Tea in the Garden: The Bistro Set & Umbrella My Dreams Were Made Of
Some dreams take root quietly.
They begin as scribbles in the margins of notebooks or half-whispered conversations over morning coffee. That’s how this garden began for us. Not as a grand plan—but as a vision slowly unfolding with time, intention, and a lot of trial and error.
And lately? It’s starting to look a lot like the dream we once only spoke about.
This week, we tucked a little bistro table and two chairs right in the corner of the garden area— it was something I envisioned from the start. Just a little table for two under string lights (those are still to come). But just the addition of that little table and scalloped market umbrella made this space take on a new kind of charm.
Me and the kids sat out there together, tea in hand; their giggles and joy spilling out of them almost as tangibly as the tea in their cups. And it felt like a scene from an old storybook. The kind you don’t just read—you live.
It was simple: mismatched tea cups, a simple arrangement of flowers, and the smell of springtime drifting through the air. But somehow, it felt sacred.
This isn’t the kind of life we grew up imagining. It’s quieter, slower, often dirt-under-the-fingernails kind of living. But goodness, it’s full.
And I think that’s what I want to keep remembering—and maybe pass along to you, too. That beauty doesn’t always come in big gestures or perfect finishes. Sometimes it’s in pulling up a chair in the garden, under the shade of a scalloped umbrella, and sipping something warm while you look around and whisper… we really did this.
If you’re in a season of planting, building, or simply hoping—don’t lose heart. The blooms are coming. The quiet cup of tea in your own garden is coming. Keep going.
Rather than spend money on something new, I wanted to breathe new life into what we already had. Reupholstering gave me the freedom to choose exactly the fabric I wanted, while keeping a piece that already fits the scale and style of our space.