Hello friends, time for another Tales of The Traveling Tote adventure and Giveaway. Quarterly, a group of us tote gals share a connected post about the places we have been. We have made some wonderful friendships and some of us have met in person. We hope you find our posts as fun as we do. You can find more about the Giveaway at the bottom of this post.
Wow, where does the time go? The older I get, it seems like time just flies by.
With so many fires in California, it makes it difficult to enjoy summer. Heavy smoke on some days. I am hoping for rain now. I am looking forward to fall.
The Caldor fire is fast approaching Lake Tahoe. It has spread to 192,000 acres and only 15% contained. I have great respect for all of the people fighting these awful fires. We live 2 hours from Tahoe.
My husband finished the outdoor shower. We had our palapa raised and re-thatched. It looks more open and also provides great shade. Perfect for that tropical look.
We still have to paint those white French doors.
Lilly Dot and Logan.
The family visited in August. The Great Grandkids had a blast. They are coming back for Labor Day weekend.
We visited the local Farmer's market. It is always a pleasure to buy fresh produce, bread and flowers.
Have you ever tried a background remover? I used PicMonkey Pro to remove the background from my tote.
We hosted a dinner party over the weekend with neighbors. A Back to Normal Dinner. The themes was black and white checks with sunflowers. Miss Lola had to be in the photo.
Now for the Giveaway!
Please visit the other TTT bloggers to see how they spent their summer and also don't forget to enter the giveaway hosted by Cherry Kay from Entertaining Women. Leave a comment on her blog for a chance to win these adorable Halloween towels.
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box
Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply
Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul
Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Sketchy Reader
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Happy to see you can entertain this summer, and filling your tote with flowers. The outdoor shower looks great, and so practical. The palapa looks so tropical and just perfect to shade you. Enjoy the grands this weekend, and Happy September Linda!
ReplyDeleteIf Covid was good for anything, it gave you & Paul time to do the projects you still had on your list so you'd be ready to entertain again this year. Your property is fabulous, and I hope and pray the fires will be contained before reaching any closer to you, Linda. I love the feature on the PicMonkey Pro that you used to remove the background. Happy September!
ReplyDeleteYou have such a lovely oasis in your back yard - a perfect place for you and Miss Lola to spend the summer days! I didn't realize how close you are to Tahoe - it's so sad to see the fires approaching. We loved visiting that area years ago! I am sure the grandkids love coming to visit! Enjoy the rest of the summer!
ReplyDeleteJust love your backyard! The blue and white tote with the colorful flowers is so pretty! Have a great weekend with the grandkids!
ReplyDeleteParadise..the Littles most love it..I love seeing your great Littles although Im always flabbergasted you're a great nana..not that you are not great:)
ReplyDeleteHope things calm down..fire wise..how sad..and that you get rain..we've been high and dry too:(
Enjoyed your tote travels, Linda! Miss Lola is a darling companion! You have such a beautiful home, patio and pool! The kiddos sure looked like they were having a fabulous time! Great job with the background removed from the tote photo! I am praying for those connected with the fires in Tahoe, just terrible! Hopefully rain will come soon and get rid of the smoke. Our skies have been thankfully clear. In fact, we've now had three frosts here. I think its going to be a cold winter! Maybe we'll get lots of moisture this winter :)
ReplyDeleteI've never even heard of a background remover!
ReplyDeleteLinda, I'm sorry about the fires, so tragic. Had no idea you were so close to Tahoe. Lovely photos of all your recent renovations, love the outdoor shower and your palapa. I love your resort backyard, a fabulous place for your grands to enjoy and your dinner guests. I also love visiting all the farmers markets here, fresh everything for summer. Take care and stay safe. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend........
ReplyDeleteLinda I am so sorry about all the horrible fires in California, I can't imagine dealing with all that smoke and devastation...I am sure you are ready to bid this summer goodbye! It sounds like you had some fun family time and Cheers for a back to normal dinner with friends! I love PicMonkey's background remover, magic! Have a wonderful Labor Day with your family,
ReplyDeleteJenna
Oh my gosh Linda your backyard is a beautiful oasis. You never have to leave home and can feel like you are in a resort. So nice to have since Covid. Love your Miss Lola bag she is so cute. The bread sounded pretty yummy and the flowers are gorgeous. It is so hard to hear the news on the fires. It is burning up too much of nature and homes for all the creatures and humans that live in these areas. Beyond sad to see and hear about those fires. I hope and pray they get the fires contained soon. xoxo Kris
ReplyDeleteNice to get back to entertaining...You have the perfect setting...I hope the fires stay away..The air quality has to be awful...You need some of the rain that we re getting..So happy it's September..Getting closer to comfortable weather...Cute tote..Have a happy Labor Day Weekend..
ReplyDeleteThe shower is amazing, Linda. I love your resort! LOL What color will you paint your French doors? If I lived in your home, I'd never leave.
ReplyDeleteAre there any fires near y'all presently? A friend of mine sent me photos from San Francisco last week, and they left and went to SoCal because of asthma. Stay safe, My beautiful Fairy Blogmother Friend!
Linda I am praying the fires will not take lives....property can be replaced but that doesn't make it any easier to accept. Your upgrades to your pool area are amazing and lovely...as you are. Blessings my friend and thanks for your prayers during my illness. It helped knowing you had been there-done that.
ReplyDeleteKari
You have such a magical backyard. I know you must use it all the time. What beautiful shower walls. The Tablescape for Back To Normal is gorgeous. Hoping we stay back to normal.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous time you have been having, apart from the fire worry. (I worry about that for all my Cali friends.) It all is just glorious! Love the flowers in your tote with the mural and that wonderful photo of your dog peeking out the window has won my heart!
ReplyDeleteEverything is just gorgeous and that outdoor shower, wow, how handy! I'm quite certain you are the "hostess with the mostess." Have a great rest of the week!
ReplyDeleteYou know your backyard always amazes me.
ReplyDeleteSeeing Bella looking out the door is too adorable.
I hope the fires end soon. It seems it happens every summer
Linda, you had a lot of projects going on, good job on completing them. I know you enjoyed family and friends once again, so nice to be able to entertain. The shower looks great! I so hope the fires can be contained. It must be so frightening. Happy Labor Day Weekend!
ReplyDeleteYou and Paul have been busy! It all looks amazing, and I know you enjoy that gorgeous pool and cabana. I'm sad about the terrible fires again this summer. What a stressful time for each of you.
ReplyDeleteYou have the perfect home for entertaining, and you do it with great style.
How fun to have Lilly Dot and Logan this summer and then to see them again this coming weekend. I sure hope the fires do t approach you any closer, Linda. It must make you so nervous. Your dinner party with the sunflower theme looked so cheery; something we all need especially now. Happy September! ❤️
ReplyDeleteIt's so horrible about the fires in California Linda. I hope that you will be safe from the fires. Your yard looks gorgeous and you both did so much to it to make it look that way. It's wonderful that you entertained your family and your grandchildren are just precious. Take care and have fun celebrating this weekend.
ReplyDeleteStay safe Linda, I've been reading about those fires. So scary! And I love the background remover on PicMonkey. I only started using it a few months ago and now it's my favorite tool!
ReplyDeleteGreat photo of your tote filled with the fresh flowers against a rainbow painted wall. Love the layered yellow and black theme of your table, I'm sure your friends enjoyed the evening.
ReplyDelete