Hello from the other side of the long weekend! I hope you’ve been able to kick back and enjoy some down time while welcoming summer with open arms. Part of the weekend was rainy here, but today we had THE BEST surprise. We woke up at 8 this morning to sounds of construction, yet again. My first thought was, “WHY are they working on Memorial Day?!” If you recall from my post a few weeks back, we’ve had over a month of hardcore construction on our apartment’s brickwork. (Cue jackhammer sounds for 30+ days.) But today, the sound that woke us was the team disassembling the scaffolding. They’re done!!!!!! Thank fucking goodness! So we celebrated with this little impromptu picnic.

I love a picnic for two. Hell, I love a picnic for many. But I especially love packing a lunch for Rich and myself, and leisurely eating, then laying with a book and enjoying little bits of conversation (and mayyybe a couple smooches, tbh) in between. This time I was armed with an amazing little picnic wine & cheese cooler from Picnic At Ascot. Rich’s mom sent it for us. It’s so cute, and has space for a bottle of wine, napkins, and comes with two reuseable plastic wine glasses as well as a cheese board, cheese knife and corkscrew. I packed some of that T Joe’s sparkling lemonade this time instead of rose (although I very much plan to use it with rose many times this summer). I brought along a brick of brie, which I also used on our sandwiches (recipe below) and some sliced peaches.

I was also super excited to rock my tie-back gingham dress from StyleNMotion again. Perfect for a picnic! It’s in low stock right now, but I’ve also put a few similar options below. I layered the look with a faux suede jacket from Zara (also similar shown below) and a white tee.

Earlier this weekend, we hit the beach. Now that we have a car, I swear this is going to be our tannest year yet! Although that’s not saying much, because I layer on the sunscreen like it’s no one’s business. So we definitely did all the summer things this weekend. I also found a new limited series on Amazon Video that I’ve been freaking out about called Picnic At Hanging Rock, which is a remake of a Australian novel about a group of girls in the 1900s at a finishing school who disappear while on a picnic. It’s like Sophia Coppola’s The Beguiled meets Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. So deliciously beautiful, terrifying and addictive (more on that later in my spring & summer reading/watching/listing list post coming soon). Perhaps it inspired some of my picnic this weekend….except no one disappeared.

Before signing off tonight, I want to just shout out to all of the amazing men and women who have given their lives for our country and the rights we often take for granted. Rich and I reflected on this during our picnic. Freedom isn’t free–that’s what those who we’re honoring today have shown.

Stay tuned this week, because I’m announcing the winner’s of the Linhart giveaway as well as launching another giveaway with some amazing women-owned beauty, jewelry and sleepwear brands! And as always, follow me on Instagram for daily updates.

GINGHAM DRESSES:

French Ham Sandwich

Makes 1 sandwich

Ingredients:

• small hoagie loaf, halved, or two slices of good bread
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 2 thin slices brie cheese
• 4-5 slices black forest ham
• 1/2 bread & butter pickle, sliced lengthwise

Instructions:

Spread the dijon mustard onto the bottom slice of bread, and top with the slices of brie cheese. Add the ham, and top with the slices of pickles. Add the top slice of bread, and wrap up to enjoy on your picnic.