Signature Scents, Summer Luncheons, Mini-Charcuterie + More … It’s Weekend Meanderings

Happy weekend, friends!

Every Saturday I join Kim and Elizabeth to share our favorite things from the week.

And it was a busy week.

August is Cocktail Month at Snowberry.

And Thursday I joined the big girl bloggers for summer drinks inspiration.

I shared my new favorite summer cocktail.

Rose Hibiscus Spritz.

I’ve mentioned it before, but this is a deep dive.

And I attended a lovely girls lunch.

And that’s the first item on my agenda today.

So, let’s get to it …

 

LUNCH WITH CONTESSA AND FRIENDS

I went to the loveliest luncheon this week. At Kim’s beautiful home. Feting our friend, the Contessa. It was Contessa’s birthday last month, but this was the first date we could coordinate a get together. Artist, Heidi, rounded out our foursome. Kim let us know she was planning a pink tabletop and thought it would be fun if we all wore shades of pink. She and the Contessa nailed it. Heidi went with pink on top. And I brought up the rear with pops of pink in my dress. Turns out we coordinated well.

It was a warm day and we had appetizers poolside. Kim’s back yard is like a boutique resort.

Kim made yummy fig appetizers. She shared her recipe here. And I brought individual charcuterie boards. It’s my go to appetizer at home and on the road. At the last minute I decided to make fig and goat cheese bites too. To place on the boards. Sorry, Kim … I should know better than to go off script. But figs are healthy, right? You can’t have too many.

For lunch we moved to Kim’s dining table on the opposite side of her patio. Set with a pretty pink tablecloth that reminded me of funky 70’s wallpaper. So fun! Kim served caprese salad with the most gorgeous and delicious tomatoes from her dad’s garden. And an amazing green salad with chicken, walnuts, and pears. Dressed with a citrusy dressing. Delicious!

 

 

 

The heat was getting to us, so we moved inside for dessert. Heidi made a glorious blueberry crisp topped with freshly whipped cream. OMG.

 

Kim’s son, Griffin, was home and got roped into taking our photos. He was good humored about it. I suggested he be included as our official photographer at all future gatherings. I think he’s packing his bags and heading back to school as fast as he can.

I’m wearing an Alicia Bell dress that’s no longer available. I got it at Flaunt in Danville. The dress was perfect for my gold Jack Roger sandals. I bought them for the after party at Kyle and Melody’s wedding. The Contessa is wearing one of her Contessa Caftans, with a piggie motif made by Trish at Cottage by Design.

 

INDIVIDUAL CHARCUTERIE BOARD APPETIZERS

If anyone’s tired of me mentioning these cute mini cheese boards … avert your eyes. I’m going to talk about them again. Sorry, not sorry. Quite honestly, I’m not sure how I ever lived – or entertained – without them. And I’m not the only one because Target is still restocking them.

I bought them during the pandemic when we started to have people over again but were squeamish about everyone working off the same platter. I quickly realized they are a great way to serve appetizers around our firepit. It’s pretty big and wide and with the fire going we have to place food in another location. Then guests have to get up and down and go back forth. Not ideal. In addition to being practical and super cute, everyone oohs and ahs over them and thinks I went to more effort than I actually did.

When we were planning the Contessa’s birthday lunch, I had to twist Kim’s arm to get her to let me bring something. She finally said I could bring cheese and crackers. Those were the words I needed to hear to reach for my mini boards. I have a standard template for filling them and this is it …

Point Reyes Blue Cheese, Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam** cheese, prosciutto, marcona almonds, dried apricots, red grapes, and a tiny (1.05oz) jar of Dalmatia fig spread. Then I add sliced baguette and as many Pepperidge Farm Harvest Wheat crackers as will fit (usually 4). I put a cheese spreader into the Mt. Tam cheese on each board and voila … appetizers are served. For my gluten free friends, I substitute with Wasa Sesame & Sea Salt Crisps and Milton’s Crispy Sea Salt Baked Crackers. I set out extra bread and crackers because only so many can fit on the little boards.

 

 

**A word about Mt. Tam cheese. It’s a triple cream cheese from Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station. It’s my favorite, it’s Jim’s favorite and it’s our niece Sophie’s favorite. I rarely show up at her house without it and a box of Harvest Wheat crackers. When we moved to our Fidalgo Island house, we couldn’t get it. And that’s where things took a turn. Less than two years later we were back in California with a refrigerator full of Mt. Tam. I’m joking. Or am I?

 

Because I was felt bad that I wasn’t doing enough to help I decided to make a fig and goat cheese bites to add to the boards. It was overkill. But they were really good. And I had no idea Kim was making fig appetizers too. Oops.

Here’s the recipe.

TUCKERNUCK SUMMER DRESS

Here I am swanning around Snowberry’s back patio with a Rose Hibiscus Spritz and cut flowers. As one does. And wearing the best summer dress ever from Tuckernuck. I love the Tuckernuck brand … its so coastal grandma. This dress is lightweight and universally flattering. Plus it’s just fun. Dress it up or dress it down … it’s a great piece to have in your closet.

I don’t usually wear short dresses. I know, I know this is not exactly short … but I mean above the knee. However, being slightly height challenged (I’m 5’4-3/4″… don’t forget the 3/4) the dress falls at a good place on me and I really like it. I’m wearing a small.

Tuckernuck Dress / Sunnies / Earrings / Market Tote / Platform Slides

I just ordered the tortoise sunglasses (they’re only $28), the earrings and the platform slides. All from Tuckernuck. The Medina Market Tote was on Kim’s post last weekend. It got here so fast. I ordered it with indigo handles and it’s perfection. I’m going to wear this ensemble to a couple of dinners we have coming up.

 

CAYLX  PERFUME

Do you have a signature scent? I do. Does that sound hoity toity? In my case, it’s less hoity toity and more about finding something I like and sticking with it. That and I dislike change. So much so that I’ve been wearing Calyx and only Calyx by Perscriptives since 1989 or so. That’s a long time.

I remember where I was when I caught my first whiff of this fresh, clean, and citrusy scent. Sitting on the floor in my newly carpeted (wall-to-wall plush blue carpet) living room on a Saturday afternoon flipping through a magazine. Which magazine? That I don’t recall. Anyway, I was flipping through the pages when a scented insert fell out. Remember those? I was immediately smitten and soon on my way to Nordstrom to acquire a bottle. And I’ve never looked back.

Around 2011 there was a brief scare when Estee Lauder shuttered the Prescriptives brand. Somehow, I found out about it and was able to buy the remaining stock at my local store. I kept the bottles in the refrigerator. Eventually Clinique, another Estee Lauder brand, relaunched Calyx. Some say they changed the formula, but if true it was very subtle. As a result of this crisis, I have a lingering scarcity mindset around the fragrance, but no longer keep a three-year supply in the fridge.

Calyx burst on the scene in 1986/87 created by perfumer, Sophia Grojsman. You can read more about its history here and here if you’re interested including the perfume notes. I was interested to read them, and the comments of people who love or loath the scent. What I get is citrus and you know how I feel about citrus.

You can find Calyx at Sephora, Ulta and Macy’s. You can also find it on Amazon, but I’m suspicious of counterfeit products, and how old it might be (and how it’s been stored/shipped, etc.).

 

Sephora

 

OLIVA NEWTON-JOHN

Who else shed a tear (or broke down sobbing) at the news of Olivia Newton-John’s passing? Universally admired and adored I think we all knew she battled breast cancer and yet her death still came as a shock. For those of us who came of age in the 70’s, this breathtaking Aussie captured our hearts with her country-esque albums (If You Love Me Let Me Know, Have You Ever Been Mellow, I Honestly Love You,) to name a few. Songs I haven’t heard in decades but can still sing word for word. And then, of course, Grease. GREASE! Into the stratosphere Olivia (Sandy) and John (Danny) flew … sewn into the fabric of our lives forever. And as such we took a great interest in her life … her first marriage, the birth of her daughter, her divorce. Romances. The boyfriend who disappeared from a fishing boat never to be seen again. And, finally, remarriage and lasting love.

The Oliva Newton-John Foundation Fund has raised millions of dollars for research into plant medicine for cancer. You can learn more about it and donate here.

Olivia lived in rarified air. A woman so loved and admired you could not find anyone with a bad word to say about her. Rest in peace, Olivia.

So there you have it, five things that stood out for me this week.

Now let’s see what Kim and Elizabeth are up to.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA STYLE

PINECONES AND ACORNS

IN OTHER NEWS  ~

My favorite local shop, Flaunt, is showcasing their fall lineup today. They’re open 10-5 and shop manager, Denise, is making sangria. Let me tell you, Denise is dangerous with or without sangria. She never fails to find 10 things I didn’t know I need, must have, and could never live without. Jim prefers I not hang out with Denise. 😉

I succumbed to fall … at Target … during a grocery run. I couldn’t resist this blue and white sweater. Now that I’m looking at it, maybe it’s more of a summer sweater. It was hanging out with their new fall stuff.

Last week I mentioned buying this dress at Old Navy. It arrived and I love it so I ordered it again! In black, spice and this pretty shade of blue called Mt. Shasta. It’s only $21 and when I purchased all three it came down to $15 a dress. It’s just a great everyday around the house and around town summer dress. And … $15! Oh, and I wore it in my Cocktail Night at Snowberry video yesterday and received quite a few messages asking about it. I’d say it’s a winner.

And speaking of cocktails, I mentioned joining the big girl bloggers, as I like to call them, for a summer drinks extravaganza. I made my new summer favorite, the Rose Hibiscus Spritz. You can read about it here. And I made it again last night and you can watch that here. There were so many great drinks recipes shared. Take a look at Kim’s Lillet Spritz, Annie’s Mojito Mocktail, Cindy’s Lime Mint Cucumber Cocktail and yummy appetizers, Mary Ann’s Lemonade Ice Cubes and Fresh Lemonade, Sheri’s Mint Simple Syrup and Strawberry Mock Mojito, and Melanie’s Empress Gin recipes.

If you missed last weekend’s meanderings, I gushed about my new favorite athletic shoe. Recommended by my doctor, I’m wearing Hoka Clifton 8’s for daily walks and workouts. I received a lot of comments and messages about these shoes.  Apparently many of you have recently heard about them too, from friends and family  members … and celebrities. Joan commented that Reese Witherspoon posted about her black and white pair a year or two ago (and I thought this was a new thing). And favorite blogger Preppy Empty Nester says her Mister has just acquired a pair and is talking about them non-stop. So it seems everyone’s a fan. My feet are certainly a lot happier.

Check out these cute little stoneware strainers or colanders… I bought the smaller ones and filled them with tomatoes from my garden as gifts for our girl’s luncheon. Amazon has them too, but they’re sold as a set. Wait, Overstock has a better price, also a set.

As always, I appreciate your visit and welcome your thoughts in the comments below.

Cocktail Month at Snowberry continues on Thursday.

Stay tuned.

Cheers from Snowberry!