It is SO nice to be home and able to write a Saturday Meanderings again. Sorry for being absent the last few weeks, but it’s been a bit frenetic. So grab a cup of coffee and let’s catch up with all new and exciting things that are happening.

Trip Back East

As I have mentioned before, I am flying back and forth to Connecticut to settle up my aunt’s affairs. The good news is that upon arrival, the hydrangeas are starting to bloom. The bad news is the excessive high temperatures and equally high humidity are unbearable in my aunt’s home ~which is not air conditioned. Plus there is no internet. Groan.

But with only a few minor injuries and very sore muscles from moving furniture, I did get a lot accomplished. When the long flight back to Phoenix landed late at night, I was just SO HAPPY TO BE HOME. My sweet husband picked me up at the airport and on the way home this happened….

While we are waiting on the exit ramp for the light to change, an out of control white pickup truck traveling at excessive speeds comes out of nowhere and lands perpendicular on the front of our car, A nasty 5 car pile up and fortunately no one is injured~which is almost hard to believe. Since this is an open investigation I can’t share much more, but 3 hours later, we are finally able to go home, stunned, shaken and glad to be alive.

Another Watermelon Recipe

If you missed the blog post last week about my favorite watermelon recipes you can find it here. We are consuming so much of this delicious fruit, which is a delightful on our hot days. Here is another recipe adapted from Ambitious Kitchen. I cut corners and make this Watermelon Frosé a bit easier and it is equally delicious.

Freeze 4 cups of watermelon (cut into 1″ cubes). I froze mine on a cookie sheet. In a blender (I use my Vitamix), add the watermelon cubes, 1 bottle of chilled Rose wine and a squirt of agave syrup (optional) and blend until slushy. You may need to stir it up a bit as you go. Serve with a fresh mint sprig. Yum.Yum.

Frozen Dog Treats

You can buy frozen dog treats in the freezer section of your grocery store (like Frosty Paws). However, if I cannot recognize an ingredient or if there are more chemicals than actual food, I don’t buy the item for us (or our dogs).

It is easy to make your own dog ice cream using plain yogurt and peanut (or another nut) butter. Mix the yogurt and peanut butter (use whatever quantities you like) until well blended. Place in small containers. As an added bonus I put in a cut up Greenie (or similar dog treat) in the middle. Place in freezer.

I really need to purchase some paper cups in lieu of plastic ones. The dogs do chew up the cups and I do not want them to swallow any plastic. There appears to be a good selection here.

Did You Know?

We have several chickens in our hen house, and those gals are still laying quite a few eggs even during the heat of the summer. When the hen lays the egg, it comes out with a wet coating that dries instantly. This coating is called the “bloom”.

The bloom is the first line of defense in keeping air and bacteria out of the porous egg shell. If an egg is washed, the natural barrier is removed, which accelerates decay of the egg.

Unfortunately, commercial egg growers wash their eggs before sending them to market. If you buy eggs at the farmers market or other places other than your local grocery store, you may want to ask if the eggs still have their bloom.

Since we do sell our eggs to friends, I recently had these cute tags made up that I place on the top of each carton. The tag explains that we do not wash our eggs here at Bella Terra, because the bloom keeps the egg fresher longer.

Prior to using the egg, if you wish, you can wash them. Though you don’t need to refrigerate unwashed eggs, we refrigerate our eggs regardless. If you have ever been to other country, you will notice that they do not refrigerate their eggs, but stack them up for sale. I’m guessing that’s because they leave the bloom on.

These cute tags are designed by Jen Gregory from Simple Modest Mom and printed by Impact Printing Services here in Phoenix.

New on the Internet

Hester & Cook have new vinyl floor mats that I am considering. My sweet friend, B.J. owns a few of these (purchased from another source) and she loves them.

Currently my small rugs by the doors by Dash and Albert are looking a bit sad, so maybe this would be a good alternative. Does anyone own a vinyl rug? Thoughts?

When it is 113 degrees, it is very difficult to think ahead to Fall. But we are starting to see more autumn posts and inspiration, as Back to School is right around the corner. Yvonne from Stone Gable just shared a lovely post full of fall decorating ideas. Her photos are stunning and you can see it here.

A few posts ago I stated my desire to have a care free summer. Well, that certainly hasn’t been the case. In addition to being absolutely swamped with absorbing an entire household from my aunt, I spend countless volunteer hours on our neighborhood association board. It’s been a bit stressful and I am praying for it all to settle down soon. My therapy is being in the kitchen and with 60 lbs. of Roma tomatoes and a sink filled with fresh basil, it’s apron time for me this weekend.

If you missed any of my posts this week, you can find them here:

Dividing Irises (and see my friends’ gardens too!) and Room by Room ( a tour of our front hall)

Have a happy one, my friends. And stay safe out there.

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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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When reflecting back on 2020, is it possible that we took on TOO many projects? Perhaps for me, keeping extra busy was a way to not focus on all the world’s problems last year. I guess the good news is that several things got done, but it feels like an exhausting year on many fronts. Here is a list of completed projects of 2020 and which ones we hope to tackle in 2021.

Italian Fountain

Our outdoor Italian fountain is transformed from ugly to pretty~the rusty spouts are replaced with new ones! See post here.

Master Closet

After the embarrassing condition of our master closet, it gets good cleaning and goes from a mess to a neat and organized space. See post here.

Dining Room

With a few great yard sale purchases, I am able to upgrade the dining room with these fabulous upholstered parsons chairs. A new coat of paint helps brighten the room, too! See post here.

Windows and Screens

Being confined to home gave us the opportunity to personally wash each and every window in our home, as well as the out buildings. Not only did we clean, but repair screens, touch up paint chips and make sure our windows are in good working order.

Back Terrace

Many new upgrades are added to the back terrace. Since we entertain a lot in this space during our better weather months, it is time and money well spent. A new tile backsplash, so desperately needed, is now pretty and easy to clean. All the upholstered furniture and rugs are thoroughly cleaned; the concrete/slate floor is treated with a sealant. Broken slate is repaired at the fireplace. See post here.

Family Room

Another room benefitting from the great yard sale scores is the family room. New upholstered wing chairs and a round table is added; a gorgeous decorative chest becomes the bar storage. To see more about our family room, click here.

Potting Shed/Well Tower

In the spring, the potting shed in the well tower gets attention. Filled with dust and spider webs, it needs organizing and cleaning. See post here. Plus I finally create a storage system for most of my wreaths. See can see that story here.

Front Porch

A lot of focus is on the front porch last year. New front door color, polished hardware, updated wreath, fresh paint on the rocking chairs and a new door mat. What a welcoming difference! See post here.

Guest Cottage

While sprucing up the front of the main house, it is time to also tend to the guest cottage. Using spray paint, the light fixtures are brought back to life (see post here). With your help and suggestions, the vintage mailbox is updated too! (another post here).

Back Staircase

Yesterday’s post is a summary on the back staircase. Though this project starts in 2019 and is completed just a few days ago, much of the work is done in 2020.

Flooding and Ghosts

2020 is a year to remember, not only for the pandemic but the series of unfortunate events we had with flooding. First a broken water heater in the basement and then the dishwasher in the kitchen. No pictures of either mess, just a blog post about Old Houses and Ghost Stories here.

Pool House Bathroom

Perhaps one of the most difficult new projects is stenciling the tile bathroom floor in the pool house. But the end result is stunning. See post here.

Closet and Storage Organization

Thanks to being part of a blog hop, the front hall closet gets completely re-organized. Nearly all of my table linens reside in this odd shaped space. See more here.

Another storage organization project includes the hidden space under the front staircase. Slipcovers and decorative pillows are organized into bins and kept here.

Painting Furniture

Transforming an old piece of furniture into a Scandinavian style dresser at our cabin is a creative leap but with good results. To see this DIY project, click here.

Building New Things

My husband’s creativity and handiness produces a chick-nic table for our sweet hens. A fun and easy DIY project here.

Property Maintenance

With the help of our professional painter, John Cruz, the well tower, barn and hen house get some sprucing up. To see more before and after photos, click here.

New Projects for 2021

Our master bathroom is looking a bit tired. The tile floor is the same as the pool house, bland and dated. Debating whether to try and stencil it or just demolish and put in new tile. The countertops are marble squares ~again a dated look. It might be time for a complete renovation. To see more on our master bathroom, click here.

Create a Cutting Garden

I am just receiving my seeds from Floret Farm and am looking forward to making space for an actual cutting garden. Not sure how well this will do in our climate, but it will be a learning experience.

Update our Kitchen

Since I haven’t thought this through, I’m not sure how or to what I want to do with our kitchen. It will all depend on the budget, but it would be nice to fix a few things and update others. More to come on this.

Organize the Entire House

I want to start at one corner and make sure each and every room is the best it can be. Is that even possible? I dream about a place for everything and everything in its place.

Do you have any projects for 2021? I can assure you that there will be less projects for me this year. Instead, I want to fill my year with more fulfilling and meaningful experiences~like art, friends, family and travel. Let’s hope the world will begin to open up once again.

Happy Wednesday! Stay safe and healthy!

I cannot believe this is my last post of 2020. Well, it’s been a year, hasn’t it? When I reflect back over the course of the last 12 months, I count my blessings. We are healthy and happy, most of the time. And 2020 is a year where the world realizes that having good health is a cherished gift.

Being the eternal optimist, I contemplate and note that even though life is bittersweet, many unexpected surprises emerge from these unusual trials and tribulations.

Importance of Friends and Family

With lockdowns and restrictions, my focus is more family/home centric. With two adult children working remotely, we are lucky to have our son (who lives in DC) able to visit for longer periods of time. Our daughter loves being nearby and working from home allows her more quality time with her pets. Our youngest is at college, but within close proximity, which is comforting.

A welcomed side effect of being tethered to home is that we have strengthened relationships with our adjacent neighbors.

In the Spring, Wine at the Wall Wednesdays was a creative way to socially distance with our neighbors, yet still socialize. Bring your own glass and we would trade off who provided the wine. I don’t know about you, but I need human connections. As a result, we now have this lovely circle of friends, who also happen to live right next door. Lucky us!

Importance of Personal Responsibility

It is never too late to be healthier. Never. It takes fortitude and a change in lifestyle, but now, more than ever, we must do our part to be well. One of my top blog posts is 10 Tips to Stay Healthy, which I posted last winter and before COVID. You can see it here. There is SO much we can do to build our immune system and stay well.

Granted if you have a pre-existing condition, do what you can to make yourself less vulnerable to viruses. It is never too late to start on a healthier lifestyle.

The picture above is a card I received in my latest order from Native, which produces an aluminum free deodorant. I highly recommend their products. But doesn’t the card says it all?

Importance of Aging Well

There is no surprise here, but we are all getting older. Our aging population stresses our health care system, but getting older does not automatically mean poor health. There a plenty of older adults who enjoy an active vigorous lifestyle.

I believe happiness and aging well are choices. Granted, some days are better than others but you cannot stop trying to live an interesting, fulfilled life. If you haven’t read my 10 Tips to Aging Well, here is the link.

Kindness is Free

As I have mentioned, I have completely stopped watching the news. People who are hateful have no place in my life. No news is good news. Maybe it is naive of me to put my head in the sand, but I now have more time in the day to do something positive and productive.

In January 2019 I wrote a post on Kindness (see post here) because back then we were seeing less and less of it in the world. Then 2020 happened and it just got worse.

Instead of getting frustrated, I am committed more than ever to the mantra: JUST BE KIND. It doesn’t cost anything and you never know whose day you will make better with a random act of kindness. Can you imagine what kind of world it would be if everyone did this?

Keep Moving Forward

For me, moving forward and keeping in motion is therapeutic. Creating momentum staves off paralysis and fear. If any year provided excuses for hunkering down and doing nothing, it was 2020.

However, we tackled more house projects than ever before, with lots of fun stories in between. Remember the mystery around the antique locket found under the dishwasher (see post here)?

2020 has been the year of unexpected problems and expensive repairs with cars and plumbing. Cha-ching! For a while, it was one thing after another but let’s hope that phase has passed.

Once travel opens up, I am definitely planning a trip to recover from all the projects, both planned and unexpected in 2020.

Focus on my Blog

This year, I truly focused on making my blog more enjoyable for you. My commitment to post on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday is occurring most of the time. My new found blogging friendships are allowing me to participate in blog hops with others. These same friends are encouraging me to be better. Lucky me!

The best part is that I am learning new things each and every day (another great tip to aging well!). The goal is to update the design of my website and add more good pictures of our home so hopefully you will see more positive blog changes in 2021.

Looking Ahead to 2021

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? I do and for the most part, I do stick with them for at least the first 6 months of a new year.

My first resolution is to take better care of my hands. With all the hand sanitizer and washing more than usual, my mitts feel like sandpaper. Plus having clean and tidy nails is a good thing . My hands go directly into the dirt in the garden. I wash dishes without gloves. Truly, my 10 digits are a mess. I’d post a picture of them but you would shudder.

More Time for Painting

Painting more is also high on my list for 2021. Getting into a routine where I painted every Friday afternoon would be desirable. And maybe then, I’d feel more confident in selling a few finished ones.

Re-commit to structured exercise

Pre-COVID I was exercising 6 days a week. Pathetically, I am now down to 2-3 days per week and I can feel the difference. Do you need to do more? If you are interested in my exercise goals, I am happy to post those and perhaps we can keep each other on track. It is just a matter of starting….

Reducing the Clutter

At the end of 2019, I had over 7000 emails in my inbox. It took me 9 hours to sort through them. I vowed to not have over 100 emails in my inbox. Fast forward a year later and I have 7,394 emails in that very same inbox. My goal is to officially unsubscribe to nearly all promotional emails and only allow room for ones that matter. If anyone has tips on how to stop this email madness, please let me know.

On my camera I have 52, 000 photos. Just the thought of sorting and deleting and filing those gives me angst. But it needs to be done! Again, any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Celebrating the New Year

The days where I stayed up until midnight to welcome the New Year are long over. My choice would be to wake up early and watch the sun rise on a new year instead. Maybe a morning hike or walk and then home for some fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh brewed coffee would be the perfect start to the new year.

How will you be celebrating the end of this year and the beginning of the next? What resolutions, if any, are you making?

Wishing you all the best for the New Year! Remember to stay safe, stay healthy but most of all, be happy!

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I am happy to report that we had an absolutely lovely Christmas. In spite of a late night Christmas Eve, this blessed day could not have been better. With just our clan of 5, we experienced the best of family time, food and traditions. Here is a look at our post-Christmas wrap up.

Gingerbread Houses

As you may recall, I just started making a gingerbread house two years ago. Utilizing a set of templates from Martha Stewart (that are so old you can’t even find them referenced online), I select the chicken coop instead of the log cabin. To see my log cabin last year, click here.

To be honest, Martha’s chicken coop template is a rather boring structure. It looks a bit like a warehouse and doesn’t really have any resemblance to our chicken coop. But I proceed anyway, in hopes that I can add elements to make it more attractive. The log cabin design is much more interesting. Gingerbread dough is quite tasty and you can find the recipe here. I make 3 batches for all the pieces.

The pieces are assembled and “glued” together with Royal icing ~ 4 cups of confectioners sugar, 3 tablespoons meringue powder and 6 tablespoons of water.

Using shredded wheat cereal and mini-York peppermint patties, texture is added to the roof. Frosting tinted to look like adobe is painted on the sides. Pretzels trim around the entries and melted butterscotch candies make up the glass in the windows.

My attempt to make gingerbread chickens is a complete failure, so thankfully, I have these wooden chicken magnets as the coop’s occupants. Chocolate blocks become shutters and fresh greens dress up the window sills.

Camper Gingerbread

A few years ago, I saw this cute gingerbread camper by Sugar and Cloth. However, the instructions are vague and I would imagine their vintage camper was done by a professional baker.

My camper kept collapsing and the pieces didn’t really fit together. Completely frustrated, it was going in the trash. So my husband ate the wheels and a few pieces and as I’m ready to discard it, my youngest daughter insisted we not give up.

And I am so glad she did! So I baked a few more wheels and created new pieces that would fit. Candied windows and colorful lights make it look like a party camper. Though far from perfect, this became a great mother/daughter project. It is SO cute!

Raisins and chia seeds make up the walk. A paper cocktail umbrella provides shade to the lounge chair. A leftover Christmas tree cookie is placed on the roof. By the time we are finished decorating, we are belly laughing and having so much fun! A worthwhile rescue!

Unexpected Christmas Joy

On the 24th, I dropped off a present to my friend, Janie. We met at her outside back terrace and she surprised me with a cup of Christmas tea and shortbread cookies. What I thought was going to be a few minute gift exchange, turned into a lovely hour of conversation. Using her beautiful Spode tea cups and this incredible needlepoint tea cozy, made the time even more special and festive.

I don’t have a tea cozy, but I just purchased one on eBay that is identical to this! It is surprising how hot that cover kept the teapot, especially outside in the cool weather. Now I just need the cups!

Making Homemade Bacon

My daughter, Elisabeth (almost 20) is starting to learn to cook. She decided she wanted to make bacon for Christmas morning. Make bacon? So she went to the butcher and bought a 3 lb. pork belly, cured it (brown sugar, pepper, salt, distilled water and Prague powder) for several days and then smoked it for a few hours until it reached the ideal temperature.

On Christmas morning, she sliced it up and cooked it for the family and it was absolutely delicious! Who knew?

A Collaborative Cooking Day

In addition to homemade bacon, my husband and other daughter, Julianna made Eggs a la Goldenrod (see recipe here), my son picked oranges from the orchard and made fresh squeezed mimosa and I made cinnamon rolls from sourdough starter discard (delicious!). Recipe from Amy at Little Spoon Farm is here.

Disguising Gifts

After breakfast, we moved to the living room to open gifts. A rather tired looking Santa is sitting in one of the wing chairs. The children laugh about it and we go on to unwrap all the presents under the tree.

Finally, my daughter asks if she can “unwrap” Santa, which happens to be a cello for her. Though it was a bit comical trying to dress the cello as Santa, it is a good way to disguise the gift.

After we opened presents, the rest of the day is spent cooking, both indoors and out.

My dear friend, Connie let us borrow her smoker while she is out of town and we have certainly put it to good use. A rather non-traditional holiday dinner consists of smoked baby back ribs, a chicken on the rotisserie, stuffing, gravy, pear and apple chutney, spiced red cabbage with apples and oranges, twice baked potatoes, roasted vegetables, persimmon bread and mincemeat pie.

Dinner was consumed in the pink themed dining room, which just felt magical. If you missed that post, you can see it here. Needless to say, it’s time to exercise and eat greens again!

The day ended with our fabulous neighbors coming by to sing Christmas carols and deliver an amazing gift. In spite of this challenging year, I could not have asked for a more perfect day~filled with laughter, love and some of the best food I’ve ever eaten.

The time between Christmas and New Year’s is one of my favorites~enjoying the slower pace of it all and wearing elastic waist pants! With the new year, I will get back on track exercising and eating better, but for now I am giving myself permission to enjoy my family being all together and our good health.

Sending warm, relaxing wishes for the balance of 2020.

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I so look forward to this Saturday Meanderings post because I have SO much to share with you! Houseguests have left and I was anticipating more for Thanksgiving. However, an unexpected physical injury occurred and unfortunately they are not coming. Thankfully my family loves turkey because I have ordered a BIG one. Here is what else has been happening this week.

Gardening Update

Typically we do not have critters that infest the garden. However, this year my kale and some of the other greens have been eaten down to the ground. On four separate occasions, I have planted new kale starters only to find them munched on ~ over and over again. Using those heart traps, we caught 2 rats (ewww). Who knew they like kale?

And now something is eating holes in my Swiss chard. So I put out two bowls of beer at ground level. Both bowls have successfully lured caterpillars, crickets and slugs. It seems like a humane way to get rid of them~drowning in a good IPA.

The weather went from summer to winter with temperatures in the high 30s to low 60s. But we are back up to the mid-to-high 80s. The plants are so confused. Tomato leaves are curled from the chilly temperatures with ripening fruit on them. So strange.

And the hollyhocks, which typically bloom well after the holidays, are starting to show their ruffled blossoms.

With this warmer weather, the chickens are laying up a storm. Yesterday I gathered 14 eggs from the hen house. So if you are nearby and want fresh eggs, please let me know. Once the weather cools down and the days are shorter, the egg laying will slow down. And don’t you just love all the natural colors of the shells?

Fun New Recipes

There is something very therapeutic about baking. With so many eggs, I made two quiches with spinach, shallots, ham and goat cheese. Not really following any recipe, I just use eggs, heavy cream (sometimes with low fat milk too), sautéed spinach/shallots (and squeeze out excess water) and goat cheese.

I did try a new pie crust recipe that was super easy from Confetti and Bliss. The author wrote perfect instructions and this pie crust takes 30 minutes from start to finish, including refrigeration. Here is the link to the recipe.

With the leftover pie crust dough, I decided to try making a tart with pears. I love pears and this tart is another simple, delicious recipe. Even though I have possessed this square tart pan for years, I have never used it. Just perfect for this particular recipe, but I am sure you can adjust it to accommodate apples, too. The recipe is from Food Network~click here.

In my Holiday Gift Guide (see post here), Mad Dash Mixes is offering my readers a 10% off on their Host Bundle. They sent me some samples to try and this week, I made their Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup. Typically I make all our food from scratch, but these mixes are PERFECT on those nights or weekends when you just don’t feel like cooking. Here is their home page (click here) and if you use BELLATERRA10, you will get an additional 10% off your order.

All that is required is a can of tomato sauce, milk, water, chicken (can use canned or rotisserie) and shredded cheese. I did add a can of black beans for extra protein. Topped with avocado and cilantro, this is just yummy. Great gift for the holidays!

New Bakery in Town

This particular bakery was a favorite and they closed their doors years ago. I am so excited that they have finally re-opened and are located right next door to where I take Pilates. Exercise an hour at Pilates and then go to the bakery. Perfect, right?

This European bakery, called Europa Pastry has a fine assortment of typical treats from across the pond. Plus they have the pastries my grandmother (from Poland) used to make! Check them out: Europa Pastry at 6522 N. 16th Street, Phoenix. And they serve coffee drinks too. Always want to help our local businesses.

Hand Carved Mounting

My goal for our mountain cabin decor is to add more of a European/Black Forest look. We just received the mounting mechanism for the huge elk antler sheds (see post here).

This beautiful, totally hand carved, chestnut panel, with carved oak leaves and acorns, is ideal for mounting all types of antlers. Apparently the owner of this company has relatives that makes these in Europe and he imports them to the US. Here is the resource.

Right now the elk antlers are being used as holiday decorations, so it will be a while before we can take them up to the cabin and properly mount them. To see the centerpiece using the antlers that I posted this week, click here. Will share the holiday mantels with you next week.

A Great Costco Find

These amaryllis come in a 3 pack. The base is a wax ball that apparently contains everything the amaryllis needs. There is no water or soil at all. This one has been sitting on the kitchen window sill and is now almost in full bloom.

You cannot buy them online, however, I believe they are available in Costco stores. Here’s the link to the description online. My husband seems to think he paid about $20 for the three.

Well, that’s a wrap! I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. Stay healthy and safe out there. Next week is Thanksgiving and I am hanging onto the last days of autumn. Sending big virtual hugs to all.