It is so rare for many of us to experience solitude.  Even when I am not on the go, my brain seems to be racing . With all the hats we wear, having calm and quiet time is a luxury.

I went on a long walk this morning as I am by myself at our cabin in the mountains.  It is a typical fall day-chilly, crisp, clear blue skies, white puffy clouds and sunny.  I tried to quiet my mind and let my eyes capture and appreciate nature and it’s every changing story.  I only encountered a few other forms of life~~squirrels gathering food for the winter as well as a variety of birds-woodpeckers, nut hatches, and crows.

In the White Mountains of Arizona, we experience a different set of colors for autumn.  There is a predominance of Ponderosa pines and oaks. The oaks go from green to a golden yellow to a warm brown.

The aspens are gorgeous this time of year with their shimmering round coin-shaped leaves against their white trunks and blue sky.

There is a scattering of maples, which add their splashes of red and orange.

I was surprised to see some pansies in a flower bed, looking just as good as they would in the springtime.

The colorful blooms of rose bushes have not lost their beauty yet.

And of course, this is the time of year for marigolds and chrysanthemums….and lots of pine needles.

It was so peaceful to walk near the lake and see the sky’s reflection on the glistening water.

Soon all the leaves will fall as nature prepares for winter.

Wishing you a weekend with more moments of quiet and calm.

“Learning how to be still, to really be still and let life happen~~that stillness becomes a radiance.”  Morgan Freeman

I love the longevity of fall decorating~~you can start in September, adjust it a bit for Halloween and keep it until Thanksgiving.

With a few small touches, the house feels like autumn. It helps that we’ve been enjoying such gorgeous cool mornings and evenings. Don’t you just love the light lately? The yard looks so surreal.

We have a few leaves falling, but our true autumn occurs closer to Thanksgiving.  But I will take what I can, as I love this time of year….as does my constant companion, Sox.

I brought a bit of the outdoors into the dining room this year.  The handblown green glass jug was purchased during my summer visit to Camps and Cottages. Mollie English, the owner, gave me the idea to fill it with branches of fall leaves and she was spot on.

I like to change the art with the seasons.  This original oil painting on masonite by Lynn Winans (1897-1982) was  a wonderful find in an antique store in Pinetop, Arizona.  It’s 40″ x 20″ size is perfect on an art stand. Mr. Winans was a California artist and is known for his plein-air landscapes and seascapes. The colors are so appropriate for this time of year.

Another, rather simple, idea (I’m not even sure anyone in my family notices this), is that I change out the shades to the lamps that sit on the petticoat table in the entry. In the spring, I use a light blue color; for the fall, I add these gold silk ones.

I purchased them from Ballard Designs as they have a very large selection and are affordably priced.  A few pumpkins, gourds or apples are added to complete the decorations in the entry.

Behind the entry table, is a raised panel secured by a brass clasp. There is a rope and pulley operated section that slides down beneath the floor.  The door to the right of the table is the powder room. This secret panel provides access to the powder room’s plumbing. Rather clever thinking back in 1912, and it is great access to storage space under the stairs.

My kitchen….it really needs a painting update but the existing colors seems to work during this time of year.  Fall towels hang on the oven handle and candied corn fills my glass jar.

My favorite, newly purchased candle, Rosy Rings Spicy Apple (from Camps and Cottages) resides on the kitchen counter.

Hanging on the red front door is a basket full of mums, leaves and Chinese lanterns.

We recently discovered a GREAT pumpkin farm/patch in Snowflake, Arizona at Willis Family Farms.  It reminded me of pumpkin patches back east~~there was such a variety of pumpkins, gourds and corn.

During my last trip to Whitfill Nursery (you know how much I love Whitfill), I discovered these fabulous zinc pumpkin cut-outs on wooden stands.

So, with the inspiration of Patty Taylor, who selects all the unique items in the Garden Shop at Whitfill Nursery, I decided to do this combination on our front porch.

It doesn’t take a lot of money or creativity to add a touch of fall decorating to your home.  I would love to hear what you have done and how you are welcoming this wonderful season.

As you know, I have been on a cleaning, sorting and organizing whirlwind.  Starting at one end of the house, my goal is to go through every drawer, closet, dresser and attack it with the mindset as if I am moving in 2 weeks. Expired makeup, business suits with shoulder pads, miscellaneous paperwork – GONE!

The master closet and bathroom are behind me and I just finished the master bedroom. I haven’t cleaned out my nightstand in many years.

It’s such a luxury to have fresh cut flowers in any room, but having them by the bed, seems extra special….bringing a bit of the nature indoors.

But I am also fine with a good quality artificial flower, like these peonies from The Enchanted Home. To see a previous post about these artificial flowers, click here.

The decadent picture frame was a wedding gift from a friend~~it’s a collage of old pearls, jewelry, and a cupid and is truly one of a kind. Not sure my husband is very fond of it, but I think it’s fun.  Wouldn’t this be a great DIY project with an abundance of costume jewelry?

Within reach, I keep a candle, books I may be reading, a water bottle, and a small Limoges box that holds a set of rosary beads.  There’s a great story behind the Limoges box.  My husband and I won a trip (charity raffle) in 2001 to fly to London, England, take the Venice-Simplon-Orient Express train to Southhampton, England and then board Cunard’s Queen Elisabeth ship for a 10-day transAtlantic cruise.  Up to this point, I had never won anything…lucky, lucky me!!!  This beautiful keepsake box is from our exquisite train ride on the Orient Express.

The jeweled frog is just something fun.  It’s a small box and I don’t really use it for anything, but I’m rather fond of it.

In the top drawer closest to my side of the bed, you will find Kiehl’s hand cream, Essie apricot cuticle oil, Smith’s Rosebud salve, a nail file, my glasses, a few flashlights (as we are always losing power), and multiple power cords for my iPhone and Kindle, and my headphones. The ceramic prayer book holds a few more of my rosary collection. The pottery plate I received as a gift on a business trip with my husband to Chile, South America.

Smith’s Rosebud salve is so good for chapped lips, extra dry skin or to help minor burns.  It smells good and the tin looks so retro to me. My cuticles tend to get dry in the climate here and the apricot oil does the trick.

Lastly, I just discovered this amazing app called “Calm“.  If you have difficulty either falling asleep or staying asleep, you may want to try this. Each night before I go to sleep, I listen to a Sleep Story.  There is a large selection of stories that are read aloud for adults.  I cannot tell you how much fun it is to settle in and listen to a story.  I have not, to date, stayed awake long enough to hear the entire thing.  Their narrators have such smooth, reassuring voices that lull you to sleep.  They also have selections for meditations to reduce anxiety, sleep better and feel happier for all ages (even a College Collection).  I can’t say enough about this app.  It truly is something that I look forward to each day. It’s my new latest toy!!!

So, what is on your nightstand or bedside table?

The well tower is a unique fixture on our property. Originally designed to pump and house the equipment for the well, it was in a deteriorated state when we purchased our property back in 1999. But over time we did restore it and it serves multiple purposes now in 2021. It becomes a topic of conversation because the first floor is the potting shed, which is pertinent to my fall gardening.

I found some original pictures of our well tower during a recent cleaning and organizing spree.  The well tower was built to do just that~~using a pulley system to draw water up from the well back in 1912, long before there was city-wide water availability.

When we bought our home in 1999, the well tower was dilapidated and quite the eyesore. When I look back on these early photos, I am always astounded about its poor and decayed condition.

The building has been restored and with the permission of the City of Phoenix’s Historical department, we were able to put in 2 additional floors and adjust the architecture to allow for a viewing area at the top. These are connected by way of two circular staircases. I added the fireman pole at the back of the 2nd floor as an alternative escape method.  A new well was added and provides all the water for our 2+acres.

The first floor functions as my potting shed, where I store my garden tools, seeds, soil, and pots. 

This great old double porcelain sink is actually from the original house kitchen and is being repurposed in the well tower.

A large tub is installed at counter height as a convenient way to wash the dogs.  We used leftover Waterworks tile for the countertop.

My favorite go-to place is Whitfill Nursery for my flowers, vegetables and herbs.  I plan to return for more flowers as they were getting a larger selection in a week. 

But I have good start on kale, lettuces, broccoli, cauliflower, a variety of tomatoes, and many herbs. Happily, these new plants are sitting in our own homemade composted soil. For more information on Whitfill Nursery, click here.

I’ve neglected my flower garden last year, but am hoping to abundantly plant so I have cutting flowers available. The flower garden is located next to the vegetable garden.  Here’s a picture of it 2 years ago when it was full of flowers and colors.  I’m hoping to achieve that again.

Here’s a glimpse of my first group of flowers purchased from my favorite nursery!

As soon as the flower garden is fully planted, I will snap some photos for you.

Happy Fall and happy planting!

A year ago today, I sent my first blog post of Life at Bella Terra.  It was an intimidating moment, because I thought “who would ever want to read this?”  I don’t consider myself a very good writer and I’m really trying to improve upon that.  But your words of encouragement have brought me back to the computer to post again and again.  If it wasn’t for your kindness and support, it would have been easy to just quit.  Thank you for your loyalty and feedback and comments. Truly. From the bottom of my heart.

Each time I send out an email letting you know I’ve created a new post, I am praying you find it interesting, enlightening or even motivating.  I try to share a small piece of loveliness in hopes that I can brighten your day. As I look out into the world, I believe we each need to find sources of joy and create our own beauty.  Whether it be feeling the warmth from a freshly picked tomato, or the scent of a homegrown flower, these moments of perfection can only help feed the soul.

Blogging for me, is a chance to stop and capture a sliver of time, an exquisite photo or a recipe that bursts with flavor. Plus it is forcing me to attack those cluttered corners of the house or undone projects while showing you my progress. But I can honestly say, I am still a long way from feeling confident about creatively illustrating that to you. But I will keep trying.

So here is a look back at the year and some of my favorite photos and posts.

My very first blog post was about the New York Times Bestselling author, Rhys Bowen and the fundraising English tea we had here at Bella Terra.

And other events we happily hosted here…..

Recipes shared…..

My Renovations and Restorations….

Travel and leisure…..

Decorating and Design…

The holidays….

Cleaning, Organizing, and Updating…

Sharing our home and yard….

My attempt at art….

Flower arranging..

Our pets…

And a few DIYs….

My online store….

There is still so much to learn, especially better photography, writing and getting my watermarks the same size on every photo.  So thank you again for following me and sharing my blog with others.

PLEASE send in your comments~~What area of interest would you like for me to expand? What are your favorite topics? How often should I post (trying to do a maximum of twice per week)? What can I do to be better for you?  My goals for the next year are to do a contest or giveaway and conduct a real survey into your likes and interests.

Here’s to one year and onto the next!! I couldn’t have done it without you.

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When I was in 11th grade I worked over the Christmas holidays at our local florist, Johnson Flowers and Gifts in Norwich, Connecticut.  In hindsight, I wish I had paid more attention to the ins and outs of flower arranging, but being 17, I’m sure I was more interested in boys vs. blossoms.

Over the last few years I have been asked to create centerpieces for various charitable events.  In 2012, I offered to make 120 centerpieces for my son’s high school fashion show.  I was promised a committee to help, but funny how those things don’t always work out.  To have a professional do it would have been cost prohibitive so I thought, how hard can this be?  I should know by now that when I hear that question in my head, warning signals should go off.

The centerpiece had to include a keepsake item (etched wine bucket) and be in the school colors (red and white). The good news was the event was a success, the centerpieces were perfect and it only took a few weeks for my back to stop aching.

Leading up to the event, I practiced making various flower arrangements of different sizes, flowers, and containers. Since it has been a while since I made a centerpiece that didn’t consist of putting cut flowers in a vase, I was inspired to do so this weekend.

I went to our local Safeway and purchased a dozen white roses, mini hydrangea, white carnations and green spider mums.

The container is actually one I had purchased online as a sample for the above mentioned event–it has an elegant look but was very affordable. The bowl is 9″ in diameter and 5″ high.

It’s important to use Wet Foam vs. dry foam (I made that mistake once~~dry foam works with artificial flowers).  I purchased a FloraCraft 4 brick pack at Michael’s for $6.99.  The foam is very easy to cut to fit the container you are using.

Soak the foam in a container with clean water for 1-2 minutes, until the water is fully absorbed into the brick.

Since my foam is packed into my bowl, I did not need to secure it with waterproof anchor tape.

Determine what size and shape you want your arrangement.  Using floral shears or garden clippers, cut the stems at a 45 degree angle before inserting them into the foam.  This angle allows for easier insertion and insures maximum water uptake. I started with my roses and created a “dome” to outline the approximate size of the arrangement.

I then used the hydrangeas, spider mums, and carnations to fill in the gaps.  Remember to count your stems and spread them out accordingly.  Make sure stems do not come out on the other side of the foam.

Carnations are such a great filler and can be spread apart to give them more volume .

The spider mums and the carnations were the most difficult to push into the foam. I broke a few in the process. Also, as much as I LOVE hydrangeas, I haven’t had good luck with them once they are cut.  They don’t seem to last as long as other flowers in an arrangement. But I keep trying!

When the arrangement is complete, add water to the bowl and check the water level every day.

Here is the finished product which I placed on the table in the front entry!

Someday when I have lots of time, I would love to have an abundant flower garden where I could experiment with more dramatic arrangements.

Thank you to my two daughters for being hand models~~it’s a bit of a challenge to do the tasks and take photos!