This Week at a Glance

Happy Sunday, friends!

I spent five days in Hawaii and completely forgot it was November. Apparently, this is the cooler time of year on Oʻahu. It felt plenty warm to this Pacific Northwest girl.

Our Trip to Oʻahu

A Night at Turtle Bay

We started the trip with one night in Turtle Bay, way up on the North Shore near Kahuku.

It was such a stunning place to stay. You can see the palm trees bending in the wind.

I was so thankful for the trade winds. They kept things much cooler than they could have been.

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Shopping in Haleʻiwa

The next few days were all about shopping and eating.

We stayed in Haleʻiwa, the historic surf town that serves as the North Shore’s main hub. It’s laid-back and a little country, with shops and restaurants tucked into old plantation-era buildings.

Waikiki feels a world away, and the locals like it that way.

One of my favorite shops was SoHa Living.

It was full of cute pillows and home decor.

I loved the colors and prints.

And they had the cutest ornaments in Hawaiian quilt patterns. Those bold, symmetrical designs are a Hawaiian quilting tradition that goes back generations.

Yes, I bought a few for the Christmas tree this year.

Breakfast at the Outrigger Canoe Club

I also spent a morning in Honolulu at the Outrigger Canoe Club. It was founded in 1908 to keep surfing and outrigger canoe paddling alive, back when both were close to disappearing. The club has been at the Diamond Head end of Waikīkī since 1963.

What a view for breakfast by the water.

And Waikīkī Beach, right down the shore.

Cocktails at The Crouching Lion

On the windward side, we stopped for cocktails at The Crouching Lion in Kaʻaʻawa. The restaurant first opened in 1952 and sat closed for nearly a decade before reopening in 2024.

Waimea Valley

We spent our last morning at Waimea Valley on the North Shore, and it was my favorite part of the trip.

This was sacred to ancient Hawaiians and was once known as the valley of the priests. Today, it’s a botanical garden caring for thousands of plant species, including native Hawaiian plants and some threatened and endangered ones.

The path follows a rocky stream through the forest, and every turn is a little greener than the last.

Along the way, you’ll see traditional thatched hale. Hale is the Hawaiian word for house.

In the other picture, you can see how the frame comes together before the thatch is put on.

The Flowers of Waimea Valley

Now for the part you knew was coming. I photographed every flower I could find.

Golden shrimp plant: The yellow part isn’t really the flower. It’s a stack of bracts that look like shrimp, with little white flowers peeking out.

Hibiscus: Of course. The yellow hibiscus is Hawaii’s state flower.

Cattleya orchids: These grow right on the tree trunk instead of in soil.

Yellow ginger: Its flowers have the sweetest fragrance and are often strung into leis.

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: It gets its name from flowers that open purple, fade to lavender, and then turn white, so all three colors bloom at once.

Shrubby whitevein: This plant has green leaves marked with prominent yellow or cream-colored veins, and tall spikes of bright red or orange-red bracts with tubular yellow flowers emerging from them.

Silver vase plant: Sends up a pink flower spike from a vase of silvery leaves.

The chenille plant: This plant has fuzzy tassels that look like they were knit from yarn.

Red ginger: Like the shrimp plant, the showy red “petals” are actually bracts. The true flowers are tiny and white.

And here’s a pink variety of the same ginger.

Shampoo ginger: The cones fill with a clear, slippery liquid that Hawaiians used as shampoo, and you’ll still find it in some shampoos today.

Heliconia: A cousin of the banana, with bracts in colors that don’t look real.

Lobster claw heliconia: Look closely, and you’ll spot a snail doing what snails do to this gorgeous tropical flower.

I fight slugs and snails in my dahlia beds every year, so it was oddly comforting to know they’re a problem in paradise too.

Beehive ginger: The bracts stack up exactly like an old-fashioned beehive.

A banana blossom, with the baby bananas already forming above it.

Kangaroo paw fern: Named for its lobed fronds.

Hala tree: Its long leaves are woven into lauhala mats, hats, and baskets, a craft still practiced across the islands.

Shingle plant: This vine climbs flat against tree trunks, with each leaf overlapping the next like shingles on a roof.

And at the end of the path, Waimea Falls.

Visitors can swim at the base when conditions allow. It was the perfect way to end the trip.

Around the Cottage

Have you picked up the Country Home Christmas issue yet? Our cottage is in it. If you missed the behind-the-scenes story from the shoot, read it here.

Back home, I started decorating for Christmas yesterday. It’ll be a slow process, starting with the trees.

It’s always fun to get the creative wheels turning again and picture how the cottage will look all dressed up for the season.

Last year, I tucked dried hydrangeas into the trees, tied velvet ribbon on everything, and piled on soft textures until the rooms felt like a hug.

“The more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for.” Norman Vincent Peale

On the Blog This Week

My Favorite Inspiration Around the Web This Week

You’ll love this farmhouse renovation.

Make this Thanksgiving cranberry cobbler punch for a festive touch.

See how to make a DIY cornucopia with rope for Thanksgiving.

Here are some vintage-inspired Thanksgiving decoration ideas.

Check out these 40 best Thanksgiving traditions to try this Turkey Day.

How about this modern Tudor?

Here’s an easy (and yummy) treat for a busy holiday season.

Looking for a fun and festive craft project? How about this DIY pinecone tree?

Here’s how to make vintage-inspired DIY Christmas bells with old book pages.

Closing Thoughts

That’s all from me this week.

I’m off to fluff a few more branches and rearrange the ornaments for the hundredth time. I hope you get a few moments this week to enjoy the slower pace November brings.

Before you go, I’ve made some updates to my home page. If you haven’t visited in a while, I’d love for you to take a look. It feels good to freshen things up before the holidays, and I hope it makes the site even easier to browse.

Until next time,