Things are about to change here at Four Palms!

We returned from Summer Vacation with a little souvenir! Let us call it a BIG surprise…shocking! Four Palms is getting a 5th palm, baby boy is arriving in Spring 2024. I’m not going to lie when I say Tom and I were happy and content with our two girls and had no plans of adding to our family, but the Universe had other plans. After 2 months of horrible morning sickness and anxiety, I have faith that everything will be OK.

With the new addition comes new challenges with our current space. Moving is non-negotiable as we love our neighborhood. Adding space is the only logical way forward. Tom works from home so a dedicated office is a must, along with a 4th bedroom. we’re in the very beginning phases of this new design adventure and I can’t wait to bring you along with us!

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A Quiet Sarasota Christmas 2023!

With our life-changing news of baby #3, we decided to stay home this Christmas just the 4 of us and enjoy a quiet time together. The house was cozy, and we ate a lot! I baked for weeks leading up to the big day mostly cookies (and I’m by no means a baker) total sugar cravings! The kids have enjoyed my slight sugar addiction, especially frozen cocoa!

We visited some of our favorite spots like Palma Coffee, Florence & the Spice Boys, and Wild Child (St. Pete) over break. Along with trying some new places like Tzeva located in Art Ovation and PigFish at Calusa Brewing their Fish Sandwich only served on Wednesday was out of this world paired with a side of malt vinegar and sea salt potatoes! If you follow me on Instagram you know my love for food and lots of stories of it!

So all in all though Christmas Vacation in Florida looked very different than our loud, crazy days back in NJ we made the best of this year and Facetime helps!

My mom always made candy cane cookies, can’t break tradition!
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Hello Coco!

Welcome to your new home at Four Palms! Tom and I have always dreamed of owning a vintage car so when the opportunity presented itself we went for it! Coco is a 1982 Mercedes-Benz 380 SL. We found her in NJ and had her shipped down, looking forward to getting her road ready. Side note, we name all our cars…Coco joins Pepper and Manchego.

Date night never looked so good!

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Fall Fashion in Florida.

This will take some getting used to! Today’s October temperature is 85 degrees! Gone are the days of cozy Fall sweaters at least for me. So how does one add Fall Fashion to your wardrobe in warm/hot climates? I have a few thoughts. Tank tops are still a must and high-waisted jeans are a current favorite of mine. I paired this look with some awesome camel-colored clogs I found at Anthropologie. The jeans were on clearance at Target for $20! Matched the clogs to a vintage belt that was my mom’s and out the door I went for a Pumpkin Picnic with my Maisie!

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But Where’s The Pool?

One thing we promised ourselves if/when we moved to Florida was a home with a pool! Total deal breaker if we didn’t see that pool…well here we are at Four Palms with no pool! So the process started right away, I think maybe even on closing day? Interviewing pool companies and getting estimates. We made decisions as a family, but the one must-have on my list was a sun shelf! Our design is all about clean lines and maintaining a look that aligns with the architecture of our modern home.

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Welcome to Four Palms

Naming our new home was fun, we name our cars so why not where we dwell? We eventually settled on Four Palms (four of us) and Palm Trees are dreamy…nothing we’re used to seeing being from the Northeast. Endless vacation vibes! Our goal is to make Four Palms so cool our family and friends visit often.

Let’s talk about this front door! Clearly love at first sight!

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Closing Day!

The struggle was real to purchase a home in Florida’s hot real estate market. To be honest we made so many offers on so many homes we had low expectations that our offer would be accepted on this 1978 Florida Modern. The Universe was on our side as we closed with 6 days left on our two-month rental. Hadley and Maisie played an important part in the process, their feedback and positive outlook were a blessing.

Welcome home girls!

Closing Day!

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LEAVING NJ with HEAVY HEARTS & LOTS of TEARS

Looking back on the day we left NJ is surreal. Our family home for over 10 years, where our babies were raised and endless parties were thrown. The house Tom and I made a home…blood, sweat, and tears went into renovating our sweet cape cod. Yet here we were leaving the only place we knew. We had not yet purchased a home in Florida but had a short-term rental waiting. I think I can see slight fear in Hadley’s face when I look at this picture. To make the move as streamlined as possible we donated half our belongings and packed everything else into one POD. Tom packed the POD like a pro…if there were such accolades in packing Tom takes the cake!

We made the journey to Florida an adventure not just for the kids, but for us as well. We wanted to enjoy this life-changing event so we made a few stops on the 17-hour drive. Our first stop was quick – Arlington, VA to get sleep after a long day of goodbyes and tears. The next stop was Savannah which is one of our favorite cities to visit! Hadley and Maisie (and me) adore The Paris Market so we did a little shopping! Tom and I love food! Food is our thing and researching restaurants is our game! So we hit up some new places this go around which included The Grove and Little Duck Diner! Our third stop was St. Augustine! This was our first time visiting and let me tell you we will go back! This city knows how to decorate for the holidays! We walked around town in awe at the beauty. The architecture is simply gorgeous! A visit to Castillo de San Marcos is a must! Tom and I recommend Ice Plant Bar for its delicious food, drinks, and cool vibe…the building dates back to 1927! Onward to Sarasota our final destination!

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