The Change of Season...

Thank you for all of the lovely welcome back messages. It means so much to me that 1. you are excited to visit my blog again and 2. you gave me such grace to have the time I needed to get life in order after leaving QVC/Pennsylvania and moving to Florida.

As I pondered just exactly what I would write about if I reignited the blog, I turned to my conversations with you!

If you were to take a look at my social media DM's you would see a pattern of questions that I receive on the daily. The typical questions are: what are you wearing, what xx beauty product do you recommend, when are you going to do a tour of the house? I'm always happy to answer these questions, so feel free to ask away.

With that said combined with a bit of soul searching, I decided that my comeback blog would be a combination of fun, whimsical storytelling (like the love story, but more about every day life), combined with recommendations of products and places I'm loving and wish to share with you. Eventually I plan to create an easy to access list of my favorite products broken down by category, so they will be accessible to you with or without reading the full blog posts. All of this is a work in progress, and I invite you to share your feedback with me as the blog grows and transforms. After all, it's for you!

In full transparency, I do make a small (and I mean small) commission on the links that I post.

Elise, JJ and Milo on the boat

Now, on to the fun stuff...

Summer has always been my favorite season. Now that I live in Florida, I do get to experience the warm summer air pretty much year round. However, there is just something so magical about Summer. Is it the memory of being a kid and having popsicles poolside with friends, is it the excitement of going on a family vacation, is it the sensation of dipping into warm ocean waters, does it bring back memories of when I met my love...what makes it so special? I can't quite put my finger on it, because I think it might be all of those things and then some.

Now, I realize we haven't had the Summer Solstice yet, but for all intensive purposes, it feels like Summer in Miami, so I'm going with it.

Last Summer JJ and I were building our pool. My goal was to be in the pool before Summer ended. I think we met the deadline (I can't quite remember), regardless, we haven't spent many days since without going in it.

We decided to keep the pool quite simple in both design and color. It reflects a gorgeous turquoise color water and we lined the edge with a simple, clean white tile. Around the pool we opted for a natural stone called coralstone. I love this stone, because you can actually see imprints of shells and coral. It's perfect for tropical locations.

It was also important for us to have a 'beach' or 'tanning ledge' which is basically a fancy name for a very shallow area of the pool. We need this, because Milo LOVES to swim and being that he's only about a foot in height, we wanted him to be able to jump in and jump out. Well let me tell you, he swims every single day. He'll even throw a toy in the pool just to have to go in and 'save it.' Who knew we had a water dog on our hands. He cracks us up and even at 8.5 years old is so full of energy and a zest for life. (Side note, I love that he swims, as this is a therapy I used to do with him in the bathtub in order to help his knee post surgery).

Would you believe that we haven't ordered our patio furniture yet? We do know what we want, so that's a start. We also still need to build the outdoor kitchen, which may happen this year, or possibly into next year as life is a bit busy at the moment.

In the meantime, I have been decorating the pool area and backyard with tropical plants and flowers. If you've seen any of my Instagram or Tik Tok stories, you know that the iguanas and I have been fighting over who gets to hang out in the zen garden portion of the yard. Us or them. So far the iguanas are winning.

Mandevilla

After quite a bit of trial and error, I have found a few plants that seem to be iguana proof. My favorite flowers that have been able to survive hungry iguanas (and it's probably just because these are so close to the house) are the mandevillas. (Here's a similar one) We potted them with a couple climbing sticks so they could climb and we are hoping that eventually they will grow to connect with each other. Another plant that's working, based on the recommendation of Carolyn Gracie, is milkweed. The bonus with milkweed is all the butterflies we now attract.

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This Summer our goal (should have been to finish the backyard, but it wasn't) was to get a boat. It just so happened that the right boat came along at the right time for us, and we went for it. To say we're enjoying it is an understatement. I'll definitely write some blogs about where we go and what you need to bring with you in order to have a successful day on the water. I've learned a lot in the short time that we've been boating. Of course, I've always loved being on the ocean. I often say that the best job I ever had was working on Crystal Cruises. However, that sort of boating aka cruising, is quite different than the one we do now.

Every time JJ and I go out on the water I ask him to drive by the Miami Cruise Terminal. We love to sail past the massive ships and imagine where they are off to. I wave to passengers sitting on their balconies, knowing that they are about to embark on an amazing vacation and it brings me back to such a special time in my life.

More on the boat in a future blog. The boat is not only fun for us, it serves as a symbol of deep gratitude for myself and freedom for JJ.

I’m not sure what it is about this particular Summer, maybe it's because I'm finally settled in, but for some reason, I am ready for an overhaul - a big freshen up to my hair, makeup, and summer wardrobe.

I get a slight excitement in my body with every season change. Maybe that’s something innate to being human, or maybe it’s just me? Not sure.

Anyway, here are some of the start to summer ‘treat myself’ finds (and essentials) that I’ve been enjoying and you may as well.

I’ve been very into sets lately. I just feel like it’s an easy and quick way to look and feel very pulled together without much thought or planning.

A set I ordered and am so excited to get is this little black and white crochet top and shorts set. I should get it this week and I think it'll look adorable over any swimsuit one or two piece.

Another set I picked up is this crochet set. It comes in 13 colors and is the perfect vacay cover up! For reference, I’m 5’2” and a half and I’m wearing it in the small (I wish they had an XS) and the color I bought is called Apricot. The pants are a bit too long for me, so I need to roll the waistband or get the pants hemmed (or wear a wedge). This is a fairly normal occurrence for anyone in the petite height range. I’m typically a 30” inseam for point of reference.

Under this cutie cover up, I am wearing a swimsuit that I bought at Target.  Here is the TOP and here are the BOTTOMS. I appreciate that you can buy them as separates as I’m not the same size on top and bottom.  

The sandals I’m wearing here are from Sam Edelman. I love them so much, I’ve actually bought them twice. I am wearing them in the Gold Leaf. They take a little breaking in and then they will be your most comfortable cute sandal. I’ve taken these on vacation and walked all over cities in them and I’ve worn them out to a beachy dinner. I consider them very versatile in that way. They have a few colors, but I just continue to gravitate to the Gold Leaf.

The sunglasses are rather large in size and cover a good portion of my face, which I like as I'm always trying to keep sun off my face and eye area as much as possible.

Speaking of swimsuits, I honestly can't believe the prices of the designer suits these days. It's incredible that suits can cost $400 or so... Afterall, it's going to get sunscreen all over it, maybe salt, sand, chlorine and most likely stretch out over time...so here's a few alternatives to the high end designer suits that I've bought recently and enjoyed. These are reasonably priced, cute, comfortable and flattering.

Blue Floral Swimsuit

The white and blue floral suit in the first photo, has a cute little ruffle which I was drawn to, a tie up back which makes it adjustable and tummy control (but not the I can't breathe type). (Wearing a size Medium) In this photo you can also get a good look at the coralstone and Milo's tanning ledge, which I'm borrowing. :)

Elise and Milo

Blue Floral Swimsuit

The multicolored suit  pictured below has a flattering cut to it and definitely provides tummy control. If you're between sizes, I would size up as it's a snug fit. I'm wearing it in a size medium. These photos were taken at Billy's point outside of Miami.

I always get asked about the hat I'm wearing in several of the photos. It's a wide brimmed hat so it has better sun coverage than others I've used. It does have a velcro closure in the back which I like for adjustability, but you do have to be careful to hook it precisely so it doesn't snag your hair. It rolls up easily so it's super simple to pack for vacay.

One more cover up, because I've been very into blue and white lately. I think I've got Greece on the mind (no, we don't have trip there planned, but I think it's always in the back of my mind). A dress cover up is a super easy way to deal with the heat and humidity of Summer. Throw it on with your fav sandals, hat, sunnies, and out the door you go. This one doesn't have any stretch to the fabric, but it's a flowy style, which makes the stretch not as necessary. The sandals are Steve Madden and still available and the bag is from ASOS and no longer available. I am linking a similar bag here.

And probably the most important thing I'll write about today is SPF!! You know I love skincare, so this was an exciting discovery!

I finally found it – I found the body sunscreen I’ve been looking for!  This is a brand that I used to present about 8 years ago on QVC’s Beauty IQ channel. I enjoyed their product line and formulas back then and still use their Golden Body oil when I’m trying to look like a Golden Goddess. The formula has changed a bit since I presented it, but I like the newer version even more.

OK – back to the sunscreen. It's called the Golden Sunglaze Sheer Body Mist. For starters, I cannot even believe how yummy the scent is. Kopari says it's guava, to me, it’s like juicy tropical candy sprinkled with sugar crystals. It’s so intoxicating. The way it sprays out in a fine mist is perfection and the golden laydown on the skin is dreamy. This is the first time in my life that I have wanted to wear body sunscreen. 

Kopari Body SPF

To be honest, I have no problem wearing face spf every single day. I’ve trained and conditioned myself to do so, and this is the one I use, but body is another story. I’ve been concerned about this for a while, even wearing long sleeves in Florida to try to cover up some days and reduce sun exposure. I just couldn't find a body sunscreen that was effective, comfortable, beautiful and smells amazing. I think I found it! They do also have a set where you can get a Rose Gold Sunscreen and the Golden Goddess Sunscreen. This and the spf 50 face mist will be my next purchases. I love it so much, I was inspired to make a short 20 sec video below to show you what it looks like in the bottle and on the skin. Dreamy...

My Favorite Body SPF for Summer 2025

So, here's a few finds to get Summer kicked off early. I'll just be over here in all my Summer glory as I patiently wait for the June 20, Summer Solstice.

In the meantime, more Summer finds and lots more Summer stories on the way...

xo,

elise