May Updates on Mackinaw Road
May flew by just as we suspected it would. What a fun month!! Our plants are finally blooming and we get to be outside considerably more than previous months. Here is a round up of a few May Updates including new dishes, a book, what I planted (and window box sources), a cottage paint update (of course), and some May outfits.
**DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links and photos, meaning that if you click and purchase, I may receive some compensation. Thank you!
May Updates: New Everyday Dishes
Does anyone else buy themselves a Mother’s Day gift? This year, we were in need of some new everyday dishes so I went for it. I love the soft linen color of these Crate & Barrel dinner and salad plates. Everyone in our family loves the bowls too for anything from pasta to oatmeal to salads. A few arrived damaged and Crate & Barrel’s customer service was super easy to navigate, very helpful, and efficient. We had replacement dishes sent to our house within about a week. I was impressed!
May Updates: Book
I just finished Malibu Rising and think this would be a great summer read! If you’ve been with me awhile, you know I love historical fiction with a lot of character development and also love California (just in general and always). This book takes place in one night but spans decades in the memories of the characters.
May Updates: Planters & Window Boxes
I had a great morning going to a local nursery with my friend and neighbor! There were so many options. I ended up getting the below for our window boxes. I can’t find the exact link to our window boxes, but these look to be similar. I also love this one for the beach cabin someday. I attempted to plant shade flowers and plants since our neighborhood has quite a bit of leaf coverage in the summer. I also planted impatiens up the walk.
Then, I felt like I needed a bit more color so I hit up yet another local nursery to pick up an azalea and a couple coral bells for the front garden beds.
The rhododendron in our front planters did very well throughout May. Unfortunately, they are fading fast so I plan to switch those out soon and bring them to plant in the ground at the Beach Cabin.
Our peonies are interesting. One peony plant has a ton of buds, but two others don’t seem to have any. This had me questioning whether I was growing peonies or pretty-leafed weeds (I may be speaking from experience). I saw on a social media post that the iPhone now has the ability to look up unknown plants. Giving it a try, I took a photo of the plant. Then, I pulled up the photo and swiped up. Sure enough, there was a Look Up- Plant Tag/Icon. I clicked on it and it brought up the Peony plant. Whew! I guess I just need to work on my plant patience.
I have started to keep all of the tags for the perennials that I plant in our yard. It is fun to add to the collection slowly. This year, I really tried to focus on Early Spring Blooms. It is nice to have to tags to check on when the plants should be blooming, how big they should get, etc. to make sure they are on track for growth and overall health.
(You can click on the affiliate photos below to shop the planters and window boxes mentioned above.)
May Updates: Beach Cabin Exterior Updates
I am hopeful that the exterior painting will begin in June. Given all this time, I have naturally changed my mind yet again. (You can check out last month’s choices in this post.) Here are the updated options that West Eggs Designs drew up for me. I have a dream favorite (like how I originally pictured it) and a practical/considering all the factors/adulting favorite.
May Updates: Outfits
Below are a few outfits I’ve been loving this month.
For the first time in forever, we have some events this summer that lean toward formal. I did some online perusing and put together some options. Items are linked below via the affiliate photos.
LTK Top May Performers
Below are the Top Performers/Most Clicked on Items from May. You can click on the affiliate photo to be taken to the items. Last month, I mentioned having just purchased the sneakers. After wearing them all month, I can attest to their comfort. They’re great!
