A Midsummer Shift

They say midsummer is a time of magic.

Shakespeare spun it into a tangle of mistaken identities and mischief, dreams that blurred with reality. And while I’m not sure this summer felt magical — it was tangled.

In truth, things didn’t go to plan. Not even close.

I thought this would be the season I found momentum. I imagined the blog moving forward, the house inching closer to the vision in my head. Pinterest growth. A return to writing rhythm.

The Jenny Lane Project should’ve been humming with progress — fresh paint, reorganized closets, maybe even a room reveal. But most of the past two months disappeared into a lingering cold, surprise life changes, and chasing cats out of places they don’t belong. What I pictured for summer and what it became… didn’t align.

Consequently, the project is paused. Not permanently, just noticeably. I hoped to photograph little home vignettes — glimpses of intentional living in progress — but lately, the house looks more like real life than inspiration. And that’s okay. For now, the project moves in smaller, quieter ways. I rearranged kitchen shelves to make mornings easier. I started noticing how the light shifts across the walls.

July brought a heavy heat that stretched each day just enough to feel overwhelming. Amid all that, the plans changed.

Not because I chose to change them — life simply stepped in with its own rhythm. It handed me a kitten with a URI. A horse with a surprise. It carved out space I didn’t realize I needed.

Maybe that space is the dream. Maybe that was the magic — not the triumphant, obvious kind, but the kind that invites reevaluation.

Interior design has whispered for years. Now, it speaks in full sentences. I daydream about textiles, trace color palettes, and study how wellness lives inside a space. The health side of this blog never stood apart — and now I feel just how deeply it belongs. I want to design environments that nourish people. Not perfect homes — honest ones. Well-loved and well-lived-in.

The blog remains part of that mission. The healthy home message still runs deep. But my priorities have shifted — gently, gradually. What once felt urgent now feels quieter. What once seemed like a side note is becoming the focus. Design still happens, just not always in the dramatic before-and-after way. And that shift feels clarifying.

As a result, now, as summer wanes and August approaches, I feel a subtle reshuffling of priorities. Some goals have softened. Others have deepened. I’m not letting go of dreams — I’m letting them evolve. I’m giving them space to take root before they bloom.

Maybe that’s enough for today.

And in the background, the horses continue to steady me. The garden still grows, but it no longer drives the story. And the home… it keeps unfolding. Still imagined. Still in progress.

If your summer didn’t turn out how you hoped — if it blurred by, or burned out — I hope you know that’s okay. Dreams don’t always take root in straight lines. And sometimes, midsummer just asks you to rest, reimagine, and wait.

So this isn’t a “real” post. No product links. No action steps. Just a midsummer pause — a reflection — and maybe a moment for you to think about what you pictured this summer… and what actually took root.

Because autumn is coming.

And she tends to bring clarity.