If the World Had a Front Porch

When I first arrived in Mississippi for college, I was immediately captivated by the grand houses along the sorority and fraternity rows on our campus. Not only was I struck by the beauty of their architecture, but I was charmed by the many with wide and expansive columned porches often dotted with white rocking chairs. Coming from the Midwest nothing could have seemed more quintessentially Southern to me, and I absolutely fell in love.

We have seen porches with curtains and those with screens so far in our look at these staples of summer living. Today, we'll finish with a look at spaces that perfectly characterize a traditional front porch-- those furnished with rocking chairs and swings.

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Evan Sklar

Country Living

Martha Stewart

While technically the following room should have been with the other screened porches, the rocking chairs reminded me so much of those from the houses on my college campus, I had to include them here.

House Beautiful

This Old Porch

The other day, we looked at screened porches as a part of summer living, and today, we'll look at some of the un-screened variety. Each of the spaces that follow have an element I absolutely love love love-- outdoor curtains! I adore the way they help make an outdoor space feel cozy and enclosed.

Domino

Last summer, I was excited when I finally hung porch curtains at our house, as I had wanted to do so for a while, but I quickly discovered, if you live in windy central Texas, every so often there are days when said curtains wind up on your roof.

Traditional Home

The curtains I used weren't the heaviest weight, and I never discovered anything that would keep them anchored to the ground on very windy days; I even tried fishing weights! I tied them back on days when they seemed destined to head upwards, but sometimes they even broke free of those ties.

Melanie Acevedo

It was my Porch Curtains vs. the Texas Wind, but it was a loosing fight for the curtains really; the Texas Wind certainly had the upper hand. Eventually, I simply resigned myself to pulling them down off the roof any day the wind blew strong.

Country Living

Still head, we have more outdoor summer living and more porches with a look at some traditional front porch fare.

Summer Living {Screened Porches}

As much as I love being outside when the weather is warm, there are certainly times when the bugs are a little too pesky, and in those moments, I long for a screened porch where I can retreat.

Coastal Living

Heather Garrett Design

Evan Sklar

House Beautiful

House Beautiful

I love the relaxed nature of these rooms; each of the spaces above seems to encourage taking a deep breath and following it with a contented sigh.

Inspiration Board {4th of July}

The 4th of July is a holiday I absolutely love, not only because I adore choosing a festive outfit, as I mentioned yesterday, but because is a day that is often filled with family, friends, fabulous food, and, my favorite, fireworks. It is a day that seems to lend itself perfectly to not only celebrating the ol' Red, White, and Blue, but a casual outdoor summer wedding as well.

Row 1: Tec Petaja via Once Wed, Martin Lof, Paloma Images via Once Wed. Row 2: Martin Lof, Paloma Images, Orchard Cove Photography via Style Me Pretty, Kristi Blunt. Row 3: Home Beautiful via Brown Button, Myrtle and Marjoram Photography, EyeSpy Photography via Snippet & Ink, Myrtle and Marjoram Photography, Cannelle et Vanille. Row 4: Leigh Miller Photography via The Bride's Cafe, Home Beautiful via Brown Button, Tec Petaja via Once Wed.

For those of you in the U.S., I hope you have a most wonderful Independence Day, and to those of you outside the States, I hope you're having a fantastic weekend too. Happy 4th!!

Holiday Dressing {4th of July}

While I can't say I decorate my house much for most holidays, I must admit, I am always excited about styling an outfit to coordinate with a holiday celebration.

Yes, I am that girl who wears green on St. Patrick's Day, and come the 4th of July, I find myself pondering what combination of red, white, and blue I will wear for the festivities of the day.

Kate Powers

Amanda Pratt

Jimmy Backius

Chloe Mallett

Anthropologie

Victoria's Secret

I already have an outfit planned for tomorrow, but, if I were doing any last minute shopping, I'd happily pick up any of these pieces to show my patriotic spirit.

L: J.Crew R: Anthropologie


L: Urban Outfitters R: J.Crew


L: Anthropologie R: J.Crew


L & R: Anthropologie


L: Calvin Klein R: Haute Hippie


Left, Middle, Right: Anthropologie


L: ModCloth R: Max & Chloe

*And, although I do love showing my holiday spirit through my clothing choices, someone please stop me if you ever see me don one of these as a serious fashion statement.

Inspiration Board {Lakeside Wedding}

I mentioned yesterday my fondness for lake getaways in summer, and a lakeside wedding seems like it would be absolutely perfect for the season.

Row 1: Amy Neunsinger, Caitlin & Evan- Luke Walker Photography via Elizabeth Anne Designs, Anna Williams. Row 2: Tanja Lippert Photography via Southern Weddings, Jose Villa via Hostess with the Mostess, Ryan Phillips. Row 3: Anna Kern, Kelly Brown via Style Me Pretty, Michelle Rago Ltd. Row 4: Emilie Inc. Photography via Southern Weddings, Epicurious.

While I can't say I have ever considered the combination of red, yellow, and green in anything other than a stoplight, it just happened to develop as the color scheme of this board, and somehow, it seemed to work.

Summer Escape {Lakes}

While my family never had one regular vacation spot where would we trek every year, some of my fondest memories of summer revolve around time spent at various lakes.

Jonny Valiant

When I was growing up, not only were my best friend, Jenni, and I close, but so were our parents, and thus my family was welcomed at their weekend getaway. Summer memories from my elementary school years are peppered with days spent at their lake house.

Country Living

The lake was only an hour's drive from our homes, but, at that age, felt much further. I was always anxious to arrive, and the car ride seemed to last an eternity.

Country Living

The house was on a small, private island, and, although it was truly only a short distance from the mainland, it always seemed an adventure to reach. We would load people and belongings into a rowboat and traverse the distance between the shores; each trip, I prayed for the boat to not tip in transit.

Thayer Allyson Gowdy

This is not a tale of the exclusive and wealthy, however, but rather of a simple family cottage that welcomed many; the home was shared by their extended family, and I fondly remember afternoons spent playing on the banks of the lake alongside my brother, Jenni, her sister, and their cousins.

House Beautiful

The island seemed enormous from a child's perspective, although, surely, like many things remembered from childhood, I imagine I'd be surprised to see it again through an adult's eyes.

Country Living

Whatever the true breadth of the land, it was large enough to encompass more than it's fair share of memories including one of the day Jenni and I were given the very grown-up privilege of taking the row boat out to circle the island alone; sadly, our experience came to a crashing halt when, not yet a quarter of the way into our trip, we lost an oar in the water and had to be rescued by our dads.

Country Living

Summers during my middle school and high school years included time spent with our extended family on lakes in Michigan and Wisconsin. The lasting images from those trips are of riding over waves, first on an inflatable tube, then later, water skis, and feeling the wind whip across my face as I was pulled behind a boat flying furiously across the water's surface.

Pia Ulin

I traded the lakes of the Midwest for those of the South when I was in college. There was a lake 15 minutes from campus, and although it was far from a glamorous retreat, my friends and I loved heading off to its murky waters. The best spots were reached via dirt roads, and it felt like we were world's away as we lay sunning ourselves on the lake's dark sandy shores.

Country Living

I moved one state over to attend graduate school, and during that following summer, there were two holiday weekends spent lakeside with my friends from school. An unseasonably chilling drizzle didn't dampen our spirits as we celebrated our friends' engagement over Memorial Day, but it did cut short our time on the water; cruising around the lake in our rented pontoon boat, while lacking the adequate gear to combat the cold rain, wasn't quite as much fun as had planned.

Hakan Ludwigson

Our lake trip later that summer, over the 4th of July, proved much kinder, as we were greeted by beautiful, sunny skies and scorching temperatures, perfect for cooling off in the water.

Hakan Ludwigson

My memories of time spent on lakes has continued into my adult life too; E's and my house in central Texas is only a 10-minute drive from a lake where we watched a sunrise in the early days of our relationship, and since then, more frequently have viewed sunsets... have I ever mentioned I am a bit of a night owl? The lake also provided a perfect place for walks with our dogs and for an afternoon spent swimming the comfortably warm waters when my youngest brother visited us last summer.

Krakvik and D'Orazio

I know we aren't too far from a number lakes here in Houston, and I imagine it will only be a matter of time before we find ourselves making new memories in their now unfamiliar waters. Until then, I will dream of once again jumping into the refreshing water of a lake on a hot and sticky day, something that makes my list of things to love about summer.

Summer Writing Room

I adore so many of the elements of this room, including the bones of it. The wide expanse of windows, the dark wood paneling, and the hardwood floors create a space that is warm and inviting.

Hallie Burton

I also love the curve of the desk chair, the rug underfoot, the slightly industrial fan in the corner, and the stacks and shelves of magazines and books close at hand.

The room is perfectly suited for a summer home, and if I had one, I'd love a space very much like this. I can imagine happy hours spent writing and working at the desk, coffee in hand, pausing every so often to gaze outside and relish the view.

Summer Soup {Green Gazpacho}

On a hot day, nothing makes for a better meal than a chilled bowl of gazpacho; it is a staple in our house throughout the sweltering months of the year!

As we continue to look at things to love about summer, I wanted share two of our favorite recipes for this classic Spanish soup, starting today with a Mexican-inspired variation-- Green Gazpacho.

Green Gazpacho- Serves 4-5
(from The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen)
Ingredients

-3 green tomatoes (3-inch diameter) or the least ripe you can find, cored and chopped.
- 1 medium-sized green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium (7-inch) cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 medium (4-inch) avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
- A handful of parsley
- A handful of cilantro
- 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 juicy limes)
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 to 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon. red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
- 1 cup cold water
- black pepper, to taste
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- Optional: tortilla chips for the top

Directions
1. Combine everything in a large bowl and mix well.
2. Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor, until reasonably smooth.
3. Transfer to bowl with lid and chill until very cold*
4. Serve plain or topped with tortilla chips

* For E and I, the leftovers are always enjoyed chilled, but rarely is the initial bowl enjoyed that way! Often we want to eat it immediately, so we dig right in-- room temperature and all. Also, this recipe is one that easily doubles.

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I will share the second recipe, a more traditional take on gazpacho, in the coming weeks.