Friday, December 1, 2017

Tales of Traveling Tote #13 - Birds of a Feather

Welcome to Tales of the Traveling Tote #13

They say birds of a feather like to flock together, 
so Miss Merri Mac and I boarded a plane 
mid October to fly up to meet my collector
QCI friends on the east coast.


After three canceled flights and a lost day,
we finally arrived in Boston!


This year's QCI Annual Meeting was a cruise
from Montreal to Boston and NYC.
 Though I didn't take the cruise, I did meet up with my friends 
for after cruise visits to four homes in 
Connecticut and along the Hudson River.
 The collage above is just a peek at the lovely homes,
delicious lunches, and gorgeous pottery that greeted us.


There were even some MacKenzie-Childs 
treasures within the homes we visited.
 "Designed to camouflage into the rustic backdrop to Aurora Farm,
the Forest Fish Chair stands out in the great indoors."  


"Each chair is a one-of-a-kind treasure . . . with a scenic landscape of rolling hayfields and the still, deep waters of Cayuga Lake."

New York City ~ Always A Favorite Destination
After our farewells to the QCI group, Miss Merri Mac
and I drove into NYC with a friend.
I've many fond feelings about this city and time
spent in the Big Apple when the chef and I enjoyed
a NYC  pied-á-terre for a few years.
My friend and I spent our days criss-crossing the city to take in
favorite museums, shops, and restaurants.

Friday morning, Patti and I had breakfast at Ellen's Stardust.
A new experience for me, this fun diner is home to a
singing waitstaff who aspire to be future stars of stage and screen

After, we hiked the High Line down to 
Chelsea Market, again, new experiences for me.

Rainbow Room, Bar Sixty-Five  ~  Rockefeller Center
Perfect spot for evening cocktail, light dinner, 
and incredible night time views of the city.

Next up and the grand finale of my NYC visit ~
a much anticipated meet up with some 
of the girls of Traveling Tote fame.

With many of us arriving during the week,
we decided to get a jump on the gathering by 
meeting at Fonda for a Happy Hour Friday evening.
Double treat to meet some of the men behind the totes.

On Saturday, the famed Russian Tea Room was
the venue for our first meet up of the Traveling Tote girls.  
What fun it was to actually meet this group 
of amazing ladies, most of whom I'd only corresponded 
with through our blogs, email, and texts.

Following the excited conversation over a delicious lunch,
the group headed down 57th Street to mecca.
The nice folks at MacKenzie-Childs NYC welcomed us 
with champagne and sweets upstairs in the mezzanine
before we all descended downstairs to shop our favorite brand.

Take a look at the video above for an
 overview of the fun shared by this group.
We are already planning more fun with hopes
of all eleven of us meeting up for a shared adventure.
With this edition we welcome two new travelers,
Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
Ricki Jill and Countess de Monet @ The Sketchy Reader

Back home in Texas, I packed Miss Merri Mac once again
and off we went for a November weekend 
in Houston to attend a wedding.

The Saturday morning of the wedding, I joined a
few friends to view the fabulous Oscar de la Renta 
exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Closer to home, Miss Merri Mac and I spent a delightful
Sunday afternoon at another museum, 
the LBJ Presidential Library,
 to tour the Madeleine Albright exhibit, Read My Pins.

"The Madeleine Albright Collection features more than 200 pins, most of the costume variety, which Secretary Albright wore to communicate a message before, during, and after her years of public service, including when she led the Department of State from 1997 to 2001.  Sometimes demure and understated, sometimes outlandish and outspoken, these pins were used as gentle implements of statecraft.  Their stories and messages reflect the Secretary's sense of humor and her humanity, and are visual educational tools of cultural diplomacy." Albright Stonebridge Group

The exhibit shares the story of how the former secretary of state
used her jewelry to make personal and diplomatic expressions and has been on tour the past nine years to over 22 museums and presidential libraries.  LBJ Library is the last stop before
Read My Pins: The Madeline Albright Collection
will soon be part of the permanent collection of the
US Diplomacy Center.
You can read more about the exhibit here.

To round out this edition's travel log, Miss Merri Mac and I
ventured to a local urban farm with a group of friends, where
we learned about the two acre organically maintained farm and
met up with the donkeys, geese, chickens, ducks, and bunnies.

                           
Enjoy this adorable video of the love 
between the owner's mother and Gustavo the goose.
You can follow HausBar Farm on FaceBook to view more videos.



 More Adventures With the Traveling Totes ~ Links Below
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
 Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box
Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron
Katie with Miss Daisy @ Preppy Empty Nester
Linda with Miss Rosie @ More Fun Less Laundry
Linda with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 
Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul
and our new traveler: 
Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
It's beginning to look like Christmas here at
Hyacinths for the Soul.  
Come back December 6 for a
Cozy At Christmas Holiday Blog Tour 2017.


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Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Thanksgiving Eve ~ 2017



"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into 
enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend."  ~~Melody Beattie 


Tomorrow we will celebrate with friends, 
but on this Thanksgiving Eve,
I invite you to share a quiet moment
to remember all for which you are grateful.
The following is a look back at a simple evening
spent here at home, just the two of us. 


Simple Pleasures
~ A Quiet Evening ~ 


~ Candlelight ~


~ Table for Two ~


~ Amber Turkeys ~


~ Layers of Rich colors ~


~ Autumn Details ~


~ Vintage Accents ~


~ Roast Turkey Breast ~
~Stuffed with Spinach and Pine Nuts ~
~Rice ~ Green Beans ~


~Sweet Endings ~


~ A Heart Full of Gratitude ~
Set a pretty table, even if it's just for two.
Slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.


~ Autumn ~ 
My  Favorite Season
It's rich tapestry of colors and textures 
warm both my heart and soul.
It's a season of thanksgiving.
I'm grateful for each of you,
my readers.

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Sunday, October 29, 2017

Autumn in New York ~ It is So Inviting!


Autumn in New York is always inviting, and especially
so when one is meeting up with a group of friends.

Yes, after more than two years into the series, 
Tales of the Traveling Tote,
the girls behind the totes decided to meet up in the Big Apple 
and finally meet each other in person.

Seven of the nine of us made the trip,
traveling from California, Texas, Alabama, 
Connecticut, Massachusetts, and upstate NY.
It was a weekend to remember!

First up ~ Friday evening @ Fonda in Chelsea.

Each of us arrived in the city at different times through the week,
so a few of us got a head start with Friday Happy Hour.
It's amazing how this group easily connected as if we
had known each other for a life time.

Saturday morning, the girls and totes all converged 
for brunch @ The Russian Tea Room.

Clockwise From Left
Sarah @ Hyacinth for the Soul
Linda @ Life and Linda
Debbie @ Mountain Breaths
Patti @ Pandora's Box

The Birthday Girl

Jenna @ The Painted Apron and Rita @ Panoply
were definitely with us in spirit.

Look for more about this beautiful
venue in the next Traveling Tote series.

After brunch, Katie was off to the theatre,
 but the rest of us headed to our favorite NY store.
~ MacKenzie-Childs @ 20 West 57th Street ~

We were warmly greeted by Greg and Roz.

This duo was expecting us and graciously arranged for champagne 
and sweet treats upstairs in the beautiful mezzanine area,
serving us on our favorite dishes.

The girls of the Traveling Totes have been cyber friends for years,
and it was truly heartwarming to see how easily and 
smoothly we melded into real time.
You would have thought we all had been life long friends.
As Winnie the Pooh said,
"As soon as I met you, I knew an adventure was going to begin!"
An adventure it was! Even some of the
Men Behind the Totes 
joined in on the fun time in NYC.

Needless to say, MacKenzie-Childs is like nirvana,
the idyllic shop that makes us happy!

Shopping with these girls is the best!

"The best things in life are the people you love, the places
you've been, and the memories you've made along the way."

 Thank you, Traveling Tote Gals, for a magical 
and fun time in NYC!

 Let the adventures continue!

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