Tales of the Traveling Tote, Goodbye Spring and Hello Summer!

Happy June!
The calendar says June 1
which means it’s time for another Tale of the Traveling Tote
I belong to a group of MacKenzie-Childs loving ladies
that all have the same Courtly Check tote bag
Every 3 months we share our latest travels and adventures
and have a giveaway
You can read how it all started here
In March I was busy helping with my granddaughter CC’s birthday
My tote, Miss Coquille was quite helpful
carrying party supplies

The theme of the party was ice cream and I was in charge of decorations
I made paper Floral Ice Cream Cones to put on the table

Instead of cake the girls made ice cream sundaes
with an Ice Cream Sundae Charcuterie Board

At the end of March Miss Coquille and I headed to the beach
for Spring Break
It was a very exciting week as repairs from Hurricane Sally {Sept 2020}
were finally finishing up
New pool liner was installed and the swimmers were happy

The repairs on the fishing boat were finally finished
and my group was over the moon upon it’s return
Finally back to normal!
April was spent in the “city” with lots of ballgames,
Charlie Brown’s birthday and enjoying Spring

And a lovely family Easter

I had lunch with Emily in early May,
and we certainly missed the third member
of the Alabama chapter of the Traveling Tote ladies,
Ricki Jill who wasn’t able to come

We ate at one of our favorite restaurants, North Italia
they have the best fried zucchini chips!
I created a baked version that are cheesy good~
Golden Zucchini Chips with Garlic and Parmesan

We had an impromptu Kentucky Derby party
and the girls wore fancy hats

The next day was Mother’s Day
and my son gave me a special
Steven Singer gold dipped ceramic rose
It looks so pretty in this painted Bottle Vase
Last week was the end of school
My family and I headed South for Memorial Day
and a week at the beach for the beginning of summer
I always drive my own car so I can stay longer,
and they love to load it up!
My tote always carries the most important things,
like my lap top and perhaps a secret stash of chocolates 😊

So nice to be here, especially now that the pier is fixed~
Last year it looked like this…
Memorial Day is always crazy full of boaters

Boaters like to beach their boats and hang out
on the shores of the various islands

A close up below of the western view from the porch
Our house is on an island on inland waterway
and the Gulf of Mexico is just beyond the trees

Sometimes we go to the beach
But most of the time we just hang here…

Thanks so much for your visit
I hope you have a wonderful Summer!
You can enjoy all the Tales of the Traveling Tote on the links below
Patti, Miss Kenzie and Miss Tizzy @ Pandora’s Box
Deb, Miss Aurora and Miss Tassie @ Mountain Breaths
Emily, Miss Courtney Childs and Miss Lulu @ The French Hutch
Linda P, Miss Lola and Miss Gigi @ Life and Linda
Rita, Miss Luna and Miss Penny C @ Panoply
Sarah, Miss Merri Mac and Miss Poppy @ Hyacinths for the Soul
Jackie, Miss Madi K and Miss Pansy @ Purple Chocolat Home
Cherry Kay, Carrie Ann Hall and Miss Waverly @ Entertaining Women
Please keep Ricki Jill @ The Bookish Dilettante
in your prayers as she is bravely fighting cancer
Be sure to leave a comment with Patti @ Pandora’s Box for a chance to win this beautiful Parchment Check coaster set!

I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Sundays on Silverado/ Love Your Creativity
What’s for Dinner/ Between Naps on the Porch
All About Home/ Common Ground & Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Oh My Heartsie Girl / Turn About Tuesday
Karin’s Cottage Linky Party / Creative Crafts / Crafty Creators
Full Plate Thursday/ Creatively Crafty/ Thursday Favorite Things
Happy Half Year Jenna.
Good morning, Jenna. You have had a full three months with birthdays and family celebrations. Happy that the pier and boat is ready for the summer. I know it is beautiful on the coast and I hope you have a most restful stay. Prayers for Ricki Jill.
Thank you Pam, Happy June and Happy Summer!
Your slice of paradise is completely mesmerizing to me, Jenna! It must be a HUGE relief to have the boat, dock and pool all back in commission. I know these are life pleasures you don’t take for granted, and you know the blessings they bring to your entirely family. Your gratitude shows in how you embrace the lifestyle and share it with your family and us, as readers. Thanks for a peak into your paradise. Happy June!
Oh thank you Rita, we have had this house since my children were babies, it is such a huge part of our family…we are so looking forward to a normal summer here and fingers crossed hurricanes will stay away for a while!
You live in a paradise, Jenna. The weather here is still relatively chilly, esp. in the early morning, and I still had to wear my jacket this morning when we took a walk at the river.
Have a marvelous June!
Thank you Angie, and Happy June!
I agree that it looks like Paradise! A well-traveled tote!
Thanks Dorothy, Happy June!
Jenna, so happy to see your post filled with joy. Family time and beach time are the best! Your beach house is amazing. So glad to know your boat, pool and dock are are in working condition and ready for summer. I see lots of fun in the sun there.
Thanks so much Linda, yes we are ready for a great summer!
So happy that your beach home has had all the repairs and you can sit back and enjoy all summer – you are so lucky to have such a wonderful place to escape to! I also love that the Alabama girls are able to see each other and I think the totes photos are always fun to see! The zucchini chips look delish (but then all of your foods are mouth watering to me!). Enjoy your summer in the sun!!
Oh Jenna, you’ve had a fun fulled busy few months already. The birthday party table decorations was in good hands! I love the ice cream cones in the sundae glasses and the Ice Cream Sundae Charcuterie Board is fabulous! I’m sure the group enjoyed making their own. I know it’s a big relief to have all the repairs to the boat, pool and pier finished. Now you can enjoy relaxing while you are there and not worried about finding repairmen. Memorial Day looks like so much fun on the island with all the boats parading through. Enjoy yourself at the beach, I look forward to getting together with you and RJ when you return. Happy June……
Thanks so much Emily, happy June, and cheers to a great summer!
I forgot to mention the lovely ceramic rose from your son. What a special gift, your’ll always have roses………Sweet family photos.
Thank you, I was really surprised! He is beyond thoughtful…
Your beach location has certainly been fixed up nicely. You and Miss Coquille had a fun season. Congratulations on remembering to take pictures with her in it.
Thanks Linda, it is wonderful to finally have everything repaired!
Happy June Jenna. I know you are happy with all of your repairs to everything. I enjoyed looking at the photos and it looks like you are off to a great start to summer!
Thanks so much Julie! Happy June and Happy Summer!
Happy June Jenna. I enjoyed looking at the lovely photos and glad you have all of the repair done. It looks like you are off to a great start to summer.
It’s so nice to see your petty view with the pier repaired, Jenna. I always love hearing about your adventures to the beach and seeing those happy, smiling faces. Good for you in stashing some chocolates in your haul with Miss Coquille. Happy Summer!
Thanks so much Kitty, this year certainly seems to be flying by, I can’t believe it’s already June!
Jenna, your life is full! It’s fun to see all the special details of your granddaughter’s party. The flower cones are a darling idea, and I’m going to suggest the ice cream sundae idea to my niece for her little girls. Always relaxing to just see your beautiful waterside views. What a paradise. It’s special that your family enjoys time there so you can all be together. Making memories with your grands! Happy you and Emily can meet for lunch, and I know RJ is ready to get back into joining soon. Happy Summer!
Thanks so much Sarah! The ice cream cone party was so much fun 🙂 We are having a wonderful first week of summer enjoying the coastal life. Emily and I enjoy our lunches so much, and can’t wait for RJ to be able to join in again. Happy June!
I love the words “back to normal,” especially in regard to your beach house! So much fun and happy travels here, Jenna! And loads of smiles!
Aw, thanks Jeanie, it does feel good!
What fun you have had these last few months! Filled with beauty, happiness and love of family! Your Paradise is quite special for making memories! And let the Summertime fun begin! Happy June!
Thank you Nancy, Happy Summer!
The special rose from your son is the sweetest! I always enjoy seeing your little slice of paradise, and hope the summer is normal for you. Happy June and Happy Summer!
Thank you Deb, yes Happy Summer!
Hi Jenna! I know you’re thrilled to have your slice of paradise back to how it was pre-Hurricane Sally. I know you are keeping your fingers crossed that this is a mild hurricane season and/or they steer clear of the gulf coast and Florabama line. Love seeing the grand smiling faces! Happy June ♥
Thanks so much Mary, and hopefully the hurricanes will leave us alone for a while!
Oh my, Jenna, You have been busy! Sorry, I am late but I have had company. Miss Coquille has been busy carrying party supplies for CC’s party which was darling. Also busy traveling to the coast. I am so glad to hear things are back to normal. Seeing the boat and the repairs done on the pool and dock has to be the best.
I am so glad you and Emily had a great visit and RJ can come to the next get together.
Great that you can stay a little longer and relax some. You deserve to treat yourself after all the hard work with repairs getting done. Enjoy and rest some too.
Have a great weekend. I’m sure you are cooking something nice!
Thanks so much Bonnie, yes we are all so grateful that the repairs are finally done, but we were lucky in that the house had only minimal damage and we were still able to enjoy it through the process. Looks like summer is officially here, I hope you have a wonderful June with beautiful blooms from your garden!
Everything looks so nice at the beach, Jenna. I love the color of your pool: It makes the water so pretty! I know you’re happy about the dock, too. I think the ice cream sundae charcuterie board is such a darling idea! I think that would be a fun thing to do for Independence Day!
I miss you and Emily, and I can’t wait to see y’all soon!
Thanks so much Ricki Jill, it is nice not looking at construction…as you know from your tornado damage, it takes a while to get things back to normal again! The ice cream sundae charcuterie board was so much fun, and I have done an ice cream sundae bar for a large family group and it was so easy and very popular! Yes, we will see you soon and resume our lunches!