Can it be mid-August already? Am I seeing school buses again? This must be the fastest year ever as it feels like I am in fast forward mode ALL the time. As you read this, I am at our mountain cabin, inspiring to relax. My visions of dinner outside and cooler temps will hopefully come true. Welcome again to another Saturday Meanderings, where we chat about all good and wonderful things.

Curious Results

My friends, Rick and Janie sent me a picture of their homemade tomato sauce. Hmmm. Rick, with 40 lbs. of tomatoes made 16 jars (pint) of sauce =32 cups of sauce. I, with 60 lbs. of tomatoes made 20 jars (pint) of sauce =40 cups of sauce. Wondering why my yield is less…Guessing that I probably reduced my sauce down more (but that much more?) could be the reason.

We’ve agreed to get together and do a taste test because if I can get the same flavor and consistency and more yield, I will note that for next year’s sauce making project. If you missed the post on the 4 Ingredient Tomato Sauce, you can see it here.

Look at these cute vintage holiday tea towels! Hester & Cook has a great selection this year. I am not sure how I will use them, but perhaps as a gift wrap for some fresh baked goodies? I just love the nostalgic vibe-it reminds me of my childhood. Natural 100% cotton and priced at $16.00 each. They measure 19″ wide by 33 1/2″ long. You can find them here.

Easy Summer Dessert

Trader Joe’s frozen pie crust is a staple in my freezer. With the abundance of fresh fruit like cherries and peaches, you can make this easy dessert with just a few ingredients.

Occasionally, when I unroll the TJ pie crust, it breaks apart. But since they package it between two large sheets of plastic wrap, I just take a rolling pin and do a few swipes over the plastic. The crust comes together nicely and then it is ready to use.

Pile the fruit in the middle with the suggested ingredients, curl up the edges of the pie crust, brush with a bit of egg wash and you are ready to bake.

Your friends and family will be impressed with your galette and they never need to know how easy peasy it is. I have made this recipe with cherries, peaches, apricots and apples. For the peach galette, here is the recipe from Serious Eats. And this yummy Rustic Cherry galette recipe is from She Wears Many Hats.

DIY-Vintage Bottle Labels

With fall and Halloween right around the corner, my friend, Rachel from The Ponds Farmhouse has a great tutorial about making these labels for your fall decor. Aren’t they amazing? See it here.

Kitchen Love

I love looking at pictures of kitchens. Often I dream about designing a new kitchen (not that I don’t enjoy mine) and what elements to include. The Scout Guide just posted a fabulous article about creating a timeless kitchen. There is some really great information. See it here. Also, as an FYI, The Scout Guide has publications in individual cities and you can own a franchise too. Check it out here.

Home Renovation

In 2004, I developed a home renovation/restoration business called Picket Fences, Inc. While pregnant with my third child and running errands, I had an ah-ha moment, pulled over to the side of the road, and quickly wrote down the beginnings of what would be a business plan for my company, Picket Fences. I love breathing new life into older properties and after many years in corporate America, this new adventure was right up my alley. Long before Fixer Upper or other HGTV shows became popular, I had a few home remodels under my belt.

The goal at that time was to buy one house per year in our mature neighborhood, improve it, sell it and make enough money to pay for the children’s tuition and one great family trip. It actually fulfilled my creative nature and allowed a flexible schedule while raising 3 children.

However, everyone started getting on the bandwagon and it became more and more difficult to find homes, at a reasonable price, and make a profit while maintaining my reputation and high standards. At first there was little to no competition. And then investment companies would pay more for properties, do really inferior work and “flipping” became the norm.

Here is an article from Apartment Therapy about 3 former house flippers who reveal why they quit flipping houses. If you think this is the occupation for you, please read this because it is filled with the realities of home flipping. It is not as glamorous as it seems. You can read it here.

To see the Before and After pictures of the restoration of a 1922 Jeffersonian home I did, click here.

Well, that wraps up another Saturday Meanderings. Thanks for joining me!

Have a wonderful weekend!

We are already at the second week in June. Not sure I remember where March, April and May went, but they certainly flew by. Welcome to another Saturday Meanderings, where we discuss all the fun and good things happening around us this week.

Flag Day on June 14

Growing up, I remember celebrating Flag Day. Does anyone do that anymore? If not, I vote that we should. We have such a beautiful flag which is so symbolic of our country’s freedom.

So what is Flag Day? It is the celebration of the adoption of the American Flag on June 14, 1777. In the midst of the Revolutionary War, the first American flag was designed to represent the 13 colonies with 13 white stars on a blue field and 13 alternating red and white stripes.

in 1782, the Congress of the Articles of Confederation chose the colors for the Great Seal of the United States with these meanings:

• white for purity and innocence
• red for valor and hardiness
• blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice

Personally, regardless of political differences, our flag always deserve respect and honor. If you need flags for Flag Day or July 4th, there is a good selection here. Happy Flag Day!

Vacation Dreams

Even though I love living here in Phoenix, I long for a vacation (or vacation home) by the water. There is just something calming about staring out over an ocean, an inlet or a large lake. Literally for years I have been dreaming about the perfect beach home. And then I saw this….

For sale in Cornwall, England is this tiny historical cottage on 40 acres and 1. 4 linear miles of coastline. If I only had a mere 1.75 million pounds laying around.

Called the Beach Hut, it is a vacation rental currently. In the 1920s it was a tea room as this is one of Britain’s top 10 geological sites. Once it is sold, who knows what will happen to it. Below is a picture of the interior. The cottage is one room with an open kitchen and wet bath.

How charming is this! I do love how the current owners decorate the space.

In looking up the rental schedule and it is not available for several months. It also comes with a boat house.

The Beach Hut is used for photoshoots, TV commercials and for film locations.   It’s also a popular stop for surfing champions. If you saw the Demi Moore 2006 movie, Half Light, this location is the star of the show. To read more about this cottage, Cote de Texas does an extensive review of its history and rental information. Click here.

A girl can dream, right?

Moths

I do not know if there is a correlation between the COVID lockdown and the increased population of bugs. In addition to the pests in the garden, I now seem to have an increased moth problem in the master closet. In a previous post I featured the Cashmere Protection Pouch I found on Amazon to protect my sweaters. You can see that here.

But I did want to take a more active role in reducing any future infestation of these pesky critters. BugMD Clothes Moth Boss traps use pheromone-infused glue to capture closet and cabinet dwelling moths that chew holes through your clothing and linens.

Using a nontoxic and pesticide-free method, insects are trapped in this cardboard tent for reliable, mess free control. Folded design keeps the pheromones from sticking to surface garments, shoes, or people.

The Moth Boss comes with a hanger so you can easily place them inside your closet near clothing. Add to linen cabinets, laundry rooms, and other areas where you suspect a moth infestation or if you want to prevent one.

These traps last 12 weeks and I’ve had them up for about 4 weeks. So far they seem to be working. I hope to order more for our cabin where I know we have lots of moths. You can order them here.

Moisturizer

I seem to struggle with finding the RIGHT skin care products. Personally, I wish there was a resource who knew all the products available, could assess my skin type, and then prescribe the right lotions, cleansers, masks, etc. When I go to a department store, I know the employees are incentivized to sell certain products and often, find they are just not right for me.

A recent American Express offer put a $50.00 credit toward a Peter Thomas Roth product. Needing a moisturizer for our hot summers, and being practically free, I did order the Water Drench Hydrating Moisturizer. This concentrated 30% Hyaluronic Acid Complex cream provides up to 72 hours of hydration—even after cleansing. 

I have been using it for a week now and I must say, I am so pleased. It is as if I can hear my skin gulping it up. The product is so hydrating and its description of being a “cloud cream” is spot on. Will keep you posted on this, but I can honestly see and feel a difference. If you are interested in this product, you can find it here.

Does anyone use Peter Thomas Roth products? If so, please let me know if I need to purchase others.

Apricots

Typically this is the time of year I would be harvesting LOTS of apricots. But after a significant whacking off of the branches in the late winter, we had minimal fruit this year. The trees look healthy but I’m sure reducing them by 50% is a shock to their system. However, the few I harvested are delicious.

Apricots are in season and this recipe is one of my favorites. It is a Martha Stewart one and the combination of the almond crust, Amaretto flavored custard and sweet, juicy apricots is a winner. Made two of these tarts this week. See the recipe here.

Another very simple use for apricots is a rustic tart using pie crust. If you don’t want to make your pie crust from scratch, I love Trader’s Joes frozen pie crust as it is the next best thing. Just toss the fresh apricots with some sugar and a pinch of salt. Place in the center of the crust.

Pinch the pie crust up and over the edge of the apricots and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes or until it looks like this.

Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream or a drizzle of Amaretto! So easy, simple and delicious.

Cooper

Our sweet and very large dog, Cooper is recovering from an injured paw. His right pad is raw and tender. Of course, excessive licking hasn’t helped either. We tried cleaning it out, but all 120 pounds of Cooper did not enjoy that. Currently, we have ointment and a gauze pad wrapping the area. Trying to keep him from removing it with a white athletic sock. He is not happy about any of this. Cooper is the all white version of the Anatolian Shepherd, called an Akbash.

This week Cooper ran to our south wall to see his dog friend next door. When he was out of sight, I heard this loud body slamming noise. I ran to see what happened and Cooper looked disoriented, dazed and kept shaking his head. I don’t know what happened, but we are keeping an eye on him. Wonder if he flipped over and hit his head? He does seem much better but dogs are like children, you constantly worry about them.

This Week’s Posts

If you missed any posts this week, here they are:

How to Make a Garden Obelisk here

Father’s Day Gift Guide here

Have a wonderful weekend. We are enjoying lovely morning and evening weather here. However the prediction is that our true summer heat will be making an appearance next week. Summer is upon us!

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It feels so good to get back to writing a Saturday Meanderings. The last two weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind and I appreciate you understanding my lack of posting. Happy Saturday and let’s chat about what is going on.

The day after our houseguests left I excitedly left Phoenix to Orlando, Florida to meet up with 3 of my favorite blogging friends (Design Morsels and Chas Crazy Creations). For me, this trip would be full of creative ideas, new sites and new memories. I landed in Orlando late on a Wednesday night and got to see Celebration, Florida for the first time.

Celebration is a master planned community designed by The Walt Disney Company. The town, which has approximately 12,000 residents, is architecturally beautiful, fabulously landscaped, and impeccably maintained. Think Main Street USA but far better. My friend, Chloe, from Celebrate and Decorate lives in a gorgeous home with a large Southern front porch. Hosting our blogging get-together at her lovely home is such a treat.

The length of my trip was supposed to be Wednesday through Sunday. However, the very next day, I received notification that the Norwich, Connecticut police found my aunt dead in her home. My aunt, Gail, is the last of my father’s siblings and lived alone. Her death was unexpected as she was in good health, extremely active and independent (still driving) for her age of 100. She would have been 101 in August.

I ended my trip to Florida after one day and got the first flight up to Connecticut. With no children or living spouse, I am the person responsible to handle Aunt Gail’s finality and estate. Fortunately, I locate some documentation with her burial wishes and we had a lovely farewell ceremony the following week. Now probate begins and who knows when I will need to return to manage the rest.

The good news is that spring flowers are in bloom in Connecticut and my aunt has 3 very large lilac bushes. I cut armfuls and fill her home with their lovely scent. Azaleas and rhododendrons are also at their best.

Now I am back home in Phoenix and quickly had a day to do all the laundry from our last house guests. We are entertaining our new delightful house guests this week. So it’s been a bit busy and as a result, I’ve hardly spent time on my blog or social media.

While I was away, the sunflowers opened up and the birds are enjoying the fresh peaches on the tree.

Daydreaming

But life happens and we manage. Maybe as a result of experiencing a loss, you think ahead. Lately I am dreaming about designing my own home someday. Or at least thinking about being able to renovate a home exactly the way I want with an unlimited budget! Wouldn’t that be nice. But I seem to like several different styles. Which of these appeal to you?

Stark and serene?

Classic and clean?

Warm and elegant?

Or lots of character and charm?

Oops!

Do you remember last year when I changed the color of the front door from red to blue? Look what I just found! Ha! Funny how I did not notice the unpainted edge until now..ah, another project.

Just recently, I started reading a wonderful book series from Karen White. The House on Tradd Street is the first book of many and it is a brilliant, chilling story featuring a Charleston real estate agent who loves old houses~and the secret histories inside them.

I am looking forward to a quiet and relaxing weekend here at home. Thanks again for joining me today!

This past weekend I did do more window washing and tackled the job of cleaning the range hood. Using a newly recommended product from my friend, Andrea from Design Morsels, I am amazed at the results. A weekend of cleaning resulting in also doing some easy kitchen updates. But let’s start with this new product.

A great Degreaser

Andrea is the modern day Hints from Heloise (am I dating myself?). From her decorating tips to product reviews, I know I can trust that Andrea has done the homework for me. When she recommends Krud Kutter to clean your range hood, I immediately order some online. See here.

Our Dacor stainless steel range hood looks clean from a distance….until I spray Krud Kutter on it. Immediately the smell of old grease fills the air and much to my horror, the range hood is far from clean.

When I spray Krud Kutter on my Waterworks tile (again they look clean) the degreaser quickly does its job. At this point, I am just appalled.

In the range hood, I have 4 metal filters which I spray down and place in the sink. Thinking grease is difficult to remove from the mesh, I pour boiling water over the filters. You can see the difference between the dirty vs. clean part.

By the time I finish, not only am I pooped but what other items can I attack with Krud Kutter? Now that this cooking area is super clean, I want to mix things up a bit.

My Inspiration

I love art in a kitchen. However, I have so few walls that it is difficult to find a place for it. Inspired by a picture of Heloïse Brion’s kitchen, (author of Miss Maggie’s Kitchen cookbook), why not put art on the shelf above the stove?

Before and After

Here’s a picture of my cooking area before Krud Kutter. A bit cluttered and well-used.

And now here it is ~new and improved! Look at the clean hood and tile!

I know you are thinking that having original artwork about the stove is not practical…..and it probably isn’t. However, I did have such fun playing with the space and changing things up. Will I leave them there while I cook? No. But for right now I am enjoying the new look around the stove.

Scrubbing the scale and coffee bean container add to the shine.

By the stove I keep handy things for cooking on a pedestal plate~oil, seasonings, spices. Even the water faucet cleans up nicely!

The double ball boxwood topiary is from Ballard Designs and is one of two. And the twine holder with scissors can be found at the shop at Whitfill Nursery.

The paintings are done by me. The blue bowl and oranges is from a Kelli Folsom online art class. Since I do love chickens, this painting is just for fun.

There is something fun about re-arranging items in your home. It’s easy to leave things as is, but mixing it up helps stimulate my creative juices. I am enjoying my much cleaner kitchen and the new look in the cooking area.

Have a happy Wednesday and hopefully the warm Spring sun is shining on you.

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

Fun New Finds

Eufy Plug-In Lights

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

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

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

Orchid Pot

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

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

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

Updates!

Pizza from Italy

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

Foster Dog Update

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

Gardening

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

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

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

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

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

In the Kitchen

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

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

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

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

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

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Happy February! The next few weeks are one of my favorites because of all the pinks, reds and romance we see before Valentine’s Day. It’s not quite spring but it is fun to decorate parts of the house with Valentine’s Day decor.

The front porch is a good place to start. I am doing something a little different this year~keeping up my holiday wreath and just adding simple touches for February. Since it still feels like winter here, the evergreen wreath feels appropriate to stay right where it is.

I remove the red plaid ribbon and faux berries and replace it with a sweet 1.5″ pink polka dot wired ribbon that I found on Amazon here. I thought about using the pink and white striped ribbon that I used in the dining room over the holidays, but I did not feel like digging it out.

Using a pipe cleaner, I pinch the center of the ribbon tightly and then secure it to the wreath. I actually like the simplicity of the bow but add the wooden heart/beads also. It is okay, not great, but conveys a Valentine message. Beaded wooden heart found here.

The two faux cedar trees on either side of the front door get bows too, but again, not sure I like it (too cutesy?) or not. Let me know what you think. By the way, I am still loving these 5 foot topiary cedar trees. No water required and they continue to look good. Link to cedar trees is here.

A quick trip to Whitfill Nursery and I locate various pink flowers. Who knew there are so many shades of pink? From a coral pink to a deep purply-pink, Whitfill has quite the selection now. Two shades of pink geraniums, Latinia Rose cyclamen, pink petunias, and Lamium purple dragon beef up the front entrance with color.

So with just a few minor changes, the front porch now has a bit of Valentine’s Day decor.

Haven’t done much on the inside of the house but slowly adding a few touches here and there. Of course, I do like to bring out seasonal art and here is one of my very early paintings to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

The kitchen pastry shelf always gets a bit of Valentine color with my Wedgwood Wild Strawberry pattern tea pot and cups.

It’s a gloomy day here as I write this so I am ready to curl up with a cup of tea and a good book. Aren’t these heart shaped tea bags just adorable? I ordered them last year and trying to reach the resource to see if they are still available. Will let you know.

I hope you are having a terrific Tuesday! If you are in the winter storm areas, be warm and safe.

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