Today on Weekend Meanderings, what I did on my summer vacation, fall finds from Anthropology and a favorite television show is back!
Hello Friends … happy Saturday! How was your summer?
I’m excited to be back with Elizabeth – and YOU – for Weekend Meanderings. Our weekly roundup of inspirations and goings on.
Kim is enjoying another week of summer vacation and she’ll rejoin us next Saturday. We miss you Kim.
Let’s get into it …
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What I Did on My Summer Vacation
- Wrote about our Puglian adventures and summer entertaining menu … more below
- Made progress, and BIG decisions, for our Little House on 4th … stay tuned
- Enjoyed tons of dahlias from our garden
- Watched (was riveted to) the Paris Olympics (currently watching Paralympics … amazed and inspired by these athletes)
- Visited Sonoma and toured the historic Buena Vista Winery
- Hosted some dinner parties
- Read a few good books
- Caught up with baby Dylan who just celebrated her 1st birthday and has a baby brother coming soon
- Cleaned out my closet … again
- Sprained both wrists … which put a serious damper on my summer projects
- Hung out with niece Shelby
- Shelby, a recently minted esthetician, works at Massage Envy in the Willows. Did you know they do facials? I didn’t. She’s receiving wonderful training from their corporate program so of course I booked a long overdue facial. It was relaxing and wonderful and I loved the Marni products she used so much I bought the Age Intervention Face Cream and C-Esta Face Serum.
- Watched the DNC … childless cat (and dog) lady here
- Met up with Kim for lunch and shopping … bought this cute denim dress (reminds me of a Gap dress I had in the 90’s) and Bermuda length cutoffs because if I haven’t mentioned it, it’s still HOT
- Attended a Frank & Eileen fall styling event at my favorite boutique, Flaunt … where I bought a few things. More about that later in the week
- Did more fall shopping … more below and later this week
- Puttered in the garden, prior to the wrist incident
- Attended my BFF Bonnie’s 60th birthday + retirement party. Bonnie and I met in the late 80’s when we worked at Arthur Andersen … and over the course of about a decade we saw each other through some major life ups and downs. She’s one of those friends who I don’t see often but when I do it’s like we never spent a second apart. Love her so much and treasure her friendship. Here we are now …
And then (mid-90’s), posing with a cardboard cutout of ‘Uncle Arthur’ (Arthur Andersen) …
- Took lots of dog walks
- Rang in September right with Earth Wind & Fire
In other news …
A Week in Puglia
It’s a good thing I took a break so I could – finally – pull together my travel diary from Puglia. Puglia is the most beautiful region of Italy and it’s flown a bit under the radar as a travel destination. Well, the cats out of the bag and if you live in the region it’s probably a curse as well as a blessing. Anyway, if you missed it I shared our weeklong Puglia itinerary here. I feel like we only dipped our toes in the water of all the good things Puglia has to offer and want to return and explore more.
One of the stand outs from the trip was Puglia’s beautiful, colorful splatter pottery. It’s one of the first things I noticed and it was displayed front and center in the shops throughout the region. Our hotel, Borge Egnazia, even has a signature – mustard yellow + turquoise green – pattern.
Typical of me when traveling, I want everything I see but find it impossible to decide what to bring home. As a result … wah wah wah … I returned empty handed. Since we’ve been back I’ve scoured the internet searching for the authentic stuff and found a few sources.
Super Simple Summer Dinner Menu … for Entertaining or Otherwise
Also during the break I posted a super simple summer dinner menu that we made over and over again for our August dinner parties. August is our most reliable month for outdoor entertaining (we’ve had disasters in June and July and have sworn never again), so it was a busy month on our patio hosting friends and family. Setting a menu template keeps things simple and easy for us … and we can focus on hanging out with our guests and not freaking out trying to get dinner on the table. There’s still a lot of freaking out (by me, not Jim – he asked that I clarify). I also have a summer table setting template that I wrote about here.
I do change things up here and there … for instance I tried out several appetizers. These Pear & Brie Salad Skewers (I added prosciutto) were really delish, same goes for this Golden Fig Bruschetta. And, very similar, and my absolute favorite, these Fig & Prosciutto Crostini. Yum! Dessert is another menu item I’ll change up but our ice cream sandwiches were such a hit I stuck with them.
Fall Pieces from Anthro
I’m not totally in denial about fall and I’ve done a little back-to-school shopping. That’s how I think of it anyway. Do those end of summer, back-to-school feelings ever fully leave us? It’s hard to get excited about fall clothes when it’s 100 degrees outside, but last week I dropped into Anthropology and resistance was futile.
Cross quilted jacket off my fall wish list. This jacket in an autumnal palette is fall perfection … when is it going to cool down so I can wear it? Same goes for this easy pullover sweater … love its side vents and exaggerated sleeves. Worn alone or over a skirt or dress (I have a couple new dresses I’ll share next week) it’s cozy fall football season ready. And finally these Citizens of Humanity jeans. Do I need another pair of jeans. No! Well, maybe yes … because these are so soft they’re almost like wearing pajamas. I do not like all the stiff, heavy denim that’s everywhere now … add a high waist and ugh. Hard pass.
Shopping Links ~
Slow Horses
The fourth season of Slow Horses debuted last week on Netflix. Sadly it’s rolling out one episode at a time. I wanted to wait for several episodes to accumulate before we dove in, but Jim didn’t want to wait. Watching shows the old fashioned way is probably good for us, but I hate it.
Why are British mystery (crime/spy/dectective) series so good? It really spoils us for anything else. Even though our subscription situation is out of hand, we signed up for Britbox and are binging a wonderful series called The Bay. In related news, the fourth season of Van Der Valk on Masterpiece debuts September 14th.
Odds & Socks ~
Loved Kym Showers Life Coach latest pod … Declutter Your Life
As if we couldn’t love her more, Jennifer Garner’s home designed and decorated by Steve and Brooke Giannetti, is in the current issue of AD. Take a video tour here.
Ralph Lauren’s Spring 2025 fashion show in the Hamptons … swoon.
Do you have marble tile in your bathroom? I do, but never again. Keeping grout clean is always a challenge but with marble I’m terrified regular cleaning products will do damage. Wirecutter recommended this product and I’m all over it. I bought this grout brush too. Still not excited about cleaning the grout, but no longer in fear.
September and October is boom times for book publishing and these pre-ordered treasures landed in my mailbox this week. I’ll do a book round up next week … stay tuned.
Artful Home | Lady Pamela | Forever Beautiful
Current Fall Favorites ~
And that’s what I have for you this week. Let’s see what’s inspiring Elizabeth.
Kim will rejoin us next weekend. In the meantime, her Trinidad, California travelogue is not to be missed.
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