A Weeknight Picnic

Being "emptynesters" has it's pros and cons.

I'd say one of the pros is being able to do what we want, when we want.  No longer do we have to worry about the kid's schedules.  If we want to go on a picnic on a Tuesday evening, that's exactly what we do.  No checking the calendar for soccer games, cub scout meetings, hockey practice, etc...

Last night that's exactly what we did.

Headed to this lovely place and had a picnic.

Last fall we bought a Groupon for a picnic for 2 here.  Do you use Groupon?  We've found a lot of fun places to go through Groupon.  Next month we're going to 2 different Bed & Breakfasts using Groupons that we purchased a few months ago.  We'll be celebrating something special.  I'll be sure to do a post on it.

Anyhow, back to the picnic.

They thought of everything when they packed this picnic basket.

We selected a spot near the pond and had a toast ~ to the beauty of this day and the gift of health & happiness.



What would a North Carolina picnic be without a pulled pork BBQ sandwich?



Cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple and mangoes were diced very small.  They looked cute and also were easy to manage on the spoon.  Great idea for picnic food. 

This picnic was a wonderful way to de-stress on a weekday.  The sounds of the waterfall and the birds was so peaceful.  The only way I could get you to really feel it was to include a short "movie". 

Watch it at your own risk as I've never done this before and my battery was threatening to die the whole time.  Oh yeah, and my husband was rolling his eyes wondering when he could eat his food. 

I know ... no Oscars will be given out for that movie, but hopefully it gave you a feel for the atmosphere at our weeknight picnic. 



After a dessert of banana pudding, it was time to head for home.



While my husband was busy setting the GPS for the return trip, I was busy taking a picture of this beautiful house (before my battery completely conked out).  I love wraparound porches and this one looks so inviting to me.  

Picnics & porches ~ two great ways to enjoy the warmer weather.

White and Blue for Me and You

In the sky ...

In the garden ...

On the kitchen counter ...

and the kitchen table ...

blue & white looks right to me.

And those cookies look pretty good too; - ).

Wish you could come over and share them with me.

Shall we have a virtual cookie party?

The kitchen still smells like cookies baking.

Mmmm... love.that.smell.

When the party is over, I'll send you on your way with a little blue and white bouquet from my garden and I'll also thank you for the kindness you show to me on this little blog of mine.

"We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love." ~ Mother Teresa

Concentrating on Concentrating

Concentration is a trait that my husband possesses. 

Sometimes he comes to the mall with me and once he's done looking for what he needs, he finds a chair in the middle of the mall and reads until I'm done.  When we meet up again he always tells me how many pages he got read.  Sometimes it's 100 or more. 

I find this unbelievable because if I ever attempted to read in the midst of a mall I'd get so sidetracked by one of my favorite hobbies ~ people watching ~ that I'd be lucky to read 3 pages and I probably wouldn't remember what I read because my skills for concentration are a bit different than his.

I'd like to say that the noise and activity in the mall is what distracts me, but it seems my concentration can be broken in the quiet of my own home too.  For instance, this afternoon I sat down in the living room to do some reading.  After reading a few pages, my eye went to this:

This yellow table is something I bought a few years ago at an antique store.  It sort of got set in this location, but I wasn't fond of the bright yellow, especially next to the yellow floral sofa.

As I continued reading, my mind began wandering to a can of paint I had in the laundry room.  I tried to keep reading, but before long ...

Out came the paint.  Unfortunately I didn't have any green spray paint, but the first coat went on pretty quick.

As the first coat of paint was drying, I resumed my reading.

I don't know how many pages I read, but I knocked off a few chapters before it was time to do the next coat.

Okay, I may not have a great power of concentration, but ...

once in a while I can kill 2 birds with one stone.

My Wish For You This Mother's Day

May you find time to smell the flowers ...

time to relax ...

time to enjoy the children in your life ...

as mother's we know how quickly they leap from toddlers to adults

I wish you a peaceful spot in which to read, enjoy your morning coffee or ...

enjoy the beauty of your garden.

While you're out there make sure to smell a rose and if you don't have a rose, find one in your neighborhood and smell it.  :)

Let somebody serve you lunch or dinner ~ alfresco style ...

and when it's time to do the dishes, go find yourself a comfy spot and put your feet up and ...



take one last chance to smell the flowers before Monday morning arrives and real life begins again ;-).

All photos courtesy of the Wing Haven Garden Walk in Charlotte, NC.  That is where I spent my day today thanks to the tickets I received as a birthday gift from my son.  Thanks, Mike.  It was a perfect day in every way.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Love,