All my life I’ve been obsessed with routines, rituals and those little things that make the seasons special. It can be something as simple as hot toddies and The Bachelor or as elaborate as Laura’s insanely authentic 1960s cocktail party every year. I live for these things.
Lately I’ve been working to create a stronger sense of “normal” here in Nashville. That means finding a whole new list of fun things… special places for each season. With our busy careers, it’s something I have to really focus on, a hobby if you will!
Lately we’ve been trying a new restaurant each weekend, eating some meals in our sunroom (when it’s not crazy hot – haha!), buying our first concert tickets in, like, ten years (fun fact – we only go to our friends’ concerts because we are LAZY and we are trying to change this). I am a HUGE fan of autumn, the holidays and spring (and during winter we travel, so I guess that’s OK too), but summer…? I need to vibe more with summer. What are your favorite summertime things to do?
Elsie’s Wearing: Jacket/Madewell, Dress/F21, Bag and Sunglasses/Oui Fresh, Purse charms/H&M, Clogs/Swedish Hasbeens.
Take it away, sister!
Totally agree, sister. The seasons always have me feeling nostalgic. When I lived in southern California for a few years after college, that was one of the things I missed most, the four seasons!
Probably not surprising, some of my favorite seasonal rituals have to do with treats. And summer is the best time for ice cream! I’m always sure to stop by Elle’s at least a few times during the summer. They catered the ice cream at our wedding and I think they have the most interesting flavors in town, but they also have amazing lavender iced coffee. So sometimes I get that. I also love Pineapple Whip and Andy’s Frozen custard, which are Springfield favorites for sure.
This summer ritual is called “trying to fluff my hair out so it doesn’t look completely flat and a little bit greasy.”
Humidity makes everyone’s hair look amazing. I just love it. 🙂
Emma’s Wearing: Dress/Romwe, Shoes/ModCloth, Sunnies c/o BonLook, and Purse/Oui Fresh.
What about you? What seasonal routines are you enjoying right now??? xx. Emma + Elsie
Credits // Author: Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman. Photography: Janae Hardy and Amber Ulmer.
The color combination is so good and cool in the eyes.
One of my favorite summer rituals is my husband and I spend one night a week having dinner outside either at a local park or at the beach. We either BBQ or bring a picnic. Sometimes we invite friends and its a wonderful low key way to enjoy the long days, good weather and unwind after long work days/ weeks.
My other favorite summer ritual is taking advantage of all the outdoors festivals that happen in my local community!
Hi! Is that ice cream dress from Axbro?
Love ice cream patterns!!!
Summer in Nashville is great! Go to the lake, you can camp on some of the islands on Percy Priest! Go canoeing on the Harpeth, get Peach Truck peaches, go to all the Farmer’s markets, outdoor movies, and Sounds games.
Here in Atlanta — I love making cold brew coffee in my Toddy, and sipping it with pure vanilla extract and organic whole milk, over ice. Ahhhhh….
Elsie, you could join the Nashville Pugs group on FB! We meet every couple of weeks and non-pug siblings are always welcome too!
Summers in Montreal are all about gardening, bbq, festivals, iced coffee and hanging at the lake house. We get 3 months of summer so I try to make the most of it.
This is my first summer in Scotland, and it’s cold and rainy. I’m having a hard time figuring out what to do with myself in these conditions. In Nashville, I became nocturnal in the summer because it’s just too hot to go outside during the day. Back in the day, Cafe Coco was my favorite late night spot.
Well, I don’t know how weird this might sound but like at least every other Finn, I am waiting new crop potatoes to be ready ? and strawberries. And other berries. At this summer I have really inspired to use wild veggies in cooking and cosmetics. It will be my new summer thing for now on. Super interesting at least for countryside girl like me. And as mother of three little ones,I love summer because you don’t have to put so much clothes on kids!?
I love the ice-cream dress, I need it! Here in England our seasons are kinda rainy so it’s hard to get into any outdoor rituals on account of the unpredictability. Each summer we aim to visit a family festival (I have three kids) and go on a family holiday.
I love long summer nights! You should do a bonfire & roast marshmallows…that’s the best.
I live in Ottawa (Canada) and winters here are cold and never ending. Personally I’m always cold and hate it with a passion so I live for summer! In fact I’m not comfortable below 25 degrees Celsius (I think it’s 77 F). So far we had had an unseasonably cold June which was making me all kinds of unhappy but this week has been fabulous (finally). I like to be outside as much as I can in the summer. If I was lucky enough to have a house with a backyard I would be eating all my meals outside when it’s sunny. But for now I will spend my evenings on my balcony and my weekends doing something outside.
The fall is by far my favorite time of year, but I LOVE the summer farmers markets! Fresh fruit, vegetables, and flowers are always a wonderful aspect of summer.
You two look darling as ever!
http://sometimesgracefully.com
So jealous of that dress Emma! Like, woah. You look so great.
You guys look so gorgeous as always! Love Emma’s dress! (How could you not if Ice cream is everything!)
I had my first baby two weeks ago, so all my schedules are upside down. I’m just trying to relax and enjoy (It’s winter here so it’s easier to stay home cozy and warm) this is indeed a beautiful mess 🙂
xoxo
Branah
So, summer is not my favorite either, and I too had a feeling of not-a-good-fit when I lived in So Cal, but there are some lovely things to add.
First, I don’t know if you know about them, but there is a group called Little Paper Projects, and they just started last year with a project that is running again called Little Summer Joy. It is easy and fun and can be anything you want, but could be a good springboard for you, Elsie, as you are looking to cultivate new rituals for summer. I did some last year, and am just going to add to my book a bit this year, as we are moving in a couple of weeks. http://www.littlepaperprojects.com/
Here are some of my favorites: outdoor showers(build one somewhere if you can), dancing in a good summer rain, lots of plants, bare feet, my Birkenstocks, camping, more free schedule with my kiddos to do day trips/overnights somewhere.
Love the styles! Soooo cute!
http://www.bluelabelsboutique.com
http://www.fashionnotfear.wordpress.com
Your bags are great – perfect little bucket bags ; )
www.shopthecoconutroom.com
I too love the 4 seasons. Summer time for me means doing anything on water, pool, lake, beach. Except we don’t live by the beach here in Amarillo so that makes me a little sad!
Our favorite summer things are camping, grilling dinner as often as we can, sitting on our back porch, gardening, bike riding, day trips to various New England towns, picking up our CSA each week and figuring out how to cook it all, walking to get ice cream or iced coffee—basically walking everywhere! I’m also a huge fan of seasonal traditions and routines, and though summer isn’t my favorite season, I definitely love all the fresh food (the berries!) and outdoor activities.