Host a fabulous Picnic (It's EASY!)

There are a few things that I think of when it comes to picnics... Friends, Family and Fun!  I find that many of the online tutorials for picnics focus on all the things that don't matter so much!  Having the perfect foods, decor and containers is NOT what makes the picnic!


I'm a recovered (recovering?) procrastinator.  I have "perfectionist paralysis" because I am so creative that I want everything to be as amazing in real life as it is in my head.  And guess what?  It NEVER is!  For instance - the picture above... the basket, the red and white checked cloth... it's iconic!  It's what we immediately think of when someone says picnic!  When my hubby and I first married, we bought the perfect picnic basket... it even had all the plastic ware in little leather straps with snaps.  FINALLY - we could picnic!  You know what?  We never did!

When my oldest two were younger, my mom gave me a red and white checked cloth.  FINALLY - we would picnic!  NOPE.  We did use the cloth at the museum to eat sandwiches and grapes while sitting on the floor, but we were inside, so that didn't count...  Except, it did!  In my perfection-clouded mind, it wasn't a picnic unless we were at a lovely park, preferably near a river or lake.  It wasn't "real" if there was no red and white cloth, picnic baskets, fried chicken, children laughing and flying kites, wine and sparkling water, lovers laying idyllically and whispering secrets, teenagers tossing a Frisbee, a golden retriever chasing a stick, cucumber sandwiches, an old man fishing, watermelon, and ants.  For the love of all that is summer, DON'T FORGET THE ANTS!

No wonder I never had a picnic!

So, with that in mind, here are my revised instructions for hosting a fabulous picnic:

1. Start with your guest list.  It can be only you (what?  I know that's crazy talk, right?)  If desired, add people that you love, and maybe the people that they love too.
2. Get some food.  It can be from a drive thru or a gourmet kitchen, it doesn't matter.
3. Take a cloth (it can be a tablecloth, sheet or gramma's quilt) and sit on it, put it on table or wrap up in it.
4. Have fun.  

There you go.  You've got the best picnic ever!  Quit scrolling Pinterest, watching Martha Stewart and reading craft blogs.  THAT's not what picnics are about.  It's about enjoying time.  Period.

Happy Summer!

Now that you aren't stressing out on planning the perfect picnic, you have time to treat yourself!  Join me for a live pedicure class!  Tonight, July 3rd at 8 PM CST in my VIP Group.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/NoelVIP/