love letters by linen and lodge

in this portion of the blog you’ll find a collection of writings about motherhood, sharing the art of restoration, cozy living, romanticizing the mundane, and the art of simply being. i write each post as if i were writing a little “love letter” to my friends. i picture you reading each one while drinking your morning (or late night) coffee with hopes of inspiring you to explore and restore yourself.

have your cake and eat it too.

CL MCCANDLESS CL MCCANDLESS

Thirty-Three: Growing into Myself

My 33rd birthday is on the horizon and we are venturing off on a family trip, three states in total. We are spending a weekend in Tennessee, followed by a week in Virginia, and…

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What I’ve Learned in the First 6 Weeks

I’d like to acknowledge both the ache and the wonder of change. Beginning something new is both restless and beautiful. I’ve circled back to the roots of my creativity and writing, sharing how to find all the beauty in something simple and encouraging you readers to create magic in the mundane.

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Genevieve’s Birth Story

Around 3:27am I started feeling contractions. I wasn't ready to call it just yet because the week before i had contractions but I hadn't progressed past 3cm, they were doing something but not sending me into actual labor. Eventually I found myself not being able to talk through them.

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The Threads That Hold Us: A Legacy of Love

This post is dedicated to my abuela Miriam who’s birthday is tomorrow on June 7th. My abuela stepped in to raise and care for me when I was a little girl while my father was drafted and in many ways I consider her my first mother.

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Scenes from a Tuesday: Finding the Magic in the Midweek

It was just a Tuesday. Nothing extraordinary happened, I packed my hospital bag. A cozy going home outfit, a grey waffle knit robe, a matching set of ivory cotton pajamas. Our darling girl’s going home outfit rests right on top of everything else I've deemed essential - you pack a little less come the fourth baby.

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How to Romanticize Grocery Day

Even the most mundane routines can feel like a warm hug with a shift in perspective. I’m sharing how I turned our grocery haul days into a cozy ritual—from handwritten lists on ivory lined paper to reusable bags, woven farmers market baskets, and a reward latte on the way home.

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From survival to self-expression

I'm not here to master each skill I want to explore, but rather enjoy the novelty of it and allow myself to fall in love, with whichever hobbies, naturally.

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Capturing Cinematic Moments at Home

In this post, I’ll share how I style and shoot casual at-home photo sessions that feel straight out of ‘The Holiday’—soft, sentimental, and full of movement.

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motherhood this time around: what’s different

In my case it fed my drive to heal and become better. To be tender and careful with the hearts that come into my life. I carry each one like a treasure so as to never break them the way these former friends broke mine. 

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fridays are for me

you know my best friend BETHANY, the famous artist. well she went to school to become a paramedic. just because she felt like it. and i crave that sort of novelty in life.

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motherhood unfiltered

Many times I had thought… What is the point of this? Do these words collect dust in this small corner of the internet? Do they carry any weight? But now I write for me, I write for self expression, I write for my own joy in creating something.

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