Coffee with Christina (April 2024)

Pour a cup of coffee and let’s dive into some random thoughts I’d share if we were having coffee together!

Our Pool

We broke in our pool earlier this month and I cannot even begin to describe how much happiness it has brought our family. It is truly a dream come true for us and I get so excited every time I look at the backyard and see that sparkling water. The kids have been having so much fun swimming after school and on the weekends with their friends. And Matt and I love the spa — especially on chilly evenings!

I’ve had lots of questions about our pool so I’ll try to answer some of the most popular ones real quick and maybe do a full post later if there’s still enough interest.

• Pool Type: Concrete (gunite) in-ground saltwater pool with pebble finish (color: Aqua Blue Pebble Tec) and estimated to hold 17,000 gallons.
• Size & Depth: The pool shell is 20’x35′ and the depth range is 3’6″ – 5’6″
• Build Time: WAY TOO LONG. We finalized our drawings in April and were told we would break ground on July 1 and be swimming before Thanksgiving. I can’t remember the exact timing, but we finally broke ground in September, then ran into lots of rain, supply issue after supply issue, holidays, and a few other things that really set us back. I think it ended up taking around 6 months.
• Added Features: 8’x10′ tanning ledge, deck-level spa, deep end bench, and umbrella sleeve
• Decking & Coping Material: Sandblasted marble (color: Gray Tundra)

Family Movie Nights

Well, I knew it was inevitably going to happen, but I didn’t realize it would happen this soon…

Our Friday Family Movie Nights seem to be dwindling.

Over the past year, our weeknights have become slammed with sports and activities almost every day after school Monday through Thursday. So when Friday evening rolls around, more often than not a large pack of bikes roll up our driveway and the kids fly out the door to play outside with their friends as late as possible. And I totally get it. I remember those days. They are some of my fondest memories growing up!

While it makes me feel a little sideswiped to see our family tradition slipping away, I am grateful for this season of life where our kids want to spend time with friends outside shooting hoops in the driveway, riding their bikes, and now swimming too! And I remind myself that we moved to our neighborhood exactly for this!

But it’s weird too. Out of habit, most Fridays Matt and I get pizza dough and toppings ready to go, blankets pulled out for the couches, and jump into our pajamas. And then poof — our kids are gone and we are just sort of…lost. Do we eat without them? Watch our own movie? Call them back inside and force them to snuggle with us?

We’ve tried a few different things like switching our Family Movie Night to another day, making it only once a month, etc. But it seems that at this stage in life, we’ll just make it happen when we can — and I’m working on letting the “Friday night tradition” slowly go.

All this to say, I am really in my feels about our kids are growing up at lightning speed. And I’m trying not to be sad about it…because I know one day I’ll miss this exact phase too.

Carolina Charm’s 13th Blogiversary

Today marks my 13th anniversary of Carolina Charm!

When I launched my site back in 2011 never in a million years did I think I would be creating content here 13 years later (let alone be doing it as my full time job)! I am beyond grateful for what this space has grown into, and for my incredible community of readers.

Thank you so much for reading along here. Here’s a look back on my first website for Carolina Charm! And you can read all about how I started my blog HERE!

Our Morning Playlist

Music really sets the tone for our mornings and over the past year or so I’ve been adding songs to our morning playlist that make us happy — and I wanted to share it with you too!