Jenna Ohnemus Peffley

First summer without “Summer Bubbs” 💔💛 - it’s been 3 months today - that’s a quarter of a year. Time is so strange, and either passes fast or it lingers on slowly and it seems there’s no middle - it’s always one or the other. So much can happen in 3 months, and still so little too. Eric mentioned this yesterday and I agree. Not having kids, I mostly noticed time passing with Bubbs slow (and then fast) decline, watching him no longer do the things he loved, one by one. Without him, I now only really mark time passing with my photoshoot calendar - watching the shoots I looked forward to become projects to edit and then publishing dates to anticipate, and then they make their way into my archive and the cycle repeats itself. This is an odd feeling - we seem to stay looking more or less the same day by day (until we look at past pictures of ourselves) - there’s no kid to watch grow, no school seasons and summer vacations to prepare for, no events to run back and forth to. This isn’t something I’ve ever cared much about, and something I’ve always been grateful not to have to be part of - I get to just exist in this schedule that’s all my own. Now, suddenly, I’m much more conscious of it, living in the “empty nester” phase that comes after caretaking for a long period of time and inevitable endings. I’ve been part of caretaking for various humans at the end of their life and this was truly no different (and perhaps a little more involved as he became fully dependent on us for every single thing and we couldn’t communicate with words). I’m definitely getting more used to him not being here. Some nights I still find myself laying on his rug in the spot he passed, smelling his gross old chew toy for a whiff of him, sobbing uncontrollably for a bit, and then pulling myself back together again, but these moments are becoming less frequent. LA has had a cloud of gray in the sky for months now - thicker it seems than the normal May gray and June gloom that we know and love, and sometimes I think it’s a gift to me, because I’m not ready for blue skies and warm sun just yet - the reminder that Summer Bubbs will only remain in photos and memories.

#picnicseason is upon us (as is loquat season!!) Created this magical picnic with @abigailspencer and @countylineflorals up in Ojai featuring a medicine rug by @mikacalistudio and a few mud cloth throws courtesy @fragmentsidentity - I keep thinking it would be fun to host creative friend healthy potluck beach picnics. Needing more real life community and less screen life community and trying to teach myself to make time for it because getting together with other creative humans in a city filled with creative humans is a joy.

What #bathroomgoals are made of. @jamiehaller_____ does #vintageinterior perfectly. As seen in @archdigest (styled by @k8leonardcreate ) - if you know me well, it will not surprise you that this is forever in my dream future home moodboard.

Currently not traveling for the holiday weekend (because I hate doing things on holiday weekends - too crowded, and crowds are not my jam). But we did just take a 6 week road trip and this tiny lighthouse was on a beach in #newbuffalo Michigan while we waited out tornadoes and my friend Hadar was just telling me I should post more of my travel things, so here I am doing just that. #travelgram #visitmichigan (do people even hashtag anymore? Asking for an old person who uses Instagram like an old person using Instagram 🙋🏼‍♀️).

Haven’t posted a tabletop food photo to the grid in a while, but I still cook all the time. Tonight’s was extra special for @hadar_pitchon ‘s birthday fully sourced from @thehfm so it was worth posting an iPhone photo to the grid (even though I definitely had a finger print on the lens). @porkandflowers pork cooked with early season peaches and cherries and scapes and shallots and sage in @cuyamaorchards ACV and @nuvo_olive_oil blood orange olive oil (and some leftover bacon grease) with herby garlicky purple cauliflower mash and roasted asparagus and watermelon radish topped with kumquats drizzled with more of that good blood orange olive oil. And salt. It was really freaking good too (and as per usual, #paleofriendly / #aip because that’s how I do). Everyone licked the plates, so I guess it was tasty. #realfooder

The second I walked through the door and we met, we both decided it was “love at first sight” - the kind of instant friendship where you feel like you’ve known each other forever. Special thanks to @dominomag for introducing me to @itsmekellieb / @deeplymadlymodern by sending me to her house in Palm Springs for this shoot (and special thanks to @michaelwaltersstyle for styling 💛💛💛) - what a gift it is to know this beautiful human who also happens to have amazing taste and is a super talented artist too (you’ll see her work through the home tour, which is officially live over on Domino, even though they forgot to give me photo credit 🤔🤷🏼‍♀️). One of my favorite things about my job is I get to hang out with the most inspiring creative humans. Kellie, I’m glad we have photo documentation of this day - you’re never getting rid of me. 💛

This magical moody moment brought to you by a shoot I did with team @argyledesign.co / @kat_bell in Brooklyn and it’s one of my favorite shots from this shoot. It’s currently the perfect shade of May gray outside here in LA. Unpopular opinion, but May gray / June gloom is my favorite season here. The city is blanketed in a magical cloud and the lighting is perfectly even for shooting and it’s the ideal temperature to leave windows open all day and all night. #moodyinteriors

Me, standing in for a light test, pretending this home is mine and trying to maintain a neutral face so my early 40’s wrinkles don’t stick (but managing to look bored as per usual 🤷🏼‍♀️). Fun fact - when your mom tells you as a kid not to make a face because it will stay that way, she’s foreshadowing - trust her. Designed by @jamiehaller_____ and featured in @archdigest

@mssarahcatharinepaulson ‘s #dreamkitchen shot for @archdigest (designed by the amazing @amymkehoe of @nickeykehoe and styled by @rowelosangeles ) is seriously magical (yes I know, it’s my favorite descriptive word and I use it a lot but 🤷🏼‍♀️). Still can’t believe this whole kitchen fit in a tiny home. As someone who spends most of my time in the kitchen, this makes perfect sense in my book to have the kitchen take up the bulk of the main living space, and will absolutely be #kitcheninspo for any potential #tinyhome build that may be in our future. I tend to think at this point Eric and I are professionals in the world of #smallspaceliving (we shared 300 sq ft our first 5 years in LA and have shared 800 sq Ft the last almost 10 years) and while some parts aren’t ideal (I dream of having a second bathroom sometimes and a proper gear closet, and it wasn’t the most fun when Eric was learning guitar…) for the most part, we’ve found we actually enjoy sharing small spaces. That said, I’m definitely taking notes for whatever we wind up creating when we finally do build our own home someday because after 16 years of living this way and staying in over 50 Airbnb’s, we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. #archdigest

Dreaming of having a home designed by @jeffsheltonarchitect one day, or at least shooting together 😉😉. For now, I’ll take going for long walks in Santa Barbara admiring his work - it’s so good, I’m posting an iPhone photo to the grid. #santabarbara #jeffshelton #architecturelovers

How grateful I am for the mothers in my life. My mama @dianesfloridahomes is the first person I call when I’m excited about something, when I have good news, when I’m scared, upset, worried, when I don’t know what to do, when I need to talk something out, when I have something funny to share. She always answers. She’ll even stop blow drying her hair to pick up the phone. This is a big deal in Florida when frizz happens easily. 😉There have been times in my life when we’ve had a complicated relationship, but as I reach the milestone ages that she was during those times, I understand her so much more. Life is funny that way, and a humbling and healing gift if you get the opportunity to experience this. At this age, I find I need her more now than ever. The week leading up to Bubbs passing, she was my lifeline, talking me through it as I sobbed uncontrollably, telling me that we were doing the right thing even though her heart was breaking too. She was there for every text, every call, every melt down, she was my lifeline when I had no strength left. From 3000 miles away, I was held as I was breaking down, losing the only baby I’ve ever had. She understood. She felt my heartbreak as if it was her own. It’s not lost on me how fortunate I am to not only still have my mama, but to know what it feels like to be loved unconditionally by her. My step mom @sherri_ohnemus came into my life when I was 12 and helped raise me through my hardest teenage years. She has continued to give me wisdom and guidance and tough love and I always say that she’s the greatest gift my dad ever gave me (I mean, aside from life 😉). I am who I am because of the women in my life - I have been lucky to be surrounded by a collection of mother figures (my aunts, sisters @taraohnemus grandmas @virginiaohnemus , mother in law, cousins, friends, teachers who became friends @sallypettibon 😘💛) leading the way and showing up when I need them most. While I will likely never be a mother in the traditional sense, I recognize the sacrifices and the love of a mother deeply. I remain in awe and gratitude for all the mothers and mother figures in the world. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I’m always in #newmexico in my mind. Thankfully I have a whole book’s worth of photos that I’ve taken for when I’m not actually there. Give me adobe and turquoise painted windows and lace curtains any day (but don’t get me wrong, LA architecture has my heart too). Currently working on figuring out how to properly have both. Until then, we’ll keep pretending with vacation rentals. Have a good one in Santa Fe or Taos that you want to do a shoot trade for? I know a girl… (photo taken at @mabeldodgeluhanhouse ) 💛 #taos