Today on weekend meanderings, spring is in the air and I’m sharing some pretty clothes, Easter table ideas, a colorful bedding collab, a few yummy recipes and much more.
Happy Saturday, friends!
It’s time for the weekend post with Kim and Elizabeth. Our weekly roundup of inspirations and goings on.
I’m dropping in from my sabbatical because my folder of weekend meandering worthy topics filled up faster than expected. Today is sort of a double edition packed with random things that caught my eye, crossed my path, and came out of my kitchen, that are too good not to share right away.
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Isn’t is amazing how winter turns to spring seemingly overnight with little noticeable transition. One day we’re bundled up inside and the next tulips are blooming and the temperature nears 80 degrees. And then we’re back to rain storms.
We don’t have tulips in our garden, but our hellebores are blooming.
I was delighted to see spring tulips blooming last week at the Stanford Shopping Center. The only positive thing about trekking across the Bay for follow-up appointments at Stanford Medical Center is the Stanford Shopping Center across the street. It’s fabulous.
While waiting for the stores to open I stopped in La Baguette Patisserie and was delighted to find pains aux raisins. They’re my favorite and not easy to come by these days. Anyway, I had to have one – they heated it up – with a cup of tea before I did a quick run through Bloomingdales. This striped blazer caught my eye. I’m pretty sure it’s this one from ba&sh, one of Kim’s favorite brands. And it’s on sale – half price.
I thought immediately of Plum Sykes in her recent Substack looking so chic in a Peter Hawking designed pinstripe pantsuit at Sarah Burton’s Givenchy debut show.
Image: Plum Skyles Substack
In her Substack piece, Plum also raves about Champagne Ruinart’s blanc de blanc. I forwarded a screen shot to Jim and asked him if it’s available in the U.S. and if he could track it down. He said yes and yes. Sante! If you’re visiting the wine region of France this summer, Ruinart looks like an amazing place to visit.
Speaking of French Champagne, I’m headed to Sonoma tomorrow to retrieve my quarterly Chateau Sonoma Bubble Club allotment. I was talking with my trainer, Dana at Framework Fitness, who mentioned that Costco’s champagne is surprisingly good … Kirkland Signature Brut. And, yes, it’s champagne … produced in France by well regarded champagne house Manuel Janisson (recently sold to LMVH). Wirecutter has good things to say about it, and I found this more recent review. Dana says she keeps it stocked in her home and it’s being served at all the baby shower’s she’s attending. Good to know. With Jim retiring and scrutinizing my spending, Costco champagne is worth exploring.
I didn’t mean to get off on a tangent. In other shopping news, this Veronica Beard maxi dress caught my eye and imagination.
I’d love to wear it to spring and summer weddings … and summer garden soirees. Slight issue though, I have no invitations to weddings or soirees. Hope springs eternal and I walk to the mailbox everyday in anticipation. Anyway, you’re probably more in demand than I am and maybe this dress works for you. Send snaps. Shop the entire look here on my LTK shop.
Maxi Dress | Earrings (love these too)| Bag | Sandals
Essie Polish | Westman Atelier Lipstick
While we’re on the topic of dresses I’ve been drooling over and dreaming of this one since I saw it while shopping with Kim. She told me to try it on, but I didn’t because I didn’t think I had anywhere to wear it.
I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind so I hunted it down. It’s light weight and floaty and I love the snake skin print and pleated, handkerchief hem. The sweater is not attached, so the camisole top dress can be worn on its own. And so can the sweater.
Nothing’s changed, I still have no place specific to wear this beauty, but it has a timeless quality and feels very all-season-all-occasion … plus I had a gift card. So when the right occasion presents itself, I’m ready.
To find desperately needed moments of peace and tranquility I’ve been rereading Julia Reed’s books starting with her first two books of essays, Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenomena and Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns and Other Southern Specialties. Julia is one of my favorite contemporary writers and I miss her voice (she sadly succumbed to cancer in 2020 at just 60 years old), keen eye, and observation of the absurd. Thank goodness she left behind a ton of great writing, including nine books.
My very favorite of all her books is The House on First Street, documenting the renovation of her historic New Orleans’ home which was interrupted by the devastating Hurricane Katrina.
Queen of the Turtle Derby | Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns
The House on First Street | But Mamma Always Put Vodka in the Sangria
Dispatches from the Gilded Age | South Toward Home
Julia Reed’s South | Julia Reed’s New Orleans
While pulling Julia’s books off the shelves I neglected to grab One Man’s Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood, the most beautiful coffee table book, and Dispatches from the Gilded Age. I found one but not the other and it’s too late to go through the shelves again, plus my eyes are shot. It’s going to drive me nuts, though and I’ll scour the shelves again tomorrow.
Serena & Lily recently closed their wonderful outlet in Vacaville. WHY??? They still have their Berkeley outlet, but the Vacaville location was bigger and better (in my opinion) and I found many discounted treasures there.
But there’s good news, they’re hosting a warehouse sale this weekend. It started Wednesday and runs through tomorrow. I’m sure there’s a ton of good stuff to be had at great prices.
The Vacaville outlet is a huge loss. I’ll never forget the thrill of finding our treasured south seas rattan sofa console there and so many other favorite things.
Somehow I’ve collected more than my fair share of Serena & Lily trays. Round, square, and rectangular … like my most recent S&L acquisition, two Beaufort trays that sit on the lower shelves of our great room built-ins. One or both may end up in our Snowberry everything-must-go sale.
Anyway, who knows what wonderful treasures can be found at the warehouse sale. Also the stores and online shop are having a spring sale. 20% off everything and or 25% off and free shipping on orders over $2,500. If you’re hosting an Easter celebration, or there’s something you’ve had your eye on, check it out let me know what you find.
Speaking of Easter, it was my mom’s favorite holiday and our family frequently hosted our neighbors for a late afternoon dinner. I just had a flashback of sitting at the kids table and the boy next door (later my high school sweetheart) shooting peas into my milk. Anyway, my mom loved to set a beautiful Easter table and walking through the spring table displays at William Sonoma made me think about how much she would have loved all the pretty things.
These greens and white plates from the lattice garden collection are right up her alley. She collected eggs (alabaster eggs) and bunnies (bunny bowl), and had them all over the house and table.
Shop ~
If you’re hosting Easter dinner, William Sonoma has a collection of Ina Garten’s menu ideas.
Next door at Pottery Barn the bloom shop is going strong.
I swooned over this bedding situation. It’s the Garden Floral Ikat collection, part of the Kravet x Pottery Barn collab.
Shop ~
The garden floral print comes in wallpaper too. In addition to bedding, the collection includes much more including table top and these blue and white cachepots are divine. See the entire collection here.
This week I started using Saie’s Slip Tint, a lightweight tinted moisturizer with mineral zinc SPF 35 and hyaluronic acid with their Glowy Super Gel, an illuminating serum, layered on top with this foundation brush. I’ve previously shared my love for L’Oreal Lumi Glotion which I still adore and mix with Neutrogena’s Oil Free Moisturizer (with SFP 15). My recent brushes with basal cell carcinoma led me to finally heed my dermatologists advice to increase my level of SPF. Anyway, Saie is a clean beauty brand that I see recommended by all the usual suspects on blogs, Substack’s and Instagram and after using it all week I’m a fan. A light layer of super gel on top of the tint give me just the right amount of light coverage and glow. Leave it to me to increase my SPF during a week of storms.
Enough shopping, let’s talk about food.
I’ve been on a muffins-for breakfast-tear … yum. In my office days I made a batch of muffins every Sunday and popped them in the freezer for the week ahead. The legendary Model Bakery recently opened a nearby location which has quickly become a favorite. I mentioned it in my last post and shared The Model Bakery Cookbook. In fact I was there for breakfast – and extended chit chat – yesterday with BFF Jane. Anyway, I finally got around to baking their Blueberry Muffin recipe. OMG. I consider myself a muffin connoisseur and these muffins are next level good.
They taste like fancy bakery muffins, but they came out of my own oven.
All of my favorite muffin recipes are wonderful. Obviously. But one thing that bugs me is that they rarely produce the number of muffins that the recipe claims. A recipe claiming to yield 12 muffins might make 8-10 with my heavy hand. I use an ice cream scoop to dole out the batter which makes a properly sized muffin. The size muffin you’d find at good bakeries (I’m not talking Costco size).
I have two muffins for breakfast and they need to be just right. Anyway, this recipe says it makes 12 muffins and it really does make 12 properly sized muffins. They puff up nicely in the oven and are so light and fluffy. A well-portioned scoop of batter will muffin-top over the pan creating a teensy bit of crunch around the edge. Perfection.
Full disclosure … I went off script with the recipe. It calls for 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and I substituted one cup of all-purpose flour for one cup of whole wheat flour (something I learned from Jane Brody back in the 80’s and it’s become a habit). I also used canned blueberries because I forgot to buy blueberries at the store. And I added the zest of 1/2 a lemon into the batter just because I like it. The muffins are delicious, so there’s no telling how much more fabulous they’d be when the recipe is followed precisely. You can find the recipe in The Model Bakery Cookbook, and I’ve linked to a source for it here.
Not to bore you with the mundane (seriously, isn’t that what my weekend meandering is all about?) but, along with muffins – and hot cocoa – my breakfast includes a little ramekin of fruit salad. The combination of watermelon, cantaloupe and pineapple is a favorite … when my nieces were in high school they would help themselves to a bowl whenever they dropped by and it makes me think of them. I miss those girls.
I cheat and buy pre-cut, cubed fruit at the grocery store, and dice it into smaller sections. Yum.
While we’re in the kitchen, this Peanut Chicken Wrap recipe is really good. I made it for lunch a couple of weeks ago and used lavash bread instead of flour tortillas.
Flower Magazine debuted their flower of the year, the Levante Rosa Anemone. My magazine subscriptions have dwindled but Flower is one I keep current. Everything about it makes me happy. Anyway, I’m going to check our local nursery to see if I can get my hands on these beauties.
Image: Levante Rosa Anemone | Flower Magazine
Last but not least, happy anniversary to Kyle and Melody! It’s been three years since their wedding in the Santa Cruz mountains. Of course, I shared everything here.
Odds & Socks ~
These lightweight utility pants found their way into my email box. You have to give the inter-webs credit, they know what I like. Along the same lines, this super relaxed cargo trouser is pretty good too.
What we’ve been watching …
- Paradise on Hulu is incredibly intense and so good.
- Running Point on Netflix, starring Kate Hudson as president of family owned LA Waves, a fictional basketball team (based on real life Jeanie Buss, president of the LA Lakers). It’s light, fun and totally enjoyable … a second season is in the works.
- We started season three of The White Lotus but it’s dribbling out one episode at a time on Sunday’s. I wish we’d waited until all episodes were available. Like the previous two seasons, season three starts out slow and is building toward something big … but we haven’t gotten there yet. There’s a lot of enjoy about it but so far I’m not loving it as much as the first two seasons. The acting is top notch, but I’m waiting for something big to happen and lure me in. By next week I may have an entirely different opinion. Jennifer Coolidge is greatly missed.
- Tonight we’re starting Douglas is Cancelled which is finally available in the U.S. on Britbox. It’s a four-episode drama staring Hugh Bonneville as a news anchor who gets himself into trouble telling an off-color joke at work.
Current Favorites ~
Whew, that was a long slog. Thanks for sticking with me. I may pop back in again before my sabbatical ends … when my weekend meandering folder fills. In the meantime you can be sure I’m gliding like a duck across the pond while paddling furiously below the surface getting Snowberry ready for sale and the little house ready to break ground.
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