Saturday Meanderings

The month of January is almost in the rearview mirror! Whoosh! Just like that and we are onto February. This weekend my sweet, dear blogging friends are here for 4 days and I am so grateful for their friendship. Let’s enjoy and appreciate this Saturday, January 31, 2026 with a hot beverage and an edition of Saturday Meanderings.

Getting Ready for Houseguests

It is always exciting when we have out of town guests come and stay with us. As you know, we’ve been very busy doing LOTS of yard work, raking up fall leaves, trimming trees, finalizing the garden mess/clean-up.

I love creating a wonderful sleeping space with clean, fresh linens. There is nothing quite like the scent of sheets dried on the line, and I try to make every bed with this simple luxury. Bathrooms are stocked with necessities, and each room includes a small snacking station. Since my friends have traveled far and wide to be here, I want them to feel truly welcomed, pampered~and to be able to enjoy a very good night’s sleep.

Unfortunately, my blogging friend, Lycia could not come. Her home is under ice in Texas and she is without power and water. We miss her but it seems every time we get together, someone in the group has an unexpected obstacle in attending. But am so happy to have Chloe from Celebrate and Decorate, Kim from Shiplap and Shells, Chas from Chas’ Crazy Creations and Andrea from Design Morsels here!

Breakfast Ideas for a Crowd

When I have guests. staying for a few days, I like to be sure there are many easy breakfast options on hand, since we all tend to rise at different times. One of my favorite go-to is homemade granola~see recipe below. What I love most about the recipe is how easily it can be adapted to your own tastes. This time, I add dried cherries from Trader Joe’s for a slightly different, and delicious, flavor.

Other easy breakfast choices are egg bites (similar to the ones you can find at Starbucks). Costco has two different flavors~bacon and gouda and roasted red pepper. Each box holds 5 servings (2 egg bites) which are microwaveable for $14.52.

Fun Valentine Items at Trader Joe’s

Holidays are a very fun time to visit Trader Joes. For Valentine’s Day they have a plethora of new products throughout the store. I couldn’t resist this Rose Oil Body Scrub and hand cream. Using the scrub on my tired hands is a slice of heaven. Layering the cream afterwards, made these appendages feel extra special. The scrub is $6.99 and the hand cream is $4.99

Have You Ever Seen This?

This week I attended a function at large stadium and this was in the women’s restroom. What the heck? Several of us stood there puzzling over it, wondering if the faucet was somehow hidden beneath the screen. I even tried googling it afterward and came up empty-handed. Could they possibly be advertising now public bathrooms? The screen didn’t activate, which made it even stranger. So odd. Ugh.

Pantone’s Color of the Year

For the first time ever, Pantone has selected a white for their color of the year. Meant to represent calm, serenity, and a fresh start in a noisy world, Cloud Dancer is a soft, floaty white. What do you think?

To read more about why Pantone picked this color, click here to read the article from The Glam Pad.

Who Remembers This?

I used to LOVE making these potholders when I was a child. There is something so therapeutic about weaving and looping to create this useful item.

My sweet friend, Rachel from the Ponds Farmhouse shares this nostalgic craft on a recent post. What a fun DIY to do with your children and grandchildren. Good lessons in patience, pattern and construction. See it here.

Are You Unplugging?

I often wonder how our digital world is affecting our brains, which, in the past has processed information in analog mode—thinking in continuous, fluid patterns that reflect the natural world. 

As psychologists reveal the myriad and detrimental ways digital systems are reshaping human thought, creativity, and imagination, society yearns for a doom-scroll detox. According to Vogue Business, in 2026 “Unplugging” has become luxury’s most valuable currency.

Hobbies, past-times, and lifestyle habits including the following, are experiencing a resurgence:

• Handiwork including needlepoint, quilting, crochet, sewing, arts and crafts
• Writing by hand including journaling, Bible journaling, letter writing, calligraphy, cursive
• Pastimes including painting, puzzles, boardgames, chess, cards
• Simpler technology such as landline phones, Polaroid cameras, record players. flip phones, typewriters. Even CDs and Walkmen are making a comeback, with sales increasing for the first time in nearly two decades, driven by nostalgia and the desire for physical ownership.

Do you find yourself trying to minimize your technology time? It is an ongoing goal of mine to disconnect. When I do, life seems to move at a slower pace. Let me know your thoughts!

Sorry for the shortened version of Saturday Meanderings but I don’t want to miss a minute with my houseguests while they are here at Bella Terra. Have a beautiful weekend and am hoping you are warm, happy and healthy! Stay safe out there!