My June Edit
Life lately
June Mood board
It’s a Lana’s - Let The Light In Summer
I’ve started waking up early, and by early, I mean sunrise early. It’s become a new ritual, and honestly? It feels like it’s altering my brain chemistry. There’s something sacred about those quiet, golden minutes when the day is just beginning. Am I the only one?
With summer heat settling in, my beloved morning walks are on pause. Texas in June? Absolutely not. I’m bringing my movement indoors - hello, treadmill.
Fruit is fueling my inspiration lately. Cherries are in season and showing up everywhere in my kitchen and mood boards. A cherry and orange blossom cake is calling my name. I can already picture it: soft, floral, lush. Citrus continues to be the most magical of companions - zippy, bright, endlessly, versatile.
And peaches… oh, peaches! I placed my order from The Peach Truck and I’m counting the days. I can already taste the cobblers, the salads, the syrups. They arrive at the end of the month, and I have so many recipes waiting for them.
Soft Obsessions
My Spotify Playlist
Romanticizing My Summer is on repeat, while I cook, while I write, while I dream. French music especially has this ability to transform my kitchen into a Nancy Meyers film set. I feel like Diane Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give, hunched over my laptop, writing the next great American screenplay… or, in my case, a citrus glazed recipe.
TV
Anyone else impatiently waiting for the next season of The Gilded Age?
Let’s Talk Nails - Sunset, sunset, sunset.
Color Pallets I’m Obsessing Over
What I’m cooking
I just launched a new series: The Citrus Edit. I poured my heart into the intro post, wrote it like a love letter to citrus and to the kitchen that raised me. If you’ve ever felt the magic of a lemon cutting though a heavy sauce, or the smell of oranges in summer, I hope it speaks to you.
🍽️Looking for more seasonal cooking inspiration?
Explore the Recipe Archive - lemon, orange, pomegranate, cherries, rustic meals and more.
What I’m learning
How to make my website feel more me. Aesthetically, functionally, soulfully. Stay tuned.
What I’m Reading
I’ve picked up It Didn’t Start With You by Mark Wolynn, again. It’s been sitting on my shelf for years, waiting patiently. I think I wasn’t ready before. Maybe I still don’t feel ready, but I’m trying. It feels like a good month for introspection.
What I’m Indulging in
Sunrise. They’ve become sacred. I set my alarm for 6 a.m., make my cappuccino, and head to the my back porch with Prue (short for Prudence). We sit together and wait for the colors to arrive, rose, apricot, gold. There’s something about those quiet moments before the world stirs that feels like a gift. It’s become our daily ceremony.
What’s Inspiring Me
The Substack community. I didn’t join with a plan, just curiosity. I heard about it in passing and signed up on May 13, 2025. Since then, I’ve been floored by the honesty, the creativity, the gentleness. People here write. They reflect. They reveal. And I’ve felt seen in ways I didn’t expect. It feels like a quieter internet, a place to connect, not perform. A place to grow. Substack feels like a letter from a friend. I’m really enjoying finding my rhythm here. Slowly. Intentionally. Patiently.
Seasonal Rituals - Summer Fragrance Rotation
This season’s rotation includes fragrances that transport me: to the Amalfi Coast at golden hour, to Monet’s garden where green breathes softly, to a countryside I’ve never actually visited- lavender fields, sun-warmed apricots, linen on the line. These perfumes are not accessories. They’re atmosphere.
In my Cart
Ceramics. I’m currently obsessed with Rex Design, especially her oyster dish (rimmed in gold, soft oceanic blue) and her ethereal cake stands: The Monarch Butterfly and The Seashell. They’re what dreams, and dinner parties, are made of. I can’t splurge right now, but if you get them, know that I’m living vicariously through you. The cakes I would bake, the tablescapes I’d design… one day.
Top May posts
These are the posts that readers were loving the most last month:
About me:
I’m Lily Hawthorne — a writer, cook, and gardener creating a life shaped by flavor, fragrance, and feeling. I share citrus-glazed recipes, seasonal rituals, and reflections from the kitchen, garden, and home. This space is still growing, just like me — and I’m so glad you’re here to see it unfold.
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P.S - Some of the links I include are just for your ease - none are affiliate links. They’re simply there in case you’d like to explore or purchase something I love. In some cases, it also helps support the artists and makers I admire by giving them more exposure. If that ever changes and I begin using affiliate links, I’ll let you know. Full transparency, always.
The ceramics omg?? I’m obsessed 😍