We all have times in our lives where we feel like we have one stress after another. The weight of the world weighs heavily on our shoulders. Sometimes it is fleeting; other times you want to shout out to the universe enough already!

Though it would be nice to have stress-free days, life just doesn’t work that way. And if you don’t decompress every now and again, then Everything is Overwhelming.

I find myself good at handling the big challenges, but sometimes the little things just get under my skin.

So what do you do to relieve the stress? Here are some of the ways I try to redirect the annoyance, anger, problem or just plain crankiness.

Take a break and carve out some quiet time. Making a nice cup of tea, finding a good magazine and just taking 20 minutes to myself with magazine distraction is an easy balm for the soul.

Exercise. I’ve decided that I would be a very grumpy person if I didn’t exercise. It doesn’t have to be to a fancy gym or with a trainer. A brisk walk, a long bike ride, a hike, or stretching are easy, non-costly things that pay big dividends.

Watch a sunset or sunrise. Taking the time to mark the beginning or ending of a day, may help your realize that the sun will be up again tomorrow.

Turn off your technology and get outside. A trip to my garden/hen house magically erases anything that is weighing heavily on my mind. Not sure why that is, but I seem to forget the woes and concentrate on what’s blooming, who’s eating my strawberries or time to pull that weed.

Baking. I tend to do this when I’m a bit aggravated. I throw on my apron, turn on the music and bake. The only danger is that it may be a dessert or something decadent.

Run a bubble bath and light some candles. Easing into warm water with bath salts can provide a well-deserved “Calgon take me away” moment.

My children are such sources of joy. If they are not nearby to hug, I play my many years of memories in my mind and remind myself how lucky I am. I pick up the phone and call them, or send them a funny text. Their quick responses are a reminder of how loved I am. They always put life in perspective!

Love on the dogs/cats. Did you know that petting an animal actually lowers your blood pressure? Our pets love us unconditionally and will provide the love and attention we need when we are feeling our lowest.

Do something creative-for me it is finishing or tweaking a painting.

Do something nice for yourself. Buy flowers. Get a haircut. Taking the time to acknowledge you need some pampering is a good thing.

When all else fails, turn it over to a higher being. Sometimes you just need to let it go and trust that it will all be okay.

What do you do to relieve stress? Wishing you a relaxing Tuesday!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve prepared Thanksgiving dinner. I’m trying not to panic that Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away. This weekend I am determined to put a menu together and think about the table setting.

The good news is that my son will be flying home to stay for a week. He LOVES to cook so having his extra, capable hands in the kitchen will be a blessing.

My friend, Bob texted me yesterday and asked when I was going to post my Thanksgiving recipes. Today I’d like to share our typical Thanksgiving menu.

The first question every year is, “How will we roast the turkey?” There is the ongoing search for the perfect recipe that will roast a turkey that is well seasoned, juicy and properly cooked~~with no dry bites.

We used to wrap it in bacon prior to roasting to keep it moist and flavorful.

Two years ago we changed up the recipe and decided to do a dry brine. Simply combine one part baking powder with three to four parts kosher salt (about a teaspoon of baking powder per tablespoon of kosher salt will work), add some black pepper to taste, then sprinkle it evenly over the surface of the skin. Then—and this is key—let it rest, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. The bird was cooked on a cookie sheet vs. a roasting pan. This simple recipe made the turkey skin soooooo crisp and the meat soooooo juicy. Plus you never have to baste it. For more info, click here.

This year my son is suggesting an Expertly Spiced and Glazed Roast Turkey recipe by Bon Appetit. I’m not sure as I really love the dry rub one we’ve done the last two years~~it’s a winning recipe.

Side Dishes

My favorite stuffing is Martha Stewart’s Herbed Corn Bread Stuffing with raisins soaked in cognac and chestnuts, apples and sausage.

Uncle Bruce and Aunt Janiece nicknamed the traditional sweet potato side dish, “Drunken Sweet Potatoes” after determining the recipe needed more and more bourbon. One for me, one for the potatoes….you get the picture. The recipe is from The Family Circle Cookbook that my mother gave to me for Christmas in 1977. Since I cannot find an online link to it, the recipe is at the bottom of the post.

Trader Joe’s recipe for Roasted Brussel Sprouts is a favorite all the children love. Roasting the Brussel sprouts in the maple syrup and dried cranberries, is a recipe anyone can love.

The mashed potatoes are another prized dish~~filled with butter, sour cream, cream cheese and chives. I don’t really use a recipe for this but keep adding the ingredients until they are decadent.

What has now become our traditional salad was made by our friend, Connie a few years back. Not only is it delicious, but it gets better with age, unlike most salads. The recipe for Clever Kale Slaw is here.

Not that we need more carbs, but I do make buttermilk biscuits from scratch using Martha Stewart’s recipe here. As far as Cranberry Sauce goes, I just make the recipe on the back of the Ocean Spray fresh cranberry bag.

Desserts. The family collectively picks out a cake to try from my favorite cake book, Layered by Tessa Huff. Here are some pictures from previous years’ cakes.

And of course, what is Thanksgiving without pie! Homemade apple and Dad’s famous pumpkin pies are always a big hit!

Do you make the same recipes every year? Or do you mix it up and try new things? Am I the only one that is running behind schedule?!?!

Happy Saturday!

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

4 pounds sweet potatoes or yams, 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) softened, 1/2 cup bourbon, 1/3 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice, 1/2 cup chopped pecans.

Scrub potatoes. Cook, covered in boiling salted water to cover in a large saucepan, about 35 minutes, or just until tender. Drain, cool slightly, peel.

Place potatoes in a large bowl, mash. Add the butter, bourbon, orange juice, brown sugar, salt and apple pie spice; beat till fluffy smooth.

Spoon into a buttered, 6 cup baking dish, sprinkle nuts around the edge.

Bake in at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 6 servings.

I realize many bloggers get paid to endorse a product. However, that is not the case here. It takes an exceptional product, high quality, and great customer service for me to go out on a limb and support it. When I find something that consistently impresses me, I feel compelled to share it with you, friend to friend.

With the holidays around the corner, you may be sending flowers more than usual. Last September, I treated myself to monthly flowers…..well, just because….why not? 🙂 In a previous life when I was working in San Francisco, I would always stop by the street florist and buy myself a bunch of fresh flowers every Friday. It made me happy.

I am rather discriminating when it comes to flowers. My monthly subscription with The Bouqs Co. was prompted by a discount coupon (20% off and free shipping)) I had received online and I thought I’d give it a go.

On the 12th of each month I receive a box of flowers delivered by FedEx. In order to use Bouqs, you don’t have to subscribe as they also send flowers one order at a time. Bouqs is my exclusive flower resource because I have received such good feedback from friends and relatives who have received Bouq flowers from us.

The flowers come directly from the grower and are packed very, very well. You can also go online to manage your subscription and change your flowers at any time.

Each box typically has 3 separately wrapped bouquets and many of the blossoms are not open yet.

The ends are trimmed before submerging into water.

After a few days in a vase, the buds open up beautifully and I have never been disappointed with an arrangement. Some of them seem to last weeks, too, especially if I change the water every few days and re-trim the stems.

Here are some pictures of some of the bouquets I have received.

This tropical one arrived last December and it was a pleasant surprised as I was expecting something with evergreens.

Yesterday, my November flowers were delivered. The lilies are still closed but I am especially fond of the color of the thistle.

I have been using The Bouqs Co. for over a year and have had enough experience with them to endorse their product. If you go online, they offer 20% off and free shipping. They have a wonderful selection and ordering online is very easy. Hopefully you will be as pleased with them as I am.

When the children were small, we would walk the entire property every afternoon. My son and I would have “who can pick the largest kumquat” contests in the orchard. I miss those days 🙁

My daily walkabout is not only a chance to get outside, but a way to free myself from technology, projects and other stress related items. I thought you might like to join me in seeing different parts of the property.

The weather has been so beautiful~blue skies, warmth from the sun but fall is definitely in the air. Our winter grass is in and it is green, green, green! The light this time of year is soft and golden.

Fall vegetables are taking off in the garden~~salad greens, bok choy, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, squashes, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and herbs.

Having the garden located next to the hen house, allows ample feedings of garden scraps to the chickens.

The orchard is abundant with citrus~~we will still need to wait a few months but I can’t wait to pick fresh oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes and kumquats.

We have plenty of pomegranates but they aren’t edible. Not sure why.

Flowers, flowers everywhere! This is the beginning of our colorful time which will last until next summer.

How can these ornamental cabbages be so beautiful?

The guest cottage is hidden in the back northwest corner of the property and I love how it just appears out of nowhere. Feels a bit magical to me.

As much as I love the purple orchid trees, my favorite part is when the flowers drop and the ground becomes a sea of pink/purple.

The autumn sun provides some interesting shadowing on the well tower.

By the end of my walk, I feel rejuvenated. There’s something to be said for connecting with nature, feeling the ground beneath your feet and noticing all that changes with the season. What do you do daily to de-stress? Have a lovely Tuesday.

Happy November…already. We have only 60 days before the end of this decade. Does anyone have a way to make time slow down?

I love this time of year. The cooler temperatures are definitely here with the mornings in the high 30s and low 40s. Windows are opened. The air conditioner is officially off until next May.

A few posts ago I shared a small gathering we had with friends. If you missed that post, click here.

Well, here is part #2~~the dinner. Sticking with the autumn theme, I used my Johnson Brothers dishes, Leslie Roy clear glass salad plates and vintage pink stemware.

I tried all new recipes which is a bit unnerving. The first course was a Roasted Squash and Kale Salad with Spiced Nuts, Cranberries and Maple Vinaigrette from Serious Eats (click here). The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it a day or two ahead, as it gets better the longer it sits.

Actually, I would make this salad again and just add a piece of protein~~grilled chicken for example and it would be a hearty meal.

The main course was recommended by a respected friend of mine, Polly who is an excellent cook. Polly just started her own blog and website called Polly Ruth. She suggested I make her Farmhouse Chowder (click here for the recipe).

The chowder was so delicious, using parsnips and turnips instead of the typical potato. You can adjust this recipe to make it creamier or lighter (using milk vs. cream) according to your taste. I also have experimented with freezing the leftovers and it was just as delicious the second time around.

If you have ever made sourdough bread from scratch, you know what a journey it is. My first attempt was relatively successful and yielded 4 loaves, one of which I served with the chowder. That may need to be another blog post in the future!

We had so many pears from our tree in the mountains that needed to be consumed, so the dessert suggestion came again from Polly. It was a delicious Pear and Caramel Pie by Knead Bake Cook (recipe is here).

The best part of the evening, was sharing it with friends. Even though I don’t recommend trying all new recipes and making your friends guinea pigs, these 3 are winners!

Happy Saturday and I hope you have the best of weekends!

I can’t recall the last time we took a week and just went meandering. A perfect place for this is New England in the fall and it appears we timed leaf peeping just right. Thanks for joining me today and I hope you love these glimpses into autumn back East.

Our first spontaneous hotel selection was the Simsbury 1820 house in Simsbury, Connecticut. Even though I was born and raised in this state, there are many parts of it I have never visited.

While in Simsbury, we hiked up Talcott Mountain and toured the Heublein tower located at the top. Thankfully the State of Connecticut saved it from developers and it is now a state park for all to enjoy.

From Simsbury we drove to Kent, CT and stayed at the Starbuck Inn, which was right in town and walking distance to shops and restaurants.

The innkeeper, Peter Starbuck provided a delicious breakfast and a view of these gorgeous hydrangeas in his backyard.

From there, we drove to Kent Falls and hiked the path to the top of the falls.

Stockbridge, Massachusetts provided a photo of an exceeding large pumpkin (over 1000 lbs.) and a stay at the Red Lion Inn.

This sweet town was home to illustrator and artist, Norman Rockwell and has a museum in his honor (that is certainly worth visiting).

Our last stop was in Old Saybrook, Connecticut which was home base for 4 days. The Saybrook Point Inn & Spa is located right on the water (my favorite) and here is a morning view from our room.

From here we were able to see family and friends; attend my high school reunion and go for bike rides and long walks.

Here are a few more of my favorite photos!

Thanks for tagging along with me on my week off. Happy Tuesday, my friends!