Can it possibly be another Saturday? Lately, I blink and a week has come and gone. I think the person who finds a way to slow down time could become very rich indeed! Welcome to Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all sorts of topics from the previous week.

Spring is Here..sort of.

As I write this I am sitting in front of the fireplace freezing. Just two days ago I pulled out a pair of shorts (yes, the longer version) because the warmer temperatures. Today I have on multiple layers as this old house is drafty. March has come in like a lion and appears to be staying a lion! However, I am not complaining but enjoying the ups and downs of March.

Fresh Flowers

Flowers have always played in important role in my life. I once worked for a company who had fresh flowers delivered to everyone’s desk weekly. When I worked in San Francisco, I would buy fresh flowers every Friday afternoon from a street vendor on my way home.

In the 2003 movie, Something’s Gotta Give by Nancy Meyer, did you notice the fresh flowers in every room on the set? I guess I’m a flower geek as I notice those things. For me, flowers are therapeutic. They give me joy and make me happy.

About 18 months ago, I subscribed to a monthly bouquet through The Bouqs.com. Eighteen bouquets later, I’ve been only disappointed twice. But the bouquet I received this month is so spectacular. Quite honestly, I don’t believe I have ever seen such beautiful roses. Direct from a flower farm in South America, these roses are STILL gorgeous after 2 weeks. I need to figure out how to get a commission for promoting them so much!

Projects this Week

Window washing is a spring cleaning priority and while my husband was out of town, I did start the tedious task of cleaning the family room windows. It is very hard to find a window washer who wants to clean small panes and this room has 254 of them. And that’s only washing just one side.

Since the family room is shared with the animals~two dogs and a cat, some of the door and window trim is dinged or scratched. So after I wash the windows, I also do some touch-up painting where needed. In mason jars, I keep a small amount of room and trim color paint, so it is easily accessible for touch-ups.

Any over spill on the windows is cleaned up with a single edged razor. After two days of work, the family room windows are sparkling and clean. To see more about this room that was once an outdoor porch back in the 1940s, click here.

My neighbor’s garden

My sweet neighbor, Dawn, sent me this photo from her garden. She uses a bowl of beer to attract the slugs that are eating her plants…a remedy I shared with her a few years ago. Since I just started noticing some nibbles on my new plants, I, too, am pouring beer in my garden bowls! Remember to put the bowl at ground level and fill with any beer you have available.

As you know I am coddling my new strawberry plants and it seems like the strawberry cage (see here) is doing its job! The berries are beginning to form and hopefully we will have an abundance of them this season.

Strange Behavior

We have a single quail near the garden who thinks he/she is a chicken. Since this quail seems to have a foot problem, we call him/her Hoppy. Hoppy is never very far from the chicken coop and is often found trying to get in to be next to his/her adopted siblings.

This week we let the chickens out to roam the yard and Hoppy tries to herd them back into the coop. I’ve never seen anything like this! Wanted to upload a video of bossy Hoppy but it wouldn’t cooperate.

Mysterious Shadow

Every morning I come downstairs and walk through the dining room on my way to the kitchen. I have never seen this shadow above the crystal chandelier that hangs above the dining room table. Never. So I snap this picture. Now every morning I look for this shadow and it has never appeared again. I noted the time on my phone when I took the picture and have been looking for this shadow ever since. Perhaps a once in a lifetime experience? Isn’t that odd?

Animal Fun

We have a Dad chair in the family room. No one sits in it but Dad. Ever. Except Sox. He gets a pass and jumps up in the chair whenever it is empty. Lucky dog.

Here is Cooper looking over our wall. This is a different perspective for me because I am outside our property on the street to the south. The wall is 6 feet tall, at least. Cooper is a very big dog and watches everything in the hood.

Inspired by my friend, Andrea from Design Morsels, I will be deep cleaning my range hood in the kitchen today. Andrea has a great post about this and you can see it here. Truly, after you read it you will start cleaning!

Have a wonderful weekend! Easter is just around the corner~

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What a week of strange weather all around our country! Sometimes I feel a bit guilty sharing beautiful sunny photos of Phoenix. However, when others are under snow and in cold temperatures, I am hoping my photos are uplifting and a reminder that Spring will eventually arrive. Another Saturday Meanderings is here where we talk about new and exciting things this week.

Pizza from Italy

Italy is one of our favorite places to visit and there is nothing better than eating pizza there. Often we found a cobblestone alley restaurant serving wine and food, loving the ambiance of this country.

Did you know you can actually order pizza from Napoli, Italy? From the website of Talia di Napoli, “We’re bringing authentic neapolitan pizza straight to your door. Each one is all-natural and completely handmade in the heart of Southern Italy.”

The pizzas currently come in an 8 pack and you can select the type you like. My order consists of 4 Margherita and 4 Primavera pizzas. They are very well packed and frozen when they arrive. And you get 10% off on your first order. Price-wise they are less than our local pizza shop.

We tried one for lunch this week and you can definitely taste the wood-fired flavor. I believe I over-cooked mine a bit and next time, I would add additional toppings. But all in all, it is so fun to get a pizza directly from Italy, where we have so many fond travel memories.

For more information on Talia di Napoli, click here.

Local Farmer’s Market Find

Since COVID, I have not been going to the Farmers Market as often. Right down the street, the Uptown Farmers Market is really one of the best. And it is so well run, especially during COVID.

Since I am in an apron many hours a day, I did treat myself to a new one. One of the market’s vendors, Aprons by Lee, has a wonderful selection. Lee loves fabrics and hand makes each apron. The pockets are lined and she will make custom aprons too.

Aren’t these cute? One for me and one for my dog-loving daughter.

Dreaming about a Vacation

Has anyone taken a river cruise? Highly recommended by my friends, Sam and Melody, I am investigating a potential Christmas Markets river cruise at the end of this year. It is a cruise down the Danube and stops in places like Vienna and Budapest. Prices seem fairly reasonable right now. Hopeful that travel will open up later this year, I may just take the leap!

Tablescape Photos

My neighbor’s granddaughter is in town for a few months and she is helping me with some aspects of the blog. We did spend a few hours one afternoon, playing with different table settings. I cannot wait to show all of them to you, but here is a preview.

The soft blue Indian block tablecloth is again, from my friend, Darviny from @dayswithdarviny. Red Swiss polka dot paper placemat is from Hester & Cook. I am trying to step out of my comfort zone and do something other than a white tablecloth. The dishes are vintage Brown Westhead and Moore Cauldon bowls from England and a gift from my friend, Sandy.

Computer Glasses

Lately I notice my eyes seem to get tired, especially after a long day on the computer. This week and a visit to my eye doctor, we discussed getting computer glasses to relieve eye strain.

Since I do wear one contact lens in my left eye for seeing up close and one lens in my right eye for seeing far away, I did order new computer glasses. The prescription will change in only one eye so I can do up close work on the computer, and be tinted for blue light protection.

Not inexpensive, but we only have two eyes and it is important to care for them. Once I receive the new glasses I will let you know if they improve my eye strain.

Spring Will Come

No matter what is happening in our crazy world, nature is a constant reminder that life goes on. Here are some photos of things that are reminders that Spring will come~it does every year.

A Big Heart

My middle child, our daughter, Julianna is an animal lover. Even as a little girl, she rescued birds that fell out of their nests and I remember finding a a pigeon residing in her room. Sigh.

As an adult, in addition to working full time, she fosters rescue dogs. This young woman has a gift. She will get a dog who is scared, unwanted, or abandoned, and then provide them structure, shelter, food and love. Within a short period of time, it is amazing how these dogs transform.

Her latest foster, Peaches, is one of a kind. We are hoping our neighbors adopt her as I am growing rather attached to this sweetie.

Blog Updates

I have been working on a re-design to the blog website, but naturally having technical difficulties. In order to fix them, I may be down for a few days some time in the future. But hopefully I will be able to give you a heads up beforehand.

Again, I cannot thank you enough for all the support, kind words, recommendations, recipes and thoughtfulness you have shared with me. It always warms my heart to hear your stories of something that inspired you from my blog.

With that, I wish you the best of weekends. It will be a gardening one for me as it is time to plant the Spring beds.

Be safe, be warm and most of all, be healthy!

Happy Saturday, my friends! The weather is just beautiful here this week: ~70s during the day and 40s at night. I believe our frost risks may be over so next week will be lots of gardening. Thank you for joining me today for another edition of Saturday Meanderings and all good things this week.

Valentine’s Day ideas

Do you have Valentine’s Day plans? We are planning a very small dinner party~outside, of course. In 1998, we had our first formal sit-down dinner party for this holiday. We have missed a few years over the last 23, but this is one of our favorite events. More pictures next week.

If you like to make special meals, I highly recommend the Heart-Shaped Ravioli recipe. I am making this meal for our college daughter and her roommates. See blog post here.

If you are looking for a quick gift for Valentine’s Day, check out these very pretty and affordable 13 oz. 3-wick candles from Target. Designed by Studio McGee, the quality is excellent and the price even better at $15.00 each. The ribbed glass container has a lovely wooden top with a gold handle. The scent is Mandarin Orange Blossom with notes of jasmine and blonde woods (what are blonde woods?). Other scents are available. If you don’t follow Studio McGee, here is their website. Great ideas for inspiration.

First Blooms

January is a big pruning month here. The roses get whacked down to the ground and the stone fruit trees get a significant haircut. But Mother Nature is so generous and quickly rewards my efforts with these beautiful blooms!

Remember the bulb garden I planted last year? And the mystery of the stolen plants? If not, see post here. Last October I re-planted 50 hyacinths and 100 tulip bulbs. The new growth is just now emerging from the dirt and I am so excited! Maybe I need to post security cameras out there to see who the culprit is….

Being Accountable

In my attempts to be healthier, I do try to exercise frequently. But on those chilly mornings where I am nestled under my down comforter, the last thing I want to do is get out of bed and work up a sweat. My dear friend Barbara and I now text each other when we complete a workout. I can honestly say this is such a motivation: “If Barbara can do this, so can I!” Such a simple way of keeping each other on track. If you need some encouragement to move, link up with a friend.

New Tablecloths

White linen tablecloths are a classic, but sometimes it’s refreshing to branch out. Darviny @dayswithdarviny sent me these two fabulous tablecloths. I love the look of Indian block patterns. Though she doesn’t have an online shop just yet, she has a well-cultivated colorful style. Please make sure to follow her on Instagram.

Making Scones

In making lemon curd and Meyer Lemon Marmalade this week, I obviously need something to spread these luscious lemon toppings. Referring to the book, Dessert University, by Roland Meisnier (the former White House pastry chef), I make dried cherry scones. Some scones tend to taste like baking powder, so I’m a bit picky on scone flavor. But this recipe is truly delicious. I find it a bit odd to use a hard boiled egg, but it goes unnoticed.

Also, I greatly alter the recipe. Instead of making them into quarters, I just shape the dough and use a biscuit cutter. See recipe below and my notes.

Animal photos

Our Maine Coon, Donovan, recently darted outside. Now that he has a taste of the great outdoors, he is very keen on escaping once the back door is open. I love this photo as he has his “hunting” eyes on while he nibbles on the greens.

Meanwhile, Cooper and Sox love staying inside and napping on their comfy blankets.

Have a warm and loving weekend. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours!

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When we bought this home, I didn’t realize how much I would love having an orchard. Located on the southern part of our parcel, the orchard is about 200 feet long. The rectangular shape is perfect for entertaining, as we host many dinners here in the Orchard.

Historically, I do not know how old the orchard is. The previous owners planted the kumquat tree in celebration of a wedding anniversary. I do know this tree is decades old. Based on the size of some of the adjoining date palms, the orchard has been part of this property for a very long time.

My husband built a support structure for the overhead lights which creates a magical setting at night.

The orchard is abundant with citrus this time of year.  Our tangerine tree is bursting with fruit, so much so that the limbs are drooping from the weight.

In the orchard, we have 7 different types of oranges with one of the best juice orange trees around. The children tell us that if we ever sell the house, we will need to take this orange tree with us!

Four grapefruit trees, both pink and white, two tangerines, limes, lemon, a kumquat and limequat tree round out the citrus selection.

One year I did make kumquat preserves and I must admit, it is challenging. For such tiny fruit, there are many seeds. After de-seeding them, which took hours, this is my first and perhaps my last attempt at this recipe.

We also have stone fruit in the orchard. Both apricot and peach trees will be sharing their beautiful fruit with us in May/June.

Though it seems a bit counterintuitive, we can grow apples here in Phoenix. The only downside is that they are ready to pick in June. My fantasies of apple picking revolve around cold weather, sweaters and autumn colors. But here, in the triple digit temperatures, you will find me picking our Anna apples.

Since we do not have a watering system in the orchard, it gets a deep watering monthly in the winter and twice a month in the summer. Flood irrigation is such an affordable way to water here. For a small annual fee, the Salt River Project provides water through irrigation gates to the property.

The dogs LOVE to run through the water. Fun for them but a bit messy for us.

Now, more than ever, we are getting lots of fresh Vitamin C with our citrus pickings. Last year, we had so much fruit, that we donated several boxes to the neighborhood.

But in the meantime, I hope to make my delicious Meyer Lemon Marmalade (see recipe here) and Preserved Lemons (see recipe here).

Make sure you are getting your dosage of Vitamin C daily and hopefully you are somewhere with an abundance of citrus so you can make these recipes. You will not be disappointed.

Hope you are having a terrific Wednesday!

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I hope this blog post finds you having a delicious cup of coffee (or tea) and a relaxing morning. Thanks for joining me for Saturday Meanderings as we chat about all things good this week!

I cannot tell you how much I enjoy hearing about your home projects or trying a recipe I’ve shared. My sweet neighbor, Tevia, got inspiration from the stenciled bathroom tile floor in our pool house. She tackled her guest house bathroom floor. Isn’t this amazing?

And now, she just completed her laundry room floor, using a different stencil but with only one color. It looks completely different! Wow!

Great Customer Service

I love my coffee every morning and two years ago, my family bought a Nespresso Breville Creatista coffee machine for my birthday. Multiple times a day this coffee machine is creating lattes, cappuccinos, you name it. Recently, though, the water tank in the back was leaking intermittently.

So we call Nespresso’s customer service and they conduct a leak test over the phone (took 20 minutes) and quickly sent a replacement tank. However, when it arrived, it was the wrong size. So I call again. Apparently they have discontinued this model and no longer have a replacement tank. So what did they do? They sent me a brand, new machine at no cost! This particular model retails at $599.99! How nice that Nespresso stands by their products.

Pretty Things and Images

Look at this spectacular photo of a chrysanthemum. I’m not sure I’ve ever truly appreciated the beauty of this flower. Wouldn’t this make a spectacular painting?

If you shop at Target, check out these cute rain boots from Smith and Hawkin. Click here for the link.

Cindy Hattersley from Cindy Hattersley Designs recently posted this picture. These are the last of her roses and the way they are captured on her new iPhone 12 is amazing. See her blog post here.

My Painting Aspirations

Last year, I didn’t paint as much as I would have liked. So this year, the plan is to schedule time to each week to paint. I would like to attempt painting animals. Here is some inspiration.

On My Bucket List

Visiting the People’s House during Christmas is on my bucket list. I have been by the White House but never inside. My sweet friend, Effie went this year and shared these pictures. I meant to post them during the holidays, but they are lovely no matter what time of year it is.

The theme is America the Beautiful. So often we forget that living in this country is such a privilege and in spite of its problems and political differences, it is certainly the best nation in the world.

This delectable wonder replicates the West Wing, Executive Residence, East Wing and for the first time, the Rose Garden and the First Ladies’ Garden. Constructed from 275 pounds of gingerbread dough, 110 pounds of pastille dough, 30 pounds of gum paste, 25 pounds of chocolate and 25 pounds of Royal icing, every detail is an exact replica.

She also sent me the accompanying book, illustrated by Carole Biggio, which for a budding artist like me, is a dream to have.

As politicians come and go, the White House staff mostly remains. If you haven’t read this book by Kate Andersen Brower, you will find all the stories interesting. The Residence can be found here.

To close, I have a short, funny video of Cooper. Life with our dogs is a constant adventure!

Have a spectacular weekend!

Happy Saturday morning! Gosh, it is hard to believe the first week of the New Year is over. Thank you for joining me for Saturday Meanderings as we reflect on the comings and goings of the week.

It always takes me a while to file away the holiday spirit. Slowly we are dismantling our holiday day decor as we leave it up until January 6th, which is the Epiphany. Organizing and storing it all always takes a bit of time. We’re not in any hurry.

Thinking about my Spring Garden

When it comes to gardening, I feel rather knowledgeable about the vegetable garden. The last week of February through the month of March is the ideal time to get growing, and get the most out of the 2021 tomato season here in Phoenix.

If you live locally and want to start a garden, Farmyard Farmers is an excellent resource. The year I had extensive shoulder surgery I hired them to design and plant my garden. They did an incredible job. You can also purchase seeds and seedlings from them. Here is the link to their website.

However, I am a novice in planning and planting a flower garden. The thought of having access to fresh cut flowers is a dream of mine. I am awaiting several packets of seeds from Floret Farm. A family run flower farm and seed company, they specialize in unique and heirloom varieties. They have a lovely website and their seeds sell out quickly. Once the seeds arrive, I will develop a plan and share that with you. We can learn together.

Inspiration from other sources

As much as I don’t enjoy spending hours on the computer or social media, I do love the inspiration from other sources. A comment from The Vintage Contessa on my last post about the grilled cheese tomato soup party led me to another blogger, Annie from Most Lovely Things (who also happens to have a grilled cheese recipe).

On her post, Annie shares her five favorite things and one is the artist, Aiden Paez. Aiden is a self-taught, 14 year old and don’t you just love the picture above? You can follow him on Instagram @throughaidenseyes.

Another inspirational artist and blogger is Sandra Sallin. Sandra started her blog at age 72. An awarding winning artist, her energy and sense of humor is contagious. Her informative blog, Apart from My Art is here. A good lesson in that it’s never too late to learn something new.

Last week I was craving a hearty, warm Mediterranean style soup~like a tortellini or a good minestrone. And then I read The Enchanted Home’s Seven on Sunday (one of my favorite reads) and lo and behold, there is a recipe for Pasta Fagiole. That was it! I made it right away and it is so delicious. The timing is great because we had a bit of Elisabeth’s homemade bacon that I used instead of pancetta. Adding jars of our garden tomato sauce, this soup is a winner. Here is the link to that post. Note: I doubled the recipe as the original one serves 4.

Another blog that sets my mind into dream mode is Cheap Old Houses. Do you follow them on Instagram @cheapoldhouses? Not only do they feature homes for sale (cheap) domestically, but also internationally. I have often fantasized about restoring a villa in Europe! Once you sign on, it’s hard to not go down the rabbit hole and spend hours on this site.

Fun Recipe

Do you recall back in November we made the Alton Brown Aged Eggnog Recipe (see post here)? Well, it aged for approximately 6 weeks and we consumed it on Christmas. It is D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S! I also discovered that my sister, Susie and her family, made a batch last spring and had it aging for months. We will definitely be making more soon. You can find the recipe here if you want to make it now.

Elisabeth’s Birthday

Hard to believe my youngest is now 20 years old. It seems like yesterday that she was dressing up and twirling around the kitchen. Well, she still twirls around the kitchen! And what a fine young woman she has become.

The children always get their choice of homemade birthday cake. Elisabeth decided on a Chocolate Matcha cake from my favorite cake cookbook, Layered by Tessa Huff.

This is a HUGE cake with 4- 8″ cakes~2 chocolate and 2 matcha flavored. The filling is a white chocolate matcha ganache, all covered in Swiss meringue buttercream.

For Christmas, I received a professional revolving cake stand from my son. Being an amateur cake baker, I still need a lot of practice on this new stand, however, it made frosting this cake a bit easier.

Fortunately, half of the cake is now at college with her and not part of my thighs.

Funny Photo of the Week

As you know, our large dog, Cooper, loves sitting on whatever is around.

However, one night he decides to sit on the sofa on top of our cat, Donovan. Poor thing. The cat tried using all its might to push Cooper off. Not sure Cooper felt a thing.

Well, that’s a wrap! Will be spending the weekend taking down the balance of Christmas. Our houseguests (our son and girlfriend) will be leaving on Sunday to head back to D.C. We feel so blessed to have had our son here for a month. Sad to see them go but know they have their own lives too.

Have a beautiful weekend!

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