a very common meal occurrence.


 

Last week I made the push to climb out of bed a little bit earlier and ask Alex to start making a breakfast (a rare meal for the three of us on a work day) while I set up the backyard. A few days earlier I had moved our little planters from the front to the back (they like it so much better back there), trimmed more branches, and swept the piles of dirt and leaves that had been collecting, with the hope of the cool morning weather lasting long enough for a meal outside. Like our first breakfast in this house, this felt like a big deal to me. A first breakfast outside, in a yard I’ve put a fair amount of love into, beneath the vines, and atop a table you couldn’t even see when I moved in. This whole structure was here, overgrown, and completely hidden. Now it’s a place, weather permitting, where I can spend a simple, delicious meal with family and friends. I was pleased. I am pleased. Our three day retreat of cool mornings has passed, and the mornings and days are hot again, but this was a nice glimpse into how our future winters will be spent.
on the menu:Β 
a skillet of potatoes,Β chickpeas,Β peas,Β onions, garlic, tomatoes, and green onion, Cooked in lots of herbs and heavy doses of oil and smoked paprika.
toast with optional avocado, butter, cream cheese, radish, or cucumber, toppers.
mango (mango season is here!)
for him, coffee: always coffee.

 

In case I never showed you, this is our before.
That left corner, that’s our dining space.
I have a lot of thoughts on mother’s day— on mothering (parenting) in general and on the idea of raising a daughter alone vs. with a partner. I’m hoping the clouds in my mind will dissipate and I can write what I want to say with a bit more clarity. Until then, I’m off to sew a bit while the kiddo naps. I’m also skipping my late night yoga tonight to sketch my future yard. I’ll be taking much of my inspiration from my garden boxΒ (thank you robyn!), the beautiful edible landscape book we purchased last week, and all the dreamscapes I have floating in my head.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!ps. last chance to enter the cassadecor giveaway.

28 Comments

  1. Gorgeous place! I love eating outside and the children love it even more. Unfortunately it's still too cold here most of the days, although we did get some nice days with temperatures that allowed us to have a simple lunch in the sun. Heaven! I wish you many more wonderful meals outside with your loved ones!

  2. DREAM. the lighting under the vines, the patterned plates, and most of all, the people you share it with πŸ™‚ perfect!

    • I was very confused by that. I was like…. she's signing off as katie… but her name says lauren paige. And it was weird… cause I know a lauren paige. Glad that's cleared up πŸ˜‰

  3. Holy shit, that yard in the before looks like it wants to eat the house now that it's done eating itself. I can see why you've been frustrated, and how much you have accomplished. By next November you will have so much to show for it.

  4. What a yard!! No wonder it took you so much work on that thing. That yard was a beast. It looks lovely, you did a great job!

    • I know! It had been growing for months and months and months before I moved in. Phew. Good to not feel like I'm living in a snake jungle!

  5. What an utterly beautiful outside space. I am waiting for some dry (and warmer) weather to do some work on my little patio. But right now in England it is cold and wet; come on sunshine, please!

  6. I'm kind of jealous of you for being able to buy mangoes that are locally grown. Ξ™ can only find imported in Greece and I rarely buy, although I like them so much.

    • Buy them? Pfffft. The streets are lined with trees of gold here! I'll be stealing all my mangoes from my dads yard this year.

      But here's the trade off… you're in greece. I'm not. I'd LOVE to be there.

  7. amazing photos! and an amazing idea. wish the weather was a bruch weather in munich

  8. This looks absolutely devine! It's been raining all day long in Britain and it's rather depressing πŸ™ x

    • Our rain time will come. It hits us mid summer where we can't leave the house for heat exhumation or tropical storms and you'll be swimming in beautiful weather πŸ™‚

  9. Thats crazy that little you cleared out all that brush…what a job! it looks like a cozy enchanting place to eat…i could see some white lights strung up out there at night. how are the mosquitos down there? id love to spend evenings out here (in MA) but those darn bugs keep us all inside for fear of EEE and other lovely things like that πŸ™

    • The misquotes are pretty awful depending on the weather, the season, and the rain. That day, they were great. Usually around this time of year, it's a nightmare and the door opens and 10 fly in.
      BUT I will say… I'm pretty allergic to mosquitos … from time to time, one will bite my foot, toe, or ankle, and I won't be able to walk for 4 days from swelling… but more times than not… those foot/hand/face swelling bites.. ahem happened in Massachusetts. Those suckers are hungry up there.

  10. This looks so lovely and dreamy, like a holiday! I love making brunch/breakfast a big deal, its usually just cereal or yogurt!

    • I could skip breakfast forever, but these two? They love it. Usually this is M's second breakfast tho. She usually starts with yogurt/fruit and then by the time we're ready, she sits and eats AGAIN.