I have missed writing to you these last few weeks. Technological problems are fixed on my website so we are back in business. Happy Saturday and thank you for joining me for Saturday Meanderings~where we discuss all good and exciting things!

Fun New Finds

Eufy Plug-In Lights

Our home is a two story house, with all the bedrooms on the second level. Navigating downstairs in the middle of the night feels treacherous to me. By the time I find the light switch in the hall, I am precariously close to the top step of the staircase.

Recommended by Annie from Most Lovely Things, these little lights can plug in anywhere. They are bright enough to light a path for you. There are four in an order. Illumination occurs when there isn’t enough ambient light. Their small size doesn’t obstruct the second outlet.

With one placed at the top of the stairs and one in the front hall, they provide the perfect amount of glare free light. It feels so much safer now without being too bright. You can find them on Amazon here.

Orchid Pot

I am always in search of items that are pink toned to go in the dining room. You can find blue and white just about anywhere, but it is so much harder to find pottery with these softer colors.

This coral orchid pot from Dear Keaton is just so pretty. Even though I am beyond the stage of adding more things to my home, this purchase did not disappoint. It is the perfect size for my dining room mantel and the orchid fits into it very nicely. BTW, it is a faux orchid!

I don’t recall who turned me onto Dear Keaton. Their style is a bit more contemporary than mine, but they do have some unique pieces. Check them out here.

Updates!

Pizza from Italy

We are experimenting with the Talia de Napoli pizzas from Italy (see blog post here). Now I did master the cook time (10 minutes in our convection oven). By adding some additional tomato sauce (I prefer my homemade one), freshly grated mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, and a few slices of pepperoni, this is now our favorite pizza. My husband likes sausage on his (not mine). Here is the link to Talia de Napoli. Nothing like a pizza made in Naples, Italy to have on hand in your freezer.

Foster Dog Update

A few weeks ago our daughter had a foster dog, Peaches. Peaches, now Freckles, is living with our wonderful neighbors, David and Nancy. She is literally right next door. Freckles hit the jackpot as she is loving her new home and her sister, Luna. Don’t you love a happy ending?

Gardening

I have a dilemma. For quite some time now, I am battling worms in my geraniums. They bore holes into the young blossoms, destroying their ability to bloom. Literally, I hand pick these creepy worms off the flowers. Some plants are worse than others.

We have several huge pots of geraniums located on the front porch. It is so time consuming to search all blossoms and squish the predators. Does anyone know how to get rid of these pests? We have tried sprays to no avail. Help, please!

The tulips are just now blooming in the bulb garden. This bright, cheerful red flower, coupled with the purple hyacinths, is a joy to behold. To see the entire bulb garden in bloom last year, click here.

Right now I am harvesting all the greens in the garden. The minute the temperature goes up, the lettuces bolt and become bitter. Last week our temperatures were in the 80s and this week it is chilly and in the 50s. Typical strange spring weather.

Just want to share with you a view of my garden from a different perspective. The flower garden in the foreground is abundant with petunias and nasturtiums. Hollyhocks are wildly growing everywhere. Inside the picket fence is my vegetable garden and the sweet building beyond is the hen house.

In the Kitchen

We are still plowing through all our citrus and will need to glean our trees very soon. The new blossoms are filling the air with the most heavenly scent. In the meantime, I made another Candied Orange Olive Oil Cake with Cornmeal and Rum. This cake is divine. There is something about the dense texture that reminds me of a peasant type cake.

You may recall I did make this for the first time in 2018 for a luncheon with friends. See that post here. This recipe is a good use of our oranges and kumquats and I do want to make it again before the season is over. Recipe is from The Kitchen McCabe and can be found here.

Fortunately, my friend, Donna gave me a bag of Meyer Lemons so another batch of marmalade is complete. Fresh bread with marmalade~it doesn’t get much better than that! To see the recipe, click here. I cannot rave enough about this marmalade.

At the top of the post is a picture of my homemade crackers/flatbread. Here is another recipe I just love and use often. Rolling fresh edible flowers in the dough makes them extra special. For the recipe and tutorial, see the post here.

Well, that wraps it up for another Saturday. I hope everyone is happy and healthy as it appears the world is slowly opening up again. Hope you have a relaxing weekend!

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Who doesn’t love roses? Personally, I envy those who are knowledgeable about growing roses, and extra envious of those who know the names of all the different roses Growing roses in Phoenix? Even in our withering heat, many varieties thrive, often in neglected conditions or without tender care.

Know your Planting Zone

There are multiple rose locations on our property. On the south side of our home, a rose garden is planted, with approximately 20 rose bushes. Quite honestly, I do not know the varieties of my roses, as these were initially selected by our landscape architect long ago. But now that I have the time, I am excited to be involved with all aspects of our roses.

Learn to Prune

Here is the last bouquet I cut before a hard pruning in January. This pruning is done for shape and to foster vigorous spring growth. Care of roses can be as complicated or straightforward as you care to make it, depending on the varieties you are growing and the zone in which it is grown. Remember to always select roses that are well suited to your area.

Rich Soil, Fertilizer, Water

Roses grow best in rich, fertile soil that is kept evenly watered throughout the year. In March, I add new compost soil around the beds of the roses, removing weeds and turning up the dirt. In addition, I check the watering system and add a rose fertilizer. This rose food can be found at Whitfill Nursery. The dogs LOVE it so you need to be extra careful that they do not ingest it.

Creating small berms around each plant helps with water retention.

Heirloom Roses

Next I move onto the heirloom roses that are on the periphery of the orchard. These 10 bushes are the original roses that we were able to save through the restoration. To read more about our house restoration, click here.

I believe these are Quatre Saisons (known as “Rose of the Four Season). This rather gawky, prickly rose produces the most fragrant blossoms. To read another story about these heirloom roses, click here.

Ramblers

In the front of our home, we have an additional 8 rose plants in front of the large Lady Banks’ roses. This old rambler, introduced in 1807, is very tolerant of the hot and dry conditions. Since we are growing it up the existing fence, Lady Banks’ provides a thick privacy hedge to the busy road. It is just now beginning to bloom with its small, yellow flowers. Soon this hedge will be one solid row of yellow.

Rose Hedge

The last of our roses is an enormous shrub rose. I do nothing to this because it is so huge. To give you an idea of its size, the wall behind it is 6 feet tall. It is approximately 12 feet x 10 feet by 12 feet tall. The bush is so thick with cane too and is the perfect habitat for birds.

Just starting to bloom, this shrub produces these delicate pink blossoms with a faint fragrance. If anyone knows anything about this rose shrub, please let me know. I imagine it has been here a very long time.

So all in all, we have 40 rose bushes, several Lady Banks’ bushes in both white and yellow, and this mysterious hedge above.

As I mentioned earlier, my goal is to tend to them this year and learn as much as I can about their origins, official names and classification. With most things in life, there are lessons to be learned, like wearing a long sleeve shirt while doing rose work.

“Death offers you thorns, eternity offers you roses, and life offers you both.”― Matshona Dhliwayo

Happy Wednesday to you! If you grow roses, please share. If not, I hope this post inspires you to do so. Roses are tougher than they look.

This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday #634

Even though we are not of Irish decent, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, because it is the birthday of my daughter, Julianna and my mother, Julia. That, in itself, is a good reason to set a St. Patrick’s Day Table. However, who is St. Patrick and why is this holiday celebrated around the world?

A Little History

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish observe this day as a religious holiday and have so for over 1,000 years.

St. Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint of Ireland and its national apostle. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people. 

Mixing Old and New

For this year’s St. Patrick’s Day table, I am using this fun piece of contemporary fabric from my friend, Anne. I couple it with my antique English china, Fondeville Ambassador Ware 6762. The rich shades of green, gold, pink, blue and yellow make these gold-rim plates one of my favorites.

To me, this is the essence of collected chic~mixing bold patterns with elegant tableware.

Stacking the antique china on the simple brushed gold chargers enhances the gold in the pattern. Adding the crackled gold rim clear salad plate from Leslie Roy does not diminish the platter floral design. Similar chargers can be found here. These chargers are so affordable and I use them frequently.

Of course, I love my Wallace silver/gold bee patterned flatware (see link here) which seems to go with just about any place setting I create.

Made in Waterford, Ireland, the Waterford crystal Marquis water goblets and Lismore wine glasses are in keeping with the Irish theme. Gold trim napkins softly fold and find a home inside the wine glass. See similar napkins here.

Making it Festive

With a fun and festive holiday like St. Patrick’s Day, it is easy for the table decor to become kitschy or juvenile. Trying to keep the table elegant, but fun, I add gold shamrocks to the tablecloth. Since I bought these several years ago, you could use gold coins instead.

Each place settings get a light up shamrock necklace for a little whimsy. See similar necklace here.

The Centerpiece

Brass candlesticks from West Elm brighten up the table. Set up in our family and surrounded by windows, the table changes color as the day progresses.

The centerpiece is a vintage Westmoreland oval footed milk glass bowl with hydrangeas, peonies and green glitter shamrocks. It is the perfect size for this round table.

Will you be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day? My daughter will be 24 years old and my mother, if alive, would be celebrating her 91st. Time marches on, doesn’t it?

Wishing you all a happy Tuesday. We are having unusually warm weather (in the high 80s), but the temperatures are to drop back down into the low 60s this week. My poor garden is so confused.

Just a reminder that any words that are italicized bring you to the source. If it is a product on Amazon, please note that I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you purchase something through my website, I receive a small (very small!) stipend, which doesn’t affect the price you pay at all. My goal is to make sourcing the items easy for you. Thank you for your continued support.

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This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday #650

I often get asked if gardening takes a lot of my time. Overall, the answer is no. Yet there are times during the year where crops need changing, soil needs amending, trees require pruning, and flowerbeds need thinning and weeding. Now is the time to do the Spring Gardening here in Phoenix.

Fortunately, we have someone to help us maintain our 2+acres. However, he has been out sick for the last 6 weeks. My husband and I are enjoying the extensive yard work in the interim as it is giving us a chance to evaluate and improve our outdoor area.

The Orchard

Our orchard has primarily citrus trees, planted long before we purchased the home. From oranges to kumquats, we love being able to pick fresh fruit many months of the year.

Timing is everything when you fertilize your citrus trees. Generally, you should fertilize your citrus tree at least once every two to three months during your tree’s dormant periods of fall and winter. Then once every one to two months during the tree’s active growth of spring and summer. 

Therefore it is time to fertilize citrus trees now. President’s Day is my cue to remember, then Mother’s Day and Labor Day.

What Kind of Fertilizer

NPK is the abbreviation you find on any fertilizer bag. It stands for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (K is the chemical symbol for potassium). Nitrogen encourages green growth, phosphorus encourages strong roots for flowers and fruit, and potassium encourages healthy fruit size, shape, color and flavor. Fruit trees need a balanced ratio of all three to support the growth of sturdy roots, strong branches and large, juicy fruits. Consider slow-release fertilizer as too much nitrogen at once isn’t recommended.

Fertilizer works best when applied to a mulch circle around the tree. Mulch circles keep grass from competing with the tree for water and food. They also prevent damage from lawn mowing, and help keep the root zone cool and moist.

Slowly we are working our way through each tree to create a large clean mulch circle around every one. In addition, all dead branches are being trimmed from the citrus trees. Soon we’ll have gleaned all the fruit, leaving room for fragrant blossoms to appear in next year’s crop.

To give you an idea of how many fruit trees we have: 4 Grapefruit, 8 Oranges 2 Lime, 1 Lemon, 1 Kumquat, 1 Limequat, 2 Tangerine, 1 Apple, 2 Apricot, 1 Peach, 1 Fig. That’s a lot of mulch circles!!

The Garden

As returning visitors to my Spring Gardening updates may know, there are 5 raised bed planters in my vegetable garden within a white picket fence: 1 raised flower planter and numerous surrounding beds at ground level.

With the winter garden reaching its prime, it is time for me to plant our Spring selection. First, I clean out all the dead/dying plants.

Next I add fresh compost. I am a huge fan of composting because it is easy, reduces your waste by 30%, and the plants love it.

To see a previous post on Composting 101, click here.

For my garden, I prefer compost that is basically clean; no small sticks or other dry debris. I sift the soil loosely over a wheel barrow before I transport it to the garden.

Here I let it sit in the beds for a few days or several weeks, depending on what I am planting. Currently I am awaiting a shipment of strawberry plants so the bed is ready to go!

Since I buy so many flowers, I decide to have a cutting garden this year. I ordered seeds willy nilly from Floret Farm, not taking the time to determine if they work for our planting zone (9B for USDA charts). What was I thinking?

For some reason I make the assumption that all flower seeds are planted in the Spring, which, is not the case here in Phoenix. With 10 packets of flowers seeds, only 5 are able to be planted now. The balance will have to wait until fall.

Using jumbo craft sticks, I mark the location with the name of the flower, planting date and # of gestation days. Since the sun patterns will change in the next few months, I will be interesting to see how they do in this location.

Some of the winter vegetables are looking so good and healthy, there is no need to remove them just yet. It is very rewarding to head to the garden just before dinner and pick ingredients for a fresh salad. Most of my tomato plants survived the winter so I will keep those too.

If you live in this area, my go-to bible for gardening is the Planting Guide for the Valley of the Sun by Kevin E. Erdmann (2004). I finally found the link online for the Bedding Planting Guide and here it is. However, if you are interested in the Vegetable and Herb Planting guide, contact me at marycrz@cox.net and I can scan it and email it to you.

What I love about this planting guide is that it tells you when to plant by month, whether to plant seeds or starters, if they are annuals or perennials and when they bloom. For a complete list of what you can plant this Spring, see last year’s post here.

The gardening activity will continue as I make my plant selection so more to come on that! Keeping my fingers crossed that the frost is over, as it was 37 degrees yesterday.

Being out in the fresh air and sunshine is just heavenly. The only drawback to gardening is that I am so sore! Time to use those muscle relaxing bath salts I made over the holidays. See recipe here.

Happy Wednesday!

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!

So happy you are here with me today to see the Valentine Dinner Party Ideas, Part 2 blog post. If you missed Part 1 yesterday, you can view it here. There is so much that goes into this party, it would be overwhelming to do it in one post, so I hope you enjoy the rest of it today.

The Table

Setting a beautiful table is something I love to do. It sends a message to our guests that they are important to us and that this evening is special. Whether you like Valentine’s Day or not, we think this is the perfect holiday to gather with those we cherish. So why not make a spectacular table?

For the last Valentine dinner party, I did not use a tablecloth. This year, though, I am drawn to the colorful Indian block prints. One of my Instagram friends, Darviny @dayswithdarviny, sources this beautiful fabric. I sent her pictures of my china and she gave me pink options to choose.

My husband made the raised 12″ x 6′ long center shelf (see post here). This focal point is the perfect place to stage all the flowers. Using individual vessels of different heights and sizes, I made the centerpiece out of an abundant display of roses, tulips, hyacinths (which smell heavenly), hydrangeas, snapdragons, and eucalyptus.

This year I ordered the flowers from Torchio Nursery in San Francisco. Instead of going to 3 or 4 locations to find a nice array, this nursery sends out a weekly list of what is available and then ships them to me.

Adding tapers and votive candles, the centerpiece is complete.

This year, I also hung heart-shaped garlands – some purchased, some homemade (see post here) – from the ceiling using clear Command hooks. The white heart garland came from the shop at Whitfill Nursery, and the 3-dimensional heart garland came from LaMia Casa on Etsy here.

Since this is a Valentine celebration, I decide my Royal Doulton Romance Collection china is most appropriate. Napkins are pink linen, found on sale at Pottery Barn. I also opt for Wallace Napoleon Bee Gold accent flatware, which can be found here. Very affordable brushed gold chargers (link here.) The printed menu cards are at each place setting.

Typically we have rattan chairs around the table. However, in attempts to make it more elegant and comfortable, we bring out upholstered white wing and Parson chairs.

The Day of the Event

The table is set; gifts are in place at the table and the caterers arrive. Now it is time to get ready. Unfortunately I tend to leave outfit selection to the last minute. The black taffeta skirt (from Ann Taylor) I decide to wear is many years old. It seems that the zipper doesn’t quite make it to the top without a great deal of not breathing. The dreaded thickening of the waist after menopause…ugh!

Nonetheless I wear it. Fortunately, it fits beautifully beneath my dusty rose cashmere sweater (J. Crew), which covers any malfunctions. I slip on heels just before guests arrive.

Cocktail Hour

A few days before the event, I collect all the answers to the guests’ questions and create a “Who Am I” sheet printed on yes, pink card stock. During the cocktail hour on the front porch, each guest is given a drink and the Who Am I sheet.

The goal is to mingle, ask questions and write in the name of the person who provides the answer. Naturally, it is a fun way to spark conversation and get to know other guests on a different level.

We serve champagne and Ruby Red Grapefruit Greyhounds with Rosemary Simple Syrup, both a pretty pink. Recipe is here. One of our guests always brings some fun cocktail additive. This time it is Rose Gold Brew Glitter, an edible glitter that we add to the champagne flutes. Very pretty and festive! Resource it here.

The hors d’oeuvres are individually plated for couples. Our bartender and servers wear masks. After fun games, delicious hors d’oeuvres and drinks, we make our way to the back terrace for dinner.

At the Table

Once we are seated at the table, the guests open their gifts. We get to share what we discover during the cocktail hour as the salad is served. This helps keep conversation flowing and stimulates lots of laughter!

The Wine

My husband carefully selects the wine pairings to go with each course. When the wine is being served, we share a thorough description of the wine region, year of harvest, maker and tasting notes.

The wine glasses are mostly vintage pink glass and add to the dinner theme.

Toasts about friendship, love, wisdom and peace are printed on paper ahead of time. Female guests read them to welcome the wine, salad, entree and dessert.

Dinner

By this time, conversation is very lively and the food is delicious. As I look down the table, I see happy faces and beautiful flowers.

After Dinner

After the last course and wine, we continue to play the game of getting to know everyone a bit better. Soon a Waterford crystal biscuit jar filled with questions makes its way around the table. It is a delight to hear stories and shared memories from each couple.

Though a great deal of planning and work go into this evening, it is one of our most favorite events.

Expect the Unexpected

We were watching the weather all week. The temperature predictions kept dropping, saying it might be really chilly. Then, the day of the dinner, the wind picks up. In my mind they seemed to be gale force winds, blowing everything over on the table. The candles will not stay lighted and my beautiful heart shaped garlands become a tangled mess.

But what can you do? The addition of propane heaters are a big help. Blankets and shawls are available for guests. Try and focus on what is important: engaging with your guests and living in the moment.

I hope you enjoy all the details and ideas regarding our Valentine Dinner Party. Even though our party is much smaller this year, we cherish our friendships and time together.

This post shared with Charming Homes & Gardens Link Party 47.