For those of you who know me, I do not do anything Christmas/holiday related until the day after Thanksgiving. No decorations, no gift buying, no holiday cards. However, 2020 is a completely different year, forcing completely different behavior. Ever since the pandemic started, our supply chain has been stressed. And even though there is toilet paper back on the shelves, many other items continue to be out of stock. Inventories are low. A recent trip to Walmart had 30% of the shelves completely empty.

So what can we do differently this year in our holiday gift planning? I am teaming up with my blogging buddies as we are trying to find viable solutions to gift giving. And I do believe we must all think about it sooner rather than later. Here’s just a peek into some ideas and hopefully I will generate a few more gift guides in the next few weeks. And please check out the links to other holiday gift ideas at the end of this post.

For the cook/foodie

My son, Benjamin is our family’s foodie and he loves to cook. Here are his recommendations in the kitchen:

• Instant Read Thermometer. Link is here

• Good Oven Gloves. Link is here

• Nice Balsamic Vinegar~Hands down, our FAVORITE balsamic is from a very small shop in Pinetop, Arizona. This thick, delicious balsamic comes from Modena and is called the “mamma” of all balsamic. Link is here. Their shop has limited hours of Wednesday-Saturday, but you can order online or give them a call. $18.00/bottle

For the Gardener

As a gardener, I go through many things~gloves, shears, and tools.

Gardening Shears~Depending on your budget, here is a selection of shears/pruners.

Gardening Gloves: I literally can trash a pair of gardening gloves in one day in the garden. So having a few is always recommended. This 6 pack from Amazon is a great deal. Click here.

Gardening shoes: I’ve written about my Sloggers before. These were a Christmas present from my friend, Janie and I LOVE them. I wear a typical 7.5 women’s shoe and these Sloggers are a WO S 7 and they fit perfectly…..and oh so comfortable. Here is the link.

For the Wine Connoisseur

Costco is again featuring their wine Advent calendar this year. With 24 1/2 size bottles of wine from around the world. At $99.00, it works out to be about $4.00 per bottle. Wine advent calendar from Costco. Link is here.

As we all know, 2020 has been an interesting year. There are SO many wine glasses out there with fun quotes for the person who loves wine and has a sense of humor. See the extensive collection here.

For those wine enthusiasts who like to keep track of the wines they are enjoying, this leather bound wine journal is a lovely gift. Link is here.

For the Hostess

My favorite candle is Capri Blue Volcano candle. Generally for the holidays, they change up their jar design but you cannot go wrong with this candle. If you prefer, there is also a reed diffuser.

Click the link here.

Small Prep Bowls: A gift from my friend, Connie, I use these 4″ bowls all the time when cooking, entertaining or just using them for food storage. Here is an affordable set of 16 for nearly $20.00.

I met the owner, Sherri of Mad Dash Mixes during a trip to Waco in June. So far the mixes I have tried are very good (and easy to use!). These mixes are just fabulous to have on hand if you need to whip up a dip, or a soup or dessert. Just for this blog post, Mad Dash Mixes has created a coupon for you for an additional 10% off! Any orders that you place using BELLATERRA10, will get you this discount.

Here is the link to their main page so you can peruse the numerous products they have. If you want to order the Host Bundle (Link here) it includes Warm Spinach Artichoke Dip, Cranberry Pasta Salad, Cheesy Chicken Enchilada, and Pumpkin Spice No-Bake Cheesecake. $21.00 (and don’t forget the discount code!)

Just some wonderful gift ideas:

23 and Me~for the person who is interested in real science, real data and genetic insights that can help make it easier for you to take action on your health. Especially this year, knowing more about your ancestry, genetics and health profile is a valuable gift. Link here.

My personal splurge is subscribing to the quarterly subscription to My Stylish French Box. It is such a treat to get this beautifully wrapped box filled with hand picked French items four times a year. You can also do a one-time purchase or give it to someone as a gift. I highly recommend this for yourself or someone who is extra special. My Stylish French box. Link here.

Help your local businesses as suggested by my friend Tevia on her Instagram.

As soon as I finish typing this I am going to start my holiday gift planning. I hope you enjoy today’s post and please send me any other ideas you have for holiday gifts.

And now for some other gift suggestions from my blogging friends:

Family Gift Exchange Ideas from Chas Crazy Creations|DIY Custom Gift Boxes for Christmas from Design Morsels|Holiday Gifts under $30 by Celebrate and Decorate|

Am still traveling and cannot wait to share some of my photos of this trip with you! Happy Tuesday.

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Happy Saturday! Often after a very busy week, I just want to catch up with you on Saturday morning. In the past I have entitled these posts, Saturday Meanderings. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do, but I need your feedback. Please let me know if: 1) you enjoy Saturday Meanderings; 2) If so, should we name it something else; 3) or these posts are okay some of the time but not every Saturday. Thank you.

So many eggs

Our chickens are laying up a storm. We are getting about a dozen eggs a day! When I came back from the cabin there were 10 dozen eggs in the fridge. What better way to use up a lot of eggs than making quiche. So I made 6 spinach goat cheese quiches this week. Fortunately we have neighbors who like my cooking and we are so happy to share. Now I need to find a dessert recipe that requires lots of eggs!

Shopping

I am not a shopper. I tolerate online shopping but going to a store, shopping for hours? Not my thing. This week, however, I feel like I did find some unexpected treasures in my necessary travel stops. For a future DIY project, I went to Michaels and happened upon these fun versions of pumpkins. I scooped up the last 3 because I love their textures.

For another organization project I stopped by Target for plastic storage containers and found this cute pumpkin pillow. With the blue stitching. it goes well with my front porch fall decor. A happy purchase for $20.00.

During different times of the year, I typically buy the girls something to mark the season. I found these great smelling candles, Sugared Birch from Magnolia’s Hearth & Hand line at Target.

In order to make them extra special, I photocopied oak leaves, and then made a template for a gift tag. Using decorative paper, I cut out the leaf shape.

Using a sealing wax and a letter stamp, I affix the Happy Fall leaf to the tops of the candles.

Yard Sale

A realtor recently contacted me about an old historic home that may be going on the market soon. The pictures she sent are SO intriguing. In the interim, the owner is having a yard sale that may last for weeks.

Curious about this home, I did stop by and found some treasures. Check out these glasses I bought~8 for $10. They are perfect for a glass of wine!

I also scored these very cool candle holders which can be affixed to a wall or tree. A large French gathering basket is another bargain, as well as a long handled pizza peel and ornate iron brackets.

Traveling Tea Cup

This week the traveling tea cup arrived! I cannot wait to tell you all about this and will be sharing my story with you on Tuesday. My friend, Barbara from Mantel and Table started this wonderful idea in March. More to come.

Healthy Find at Costco

With the flu season soon upon us, I try to take extra precautions in building my immune system. To see my 10 Tips to Staying Healthy, click here. Costco now has these Suja Organic Immunity Defense Shots with turmeric and probiotics. They are filled with ginger and pack quite the punch, so be aware that they are not for wimps. However, I am game to try whatever helps to keep you strong and healthy. You can also buy them online through Amazon here.

That’s a wrap for this Saturday! As you are reading this, I am on a nature adventure near the Grand Canyon. Have a fabulous weekend and cannot wait to share my trip with you soon.

The world needs more lavender to promote calmness and wellness, don’t you think? I love sachets, but the larger lavender pillows are getting my attention lately. However, is it me or do they seem expensive? $49.95 for a 7″ square lavender pillow? So what better way to get a lavender pillow than make them yourself.

Finding the Right Lavender

Naturally I am seeking a highly fragrant, good quality lavender. Though I have lavender growing around our property, it isn’t all that fragrant after I dry the buds. To see a previous post on lavender, click here.

On Etsy, I found lavender buds (Lavandula Augustifolia) that are bulk wholesale, mostly used for weddings from StressTamerSpa. The reviews are excellent, plus you have the option to order 1/4 lb. up to 10 lbs.

The minute I received the 2 lb. package in the mail I knew what is was because of the heavenly scent. Lavender doesn’t weigh all that much so two pounds is quite a good quantity.

Picking Fabric

Over the years I have collected lots of fabrics. But there are many things you could use~old vintage napkins or handkerchiefs. I even have a old embroidered tablecloth that has seen better days. Taking cuts of fabric from it might just be lovely.

For a 7″ square pillow, cut two pieces fabric 8″ x 8″ (allowing for 1/2″ seam on all four sides). You can mix or match patterns or keep both sides the same. Or you could just fold one piece of fabric 8 x 16″. To make this easy, I put blue tape on the counter as a measurement guide.

Put the same side fabric together and pin if necessary.

Once the fabric is cut, I machine-stitched the seam 1/2″ from the fabric edge, leaving a small un-stitched section. If you don’t have a sewing machine, these pillows are small enough to slip stitch the edge. If you decide to do that, just adjust the overall measurements without the 1/2″ seam.

I always like to clip the corners so they are crisp and not rounded. Turn the pillow where the front of the fabric is facing out.

Filling the Pillow

Well, I tried this two ways and the second attempt is the way to go. Using a large measuring cup, I put the pillow in the bottom with the hole at the top. This way, if I spill any lavender it will be collected vs. all over the kitchen.

At first I used an orange, rubber funnel with a relatively narrow spout. The lavender buds slowly went into the pillow. This took some time……too much time in my opinion. However, I filled the pillow with approximately 6 oz. of lavender buds.

I slip stitched the hole closed. Sorry I failed to take a photo as I was talking on the phone at the same time. The downsides to multi-tasking!

The next pillow, I made the hole bigger and rolled up a piece of copy paper to use as a funnel. This way I could pour a larger quantity of lavender in much faster. The paper allowed the buds to slip right in.

So here is how the first two came out! Honestly, being around this much lavender makes you a bit loopy and mellow! I felt like I needed fresh air as the scent is so strong! But aren’t they cute?

I am so lucky to have some friends in my life that have helped with recently, and I will give these lavender pillows as gifts.

The hope is that the two pound bag of lavender will fill 5-6 pillows. At $39.99 for the bag, that’s $6.67 to $8.00 per pillow. Sure beats spending $49.95 per pillow! I didn’t time how long it took me to make one, but it wasn’t that long. And inhaling all this lavender has made this afternoon so relaxing!

Happy Saturday to you! We had a huge monsoon storm the other night and finally a bit of rain. The yard is a mess with all the plant debris so this weekend will be filled with clean-up chores. Hope you have a fun weekend planned! See you next week.

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You need lots of tomatoes

Back in early June, after harvesting the San Marzano tomatoes from my garden (thank you, Whitfill Nursery), I made fresh tomato sauce. However, I did not process it with the hot bath canning method, but froze the fresh sauce in individual zip-loc bags. Recently, when my friend, Rick said his tomato source has 50 lbs. of tomatoes available, I willingly said yes, not knowing what I was getting myself into.

The thought never crossed my mind what 50 lbs. of tomatoes looks like, but it is a lot. But there in nothing better than having a fresh batch of sauce from summer tomatoes in the middle of winter. Because of the volume of tomatoes, I will need to process them using the hot bath method.

Safety First

The last time I used the hot bath method in making tomato sauce a few years ago, I badly burned my hand (all my own fault). So I am a little wary making it this time.

But, like with most things, your memory dulls and my desire to have fresh tomato sauce overrode my fear of burning myself again. If you have never processed food for long term storage, it is a good thing to know. Especially after the events of this year. When the food supply is challenged, having a pantry filled with your homemade goodies is a comforting thought. And now is the time to do it with the summer’s bounty available.

There are several recipes available for making tomato sauce, but I love using the simple one from my friend, Rick. With only 4 ingredients~tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and salt, you have a great tasting sauce.

Enlist Helpers

Before you start a project like this, you may want to consider inviting your friends over to help. This is not a one-person project, nor do I suggest you do this with your spouse. There is a reason the women from the farm would gather and do this as a collective group. It is repetitive, time-consuming work but made faster with great conversation and friendship.

Get the Right equipment

It is important to have the right tools on hand too. Since you are working with sterilized jars and tops, boiling water and hot sauce, you need equipment to help. You can purchase jars from Walmart or through Amazon. Determine what size jar you will need (all depends on how many servings you want per jar). For 16 oz. jars, click here; 8 oz. jars, click here; and for complete canning kits, click here.

Processing tomatoes the wrong way can have serious side effects. There is much debate about safely canning tomatoes and you want to make sure you take all precautions in doing so. Sterilization of jars, hot bathing them for the proper amount of time, adding acidity for an extra level of protection are few things to know before getting started. Make sure you have a large stockpot. If not, here is a link to one.

Making the Sauce

For a quick summary on making the sauce, you stem, core and cut the tomato into 16 pieces. I add an extra step here, where I wipe away most of the seeds out of the tomato before I cut it into pieces. In the meantime, slightly cook the garlic in olive oil and then add the tomatoes and salt.

Cook the tomatoes for 15-20 minutes, until the skins separate from the tomatoes.

Here is where I deviate from the recipe. Instead of using a food mill, I put the tomatoes into a Cuisinart and reduce them to sauce. I skip the step about refrigerating it overnight (I don’t have the space for this much sauce), but pour the sauce into sterilized jars.

I like this device which sits on the jar, because the mouth is wide and the sauce funnels right in; and it has a measuring device on the side so you don’t overfill. I leave a 1/2 inch space at the top.

Safety guidelines recommend adding an additional acid to the top of the tomato sauce before you process it. Your choices are citric acid or bottled lemon juice. For citric acid powder, click here.

Getting Ready to Hot Bath

Next, wiping down the rim of the jar will ensure your lid seals properly.

Now the jar is ready to go into the hot bath. Again, proceed with caution as you are putting something heavy into boiling water.

I submerge the jars and simmer for 40 minutes.

You know when you have sealed the jars correctly, as the center button in the lid will pop down as the jar cools. It is rather satisfying to hear pop, pop, pop as all the lids complete the seal.

Whether you decide to can tomatoes or not, below is Rick’s recipe using 3 lbs. of tomatoes and it is worth making.

It is also possible to process certain foods with the oven method (jams, especially). To see that process, click here to see how I made fig preserves.

Since we really don’t know what the supply chain will be over the holidays, tomato sauce or other homemade preserved foods will be a wonderful gift. So if you have access to an abundance of fruits or vegetables, think about canning them for yourself or your friends.

I hope you have some fun plans this weekend. Happily I am up at the cabin again appreciating the cooler mountain temps. The plan is to do some painting (on canvas), and get some biking or walking in. Enjoy!

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Tuesday Turn About #62

Most of my time is spent in the kitchen. I love the kitchen overall, but I have a few favorites that, if I were to design another kitchen, I would definitely include. Here is my list of top 10 items I love and use heavily in the kitchen.

Nespresso Machine

My Nespresso Machine is the one of the best birthday gifts I have ever received. Called Creatista by Nespresso and Breville, it continues to perform multiple times day after day. This machine steams the milk and creates a range of coffee choices from espresso to macchiato. A day doesn’t go by when I don’t use this machine. A very worthy investment!

My happy cups are designed by Jennifer Orkin Lewis and purchased from Anthropologie, but not sure they are still available. To see why I call these happy cups, click here.

Double Sinks with Double Faucets

I am so glad I purchased two high quality Franke stainless steel sinks (which look as good as the day I bought them). However, when I told plumber that I wanted a faucet for each sink, he thought I was nuts. Typically one faucet will serve two sinks.

My two Kohler Artifacts faucets in polished nickel allow two people to be washing dishes or using the sinks independently. Both have a 2 function pull-down spray heads. The faucets were pricey, but again, well-worth every penny!

My Pot Filler

My pot filler is located right above the stove. The arm extends over each burner so I can fill multiple pots easily. This affordable luxury allows me to fill my large cooking pots right there vs. hauling them across the kitchen. Very helpful when I am making several pots of pet food. Mine is a Chicago Faucets Softflo Pot and Kettle filler.

Compost Bin

Disguised as a door, this pull out allows me to slide all my vegetable and fruit scraps off the island counter and right into bin inside. It is a collection method that is so convenient and small enough for easy transport to the composter on a weekly basis.

Hidden Step Stool

Tucked under the toe kick on the island, this step stool pulls out and collapses to 4″ in height. My cabinet guy added a piece of toe kick trim and a handle on the front for accessibility.

It easily pops up and provides a 2-step stool for reaching those top shelves. To see a tour of my kitchen and resource this stool, click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.

My Pedestal Organizer

Just to the left of the stove, are nearly all the things I need to cook. This vintage Italian pedestal plate holds various oils and seasonings, all within reach. It is a time saver as I don’t need to go hunting for spices or condiments while cooking.

Collection of Small Bowls

I use these bowls every single day from measuring ingredients for recipes to serving nuts or dips. The bowls are collected from various places~our trip to Italy, West Elm, The Findery (Waco) and vintage stores. My friend, Connie gave me a stack of small glass Duralex bowls from France. It is still one of my all-time favorite gifts.

Salter Family Scale

I don’t think this is a vintage scale, but I sure have had it a long time. While I own a fancy digital one, I seem to use this more often. Not only is it functional and nostalgic, but also pretty sitting on top of the shelf above the stove.

Weather Station

Even though the weather in Phoenix is mostly clear and sunny (approximately 300 days per year), I check our weather monitor every day. The wireless weather station is positioned in our orchard and transmits up to 1000 feet. This monitor has rain, temperature and humidity sensors that relay the information back to this LCD console. Made in the USA, this makes a great gift!

Paper Shredder

Don’t laugh (well most people find this amusing), but I have a heavy duty shredder in the kitchen by the island. This is used multiple times a day.

When the mail comes in I stand at the shredder and discard all the junk and unwanted mail in this receptacle. The shredded paper gets tossed into the composter and recycled. I still cannot believe how much non-essential stuff we get in the mail! But at least I am converting it into soil for the garden. To see my composting blog post, click here.

Wishing you a terrific Tuesday. It is supposed to be 109 degrees here today. I hear the mountains calling to me, so I am hoping to dash back there to enjoy the 80 degree weather. In the meantime, stay cool and make this a marvelous day.

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travel

For all the fans of HGTV Fixer Upper, this post is for you! Last week I traveled to Waco, Texas for a social media seminar. The week was packed with presentations and I was blessed to meet some wonderful women, who are very successful influencers.

Green Door Lofts

Staying at the Green Door Lofts is a special experience. I really wish I had taken more pictures of our accommodations. Our room is very spacious with a full kitchen, living room, 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. The best part is that I was able to share this space with my two dear friends, Andrea from Design Morsels and Chas from Chas’ Crazy Creations.

Very bohemian in decor, the Green Door Lofts is the ideal place to stay if you are traveling with family or a small group

In addition to the seminar, some of the fun excursions during the week included touring 3 local vacation rental homes. Not only did we meet the owners/proprietors but also learned about the history, restorations and decor strategies of each.

The Morrow House

The first stop is the Morrow House. The 1886 Eastlake gem was weeks away from being demolished and was saved and restored (thankfully!). It has been featured in Cottage Style and Modern Farmhouse magazine. The owner, Kimberly, graciously provided hors d’nerves and cocktails during our tour.

This 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom home (sleeps 8) is beautifully appointed and much of the original details and architecture still exist.

For more information about The Morrow House, click here.

South Haven by HavenCraft

The second tour is a series of 3 homes owned by the same individual. Robin and her husband are investing in remodeling homes in Waco and turning them into vacation rentals. Robin and her sister, Bree, collaborate on design and decor. Each rental has its own “theme”. The first one, South Haven, is a sweet blue cottage with a Southern decor vibe.

This 4 bedroom, 3 bath sleeps 10. For more information on the South Haven house, click here.

Haven House

Next, we visited Haven House, also in Waco. Sorry for the different size images~some are mine and some are stock photos from their website.

Beautifully appointed full kitchen.

Lots of wainscoting!

For more information about this 3 bedroom, 3 bath home, click here.

The third property that Robin and Bree are renovating is not finished yet. However, it is a Sherwood Forest theme! These gals are very creative and you can tell that giving guests a special experience is very important to them.

Giveaway!

At the end of our tour, Robin presented all of us with a $100 Voucher off of any of their properties! So if you are planning on going to Waco in the future, and you are interested in the HavenCraft properties (Haven House, South Haven or the soon to be Glen Haven), please let me know. I would love to give this voucher away to someone who will use it! I only have one coupon and it’s good until August 2022.

Just leave a comment after this post and say you want the coupon. If I get more than one request, I will put names in a hat and someone will be the lucky winner!

Market at the Silos

On another day, we went to Magnolia Market at the Silos because you cannot go to Waco, Texas and not see what Chip and Joanna Gaines have contributed to the community. Many of the outdoor spaces are closed due to the virus and fortunately, there was no line to get in.

The store is beautifully merchandised and the selection of faux flowers is quite spectacular. I don’t think we have as many artificial flower suppliers as they do in Waco. You are given a Magnolia bag when you arrive, but we left with them unfilled.

With no crowds, it is easy to get through the store quickly. If you like the farmhouse style (shiplap, chippy paint, beaded chandeliers, signs with heartfelt messages), there are lots of choices here. It is not my jam so the few things that were of interest, I can order online.

Magnolia Bake Shop

The Magnolia Bake Shop had a small line but I am more interested in the lovely window boxes they had on the building, which were filled with succulents.

The weather this time of year in Waco is hot and HUMID. Something this Arizona resident is not used to! It is hard to determine whether you can fill a weekend here, because now many things were closed and tours cancelled.

I am happy I saw the town and met a few business owners who are trying to make a go of it in difficult times. Like most things, the Silos feel bigger on television and I was a bit underwhelmed. It appears that Chip and Joanna are still building new destinations in Waco, which some people like, and others not.

It is truly nice to be back home and sleeping in my own bed! If you missed yesterday’s post about airline travel in these trying times, click here. Have a happy Tuesday and thanks for checking in today.

Several vendors donated supplies and gifts to all participants in the conference. I would like to personally thank all of them for their generosity. If you are ever in Waco, please support these businesses. Many are online. It’s a tough time for so many people. Lending a helping hand may make a difference.

Food and packaged mixes by Sherri at Mad Dash Mixes

Signature Root Beer Float by Heritage Creamery

Popcorn: Waco Blend by Off the Cob

Cookies by Milk Bottle Cookies (which were to die for!)

Coffee by Thirst Coffee