Kate's Monthly Take - September 2018

This past week has been a blur with work, school starting, my sons birthday, our block party and my wedding anniversary. With the start of a new season, September in many ways is a chance to hit the restart button and start fresh. I’m always up for the chance to reset, establish a new schedule and get organized but most importantly I’m hoping that my husband and I can take some time for ourselves. Because if I’ve learned anything this year it’s that if we don’t take time for a little self care and fun... a breaking point is just around the corner.

Enjoy my Monthly Take!

Kate's Monthly Take - September 2018

Mood

  • I'm in a purging and de-cluttering mood and I love it. While time consuming it feels so good to cycle through items that we no longer need or use.

Currently Coveting

  • Two days a week I get to do school drop off which means I'm not heading to the office and I get to dress down. I love to be comfortable and Athleta has some of the comfiest most functional athleisure around. This year I'd love to add this Coaster Luxe Sweatshirt to my closet and I'd wear it with my favorite down shell from last year.

Favorite Product

  • A crowd pleaser in my house especially for school lunches is this Skip Hop Thermos. I use it weekly for spaghetti, macaroni + cheese or soup - it's so easy to clean and puts a smile on my daughter's face when she finds it in her lunchbox. In order to ensure warm food hours later I also pour boiling water (from my tea kettle) into the thermos for a couple of minutes before adding food. Don't forget to pour the water out prior to adding food!

Design Pick

  • We've re-modeled much of our current home i.e. new light fixtures, paint, carpeting, redid the wood floors and fully gutted our kitchen and two bathrooms. There is one bathroom that we only updated cosmetically and even thought not a good investment I still fantasize about remodeling it. The old tile and grout especially bother me so if I had my way we would tear out the tile and replace it with cement tile. I'd go with this Atlas design from Cement Tile Shop and pair it with classic white subway tile.

What I'm Reading

  • Ever since our trip to Asheville, North Carolina and the Biltmore House I've been obsessed with learning more about the Vanderbilt family. So I'm reading, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderblit. It's kind of a beast but a super interesting Pulitzer Prize Winning Book about a forward thinker that made a profound impact on the United States.

What We're Reading the Kids

  • Our dinosaur lover got a few new books for his birthday and he is really loving, Dinosaur Bob. It's been around for a while; I remember it from childhood but it's the perfect book for our dino, baseball and music loving son!

Instagram Handle

  • Do y'all follow @mrstreetpeeper? If you're into fashion especially street style photography a la the late Bill Cunninghman; then this account is for you. Phil Oh aka @mrstreetpeeper shoots for Vogue Magazine and his account is especially fun during fashion week.

Guilty Pleasure

  • I know I'm late to the party here, as the entire series has wrapped but I've been really into binge watching The Americans. I've always loved Keri Russell (Felicity was my fave) and her hair is just as amazing as ever in, The Americans. I'm only two seasons in; so no spoilers please!

I Need A Vacation

  • North Carolina was so beautiful to drive through last month and I'd love to explore more of the state. I'm particularly interested in areas around the Blue Ridge Mountains, like Cashiers, North Carolina. I'm hoping that someday we can convince our children to check out Wake Forest and UNC while looking at colleges, because I'd sure like to spend a night or two in Fearrington Village.

Shit My Kids Will Eat

  • Kid Tested & Approved - As it’s fall we recently jumped on the “pumpkin” bandwagon.