After being away at the cabin for 2+ weeks, I am feeling a bit behind in getting my garden ready for fall planting here in Phoenix. In looking over blog posts from previous years, my tardiness is self-imposed. I’m actually a bit early this year. Now it makes sense that the vegetable selection at the nursery was a bit on the light side. Well, by jumping ahead the good news is that Phase 1 of fall planting in the garden is complete. Better early than late, right?

Prepping the Garden

A few weeks ago, I pulled all the tired and scorched plants from the garden. Fresh, rich compost from our compost tumblers go into each of the beds while the garden awaits new plants. This is the garden rest period. A couple of basil plants and mint still remain, but most of the beds are quiet.

Here is my 2 cents on composting. We give Nature scraps and she gives us nutritious fertilizer. Garbage in, compost out. Such a great deal! To see my post on Composting 101, click here. Please, please, please try composting if you aren’t doing it already. Even the earthworms love this soil.

Best Nursery in town

All my garden/plant shopping happens at Whitfill Nursery. Truly, it is a joyful experience! If you haven’t been to the location on Glendale Avenue, I encourage you to do so. In addition to a vast selection of plants, they have a sweet gift shop in an old historic bungalow that is always filled with unique items. Shopping local is important and this family owned and operated business has been a Phoenix icon for over 6 decades.

Plant Selection

So this week during my trip to my favorite nursery, I buy the following plants:

11 tomato plants~Roma, San Marzano, Better Boy, Beefsteak~all certified Organic

12 Snowball Cauliflower

6 Green Broccoli and 6 Burgundy Baby Broccoli

2 Red Swiss chard~these are actually for the chickens

French Sorrel

6 Dinosaur (Nero di Toscana) Kale

Fennel and Italian Parsley

There is something exciting about bringing all these new plants home to the garden. I pack them in a wheel barrow and head to the back yard.

With gardening, unexpected surprises occur. Last spring is the first time I planted Shishito Peppers. I didn’t realize they are a perennial and both plants are in bloom again!

Prior to digging, I place all the pots in the beds. Typically, I will rotation plants in order to prevent soil depletion. Tomatoes tend to stay in the same bed to receive the most sun.

Having plenty of tomato cages is handy. As you may recall, I purchased more of my favorite brand of cages in the Spring. If you need tomato supports, these are a good quality and last a long time. My tomatoes this summer grew SO big and I was appreciative to have the cage structures to hold them up. Plus they break down to lay flat when storing. To see more about my Spring garden, click here.

Giving my fall garden a few weeks head start should produce some interesting results. Plus with the weather still being a bit warm, my tomatoes might actually do better.

Some garden maintenance

In the past we have used PVC pipes for frames to hold up shade/frost cloth or bird netting. This is easily accomplished by bending the pipe and shoving the ends deep into the soil. Such an affordable way to create overhead frames for the beds.

Now we are building a larger, more permanent structure that spans over multiple beds. Using larger PVC pipes and connectors, the frame will span over 2 beds. Here I can drape big pieces of shade/frost cloth over entire sections. This will allow me the ability to walk underneath to work in the beds.

Every year, especially after the grueling summers, basic maintenance needs to be done The perimeter picket fence is looking tired and requires a new coat of white paint.

Time to Clean Up

Having a garden doesn’t really take a great deal of time. Planting new starters is relatively quick, especially when the soil is soft, warm and ready to use. Water and then it is time to clean up.

Good garden tools need care and I certainly have ruined my fair share of them. Cleaning off the dirt and getting them stored for the next time, lengthens the life of the tools. Having a dedicated sink in the well tower for gardening is certainly a plus. To see my potting area in the well tower, click here.

There is something very fulfilling when the plants are tucked in for the night. I am dirty and sweaty and my fingernails look pathetic. But as my sign says on the picket garden gate, “Life begins in the garden.”

Do you have a fall garden? I know in many places, the crops are being harvested now and gardens will lay dormant for the winter. But a garden doesn’t have to be large. Containers and pots work really well for herbs and greens. Gardening is very fulfilling and takes many forms. Would love to hear your gardening goals and stories.

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Today fall begins in the United States and everywhere else in the northern hemisphere. The autumn equinox — also known as the autumnal equinox, the fall equinox or the September equinox — occurs when the sun moves directly over the Earth’s Equator, bringing virtually the same amount of daylight and darkness on that particular day. Happy first day of Fall 2020!

Pumpkins, apple cider donuts and sweaters are the things I think of during this season. However, it is still triple digits here in Phoenix and will be for the next week. It’s ghastly. But this seems to happen every year so no one is really surprised. We just like to complain about it.

Since our temps are so high, several of the nurseries haven’t gotten their fall flowers or pumpkins yet. We probably will not see those until October. But in celebration of the end of one season and the beginning of another, I dusted off the autumn wreath and it is officially on the front door.

As you recall, this Spring I stepped out of my comfort zone and painted a new front door color. I am a bit concerned about how other wreaths from different seasons will look up against the blue.

But, boy, do I have to tell you I am L.O.V.I.N.G these fall tones against the new color. I bought this 28″ wreath on Etsy as my challenge is finding a wreath large enough for the 4 foot wide front door. Most wreaths are 18-24″ wide, which is too small for the scale of the door.

Since this is what I would consider an expensive wreath, I take care and store them properly in between seasons. There are two different ways I store my wreaths, click here and here.

Lucky me, orange is the complementary color to blue! So the door color works with the Fall seasonal ones. Yay!

Now that the highlights of the front porch are the door and wreath, I really didn’t want to add any thing that would compete with this focal point. During my trip to Whitfill Nursery (you know, my happy place), I am able to score some wonderful plants that have a fall vibe.

Henna Coleus is rich with gold and burgundy tones and pick up on the shades in the wreath. Coupled with sweet potato vine the planters now whisper Fall.

At the beginning of the summer, you may recall that I purchased two artificial evergreens to survive on the front porch over the summer. I love that these require NO maintenance and they provide a lovely backdrop for smaller planters. The cedar faux plants have held up beautifully over the summer and I look forward to decorating them at the holidays.

I am a big fan of ornamental grasses, especially the way they look blowing in the wind. Though the 2 containers I purchased from Whitfill did not have a name tag, I am guessing this is Fountain Grass, with delicate mauve feathers.

The natural fall look on the front porch is the opposite of what I typically do, however, I like the calmness of it all.

One of the biggest lessons in 2020 is getting out of our comfort zone. It’s easy to replicate the same look over and over again, but when forced to do something different, the results can be surprising.

The bench by the front door is the perfect place for an orange pillow and throw.

More orange pillows are put on the rocking chairs. Also, Amazon has the greatest selection of orange and fall pillows here.

To see the re-painting of these rockers and the entire porch re-do from May, click here.

What is a front porch with some boots or Sloggers? I really love these gardening shoes/boots, especially with the chicken design. Not only are they comfortable but waterproof too. Trust me on this, you will enjoy these as much as I do. Plus what a great gift for any gardener (thank you, Janie!) Here is the link.

Front Porch 2020 is a bit less understated than in previous years. That doesn’t mean I may not keep adding fall flowers and pumpkins. But I am enjoying its natural elements and its peaceful serenity.

What are you doing on this first day of Fall 2020? Is it cooling off where you live? Have you started your fall decorating? Tomorrow I hope to make apple cider donuts. Maybe if I do fall things, fall will come.

Happy Tuesday!

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Happy Saturday! My hope is that Saturday Meanderings is to have a conversation with you about odds and ends about the previous week. So pull up a chair and grab a cup of coffee and let’s chat.

Boy did this week fly by and it is a stressful one that I am happy to have behind me. Do you ever have one of those weeks that everything you touch doesn’t go smoothly? The planets feel a bit misaligned for me lately.

My goal of heading back to Phoenix this week from our cabin is delayed due to car trouble. Finding a big puddle of pink fluid under the car didn’t bode well and this creates a delay in my trip home. As I am writing this post, I am awaiting to hear the status. If I didn’t have a million things to do in the Valley, I’d love to stay here. But I cannot complain to have another few days in our beautiful mountain weather.

I did start a new project with hopes of sharing it with you today, but that too, did not go according to plan. Last month, I wrote a blog post indicating my desire to add more Scandinavian touches to our mountain cabin. (see blog post here). Well, the re-painting of this chest of drawers is my first real attempt to do so. Here is a sneak peak.

This cabinet has 8 drawers of varying sizes. I have 6 of the 8 painted as my dilemma seems to be the these two drawers that are different from all the others. The two center drawers looks like 8 smaller ones with 8 ring pulls. So long story short, I decided to wait for the new pulls to arrive before I determine what the painting design will be. And the pulls came in the wrong size and I was 2 pulls short.

So as of today, the project is stalled until the new hardware comes in….and for my next trip to the cabin.

Mindful Minute

Since this week held more stress than others, I am so grateful to have access to Mindful Minutes. If you aren’t familiar with this, I cannot recommend it enough. My friend, Chas (from Chas’ Crazy Creations) has daily exercises on Instagram to reduce stress and they are a minute long. But I can honestly say, the one minute of taking a break from the computer (or other chores) and doing her brief exercises and breathing techniques is a LIFE SAVER. Seriously, it is the best thing you can do for yourself every day.

In addition, Chas is such a kind soul. She is the type of friend all of us need. Please get to know her. You will be so delighted that you did. Here is her link to Instagram; and her link to her blog.

Someone or something stole my pears

Last year, lo and behold, I discovered we have a pear tree at our cabin. This tree NEVER produced fruit before and was shockingly, full of pears. This year, the pear tree is also producing a great deal of fruit. Until this week. It has two pears left. The rest of the pears are GONE.

It’s a mystery as the pears are not on the ground. They have just vanished. Does anyone have any idea why this would happen? Is there a local pear thief? An animal?

Naturally I am so disappointed because last year I made the best pear dessert, A Pear and Caramel Pie (see recipe here) and pear preserves. Looks like I will just need to purchase some pears from the Farmers Market.

Rosary Beads

I recently received a payment for some work I was subpoenaed to do for a law firm who is suing the City. Long story, but lots of nastiness involved. Since the check felt like dirty money to me, I spent it on a set of rosary beads. If you have been following me from the beginning, you know I collect rosary beads (see post here).

Seraphym Designs, based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico makes the most gorgeous original heirloom rosary beads. Each design is carefully handcrafted in the United States and contains replicated devotional metals that date between the 14th and 19th centuries. In 2015, Seraphym Designs was commissioned to make an original St. Serra rosary for Pope Francis during his visit to the US.

Not only does the founder, Arasely Rios creates rosaries but she also makes beautiful jewelry. If you are looking for a unique one of a kind gift (they have a wedding rosary), I suggest you visit their website. And now I feel like I took bad money and spent it on something good.

Drone Video on my last Restoration

Recently I was contacted by the owner of my last restoration remodel asking if I would give permission for the before and after photos to be used for a virtual historical home tour. Looking back at previous projects is such fun, as I forget many of the details over time.

Here is a 2:33 minute drone video that was done after the completion of the Willetta Restoration. I truly think it is one of my best renovations. Video created by Austin Ely. To see more information on this 1922 Jeffersonian home, please click here.

Thank you for all the great advice

I hope you read the blog post this week on rejuvenating my fabric pumpkins. So many people offered solutions to the bug infestation (thank you, bay leaves) and alternative filling. Instead of rice or beans which tend to get bugs, readers suggested pebbles and cat litter. Such great ideas and I cannot wait to try them.

Always love getting feedback from you!If you missed this easy DIY post, click here.

Beginners Blogging Retreat

As you know, I started blogging to keep a living record of life here around our historic property/farm. And for the first few years, I happily dabbled in it. Last year I attended my first blogging seminar and realized just how much I don’t know.

I set my sights this year to learn more, because if you are always learning you are always growing, right? Well, there is SO much to learn about blogging and who knew? I certainly didn’t. But what I have learned is that what works for one person who has been blogging for 10 years, doesn’t necessarily work in today’s social media saturated world.

So, a group of talented friends are putting together a Beginner’s Blogging Retreat and we are holding it here at Bella Terra. If you are interested or have friends who are interested, please click here.

The seminar is for the person who either wants to start a blog or is in the beginning stages. It will be a fun day here at Bella Terra with good food, new friends, great information with lots of personal attention. Plus there is a discount for those who sign up before October 15.

We know that in light of COVID the world can change on a dime, but we are limiting the class to 10-12. It will be held on our back terrace, which is outdoors and has plenty of room to social distance. And it will be on November 12th when the weather is glorious.

If this is your jam, we hope you will consider attending! Also, feel free to reach out to me if you have questions or concerns.

That’s All Folks!

Well, that about wraps it up for this Saturday. Hoping your week went well. Thank you all for joining me!The official first day of fall is just around the corner! As soon as I get to Phoenix, fall planting begins! Stay safe and healthy out there!

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Thank you for joining me today as I share my Saturday meanderings. Happy Labor Day weekend! If you ask most people, they probably don’t realize why this is a federal holiday. In 1894 Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday. Labor Day celebrates the social and economic achievements of American workers. Let’s remember the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. There is nothing like the American work ethic and ingenuity, especially during the pandemic.

Wherever you are, please enjoy your time with family and friends. I’m praying for a peaceful weekend, so be safe and smart.

Let Them Eat Cake

I spent the first few days of September tackling my lengthy To Do list. You know, those nagging items that you put off until the last minute. But I did take some time and make a new recipe from The Kitchen McCabe. This Vanilla Bean Olive Oil Cake is so dense, moist and flavorful.

Somewhere in our home is my fluted Bundt pan but for the life of me I couldn’t find it. Instead, I used a plain tube pan, which in retrospect, allow more space for the icing and strawberries. My neighbor said it was one of my best cakes, so click here for the link to the recipe.

I am a fan of The Kitchen McCabe, as you might remember this gorgeous Candied Orange Olive Oil Cake with Cornmeal and Rum from a small luncheon with friends. If not, click here for that post.

Baking Bread

My least favorite time to cook in the kitchen is during the summer in Phoenix. Even though we have air conditioning, the minute you turn on the oven, it’s just too darn hot. Being teased this week by cooler temperatures in the morning, we made sourdough bread. The process is time consuming (takes all day) but the results are worth it. The yield produced two loaves of dried cranberry/walnut; one loaf of sourdough and enough dough for two pizzas.

Remember if you live nearby and want some sourdough starter, please reach out. I have happily shared it with two others so far and each are making bread with siblings of Bubbles and Hope (it’s normal to name your starter…..). Want to learn more about sourdough? Check out my Sourdough 101 blog post here.

Pumpkin Disaster

My huge fall disappointment involves my large collection of velvet and fabric pumpkins. I have literally owned these for years. Each year I store them in plastic boxes to keep them dust free. This year, I opened the box and every pumpkin is infested with bugs. Eeewwww. The critters ate into the fabric. The filling appears to be dried beans but these bugs are similar to the ones you get in your pantry?

These pumpkins are a staple in my fall decorating. Does anyone know how to prevent this? I have seen tutorials on making fabric pumpkins and rice, beans are the filling of choice. I certainly don’t want to go to the effort to make more and then have this happen again.

Happy Hens

The 14 baby chicks we acquired in the Spring are now laying…..alot! Each day we have 8-10 fresh eggs. So if anyone is in the area and would like fresh eggs, please let me know. We sell them for $5 a dozen (less than the Farmer’s Market).

Fortunately, I have a beautiful egg apron, made by my sister, Susie. Not only did she embroider chickens on the front, but the apron has my blog name on the back. Wish I took a picture of the entire apron as it is really cute. The apron has ten individual pockets for me to use when I collect eggs every afternoon. It feels like such a luxury to have something so pretty and practical.

Where Were you a Year Ago?

A year ago today, I was touring this beautiful Scandinavian home in Vail. This property has since become my inspiration for our mountain cabin. I don’t believe I have ever been in a home that is so unique, warm and welcoming.

Garden Update

My garden is always a bit stressed during the summer and especially this year, with little to no rain and record breaking temperatures. The no rain part is particularly worrisome.

This week I ripped out all the toasted plants and am adding compost to the soil in preparation of fall planting. The fountain in the middle is being repaired too! The only two plants that are still thriving are basil and my shishito pepper plant.

We’ve added new PVC structural posts over multiple beds to hold shade or frost cloth. I will be writing a new post about that soon, as it has been very helpful to protect plants through extreme weather.

Have you been making your own compost during this pandemic? It is super easy and a great way to turn your food scraps into organic fertilizer. If not, check out this great post on Composting 101. See it here.

Cute Affordable Kimono

You will never see my name and fashion in the same sentence. I’m just not very good at it. But I must share this great find and it is only $23.99. It is a nice long kimono and comes in numerous colors and designs. Here I have it paired with a white tank and pants with pale blue accessories. You can view it on Amazon here. Every time I wear it, I get compliments. Not bad for under $25.

We are spending the weekend (and hopefully longer) up in the mountains. It is SO quiet right now. Sox is asleep at my feet and I’m just enjoying all the non-noise. My geraniums finally look amazing! Looking forward to a weekend of R & R.

Have a fabulous 3 day holiday!

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Thank you for visiting my blog on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday! I am so grateful to my faithful readers and all the new people who are joining us every week. Your comments and questions make my day. Since many of you are new, I thought it might be fun to share some oldies but goodies. Let’s call it Life at Bella Terra’s greatest hits!

Here at our home, we have the good fortunate of space where we enjoy everything from gardening to outdoor entertaining. Here are a few areas of interest.

Gardening and Chickens

My blog post Gardening 101 stemmed from the question, “does gardening take a great deal of time”? After the initial garden plan, the actual work to plant, harvest and maintain a garden is minimal and seasonal. And the benefits are enormous! To see this detailed post, click here.

Another popular post is about Composting 101, which is an ideal project to start during COVID. Being home and creating more waste, composting is the answer to having great soil for your garden. If you could recycle 30% of your trash to make rich fertilizer, why not? See that post, here.

Before and Afters

Don’t you love to look at other people’s homes? I certainly do! And it is a bonus if there are good Before and After pictures. I actually have a file where I keep renovation photos of other projects as inspiration.

Our historic home is always going through a constant renovation. However, the initial restoration was the most significant. In an attempt to capture that journey, I am writing The Restoration Chronicles. So far there are 5 chapters and if you haven’t read our story, click here for Chapter 1.

Entertaining

COVID has definitely put a monkey wrench into our socializing and entertaining. We feel blessed to be the stewards of this unique historical property and share it often to host everything from charitable events to proms. The orchard is one of the areas of the property we use for large sit-down meals. For more details about one of our dinners in the orchard, click here.

I long for the day when we can open up our home and our arms and welcome guests again. If you are dreaming of when we can all reconnect, here is an autumn entertaining post.

Cooking, Baking and Making

The summers do put a cramp in my cooking, as it is almost painful to turn on the oven in the triple-digit heat. However, the minute there is a touch of autumn in the air, I am back to baking. This past year, I learned how to bake sourdough bread from scratch, using starter that I carried home on a plane from Washington, D.C.

If you need a new project while we are all stuck at home, baking bread using a natural yeast, is so rewarding. I just recently shared more sourdough starter with someone who reached out to me and now I have a new friend. Bake bread. Make friends. Check out my post, Sourdough Starter Basics here.

Of course, there are all sorts of recipes in the files of Bella Terra. But here are a few favorites. Key Lime Pie post

Together we made Preserved Lemons (see recipe here) and then we used them in some fabulous recipes, like the one above. This delicious chicken pasta salad is ideal for the summer~as it can be eaten warm or cold. Check out the recipe here.

DIY and Home Improvement

I am not much of a crafter, but I do like to tackle projects myself, sometimes moaning along the way.

The most recent is a hand stenciled tile bathroom floor in our pool house. If you missed that post you can see it here.

We have accomplished quite a few projects this year, and several with your helpful comments. From the great advice on the vintage mailbox above, to helping select a front door color, your feedback is gold! See that post, here.

Organizing

Staying organized is such a challenge, but I am inspired to be better at it when I see others accomplishing these tasks. This year, getting the master closet organized was a big win. To see the embarrassing before pictures and the fabulous after shots, click here.

Keeping heavily used spaces like the pantry is always a challenge. But it looks so nice when it is neat and tidy. See the improvements here.

Pets

For those of you who have pets, you know how important they are to family life. Our two dogs, two cats and numerous chickens are all part of our daily existence here. The Best Kind of Friend is a blog post about the bond we have with our pets, how they shadow us daily and love us unconditionally. Read it here.

Thank you for all your kind words during Sox’s recent back injury and Tippy’s current failing health. We share in the joy of their presence and the grief of their loss.

Just Getting Through Life

You have provided loving ears to some of my life’s challenges as we enter new phases of maturity. It was only a year ago, when I was struggling with empty nesting (see post here). But with the pandemic, nearly everyone is home again! Now, next week I will do a repeat performance as we move our daughter out of the house to start her sophomore year in college. Ah, the ups and downs!

We have talked about Kindness (see post here) and how important it is to Smile (see post here) and how to age well (see post here). Even though we cannot get together physically, we have such a supportive community right here on this blog. The goal with each and every blog post is to provide you with something interesting and important. And I’ve learned so much from all of you along the way.

Again, I cannot express how delighted I am that you have been with me from the beginning and I extend a warm welcome to new readers. In a world that seems to be filled with division and anger, it is my hope that Life at Bella Terra will be a bright spot in your day.

Happy Tuesday, my friends! If you ever want to see more content on any topic~gardening, recipes, home improvement, decorating, seasonal, whatever it is, please let me know! Thank you.

This post shared with Tuesday Turn About #61

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

Nespresso Machine

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

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

Double Sinks with Double Faucets

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

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

My Pot Filler

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

Compost Bin

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

Hidden Step Stool

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

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

My Pedestal Organizer

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

Collection of Small Bowls

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

Salter Family Scale

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

Weather Station

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

Paper Shredder

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

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

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

This post shared with Charming Homes & Gardens Week 16