I am in awe of the people who are able to have their holiday cards arrive the day after Thanksgiving.   Seriously.  This weekend, we tried to take our family photo for our card since all the children were home.   Even though I set up the tripod and the day was overcast, you would think that ONE photo would have come out perfectly….but nooooooooooo.  My youngest daughter, Elisabeth kept flying in front of the camera so I have lots of these shots (which I secretly love 🙂 And the dogs would come and go so I have numerous pictures of half a tail, part of a head…

You would think that trying to get 5 people to look at the camera, not move, have good posture, keep eyes open, not use the “V” sign over someone’s head, without belly laughing, would be easy….I have a new respect for professional photographers.  Also, why do I look so much older in these photos than I feel??? Arggggg.

Since I haven’t even LOOKED at card styles yet,  I am truly impressed with those organized souls that pop their cards in the mail the day before Thanksgiving.  My hat’s off to you!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I believe it was the first year that all the food came out of the oven at the same time and arrived at the table hot and delicious.  Here is our turkey before it went into the oven.

Now it’s off to Christmas holiday decorating.  I know there are many ways to celebrate the season. It is a magical time, but it can also be hectic and stressful. So whatever you celebrate, or even if you don’t celebrate, please make extra time to enjoy your fellow man.  If we were all a little kinder to each other, our world would be a better place. Don’t you agree?

So, I started the Christmas decorating.  It’s fun to pull out items that you haven’t seen for a year and for some reason I am always surprised at what I find.  My collection of holiday pillows create an instant seasonal look to the family room, as well as the wreaths that are hung on the interior of each of the windows.  My husband placed a grommet in the ribbon and put small cup hooks on each window frame, so hanging the wreaths is a breeze.

Since the family room is also home to the pets (2 dogs and 2 cats), the holiday decorating is a bit limited-nothing breakable.  So with wreaths on all the windows, numerous holiday pillows on the sofa (purchased from Pottery Barn), and a few pieces of Christmas art, I consider this room decorated.

The vintage picture below was a gift from my dear friend, Janie.  She is the expert at giving unique and thoughtful gifts. Actually, this is the “Janie corner” because in the background hanging on the wall, are two rooster oil paintings, also done by her….How lucky am I to have such a talented friend!

One room down and many more to go.  It takes a good week to decorate Bella Terra, some years I do more than others.  If I am organized, I hope to have a holiday home tour for you before too long.

Here’s my very first winter painting!  I donated it to a charitable event back in Connecticut.  Fortunately, someone liked it and bought it.

I’m off to find holiday cards and at least one decent photo of our brood! Happy Monday!

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The kitchen at Bella Terra is a mess–a happy mess- but still a mess!  But the pies are made and the table is set.

Wishing you and yours a happy, safe and blessed Thanksgiving.

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Every fall I wait for the grapevines by the garden to change into brilliant fall colors.  Years ago, I planted two small grapes on either side of the gate to the garden.  Over time, they have grown up over the rebar arch and have made a lovely shaded entrance.

During the summer, the vines are thick with grapes.  Last summer, I thought I would be all Martha Stewart-y and cut the grapes and do something lovely with them.  I’m sure the wind was blowing through my hair as I sort of skipped to the garden :).  As I was poised to cut a large cluster of grapes, a swarm of bees flew out into my face, and stung me on the nose.  If you’ve ever been stung on the nose before, it’s quite the experience.  I started uncontrollably sneezing, my eyes were watering so much that I could hardly see to stumble away and get into the house.  My nose got rather large and I looked like Jimmy Durante for a few days.  The children thought it was funny. So much for my Martha Stewart moment. So, the grapes now stay on the vine.

Last week I went out to the garden and was completely shocked because the grape vine looked completely dead!

Upon closer inspection, I found hundreds of black and yellow caterpillars.  They had eaten all the green parts of the leaves and left the veins only.

Reluctantly, I hand picked off the bugs and filled a big plastic cup with the little boogers.  They are called the Western Grape Skeletonizer  and the caterpillars line up and feed in groups, creating a net-like appearance.  Gross. These are the larvae to the adult moth, which is blue-black and about 1/2″ long.  The adults produce masses of yellow eggs in early May.  I must remember to look for these next spring and destroy any I see.

So, no fall colors from the grapevines this year 🙁  Thankfully I have a picture from the previous year…

 

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Through my business, Picket Fences, Inc. (see story here) I try to remodel, restore or rejuvenate a local house every 18 months or so.  Typically, the goal is to find gems in our immediate neighborhood, but this latest find was one I couldn’t resist.  A sweet friend of mine, Madison Hallock contacted me when she knew this particular house was going to be available.

This 1922 beauty is located in the F.Q. Story historical district. The Story neighborhood is one of Phoenix’s first historic districts. Its 602 homes date from the 1920s and span a variety of architectural styles, including Spanish Colonial Revival, English Tudor, Craftsman bungalows and transitional ranch. Homes are listed on both the federal and state registers of historic places. The neighborhood is bounded by McDowell Road, Roosevelt Street, Seventh Avenue and Grand Avenue.

This Southern style home has been vacant for 20 years and the architecture is atypical for Arizona.  The backyard was a conglomeration of 3 guest houses/apartments, in extremely close proximity to one another.  Apparently the homeowner rented these out as additional income.  We have since demolished all but one, which we will retain as a guest house.

The house needs ALOT of work, love and attention.  It has a stunning grand entry, however the pink and gold accents needed to go! Surprisingly, the entry, living room and dining room lathe and plaster walls are in relatively good condition and will only need crack repair and a new coat(s) of paint.

The gold flocked wallpaper in the living room has been removed, and the original chandeliers and the plaster rosettes are in great condition.  The previous owner left a few antique pieces but also left enough junk to fill a dumpster.  Hardwood floors are in tact and hopefully will only require polishing.

One of the bedrooms upstairs had an odd configuration of a bathroom in one corner-no walls for privacy and we are still trying to figure out the French tub and its close proximity to the toilet (with the fuzzy pink seat cover).  Hmmmm.  We have removed the vanity and behind the mirror was an original 10 over 1 (10 small panes on the top/one large pane on the bottom) rope and pulley window.

The house will obviously need all new bathrooms and a new kitchen/family room.   There is a wonderful brick fireplace in the kitchen which we will keep.

The entire house was covered with aluminum siding-perhaps practical but ugly.  When we removed it, we found the original clapboard, but also revealed new structural problems. Cha-ching! Under the siding we found the original blue porch ceiling, albeit in rather poor condition.

I’ve been researching why porch ceilings are painted blue.  Many Southerners suggest that blue porch ceilings originated out of the fear of haints.  Haints are restless spirits of the dead who, for whatever reason, have not moved on from their physical world.  Southerners, especially in the area of South Carolina, have a name for the ceiling paint used on porches – the soft blue-green is referred to as Haint Blue.  Haint blue, which can also be found on door and window frames as well as porch ceilings, is intended to protect the homeowner from being “taken” or influenced by haints.  It is said to protect the house and the occupants of the house from evil.

Blue porch ceilings are also quite prevalent along the east coast, from Boston to Philadelphia and other historic cities, where Victorian and Colonial homes abound. Sky blue ceilings were a popular color scheme for the Victorians, who preferred the colors of nature when painting their homes.

Some people swear that blue paint repels insects, leaving a porch bug-free and pleasant during those long summer evenings and afternoons.  And yes, I will be finding the perfect blue to paint the newly replaced porch ceiling.

We are awaiting finalized plans from the City of Phoenix so we can start the fun stuff! This is such a charming neighborhood and everyone we have met is thrilled that this grand old dame will be a gorgeous home in the very near future.

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