An Early Evening Escape

My friend, photographer and fellow blogger, Allison Tatios of OliverPippet, took an evening to capture a few photographs of the children and me in our new favorite retreat from the city, Valley Forge National Historical Park. Thinking about the suffering that occurred here, the lives lost and the perseverance of many make these grounds a marvel to behold and the serenity found here unbelievable.

I remember my first time in the park with Allison and her sister Julie, taking in the natural beauty and wonder this historic site offers its' visitors. As we drove and walked to different locations in the park, I took in the light that played on the vast fields. The pillowy tufts of cotton,  the crispness of the grass and the coolness of the air breathed a sense of fresh life into me.  It was as if I was literally taking in a new world. Touching my surroundings and feeling the soft glare of the fading light shine in my eyes, I knew in my heart that I was starting a new chapter.

As Allison captured me in the moments that make up the photographers' "magic hour", I began to unwind, and process the first step in telling my story with you. My breath became deeper and I reflected on where I was in my journey and how far I had come after life as I knew it ended.

I am inspired by the peace and tranquility that is slowly entering my life after a tumultuous and gut wrenching year.  I never thought that I would laugh from my belly, smile with my soul, chase my children with exhilaration or revel in the open air again. The fact that I can do this all is a gift that I will never again take for granted. I asked Allison to document the joy so that we could always look back on this day and this time in gratitude for the highs of life.

Please share in my joy with our children. Here are some moments captured by Allison, who is not only a talented photographer, but a woman who possesses heart of gold and an eye to the soul.

With love,
Sara

2nd Annual Witches Dinner

We're now into the month of November and it's hard to believe that the time of trick or treat has passed us. It was my personal treat this year to host my 2nd Annual Witches Dinner for an intimate group of girlfriends here in Philadelphia.

My mother and I once again joined forces to create a satiating meal with killer cocktails for a group of wickedly brilliant and supportive women.  These special ladies have been one of my many anchors in the storm over these past few months. They've sat and talked with me for hours, they've offered playdates and dinner dates for the children. They've held us and comforted us as well as laughed and celebrated with us.

 Gathering these women together was an exciting pleasure. It was my goal to create an enchanted forest setting, replete with curly willow branches arranged with moss, stones and white and green pumpkins. We added a haunted twist with black bat wall decals, skull candles from Williams Sonoma and "poisoned" apples.  I wanted my girlfriends to get lost in the ambiance and the joy of friendship and fun. The hand calligraphy signs were the beautiful creation of Ashley Wrenn-Peterson of Hello, Bird. I have been a fan of her work for a while and it was a pleasure to work with her.  Not only was she enthusiastic about our project at hand, she was accommodating and gracious throughout the entire creative process.

This year was a little less formal compared to last year. For example, everything was served buffet style, save the Champagne, which I personally poured throughout the night for my guests. While we were only a group of twelve, it was more than our tiny city home was used to.  Creekside Stables was kind enough to give us a few hay-bales that I was able to use for extra seating. For comfort, I draped them with sheepskin so that no ones backside got pricked!

Over all the evening was spectacular. My friend and fellow blogger, Lauren Morton was speechless and another dear friend, Stephanie, exclaimed, "I just want to live here in this mix of rustic lux." This of course, made my heart swell with pride. Giving my girls a magical escape to forget the time and the every day stress of life and delight in each other is something that  inspires me as a stylist. The love and warmth that filled our home was spellbinding. I wish I could have bottled the feeling up and saved it, but fortunately we all have the memory (and the photographs, thanks to Allison Tatios) of another night shared together in good cheer!

Below are some snap shots of our brew-- Enjoy!

With love,
Sara

THE MENU

#EatDarling

Cod & Potato Tufts

Miniature Peppers Stuffed with Spiced Rice

Baked Zucchini Squares

Braised Chayote

Cucumber topped with Tapenade

Asian Rib-lets on a bed of Legumes and Greens

Quinoa Chili

#TrickorTreatDarling

Plum Cherry French Macaroons

Mini Chocolate Cakes with Mango Filling

Assorted Candies

#DrinkDarling

Veuve Clicquot Brut and Demi Sec

Mulled Wine

St. Germaine

Assorted Spirits


THE ALBLUM PLAYLIST
Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour
Broods - Evergreen
Allen Stone - Allen Stone & Last To Speak

Guest Prep - Lighting all the candles before the witches arrive

The Entrance

These pesky bat wall decals just about did me in. I'm not sure what was wrong with the batch that I purchased this year, but they did not want to stay up on the walls. I put them up a week early to save myself some time, but from the moment I put them up, they started falling down. I was still fixing them moments before my guest arrived. After all the aggravation they caused, I probably will not be using them again next year. 

My mother and I created vignettes like this throughout the house. The branches, moss, gourds and pumpkins added to the feel of an enchanted forest.

Quinoa Chili - Almost ready to be dished out!

The Asian Riblets

Cod and Potato Tufts

These tiny bowls and spoons were perfect for serving the quinoa chili

Stuffed Peppers

Setting up the buffet

Ashley's signs fit in perfectly with our decor

The Bar - We used my favorite punch bowl from last year and I set up my collection of new and vintage wine glasses and champagne coupes

The bourbon drinkers delighted in these ice skulls made from molds that I purchased from Williams Sonoma

The #TrickorTreat / Dessert Station

Mini Plum Cherry French Macaroons - Homemade by my Mother

More homemade treats - Mini chocolate cakes filled with mango

Tiny bottles of St. Germain were parting gifts for all of the witches!

The full station effect

Leah and Lauren - I loved their spin on the traditional witch's hat!

Mother and Daughter

I had to end with my iPhone snap shot of most of the witches. I'm so thankful to all of them for being a part of another memorable night. We're all looking forward to next year!

A Humble Thank You

Photo Credit: Allison Tatios

Dear Readers,

I am overwhelmed by the amount of love and support that I have received from all of you - both publicly and privately. Believe it or not, I am still personally responding to the letters that have come my way over the past couple of weeks.

There is no description for the honor it is for me to be let into your lives and to hear and read some of your stories and experiences. The bravery it has taken YOU who have shared your journeys with me after reading my last blog post is not only humbling, it's breathtaking. You have lifted me. You have inspired me and you have instilled a drive in me to never stop growing, changing and writing.

Your words of encouragement and prayer are an invaluable blessing. "Thank you" doesn't seem like enough words to truly be able to express my appreciation for you all, but for now, it's all I can say... Thank you, Thank you Thank you!

With love,
Sara

Coming Home

Photo Credit: Allison Tatios

Dear Readers,

Life hasn't been all that darling. As you can see, it's been almost a year since my last blog post. I don't know where to begin, but the most honest words to start with are: I'm not ready to write about the events that have occurred in my life over the past several months, but the blaring gap can't be ignored.

I can tell you that my life has been turned upside down.

Darling's Pixie Dust was started to give an insight to my real life, but it turns out that I was living within a lie ... always embracing the darling and never seeing the darkest part of my reality. In short, the children were fine, but my marriage was not. Never in a million years could I have ever imagined writing that last sentence. I was blindsided and in one conversation, my life as I knew it changed forever.

For now, I'm living, breathing and finding so much joy from my loved ones that I could bust. It's amazing that I never knew how many people have always been in my corner or how much I've been whole heartedly loved in my life.

My gratitude toward our family and friends near and far knows no bounds. It has been their countless hours of time, their words, notes, emails and texts of encouragement for the children and I that have kept us afloat. There were days when I couldn't get out of bed and weeks where I didn't stop crying. There are so many examples of ways that our support system lifted us at our heaviest time, but I think one of the most profound moments for me was when a dear friend embraced me shortly after my world came crashing down. I felt her strong arms and safety in the knowledge that I could fall into them and melt into a weeping puddle of grief. It was then that my faith in the human spirit began to be restored. After complete betrayal and the feelings of abandonment and shame, having the comfort of a loved one who would never leave me and would hold my head as well as my soul, was the step I needed to start repairing my broken heart.

There is so much love to give back and words to share and even though I'm not ready to share my complete story, please have faith. I'm on a journey of self-discovery. Our daughter, Izzy, has a t-shirt that says, "A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song". I am that bird ... a woman with a song.

Over time, I have learned to accept the darkness and to embrace my deepest sorrow and fear. Without doing so, I would have never seen the light as it approached and basked in the beautiful sunshine of a bright future, though I still do not know what that future holds. I believe that allowing myself to feel everything, enabled a meaningful and true healing process to begin.

The readers who have been with me from the beginning know my love for fine china. I love the delicacy, the daintiness and the subtle sophistication a quiet setting can bring to a warm family meal. In the past, a crack in that china would never do, but now I see the beauty of a teacup with a crack, mended and even more beautiful for the wear.

You, dear readers, are warmly invited to come on this journey of rediscovery with me. You are welcomed to share in the stories, the food, the drink, the songs, the laughter and the heartache.

I've changed in the last several months. I think I'm coming home ... home to myself. Please pass through my doorstep. My arms are open.


With love (as always),
Mrs. Darling ... or better known simply as, Sara