I am officially embarrassed to say that this was the condition of the middle room of the basement. I cleaned it 18 months ago, but it’s an easy dumping spot for, well, just about everything. I know the intention was to “put it away later”, but things just kept accumulating.

After taking donating three carloads of “stuff”, the basement is MOSTLY clean. I clearly hadn’t done any life-stage cleaning over the last several years. The basement was filled with old toys, games, VHS videos, DVDs and CDs.

This center room used to be a play space for the children during the summer~~mostly because it is too hot here in Phoenix to play outside during the day (unless you are in the pool). It hasn’t been used for that for a very long time.

Here is the AFTER:

I found another set of sofa slipcovers so I replaced the red (which were stained) with the white. I also removed the rug underneath the sofa~~the backing had deteriorated. The nap of the carpeting was pressed down by the area rug so I’m hoping it will fluff up soon. If not, I will need to get the carpets cleaned.

Years ago, we installed these IKEA kitchen cabinets. Since the ceiling height is rather low in the basement, we couldn’t appropriately hang the upper cabinets. Instead, we rested them on a butcher block counter on top of the lower cabinets. This counter space gives me enough room to place items from the cabinet.

All my vases are stored in one cabinet. I have quite a few but you should have seen how many I donated!!!

The next two sets of cabinets, both upper and lower, house all my china and dishware as indicated by my last blog post (see here).

The final set of cabinets holds miscellaneous candles, fabric and disposable cups, plates and napkins.

Across from the sofa, is an old pine table that I use as my sewing area.

Behind the sofa, is a large blackboard. I am still hoping to learn calligraphy so I can write something profound on it. The blackboard has a piano hinge on one side and opens….

…to reveal the electrical panels for the house. I’ve never liked the look of those and hiding them is the perfect solution.

The basement has access to an outside staircase, which was very helpful when schlepping all the stuff to donate.

I still have a few things to do…get rid of the DVD shelves and re-purpose the armoire in the room. But for the most part, I am VERY happy this project is nearly completed. Let’s see how long it STAYS this way!

Do you have lots of dishes and china? Some people collect shoes. I collect dishes and stemware. Fortunately, we have cupboards in the basement to store the items we do not use everyday. But, like most parts of the house that are out of sight, they can get messy and cluttered. My new project is tackling that space and sorting and organizing my dinnerware. To see more about our basement, click here.

Most of the daily use dishes and glasses are either in the kitchen or the butler’s pantry. Since I do LOVE collecting china, the basement is where the bulk of the fine china is stored. To see more about our butler’s pantry, click here.

Determine What You Need

In order to protect the dishes from damage and dust, I store them in the quilted zippered bags that are very affordable and easy to buy online. They come in various sizes for both dishes and glasses. Many come with plate dividers, but I prefer the thicker, felt separators from Richards to protect the more delicate items.

More storage for stemware from Richards.

Photograph Your Items

In order to easily identify what is in each quilted bag, I simply take a picture of the dish/glass with my phone and then print thumbnail size photos.

After cutting each photo, I glue them to a card stock tag.

Mount and Identify

A written description is added to the back of the tag so I can easily recall the number of pieces and/or the manufacturer’s name.

Hang the tags from the zipper facing outward for easy viewing.

I group the like items and companion pieces together on the shelves.

Finally with the organization complete, the dishes and glassware are easily accessible. This is an area where I also store my various chargers. Cabinets and wooden countertop are from IKEA.

As I complete the basement project, I hope to show you the before and after photos of the entire room in my next blog post. To see more storage areas of the basement, click here.

If you are visiting today from HomeTalk, welcome to my blog. Bella Terra is our historic home in Phoenix, Arizona. I post about daily life from gardening, home restoration, bread making, DIY, chicken keeping and everything in between. I would love for you to subscribe to my blog if you like what you see. You can also find me on Instagram @lifeatbellaterra and Facebook.

This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday #620th

Three things you probably don’t know about me. 1) I have Royal Worcester soup bowls I love and have never used (after hunting for them for 10 years!); 2) I have always wanted to host a sophisticated lunch with friends; 3) I am design-challenged. I can pick out tile and do a massive restoration project, but when it comes to decorating I can honestly say it is not my strong suit. Low confidence in this arena.

I decided to put all those things together and organized a lunch with friends who are superb at design and whose opinion I value. The deal was I would provide lunch if they would help me with my design obstacles.

Soup was a definite item on the menu as I was excited to use these beautiful footed cream soup bowls and saucer. Since it is January and many people are watching their nutrition, I decided on a simple broccoli soup~~one without cream. Plus I was able to use fresh broccoli from the garden!

I’ve never made cheese crisps before (very easy) and it was a nice accompaniment to the soup. All you do is shred cheese in a 2″ pile on a cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper) and bake for 18 minutes.

The entree would be my Pomegranate, Kale and Wild Rice Salad with walnuts and feta (see previous post here), but I also added baked chicken and avocado.

Since we are in the height of our citrus season here, I thought it might be fun to attempt a new cake~~something small but reasonably healthy? It was timely to receive a blog post from Kitchen McCabe with a recipe for a Candied Orange Olive Oil Cake + Cornmeal and Rum.

I made the soup the night before so it was easy to heat up just before my guests arrived. However, the cake is supposed to be made on the same day you serve it. A rather big undertaking the morning of the lunch.

Thankfully, the table was set the night before and the centerpiece was two simple glass rectangular vases with yellow and white flowers. Placemats vs. a tablecloth seemed more appropriate for lunch too.

The cake preparation took longer than expected. So naturally, I was running a bit late~~hence some of the blurry photos! After looking at the inspiration photo, I think I cut my oranges too thin before I candied them. As a result they didn’t stick as well to the cake. Also, the recipe called for a 6″ pan but 3″ deep. Mine are only 2″ deep, therefore I made 3 layers.

In spite of it not looking as GREAT as the one from Kitchen McCabe, it was still pretty and was very tasty. Kumquats and mint are from our garden.

In addition to a delicious lunch, my friends gave me several constructive ideas on how I can improve the dining room and family room. At first I thought they would tell me to throw everything out and start again, but with they were very complimentary and helpful. Their suggestions were affordable and reasonable and I am excited to make some changes.

I don’t know why it has taken me so long to have a luncheon with friends in my dining room. Typically we would go to a restaurant, but having guests in your home, with food you have lovingly made, is the best gift you can give yourself.

It was so much fun I can’t wait to plan another one! Recipe links below.

Creamy Broccoli Soup with Cheddar Crisps (Note: I seasoned my soup with Better than Bouillon Chicken in lieu of more salt) https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/creamy-broccoli-soup-with-cheddar-crisps

Pomegranate, Kale, and Wild Rice Salad with Walnuts and Feta (I added cooked chicken and avocado)

https://pinchofyum.com/pomegranate-kale-wild-rice-salad-with-walnuts-feta

Candied Orange Olive Oil Cake and Cornmeal & Rum

https://www.thekitchenmccabe.com/2019/01/13/candied-orange-olive-oil-cake-cornmeal-rum/

Beverages: water, Miraval Cotes de Provence Rose, coffee/espresso

Someone recently asked me where I put everything. The challenge with having a large property is to not fill it to the brim with stuff.

I tend to organize by categories. Some people organize alphabetically or by color or project. But it’s easier for me to focus on the object~~looking for scissors? Go to the scissor drawer vs. scissors could be with the sewing stuff or craft supplies or junk drawer.

Since I just finished putting all holiday decorations away, I thought I would show you where I store them.

Basements are rare in Arizona. Basements are common back east, but for some reason, it is unique to have one here. Ours is not a full basement, but a partial one below the dining room, butler’s pantry, kitchen and breakfast room.

Our basement is comprised of three rooms~~the wine cellar (see post here), the Christmas storage room and a center room between the two. We refer to it as the Christmas Room, however, it also serves as a utility room, where we have our water heaters, reverse osmosis water system and a heating/AC unit.

Years ago, I painted the concrete floor large with checkerboard pattern of cheerful red and green with gold squares. Placing the pattern on a diagonal makes the room feel bigger. Even though there are 3 transom-like windows in this room, the northern exposure doesn’t allow for much natural light. Fluorescent ceiling lights are the reason for the sub-par photos.

Since this room has flooded in the past (burst water heater), everything is on rolling racks or above the ground. The walls are the original plaster or brick. When you first walk in the door, you see this.

There are 6 rolling racks filled with tubs of holiday decorations. These are stacked against each other and are easily moved when I need to access the boxes.

*Note: I purchased these rolling racks from Costco and quickly assembled them. I wish I had considered the size of the tubs prior to installing the shelves. I also wish I had been consistent in the tub size since some tubs don’t easily fit on the shelves.

On the adjacent wall is a single rolling rack. Here I store kitchen items that I don’t use every day~~bundt pans, large roasting pan, cake molds, apple peelers, bread machine, ice cream machine, pressure cooker, etc.

Though the main gift wrapping area is in our mudroom, I keep extra supplies of tissue paper, bags and tags here.

On another wall, there is a wooden book shelf that holds signed cookbooks, large stock pots, small electrical appliances, and oversized trays.

All my Christmas artwork is stored in large moving boxes on a platform nearby. Since the basement temperatures tend to be cooler than the garage or barn, most of our cherished Christmas items are safely stored here.

I hope to share more storage ideas with you. I am always inspired when I see someone’s organizational style or skill. Please feel free to send me any tips you have!

The official start of the New Year came rather late for me. My children are finally back in school and I am mostly recovered from my very first bout of pneumonia.  No fun spending New Year’s Day at urgent care.

Christmas decorations are slowly, ever so slowly coming down.

This is the first time I haven’t been able to start the year with a burst of energy and a list of resolutions.  The doc says I need to take it easy for a month.  A month!?!? The positive side of being laid up is that I can speak intelligently to what is on television.

Netflix just released a new show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing consultant and author.  According to Kondo, you should only keep things that “spark joy”.  I’ve only watched 2 shows, but I find myself asking, “Does this item spark joy?”  It’s hard to watch some of the households in the show as it is a lesser version of hoarders, but her organizational methods are atypical and interesting

I am always curious about what people watch on television.  I am trying to cut back my overall screen time (computer, television, phone, etc.) this year so I only want to watch shows that are worth it.  Currently, my favorites are Outlander (the books by Diana Gabaldon were excellent) on Starz, and the PBS series, The Great British Baking Show.

There are 3 seasons of Broadchurch on Netflix and in spite of it great success, this show will not continue.

Hinterland is similar to Broadchurch except it is located in Wales, so we do put on the English subtitles to completely understand the dialogue. Please share any shows that you absolutely love!

It was nice to take a blogging/social media break over the holidays. I have some ideas for the blog for 2019.  There are still corners of the house that haven’t been seen~~the pool house, barn, my office, our sitting room and basement.  Each of those rooms need some work in organizing or design. But hopefully I can provide some good before and after shots once I determine the overall strategy.

Happy Friday to you!

The time between Christmas and the New Year is an interesting one.  I love having less cars on the road, a fluid schedule, and more time with my family. The house is a bit messy but I don’t really care. As this year closes and a new one is ready to begin, it is a good time to reflect on the last 12 months. I am guilty of sometimes thinking ahead, and not spending that necessary time to ponder on what has been.

Here are some of the highlights of 2018:

Entertaining

Most of what we do for entertaining is simple, spontaneous, come on over for drinks and nibbles.  But having scheduled, more formal events forces us to clean a bit deeper, tackle the projects we’ve postponed, and step things up a notch.

It is always such an honor to host a charitable event, where people have a wonderful time for a good cause.  In March, we had our second Afternoon Tea with New York Times Bestselling Author Rhys Bowen. We get to play dress up with our hats and nibble on civilized food, gather with friends all while helping others.

In the spring, our property is at its best.  Flowers are blooming, the trees have their spring buds and the weather is generally perfect.  Hosting Junior Prom for my daughter and her 20 friends, was as much fun for me as it was for them.

Perhaps one of my most favorite events is Valentine’s Day.  We are at an age where we don’t do much as a couple, but having a small group of good friends for a lovely sit-down dinner is just perfect. I tried something different with the table setting and the effect was magical.

Recipes

I tried some new recipes this year ~~ Key Lime Pie, Lemon Pots de Creme, Madeleines and a gingerbread house.

Before and After

As some of you requested, I posted more Before and After pictures of Bella Terra, including the master bedroom, wine cellar, kitchen, library, mudroom, my girls’ bedrooms and the exterior renovation.

Organization Projects

Each year I try and reorganize some cluttered area of the house (there are MANY), and was able to improve both the Butler’s Pantry, the kitchen pantry, and the mud/laundry room.

Personal Achievements

Yes, there were a few milestones this year~~our son’s graduation from college and the beginning of his professional career.

However, I do not miss assembling Ikea furniture at his apartment in Washington, D.C.!

My Willetta house restoration finally sold and the family kindly invited us to their holiday open house. It is such a gift to know this family loves all the hardwork and attention to detail we put into restoring this grand old dame.

All in all, 2018 was a good one for us.  Some years aren’t so gentle, but we are basking in the glow of this one.

Personally, I couldn’t have continued writing this blog without you, my subscribers.  Just when I am feeling discouraged, someone has a generous compliment or comments about a recent post.  I know in this busy world it is difficult to find time to sit down and read about life around here, but I so dearly appreciate it when you do.

As always, I look forward to your comments and criticisms.  With feedback I can only get better. As the year comes to a close, I send you my biggest hugs and lots of quiet, loving moments for your and your family. Thank you for your continuing support and friendship!

P.S. I didn’t provide links to the various blog posts mentioned above, but if you are interested in any topic you can enter it in the search bar.