A Soft Cuts Kind of Summer

Travel, recipes, feelings, third trimester favorites and the not so favorites

I started “Soft Cuts” last year and posted an article monthly for most of the year. It consisted of me sharing my favorite things about each month. It was more of a reflection and I chose five points to lean into. Creating, listening, pondering, wearing, and keeping. I shared music, reads, podcasts, products, inspiration, designs, travel, and more. I have had less time on my hands to keep up with the monthly posting of Soft Cuts and have felt more inspired to write other articles in between. I’ve decided to follow a similar prompt, but have felt a desire to switch it up this time!

I am sitting down on my couch with a freshly lit Ranger Station candle. Currently burning the High Horse scent. I am pulling up my Substack and diving back into this newsletter. I will still be about things I am creating, thinking about, listening to, learning, loving, cooking, and looking forward to. A place to jot everything down. Troy asked me the other day to write down things that give me joy and calm my body and writing on Substack is one of them. So Soft Cuts summer edition if you will.

Here are my Summer mood boards of course…

Stripes, bright orange, rolls with butter, layered beads, cardamon buns, stars, baskets in rooms, baskets on tables, baskets as serve ware, baskets in nursery, summer pastas, pesto, white dresses, flip flops, painted lamps, painted dressers, painted book shelfs, burgers, a striking green bag, ice cream and lots of it, whimsical nursery sourcing, garden parties, long walks, landscaping your backyard, collecting assorted pillows, taking a big break, coffee with a friend, pregnancy ball, grilling, fireflies, panko crusted chicken, caesar salad and fries, assorted lampshades on a table, accessories and a white t, and snipping fresh florals from your own yard.

Third Trimester Reflections

I entered the third trimester more than a few weeks ago now. It was right as I was returning from a trip to Europe. I had cankles the size of Texas on my return flight home and felt the immediate shift into exhaustion and pelvic pain. My energy from second trimester is gone and I miss it, but I am more and more ready for what is ahead. It is funny to me how the shift into each trimester is pretty instant. I know everyone’s experiences are different, but it has kind of blown my mind the transition between it all. As I start to think about nesting and entering motherhood soon, I am reflecting so much on my life and what is ahead. I have reflected on the past and have felt more compassion towards myself in the process. I have been learning to love myself better and that feels good. I have also been grieving my life before this season and that has been full of nostalgia and emotion.

In this season I have been struggling to stay creative, motivated, and just interested. I have felt really protective over my peace and space lately. I have been pushing myself to show up for my business and my art. I have also been taking a break. I have felt a low capacity for anything that feels soul sucking. I have never really been wired like this, I usually over extend and do the most. Lately, I have been more certain about my needs. More sure of my creative needs. Maybe it is naturally molding me into the person I want to be.

Clothing has been kind of hard in this heat. I don’t really want anything touching me right now. I have been wearing a lot of the same thing, which has felt kind of nice. A lot of sweat shorts, activewear, t-shirts, button ups, and just like honestly whatever fits and feels good on my skin. Having an established bump has been easier to style.

My body image journey took a hard turn when I became pregnant. I feel like lately I have leveled out mentally a little bit and have experienced more acceptance towards myself in this season, especially because now I just feel flat out pregnant. and flat isn’t the word. It really is such an intense season of change for women and I think we are expected to represent the beauty and miracle of it all and show up like we aren’t feeling any different, rather than feeling all of the emotions it brings. It is allowed to be beautiful and it is allowed to feel hard.

My goal is to continue to love my body through the rest of the third trimester and to love it through postpartum without having the “bounce back” mentality. I would hate to look back at such a special season of postpartum and time with my son and it be full of regret because I cared more about how I looked more than soaking up time I won’t get back.

So in all irony I am sharing a link to my ShopMy and it has my pregnancy favorites that have made me feel comfortable and taken care of. Items that have felt good on my body and have provided a level of self care that I desire in this season.

New York

Troy and I get to travel to New York a lot because several of our best friends live there. We stay consistent with seeing each other and it is really sweet. This was our last trip to New York before our baby gets here and it was so sweet to have a shower with our New York friends. My girls hosted us a beautiful Peter Rabbit themed shower and it was really special. I did not leave New York without a La Cabra cardamon bun. I am in love with Molly and Hudson’s backyard and this carrot cake from Lucie. A sweet evening we won’t ever forget!

Also, everyone talks about the cardamon bun at La Cabra and I obviously understand why, but don’t sleep on the sesame bread, butter, and cheese either.

London

Pictures from our trip to London!

Aix En Provence

Pictures and floral design from our trip to the South of France!

Loved this elegant, whimsical, and classic bridal bouquet!

Paris

Troy and I spent a couple days in Paris together to end our trip. We ate at restaurants, visited coffee shops, and went to the French Open together. We stayed at Hotel Bourg Tibourg, which was a small boutique hotel in between 3rd and 4th Arr. A beautiful and convenient area for walking to everything. Hotel was small, but expected in France and still very cozy. For this trip, we didn’t do much other than eat, shop, and rest.

Nursery Progress

I plan to come back to this on a separate article with more design details. So far here are some of my favorite items we’ve purchased or have added to a registry. I had taken a really large pause on the nursery due to work, travel, and changes with our house. I have been narrowing down decisions in my brain. I could truly go so many different directions and sometimes the key to being stuck is trusting your gut, choosing what you love, and moving forward with a decision. So far, the room is bright yellow. I wanted something loud and fun. I sourced this vintage ship light from an antique store that matches perfectly.

I ordered this crib in vintage iron yesterday from Namesake and have this bassinet from Pottery Barn. I will put it next to our bed. I found it used on FB marketplace and saved like $300. Always check marketplace. From there I have been gifted some really special items for the room and will be sourcing more furniture soon. I plan to source a vintage dresser to use as a diaper changing table and pair it with this nursery chair from Crate and Barrel. The room feels a little dark until we get some lighting hung, but this chair is definitely my favorite purchase. It is so comfortable. It glides and rocks and has back support all while being something we can keep long term. Has storage in the ottoman as well!!!

Summer Recipes

I don’t really have recipe links for you, just inspiration. I have been loving eggs, sourdough, and avocado lately. Lots of butter and raspberry jam on my sourdough. I’ve been wanting chicken salad every day. I eat it on salads, bagels with cucumber and dill. I’ve been making date smoothies in my third trimester and eating lots of fresh berries, kiwi, and fruits. Drinking raspberry leaf tea and trying to eat beef, which is hard for me. I don’t like Steak. I don’t care if it is the “best steak you’ve ever had, I swear you’ll like this cut”, I have hard it a thousands times, and I just won’t like it.

I need my water to have ice filled to the brim. I feel like a Bartlesville mom who goes to sonic for a route 44 iced bev every day after dropping the kids off at school. I can say this because I am from Bartlesville. You’re going to love or either hate how I list out these recipes. I never follow recipes. I watch reels or videos or skim over the blog and from there I guess the amount I think I need. I kind of learn by trial and error of making the meal a couple of times. I learned this from my father. I hate instructions. When people give me instructions I pretend to read them. Unless you are my boss, then I am reading them.

So bear with me, I am not trying to be a cook book blog of a Substack. Just sharing what is bringing me some joy right now.

Some Favorite Recipes:

Dates Bites: Peanut butter and dark chocolate chips scooped onto dates.

Date Smoothie: Strawberries, spinach, protein powder, chia seeds, almond milk, cinnamon, scoop of peanut or almond butter, banana, ice.

Zucchini Kale Pasta: 1 Roasted zucchini, 2 handfuls of kale, 1 shallot, and 1 clove of garlic on a pan, blended with half a cup of bone broth, a few dashes of olive oil , salt and pepper, creating a sauce over your favorite pasta noodles. Add water or cream to make the sauce to your liking. Add goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, or parm if you want to get wild.

Sweet Potato Hash: Roasted sweet potatoes, choice of protein (chicken sausage, ground beef with a ton of seasoning, or ground turkey sausage), mixed greens with balsamic and olive oil, fresh avocado, and goat cheese. PRO TIP: sometimes I have left over sauce from the zucchini kale pasta dish and I save it for this meal as a drizzle on top.

Ground Chicken or Turkey Caesar Wraps: Chop up romaine and mixed greens or kale (your choice), buy or make your favorite caesar dressing, toss with fresh dill, salt and pepper, spread the raw ground chicken or turkey onto the base of a tortilla and season the top of the meat, lay meat down on pan with some avocado or olive oil and cook until the meat is thoroughly cooked and it is a cooked layer of meat over the tortilla, add your crunchy salad and fold the wrap like a taco. This recipe is all over instagram if you need more guidance you’ll find it.

Chicken Salad Bagel: Chicken salad either homemade or store bought, a protein bagel or regular, freshly cut cucumber, fresh dill, with salt and pepper. Side of mixed greens with some balsamic and olive oil. PRO TIP: Add a probiotic cream cheese, goat cheese, OR cottage cheese to the base of the bagel for extra protein.

Last but not least, I am adding a summer playlist and a few books that I have been reading.

1. Nurture - I am loving this book. A few friends have told me about it and have gifted it to me. It goes through each trimester and I’ve learned so much from it so far. Currently reading as I am in each trimester and feeling empowered.

2. The mindful path to self-compassion - I struggle with guilt and self compassion towards my needs and towards my choices. This has made me feel more decisive, it has been freeing and helpful when I emotionally spiral or feel destructive in my own thoughts. It has not only given me more confidence in myself, but even more compassion for others.

   

   

   This article feels more like a jumbled up update with tons of photos. I look forward to looking back at this post and remembering this season of life. Time with Troy, traveling with friends, carrying my son in my belly, and being with people I love.

   

   

   

   Wishing you a happy and restful summer full of hope and peace.
   
   Love,
   Abby Jane