Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

I am home from my time away at our church staff retreat, and my mind is still slowly working through all the great conversations and brainstorms. Despite the busy week, I found some fun things to share with you…so enjoy!

Right after Ryan and I were married, I started binge-watching the first season of Downton Abbey. I ended up watching a couple of the seasons and then wandered away, more because of busyness than lack of interest. I know just enough about the storylines and characters to be dangerous and not enough to carry on an informed conversation. But knowing enough made me appreciate this post of a tour of Highclere Castle, where Downton was filmed. Even if you haven’t watched any of Downton Abbey, I think you’ll enjoy this post. (She wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside, but I thought she did a great job describing what she saw, despite the photo rule.) BONUS: If you’re a Downton Abbey fan, you might also like this tour of Michelle Dockery’s home in London! Even if you have no idea who she is, if you love a good accent, watch the tour!

I love a good before/after, and this cottage redo is just that. I don’t have the same decorating taste in every room, but there were many things in here that I thought were just so adorable – like the couch, the kitchen backsplash, and the windowboxes. Cute little place! BONUS: Speaking of a cute, adorable place, look at this one!! WHOA!

I’m not a huge tablescape person…at least yet. We do eat at the table every day, and we use real dishes (and cloth napkins, usually)…but I don’t leave our table set on the regular, because we also use that space for other things. But this is just as cute as it can be. I love the blue!!!

I think this is one of the best posts I’ve ever read about creating a cozy home. I especially love that Heidi doesn’t push her advice toward any certain decorating style. She points out that what looks and feels cozy to one person may not to another. The post guides you through using the five senses to achieve the coziness at home that makes you happy. (Tons of links in there, too!)

We have family photos coming up in just over a month, and I’m so excited that Candace has released her annual family outfit roundup. I actually do get good ideas from her from these, even though we don’t have kids. And it’s just fun to look at clothes! 😊 BONUS: Megan’s series of capsule wardrobes for fall 2025 feature different stores, so you can pick where you like to shop and build from there!

I’m not a pumpkin spice hater, but I’m also not a diehard. I am not one who counts down the days until all the pumpkin spice everything invades all the stuff from coffee to pasta sauce. 😊 BUT! I would be willing to try making this homemade sauce for coffee to see how it tastes.