Tuesday, August 1, 2017

At the Table With the Traveling Totes

Summertime and the livin' is easy .
The Traveling Tote team decided to challenge "our girls"
to a little help on the tabletop this summer.
As you can see, Miss Merri Mac and Miz Checkers
happily obliged the request.


A quick stop at Trader Joe's, and
I had the girls blooming in no time.

An unfettered checkered table for two!
Yes, the heat is here, and it felt like
a checkered kind of evening.

Introducing the
 ~ Molly Butter Barn ~
A recent thoughtful gift and my new favorite addition,
this whimsical butter dish is perfect for our  
favorite Vermont Creamery butter logs.
Thank you, MacKenzie-Childs!

My "chef" is an avid bread baker, creating
different recipes for his classic multi-grain loaves.
Suffice it to say we enjoy fresh baked bread daily,
and of course everything is better with butter
 ~ Vermont Creamy butter .

Light, crusty, and healthy,
this batch was made with rye, flax seed, 
teff, quinoa, and blackstrap molasses.

Our summer fridge is stocked with lots
of ice cold sparkling water.

Topo Chico with a hint of grapefruit
is my current crush.

Hot summer days call for a 
simple no fuss dinner.

A side of the "chef's" homemade bread
with sweet cream butter is all that is needed.

A simple, but elegant alfresco dinner
for the "chef" and me.

OK, Sadie, I guess we'll 
share a bit of buttered bread.

After all, it is the 
Dog Days of Summer!

Enamel ware ~ the perfect go to dishes for alfresco dining.
You too can add a touch of whimsey to your summer table
with MacKenzie-Childs enamel ware 
in your choice of five patterns.
 ~ Courtly Check ~ Parchment Check ~ 
~ Flower Market ~ Butterfly Garden ~ 
and the newest addition, Morning Glory.


Click on over to see what the other 
Traveling Totes are serving on their summer tables.
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 
Emily with Miss Courtney ChildsThe French Hutch
Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron
Linda G with Miss Rosie @ More Fun Less Laundry
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Patti with Miss Kenzie and Miss Taylor @ "Pandora's Box"
Rita with Miss Luna C Panoply  
Next Traveling Tote series on September 1, 2017,
with a great new give-away.




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Sarah
Sarah

The summer we married, my husband was in graduate school, and I was employed as a teacher. We took a portion of our savings that summer and purchased a sailboat. We christened our Catalina 22, “Hyacinths For The Soul” after Saadi’s poem. Our "Hyacinths" provided years of pleasure.

37 comments:

  1. What a splendid table beautifully set with your favourite Mackenzie Childs pieces,love the flowers from Trader Joe's, perfect.
    I like the look of the Chef's homemade bread, it looks so flavourful I may well be inspired to start baking bread more often.
    Enjoy the summer, sweet friend, see you back for MM again in September.

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  2. Sarah, I love to join you at your Courtly Check table on the terrace! Your blooming totes are a thing of beauty, I wish my Trader Joe's was closer. I adore your Flower Market colander serving up your salad, perfect for the lazy days of summer. The Molly Butter dish is perfectly charming for serving up your Vermont Butter with the Chef's freshly baked bread! I hope Miss Sadie is staying cool. ♥

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  3. Hoping you'll soon have some cool breezes Sarah. Sweet Sadie is the star of the show, and we can all learn something from a dog's life. The blooming totes surely look refreshing on a hot summer day, and the enamelware is perfect for dining alfresco. Your meal looks so inviting especially with freshly baked bread and your Molly butter barn. Hope you have a wonderful week.

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  4. Sarah, do you have room for one more at your table? The blooming totes are fabulous! The Molly butter barn is so cute serving up Vermont butter! The "chef's" bread looks delicious and with butter smeared on makes it over the top I am sure! Miss Sadie is too cute, I hope she got her fill of baked bread! I just love this alfresco table and the menu!

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  5. The totes look beautiful with flowers! Love the dishes and the bread looks yummy! The salad looks perfect for hot weather. Sadie is so adorable 😊

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  6. LOVE your floral arrangements - everything looks fabulous in our totes!! Hope the weather cools a bit for you - we have had some lovely breezy days - summer comes and goes so quickly for us! Cute butter dish!

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  7. All the bright colors with the checks...so vibrant!

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  8. You girls are having so much fun!! MC is so all of you..

    what an interesting and beautiful line of merchandise you all chose a while ago:)
    Kudos.. beautiful everything..the mini colander bowls are so darn cute Sarah..everything:)

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  9. Your table looks so pretty for the dog days of summer! I can see why Sadie is so intrigued. And I have the Molly butter house on my "Must Have" list. I want the creamer, too! I can justify the creamer more because we always have tea and coffee going around here!

    Your tablecloth is so pretty....so nice with the courtly check totes and flowers. Your garden is always a treat to see, Sarah! Lovely post!

    xo,
    RJ

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  10. How delightfully bright and welcoming Sarah! I do think that black and white goes with everything as you've demonstrated here, it is truly MKC heaven! Your new butter barn makes me swoon, I have been eyeing those and wishing! And to have a resident bread baker, you are a lucky gal! Love the colander salad bowls, hmmm, perhaps just the excuse I need to buy one? Such a lovely summer setting for the dog days, {sorry Sadie} that are going to be around for a while I'm afraid~ the sparkling grapefruit water sounds divine!

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  11. I'm not into tablescapes, just not my thing, but oh my this post makes me want to be. How cute are those totes and those checks - I just love it all!

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  12. Sarah!! Your blooming totes take my breath away! They make mine look a bit anemic, I think! And the colors you chose reflect those in the Flower Market colanders so well. The artichoke and avocado salad would make an excellent dinner for us, too, especially with that delicious bread from your own private Chef! I saw Molly the Cow in a shop and really wanted her because she is so unique and cute, too, but I passed, instead purchasing the three tiered server which you also have. I remember thinking that if I had another tote I could name her Miss Molly. (Oh dear.) Next trip to the Cape may mean a visit to that shop to pick her up! Sadie is just the cutest little doll. I wonder how she copes with the heat! Can you imagine wearing a fur coat during the summer? Your choice of tablecloth is excellent. The blues add such a cooling element to this gorgeous table! I'm so glad you suggested this idea for our Traveling Tribe! Linda

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  13. So pretty and bright! I love a good salad and bread supper!

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  14. Sarah, your girls, Miss Merri Mac and Mix Checkers look stunning with all the blooms. What a delightful table for two for these hot evenings of summer. Your chef's bread sounds delicious and your salads look so pretty in the sweet little colanders. Love the Molly Butter Barn, so adorable. I'm sure Sadie enjoyed her bread and butter. Happy August!

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  15. Now that is a table! Absolutely spectacular!

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  16. Oh Sarah, I want to be there! THAT is a perfect meal, and the fact that your Chef made that multi-grain goodness of a loaf of bread leaves my mouth watering with imagining its taste with that Vermont butter. Wow! The only consolation would be to have the recipes for that bread and salad. I can see artichokes, avocado, tomatoes, and lettuce, and am curious of the dressing. Your totes look gorgeous, but so does all the MKC beauty spread (love your new Molly Butter Barn, but the bee on napkin holder is what's making my heart go pitter-patter). Thanks for sharing!

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  17. Dearest Sarah,
    Wow, that was a lovely and refreshing post.
    You are lucky for having a Trader Joe's nearby. We have to drive about 2.5 hours.
    We went on Saturday to the one here in Miami, it always makes me happy.
    LOVE your Chef's delicious bread!
    That is something I still miss, compared to The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Austria there is quite a gap... Got us a multi grain loaf here at Whole Foods but still not like home baked.
    Your al fresco dinner for two looked delicious too and both of us enjoy light fare in the heat of summer.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  18. i love the butter dish, Sarah, and of course you bloomin' totes! Your chef and I would have a great time comparing recipes. I eat homemade bread daily, too, from a starter from the Civil War, and I use lots of whole grains. Of course, Miss Sadie, wanted some bread and butter, too!

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  19. Love all your dishes - they are great. Congratulations to the chef - bread look wonderful.

    Enjoy your rest of the week.

    Mary

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  20. I can't believe I lost a long comment. ....Here goes again.
    What a treat today to enjoy your lovely Alfresco table with your MC dishes and Miss Merry Mac and Miz Checkers being the focal point chocked full of beautiful summer flowers.
    I love the pic of Miss Sadie checking out the table.
    Fun post. Thanks, Sarah

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  21. Oh Sarah, what a lovely spot to enjoy an alfresco meal. Miss Merry Mac and Miz Checkers look so beautiful filled with those gorgeous flowers. Miss Sadie looks so comfortable and cute. Having fresh bread and creamy butter is so yummy.

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  22. The table settings are lovely .... the tote looks wonderful with the perfect summer bouquet .... the salad is just what we need here in Oregon today as the temperature hit over 100, almost unheard of here ... and that gorgeous healthful bread would make any meal perfect. And I'm going to look for that water.

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  23. It's so pretty, so festive! You are in full joyful mode -- I can tell!

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  24. Love the B & W checks. It is all very lovely and colorful, not to say yummy too.

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  25. Sarah, I love the sunflowers! What a wonderful post. The meal looks delicious and the bread scrumptious. Have a great week. Sylvia D.

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  26. oooh Sarah... what a magnificently magical table setting that you have whipped up!! The lunch looks positively delish and that bread looks right up my alley. The butter dish is so darling!! I'll have to put that on my wish list! Hope you have a wonderful week, dear friend and I hope to see you soon. xx

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  27. Oh you all have the best time with that tote! Love the table with flowers and dishes all set up, gorgeous! And the food, oh my. The bread looks scrumptious too. Lucky you have that "chef". :)

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  28. Oh My!!! The totes look absolutely beautiful filled with such bright bouquets!!! Those bright colors really set off the courtly checks. Such a pretty post!

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  29. Sarah, I am smitten with your gorgeous flower filled totes and those pretty little floral colanders! Thanks for sharing @ Vintage Charm--pinned!

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  30. Love the new butter dish!! The cow is so cute!

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  31. Sarah,
    The traveling totes were super stars once again all decked out in fabulous flower arrangements. But the new butter dish, homemade bread, and al fresco garden setting almost stole the show from them. Love your latest traveling totes adventure...

    Judith

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  32. These traveling totes are just so lovely!! Beautiful floral arrangements!!
    Thanks so much for stopping by!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

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  33. Sweet tablescape and Sadie is adorable!
    Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  34. Beautiful Sarah! I love the flowers in the totes, and yes; we must have butter!! :) Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  35. Beautiful.
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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  36. Sarah, I always love to eyeball your gorgeous collection of MC. The flowers look just perfect too!

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  37. Hi Sarah: Your settings and flowers are really beautiful. I wish I lived closer to a Trader Joes and your "chef". It all looks so good..Happy Weekend..Judy

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