“The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely.” -Louisa May Alcott
As June brings in the official start of summer, I am reminded to always savor the offerings of each season as they seem to pass before our very eyes sometimes. It is a comforting rhythm as each season passes and we know what to expect and how to enjoy each as they come upon us. May brought in many lovely moments that I was able to truly savor as the days started to get warmer and the sun started setting later. I enjoy looking back at these moments as it was these everyday moments that helped to elevate life into what the French refer to as L’Art De Virve (the art of living). I will share moments from each previous month on the first of every new month that I truly savored in my everyday life. These posts won’t include things like when I travel or big events as they will always get their own special posts, but moreover this is about the things I savored in my everyday life and not on special occasions. These moments are what make up the majority of our lives and also reminds us that it is indeed worthy of elevating.
eating at a new restaurant
Not only was the food well worth the wait on this reservation, but the interior was stunning. This was at Tamasha where I made a reservation back in early April, but their closest opening was the first weekend in May, so I snagged it. This restaurant is so beautiful that it was actually named as one of the 50 most beautiful restaurants in the America by Open Table and People Magazine. You can click here if you’re curious as to what the other 49 are as there is one for each state.
First pool day of the year
As May brought in the warmer weather, I took full advantage to have my first pool day with a book. One of my favorite ways to read is by the pool on hot summer days, especially with a good summer romance. While The Paris Novel was not a romance, it still gave me the opportunity to savor the warmth while enjoying a story of Paris, food, and Dior.
visiting the antique store
May was certainly a month of firsts as I got to visit the first antique store while being back in Raleigh. I am always one to savor beautiful antiques, especially the teacups and teapots. It’s always a joy to visit a place where you get to take your time and enjoy all of the beautiful craftsmanship from over the decades.
indulging in my favorite dessert
Leave it to me to have one of the most indulgent foods as my favorite dessert. A creamy cheesecake, especially those with a fruit drizzle or swirl of fruit will forever be my favorite and while I do not eat it regularly when I do eat a cheesecake, I make sure to do so slowly and truly savor every bite.
spring flowers
Spring is most assuredly one of the prettiest seasons of the year. With all of the flowers blooming and on offer, it is sure to provide small moments to savor throughout the whole season. I especially love bringing spring blooms into our home to enjoy in our daily lives.
the first swim of the season
I love swimming. Just being in any kind of water really. I find it to be so relaxing and enjoy the way the water feels when I swim laps. These past few weeks I have been going to the pool after work as the sun is setting. I enjoy savoring the warmth of the sun on my skin as well as the cool water of the pool. Swimming is certainly one that must be taken advantage of as it is only available for about four months each year, so I start to go as early as I can.
enjoying early mornings in the park
Raleigh has so many amazing parks and one of my favorites in the NC Art Museum Park which is home to more than a dozen monumental works of art and is the country’s largest museum park at 164 acres to explore. My husband and I love to go in the mornings with a Starbucks coffee and pastry and relax as well as taking beautiful walks through their many trails.
putting together a jigsaw puzzle
If you’ve been on my Instagram, then you know I love putting together a pretty jigsaw puzzle. I find the process to be an experience in slowing down and putting your effort towards something that will not be a quick gratification. You will be taking your time and strategizing and truly enjoying the process of fitting each piece together to create a beautiful picture. I do have a blog post in the works on the simple pleasure of putting together a jigsaw puzzle, so stay tuned!
the first farmer’s market of the season
And just like that, Farmer’s Market season has begun! I am lucky that we have a mini market that pops up every Sunday right by our apartment, but we will make a small trip out to the large market here in Raleigh soon as the summer crops really start to come in. But for May, we enjoyed visiting the mini market and purchasing some delightful things.
a picnic in the park
As well as the Farmer’s Market, we also did a lovely picnic in the park. I baked us an asparagus tart and packed up some fresh fruit to enjoy a brunch style picnic surrounded by flowers and nature. I am sure we will have many more picnics coming up in the summer season as well which I am looking forward to.
making chocolate mousse for the first time
I have made many desserts in my lifetime to be sure, but I had not yet tried to make a chocolate mousse before. I saw the recipe in a new cookbook I got recently called At the Table in Paris, which you can read about in my post here. With so many good-looking recipes I decided that I really wanted to try the chocolate mousse and it came out so good. It was cool, light and oh so chocolatey. A sweet moment to savor bien sur!
perusing the bookshelves
I always savor visiting the bookstore every time I go. A respite for all readers alike, the bookstore is a delight to the senses. I had a great time visiting the bookstores this month as I got together my summer reading list (which I will be posting soon). Would it be too redundant to add this to my savoring list every month?
finding lovely spring pieces at anthropologie
I live within five-minute walk of Anthropologie, and it is always a pleasure to stop in to see their seasonal home decor. This past month I found this pretty teacup set and napkins that I purchased for my evening teatimes. I very much enjoy making my teatimes an elegant affair and I do invest in these small pleasantries to elevate the experience and thereby savoring them.
I hope you enjoyed this small peek into May with me as I shared some of my favorite moments that I savored. There were so many and probably even a few more that I could have added, but it is a good reminder that while life certainly moves along day-to-day, that there are moments within those days that made it all the lovelier. Some of these are things I bought, places I visited, food I ate or just simply something I did. I look forward to June and capturing yet even more petite moments to savor in my everyday life.
If you would like, share some of your petite moments that you got to savor this past month as well.
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