Some folks were stuck in stormy Sonoma County last week; I was entertaining close friends at my summer house in Provence. Okay, I don't have a summer house in Provence, but I do have a copy of the Kaari Meng's French General Handmade Soirees: Simple Projects for Special Occasions. And so I spent a good amount of my reading time last week just drooling over the pictures of the exquisitely photographed dinner parties she created, all with a French flare. Meng has an amazing eye for detail, effortlessly blending vintage linens, flatware and dishes to create tablescapes that transport you to magical places--like my imaginary mas in Menerbes.

We can save our centimes for a French retreat but for now we work with what we have: a petite backyard (petite just sounds so much prettier than small, don't you think?). I long for larger yard, one with a huge potager and plenty of room for the kids to roam, but I'll say one thing about small backyards: they are easy to transform. We'll have summer parties with white lights strung through our mulberry trees and with a few good friends and lots of good food, well, who could want anything else?

Meng's book provides some remarkable "grown up" craft ideas but no recipes (for which I've read some critical reviews) but imo the lack of recipes isn't that much of a detriment. Although now I can't wait to host a Moules Frites fete in the early fall--is it too early to start planning?