Alfresco May Day Lunch

It has been a glorious spring here in Texas.

The cool, sunny days this time of year

remind me of why I love living in Austin.

May 1st is known as May Day around the world.

In many places, it is a day filled with marches and protests,

but for me, May Day is about flowers and 

sharing a sweet bouquet with family and friends.

I fondly remember the tradition of May Pole dances

in the early years of my elementary school days.

We made May Baskets and left them as gifts for others.

When a cousin phoned to say she wanted

to spend some time together on Monday,

I decided it was the perfect opportunity to set an

alfresco lunch out on our terrace.

Everyone knows I love an excuse to set a pretty table,

so the impromptu visit had me gathering up

my favorite MacKenzie-Childs 

dishes to set our table.

A gift bouquet of tulips were added to

another small bouquet of mixed flowers to fill my sweet

Rose Cottage vase from MacKenzie-Childs' Taylor Ceramics.

Each setting began with a Courtly Check charger.

Fluted edged dinner plate in King Ferry

was paired with a mini compote in Dublin Hill.

This setting is a dinner plate in Madison

paired with a mini compote in Glen Park.

Plaid and floral napkins by April Cornell

and golden bee napkin rings were a nod to the

whimsey of MacKenzie-Childs.

Refreshing iced tea .   .   .

With a slice of lemon hit the 

spot as we sat down to enjoy lunch.

Chicken salad in avocado boats and

a side of fruit was served with a choice of soup.

I had a delicious

Canadian Cheese Soup.

Karyn enjoyed a 

cup of tasty lentil soup.

Terra Beauregard Sweet Potato chips

added something crunchy.

Dessert waited under this hand-painted

glassware cloche in the Tulip pattern.

Chocolate covered coconut macaroons

along side cranberry and orange coconut macaroons

were picked up from Whole Foods.

What a treat to have my 

sweet cousin stop by for a visit.

Click here to read another post that features 

Karyn's 50th Birthday Luncheon.

Thanks for joining me today.

Happy Month of May!

For more information about these beautiful 

MacKenzie-Childs dishes, 

pop back over to my previous post here.

You can order these retired patterns through May 14th

 @ MacKenzie-Childs.com.