I didn’t intend for the Thanksgiving centerpiece to match the artwork in the dining room but it happily does! Every few months I’ve been hanging different art, trying to find just the right piece.

It’s easy to decorate the same way year after year and there’s comfort in that. But how do I use what I have and put a different spin on it? The crosshatched mercury candleholders in a coppery tone from West Elm was the first step of the inspiration. They were on sale for $5.00 each.

A few years ago, I started using plants as the majority staple in my centerpieces, adding a small amount of cut flowers. Planting them in the yard later is a way of re-purposing and seemed more economical. We are so fortunate to have a fabulous nursery (Whitfill Nursery) right around the corner from our home.

Whitfill has the most beautiful Cinnamon Petunias with lovely rusty, coral flowers. Succulents are a mystery to me, but the green and bronze hues are so perfect with my candle holders. The plant list includes: White Ornamental cabbage, Red Bor Kale; the succulents are Graptoeria Fredives and Vera Higgins Graptosedum.

I am a bit of a garden geek and Whitfill Nursery is one of my happy places. Where else can you go look at a huge variety of plants, see peacocks and goats, interact with a welcoming and helpful staff on a gorgeous sunny day?

The cut flowers are alstroemeria and roses from Safeway.

I transplanted all the plants out of their plastic containers into plain white bowls (Emma pattern from Pottery Barn). Flowers are placed at various heights in small glass vases and tucked into the plants.

Again, my Windsor Ware plates are just perfect for this time of year. I chose to use a darker wood charger, softened with pale pink wine glasses. White and orange pumpkins were added to play down the white bowls.

I had some leftover seeded eucalyptus which I randomly stuffed into the edges.

It’s nice to have the table set and ready to go. Today we will do all the food shopping and pick up the turkey. I expect the stores to be a bit of a madhouse in the midst of the holiday rush. The next few days will include many hours in the kitchen~~a joyful time indeed!

Is your table set? Have you done all your shopping? Or better yet, are you going elsewhere for Thanksgiving dinner?

Happy Tuesday, my dear friends.

We all have times in our lives where we feel like we have one stress after another. The weight of the world weighs heavily on our shoulders. Sometimes it is fleeting; other times you want to shout out to the universe enough already!

Though it would be nice to have stress-free days, life just doesn’t work that way. And if you don’t decompress every now and again, then Everything is Overwhelming.

I find myself good at handling the big challenges, but sometimes the little things just get under my skin.

So what do you do to relieve the stress? Here are some of the ways I try to redirect the annoyance, anger, problem or just plain crankiness.

Take a break and carve out some quiet time. Making a nice cup of tea, finding a good magazine and just taking 20 minutes to myself with magazine distraction is an easy balm for the soul.

Exercise. I’ve decided that I would be a very grumpy person if I didn’t exercise. It doesn’t have to be to a fancy gym or with a trainer. A brisk walk, a long bike ride, a hike, or stretching are easy, non-costly things that pay big dividends.

Watch a sunset or sunrise. Taking the time to mark the beginning or ending of a day, may help your realize that the sun will be up again tomorrow.

Turn off your technology and get outside. A trip to my garden/hen house magically erases anything that is weighing heavily on my mind. Not sure why that is, but I seem to forget the woes and concentrate on what’s blooming, who’s eating my strawberries or time to pull that weed.

Baking. I tend to do this when I’m a bit aggravated. I throw on my apron, turn on the music and bake. The only danger is that it may be a dessert or something decadent.

Run a bubble bath and light some candles. Easing into warm water with bath salts can provide a well-deserved “Calgon take me away” moment.

My children are such sources of joy. If they are not nearby to hug, I play my many years of memories in my mind and remind myself how lucky I am. I pick up the phone and call them, or send them a funny text. Their quick responses are a reminder of how loved I am. They always put life in perspective!

Love on the dogs/cats. Did you know that petting an animal actually lowers your blood pressure? Our pets love us unconditionally and will provide the love and attention we need when we are feeling our lowest.

Do something creative-for me it is finishing or tweaking a painting.

Do something nice for yourself. Buy flowers. Get a haircut. Taking the time to acknowledge you need some pampering is a good thing.

When all else fails, turn it over to a higher being. Sometimes you just need to let it go and trust that it will all be okay.

What do you do to relieve stress? Wishing you a relaxing Tuesday!

When the children were small, we would walk the entire property every afternoon. My son and I would have “who can pick the largest kumquat” contests in the orchard. I miss those days 🙁

My daily walkabout is not only a chance to get outside, but a way to free myself from technology, projects and other stress related items. I thought you might like to join me in seeing different parts of the property.

The weather has been so beautiful~blue skies, warmth from the sun but fall is definitely in the air. Our winter grass is in and it is green, green, green! The light this time of year is soft and golden.

Fall vegetables are taking off in the garden~~salad greens, bok choy, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, squashes, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and herbs.

Having the garden located next to the hen house, allows ample feedings of garden scraps to the chickens.

The orchard is abundant with citrus~~we will still need to wait a few months but I can’t wait to pick fresh oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes and kumquats.

We have plenty of pomegranates but they aren’t edible. Not sure why.

Flowers, flowers everywhere! This is the beginning of our colorful time which will last until next summer.

How can these ornamental cabbages be so beautiful?

The guest cottage is hidden in the back northwest corner of the property and I love how it just appears out of nowhere. Feels a bit magical to me.

As much as I love the purple orchid trees, my favorite part is when the flowers drop and the ground becomes a sea of pink/purple.

The autumn sun provides some interesting shadowing on the well tower.

By the end of my walk, I feel rejuvenated. There’s something to be said for connecting with nature, feeling the ground beneath your feet and noticing all that changes with the season. What do you do daily to de-stress? Have a lovely Tuesday.

Happy Saturday! It has been a whirlwind lately~~so many meetings and pending projects. I keep reprimanding myself that I want to post a new blog once a week, but I blink and time has slipped away.

There is a distinct weather change here, finally! This morning it was 68 degrees. Though that may sound warm to you, it is a cool relief from our sweltering summer.

Fall gardening is happening now and though my vegetable garden is non-existent, I did start working on my newly designated bulb garden. Several years ago I planted many bearded irises and have never taken the time to divide them properly.

In doing so, I realized the watering system was rather inefficient, so we replaced the drips with spray heads. The rhizomes needed to be dug up, divided, checked for infestation, soaked in water, trimmed and replanted. The end result was 108 rhizomes planted in one afternoon. I also planted some salmon-colored iris given to me by my new gardening friend, Denise!! Thank goodness for soaking tubs and Epsom salts.

In early October, I am expecting a bulb shipment from Longfield Gardens with 100 each of alliums, tulips and hyacinths. The bed is ready to go and I’m hoping my back will hold up after setting the 300 bulbs in the ground. Photos below are from Longfield Gardens.

House projects~~this is the time of year that I start looking at the house with a critical eye. It’s time to touch up all the paint chips/cracks, wash the windows, fix anything that is broken all in time for the holidays.

My son’s room is on the agenda to remodel. My first inspiration was a scarf I received from the May installment of My Stylish French Box. This Létol scarf is 100% cotton Jacquard weave. I absolutely LOVE it!

My next inspiration is this fabric designed by Sarah Nicholas Williams from Radish Moon Textiles. It is a heavy Oyster 100% linen and the indigo color is spectacular. My friend, Janie, thinks it looks more like a kitchen fabric, but my son loves food. I’ve yet to find a fabric that thrills me like this one and for some reason it just makes me happy 🙂

The Dash & Albert rug sample is from Annie Selke and again, it captures this sense of blue that I think will work wonderfully in his very white room. Just ordered it so when it comes in, then the work begins!

Over the summer I subscribed to an online artist series by Kelli Folsom. She typically does still life paintings in oil. Since I have little to no experience in oil paints, it has been a bit of a stretch for me to try this. This is my first attempt of learning how to paint online~~hydrangeas in a silver pot. Maybe it will work in the bedroom remodel?

I hope you are enjoying the beginnings of fall weather. One of my favorite bloggers, Karianne at Thistlewood Farms, shared this on her post recently and I thought it made me happy. I thought I would share it with you! Click here for the download image. The colors are much more vibrant than the photo below.

Hope to do more fall decorating this weekend! I hope yours is a relaxing one.

I cannot believe it has been nearly a month since I last posted. But as you know from my previous post, I’m in a bit of a transition and taking a step back for re-evaluation. Thank you so much for your kind words of support and encouragement!!

However, I’ve missed you! I thought I would send you a note today to let you know what I’ve been up to.

The general rule of thumb is when the temperature reaches 100 degrees, it is officially summer here. Due to the long, cool and rainy Spring we had, the garden is so abundant!

My tomatoes are FABULOUS! Every day, I go and collect a basketful of various ones-from cherry to pear, to Early Girl and am still waiting for the beefsteaks to ripen.

The peaches this year were so good, we had to fight the birds for them.

A few years back we planted two apricot trees and finally have the best apricots ever! They are small but so flavorful.

The garden has been providing daily gifts of zucchini, spaghetti squash, grapes and fresh herbs.

If you are looking for the easiest salad EVER, please try this one. Simple ingredients consist of fresh tomatoes, apricots, mint, feta cheese, olive oil and salt and pepper. I did drizzle some thick aged balsamic on the top. I have been making and eating this salad every day. Click here for the recipe from Serious Eats.

On a personal note, my youngest daughter graduated from high school at the end of May. As a celebration gift, we took the whole family (plus friends) to St. Kitts for a vacation. St. Kitts is located in the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. One side of St. Kitts is on the Atlantic; the other on the Caribbean. It was after high season and before hurricane season so we had timed it perfectly!

One of the highlights of the trip was TURNING OFF MY PHONE FOR A WEEK. It was glorious. My whole family was together and I was able to be focused on them and not be distracted with technology. Truly fabulous.

When I returned, I spent one week painting everyday. I was able to finish “my girl” and started on 2 new paintings. I will continue to doodle until they feel “done”.

I am trying to master an easy cherry pie recipe this summer (as it is my husband’s favorite). I attempted one but failed miserably (don’t use Trader Joe’s frozen cherries). The crust was good though! Once I achieve it, I will definitely share!

Coming soon: My summer reading and movie list are taking shape and will share with you next time!

Happy Summer my friends!

As a result of freak accident, I have been unable to use my computer much so my apologies for not posting recently. Short version of a long story… an Easy Off Grill Cleaner can was accidentally punctured when I opened up an outdoor cupboard and the foam sprayed into both of my eyes. I am recovering quickly from chemical burns on my corneas. The good news is that this shouldn’t affect my vision. I am so lucky that my daughter was nearby and we acted quickly to minimize the damage. All is well and I am so grateful that I can see.

Strange incidents like this make me slow down and appreciate the simple things in life. So the purpose of this blog is to share some beautiful photos and remind you to be thankful for working eyes, ears and body parts.

The weather here in Phoenix has been nothing short of glorious. This time of year our yard is at its best.

The rose garden and its blooms have been very generous this year.

For those of you who received hollyhock seeds last year, I hope you are having success ~~ our hollyhocks are growing EVERYWHERE and have started blooming! I still have many seeds left for anyone interested. Please email me (marycrz@cox.net) with your address and I will happily send you some.

The citrus trees in the orchard have been nearly gleaned and the blossoms fill the air with their heady fragrance. The poppies are showing their pretty faces.

With the warmer weather we’ve had some windy days. Perfect for drying linens on the line.

We have two graduations in May. One daughter will graduate high school and the other college, so I am knee deep in preparations.

You have heard me lament about not having lilacs grow here in Phoenix. I recently ordered very fragrant lilacs from Torchio Nursery in San Francisco. Four gorgeous bundles arrived this week and the smell is amazing. Reminds me so much of spring in Connecticut.

Happy Friday to you! My eyes are getting tired so I will sign off. Wishing you a relaxing weekend!