It’s been almost two years since my last blog post. That fall, I closed my brick and mortar store in Long Beach and had my first child. A lot changed in these past two years. I really didn’t have the time or focus to write about decor and keep the blog going.
Many of you don’t know that Milo was diagnosed with leukemia at three months old. It was devastating and we began a long strenuous path of medical treatment. To say I hate the medical industry and how it treats families is an understatement. Our lives descended into a whirlpool of hospital stays with chemotherapy, researching treatments and seeking out care from hospitals all over the west coast. This past summer we lived in Seattle for two months so that Milo could enroll in a clinical trial.
I’m happy to say that the past few months have been peaceful. Milo is in remission. We’ve been able to settle back into our Long Beach apartment. To experience all this in the midst of COVID-19 has been draining, but we’ve been able to have a lot of time at home together as a family. We’re looking forward to Milo’s 2nd birthday this December, a small quiet celebration much like his first birthday.
So that’s where I’ve been the past couple of years. Adjusting to being a mom in a jarring way. My Instagram account has remained active yet slower, lots of photos of Milo but home decor is still my focus. Since closing the brick & mortar, the online shop has remained open and I am adding new inventory. I still contribute to different publications like AphroChic. There will be another feature for Food Network Magazine’s December issue in its holiday gift guide.
Today marks Planning Pretty’s eighth anniversary. On November 5th, 2012 I had little idea what creating a blog could bring. Joe and I had just married just two months prior. I wanted to share my love of home decor, DIY projects and baking. Many of you have traveled along this journey from the start and I want to thank you for that support. I am grateful for the new followers as well as those that maybe didn’t get a chance to read the blog when it was most active. Since returning from Seattle, I’ve wanted this creative outlet again. To write about decor, recipes, lifestyle and my personal journey. This time with more ease, grace and intention.
I hope you all will enjoy the return of the blog. It’s going to be different this time around. I won’t post every single day, but I will share ideas, products and brands that truly align with where I am now. Life forced me to slow down, stop reaching for perfection and to sit still. I do that a lot now, resting quietly with tea in hand. I look for decor that inspires me on a deeper level than just following trends. I am deep in study of how nature and our intuition intersect and using that to create spaces that we love. I grew very tired of seeing the same type of spaces from the same type of people over and over again. It has been refreshing to see a shift in the design industry in 2020 and I hope the expansion and inclusion of different perspectives continues.
To stay current with Planning Pretty and new posts, Instagram is always the most up to date. I also have the newsletter, where you can subscribe and automatically receive updates via email. I offer a discount code to the online store when you first sign up and will release sales to this community as well. I hope that this space will inspire you to make big and small changes in your own homes. Everyone deserves to live in an environment that makes them feel well. There is so much available now in the world of decorating and much of it is accessible with planning and time. I stand by what I’ve always believed. Not money, nor skin color should dictate how well we get to live. Design is for all.
As for that big reveal you all are wondering to know, well here it is. We FINALLY bought a house. Not at all what you’d think or where you would think. Not what I thought our first home would be either to be honest, ha! Yet somehow it makes sense, for the time and place where we’re at now. It’s the good news that we’ve needed. Something to set us in a fresh direction as a family.
More details and photos in my next post! Our journey to home ownership has been a long one. This is going to be one heck of a project, but the setting is lovely and peaceful. It is a wonderful place to be restored.
