Hello, friends, and welcome to Panoply! Happy mid-September!
Today marks the 48th instalment of the Tales of the Traveling Tote, can you believe it? It's all about tales of ladies connecting friendship and stories of our everyday lives via a MacKenzie-Childs tote we all purchased at one time or another. Previous to 2026, we would give quarterly updates, but our new schedule now follows three updates per year: mid-January, mid-May, and mid-September.
To read more about the origin of this series of posts, you can learn how it started here. A link to all my previous tales can be found here.
When we last shared our travels in May, I was on vacation with my family. It was a very good week, and the first time Jacqueline had been out of the country. We had lots of adventures on the water, in the sky and, for some of our crew, under the sea.
Amid the broken wrist, cast, and subsequent surgery, Jacqueline turned 5. She's in preschool, going to a new school this year. We celebrated Grandparents' Day with her on September 10.
Here we are now, mid-September. Several of us in the neighborhood planned a party picnic for approximately 75 homes within a 5 or 6 block area to get together and meet all the new neighbors of late. We passed fliers out on each door September 1st.
This turned out to be a great party! So many neighbors contributed, and on such a high level, we're not sure we didn't set a standard too high for future gatherings! Neighbors contributed tents, rented tables and chairs, made flower arrangements rom our gardens, brought coolers full of drinks, and everyone brought a dish - way too much food for the 50+ or so who attended.
NOW, ONTO THE GIVEAWAY!
The Traveling Totes Tribe is offering another giveaway and Emily is our giveaway sponsor this time at The French Hutch. One lucky reader who leaves a comment on Emily's post will have their name thrown into the hat for an opportunity to win this MacKenzie-Childs Tote.
Be sure to check out my other traveling sisters' posts to see how they spent their time since our last update on May 15th.
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Patti with Miss Kenzie and Miss Taylor @ Pandora's Box
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply (you are here!)
Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul
Jackie with Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
Ricki Jill with Miss La Countess de Monet @ The Bookish Dilettante
Join us again on January 15th for another installment of Tales of the Traveling Tote.
🍂Happy Fall, Y'all!🍂
Rita C. at Panoply
Always love seeing the travels you girls with your totes take. Little J is getting so big and what a cutie. Glad the tonsils came out without complications sorry to hear the time afterwards was not so great. She seems like a trooper. Hoping she feels better. OMG your eyelashes on the wall. I am glad you can look at that now and have a sense of humor. Glad your wrist is healing well. Your friend Pam really went through a lot at the end. Happy to hear she is at peace now. Have a good week. Hugs. Kris
ReplyDeleteYou’ve had a busy time these past few months, Rita, with travel fun , sadness over a classmate, sickness and a fall that required surgery. Through it all, you’ve had a smile. The framed eyelashes is certainly a great reminder to all of us to slow down. Your neighborhood party looked like a fun and successful event. Little Jacqueline is so adorable and I hope she’s feeling much better now. Enjoy these next months as you heal your beautiful wrist and arm. ❤️
ReplyDeleteRita, Your summer has been an adventure indeed! Those framed eyelashes mimic Warhol, but are an original Rita in every way! Hope your wrist, arm and eyelashes are healing nicely. That was a very serious fall! I'm sorry to hear you lost a classmate. That's always difficult. We eat a lot of lettuce and salad, but fortunately didn't become a statistic. I have started looking more closely at the origin of the fruit and vegetables. It does seem that most everything comes from out of the country these days. Sorry you had to endure that unpleasant situation. Jacqueline has grown so much. She's quite the cute young lady. Hopefully, soon she'll be running around and feeling better. The picnic was a great success! I know you enjoyed it. We're still in triple digits here, so no picnics. We're still baking slowly through this heat wave. I want to get fall and Halloween stuff out, but 100 degree weather just won't allow it as it dampens the mood and body literally! Take care. Enjoy your day. Clara❤️
ReplyDeleteOh Rita, you've had quite the summer! So happy you got a fabulous trip in before your accident. Travels with our grands are especially special and I'm sorry for the loss of your dear friend, always so hard. Glad you are recovering and better now from your fall. Absolutely a lesson for everyone to slow down on the stairs! Jacqueline is a cutie, hope she's feeling better now after her surgery. Happy September.....
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Rita. I love the family photos from your vacation and so sorry for the loss of your friend. Your summer has been challenging with Cyclospora and then the horrific fall that required surgery. Wow, I can’t believe your eyelashes were ripped out! How can Jacqueline be 5, how is that possible? She is a doll and I hope she feels better soon. The neighborhood party was a huge success and must have been so much fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update Rita...you have been busy and squeeze in the medical issues and bingo! what a full and pleasurable (sometimes) life which is all we can ask for isn't it? I thought I had lead a fairly uneventful life for a long time but now I find I measure events by medical issues. 🥴LOL
ReplyDeleteNeighborhood block parties are always fun, especially when the load is shared as yours appears to be. We haven't had one in ages because apparently I am the designated organizer and as you know, my organizational skills, also known as 'get up and go' seem to have 'got up and went'...as the saying goes.😂
I love the framed eyelashes on the wall, ...“Lessons in life will be repeated until they are learned.” is a quote that comes to my mind. or “In the school of life, every experience offers a lesson.”. LOL I am sure your visual reminder has taught you to slow down. I don't know if I ever told you but last year, I fell in my driveway and hit the bone area over my eye and for some reason, one bleeds an extensive amount from the head....after seeing all the blood on the driveway, one of my sweet friends wanted to get the chalk out and draw the outline of a body, much like a crime scene to teach me to slow down.
Have a great and wonderful week. Sweet little J. is adorable. Say hello to Miss Luna C., she does get around, doesn't she?
Your neighborhood party sounds like such fun! I'm glad you had something good to anticipate after your fall. Eyelashes? Oh my -- that had to hurt in more ways than one. I never knew they grew back -- I'm glad. I'm especially glad that you are recovering from your wrist. That was quite the ordeal and I'm so glad there was no head injury with such a hard hit (apart from injured pride, eyelashes and plenty of bumps and bruises.) All that after cyclospora. Honestly, this was a summer to remember and not in a good way. Loss, injury, illness. I'm glad you could bookend it with a holiday with the adorable Jacqueline and the neighborhood gig!
ReplyDeleteWell this will certainly be a summer to remember for you! Hope you are healing well and slowing down! And keep your eyelashes on your lids!! OMG that is crazy!! J is 5? How can that possibly be? She is darling! The Party looks like a huge success - fun times! Happy Fall and stay well!
ReplyDeleteHi Rita, you've really had an adventurous few months. So nice you could share a vacation with family and your neighborhood get together looks great. So nice to meet the people in your community. So happy your fall wasn't worse and that your wrist is healing. So sorry for the loss of your friend. Wishing you a productive and peaceful autumn season.
ReplyDeleteLynne, Thrifting Wonderland
A very busy summer Rita. I am so sorry to hear the loss of your classmate Pam. So nice people wore green to honor her. Wow, that cyclospora is something else. I see the humor in your skinny diet. Definitely no fun! Your fall into the wall and losing your eyelashes is so scary. Your friend is quite creative framing theme. A good reminder to slow down, especially with all of us getting older. The neighborhood party sounds like fun. Everyone chipping in. A lovely way to get to know neighbors. Little J is growing up so darn fast. What a cutie. I hope she is feeling much better now. Happy Autumn.🍂
ReplyDeleteWow, the eyelashes you left on the wall are more than three times what I have on both eyes! Glad they are growing back. Sorry for your loss of your friend. It has been quite a summer for you.
ReplyDeleteIt’s been a busy summer for you and I'm sure you are ready for fall. You managed to include some travel and fun, but balanced by some tough times. That framed eyelash message is a reminder for us all to take a breath. Thankfully they grew back and your face and eye are ok. Ouch. Sweet Jacqueline is adorable—I hope she’s feeling better now. Happy almost Fall, and take it easy while your wrist and arm continue to heal.
ReplyDeleteRita, you've certainly had a full and eventful summer. I know the month long cyclospora was not the way one wants to drop pounds, but topped with the fall and now dealing with the long healing process is too much! That eyelash is scary!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a neighborhood picnic. We've done that on occasion, but our summer heat prevents such gatherings now.
Take care, my friend! I hope the PT will be helpful and that you are back to your normal routines soon.
Hello Rita,
ReplyDeleteYour summer has been full of ups and downs. I am happy that I have been able to pray for you and your family.
I must say, the framed eyelashes are really something. I had no idea you lost that many when you shared the fall. Yikes.
Sending prayers for Jacqueline, I hope she is feeling better soon.
xo
Wowza, so many "surprises". Glad you are healing from all the things! Jacqueline too. But I have to admit, I got a kick out of seeing the framed eyelashes. Loved seeing your photos. Hope your fall isn't as exciting. ;)
ReplyDelete