Happy Saturday morning! Gosh, it is hard to believe the first week of the New Year is over. Thank you for joining me for Saturday Meanderings as we reflect on the comings and goings of the week.

It always takes me a while to file away the holiday spirit. Slowly we are dismantling our holiday day decor as we leave it up until January 6th, which is the Epiphany. Organizing and storing it all always takes a bit of time. We’re not in any hurry.

Thinking about my Spring Garden

When it comes to gardening, I feel rather knowledgeable about the vegetable garden. The last week of February through the month of March is the ideal time to get growing, and get the most out of the 2021 tomato season here in Phoenix.

If you live locally and want to start a garden, Farmyard Farmers is an excellent resource. The year I had extensive shoulder surgery I hired them to design and plant my garden. They did an incredible job. You can also purchase seeds and seedlings from them. Here is the link to their website.

However, I am a novice in planning and planting a flower garden. The thought of having access to fresh cut flowers is a dream of mine. I am awaiting several packets of seeds from Floret Farm. A family run flower farm and seed company, they specialize in unique and heirloom varieties. They have a lovely website and their seeds sell out quickly. Once the seeds arrive, I will develop a plan and share that with you. We can learn together.

Inspiration from other sources

As much as I don’t enjoy spending hours on the computer or social media, I do love the inspiration from other sources. A comment from The Vintage Contessa on my last post about the grilled cheese tomato soup party led me to another blogger, Annie from Most Lovely Things (who also happens to have a grilled cheese recipe).

On her post, Annie shares her five favorite things and one is the artist, Aiden Paez. Aiden is a self-taught, 14 year old and don’t you just love the picture above? You can follow him on Instagram @throughaidenseyes.

Another inspirational artist and blogger is Sandra Sallin. Sandra started her blog at age 72. An awarding winning artist, her energy and sense of humor is contagious. Her informative blog, Apart from My Art is here. A good lesson in that it’s never too late to learn something new.

Last week I was craving a hearty, warm Mediterranean style soup~like a tortellini or a good minestrone. And then I read The Enchanted Home’s Seven on Sunday (one of my favorite reads) and lo and behold, there is a recipe for Pasta Fagiole. That was it! I made it right away and it is so delicious. The timing is great because we had a bit of Elisabeth’s homemade bacon that I used instead of pancetta. Adding jars of our garden tomato sauce, this soup is a winner. Here is the link to that post. Note: I doubled the recipe as the original one serves 4.

Another blog that sets my mind into dream mode is Cheap Old Houses. Do you follow them on Instagram @cheapoldhouses? Not only do they feature homes for sale (cheap) domestically, but also internationally. I have often fantasized about restoring a villa in Europe! Once you sign on, it’s hard to not go down the rabbit hole and spend hours on this site.

Fun Recipe

Do you recall back in November we made the Alton Brown Aged Eggnog Recipe (see post here)? Well, it aged for approximately 6 weeks and we consumed it on Christmas. It is D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S! I also discovered that my sister, Susie and her family, made a batch last spring and had it aging for months. We will definitely be making more soon. You can find the recipe here if you want to make it now.

Elisabeth’s Birthday

Hard to believe my youngest is now 20 years old. It seems like yesterday that she was dressing up and twirling around the kitchen. Well, she still twirls around the kitchen! And what a fine young woman she has become.

The children always get their choice of homemade birthday cake. Elisabeth decided on a Chocolate Matcha cake from my favorite cake cookbook, Layered by Tessa Huff.

This is a HUGE cake with 4- 8″ cakes~2 chocolate and 2 matcha flavored. The filling is a white chocolate matcha ganache, all covered in Swiss meringue buttercream.

For Christmas, I received a professional revolving cake stand from my son. Being an amateur cake baker, I still need a lot of practice on this new stand, however, it made frosting this cake a bit easier.

Fortunately, half of the cake is now at college with her and not part of my thighs.

Funny Photo of the Week

As you know, our large dog, Cooper, loves sitting on whatever is around.

However, one night he decides to sit on the sofa on top of our cat, Donovan. Poor thing. The cat tried using all its might to push Cooper off. Not sure Cooper felt a thing.

Well, that’s a wrap! Will be spending the weekend taking down the balance of Christmas. Our houseguests (our son and girlfriend) will be leaving on Sunday to head back to D.C. We feel so blessed to have had our son here for a month. Sad to see them go but know they have their own lives too.

Have a beautiful weekend!

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We recently held a small surprise birthday dinner party for my husband, Scott. All intentions for a larger surprise gathering evaporated with COVID. But since this is a landmark birthday, we did try to make it a bit special regardless. Here are the grilled cheese and tomato soup ideas we created based on a grown-up theme.

Entertaining at home is limited to very small groups. We are careful to be outside in the fresh air. As much as we want to include all our friends, we are being conscientious until this whole pandemic settles down.

In planning, I need to be more aware of how food is served, social distancing and the weather conditions. Our winters in Phoenix are chilly, especially at night and in the morning.

With the help of my children, we did all the cooking while trying to keep Scott out of the kitchen (that could be a blog post in itself!). It was a bit frenetic to say the least. Before any event I am so swamped I forget to take really good pictures of the setting and food. I need to get better at this!

The Menu

The menu for the dinner is:

• Creamy Tomato Soup
• Artisanal Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
• Winter Salad
• Black Forest Cake from Tessa Huff’s Layered cookbook
• Glossy Fudge Brownies with Walnuts from Stella Park’s Bravetart cookbook

The recipes for the creamy tomato soup and artisanal grilled cheese are from Bon Appetit’s October 2012 issue. Guests design their own sandwiches from a table of curated fixings.

The Fixings

To make the sandwiches have adult appeal (but who really doesn’t love a crisp, gooey grilled cheese sandwich?) you can vary the ingredients. For this party, the meat fillings for the sandwich include: thinly sliced ham, prosciutto, smoked brisket, and crispy bacon.

Pre-shredding the cheese allows for faster and even melting. Dill havarti, sharp cheddar, pepper jack, gruyere, and smoked gouda are good cheese choices.

Sliced sourdough bread is an easy store purchase, and you can use whole grain or rye. Whole grain mustard, fig and sour cherry jam, are nice spreads to add. Though we did not include these, thinly sliced apples and sauerkraut would work too.

The Soup and Salad

This easy, delicious tomato soup can also be made ahead of time and reheated. If you haven’t made my Winter Kale salad, this is a winner. For this particular event, I did not include the wild rice, but made the salad with chopped fresh kale, feta cheese, pomegranates and toasted walnuts. See the recipe here.

The beauty of this meal is that you can prepare most of it ahead of time. On the day of the event, slice and skillet (or broil) the bread, grate the cheese, make the salad. The soup can be prepared up to 2 days earlier. Just before guests arrive, re-heat the soup and set everything out.

The Preparation

Let your guests decide their fillings, and then finish the sandwich off on the grill or in the oven~hot for consumption. It is fun to take everyone’s order and with one person grilling, the sandwiches are ready quickly.

Soup is served in mugs so everything can fit onto one large plate.

Desserts

For dessert, our guests choose from either rich, fudgy brownies or Black Forest cake or both.

This warm and comforting meal is very appropriate for a rather chilly evening outside. I was afraid the cake was too small to serve everyone, but thin slices are appropriate for this rich, dense and delicious cake. And I always forget to take off my apron!

Happy Tuesday, my friends! I guess the New Year has officially begun. How nice to have a weekend after the holiday! We are celebrating our youngest’s birthday this week and I will no longer have any teenagers at home. Where does the time go?

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Once again, I am participating in the DIY Blog Hop. The focus for January is on tables. Today I have a guest blogger. My husband Scott recently completed the restoration of an old table that we’ve had for almost 26 years. Here’s Scott’s story about this unique piece of furniture.

The Table~Before

When my wife and I were married (seems like yesterday), our decorator and designer, Robert Lashua, catered our wedding reception.  One of the things he brought was this antique table. He beautifully staged it with an abundance of flowers and food. We kept it and have used (and abused) it for entertaining, ever since.  The table is the one on the left in a recent photo. And the drawer (an unusual feature on a table) is missing.

One of the legs is splitting. the drawer is coming apart, and the under table support for the drawer is half gone.  I am fixing the table so the drawer is functional and the table can continue to provide service for a couple of more decades. Mary loves this table because it’s wide and perfect for staging food for entertaining.

The drawer is apart in one corner and on the underside (see below).  In the picture on the left you can see one whole side of the under table drawer support is missing.   A consult with a woodworking master (Steve Renneckar) to figure out how to proceed proves invaluable.

 A trip to Home Depot provides the hardwood I need to replace one side of the structure for the drawer to slide on under the table.  I’m using some wood glue and Liquid Nails to pull the drawer together.  
  

You may be asking….why bother.  This is a very old table.  Take a look at the unique pin and cove round style dovetail on the drawer (below).  This method of joining corners was developed in the United States in the 1870’s.

This dovetailing is on Victorian and Eastlake furniture in the US and Canada from the 1870’s into the 1890’s. I have no idea how old this table might be but it’s certainly worth my time to bring it back to functionality.

The Work Begins

The first steps include fixing the split leg (liquid nails polyurethane and clamps), repairing the drawer and planning the under table structure (in the empty area of the center picture below). It is a mirror of the structure shown in the picture on right below.

There are several places where the wood is split or separated.  A lot of wood glue (Titebond here) and some clamps do the trick.  The boards of the table top are fitted together with dowel joinery but have separated a bit.  I attach hardwood strips to the edges of the table (first one end, then the other).  Using my two large bar clamps (40 plus inches- a Jorgensen and an Irwin – you can see them above on the drawer), I pull the slats together and screw hardwood strips underneath to hold them in place (below). You can find the clamps on Amazon here.

Now I need to finish the repair on the drawer and install the new vertical support for the hardwood drawer slides.  This is a hardwood drawer on hardwood slides.  What could go wrong 😑.

First step is to put the drawer back together and try to replace (with hardwood) the portion of the drawer that is gone.  The side of the drawer has a slot for the slats.  The part where I’ve circled is where the bottom of the drawer has disappeared.

Using maple hardwood (and my brand new Makita circular saw – the old Craftsman finally quit) I cut some pieces to replace the missing parts of the drawer.  I glue them, place them and clamp them.  That evening it started to rain so everything was moved into the garage.

Today it’s sunny and with the oversight and assistance from our son Benjamin, it’s time to finish the project.  First we sand down the repairs to drawer.  Then, slide it into the table (upside down at the moment) to make sure it still fit and to finalize the side support.

We cut and place the side piece and slide rails (tried nailing but ended up using screws. I check the final fit of the repaired drawer and ….

The After

 Project is complete- (other than waxing the slides and staining the new wood and maybe refinishing the top 😉).

Now the table can be used again. Mary loves the chippy old paint that is still seen on the sides.

The drawer works beautifully now. The original brass cup hardware looks great on this newly functioning drawer!

The artistry of joint construction like this is long gone. All the more reason to restore this table vs. buying a new one.

Thank you for joining me today and now it’s off to the DIY Blog Hop to see other table ideas from these talented bloggers.

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Tarah from Grandma’s House DIY writes about How to Remove Paint, Scuffs and Scratches from wood Furniture.

Chas from Chas Crazy Creations has a tutorial on a side table makeover.

Kim from Shiplap and Shells has A Simple and Easy Way to Upgrade a Garage Sale table here.

Kristin from White Arrows Home is showing some Creative End Table Ideas here.

Andrea from Design Morsels shows us how to refinish a wood table.

Niky from The House on Silverado displays a Winter Tiered Tray on her Entry table.

Kippi from Kippi at Home is demonstrating simple ways to update furniture

Please remember we all love comments and feedback!

A new year, a vaccine and hopefully things will be looking up for the world. A rather spontaneous series of circumstances is the basis for our New Year’s Eve celebration. Instead of having a formal meal on New Year’s Day we opted to have a dinner with family and friends on December 31st. So here’s how we welcomed in a happy 2021.

I am a big believer that setting the mood for an event happens as soon as your guests arrive. That’s why having a champagne bar out of the back of my vintage 1974 Triumph TR6 seemed like a good idea.

My son’s girlfriend, Delaney help create the vintage/luxury theme by using a fur stole, crystal garland, a tapestry shawl and sparkly trees. A copper tub holds the champagne and Prosecco and hot mulled apple cider is also offered as a non-alcoholic beverage.

Our neighbor who always finds fabulous things, brought over a jar of hibiscus flowers she found at Trader Joe’s. What a festive addition to the champagne! To see how I decorated the TR6 at another event, click here.

A sit down dinner for 10 on the back porch included: smoked turkey and ribs, salad from the garden, French onion soup, twice baked potatoes, bread pudding, mincemeat pie and persimmon bread. Then the sparklers came out which is a fun way to end a year. More fireworks were occurring on the cul-de-sac next to us, so it was an eventful night!

Onto New Year’s Day

Rather early to bed on NYE and up in time to see the first sunrise of 2021. Since we have so much foliage we never get a good view of the horizon, but it was still quiet and peaceful to watch it.

Implementing a Resolution

Probably the most important resolution for me is to get back to habitually exercising. In 2021, I am committed to doing something at least 6 days per week. For me, this doesn’t mean a high intensity workout daily (at least not yet), but easing my way back into the habit of exercise. So on New Year’s Day I took a long walk, getting my heart rate up enough to qualify as exercise. Whether it be hiking, biking, walking, going to the gym or Pilates, I am attempting to exercise each day.

Last year for Christmas I received an Apple watch. I was seeking a way to monitor my heart rate as three close friends (in my age group) had cardiac issues (one fatal). Instead of some sort of heart monitor, the family bought me this watch. I actually love the fact that it records my movements, heart rate and can also let you know if something is amiss.

Setting Goals

Here’s an example of what it records. There are 3 circles that represent your activity. Blue is for standing, yellow is for exercise and the red is for calories burned by moving. You set the parameters for this. My goals are: 12 hours of standing; 30 minutes of exercise (I should increase that); and 560 calories burned by moving. When you reach your goal, the watch notifies you and the circle is complete.

As you can see I did pretty well January 2020. To give you an idea, I completed 31 workouts for a total of 21 hours 32 minutes of exercise and burned 5,044 calories. So I started last year with good intentions. But you can see what happens over the course of the year (and COVID didn’t help). In November 2020, I did 13 workouts, 12 1/2 hours and burned 2,400 calories. Pretty pathetic.

The watch also tracks the # of steps you take per day. Lots of areas to set new goals. If you have a smart phone, the Health App also tracks several items too.

I am also using the Lose It app, which monitors your caloric intake. Surprisingly, when you write down what you eat, you tend to eat less.

So I am hoping that the combination of exercising, tracking my food intake and reporting back to you will help me in 2021.

A few of you asked about my exercise goals and hopefully this will motivate you to get started. Remember to check with your doctor if you are doing something out of the ordinary. What works for me, may not work for you. But let’s get started together. I hope to publish my monthly results in order to make myself accountable to you.

I hope you had a wonderful New Year’s celebration. Now let’s make this a fabulous year!

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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With only 3 days until Christmas, I always like to set my table ahead of time to minimize the chaos on Christmas Day. Inspired by my pink and burgundy dining room holiday decor, I did a completely new tablescape this year. Thanks for joining me and I hope you enjoy my Christmas Dinner table.

Protecting the Table

We have a custom table pad made by Guardian (however, I cannot find them online). Padding on the table top accomplishes a few things. First it protects the surface of the table. Next, and perhaps what I like most, is that the pad softens the sound of table activity~for example placing your glass down after using it. Subtle as it may be, you can register when there isn’t a pad or protective layer, as the table will echo the noise.

The Tablecloths

For this setting, I am using two tablecloths~a larger lace white one first, and then a smaller burgundy/pink toile fabric one. Toile designs depict pastoral scenes, farm life and hunting scenes. My source for the tablecloth is Williams Sonoma, but it appears they do not carry it in stock anymore. Here is a link to a gorgeous toile fabric you can buy by the yard.

The Place Setting

If you read my blog post about the DIY napkin project that I completely botched (see post here), you will be pleased to see these beautiful napkins. My sister, Susie, read my post and as a Christmas gift, embroidered much prettier ones! What a nice sister!

The antique silver chargers can be found at Amazon (set of six here) and though they look like real silver, they are melamine. Hard to believe, right? Silver rimmed, white dishes are from Pottery Barn and have a picture of each of Santa’s reindeer on them.

The pink wine goblets are from Pier One and the vintage water ones are part of my collection. They are a subtle link to the pink holiday theme of the fresh Christmas tree.

The Centerpiece

Fresh greens, and a collection of tinsel and white feather trees gather in the middle of the table. Individual silver mint julep cups hold fresh pink roses, evergreens and a sparkly blush-toned pinecone.

Votive candles in a rose tone (from West Elm) add another glow of light to the centerpiece. Pomegranates are strewn throughout to add a deeper shade of red to the table.

Decorating the Chairs

Each chair is adorned with a boxwood wreath and pale pink satin ribbon. These are pinned to the tops of the upholstered chairs. Wreaths are a Ballard Design purchase, during one of their sales events. They look lovely year after year.

Inspiration is a funny thing~I am such a visual person and sometimes an idea is sparked by the most random thing. I haven’t used this toile tablecloth in years, yet here it is working beautifully for the holidays. The burgundy ribbon is another relic found in the bottom of a Christmas bin.

Even my friend and Pilates teacher, Heather, found the perfect ornament to match my pink tree!

Today is food shopping for our holiday dinner and one more zoning case. Then I can finally relax and wrap gifts and enjoy these last few days before the 25th.

Since I will be taking the rest of the week off and spending the time with my family, I want to wish you and yours the happiest of holidays. Whatever you are celebrating, I hope you are surrounded by love and laughter. Each day I am so grateful for your interest in our pursuits here at Bella Terra. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for following me. Have a fabulous week and stay safe and healthy.

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This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch 641st Tablescape Thursday.