If you recall, we recently had a major leak from the upstairs bathroom tub/shower and into our living room below. The bathroom is out of commission as a result. In order to find the problem, the plumber does damage the floor. To see that post, click here.

My very reliable tile guy, Rick, said he could patch it but it would look like a patch job. And the floor is over 20 years old. Instead, we decide to pull off the old tile and add a new floor. The subfloor around the leak damage also needs replacing too.

Selecting the Tile

Fortunately, we do have a Floor and Decor in town. Floor & Decor is a leading specialty retailer of hard surface flooring, offering a large selection of tile, wood, stone, and flooring accessories at everyday low prices. A big box store, I can touch and feel the product before buying it. And they let you return leftover tile!

The tile we selected I am now seeing everywhere I go. Not realizing its popularity, the timelessness of it is perfect for our bathroom. We try to make selections that are classic and appropriate for our 110 year old house.

Here is an older photo of the bathroom, taken when I painted our daughter’s bedroom black and white. See that post here. Notice the tile on the floor was installed in a rather crooked fashion. Overall this is a poor installation job.

The new marble tile goes quite well with the existing Carrera marble countertop.

Demolition

Rick tears out the existing tile~which is a messy job. Being a second floor bathroom, it takes lots of trips up and down the stairs to dump the debris.

Naturally, all the fixtures need to be removed first~the tub, faucets and toilet. Fortunately there is space in the nearby bedroom.

Installation

The original Hardy board backer on the floor is in great shape. And only the section near the tub’s drain pipe needs repair.

Here is the finished floor. While the tub is out, it is a good opportunity to scrub down the baseboard!

Since this floor is marble, we will more than likely add a penetrating sealant for protection.

The total cost of this unexpected leak is:

Plumber: $895.00

Cost of tile: $500.00

Tile Installation: $700.00

Now this is a good reason to have a Rainy Day fund! Thankfully, there is resolution to the problem and we are happy with the results.

Happy Wednesday!

I am so excited to join a small group of fellow gardeners for a monthly Garden hop. What makes this fun is that we all live in different planting zones. So when one of us is planting, another may be harvesting. So if you love gardening, or are a novice, you have come to the right place. Today my post is May Gardening, a peek into what is happening now in my garden.

For those of you who are new to Life at Bella Terra, I have a designated vegetable/flower garden space on the western side of our 2 acres. Surrounded by a white picket fence, the vegetable garden space is approximately 22 feet wide by 30 feet long. Situated nearby is the hen house.

We have several “gardens” on our property~a fruit orchard, a bulb, rose and flower garden. Today I will focus on our vegetable garden.

There are 5 raised planter beds inside the picket fence. And the entry is a rebar arch with grape vines growing up and over, creating a shady spot during the summer.

Our growing zone is 9B according to the US Plant Hardiness Zone Map. If you do not know your growing zone, click here. There are two main growing seasons in Phoenix: from mid-February until the end of May, and from September to mid-November.

In May, the temperatures are getting warmer and we are nearing our end of the Spring growing season. Generally this is a good month for harvesting peaches, apricots, tomatoes, snap peas, strawberries, shishito peppers, basil and rhubarb.

Protecting from Garden Pests

This year I am fighting garden pests for the first time. As a result I am protecting the plants with mesh screens, tulle and cages. This is the first time I am using tulle on hoops to cover some of the beds. I just realized that I may be preventing pollination as the birds and the bees cannot access the plants to do their thing.

In pulling back the tulle, I am opening up the fruiting plants (pumpkin, cucumbers, melons) to the air so hopefully this will solve that problem.

The quail in the yard is doing a number this year on my garden. In one day, all my snow pea plants were stripped to the stalks. Rhubarb leaves are gone. Sunflower seedlings pulled up out of the ground. Previously I used bird netting, but occasionally it would trap a small bird. And it can be easily gnawed through by something with teeth.

Kale is another plant that seems to attract rodents. Never before have I had to protect my plants like this.

Slugs and leaf eating bugs are captured in bowls of beer. But with additional protective measures this year, I hope to have a good spring crop.

May Garden To Do List

• Fertilize rose bushes and tomato plants (late April/early May)
• Keep roses watered well and deeply throughout this month
• Weeding~summer is coming and Bermuda grass is actively invading flower beds.
• Thin fruits to increase their quality and prevent them from dropping from the heat
• Check your drip system for the coming summer
• Plant cantaloupe, pumpkin and winter squash
• Flowers to sow: Balsam, Celosia Cockscomb, Cosmos, Gloriosa Daisy, Hollyhocks, Marigold, Salvia, Shasta Daisy, Sunflower,Vinca, Zinnia

And now for the Gardening Blog Hop!

Chas from Chas Crazy Creations shows us how to do a Straw Bale Garden set up.…this does sound interesting!

Kim from Shiplap and Shells demonstrated how to divide dahlia tubers.

Stacy Ling from Bricks ‘n Blooms shares her early spring garden tour here.

I hope you are gardening or getting ready to plant. It is so rewarding and each year is different than the one before. For another garden post, click here.

Happy Tuesday! I am currently out of town for an unexpected death in the family so I am not posting much on stories, Instagram or Facebook. But hope to be back home next week, if all goes well. Stay safe!

This month’s DIY blog hop is all about thrift store finds. I have really missed scouring thrift stores in 2020! Lucky me to find these gorgeous tarnished candlesticks years ago. They are the perfect size to make into buffet lamps for an entry table or dining room. Here is my DIY on turning thrift store candlesticks into lamps.

I don’t know about you, but often I cannot find just the right lamp so it’s easy to convert a thrift store find into that perfect lamp. What attracts me to these candlesticks is the ornate design in the metal. From a distance they look elegant and expensive. Due to their relatively light weight, I can’t really tell what kind of metal. My first inclination is that they are silver-plate, but there is a brass cast to the patina.

I don’t recall how much I paid for these candlesticks, but you can find many silver-plated or brass sets on eBay for a small amount~$25.00. Just make sure you find candlesticks that are hollow.

Now my husband, Scott will take over and provide the tutorial to convert these candlesticks into lamps.

Supplies You Will Need

• Hollow Candlesticks
• Threaded rod (available in various lengths)
• Lamp socket
• Make a Lamp Kit or see individual items below
• Candle sheaths
• Lamp shades
• Light bulbs

Preparing the Candlestick

The first step is to drill a hole through the top of the candlestick, just big enough for a 1/2 inch diameter all thread steel pipe.  It’s hollow so the wire can run up the middle. 

Here’s a shot of the pipe and a base plate for the candlestick holder.  You’ll see three thin brass nuts.  One holds the plate on, one sets the top of the rod against the top hole we just drilled and the third sets the height of the socket.

Here’s a picture of the hole drilled in the bottom of my candlestick (you may not need to do that.  The brass plate holds the rod with the nut but also centers the rod in the indentation.

A trip to our local legendary electrical supply store French Electric & Lighting Supply, Inc., in Phoenix, Arizona is necessary. Here’s where we get the candelabra sockets, plug wires, rocker cord switches, adaptors for full size bulbs, plastic candle sheaths and warm LED bulbs (40 watt 2700K).

Assembly

Assembly is pretty quick.  I slide the nut and baseplate over the plug wire, thread the wire through the threaded steel rod (cut to the appropriate length) and push the rod up through the candlestick holder.

I put the plate in place and screw the nut onto lower end of the threaded rod and hand tighten it.  Next, I put two nuts on the top part of the rod(one to tighten the top of the rod to the candlestick and one to set the height of the socket.  Now I attach the wires to the socket which will screw onto the rod.  Since I don’t do this often, I find the guide above useful.

I only have two wires here so I ignore the last line.

The last thing I do is put in an inline rocker switch.  It’s pretty straightforward.  Here’s a picture of the inside of the switch. 

The cord passes through the switch.  I split the wire with a knife, cut the hot wire, take about 1/2 inch of insulation on both cut ends and attach them to the poles.  Tighten them down and reassemble the switch.  
The sockets come with a cardboard sleeve which is the perfect diameter for the plastic candle sleeve.  Tighten up the various nuts, slide the candle sleeve over the socket and you now have a lamp ( in need of a bulb and shade). 

Finishing Touches

Thank you, Scott! I love them. Now it’s time for me to dress them up.

Since I do like the vintage look, I do not want to completely polish them to a high sheen. I first start with silver polish, but it only reveals that these candlesticks are not silver. With a little brass polish, I can lightly clean the metal.

I do have different color shades that I change each season~blue for Spring, gold for Autumn and white/cream for the New Year. Ballard Design is a great resource for shades of different sizes and colors. According to Architectural Digest, your shade should be 1/3 of the total height of your lamp. These candlestick lamps are 24″ tall and my shade is 8″.

Aren’t they beautiful? They add a touch of elegance to my entry hall table, as well as light for evening ambiance.

If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest.

Thank you for joining me today for the DIY Monthly Blog Hop. Now let’s check out what my friends are doing.

Chas from Chas’ Crazy Creations teaches us how to Paint with Chalk Paint

Niky from The House on Silverado has a wonderful thrift store Farmhouse sign makeover.

Andrea from Design Morsels mixes vintage and modern here.

Kippi from Kippi at Home shows how to take a Goodwill shirt and turn it into a gardening apron.

Allison from Darling and Dapper Life makes a Farmhouse Bread Basket from a thrift store find.

Amy from Health, Home and Heart does a thrift store bench makeover.

Kim from Shiplap and Shells, who has a gorgeous garden uses a thrift store find to show off your garden flowers.

Tarah from Grandma’s House DIY takes a Thrift Store Basket and creates a gift for Mother’s Day.

I hope you enjoy seeing all the thrift store finds. Makes me want to go shopping!

Since we are a border state to Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is often celebrated here on May 5th. Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican Independence Day and it isn’t a federal holiday in Mexico either. So why do we acknowledge this holiday?  Cinco de Mayo was first celebrated in the United States in Southern California in 1863 as a show of solidarity with Mexico against French rule. This holiday is more of a general celebration of Mexican heritage and culture. A unusual fact: Denver, Colorado has the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration.

I love to cook but I can honestly say I really don’t make many Mexican recipes. The reason is because we have SO many great restaurants who serve authentic south of the border food. We take the accessibility of this cultural food for granted. But if you are interested in participating in this fiesta, here are some quick tips.

What You Need

Here is a relatively easy way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and enjoy some of the tasty foods available. Some important items to have on hand are:

• Carne Asada~ is a dish of grilled and sliced beef, usually skirt steak, sirloin steak, tenderloin steak, or rib steak. It is usually cooked with a marinade and some searing to impart a charred flavor. 
• Tortillas
• Guacamole
• Cilantro
• Cojita Cheese
• Chopped white onion
• Lime slices
• Salsa
• Corn on the Cob
• Watermelon

Fortunately, we have some grocery stores who offer a full variety of ethnic and Hispanic food choices. We are able to purchase carne asada, already marinated and ready to go. Food City provides everything we need for this meal. And their produce department is off the charts!

Preparation

It takes minimal prep work to dice the onions, slice the limes, crumble the cheese and chop the cilantro.

The best basic guacamole recipe is from Serious Eats and takes 15 minutes to make. See the recipe here.

Another FABULOUS recipe is Elote which is grilled Mexican Street Corn, again from Serious Eats. You will LOVE this! Recipe here. I have made this multiple times and it is a winner.

Easy Cooking

A quick grilling of the carne asada and cutting into bite sized pieces, is all it takes to prepare the meat.

Put all the fixings into bowl so your guests can help themselves to the cheese, onions, cilantro and limes.

Warm the tortillas in an oven or microwave and wrap in a towel until ready to serve.

This is such an easy, simple and delicious meal to serve anytime, but definitely for Cinco de Mayo!

For dessert, slices of cold watermelon and cookies are a great option.

For more Cinco de Mayo ideas, a group of blogging friends create a Cinco de Mayo Virtual Supper Club. See my friend, Rachel’s Cilantro Lime Black Beans side dish. Rachel also has wonderful ideas for Cinco de Mayo table setting too! Click here to see more.

My friend, Chloe from Celebrate and Decorate makes a fabulous tissue paper garland which is perfect for this holiday. To see her post, click here.

I hope you are inspired by all the festive table decorations and delicious food. May is just around the corner and remember, Cinco de Mayo is May 5th.

Happy Wednesday, my sweet friends! I am traveling this week and hope to get a Saturday Meanderings out to you. Enjoy the rest of April and we will chat again soon.

If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest.

Each year we support the Scottsdale Artist School. Over time, the School has evolved into one of America’s foremost independent art institutions, offering a robust slate of art programs for adults; and a youth academy for teens and children. Last November, during their annual event (which was virtual), we offered to host a wine tasting and historical tour for 20 at our home.

Of course, at the time we were all in the midst of COVID. An event where one can be outside, social distance and taste wine, sounds like a good contribution. We have never done a wine tasting here before, so I did need to think through the details of hosting this event.

Determining Location and Time

Our property looks its best in April. Nearly everything is in bloom and the weather is perfect. Months earlier the auction recipient and I determine a date. Two hours of wine tasting seems the right amount of time and 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. is selected.

Welcoming the attendees at the front of the house makes the front porch the ideal location to start. From there my husband and I walk the yard and designate 3 other parts of the property. Areas of interest, a shady spot under a tree, and other factors point us to the right locations for a total of 4 tasting stations.

Food and Beverage

I feel very fortunate to have someone who caters for us frequently, knows my kitchen and is a talented and creative chef. Julie Greder designs an innovative menu with multiple options. After some discussion, we decide on an Italian theme with heavy hors d’oeuvres and food that will complement the wine.

This is the first time we engage a sommelier, who is highly recommended to us by our local Safeway liquor manager. We contact Mardi Keckeis and we are instantly good friends. Mardi walks the property and hears our ideas on how we want to the evening to progress, while making wine recommendations.

I put Mardi in touch with Julie and they work on the perfect food/wine pairings.

Renting Glasses

Since I refuse to have a wine tasting with plastic glasses, I rent flutes and both white and red wine glasses from Party People Rentals. This truly is the easiest option. The cost is minimal and the good news is, that you don’t have to wash the glasses before returning them. Who wants to clean 100 glasses?

Fortunately I have 100 glass plates in my garage, so we use those instead of paper ones.

The Day of the Event

With the help of our healthy, young houseguests, tables are placed around the yard. We decide to add some chairs at the 3rd tasting location as an option for sitting.

With a start time of 5:30 p.m., at 4:00 p.m. I place tablecloths and flowers on the tables. By 4:30 p.m. I am in the shower and getting ready for our guests. The caterer and sommelier are here so I can now focus on just getting cleaned up.

And So It Begins..

Our guests arrive and we are delighted that it is an entire family. They haven’t gotten together since before COVID and you can see they are happy to gather and share time together.

The first tasting is Belstar Prosecco D.O.C. with Lemon Basil Ricotta Brushetta and Shrimp Scampi.

While on the front terrace, my husband explains the history of the property.

The next wine station is near the well tower, guest cottage and gardens. Here we feature a white wine and a classic Brushetta, Caprese Skewers and Tomato and Olive topped Polenta bites. We talk about the well and how we water our property. The hen house is a big hit!

Since it is nearing golden hour, it is the perfect time to take a family photo for our guests.

Next we head to the orchard. A delicious red wine, Massolino Barbera d’Alba, is the perfect accompaniment to Stuffed Mushrooms and Risotto. Nasturtiums from the garden add color to the plate.

The final stop is dessert bites on the back terrace with a sparkling sweeter wine, Rosa Regale. Chocolate Cannoli Tarts and Lemon Raspberry Zabaglione round out the event.

All in all, I believe the evening and tasting went well. And to raise money for such a wonderful organization is an added bonus. I’m still on my Fast Metabolism diet so I didn’t get to taste any wines, but they certainly did smell good!

Happy Tuesday! It’s the last week in April. Our houseguests all leave today so the house will feel empty and quiet.

If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest.

Happy Saturday and welcome to Saturday Meanderings. I love chatting with you on this weekend morning about all the good (mostly) things that are occurring this week. Tonight we are hosting a wine tasting here at our home, which we offered as a charitable item for the Scottsdale Artist School. I will try and take lots of pictures as we hope to have great wine, good food and charming company.

Tiger Eye Flowering Maple

Do you ever go to the nursery and buy something you know nothing about? I have never seen a Tiger Eye flowering maple. Apparently they grow very well here and we did buy two of these plants. I just love the flowers and I wonder if they will dry, like Chinese lanterns. Wouldn’t they be fun for autumn decorating?

The plumber arrived on Thursday and we, unfortunately, did need to take up part of the floor in my daughter’s bathroom. After moving the clawfoot tub, the plumber indicates that the original installation was “jury-rigged”. Groan. So a new drain pipe is installed and I am determining the extent of the damage to the floor and floor tiles. It may be time to replace the whole thing. Not sure a patch job will look good, even if it is under the tub. More to come on this. Cha-ching. If you missed the post about the leak, click here.

Battery Operated Candles

Just a reminder to take your battery operated candles inside during warm weather. We use these candles ALOT during the cooler months as they provide such a pretty ambiance in lanterns and on the table. However, one warm day and look what happens. The candle still works and maybe I can use it as a Halloween decoration?

Kimonos

I love the look of a pretty kimono. Not only is it fashionable, but they do a great job of hiding the backside. There is one at Chico’s that seems quite pretty, but I have a hard time spending over $100 on this.

Last year, I did buy this yellow one from Amazon for $23.99 and each time I wear it, I get many compliments. Simply draped over white jeans and a white t-shirt or tank, it’s a nice look. So I went back on Amazon and purchased two more designs. I will let you know if I like the new colors.

Going for a Garden Win

Gardening this year has been a bit of a challenge due to the pests who have invaded the garden. However, I am determined to get ahead of their destruction. This week I did cover the garden with tulle. A new blog post will be coming out about this endeavor but hopefully, this fabric will do a better job of keeping out the critters.

The Plight of the Strawberries

As you know, one of my garden goal’s this year is to have LOTS of strawberries. Well, the plants I ordered online all died and I’ve been trying to replenish them with local plants. Slowly, I am getting strawberries ripening one at a time. This gal may end up buying strawberries to make anything yummy! Why do homegrown strawberries taste differently than store bought?

Everything is Blooming

It is a beautiful time of year to take brisk walks around the neighborhood. All the flowering trees are blooming. Since I don’t have any allergies, I find it all so beautiful. And I love how the ground turns yellow with all the blossoms!

I don’t mean to complain

Typically I try and keep a positive attitude on most things, but I have to say who the heck designed the sign-up system for Medicare? What a painful process. I consider myself relatively bright and navigating through this bureaucratic system is indeed frustrating. Not to mention none of my doctors (not that I have many) take Medicare and I am paying more than my old private insurance plan. Ah, the fun of turning 65!

I just started reading Rhys Bowen’s The Venice Sketchbook. Since I love Venice and art, this is becoming such an enjoyable read. Two women, generations apart, escape to Venice to find answers to secrets. As one reader states, Rhy’s writing is “glorious and atmospheric”.

As you know I am very partial to Rhys Bowen’s books, as I am a character in one of them. To read that post, click here.

Well, this wraps up Saturday Meanderings. Thank you for all your positive comments about the new blog series, Room by Room! I am excited to share more of my home with you. If you missed that post, you can see it here.

Have a terrific weekend! Our son and his friends will be arriving back to Phoenix today after exploring Arizona and Utah. Can’t wait to hear about their adventures.