{Tall Ficus Trees/Jute Rug/Similar Jute Rug/Stars & Stripes Doormat/Amazon Planters/Modern Rustic Fluted Planters/Faux White Shrubs/Faux Geraniums/Americana Wreath/Similar Hydrangeas}

Happy Tuesday! Ok.. I know you’ve seen this porch BUT I added some new trees and my new planters and my cute new white shrubs and I took some new pictures so my old porch is feeling new and I wanted to share it. :)

{Planter Pots/Faux White Shrubs}

These little white shrubs are so good right!? I had lots of questions in IG stories about how many shrub stems I have in each pot. This is the medium sized pot in the Amazon set of 3 and I have 10 white shrub stems inside. They come in a bundle of 8 so if you have two medium pots order 3 bundles. You could definitely get away with just 8 in each! I just wanted mine to look really full and hang off the side so I added a couple extra. I put 6 stems in the smallest pots.

They are short and don’t touch the bottom of the pot, but they still stay up on their own because they are so thick and bushy. I added some packaging below the stems to stand them up just in case!

Ok.. these faux ficus trees are so good! I had faux ficus trees in this spot before and loved the trees but something always felt off about them. I think they were too short for my porch. These trees come in various and I decided to go big ordering the 7 foot size. I’m loving the look! I worried they would hit my lights but they are narrow enough at the top that it isn’t a problem. They looks so realistic too! I love the leaves and they were so easy to put together. Total win! They would look good inside too.

My wreath sold out so sharing some other fun options below! The top row of wreaths are all on sale at the moment. :)

 {Hydrangea Flowers}

I used hydrangeas I’ve had for years from PB on my porch but if you are looking for some to order now I would recommend these! They look and feel so much more realistic than my original faux hydrangeas and are a better price.

Very excited about my summer porch this year! Just a few changes and what’s old is new again. :)

{Faux Olive Tree/Amazon Planters}

I used the small and medium Amazon pots on my porch and the large pots are inside holding trees. I know I’ve shared that before too, but my cute faux olive tree just went on sale so sharing it one last time. For today. ;)

On a personal note we are wrapping up the end of senior year with our little graduate. Sharing a photo dump of recent activities so I have them recorded!

Last play with the company she has worked with for years. It was an emotional night! The play was Les Mis which is a sad play already and then on top of that it was the last play for all of the seniors with a program for them after that included a slide show and personal notes from the directors. Kenny was just as emotional as I was this time around. He usually only cries this hard at the end of Armageddon when Bruce Willis says “we win Gracie!”.. ha. (Not joking.. he has made us watch that show way more than I’d wish on anyone.) It has been such a joy to watch her perform and sing for all of these years and we have made so many friends through her various shows. Tough night for the seniors and the parents!

With her director after her first show with this company playing Ariel. Some of you have been with me that long and might remember it!

And her last. They grow up too fast.

Senior night at our church! She has been going hard with school and activities nonstop so I threw together a poster for her and I’m thinking she can take these pics to her dorm in the fall to put on a bulletin board or something. All things that describe Addie. Lots of theatre, singing and student government with Gilmore Girls on repeat in-between. :)

Moms asked the seniors questions and we were the first up so she had to think quick!

Such a fun night with close friends. Feels like were pushing these kids in our Bob jogging strollers together yesterday!

{My dress is linked in this post}

Proud of her for finishing her church class because it involved 4 years of going to school an hour early. Kole is now taller than both me and Addison! We’re in heels so it’s not as obvious. Not that that’s saying much but he’s feeling pretty good about it. ;)

Last Saturday night was Senior Prom! Her dress is her favorite color and I teared up when she came down the stairs in it.

She had the best night with so many good friends! Living her best life and as a mom it’s so fun to watch. This girl is such a hard worker and known for her kind soul and contagious laugh. I’m so proud of her. We wrapped up her last play with her conservatory group at school and she has a few more end of year activities/parent events and then she turns 18 on the 30th and graduates the 31st! It has been a whirlwind of activity the past few weeks. I know so many of you are experiencing (or remembering!) the same frenzy! She is speaking at her graduation so I’m basically just bringing 4 boxes of tissues. Let’s hope my local store restocks because I’ve bought so many already. The puffy eyes aren’t a good look and they don’t seem to be leaving. I need your best tips moms! I got through this with Ellie (kind of sort of) but it feels even harder the second time around. I’m in a major funk anticipating life with my girls gone. What has helped you!? I’m trying to really focus on getting enough sleep (don’t count tonight since I’m finishing this post at 1:30 am), walking when I can, spending time with friends who are going through the same thing. Any other tips? I seem to do worse with the anticipation of change than actual change itself so I’m hoping that by the time she moves out in August I will have cried all the tears and be done.

Wishful thinking?

Taking it one day at a time right now. :) I know my kids have grown up with many of yours and it seems surreal to be at this stage in the game. Thank you for sharing life with me! It means so much.

Shoot.. it’s too late to start again.. where are those tissues?