The Catch-Up | Vol 14

The magic of childhood summertime, perfect colorful handbags, & classic shorts for your littles

Hello friends!

Happy Thursday and welcome to the fourteenth edition of The Catch-Up, my weekly column that arrives in your inboxes every Thursday. The Catch-Up consists of everything that has caught my eye, heart, imagination, interest, and family throughout the week. So much has caught my eye lately and I’ve been filled with inspiration as the summer season has set in. I live for a changing of the seasons and am embracing summer with arms wide open! My boys have officially been on summer break for a full month and it is already flying by! We’ve made the days special with lots of trips to the pool, homecooked meals, scooter rides to the ocean, playdates, and outings to the beach. I have to say, the four weeks have also flown by because I’ve been in the Bahamas three times throughout the month (we are here now! More on that here). I have lots more to share from the the trips (starting here: one and two) but I’ll be basking in the friendship and family joy from them for a long while. It was also really wonderful to get away with Edwin on the second of the two trips. We left our kids back at the beginning of October for a wedding in Montecito (read my mini Montecito guide here) but haven’t flown the coop since then and it was very welcomed. We’ve been ships passing in the night since (it sounds crazy but is true!) February because of Edwin’s work so the time together was good for the soul.

After being away the first two weekends of our summer, I was thrilled, thrilled, thrilled to be home with my boys afterwards. This was the first time I’ve been away from the kids two weekends in a row since becoming a mother and there was nowhere I wanted to be more in the world than in Charleston with them upon arriving home. The end of May and the month of June are sensational in Charleston - everyone so enjoys this time of summer before the really heavy, hot, swollen air sets in so smiles around town are aplenty. The boys, Edwin, and I marked our first summer weekend all at home with a trip to one of my most favorite historic homes, a morning at the beach, a barbeque, and a pool party. It’s good to be a kid in Charleston right now. No reason not to celebrate that. Really though, I’m just over here reliving the magic of childhood summertime each and every day through my kids.

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 caught my eye

Lots of red, white, & blue bestsellers!

what caught my heart

As I mentioned above, we are in the Bahamas right now, marking my third and final trip in this incredibly lovely string of Bahamas trips. We are here with our kids and no one else. No grandparents, other family, childcare, friends, other kids. Just the five of us. This marks our first trip as a family of five since we had Peter in March of 2024 without traveling with other family, friends, or helping hands. To put it plainly, it feels very special. Edwin and I keep acknowledging that we will remember this trip for a multitude of reasons but also just because it is a big first for us. A mini milestone for our family. Our boys have an appetite for living. They are a gung ho bunch - zealous, earnest, and enthusiastic. They had no idea what it meant to “go to the Bahamas” but they were so excited in the lead up to the trip! Seeing their faces when we arrived at our Exuma rental house for the first time, oof! I wanted to braid my arms around them and never let go of the sight of them against the turquoise waters. My heart is full and, as always, completely caught by my boys.

P.S. For a little home eye candy, more Exuma rentals here and more Bahamas rentals here.

what caught my interest

I have a new obsession that has totally grabbed my attention! Mizele handbags. I discovered the brand on Instagram and I am so taken with their crochet designs. From the clutches to the timeless to the pocket bag to the carré, they are all exquisite. Don’t even get me started on the colors! Perfection. I’m dying to buy one but struggling to decide on which! Thoughts?

what caught my imagination

A few Instagram girlies (they are so much more than this but you know what I mean!) are really inspiring my style lately. They are making me want to expand my imagination around getting dressed and think outside the box. I’m not talking about funky styling or looks only certain women can pull off, which is perhaps why I keep coming back to them. They are all classic but with a twist and beautifully dressed yet with bright personalities shining through. I also think these women completely nail it with accessories, which is a sign of a true style star to me. A few favorites: Maria de la Ora, Ines de Cominges, Martina Mondadori, Camila Vignaud, Vicky Montanari, and Belen Hostalet.

what caught my kids

Short season! There are many opinions on little boy shorts so I thought I’d share our four very most favorite styles: the Bingo Shorts from Oso & Me, the Classic Shorts from Cadets, the Le Club Shorts from Cadets, and the French Terry Shorts from Minnow. These four 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 four 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!

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. See you next Thursday with vol 15! x