I'm on the Cambria Wines blog today, sharing four easy recipes for a cozy indoor picnic! Rob and I did this over the weekend and at one point I said "Do you think this seems silly since we're already at home and could just eat at the table?" to which our friend (and photographer) Rémy replied "Yeah, but just because people have beds doesn't mean pillow forts aren't awesome."

Good point, Rémy. Good point.

So head over here and grab the recipes. Happy picnicking! 

This post is brought to you in partnership with Cambria Wines.

Photos by Rémy Thurston for Freckled Italian.

We're getting to that time of year down here in North Carolina when spring feels like it's just a whisper away. We fall asleep with the windows open and wake up to cool air loaded with the scent of fresh rainfall. Ender comes in from the sidewalk with paws that are always chilly and damp and smell even more like corn chips or buttered toast than usual.

I have been saying "it was a hard year" for longer than I can remember--I think it's been more than just one. But the promise of spring brings with it hopes of new beginnings--of tender green sprouts shooting upwards despite the long, cold winter that laid on top of it for months.

A few weeks ago someone I hadn't spoken to in years reached out to patch things up, and I didn't realize it at the time but now it feels a lot like a small piece of myself has found its way back into place.

Funny how that happens, right when you need it.

“and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it’s
spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful”

— [in Just-] BY e.e. cummings

I'm ready for you any time, spring.

Happy Sunday! Rob and I have had a nice, mostly relaxing weekend (although yesterday I was busy with some blog stuff, but it's always so fun). This morning we slept in a bit and made breakfast before meeting up with his parents for lunch and donuts.

Lipton asked me to talk a little about my afternoon tea rituals, so I thought a Sunday afternoon would be the perfect time to sit down with a cuppa and share that. I'm such a morning person and love getting up early for my coffee, but my afternoons always belong to tea.

Between 3:00 and 4:00PM (especially during the week), I always end up in a bit of a lull--I often get a bit sleepy, and if I'm lucky then most of the things on my to-do list have been completed, so I like to reward myself and take a few minutes to chill out with a cup of tea and a few pages from whatever book I happen to be reading--although I'll be honest and say that until our trip to Florida, it was less reading and more Netflix--these days, however, it's all Hemingway, all the time.

My favorite Lipton teas are Amazingly Grey or Enticing Chai, and I'm also loving this herbal Peach Mango blend, which is a great decaf option.

How do you relax in the afternoons? Are you a tea drinker, too?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.