Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Fun in the Sun with Miss Merri Mac


Welcome to a special summer edition of 
Tales of the Traveling Totes!
~ FUN IN THE SUN ~

Are you a buzy bee this summer?
Is you summer filled with special trips and events?
 No travels for my BFF Miss Merri Mac and myself.
We are at home for the summer!
Most mornings are spent taking an early walk in the 
neighborhood, then some time in the garden.

Texas can get pretty hot in the summer, with temps
reaching triple digits and high humitity.
Best to stay inside reading, stitching, 
and visiting my favorite blogs and Instagram accounts.

That said,  Miss Merri Mac and I invite you 
to come in out of the heat 
and join us for a sweet, cold treat.
A little tidbit you may not know about me ~
I have a daily Starbucks habit.
It's my pick-me-up time late afternoon.
My drink of choice is a non-fat coffee Frappuccino
with an extra pump of coffee roast and an affogato shot on top.
No flavors or whipped cream for me!
Give me the caffine!

What's you favorite way to beat the heat?
Are you a Starbucks regular?
What's your favorite drink?

To celebrate summer, Miss Merri Mac
and I are offering one of our readers 
Starbucks drinks on us.
☀ ☀ ☀ ☀ ☀ ☀
Leave a comment and tell me about your summer fun in the sun.
 Let me know if you are a Starbucks fan 
and would like to be entered into the drawing.
~ Giveaway Closed ~ 
Congratulations to Kitty @ Kitty's Kozy Korner
😎 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎
Grab your bestie 
to get out of the heat 
and join you for a sweet, cold treat.
Happy Summer!
Click on over to visit my Traveling Tote Buddies for more 
~ Fun in the Sun ~

Patti and Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box (w/ Giveaway)
Debbie and Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 
Emily and Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Jenna and Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron
Linda P and Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 
Sarah and Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul 
(YOU ARE HERE)
Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Sketchy Reader
Cherry Kay and Carrie Ann Hall @ Entertaining Women  
We'll be back in September with more adventures.


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Friday, August 31, 2018

Dog Days of Summer ~ Garden Gates


According to ancient Rome,
Dog Days of Summer 
last from July 23 to August 24.

Well, I'm here to tell you that
with the Texas heat,
Dog Days
of lethargy and inactivity are still here.
Lack of rain is all too familiar in Austin, and summer 2018
is likely to be Austin's hottest summer on record.
This was one of the hotter days recently.  Today was 103.
That said, you can imagine that things in the gardens
around here are pretty stressed.
With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to share a few 
garden gates for The Garden Linky Party.
You enter our back garden 
through this stone arched gateway.

This garden gate off our back terrace
will lead you to steps that take you through 
the wild, natural part of our garden.
I pass by this stately gate on my daily walks.
You might be surprised to know that this rustic cedar gate
is right here in the central city, part of a historic property.
As is this long forgotten plot that sits close to a busy street.
I love the authentic feel and the patina of time.
 A local slogan is "Keep Austin Weird".
I'd say this colorful gate with hand knitted gate slats 
is doing its part to keep things weird.
Have to admit, it is pretty clever!
One of my favorite gates keeps these two sweet miniature
donkeys in their special arena at my friend's historic
property that was once a gristmill and which is 
located just south of downtown Austin.
This unusual gate leads to a secret garden
at a beautiful property in San Antonio.
With Texas' close proximity to Mexico,
it's not unusual to see a welcome in Spanish.
Not a garden gate, but the entrance to my friend's
beautiful horse ranch just outside of Austin.

 These star finials accent the top.
I'll leave you with one last gate that captured my 
imagination when visiting a plantation outside of Savannah.
I was taken with the mix of textures of the stone, brick, and iron
work among the overgrown plants and grasses.
~ The Dog Days of Summer ~ 
are definitely the season for leisure times, 
so I've made some refreshing treats.
How about an icy cold 
glass of lemonade.
Along with a slice of
 delicious Meyer Lemon cake.
~ Lorina ~
Delicious ~ Sparkling ~ Lemonade
Nothing better on a hot summer day
than citrus drinks to quench one's thirst.
And any way you slice it,
this lemon cake is full of goodness.
Tangy with a 
touch of sweetness.
Elegant and Light
An afternoon citrus refresher.
Sadie and I thank you for your visit.
This is the last Garden Linky Party of the season.
A Garden Party, the perfect distraction for
~ Dog Days of Summer ~

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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.

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Friday, June 3, 2016

June 2016



June 4, 2016 ~ National Trails Day 



Butler Trail and Lady Bird Lake ~ Austin, TX

National Trails Day is held the first Saturday in June.

It's a day in which the American Hiking Society 

sponsors events all across the country, including

hiking, biking, horseback riding, paddling trips,

 birdwatching, geocaching, stewardship projects, and more.

I plan to take to the trails at the Lady Bird Wildflower Center 

or perhaps walk the Butler Trail around Lady Bird Lake.



June 9, 2016 ~ National Celebration of Reading



Book and Author Luncheon Quilt 
Displayed in New Braunfels, Texas, 2012


A special National Celebration of Reading,

 sponsored by the 

Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, 

will be held on June 9th to celebrate 

the power of literacy and to commemorate the 

25th Anniversary of the National Literacy Act

signed into law by President George H. W. Bush.

You can find details here.


June 14th ~ National Flag Day



Although many states had designated a special

day to honor the US flag each year,

it wasn't until 1949 that President Truman signed an 

Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as 

National Flag Day.


June 18th ~ International Picnic Day



June 19th ~ Father's Day
Pack your picnic basket and head out to your favorite park or lake.

When we had our sailboat, we always packed a picnic basket

for a little alfresco dining on the water.

The basket above is the one my dad gave to me 

when I headed off to attend the University of Texas.

With all the public parks and lakes in and around Austin,

it was a perfect "send off" gift.  That was 50 years ago!

Father's Day would be the perfect time to

pack a picnic basket, spread a blanket, and treat your dad to 

a special picnic in the beautiful outdoors.


June 20th ~ Summer Solstice



The summer solstice is the longest day of the year

and marks the beginning of summer.

Happy Summer All!

 Joining


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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Summer Garden Party









All the petite blooms 

 above are from my summer garden.

Welcome to a Summer Garden Party!




Summers in Texas can be brutal, 

but up until today our summer temps 

haven't been all that bad.

Today's high:  103º.




The Knockout roses you see above are not so

 bright and colorful today, but the blue plumbago 

doesn't seem to mind the heat.  They bloom 

like this from spring to first frost.




The Yellow Bells do too!




As do the Golden Thrialis 

and Firecracker Ferns.




The Golden Thrialis is one 

of my favorites for cut flowers.

I like to add this wispy

 bloom in with fresh bouquets.




The Blackfoot Daisy 

isn't much for cut flowers,

but it sure does like the dry, hot summers.




Blue Daze likes to spread easily and mixes 

well with the sizzle of hot orange Coreopsis.




Coral Vine offers 

a touch of hot pink.

The heart shaped leaves of this pretty  

vine eagerly climb our porch posts.





This jewel is a 

Habranthus Pink Rain Lily.

I planted some of these bulbs in 

my herb garden years ago.

The bouquet of pink was its gift

shortly after an unexpected 

 thunder storm two weeks ago.




In contrast to all the hot colors out front,

our back yard is a shade garden of

mostly evergreens and touches of purple and white.





Scented Geraniums spill out from the large urns 

and don't seem to mind the Texas heat.




I like to add in Fancy Leaf Caladiums 

for the hot summer months.

The white and green heart shaped leaves 

visually offer a sense of cooler temperatures.




Hope you enjoyed 

my little summer garden tour.

I've been cooking with lemons this week.

Thought you might enjoy a 

lemony French macaron before you leave.

Oh, go ahead and have two!





They are light as a feather meringue 

with the creamiest lemon curd filling.




I participated in Michael Lee West's 

Mystery Ingredient Club 

where the mystery ingredients were all 

about Meyer lemons.  

Click here for 

   Cooking With The Meyers  

For more summer flowers and gardens, don't forget to stop by 


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