your parents - I love writing more thought provoking posts like this one

P.S. I did a roundup of Christmas pajamas for children in this post under “What Caught My Kids” - now is the time to shop, while they are all on sale!

what caught my eye

a few quick things

If you live in London or are traveling to London in the coming weeks, The Notting Hill Christmas Shop looks so special.

Holiday prep: A to Z. This is too good.

This weekend in Charleston - two splendid holiday shopping opportunities for unique gifts! Antiques and Goods/Businesses all Made in the South.

Brand new random discovery for boy moms - this underwear! Found through the mom of one of Henry’s buddies and they are so so soft! Much softer than the Haynes underwear my boys often wear. We’re instant fans.

My devilishly talented friend, Aldous, has a watercolor collection on display and available at Wentworth right now through next week. Catch a peak of it here and go visit it in the coming days in store!

I am absolutely taken, smitten, and completely fond of this Etsy shop I found for kids!

I’m dying to go back to Scotland and I now have a new hotel at the top of my travel wish list: Penicuik Estate. The history, the design, the landscape, wow.

Look I’m loving: chord necklaces with chunky pendants. They can be such a fun, punchy look! Here’s three I love to master the look: adjustable silk chord necklace at the most amazing price, seashell necklace in seagrass and ivory, and the ingenious lip locket chord necklace.

A merry holiday antiquing pop-up I saw happening in Charleston on December 3rd.

what caught my heart

Gifts! Here’s the thing with gift giving - it is consumerism at height. Instagram right now is so many links. I’ve found that if someone is exclusively sharing sales right now, I’m just not interested. I want to see the heart behind the holidays too - the family happenings, the recipes being cooked, the packing taking place, the decorating underway, the traditions starting. I also want to see links! I like a balance because I love seeing what other people love and recommend and because I’m obsessed with supporting small businesses by recommending them and shopping for gifts from them. Someone’s business, whether big or small, is someone’s dream so I have no problem with the consumerism. I love to support it for them. I just like to see a balance. So, with gift giving, I like to see heart in it. In my guides, you’ll find it all - crowd pleasers, unique items from small businesses, books & cookbooks, Etsy finds, and ideas for ways to take a classic gift and give it a special twist.

I have a gift guide for personalized gifts live (with even more here!) and a guide for gifts for her live (with even more here!). I have a guide for him and for children coming next week. Plus, next week, I’ll be doing an Instagram story series sharing sales - sales from businesses that I love, businesses that support my business, and small businesses!

I also have a whole holiday hub for you right here with sections for beautiful holiday home finds, holiday books for you and for littles, holiday style, and gift guides!

A very merry exciting gift update I have to share with you is that my other business, TableWith, is giftable! Give the gift of TableWith this holiday season (and always!) by purchasing a friend a TableWith subscription for 3 months, 6 months, or 12 months. It’s a great gift that is experiential instead of a “thing” and it is affordable - A WIN!

A now, a few gift ideas that money can’t buy:

As I think back to the best gifts I’ve received over the recent years, one really pops out in my mind - Edwin reading out loud to me after my c-sections. When I felt too tired and out of it to read, he gave me the gift of my favorite thing, reading. He did this by reading out loud to me. It was the simplest gift that made me feel so loved. We all need more of these simple acts of love in our lives.

A recipe! Write out your favorite holiday recipe, slip it in an envelope, and pop it in the mail or hand deliver it to a loved one with a note that reads, “my family loves this recipe at the holidays! I thought yours would too!” or “My grandmother’s recipe - makes me think of people I cherish, like you! I hope it brings love into your home this holiday season.” My kind of snail mail.

A playdate. The holidays are so busy for moms and there’s no doubt a point of every week when mothers think, “I just wish I had an extra few hours.” So, invite your children’s friends over for a playdate and tell the mom to go tackle some holiday shopping while you have the kids. A gift that’s worth more than gold - happy children and happy parents!

what caught my interest

I’ve had a bee in my bonnet for new dinnerware plates for a while now. This is absolutely not a need! We still love and use the Juliska Berry & Thread plates we registered for for our wedding and I completely adore our wedding china. That being said, the Berry & Thread plates are white and I wouldn’t mind looking at a bit of color. However, I don’t want something too bold because these would be for constant everyday use. I keep my eyes peeled at all times and I found a set I am in love with recently that I can’t stop thinking about! Enter: the Flora Dinner Plates from Il Buco Vita. I love that they come in different colors and think doing a mix of the dinner plates and the salad plates would be dashing. Don’t laugh but, to me, they read almost like a neutral. Ha! Honestly, though, a floral that is done in one set color feels incredibly versatile to me. Our house is primarily blues, greens, and pinks/pinky-reds/reds so I think a mix of the Blue, Ivy, and Burgundy colorways would be splendid. My interest was piqued and now I can’t manage to stop thinking about these plates. Plates, plates, plates!

You could make this pattern your entire set because it comes as a tureen (lovely!), oval serving platter (I love this shape dish always), pasta bowls (which I like in the ecru mixed with the flora plates), platters (large and small), and bowls (could these be used for cereal and ice cream, I wonder?).

what caught my imagination

Are you deep in the throws of holiday wrappings and ribbons? It’s a detail I love. As Rebecca Gardner affectionately calls such things, they are unnecessaries - items that are not required but that sure do bring joy and merriment. Little extras. So, let’s get down to brass tax with some wrapping recommendations to get your imaginations going…

Wrapping:

Red grosgrain stripe paper
Cranberry urchin paper
Midnight sky paper
Holiday floral paper
Seashell paper (if you go to the beach for Christmas, this is for you!)
Menagerie paper
Rolling hills paper
Antique botanical paper
Green stripe gift bags
Mushroom party paper
Hand marbled paper + more hand marbled paper + even more hand marbled paper (pretty!)
Marbled gift bags

Ribbons:

Satin ribbon at a great price
Hand-dyed silk ribbon - I bought over a month ago because I love it so much!
Burgundy and blue grosgrain ribbon
Falalala twill ribbon
Paper chain garland (not exactly a ribbon but fun!)
Embroidered velvet ribbon
Holiday stripe ribbon
Velvet ribbon
Tinsel ribbon
Toy soldier garland (not exactly a ribbon but fun!)
Velvet tinsel trim ribbon

Gift Tags:

what caught my kids

Henry is currently flip flopping on deciding if he is ready to move to his big kid twin bed. In true Henry form, he crawled out of his crib right after he turned two. His crib is a converter crib so we just took the front side of it off and he has loved being cozy in there ever since. I recently got him a new comforter from Gooselings and it started the whole conversation about if he was ready to make the jump to his twin bed. It changes daily but I’m ready because I’ll be able to store some items under the bed when he moves to his twin (#OldHouseProblems). This + a girlfriend of mine pregnant with her first child asking about crib and child bedding recommendations has me feeling inspired by the category. Henry is SMITTEN with his new Gooselings comforter and coordinating personalized pillow so I thought I’d share all our favorites / go-to’s from the last 5 years (aka since I became a mother).

Gooslings for the most whimsical prints + I love their down inserts and they do fantastic personalizations.

For a fresh, classic, white bedding/crib look, I use Boll & Branch, ALWAYS.

Biscuit Home for bedding that is downright playful and fun.

For beautiful embroidery, I turn to Little English bedding. We have the sky blue color but it comes in more color options too.

Timo & Violet for bright colors in happy prints. We love the Happy Monkey print!

For sweet prints done in singular color ways, I like Oso & Me.

Pehr does prints in a more organic, granola (if you will) style. This is the one brand from this list that we have not used but we love their cute clothes!

P.S. This is the crib mattress we use (also available here)! It is safe + latex, lead, phthalate, and PVC free.

P.S.S. It’s a great time to refresh any of this while everything is on Black Friday sale!

what caught my husband

The Catch-Up | Vol 27

Jillian Eversole — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 21:12:04 GMT

Hello friends!

Hello friends! Happy Thursday and welcome to The Catch-Up, my weekly column that arrives in your inboxes every week. The Catch-Up consists of everything that has caught my eye, heart, imagination, interest, and family throughout the week. This is a meaty post and I assume all my Catch-Ups through the rest of the year will be the same - there is just so much going on, so much to discover and enjoy, so much to share. While last week felt like a hill I could never quite see the top of, this week has flown by in bursts of work, fun, and excitement. Edwin and I had the honor of hosting a really fantastic party for one of Edwin’s favorite brands, Holderness & Bourne at Leon’s. Cocktails via Blade & Bow were flowing, oysters were being shucked, conversation was loud + fun + robust, and all the men got to pick out something new and have it personalized. It was a really, really great night and one that made me feel so grateful to do what I do and to be trusted by really wonderful, high quality, genuine, beloved brands like Holderness & Bourne. I highly recommend both Holderness & Bourne and Blade & Bow whiskey when gifting your husband, dad, and brother this holiday season! We’ve also had fun playdates this week (I am trying to do individual playdates with my boys instead of dragging all of them to see only one of their friends. I’ve found they feel really special just having their own playdate with their own friend.), great home cooked meals (this was a hit on freezing Monday night), and lots in-between. I hope you, too, have had a wonderful week! Let’s get into it, shall we!

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

What to wear for family photos: for you, for your husband, for little boys, and little girls (including what we wore in ours!)

What to wear for Thanksgiving: for a Turkey Trot, for cooking, for a holiday lunch, a dressed up dinner, and Thanksgiving outfits for men!

What to do with 72 Hours in London: two different complete itineraries + my full London travel guide

A fall moodboard you’ll love

what caught my eye

a few quick things

A really special thing my mother and I both collect are the annual Christmas boxes. My grandmother started my mother’s collection and it dates back to the 70s so my mom’s collection is quite large now. Mine is smaller but growing! The 2025 Halcyon Day box is here and so lovely. Snag it for yourself or as the perfect gift for your mother, mother-in-law, or the aunt you pulled in the family Secret Santa that needs nothing.

This weekend in New York!!!

Ask me the best thing I bought this week! It was easily this oxford shirt in white. YOU. WILL. LOVE. IT. Crisp for the holidays. The brand is doing so many good things right now. Case in point, these two coats: this wool coat (looks like Max Mara but at a fraction of the price) and this leopard beauty.

Speaking of leopard, I have a really great leopard edit here. Leopard is definitely THE print of the season.

We have woken up to temps in the 30s this week in Charleston! My boys have made it known they don’t love walking into their bathrooms and feeling the freezing cold tile so I ordered them this chic little bathroom rug (in the 2’ x 3’ size) to keep their toes cozy during morning teeth brushing sessions.

This is my #1 holiday wish list dress! My mom has a brooch in her collection that I envision myself wearing with the dress. Will I make it happen!?

Stop everything you’re doing (yes, even reading this!) because Shoppe Found launched holiday and it is jaw droppingly good.

Pamela Munson released the prettiest collaboration with French heritage brand, D. Porthault and I think the items would make beautiful gifts. I particularly love the picture frames.

New Yorkers! Holiday on Madison is opening so soon. Mark your calendars for Dec. 1st.

PSA: Two x Two, an absolutely charming children’s brand from Spain, is popping up here in Charleston at the Julia Amory store Saturday 11/15. Their new tartan collection is ohhhhhh so cute!

This belt is chic and under $100.

Help! I’m so obsessed with this jacket. My jacket game is weak, at best, and this one is speaking to me!

Charleston Lit Fest is still going on through Sunday with some AMAZING talks left! If you are local, you can see the lineup and get tickets here.

This is the easiest, yummiest holiday hostess gift when you don’t have time for homemade. You can thank me later.

what caught my heart

Mealtime lately has become a time of day I feel anxiety around. Meals that are tougher leave me distracted and reflective for some time afterwards. Three kids, three different personalities to juggle. We’ve gone through difficult eating times before and they are always phases that get worked through. I know this and feel contentment around this truth. Perhaps it is Edwin’s persistence of work travel lately that has left me navigating many meals solo. The work of meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, plating, serving, eating, cleaning again, loading and unloading the dishwasher can build up. I love showing my family love through food but I find that the parts of it I love can be diminished when the experience of mealtime with my kids takes so much out of me. The difficult phase is not the norm; rather, it’s a bit of an outlier experience and maybe that’s why it feels challenging. As with so much in parenting, mealtime can take energy, patience, and love. The love, of course, doesn’t need to be drummed up, it’s the strongest thing in the room but sometimes the patience needs to be willed into existence with a few deep breaths.

We’re in a phase of the kids going through it all with not wanting to sit at the table during mealtime, begging to be excused from the table to go play, looking at food and declaring “I don’t like this,” and going on food strike after come off of being sick and not wanting to eat much.

When a meal feels like a challenge, my heart feels tired. It is caught in a confused state of wondering what I can do differently. I remind myself that the tireless reminders about manners are worth it and important work. I remind myself that my children are grateful for the home cooked meals even if they don’t express it. They will grow up and associate me with food and that food with love. Right? Have you, too, been here before? What has worked for you?

what caught my interest

This is brilliant! How do you track your Christmas gifts? I honestly usually keep an email in my drafts that I just update but the process is flawed, doesn’t leave me as hyper organized as I’d like to be with such a task, and is very basic (aka I usually just write the person’s name and then the link to the gift). Kate Strickler shared her Christmas gift tracker and it’s the tool I didn’t know I was missing but now can’t imagine living without.

All things gifting falls under the category of “the invisible workload of motherhood.” Luckily it is fun and sparks joy but, don’t be fooled, it is work. The thought that goes into each person and each gift, the shopping or the ordering, the wrapping (and the shopping for the wrapping!), the shipping, the card writing, the keeping track of it all - it’s all the moms! I love this Christmas gift tracker because it allows you to keep track of all the Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers by recipient, how much you spent, if they have been wrapped yet, where you hid the gifts, etc. I added in a column for if I had shipped the gifts yet. I like to bleed money at the holidays by writing cards and wrapping everything myself before shipping gifts across the country (this is where the hemorrhaging comes in) because I know it makes the lives of the mom’s I’m shipping to easier and every little bit counts in December. This gift tracker couldn’t have caught my interest faster if it tried!

what caught my imagination

Holiday dressing: sets! I’m a huge dress gal but I’m feeling a big yearning to step out of my comfort zone and push myself to get a little more creative with holiday dressing this year. I love a dress because it’s one piece and, boom, you’re dressed and ready to head out the door. The appeal is there! Sets can be a gorgeous way to accomplish the same feel a head to toe “look” but with a little more intrigue. I’ve been scouring the web and found a few sets I think you might love too to nail the look:

ONE: Satin Embroidered Burgundy Pants or Embroidered Burgundy Midi Skirt with Satin Embroidered Burgundy Jacket

TWO: Black Taffeta Top with Black Taffeta Skirt

THREE: Floral Jacquard Embellished Neckline Top with Floral Jacquard Midi Pencil Skirt

FOUR: Embellished Sweater or Feather Top or Satin Crepe Top with Sequin Skirt

FIVE: Jacquard Belted Tunic Top with Jacquard Cuff Pants

SIX: Cranberry Dupioni Silk Top with Cranberry Dupioni Silk Skirt

SEVEN: Black Dupioni Pants with Black Dupioni Peplum Pintuck Top

what caught my kids

‘Tis the season for Christmas pajamas! My boys have a compulsion to find every pair of holiday pajamas in the world and get them on their bodies. Nothing makes them happier than falling asleep with reindeers dancing across their chests in the form of cozy pjs. Here are our favorites this year:

Timo & Violet Santa’s Cookies - the kids think the prints from Timo & Violet are out of this world fun, including this holiday print!

Petite Plume Holiday Town Pajamas - I love that they look like grandpas walking around the house in these and they seriously get softer with every wash.

LAKE Pajamas Night Before Christmas - It’s not even Thanksgiving yet and these are already on repeat in our house!

Rylee + Cru Skiers - we’re surprising the boys with a ski trip after Christmas and gifting them these pajamas on Christmas morning to tell them the news!

Pink Chicken Gingerbread Men - Henry is so obsessed with these. He loves how stretchy they are!

Hanna Anderson Holiday Plaid Flannel Boys and Girls (I’m sorry but this collar is to die for cute!) - flannel pajamas make me so reminiscent of my childhood!

Smock London Black Watch Tartan for Boys and Girls - as classic as it gets. My boys wearing Smock London pajamas last Christmas while baking our cookies for Santa was a favorite memory of the season.

Pehr Partridge in a Pehr Tree - I so appreciate what they did with the name of these pajamas, ha!

what caught my husband

Edwin sent me this video and said, “I think you’ll think this is funny in light of what we talk about all the time.” I laughed out loud and told Edwin, all you had to say were the two magic words: Miles Teller.

The Catch-Up | Vol 26

Jillian Eversole — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 16:00:47 GMT

Hello friends!

Hello friends! Happy Friday and welcome to The Catch-Up, my weekly column that arrives in your inboxes every week. The Catch-Up consists of everything that has caught my eye, heart, imagination, interest, and family throughout the week. What a few weeks! I’ve been very active and present with my family and life off the internet but less present on the internet. Halloween is such a marathon with kids. We had a GREAT Halloween week that also included stomach bugs, fevers, and ear infections. We bookended the week with trips to the pediatrician on Monday and Friday but celebrated so much in-between with parades, trick-or-treating, class parties, and more. Halloween is my oldest son’s favorite holiday so it’s important to me that I bring the fun for him! I’m coming up for air after more fevers in my house this week + strep for myself and one of my sons. My husband was in New York last week for work, home for Halloween, and then again out of town in North Carolina this week for work. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t running on fumes. I’m not one to “have a day” but I had one this week where I felt so sick it was hard to put one foot in front of the other and solo parent and do everything else. I ate half a bowl of soup for dinner and thanked my lucky stars for Amoxicillin and the prospect of a new day on the horizon. I’m a person who wakes up every morning happy so these types of days rock me to my core.

My mom sent me a delightful quote on happiness this week that really resonated with me:

A big part of being happy is being excited. Be excited for everything, making a cup of tea, seeing a friend, the next episode, buying something you’ve been saving up for, sunsets, traveling, loving your spouse everyday. Live a life you are excited about.

In the name of being excited, here are a few things I am excited for:

Edwin returning home today!!!!!

A girlfriend’s birthday party this evening - cocktails with friends!

Walking to my girlfriend’s house for the party with Edwin and another couple attending

Picking up a gift for the party - I’m going to one of my favorite shops this morning, Elizabeth Stuart, for the gift I have in mind and being there always makes me smile

I texted my girlfriend Chelsea when I was feeling sick and down and said “Saturday morning - want to walk!?” and she simply replied, “Yes!!” Get yourself a Chelsea. :)

Celebrating my mom - technically this already happened right before I went down with being really sick but I was so excited for a belated birthday celebration for my beloved mother last weekend - an evening boat ride with champagne and bites!

Snuggling Peter before heading out tonight

Burning holiday candles!!!!

A playdate this weekend with just Henry and one of his buddies - I love solo activities with just one of my boys

A really special event Edwin and I are hosting next week for a men’s brand Edwin loves, Holderness & Bourne. I feel so grateful to have such fantastic brand partners in my work!

Getting our Christmas card photos back!

A Thanksgiving planning meeting for my boys preschool - I am one of the 4 moms putting on the full-school Thanksgiving feast and at my older two boys’ preschool. Excited to make it great for the cutest kiddos.

A meeting for the Charleston Antiques Show next spring - it’s a joy to be on the committee!

The new tea I ordered

Planting paperwhites. These two are the best bulbs to buy: one, two. Promise.

Thanksgiving planning!

Starting Matilda with my oldest. He loves Roald Dahl.

A fundraiser gala next week I’m outfit hunting for.

I hope you have a lot, big and small, to be excited about in the next few days! Let’s make a terrific fuss about them all - happiness is all around if you look for it!

What you may have missed on the blog this week:

What to wear for Thanksgiving: for a Turkey Trot, cooking, a holiday lunch, a dressed up dinner, and Thanksgiving outfits for men!

What to do with 72 Hours in London: two different complete itineraries + my full London travel guide

An fall moodboard you’ll love

3 creative ways to display memories

Meaningful questions to ask your parents - I love writing more thought provoking posts like this one

what caught my eye

a few quick things

I love a good word of mouth influence - my girlfriend told me her new can’t-live-without beauty item is the Goop Beauty Glow Skin Highlighter Stick so I’m giving it a whirl. I ordered it yesterday in the ‘Aura’ shade, aka a Champagne gold. I could use a little highlight on my skin (why does it already feel like it’s dulling out with the cold weather setting in?).

A really good autumn movie list.

I haven’t worn AYR denim in a few years but I love an old pair that I have so I gave their new styles a look after happily pulling on my well-loved pair earlier this week. I ended up ordering their ‘Legend’ jeans. Apparently they are a thing! So, I’m excited.

A festive and very giftable collab you need to know about: Inslee Fariss x ChappyWrap. Prints for Thanksgiving/fall and for a cozy holiday season. I can smell the outdoor smores roasting now while wrapped in one of these!

PSA: Two x Two, an absolutely charming children’s brand from Spain, is popping up here in Charleston at the Julia Amory store Saturday 11/15. Their new tartan collection is ohhhhhh so cute!

If I found myself in Paris this holiday season, I’d be visiting this exhibit at my favorite museum.

A stunning holiday shoe for under $300. I really love the ‘Khaki’ and the ‘Chocolate’ colors.

what caught my heart

What are you most looking forward to this holiday season? What are the things your heart starts reminding your brain of as you think of what is waiting for you this month and next? I am giddy with anticipation. In the same vein as how I started this post, a big part of being happy is being excited so let’s gather around what’s making us thrilled to bits as the holidays come knocking on our doors…

The first fire waiting to be lit in your family room?

A family recipe card you’re eager to bring out, worn down with love, water marks, oily finger prints, and scribbles in the margins?

The annual viewing of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles during Thanksgiving week or It’s A Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve Eve?

The first batch of cider brewed on your stove, mugs waiting for you on the wood countertop with cinnamon sticks resting on the brim?

The Christmas books waiting for your children (Jan Brett, I’m so looking forward to you) and the holiday coffee table books soon to be adorning your home?

Post-bedtime hands of gin rummy by the tree?

Neighborhood evening walks to see the wreaths, garlands, lights, and the warm window glow from neighbors?

what caught my interest

Cabana came to Charleston earlier this week for a gorgeous pop-up hosted by two of my girlfriends. They hosted a lovely cocktail party and then a two-day pop-up. It’s incredible the caliber of brands that come to Charleston for pop-ups and events. The discovery and chance to meet the founders is such a thrill for me. I love seeing a creative mind at work. The whole affair sparked my interest in holiday tables. I’m feeling torn this year with my inspiration as I’m being pulled in two very different directions - traditional plaids and jewel tones. Cabana definitely made a case for a more unexpected holiday tablescape. Here’s what caught my eye:

Their masterfully designed lead tablecloth for holiday is already sold out and my is it something. It’s even more beautiful in person! Set a notification and hope it comes back in stock. It’s a major heirloom splurge.

Reversible placemats. Again, these sold out so quickly but set an email notification for when they come back in stock.

Tudor-inspired dinner napkins.

Floral magenta dinner plates.

Venetian water glasses. A tremendous splurge but, I will say, one got knocked off the table and hit the ground at the pop-up and it was completely unharmed. The quality is exceptional.

Embroidered cocktail napkins.

I very much realize this is one expensive table but it’s good to dream and fun to play table dress up in your mind.

what caught my imagination

Have you seen this? You’ve definitely seen this. Well, you’re about to see it again! Imagination is alive and well out there! The Hart x RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek Locket is brilliant and just plain cool. I love it on the chord chain but can’t get enough of it either way. Swiping on a fresh lip has never been so effortless.

what caught my kids

I’m so excited to have made the shift in my mind from planning Halloween to planning Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. One thing that should not be overlooked when planning the holiday is planning for kids. Lots of cooking, cleaning, and table setting happens on Thanksgiving and the days leading up to the big feast; it’s never fun to have kids get lost in the shuffle. Growing up, our Thanksgiving break started with a half day on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. However, Charleston schools have the whole week off so I like to plan ahead with simple bits of entertainment here and there so I can successfully roll up my sleeves in the kitchen, enjoy a glass of wine with my mom, put away dishes, or give my mom some supplies while a bunch of us run the turkey trot. Set yourself up for success and order a few of these items for your house or send them on to the grandparents house now. Here are simple and sweet ideas that have worked for me past years and that I plan to roll out again this year…

Surprise balls: Turkeys / Mushrooms / Pumpkins / More Pumpkins / Fall

Coloring Placemats: Happy Thanksgiving / I Am Thankful For

Sensory Kits + Playdough: Gobble and Gather / Turkeys / Fall / More Fall

Crackers: Turkeys / Liberty Fall

Books for Toddlers: The Humble Pie / How to Catch a Turkey / Too Many Pumpkins / Dino-Thanksgiving / The Scarecrow’s Hat

Books for Babies: You’re My Little Pumpkin Pie / Autumn in the Forrest

Puzzles: Turkey Puzzle Toy / Thanksgiving Scene (this is not cute but my kids will love it)

Pajamas: Foxy Forrest / Slumber Party

Lol, this is cute.