Celebrating Summer

I'm having a hard time believing we've already reached the last weekend in June. Every year, I make a mental note to take time to fully enjoy summer and all the things I love about it. To savor the season the way I did when I was little.

Evan Sklar

But, for some reason, time refuses to move as slowly as it did then. As much as I adore Fall and the sweaters, boots, and tights that come with it, I always find myself surprised by its arrival and slightly disappointed another summer has come and gone without feeling I've celebrated it to its fullest.

Randy Harris Photography

While my days don't promise to be leisurely this summer, I am trying to make sure I embrace as many of my favorite things about this time of year as I can; I am hoping this will help me feel I enjoyed the season as much as possible by the time cool air start to blow again.

Union Photography

I've made my most-loved gazpacho recipes and experimented with new additions. I've enjoyed Hawaiian Shaved Ice, gelato, frozen yogurt, and popsicles, foods I enjoy year-round, but are certainly required eating in hotter months. I've even been able to spend a couple hours lakeside.

Katie Baum via 20x200

I intend to keep adding to my list over the coming months, and I am going to do some work towards reaching my goal right now as E and I head out to grab some of our favorite gelato! I hope whatever your plans, your weekend is full of simple delights of the season too. Have a great one!

A Day of Fun in the Sun

Please forgive my relative silence this week, but I've been busy enjoying the company of my youngest brother, truly one of my best friends, who has been here visiting us before he heads back to college for the school year.

His trip comes way too quickly to an end tomorrow, but before he heads home, I'm excited to be taking a day trip to the beach! I often forget just how close I am to some beaches now that we're here in Houston. While they might not be world-famous, for me, a sandy beach is a sandy beach, and I can't wait to feel the the hot sand between my toes, especially since it has been way too many years since I last planted myself on the beach for a day!

Catherine Ledner

Paul Cruz

Amanda Pratt

Amanda Pratt

Chloe Mallet

With that, I'm off to enjoy my last full day with my brother, and I hope, whatever your weekend holds, your days are full of happy moments with your family and friends too.

Summer Love

I'm having a bit of a love affair with this Max and Cleo dress; I've had its window open in my browser for weeks, and, almost daily, I've returned to stare and admire. I have a feeling, subconsciously, it even influenced my last post (note a striking similarity in the neutral color scheme...)


Adore the dress as I may, the paper-bag waist might not be quite so flattering on my body, nor likely would be the short bodice. Perhaps the dress knows this and is staying away in order to let me down gently, because I must admit, as of yet, this affair is a bit one-sided. Sweet dress, if I am wrong about you, however, please know I wouldn't mind should you show up unexpectedly at my door.

Inspiration Board {Seersucker Summer}

Nothing says summer quite like seersucker; along with linen, it is a quintessential fabric of the season, worn to help battle the heat and humidity of the warmest days. For a summer wedding, a color palette of blue, white, and yellow paired with seersucker elements is perfectly suited for staying cool in the hot, hot sun.

Row 1: L to R- Michael Norwood Photography, Carrie Patterson, Martha Stewart Weddings. Row 2: Whittaker Photography via Style Me Pretty, Anna Kuperberg, Adeline & Grace Photography via Style Me Pretty. Row 3: Custom Event Group via Style Me Pretty, Martha Stewart Weddings, Katie & Steven- Kate Murphy Photography via Once Wed. Row 4: Whitebox Weddings, A Charleston Bride via Style Me Pretty, Emma Mitchell.

Summer Stillness

Life surely hasn't slowed down simply because the season changed and the temperatures rose, which leads me to wonder-- whatever happened to the lazy days of summer?

Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Michelle Holden

Ditte Isager

Whitebox Kids

Living Etc.

Monica Bach via Desire to Inspire

While the breakneck pace of life will continue this weekend, I am hoping to find moments of stillness and calm in the midst of the go-go-go. I hope your weekend holds those same quiet moments too.

Summer Getaway {Camping Les Ormes}

I've mentioned before that I like tents, and I've also shared how much I enjoy stealing away for a day in a fabric "fort," so, as you might imagine, when I spotted this image on Cote Maison I was completely smitten.

Cote Maison

After visiting the property's website, Camping Les Ormes, located in the French countryside, immediately joined the list of luxury camping (or perhaps I should say glamping,) locales I've bookmarked over the past couple years.

This and all remaining photos from Camping Les Ormes' website

Situated on 25 acres, Camping Les Ormes is open from late-April until mid-September. It offers 100 campsites, as well as a number of luxury "desert tents." The grounds, including open fields, forest, an animal farm, and a lake with a white sandy beach, allow for activities such as biking, hiking, and fishing.


For those who prefer more of the luxury side of the experience, a pool, tennis courts, a restaurant and bar, a small boutique, and on site masseuses are sure to please. While my family's luck with camping has never been the best, surely this is "camping" even my mom could get behind!


During high season, a breakfast of fresh bread and croissants is delivered directly to your tent, and during the rest of the season, you can enjoy the breakfast buffet served on the restaurant's terrace five days a week.


The food at Camping Les Ormes is not quite standard camping fare; consider this sample menu for a typical summer day--

*Bread with homemade hummus
*Gazpacho of watermelon and pineapple
*Duck breast with honey thyme sauce accompanied with a puff pastry tart with fresh tomatoes, goat cheese, and basil and a Roquette salad with fresh summer fruit, parmesan and pine-tree grains.
*Swiss nut cake with orange and maple syrup.

While I'd pass on the duck, to everything else I'd say, "Yes, please!!"


Beyond the activities available at on the grounds, nearby villages offer the opportunity for shopping local markets, antiquing, wine tasting, visiting historic chateaus, and playing a round of golf.


Gorgeous views. Activities aplenty. Gourmet food. Close proximity to historic villages. Sounds like a pretty perfect summer getaway to me. There is only one thing I am left wondering about Camping Les Ormes-- how soon can we go?

Down the Road

I've had a bit of weakness for pickup trucks-- specifically older, slightly worn ones-- since my early teen years. My major crush in high school drove a little red one, and looking back, I am certain his vehicle played a bit into my infatuation with him! While my love interests moved on, my adoration of vintage pickups never waned.

Coliena Rentmeester

Something about warm, summer evenings makes me want to set off in an old truck with E by my side, venturing down a dusty, dirt road to a place that feels unexplored. With blankets thrown in the bed of the pickup, I'd stretch out and watch as each star showed up for its nightly appearance.

Paul Whicheloe Photography

There's a dusty, dirt road near our house in central Texas; we first ventured along it's path in E's Jeep Wrangler with the top down on a sunny afternoon soon after we began dating. That day, it held the thrill of feeling undiscovered and unexplored, but it soon became familiar as we returned time and again. It is the spot where E proposed and one that holds an important place in our memories.

We're heading that way tonight, and part of me can't help but wish we'd be passing by in a rusty, old truck. Blankets in the back. Watching stars appear in the night sky.

Simple Summer Dressing

I love dresses year-round, as you may have gathered before. In a couple months, I'll be excitedly waiting for temperatures to cool so I can throw on boots and tights with them, but, in summer, I absolutely love the ease of throwing on a dress with a pair of sandals and being ready to go.

Since it had been a while since I'd last visited Butter by Nadia, I decided to pop over to their website and have a look, and, when I did, I felt like saying, "I'll take one of each!!" I fell head over heels for their entire Spring/Summer 09 collection.

One dress...

Miss Saturn

Multiple ways...

What could be easier?

Some more of the limited edition dresses from the Spring/Summer 09 collection that I would love to have in my wardrobe.

L to R: Mimi, Fleur Top, Signature Jersey Wrap in Candy Store Stripe.

L to R: Jersey Ball Gown in Variegated Stripes, Jersey Wrap Gown, Luna Gown.

While I've been a fan of the idea behind this style of dress since I first saw them, never before have I been struck by the urge to own so many and for everyday wear. Because each dress offers so much variety, I could easily see myself living in one or more of these numbers.

I'm certain they would become my go-to summer uniform, not to mention that they would certainly help me become more efficient at packing for trips as one or two dresses= multiple outfits! Absolutely perfect for the over-packer in me!

Summer Soup {Farmstand Gazpacho}

A few weeks ago, I shared a recipe for Green Gazpacho, and, as promised, I would also like to share a slightly more traditional take on this cold soup. This version quickly become a summer staple for us last year; with relatively few ingredients, many of which always seem to be on hand, this is a simple and easy meal to make.



Farmstand Gazpacho- 6 to 8 servings (recipe easily doubles)
Slightly adapted from original Parade Magazine recipe

Ingredients
2 cups cucumber- peeled, seeded & diced (into 1/4" cubes)
2 cups bell peppers- red or red & yellow- diced (1/4" cubes)
2 cups ripe tomatoes- diced (1/4" cubes)
1/2 cup red onion- diced
2 cups V8 juice (or tomato juice)
1/2 cup red-wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 dashes of Tobasco or other hot sauce

Directions
1. Place all vegetables in a large bowl. Add V8 juice, vinegar, oil and Tobasco. Season well with freshly ground salt and pepper. Toss.
2. Transfer portions at a time to food processor and pulse to puree; half can be left chunky if desired.
3. Combine portions. Refrigerate at least 4-6 hours before serving (although, as I mentioned with the Green Gazpacho, a lot of times we can't wait to eat it and do so right away!)

If the World Had a Front Porch

When I first arrived in Mississippi for college, I was immediately captivated by the grand houses along the sorority and fraternity rows on our campus. Not only was I struck by the beauty of their architecture, but I was charmed by the many with wide and expansive columned porches often dotted with white rocking chairs. Coming from the Midwest nothing could have seemed more quintessentially Southern to me, and I absolutely fell in love.

We have seen porches with curtains and those with screens so far in our look at these staples of summer living. Today, we'll finish with a look at spaces that perfectly characterize a traditional front porch-- those furnished with rocking chairs and swings.

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Evan Sklar

Country Living

Martha Stewart

While technically the following room should have been with the other screened porches, the rocking chairs reminded me so much of those from the houses on my college campus, I had to include them here.

House Beautiful

This Old Porch

The other day, we looked at screened porches as a part of summer living, and today, we'll look at some of the un-screened variety. Each of the spaces that follow have an element I absolutely love love love-- outdoor curtains! I adore the way they help make an outdoor space feel cozy and enclosed.

Domino

Last summer, I was excited when I finally hung porch curtains at our house, as I had wanted to do so for a while, but I quickly discovered, if you live in windy central Texas, every so often there are days when said curtains wind up on your roof.

Traditional Home

The curtains I used weren't the heaviest weight, and I never discovered anything that would keep them anchored to the ground on very windy days; I even tried fishing weights! I tied them back on days when they seemed destined to head upwards, but sometimes they even broke free of those ties.

Melanie Acevedo

It was my Porch Curtains vs. the Texas Wind, but it was a loosing fight for the curtains really; the Texas Wind certainly had the upper hand. Eventually, I simply resigned myself to pulling them down off the roof any day the wind blew strong.

Country Living

Still head, we have more outdoor summer living and more porches with a look at some traditional front porch fare.

Summer Living {Screened Porches}

As much as I love being outside when the weather is warm, there are certainly times when the bugs are a little too pesky, and in those moments, I long for a screened porch where I can retreat.

Coastal Living

Heather Garrett Design

Evan Sklar

House Beautiful

House Beautiful

I love the relaxed nature of these rooms; each of the spaces above seems to encourage taking a deep breath and following it with a contented sigh.