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.... hello Monday ....

..... hello Monday....
I am so glad to see you!
As much as I can appreciate a weekend full of family and activity....
I always look forward to the fresh start of a new week....
and a quiet empty house....
and the luxury of quiet contemplation with a few of my favorite friends....

and the time to plan my new week...

As hard as it was for me with children leaving for college....
I have settled into a new routine....
and I love it.

For those of you with children on the cusp of leaving...
I know there  may be challenging times ahead....
but  now I know there are gifts in every phase of life....
sometimes we just need to stop for quiet  contemplation...
 in order to embrace the next transition with a strong heart...

On a much lighter note....
I have a funny little picnic story to share....

With my new found quest for cooking....
I decided it would be lovely to style and pack a picnic for our Friday night date.

I spent most of the day Friday pulling picnic pieces and shopping for the picnic dinner....
and boy,
 did I go all out with my styling.....

I packed a vintage train case with miniature ingredients for every thing needed for gin and tonics....
(Jeff's summer choice)
I had a special picnic wine carrier....
salads were perfectly packed in silver tiffins...
complementary cheese and crackers were chosen...
as were blankets, napkins, flowers and candles.
Fresh turkey breast sandwiches were perfectly wrapped in parchment and tied...

Much time was  also spent on choosing the perfect beach picnic outfit...
I opted for a skirt that I could pull up enough to walk in the surf after dinner...

well...

the funny part is...

by the time I finished all the prep and styling....
I was SO tiered of even the idea...
of a beach picnic...
and when Jeff saw all that in his words
we had to "haul" to the beach...

We both realized picnicing at home...
in the living room 
truly had it's merits.

So we did just that...
and a lovely time was had...
watching the setting summer sun paint our living room
and a perfect summer breeze stirring...

It ended up to be a joyful summer picnic...

It didn't look the way I had envisioned....
but it turned out even better....

As Life so often does.


as always dear friends

I wish you love and joy
as you style your life










23 comments:

  1. Love that story! Reminds me of when were young with two little ones running about. Trying to plan a perfect "date night" and instead canceling the baby sitter, renting a movie (VHS... remember those!?) and cuddling up on the sofa with sleeping babes in the next room. One of the best evenings ever, for two tired parents. Sometimes life just sends us little gifts, exhaustion, that then blesses us with great quiet, quality time!

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    1. My dear Barb.... I remember those time well! Nothing like sleeping babes all safe and cozy at home! My favorite was Friday nights when all three would jockey for position on our bedroom floor, to sleep for the night. My heart was probably the fullest those nights... and I am so thankful I appreciated the sacred in these times....... that they would all too soon be fleeting. But they will live in my heart forever.

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  2. You're hilarious! I can see it all taking place through your words.

    From one picnic enthusiast to another, the best are the ones After you've gathered all the amenities for a trial run. You'll find the second approach much less effort, as with most endeavors.

    After I fell over reading you're embarking on COOKING!?! I resumed composure long enough to enjoy the adventurous spirit which takes you into new worlds.

    I'll still be in the No Cooking Zone, applauding you from here, as I observe to see if it's all we've thought it dreadfully to be, or a fabulous new world we've been overlooking ;)

    Missing you!
    Denise

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    1. My dear your comment made my day! I savored the spirit of the message and reveled in how well you know me during my time today, in the garden.! It was truly a little gift to be opened!

      Yes, I have begun to cook... who would have ever thought? Maybe it is a menopausal mind... or maybe I have only really lost mine. Maybe it is Ellis's departure and a house full of testosterone? Maybe i am lonely .... and have found the appreciation addictive. I don't know?

      But I have, after vowing never to be the one in the kitchen, found it to be some what satisfying. It has only been three weeks... and I can feel the honeymoon coming to a close... but I most likely will continue... for it is a type of creativity that the men here in the house seem really to appreciate . Much more then the decor and garden... go figure :)

      So my dear thank so very much for your comment... because only someone who knows me as you do.... can appreciate the gravity of the change.

      much love ,
      Tamera

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  3. That's a great story. Life is all about rolling with the punches. Well done, Tamera.

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  4. How lovely it is to live in the "now"!! I am so glad that you enjoyed your picnic with your honey and had a lovely evening!

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    1. Thank you Shon! Enjoy the graduation... they do grow up so fast!

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  5. What a charming story, Tamera! You are so right, the best planning sometimes fails but often for even better endings.
    I love picnics by the way - if only the weather allowed it!

    Hugs from Germany,
    Annette
    Lady of Style

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    1. Thank you so much Annette! Wishing you warmer weather in Bavaria!

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  6. Love and joy, my dear tamera.
    Brilliant pics.
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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    1. Thank you my dearest Sacramento! You are the very best at spreading love and joy!!!

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  7. I love that story. Thanks for sharing. (& I love Jeff's summer drink choice, me too.) xoxoxo

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  8. Tamera dear, I am always so enamored of your photographs. You have such an eye for beauty in the simplest elements. It sounds like you went all out and your evening ended up more perfectly than you could have imagined. Life is often like that.
    Lovely!
    xx, Heather

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  9. I love the story!! It's such a classic Pisces tale, especially with the words of your husband cutting through the mist :-). I especially love your equally Piscean ability to go with the flow and have a delightful picnic in the living room. Magic can happen almost anywhere, right?

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  10. Sounds so much fun putting your picnic together then kicking off your shoes and enjoying it in the comfort of your own home;bliss xx

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  11. Great story and I always love your photos.

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  12. Tamera, this just made my day! Lovely, lovely story with the perfect ending. I was beginning to think you were just super human and then you let us all realize you are more than super, you are real, you are unique, you are strong, imaginative, and beautiful. Thank you for sharing this with us.

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  13. What a sweet story! I'm glad your picnic ended up so well! It sounds lovely. :)

    My husband bought me a tiffin for Mother's Day. I haven't used it quite yet, but a picnic would sure be a good start!

    "but now I know there are gifts in every phase of life...." I love this thought, and thank you for the reminder to look for the gifts!

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  14. What a great story! I love a house picnic myself, especially on our stoop in Brooklyn! Thank you for joining Adrienne and me for the "How I Wear My: Florals" post, your look was amazing, and one of my favorites. It was so bold, vibrant and wonderful! I noticed in the comments on Adrienne's blog that I wasn't the only one to admire it. I hope you will join us again in July! XO, Jill

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  15. Love your date night story! Couldn't have turned out better and you're a fabulous story teller, by the way. You are excelling as you meet the challenges of this new phase of your life.

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