W(h)ine Country
As with meal-planning, I find that dedicating some forethought to how my family spends its weekends tends to result in more enjoyable days rather than the culinary equivalent of, say, peanut butter and Swiss sandwiches with a garnish of past-prime cilantro. Happily, finding the balance between planning things and then being able to let go of that plan when *air quotes* circumstances arise is something this Type A is getting better at, no doubt because having a toddler means I'm getting lots and lots of practice changing course mid-stream.
I had, for instance, envisioned our picnic in wine country last Sunday as taking place nestled between rows of old vines, a slow-mo moshpit of yellow mustard sleepily knocking heads in the background while we nibbled on bread and cheese and used the "good" glasses. I had the whole thing worked out--venue, menu, coordinating outfits--and indeed by the time Sunday morning rolled around reared her unwashed, uncombed, DST head, I had promoted myself from outing organizer to Art Director of Picnic! The Musical. My packing list for the day (I had a packing list! for a picnic!) not only included a tripod but a full change of clothes, and not the usual in-case-the-baby-soils-himself change of clothes but an honest-to-goodness (oh, how do I say this without sounding like a tool?), well...it was a wardrobe change. So I would have aesthetic options. For the photoshoot. Of a Sunday picnic with my guy and my kid. Feel free to roll your eyes or shake your head because I'm doing it too.
(If it's not too late for redemption, however, I should say that I didn't pick out Simon's outfit or pack for him--I must allow the man some dignity--although it's entirely possible I may have influenced his choice with a not-so-subtle scrunch of my nose that might have suggested his gray T-shirt from Foot Locker was not my favorite for the occasion. I mean, heaven forbid he clash with the Sauvignon Blanc, right?)
(I can be really obnoxious, you guys.)
Anyhoo, thanks to my great planning, we ended up in the Sonoma Valley with plenty of time to cruise with the windows cracked (I wore lots of hairspray just in case; planner!) and to pick up our backlist bottles from when we were in a wine club before Wombat was in the works. (Note: If you have trouble ageing your wine (because you have trouble not drinking it), why not consider getting pregnant? With tasting tours out of the question, you can eschew wine country entirely, forget the vintner has your bottles, and thus postpone picking up your collection for two whole years! Get pregnant; it worked for us!)
And yet, as you might have guessed, no amount of planning can withstand the whims of a toddler, and so it came to pass that we did not have bread and cheese amongst the mustard while wearing our Outfit Bs but instead stole bites of Subway sandwiches between tag-team attempts to keep Wombat from smashing his face on the pavement of the nearby parking lot or tumbling down the gentle slope that gave to a roiling field of bee-swarmed thistle and, beyond that, a landing strip for personal jets.
Our picnic basket was packed with checkered cloth napkins and a tablecloth and a bottle of bubbles and a blow-up beach ball--none of which we used, of course--and I had completely forgotten to include wine glasses (or plastic cups even!) and a corkscrew. We had the guy behind the bar open a bottle for us and only learned later that we'd accidentally chosen the most expensive bottle, the one we should have stored for another ten years. We had some lunch, took some photos, even got a few shots of the kid not violently protesting the invasion of molars that's been darkening his mood for more than a week, and no, it wasn't what I'd planned (especially not the blue bra straps peeking from my black tanktop), and no, it wasn't even close to perfect, but...eating sandwiches and drinking straight from the bottle while watching planes take off into a sunny spring Sunday sky? That doesn't clash with anything in my wardrobe.
More photos here.
Your bra strap totally matched for your shoes so WIN! And you would never know this day didn't go exactly as planned just looking at the pictures. They are all so cute and Springy.
I loooooooove your skirt! Was that Outfit A or Outfit B?
(I paused here to try and make a HILARIOUS joke about bringing your A game, couldn't quite make it work, and abandoned it. Just so you know.)
Thanks, friends!
That was Outfit A, for standing dramatically amongst the vines, perhaps in B&W. Think upscale catalog shoot (neverminding that there is nothing upscale about anything I'm wearing). Outfit B was jeans and a nice-ish lacy white shirt, for that bright picnic look of fancy people who are never in danger of dribbling spicy mustard down their fronts. Or getting slimed with pre-chewed biscotti, as was the fate of my black tank.
Those pictures are AWESOME. As is your skirt. Gimme.
I think wardrobe changes for picnics are totally appropriate and you look adorable in all the pics!!!
Awww, you live a rockstar lifestyle.
Love, love, love the shot of Wombat and Simon on the picnic blanket.
I feel so redundant saying, "I love you guys!"
But, well, I love you guys.
Thanks for posting some photos of Where I Grew Up. I miss seeing the vineyards in the early spring.
Oh, and y'all are cute, too.
Thanks for posting some photos of Where I Grew Up. I miss seeing the vineyards in the early spring.
I love the photo of you making a growly face. Also Simon drinking from the bottle, we are practically related for that move. Lovely hipster with less, or more? edge family.
xo
How can I show this to my friends on facebook ?
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What shoes to wear with elastic ankle jogging pants outfit?
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Hhhh , thanks god I bring my charger , so I could charging my phone at abuba :D