From the Front Porch

Several years ago, I worked part-time in the prettiest shop.

It was part home décor, part boutique, and part design services.

But all of it was part of the owner’s big dreams.

With just about an hour left in the workday, I was checking off the remaining items on my to-do list when I saw a customer pull into the parking lot.

I was almost at the front of the store when she opened the door and said, “Girls, I need your help. I’ve left my favorite shawl at my apartment in New York. We’re headed to Europe for Thanksgiving tomorrow and I don’t want to be cold on the plane. Do you have anything I can take with me?”  

As luck would have it, I had just restocked our inventory of Barefoot Dreams merchandise.

This was before the line was sold at places like Nordstrom and as an exclusive boutique retailer, we frequently sold out of their most popular items.

“These are so soft,” she said running her fingers down the arm of one of the cardigans. “They’re one of our best sellers,” I heard the owner reply behind me.

“I can certainly see why,” the lady said. “My Mom would love one of these and my daughter-in-law would too. I’ll take some for the crew as well.”

By the time she had finished combing through the rack, we not only had stacks of shawls but stacks of cardigans, pajama sets, socks, and Linnea candles as well.   

I was busy wrapping everything in tissue paper when she said, “The baby! I completely forgot the pilot’s wife just had a little one. You don’t sell baby items that are as soft as these shawls by chance, do you?”  

We could barely hide our excitement as we helped her put a gift basket for the baby along with the rest of the packages into her car.

It was our largest sale of the week.

“Thank you for taking such good care of me. I thought I was coming in for a single shawl, but you’ve helped me put together extra special gifts for the people I care about to enjoy. Remember, money will come and go but kindness and respect will last forever. Don’t forget to pay your blessings forward.”  

As I flipped the sign on the door over from open to closed, I said aloud, “I wonder how she knows so many flight crew members? Maybe she has a family member who works at Delta.”

The store owner burst into giggles and said, “Those gifts weren’t for a Delta flight crew, they were for her flight crew. You know, the flight crew on her plane.”

She let that sentiment hang in the air a bit and then said, “You have no idea who that was, do you?”

I must confess I did not.

But looking back, there were glaringly obvious signs she lived a privileged life.

The gold buckle on her loafers, the little crown on her watch, the size of her tennis bracelet, the polo insignia on her cable knit sweater, her flawless skin, and the weight of her AmEx card.

All things someone else might have picked up on immediately.

But there wasn’t a single ounce of pretension when she came into the store.

So, to me, she simply looked like one of the many soccer moms or grandmas I’ve encountered over the years.

The next day, we received an extra-large bouquet of flowers thanking us again for our help and wishing us a Happy Thanksgiving.

It was another bright spot in a holiday week she had single-handedly managed to save.  

I learned so many things from working in that little shop but one of the most valuable was how important it is to treat everyone with kindness and respect.

Because “rich” takes on a lot of different forms these days.

But kindness is an abundant currency with unlimited potential.

So, don’t forget to pay your blessings forward.

As always, I’ll be cheering you on.

PS: Sending so much love to our military families and veterans today. We’re getting ready to honor Veterans Day in the US tomorrow and I know a lot of you around the world will be commemorating Remembrance Day.

Thank you to all the men and women who bravely fought for our freedom and thank you to the families who served and sacrificed alongside them. We’re lifting you up!

A Few of Our Favorite Things from Around the Web This Week…

Beautiful Home and Garden Tours:

• This Provençal Lakehouse from designer Kara Childress is gorgeous.
• This Valley View Homestead project from the design team at Remedy Design Firm makes me want to find a way to incorporate gorgeous beams into our home ASAP. They add such a beautiful layer of texture and architectural interest.
• Have you seen this Santa Barbara home from JDP Interiors yet? It’s so warm and inviting.
• Everything Heidi Callier Design does makes me want to snuggle up and this San Francisco Pied a Terre is no exception.
• Your Home is the Key to Manifesting Your Goals: Here’s How to Decorate Accordingly (via The Everygirl – even if you’re not into manifesting, I think you’ll appreciate these tips)

Seasonal Inspiration:

• The ladies from the Supper Club hosted a Thanksgiving Pie Party and it was so cute! I hope we can recreate something similar to Jen’s for our Thanksgiving too.
• This Fall tablescape from Maison de Cinq is one of my all-time favorites if you’re still looking for inspiration.
• Currently obsessed with this Fall Playlist from The Everyday Parisian
• My uber-talented friend, Anna of Sky Lark House painted the cutest wooden mushroom ornaments this week.
• And my fabulous friend Rachel from the Ponds Farmhouse is in full Christmas mode and always puts together the most unique Christmas tree ideas.

Health and Wellness Inspiration:

• 12 Types of Tea to Drink When You Have a Cough
• The 80/20 Principle: How to Achieve More With Less
• A Little Guide to Glimmers (via Swiss Miss – I’m seeing them everywhere now!)

Style Inspiration:

•  Loved this interview with Ashlynn Park on attention to detail and how she defines luxury via W Magazine.
• 2023 Marie Claire Game Changer Beauty Award Winners
• How to Write the Perfect Thank You Note (via Veranda)

Simple Pleasures and Little Luxuries:

• Can you even with this sweet gift idea!
• Speaking of fabulous gift ideas, have you seen this one yet? I love that you can customize it.
• Given our home is filled with transferware and ironstone, I promised myself I wouldn’t find anything new to collect but then I fell in love with this collection.

If You’ve Missed Anything from the Blog or the Archives Recently, Here’s a Peek At What We’ve Been Up To…

Blush and Champagne Christmas Tree

Simple Jeweled Christmas Ornaments

Vintage Dresser Gift Wrap Station

Personalized Watercolor Gift Tags

2023 Holiday Gift Guides (244 Gift Ideas to Explore!)

You can find last week’s From the Front Porch post here. It’s all about prepping for the holidays if you missed it!

Organizing the Week Ahead…

Words to Live By:

Dates to Celebrate:

• 11/11 Veterans Day and Remembrance Day
• 11/14 International Girl’s Day
• 11/17 National Homemade Bread Day

Weekly Simplified and Organized Home Challenge Task:

• Confirm Thanksgiving Menu/Grocery Shopping

3 Simple Ways to Celebrate the Season:

• Fly the Flag and Take Dad to Lunch for Veteran’s Day
• Decorate the House for the Holidays
• Shop an Outdoor Antique Event

Packing Essentials We Spotted Online at Amazon This Week…

(Amazon affiliate links have been provided for your convenience. As an Amazon and Impact Media Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Any sales made through such links will support us with a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read our full disclosure policy here)

**Check for additional notes down below

**Luggage Set * Brush Holder * Track Suit * AirTags * **Water Bottle

AirTag Holder * Weekender * Travel Bottles * **Soft Touch Sweater * Travel Steamer

**Packing Cubes * Luggage Tags * Makeup Bag * Hair Tools Travel Case * Tote

Electronics Organizer * Shoe Bags * AirTag Card Holder * **Pill Organizers * **Hair Dryer Bag

Passport Holder * Travel Jewelry Case * **Purse Organizer * Travel Adapter * **Clear Organizers

• **I have this luggage set and the color is more off-white than pure white
• **Recently arrived and love so far
• **This sweater is so soft, I have it in several colors.
• **Gifted this set of packing cubes to one of my sisters and she loves them
• **I use the beige color and keep Piper’s meds in the pink one
• **They have this hair dryer bag at the cabin and we need one for Loblolly too
• ** My parents loved this purse organizer so much, my Mom has one for her purse and my Dad keeps one in his truck
• ** I just got these and love how easily they’ve organized my morning and evening skincare routine. The only problem is that they smell very strong of plastic at first.

As always, we appreciate you more than you could ever know, and we hope your weekend is peace-filled and relaxing.  We can’t wait to share even more with you next week!

Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.


Many blessings,

CoCo