Is there any other fruit that conjures up such joy and happiness?  Summer and picnics? Watermelon is always an invited guest.  They are refreshing and sweet and when chilled, they provide a fun way to combat the heat.  Can you find an easier dessert than watermelon?

Most people believe that watermelon is only made up of water and sugar, however, it is actually considered to be a nutrient dense food.  It has a high amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for a low amount of calories. According to an article in the Medical News Today:

One cup of diced watermelon (152 grams) contains 43 calories, 0 grams of fat, 2 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of carbohydrates (including 9 grams of sugar) and 1 gram of fiber. One cup of watermelon will provide 17% of vitamin A, 21% of vitamin C, 2% of iron and 1% of calcium needs for the day.

Watermelon also contains thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, choline, lycopene and betaine. According to the National Watermelon Promotion Board, watermelon contains more lycopene than any other fruit or vegetable.

Despite being a great source of the above nutrients, watermelon is made up of 92% water.

Along with cantaloupe and honeydew, watermelons are a member of the botanical family Cucurbitaceae. There are five common types of watermelon: seeded, seedless, mini (also known as personal), yellow and orange.

Now I feel much better about sharing this next recipe, because it is delicious and healthy!  As you know, I am a BIG fan of Monique from Ambitious Kitchen, everything from her food philosophy to her fabulous recipes.  She is also part of the Healthy Glow team which I wrote about in a previous post.  This concoction, her Skinny Jalapeno Watermelon Margarita has become my summer cocktail~~and it’s easy to double, triple or quadruple the recipe. It’s not too sweet, but light and refreshing.

You can control the heat of the jalapeno, depending on your personal preference. And look at that beautiful color!!

I have tried different combinations of rim coatings~~ from just coarse salt, to salt/organic sugar mix and the Mexican flavoring, Tajin Classic Seasoning.

My second, rather fun, recipe involving watermelon is a Vietnamese-style salad that makes a refreshing accompaniment to any kind of barbecue meat.  Originally this recipe, Cucumber and Watermelon Salad with Hoisin-Lime Dressing,  appeared in Bon Appetit in July 2002 in their Flavors of the World article.

With 7 simple and fresh ingredients, this salad is so easy to make.  Start with cubes of watermelon and English cucumbers.

Mix them together and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours.  Drain and discard the liquid that will accumulate.

In the meantime, make the dressing and chop the fresh herbs and dry-roasted peanuts.

Toss all together and garnish with the nuts.

Enjoy the recipes (click on the recipe names in the bold links above) and explore with using watermelon in different recipes.  There is actually a website that focuses strictly on watermelon~~recipes, nutritional value and you even get to meet the 2017 National Watermelon Queen..who knew?  You can find it  all here.

 

I just returned from 6 days in Virginia and Washington, D.C.  I had hydrangea and peony envy….the entire time I was there.  So today, I decided to stop pouting and start appreciating the plants that grow here in Phoenix. Lavender is one of those plants that conjures up romance, serenity and bliss.

Climate

The climate in Phoenix is PERFECT for growing lavender~~these beautiful plants thrive in full sun, heat and fast draining, low fertility soils. They are at their very best in the more arid climates found west of the Mississippi where heat, sun, dry growing conditions and poor soils predominate. Humid heat and compost-enriched, water retentive soils are the enemy of lavender.

We have lavender growing in several beds around the yard and most of it is English lavender, but I still haven’t figured out the variety~~is it Provence, Hidcote or Arbrialii?

What is it?

What is lavender? It’s a perennial herb that’s native to the Western Mediterranean region. Different types of lavender plants are hardy in different zones, but most is hardy in Zones 5 to 11.  Who knew (not me!) that lavender is in the mint family (which also includes basil, thyme, lemon balm, oregano, sweet marjoram, rosemary, sage, savory, and summer savory).

Lavender love heat! These plants need good air circulation to maintain healthy leaves. A good rule of thumb is to space the plants as far apart as they’ll grow tall. This ensures ample air circulation between plants.

Cutting

I try my hand at cutting lavender.  It is recommended that you do so early in the morning to preserve the oils in the flowers.  The snipping is near the base of the stems when the purple flowers are abundant.

Drying

Drying lavender is one of the easiest floral projects you’ll undertake. You can dry the flower heads by standing them upright in a vase without water.

I choose to bundle the flower stems together using ribbon, and will hang them upside down in a dry, dark, warm spot to dry. With either method, you will have dried lavender in about two weeks.

Uses

Dried lavender has many uses.  The fragrant, pale purple flowers and flower buds are used in potpourris.  Lavender is also used extensively as herbal filler inside sachets used to freshen linens. Dried and sealed in pouches, place lavender flowers among stored items of clothing to give a fresh fragrance and to deter moths.

I don’t know much about using lavender in a recipe (do you need a food grade lavender or can any lavender work?) but that might be something I will try next.

If you would like to see a post on making lavender pillows, click here.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Last week, I spent 3 days deep cleaning our little vacation rental cabin in the mountains. In January, my property manager/cleaning couple quit.  For years, I had so heavily relied on them to manage the cabin’s maintenance issues as the geographical distance (a 3 1/2 hour drive) precluded me from doing it myself. And now they were gone.  Sigh.

Our cabin was purchased by my husband long before he and I met. He co-owned it with a life-long friend and several years ago, we bought out his interest (as he invested in a bigger cabin for his family).  We have had it as a vacation rental from Memorial Day to November for the last few years.

When the children were little, we used the cabin more frequently.  At that time there was no television, no internet, just board games and forest explorations.  It was quintessential family time which lasted until the children got older. Enter sports, other interests, friends, etc. and we seemed to use this cabin less and less.

We have kicked around the idea of selling it, but since the recession second homes sales have stagnated over the last few years.  So instead of it just sitting there, it is now a sweet vacation rental.

So back to my current dilemma~~getting the cabin ready for our summer visitors without the help of my dynamic duo.

So with slumped shoulders and a downtrodden spirit, I made the long, albeit beautiful drive up to the White Mountains of Arizona. Who among us looks forward to deep cleaning?  Not I! But, I am not one to wallow in self pity for long so I carved out 3 days to tackle the opening and cleaning of the cabin.

It was FREEZING in the mountains….well, freezing for me.  A low of 39 degrees and a high of 60 with strong winds the entire time.  The cabin doesn’t have central heat, but it does have a few wall heaters and numerous space heaters.  But after being closed up for 5 months, it would take some doing to get the inside warm.  On the plus side, I did get to wear scarves and jackets again~~such a treat with the hot Phoenix summer just around the corner.

The deep cleaning included taking down all the curtains~~washing, drying and ironing….Scrubbing the oven (doesn’t self clean) and the outdoor gas grill~~gross and greasy; pulling out the refrigerator and washing the floor~~disinfecting all bathrooms, wiping out all cabinets, drawers and reorganizing the kitchen.  Cleaning out all closets, ironing duvet covers, window washing, carpet and upholstery cleaning (by a professional thank goodness) and general polishing.  And finally we replaced the old water heater.

By the end of the 3 days, I was physically exhausted but spiritually elated.  Losing my management couple almost felt like a blessing in disguise.  Touching every square inch of this cabin reminded me why we have kept this property in our family for all these years.  The cabin and I reconnected.

The cabin is on .8 of an acre of Ponderosa pine forest.  The view from the kitchen overlooks the large back deck and into the woods.  It has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and sleeps 8 and is charming and cozy.

The master bedroom is the largest with a queen bed and a set of bunk beds and two seating areas.

The upstairs bedroom, which we refer to as the “loft”, has two twin beds and a “secret” room filled with stuffed animals, toys and Legos.

Two years ago we broke down and put in cable and internet, as our vacation guests wanted to remain technologically connected. But the best part of this cabin is its location. Being part of the White Mountain Summer Homes, it is gated and safe, yet private.  There is great biking, hiking, fishing and golfing….and of course, forest exploration.  It is not uncommon to see wild horses, elk, deer and bear in this area.

So in spite of my original internal whining, the cleaning trip to the mountains was a personal success.  Now our cabin is sparkling clean and ready to create vacation memories for our guests. And I’ve fallen in love with it all over again.

Maybe it’s time to sell it if the right offer or family came by.  But in the meantime, we will continue to cherish it and all its memories. If you would like more information on this cabin, please visit this link at vrbo

Have a wonderful Saturday!

 

 

 

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God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.  Rudyard Kipling

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone who is a mother or has been a mother to others in your life.

In the United States in 1905, Anna Jarvis campaigned to make “Mother’s Day” a recognized holiday.  Anna’s mother, Ann had been a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers from both the Confederate and Union armies of the American Civil War.  She created Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health issues.  Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother and all mothers because she believed they were “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world.” (source)

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as a national holiday to honor mothers.

Every day I am so grateful for the three children God put into my life.  And even though words cannot completely do justice for the depth of love, admiration and joy I feel, I hope they know how much they have enriched my life.  Children are our teachers~~showing us the world through their unbiased eyes, their hopeful giggles and their strength and determination.  The unconditional love I have for them is boundless. As much as I sometimes long for the days when they were toddlers, I look back and believe I did the best job possible. I am so proud of their accomplishments as they enter the world as responsible young adults.

Being a mother is perhaps the best thing I have ever become, the greatest love I have ever felt and the best part of being me.

Happy Mother’s Day to you and yours.

 

 

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Last weekend we had a sit-down dinner party for 50 guests. We certainly don’t have room inside for a crowd that large, but the orchard provides the perfect space for dining al fresco.

There are several reasons why we love to entertain.  1) It forces us to get things done around here.  Naturally we want our home and property to look its best and I can honestly say, it doesn’t look great all the time~~we are human and sometimes lazy; 2) We believe it’s important to share our property and its history.  There are so few of the original estate properties left in Phoenix and our house represents what life was like over 100 years ago; 3) It does take some work but we really enjoy it!

Years ago, I may have attempted the cooking myself, but now I call in my catering expert, Julie Greder.  Julie does not disappoint.  Her food is delicious; her staff is warm and friendly; and her calm demeanor is just what I need as I am frantically rushing around before an event.

Naturally, I don’t have tables, chairs and service for 50 so I count on Party People to provide the rental items I need.  They, too, have a great selection and always deliver and pick up on time.

I envisioned the table to be “spring elegant” and tried a different color for the tablecloths and napkins….a sea foam blue.  Since the orchard is narrow, one “long” table works best in the space (which was really 6 8′ tables lined up allowing for 24 chairs on each side and two at the ends).

Setting everything up is a challenge but I had the help of my dear friend and colleague, Linda Mateut from Bonbon Macarons.  Linda has such a great sense of style and flair in addition to being so sweet and centered.  In previous posts, I’ve mentioned Linda’s fabulous French macarons which are better than any I have tasted in Paris. Plus, my sweet artistic daughter, Julianna, came home from college for the weekend and lent a helping hand.

The morning of the event, Linda and I set up the tables with the help of Cooper and Sox.  For some reason, these two rascals love to play Hide and Seek, run under the tables and chase each other.  Not so good for us, but great fun for them.

Since there were high winds predicted for the night of the event, I wanted to make sure both the flower arrangements and candles were weighted and secure and would not blow over. Mason jars aren’t the most elegant of vessels, but they are sturdy.  I put the votives in a taller Mason jar so the wind wouldn’t extinguish the flame.  The flowers and candles added colorful beauty to the table and no one noticed the Mason jars.

Getting the tables, chairs and place settings aligned was important to the overall symmetry. Though we didn’t do a Downtown Abbey and use a ruler, Linda took the time and extra effort to make sure it didn’t look cattywampus.

There were additional tables for the caterers to stage the food and to serve beverages.  My daughters were responsible for providing the background music.

After a glass of Prosecco and hors d’oeurves on the front porch, we then proceeded to the orchard for dinner.  To secure the napkins we used a simple ribbon and a sprig of fresh rosemary.  Julie had menus printed with the evening’s fare.

The strings of lights and the candles provided the warm ambiance and plenty of lighting for dining.

Our guests were from The Peregrine Fund, a non-profit organization that my husband has been involved in over 20 years.  They had a strategic planning meeting here in Phoenix and we had the opportunity to host them for dinner. The Peregrine Fund has been researching, conserving habitat and restoring species of birds of prey since 1970.  We need birds of prey in order to ensure the health of the world’s ecosystem. The Peregrine Fund educates students, the public and communities around the world about conservation.  They have an earned reputation of saving all kinds of raptors. Here is a peregrine falcon who is an educational bird of prey from The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho. Isn’t he a beauty?

So you can imagine, much to my surprise, when we had an unexpected dinner visitor who happen to land on a branch very close to the table~~our very own bird of prey!

This is a Western screech owl with a Sphinx moth in its mouth! The little guy sat on that branch and posed for such a long time for our guests.  Pretty amazing..

The dinner was a great success and we always feel so honored to have those who have traveled far and wide,  experience an evening at Bella Terra. It was a winning combination: great weather, fabulous food, interesting and engaging participants, a good cause and one screech owl who, if you look closely, brought his own dinner!

Here is the menu Julie and her fabulous team prepared:

The Peregrine Fund Dinner

Salad

Fresh arugula, tomatoes, pine nuts, shaves of Parmesan with shallot vinaigrette

Entree

Salmon with lemon butter caper sauce and asparagus

Filet Mignon with red wine reduction and garlic mash

Dessert

Key Lime Tart with graham cracker coconut crust and fresh cream

Happy Friday!

 

After 8 months of extensive renovation, we are proud to show you the results of the 1922 restoration in one of Phoenix’s most lovely neighborhoods.  This Jeffersonian grand dame is worthy of all the time, money and energy it took to make this restoration a reality.

If you would like to see previous posts on this, please click here and here.  For some reason, this renovation consumed more energy than I imagined.  I’ve been contemplating as to why that is so and I’ve come to the conclusion that this house elicited many emotions for me.

First of all, I find it troubling that someone could let this architectural gem deteriorate so greatly.  When it was being built in the early 1920s, it is evident that great care and pride went into every detail.  It is obvious that many people have loved this house over the decades. Yet the last 20 years it sat empty and neglected, sad and lonely.

When you let something like this go, the steep slope of decline happens rather quickly.  My heart actually hurt when I first walked into the house.  I could envision what it was like in its prime~~a home filled with laughter, activity, parties, and celebrations.  But when I purchased it in August 2016, it was filled with debris~~depressed and abandoned.

The Exterior

The home was covered in aluminum siding and the only activity involved pigeons who had taken it over as their residence.  If you look closely, the aluminum siding is falling off and I held my breath hoping the original clapboard siding is underneath.  We stripped all the aluminum siding off (and recycled it). A local company was able to replicate any missing or damaged clapboard.

With a fresh coat of paint, a newly rebuilt front terrace and overhang, new roof, light fixtures and all new landscaping, the house is now back to its former glory.  How fun that my neighbor, David Stanton, is kind parked his antique car in front for these photos.

The Entry

The entry was painted a hideous pink and the gold plaster curlicues were glued to EVERYTHING.  The entry light had plastic, fake crystals, the balustrades were painted gold (more gold!)  and the hardwood railing was painted white.

All the original floors are preserved and refinished~~they are gorgeous!

The Living Room

Upon entering the house, the living room is to the left.  With gold-flocked wallpaper and what appears to be 2 mantles (?), the original hardwood floors are in tact and the room is a very good size.  Thankfully the original chandeliers and plaster medallions are still there.

All the windows needed repair as did the many cracks in the plaster walls.  We removed the baseboard heating system, as well as the wallpaper. Though you cannot see it in this picture, the electrical conduit to the chandeliers was just tacked onto the walls.

Now you can see the gorgeous bones of this room. The ceiling rosettes, crystal chandeliers, beautiful woodwork and original hardwood floors make this room an elegant space.

The Dining Room

To the right of the entry is the Dining Room.  The walls were wallpapered and then painted over, so we removed everything down to the plaster. Yes, behind the piano, that is an exterior window that was used as a bookshelf.  Go figure.

Both the dining room and living room have beautiful French doors that open up to the front terrace.

Here is the dining room after from 2 different angles. What was once a storage area, is now a closet for china, silver, linen and crystal.  Though you can’t see it well in this photo, the concrete floor is hand-painted.  See a previous post regarding that project!

Picture a meal here with all the French doors open to the outside. The original chandelier was missing but I am able to find another crystal one that fits the period of the house.

The Butler’s Pantry

From the entry there is now a Butler’s Pantry where parts of the original kitchen were located.  The plastic door to the left is the former laundry room.  This is now a completely new powder room with a pocket door added for privacy.

Here we have gutted the room back to the walls.  The door in the distance is the entrance to the basement.

This sweet butler’s pantry has oak countertops, crystal pulls and knobs on the custom cabinetry and a skirted sink.

The Kitchen

The kitchen was a massive undertaking.  It spanned two rooms with the sink, dishwasher and refrigerator in one room with the stove in another.  However, there is a lovely, large, brick fireplace which apparently was at one time, used for cooking.

This is now what I am calling the “kitchen cozy”.  A perfect place to sit in a very comfortable chair to read the paper or have your coffee.

There was a tacky addition to the back of the house that needed to be removed.  After structurally supporting the exterior of the house with a beam, we rebuilt the addition and took this opportunity to add a second story which becomes the master suite.

The new flooring is now level with the kitchen and all the air conditioning vents have been submerged in the subfloor. This addition, on the first floor is now the open kitchen/family room.

Great care is taken to put all the first floor air-conditioning ducting in the floors. Insulation helps with sound and keeping the house cool in the hot Phoenix summers.

The family room after.

This is the view from one end of the kitchen to the family room.

The Hall Bathroom

Upstairs, the hall bath was quite a site!  Again, lots of gold on the walls and the ceiling!

Notice the small brass cranks on the window trim. These cranks allow you to open and close the exterior shutters from the inside.

All the bedrooms are off this wonderful upstairs hall.  You can see the hall bath in the background with its original beaded curtain.

With a fresh coat of paint and refinished floors, it looks so clean and elegant.  The light fixture has silk shades and this is a Ballard Designs purchase.

The Bedrooms

The southwest bedroom had the funky bathroom in one corner without any walls. Gotta love the very disgusting fuzzy, pink toilet seat cover!

When we took out the vanity and we discovered an original window in tact! Hard to believe the faux brick wallpaper was “in” once.

With the addition of walls, this space becomes an actual bathroom.

The Master Bedroom

The master bedroom was rather tiny so we created a new master space with the second story addition. Where you see the closet to your right, we walled off a larger section (over the yellow rug), and created a new master walk-in closet. The window, located in the left of the photo is where the opening becomes the new master bedroom addition. Where the bed is located in the background, becomes the master bath.

We build a small deck outside the bedroom~~where there are city lights to be viewed at night.

Notice the window behind the bed.  This is where the new bathtub is placed.

Demolition and Addition

Some of the greatest building transformation took place outside.  The backyard was crammed with 3 buildings~~all rentals units that were uninhabitable.  We demolished 2 of them and opened up the back yard.  We left one cottage and discovered it had been the original garage.  

However, we couldn’t salvage the barn-style doors as they had been destroyed.  Included in the demolition permit was the removal of the addition off the kitchen which was not built to code.  I don’t have any good pictures of the backyard before, however, here is what the house looks like after everything is gone.

Here you can see the second story demolition of the house and the where the future master suite will be located.

The Guest Cottage

Here is the remaining guest cottage/original garage.

By adding new doors and windows, this original garage becomes a sweet place for guests.

The Garage

There was no garage so we add 2 two car one next to the guest cottage. There is an 2 – car automatic garage door on one side and a single car garage door which opens out to the alley. This way you can pull you car in one side and drive out the other.

The Yard

I’m not a big fan of block walls, however, they do provide privacy and safety. I always like to do something whimsical and unique at each house I renovate and this section of wall seems to be the perfect place.

I picked up this bike on Craig’s List for $20.00, cut the seat in half; removed one pedal and split the handle bars.  The block wall was white and we paint both the wall and the bike a great shade of green/gray from Sherwin Williams.

The “bike art” is now a focal point of the back yard.  Once the trees fill it, you may not see it but it’s a fun surprise.  I wonder what other objects I could use for future wall art projects??

The Details

The French tub was a keeper and it is repurposed as a dog bath in the new laundry room. I had the exterior of the tub (which was gold, no surprise there) professionally coated.

Here are some additional  photos of the exterior.

Since I retained the original windows on the existing house, I add Sunbrella awnings over the windows facing west to reduce the sun exposure.

Finishing this project

This is a great shot showing the original house and the newly added (and structurally correct) 2 story addition.  You may note that 3 windows in the upper story don’t match the rest of the house.  I assume this section may have been an old sleeping porch and then enclosed at some point later.  Nearly all the windows are double hung, but these three are casement windows.

I find it interesting that the shutters are only on the front of the house~~which is historically correct.  The shutters actually serve a purpose since the front is south facing.  The upper shutters close via an interior brass handled crank and the lower, larger shutters actually work and cover the French doors.  Very innovative back in 1922 when air conditioning didn’t exist.

I hope you enjoy the restoration journey of this magnificent home.  My work is done and now it is up to my realtor, Madison Hallock to find the perfect person/family for this house.  You can see more photos and real estate details here.

This project could not have been done with the right people working on it. I am blessed with the absolute best crew, who manage to keep the laughter going even in times of despair. Everyone left a little bit of the heart and soul here and we are so proud to breathe new life into a historical home of this caliber.  

Many thanks to the following people for helping me: some before and after shots by photographer, Adam Peter; after photos by photographer, Jesse Fitton; Lola Castle with Castle Designs for her wonderful staging.  I’ve never used a staging company before and Lola was calm, cool and professional even as I was anxiously hovering over her.  I would definitely use her again!  And a big thank you for all the neighbors who tolerated our presence in their neighborhood.  Their words of support and encouragement are so appreciated and welcomed!

Will I do another?

Everyone keeps asking when I will do another one, but I can honestly say, I’m pooped.  I hope to take the summer to recuperate.  Unlike some profit-driven flippers, I do this out of love and respect for older homes and their architecture.  I take this responsibility seriously and feel that renovating and restoring is a way of care giving.  And if you have ever taken care of someone, you know how rewarding and draining it can be at the same time.  As with most things in life,  I always try to leave the campsite better than I found it.  I think we hit this one out of the park!

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