A light breeze, a linen dress, and cheese.
No. 85 Patio parties have begun.
Good morning!
As if the world knew we all needed a break from the heinous, frequent rain, this weekend has actually been pretty darn nice! So nice in fact that we had an impromptu ‘patio party’ last evening and it awakened my al-fresco-loving soul. Let’s chill and eat outside all of the time until it’s cold. Or until it rains again. ;)
Seth’s brother and his girlfriend stopped by to borrow a tool (a saw?) from the garage and in the midst of that, I realized it was a beautiful evening and we should all hang out on the patio with a variety of snacks I scrounged from the kitchen! Nothing makes me happier than a truly last-minute / in-the-minute party plan which came together quite well.
We had three(!) kinds of cheese, a few options for crackers, high-quality cheese popcorn, cute cocktail napkins, and a small selection of beverages. We even gave them some dahlia tubers to take home which is a very generous ‘gift bag.’ Ta da! A party.
Sure, we’re all approaching - or past - 40 so your version of party may look different, but this was ideal if you ask me. Low-stress, high-snacks, good people. Next time, I’ll add music and perhaps plan a menu beyond snack food.
Like any great, relaxing gathering, the lack of photo evidence means we were having such a nice time I forgot to take any pictures. So you’ll just have to believe me when I say a good time was had by all. Pepper had a ball!
In other good-weather-related news, it was so nice this weekend I actually wore a linen dress to dinner on Friday night. No jacket needed! No socks required! I’m loving this shift into the best part of spring as we cruise toward summer.
A quick, low-effort change for dinner and the easy-breezy mindset is one of the most rewarding parts of this time of year. And the very-late sunsets. And the birds chirping, the green grass, and the abundance of dahlias. Oh yeah, the dahlias are planted and have begun sprouting!
If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ll know that I dove into “gardening life” after we bought our house. No, I am bad at gardening actually. But I have a lot of vision for how I want to enjoy an outdoor space and a very kind husband. And in my mind, the best part of an outdoor “living room” is the flowers and seating. This summer will be our third(!) season of dahlias and the first full season for our patio which was completed late last August.
Patio parties surrounded by a lush, overflowing garden of dahlias and hydrangeas sounds lovely to me. Now, we just need everything to grow, get our act together to invite people over, and make sure there is plenty of food and drink to go around. No sweat, right?
Follow along on Instagram (@glutenfreemollied) for frequent progress updates on the dahlias. Seth planted 64 tubers, 57 have sprouted, and we may plant a few more today, so uh, if you’d be interested in a bouquet (or two), let’s chat in July. We will have… a lot. Maybe we should host tiny events in our backyard? Pepper is a charming host. ;)
As someone who mildly believes in signs, karma, and the power of a beautiful morning, it was not lost on me that today’s edition is number 85. I’ve written to all of you 85 times! Wowza. Sure, there were a few breaks for various reasons (and a breakdown or two), but overall I’ve been consistently sharing (my) life’s realities with all of you for a while.
As the kids says, I always try to be my authentic self. Nothing fake, just the truth. Sometimes it’s funny. Sometimes it’s not. Thank you for being here!
In the numbers world, I was born in 1985. My 40th is now only three months away. Oh. My. God. I am trying to shift my mindset as I face that new decade, and era, while constantly attempting to not compare/contrast my life to everyone else’s and be too concerned that my “today” looks so different than so many others’ which is a tall order. Deep breaths. It’ll be OK.
I was never someone who had the “five year plan” or anything related to long term life goals. My all-the-time goal is to be happy, present, and grateful for the small stuff. You never know what the big stuff will be or when it will find you.
I suppose my current vision for the next few months, in addition to deciding on some type of celebration for my 40th, is to re-focus on the things that bring me joy while balancing the hard work of the everyday.
Isn’t that what we’re all trying to do - balance it all? Sometimes easier said than done, but we’re doing our best every single day.
Have a great Sunday! Get outside, relax, get stuff done. And plan your dinner. :)
Cheers and joy,
Mollie