Here we go, another new year! Do you change your behavior or make resolutions? Does the month of January mean a new start? After an indulgent Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, this month is a time for me to reset. I am ready to eat a cleaner diet and get back into a healthier routine. There is something to be said for having structure in one’s every day life. Happy New Year to you and yours!

The Concept of Time

I clearly remember how time, especially during grade school, felt like it dragged on forever. Why does time go so slow when we are younger, and speed up when we are older? Perhaps the older I get, the more I value time and want to live more intentionally.

Theme for the Year

Some people pick a word or theme for the year. Last year my theme was financial austerity~trying to get a better understanding of where money goes and spending wisely. Not sure I completely accomplished that but I feel like I have a better handle on that responsibility. But this year, I am going back to basics.

For years, as a corporate executive, I faithfully kept a Franklin Press Daily planner. But the last few years, I played life by ear. I prefer to be organized and focused on accomplishing things so I am back to using a daily planner. Not just for work but also for pleasure. It seems I do not schedule enough personal time for me in my life and I’d like to course correct that in 2024.

Ann from On Sutton Place offers an attractive 2024 planner that you can download if you are a subscriber. In addition, there are weekly planning sheets that I have set up behind each monthly calendar. Simply put it all into a 1″ view binder and you have your planner for the year.

If you don’t want to download this planner, check out this very pretty and cheerful one from Rifle Paper Company. It’s a 17 month calendar and on sale now for $21.60. I actually might order one because it looks like the perfect size for traveling. Click on the link here.

Holiday Projects in January

One of the goals this year is to put our holiday decorations away in an organized manner. Not everyone organizes the same way and it can be challenging if two people, with totally different organizational systems, store the holiday stuff.

For years, I would put all the holidays items away and knew exactly where everything was. But now that my husband is helping, he has his own system~which looks very different from mine. The hope is that we can find common ground and create an organizational system that will work for both of us.

Another project is updating the holiday card address list. This is one task that I must do right after the holidays or I’m scrambling next November. Each card’s address will be cross checked with what I have on file for next year’s mailing list. Cards are not inexpensive and I certainly do not like getting one back with an undeliverable stamp due to an outdated or bad address.

Since we use Minted for our holiday card production, they have an online address assistant where we input our mailing addresses. It is so easy to update and any changes to this list are made electronically.

Annual Projects~both Big and Small

For those of you who own an older or historic home, you realize the house projects are never quite done. This week I am creating 2 project lists for the year~one for bigger projects (those that will take several days) to small projects (those that can be accomplished in a few hours).

My goal is to complete one big project per month and at least one, hopefully 2+ smaller projects per week.

A Focus on Health

Fortunately, I am blessed with good health. In the past my only trips to a doctor would include an annual (or every 3 years) physical. Anything in between would fall under an urgent or emergency visit (like my shattered big toe). However, since my unexpected kidney stone in October, the last two months are filled with follow-up medical visits, even though I feel perfectly fine.

Each visit, quite frankly, has been awful. Long delays, unnecessary tests, rude employees and the answer to my many questions is “well, you are getting older.” My health goals in 2024 are to be so healthy that I never need to see a doctor, strengthen my immune system so I do not get sick even when around others who are, and continue exercising and eating well.

Who’s with me?

Scheduling some Creative Time

On my new 2024 planner, I am marking out time on Fridays for painting. I love to paint but haven’t really done anything since 2022. The only painting I did in 2023 is a watercolor Valentine’s dinner invitation and a watercolor class with my friend, Tevia.

My art room is a bit of a mess which will take some organizing, but the goal is to paint 4 days a month and challenge myself to both bigger and smaller canvases too. Here is the only large canvas I have painted to date (in 2022).

I start this Friday and am looking forward to outlining subject matter and picking up a paintbrush.

Please share your hopes and dreams for 2024! I’m planning on it being a very good year.

For the last Saturday Meanderings of 2023, I am including two weeks of good things to chat about. With every intention to post last Saturday, well, you know how life goes the week before and after Christmas. Happily with a house full of family and guests, I never finished my post and here it is, a week later and there is more to add. So grab a cup of coffee or tea, and let’s chat about all good things over the last two weeks.

Before Christmas

What a week! On Saturday, December 16th we made the 6 hour drive to Newport Beach, California where we celebrated my husband’s birthday.

Newport Beach

With the average house price in Newport Beach being nearly $4mm, it is obviously a place we cannot buy, but we certainly love to visit. We always stay at Marriott Newport Coast Villas, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is situation right on the Pacific Coast Highway. This location is just perfect for our family and after coming here every summer when the children were younger, it feels a bit like a home away from home.

Four days of chock-a-block activities with the whole family (and significant others), from Disneyland to our favorite beach, the time is filled with lots of laughter and new memories. This Marriott property is so well maintained with beautiful landscaping too.

One of the highlights of blogging is meeting some truly wonderful people. During my September trip to Newport Beach, I learn that Wendy, from WM Design House lives in the area. So on this trip, we schedule time to meet for lunch and immediately, we become fast friends.

I love scheduling 4 to 5 days before Christmas to do something extra special with our family. Not only do we focus on my husband’s birthday (which can get lost in the holiday crunch), but hotel prices are still reasonable and accommodations available. Plus it’s a nice break from the holiday frenzy.

The Loofa (or luffa) is Ready!

This loofa plant has been the highlight of the garden this year. The vine is slowly dying off and I am picking dried loofa from the vine. If you recall, here is how it looks over the summer. At this point, this vegetable is very edible. Surprisingly, it did very well in our exceptionally hot summer.

As it matures, the fruit lightens in color and loses water weight. The shell hardens and starts to separate from interior fibers. Here is what the loofa looks like now.

The dried skin easily peels off and the seeds shake out from the inside. I find this plant so interesting! If you would like to grow this in your garden, here is a link to luffa seeds. I haven’t used it yet as a body scrubber but will keep you posted!

Annual Holiday Competition

My son, Benjamin has long-time friends (Emily, Max and Jeffrey) who gather each Christmas and compete in a food/drink cookoff. To date, the competition has included BLTs, stuffing, and hamburgers. This year they decide to do a cocktail one with categories of stirred, blended, shaken and shooters.

With a cleared kitchen island, each friend has a prep station. Official descriptions and judging sheets are provided to us and our friends, Rick and Janie. Not only are the drinks innovative and delicious, but it is so joyful to see the camaraderie between these incredible friends. Judging scores includes presentation, taste and innovation.

From tropical pinã coladas to snowball Negronis, this group did not disappoint. Operating as skilled mixologist, each and every drink is delicious.

Cocktails are rated with a numbering system and judged with a blind tasting. It’s always hard to pick one winner because such effort and attention is done by all three participants.

Christmas Day and After

Christmas morning is a very casual and relaxing affair here at Bella Terra. After the traditional breakfast of Eggs a la Goldenrod (see the recipe here), smoked salmon (made by my husband), bagels, and fresh squeezed orange juice for mimosas, we open our presents in the living room. It is possible there are more dog than people presents!

A late afternoon dinner is served in the dining room. What is fun about this year’s meal is that it was thrown together without a lot of forethought. The menu includes a smoked pork loin, a salad made from fresh garden greens and sweet potatoes, prepared in the most delicious way (recipe to come soon), cornbread muffins and a previously homemade (and frozen) pumpkin pie.

The table centerpiece is simply created with bottlebrush trees gathered from other parts of the house. Though our dining room is small and can only accommodate 10 people, it is very conducive to lively conversation and ambiance.

Celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas

I know many people are already dismantling their Christmas decorations, but not here at Bella Terra. This year, I decide to truly celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas (from Christmas Day to January 6, the Epiphany). My mother kept all decorations up until January 6th, a tradition we continue here.

What I love about this time between those two dates is the unique period of tranquility. I can fully enjoy the quiet beauty of the winter wonderland of our home without the stresses of the holiday bustle. In this sense of peace and stillness, I will slowly read and enjoy all the Christmas cards and letters we’ve received. Daily, I am watching a Christmas movie.

Even though Valentine’s Day merchandise is in the stores, I plan to be present and enjoy the peace and quiet of these 12 days. I invite you to join me in using this time for quiet reflection, to connect with nature’s stillness, spend quality time with loved ones, embrace deliberately slowing down, and savor your traditions and rituals.

When do you take down your decorations? Do you celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas?

As we say goodbye to 2023, I send you the biggest hugs and best wishes for a healthy, happy and exciting 2024. Keep those you love close to you and always extend a hand to those less fortunate. That’s what life is all about. See you in the New Year!

If you like to doodle, then you will love this project! Gingerbread everything is a big holiday theme this year, and yes, the gingerbread bug did bite me too! See how easy it is to decorate this very inexpensive cardboard houses into your own personal gingerbread village.

Supplies

You will need:

• Paper mache or similar paper/cardboard house
• White Paint pens with different nibs
• Glitter
• Glue or Modge Dodge

I find these 6″ paper mache houses at Michaels. I paid $5.99 each and now they are discounted to $3.99 each (darn). Our local store is out of stock, but you can find these in a set of 3 at Hobby Lobby, or from Factory Direct Crafts. Amazon has numerous styles available too here.

Any white paint pen will do but the key is to find a set with different nib sizes. From Michaels, I find Craftsmart oil-based premium paint pens in 3 nib sizes, but for the life of me I cannot seem to find it online. Plus one of the pens did leak and made a bit of a mess.

I find this set on Amazon and I think it will do the trick.

For years I have had the same big jar of glitter from craft days with the children and I LOVE it~so sparkly and festive. I find something similar on Amazon and I believe it is a close substitute.

Modge Podge is perfect to use as a glue and base for your glitter. It comes in both matte and glossy finish. Either will work but I use matte for this project.

Drawing details on the House

Use your imagination and draw curlicues, hearts or whatever design you want on your plain brown house.

Notice that these two houses are similar yet different, but both have the decorative, ornate look of a gingerbread house.

Add details at the roofline too.

I use the wide nib on the marker to color the roof and trim white, to appear snow-like. Around the chimney I replicate snow dripping. Then it is time to add the glitter.

Adding the Glitter

Though I do not have a photo, paint the roof and base Modge Podge and sprinkle the glitter over the wet surface. Put down paper or a pan first or you will have glitter everywhere. Since this is very fine glitter, you will more than likely be a bit sparkly yourself after!

In an attempt to create “icicles” I use my glue gun and drip glue from the rafters. While warm, I cover them in glitter. Not sure it’s worth the effort but here is how it looks. Since it didn’t make a huge difference and the glue actually looks a tad yellow, I only made “icicles” on one of the houses. Effort vs. reward.

The Overall Gingerbread Village

In the center of my rather large kitchen island, I have a two tiered glass patisserie, which I decorate by season. Found at Ballard Design, the patisserie comes in either pewter or brass and is on sale (from $299 to $225). Not only does it break up the surface of my island, but it is perfect for entertaining and displaying desserts, appetizers, etc.

The ceramic gingerbread houses are a find at Michaels (I believe are now out of stock). I blend in my two inexpensive gingerbread houses and I like how it all goes together.

Adding 2 different shades of bottle brush trees provides a nice contrast to the neutral tone gingerbread houses.

I think the DIY paper mache houses blend in rather nicely with the ceramic ones. Wouldn’t this be a fun project with children?

I am not sure whether I can squeeze a battery powered tea light in that front door but I’d like to find a way to light the house from within.

Holiday decorating continues!

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Happy Saturday from Phoenix, Arizona! I am back in the Valley of the Sun and even here, you can feel the shift in temperatures in the mornings and evenings. In order to get in the fall spirit, I am hanging the autumn wreaths and adding seasonal touches to the porch too. Thank you for joining me today for Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things this week.

Finally pulled out my paints

I dream about painting outside in beautiful weather (plain air), but I have not taken out a paint brush in months. So on a lovely day this week, my husband sets up a table for me to finally do some painting.

Unfortunately, I am only to do so for a few hours, but here’s my rough (very rough) draft of 4 ducks. More editing to be done, but this small attempt is a reminder how much I enjoy painting. Why can’t I make more time for this??!!

Pool Cleaning

We completely re-did the original pool back in 2001, as part of the property restoration. I didn’t realize that you are supposed to drain the pool, acid wash the walls and clean the tile every 3-4 years. Oops. Here is it 22 years later and we are doing this for the first time.

You can see the difference in the calcification on the tile before and after cleaning.

Looking forward to a clean and sparkling pool to use in the late summer.

What are You Watching?

Did you see Guiding Emily last night? We recently dropped Direct TV and am now using Direct TV streaming. Unfortunately, I did not realize that Direct TV streaming doesn’t carry Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. However, after some scrambling I was able to do a free 7 day trial to Philo in order to see the movie.

Guiding Emily is really well done! Garth, the guide dog is adorable. Sarah Drew’s outstanding performance as Emily truly conveys the fear, hopelessness and frustration in suddenly losing your sight. If you love movies with a fabulous house, this one is stunning. Hallmark truly elevated their game with this movie.

But what I liked best about this movie is how much I learned about sight impairment. The author, Barbara Hinske, sheds light on the challenges of those who are blind and operating in a sighted world. I highly recommend watching this.

Two Shows on Prime Video

We just finished Pie in the Sky and I didn’t want the 6 seasons series to end. If you like detective mysteries and good food, you will love this enjoyably British mix of character comedy and murder mystery.

Starring Richard Griffiths (Mr. Dursley in Harry Potter) as DI Henry Crabbe, a good cop finally retires from the force and opens his dream restaurant. He hopes to while away his retirement serving up his favorite dishes, but his old boss puts his plans on the back burner. It’s an oldie, but we found it very enjoyable.

Just started watching All Creatures Great and Small, based on the books about James Herriot, a veterinarian in 1930s in Yorkshire Dales. The characters, scenery and situations are all so entertaining and visually beautiful. You will find this on PBS or it is free with your subscription to Prime Video, I think.

Live to 100 on Netflix

Everyone needs to see this 5 show series. Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones takes you around the world to investigate the diet and lifestyles of those living the longest lives. It’s fascinating and also sad how the United States has one of the highest rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Did you also know that for the first time the longevity rate in the US is declining? A must see.

What are You Reading?

I admit that the reason I wasn’t drawn to this book is the cover. The old adage, don’t judge a book by its cover is exactly what I did. But after hearing great reviews I took the leap and loved it. Lessons in Chemistry is cleverly written, smart, and well worth the read. New York Times is calling it the best book of the year.

French Country Cottage Christmas

Even though my style is not French Country, I do like the work of Courtney Allison. I met Courtney during my visit to Patina Farm (see that post here). Courtney writes the blog, French Country Cottage and has previously published 2 books. I love her first book, but wasn’t wild about her second one.

Though I haven’t started reading her third and newest book, French Country Cottage Christmas, but the photos do look stunning. There is a section on 25 Inspiring Trees and DIYs for a handmade natural Christmas. If you love Christmas like I do and want ideas, you can find her book here. I have the hard copy vs. a Kindle version, and cannot wait to study all the gorgeous photos.

Enjoy the Weekend

If you missed any posts this week, please read about the Fall Styling Workshop we will be holding here at Bella Terra in October. We’d love for you to join us.

Thinking about wallpapering a room in your home? See how I use Peel & Stick wallpaper in a bathroom at our cabin here.

It’s homemade tomato sauce time. Today I am picking up 100 lbs. of Roma tomatoes from the Uptown Farmers Market. Since I am getting ready to head to the ocean for a few days, canning will take place next week.

Have a splendid weekend, friends!

When we purchased our cabin 12 years ago, I loved the additional space it provided to our family. However, every single wall is white and that not so attractive orange peel drywall texture. Since it is our 2nd home, it is always been fun to come up for a long weekend, then lock it and leave. One summer, many years ago, I paint two bathrooms~one a sage green and the other a cranberry color (what was I thinking?). Now after spending weeks here, I decide to try wallpapering the master bedroom water closet.

The Before

This is a small space, 3.5 feet by 5 feet, as it only holds a toilet. There are no windows so unfortunately most of my photos are under icky lighting. Yes, this is the sage green bathroom, but a slight upgrade from the stark white one.

All the trim is a natural wood as is the sliding pocket entry door. Ceiling is white. Flooring is 16″ square neutral ceramic tile~a pretty basic water closet.

Across from the toilet on the opposite wall is a mahogany 5 shelf etageré from the 1950s I picked up at a thrift store. I think the entire small room is rather depressing and fortunately it’s not a space where one spends a great deal of time.

Selecting a Wallpaper

Quite honestly, I didn’t shop around much. I really like Spoonflower and their wide variety of styles, patterns and types of wallpaper (and fabric). Being a cabin in the mountains, I am leaning toward nature patterns in nature colors. However, I do want something a bit brighter. One single overhead can light and no additional outlets in this space needs a bit lights and cheering up.

I choose William Morris ~ Willow Bough 2′ x 9′ Peel and Stick panels. Surprisingly for this room, their wallpaper calculator indicates I need 9 rolls.

The last time I wallpapered anything was with my mother, using the wallpaper paste and a long table. Since I have never used the Peel and Stick wallpaper, I am hoping it adheres to my not so smooth walls. It better as this wallpaper is non-returnable.

Prepping the Room

I remove the etageré, waste basket, toilet brushes, pictures, toilet paper holder and shelf above the toilet. After clearing out the room, I wipe down all the walls and begin.

Hanging the first Piece

Starting is always the most difficult, but I choose to begin at the far left side of the room, where the light switch is located. The edge wraps around to the door frame approximately 1.5″. You unpeel the backing from the paper about 6-10″ and affix the top of the paper. Then while easing the backing off, you push the paper onto the wall.

The first piece took a while as I need to cut out a section for the light switch…but I am not discouraged yet. Using a long level, I make sure the edge of the first panel of wallpaper is straight.

I continue around the room and by the 3rd panel, I’m feeling rather confident.

The Room is not Square

With each panel, you need to line up the pattern, which seems relatively easy to do. However, once I hit the next corner, the paper will not lay flat and the pattern, that matches at the top, doesn’t match at the middle and bottom. It’s due to the corner not being square. You can pull the paper off and try re-applying it, which I do several times to no avail. Now I think I have stretched the paper too much and I’m not happy with how it looks.

Since it is the least visual corner, I cut this panel close to the corner, and just get another panel that hasn’t been so manipulated. With a relatively busy pattern like this, I don’t think anyone will notice that the pattern, while matching near the ceiling, does not at the baseboard. Thankfully I have enough paper to make this adjustment.

Not only is this corner difficult, but I also am maneuvering around the toilet! As you can imagine there is a bit of cursing and working is this small room is just hot and challenging. The entire room takes 8 rolls and I have one complete roll leftover.

Finishing the Application

With a sharp knife, I cut the excess wallpaper at the baseboards and where necessary around the door trim, toilet paper holder and toilet plumbing.

The poor light doesn’t capture how pretty this wallpaper is and the fact it makes the room feel so much bigger. It looks busy in the photo but that’s not the case in real life.

Adding the Extra Touches

A bit of organizing needs to take place on the etageré. Small wooden boxes and a woven tray provide a pretty place for additional toilet paper, wipes, and a candle.

As you can see the wooden boxes have a fern pattern, but it’s light in color and scale and I don’t think it clashes with the wallpaper. They come in 2 sizes.

Between the mahogany shelf, etageré and toilet paper holder, they provide a few darker anchors against the wallpaper pattern.

What to Do with my Antique Prints?

Prior to papering, I have 5 antique prints hanging in the water closet.

The 1838 illustrations done by British landscape artist, William Bartlett are engravings with hand coloring. Bartlett drew scenes during trips to the United States. The subject matter is almost exclusively eastern United States landscapes, with most of them scenes of places in New York State.

I bought 5 of these from an antique shop and they are all the same size. The detail is beautiful and each print has a lovely sage matte and narrow gold frame.

It’s almost hard to punch holes in the wallpaper to hang them in the water closet now. Also, I think what I have in there is enough. I can easily find another place for these prints, but what are your thoughts? You can see how they look in the Before picture.

Summary

All in all, I am very pleased with how cheerful and bright (and bigger) this small space looks. Since Spoonflower recommends smooth walls to hang Peel and Stick paper, I am keeping my fingers crossed that it stays in place.

There is another bathroom I would like to wallpaper. But I am going to wait to see how this project holds up over time. It took me approximately 5 hours to complete this job. Perhaps it would have gone faster with an extra set of hands, which Spoonflower recommends.

Has anyone else used this Peel and Stick wallpaper? Did it stay in place?

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