Happy Easter weekend! We are back in town with our new little (well, not so little) puppy. Next week I will share our cross country adventures and introduce you to the handsome fella. With Easter being so early this year, the weatherman is predicting chilly temperatures and rain. So much for eating outside and enjoying the spring weather on Sunday. It’s that time again and welcome to Saturday Meanderings, where we chat about all good things these past 2 weeks, as I missed last week.

Daughter’s Birthday dinner party

Luckily, our daughter is home for her birthday and we had a casual dinner party celebrating both her birthday and St. Patrick’s Day.

With 12 guests, I make 2 of my Guinness pot pies, a large salad and two desserts~Baileys Irish cream cheesecake and a London Fog cake (Julianna’s request). These tried and true recipes are always a hit.

Annual Shamrock Run

Fortunately, after indulging in so many good calories, my daughter and I get up early the following morning to participate in the annual Shamrock Run. It is chilly and rainy, but we felt blessed to see a rainbow before the race started.

Julianna ran the 10K with both her dogs (just amazing!) and I thought I would just walk the 5K. However, at the starting line everyone around me started running and in order to keep up, I, too, started running. Please note that after 3 knee surgeries my doctor advises me not to run anymore. I don’t know what came over me but I ran about 60% of the race and placed 5th in my age category. Not without consequences, though.

I could hardly walk later that day and of course, my knee ballooned up a bit. What was I thinking?!? Nonetheless, it is a fun run with all sorts of outrageous St. Patrick’s Day attire. Plus I never want to miss out of an opportunity to do something with my children. I am trying to turn off the voice in my head that is saying, “Mary, you are too old for this”.

Fruit picking

It’s that time of year where we need to glean all the citrus trees. Sweet smelling blossoms are now opening on most of the trees. Removing this year’s crop of fruit will help the production of next year’s crop.

In our orchard we have 12 citrus trees ranging from oranges to kumquats to grapefruits. With our abundance of fruit, we ship boxes of fruit to family and friends and donate the rest.

Picking fruit equals many arm scratches, so I finally put on my Farmers Defense sleeves, which are a must for any gardener. They come in various designs and you can find them here. Really love this product!

Our Yard this Time of Year

Easter and Spring is when our yard looks its best~mostly around mid-to-late April. A few trees are still bare and will bud later, but the flowers and the lawn are at their prime.

Rose Garden and New Book

The rose bushes in the garden look so healthy and vibrant. A few buds are appearing and I am trying to keep an eye out for aphids, which generally are in abundance this time of year.

I have always wanted to truly learn about roses, but I’m a bit of a weekend gardener. Do you follow Grace Rose Farm on Instagram @gracerosefarm? The photos are always so gorgeous and you can order both cut flowers and rose plants directly from them. I recently received her book, Garden Roses and it is a complete guide to growing and arranging roses.

Currently reading this book to up my roses game. Note: I thought the book would be coffee table book size but it is smaller, which I like. The photos are just stunning and it’s written is a way that is easy to understand.

Making Easter Baskets

A quick trip to Target this week results in some great finds for Easter and Easter baskets. How cute are these fabric, bottom weighted chickens with spectacles?!? At $3.00 a piece, you can find them in their dollar section at the store entrance. I cannot find these online so they must be an in-store special.

I love making Easter baskets and like to find a container that serves a purpose afterwards. These coil rope baskets with leather (pleather?) handles by Brightroom are wonderful storage containers. They come in various sizes but I have the 11″ one here and they are currently on sale for $8.00.

In the basket, there is a bottle of rosé Prosecco, chocolate bunnies, various toiletries-deodorant, facial masks, favorite candies and a wonderful smelling candle. Another Target find at the Threshold section (Studio McGee’s line), this 3 wick candle comes in a matte ceramic container and the scent (Citron and Sands) is fabulous. A bargain for such a large candle at $17.00.

Flower Pressing

Do you remember the post about making your own framed botanical artwork? If not, here it is. In order to press the flowers, I use all of our big books, which is cumbersome.

But Rachel, from The Ponds Farmhouse is very creative with a super handy husband. I love this flower press they make from scrap materials.

Rachel puts her beautiful touches on it using a flower motif. I certainly could have used this when making my botanical artwork. What a wonderful way to preserve the beauty of your garden and yard. You can see Rachel’s blog post here. I think I may ask my husband to make this….

What Am I Reading?

My friend, Andrea recommends listening to this book . However, I read it instead and it is SO good. I imagine it is excellent whether you read or listen to it. It has over 10,000 reviews with 4.6 stars and is a best seller on Amazon. I highly recommend The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. So well done. Now I need to read her other novels, Code Name Hélèna and I Was Anastasia. Is anyone familiar with this author?

Mary’s Must Haves

As you can see in some of the photos above, I really love this lightweight polyester vest from 32 Degrees. Originally, I bought mine at Costco, but inventory there is certainly hit or miss. Amazon sells this same brand in 6 colors and it has a 4.6 rating.

Also Amazon has a similar looking one for less money and in 12 colors (currently 50% off), but I cannot verify the quality. However, with over 13,000 reviews and a 4.4 rating, it may be a good product. I actually might purchase one and try it out as I like some of the color choices.

What I love about this vest is that it is very light, packable, and washable. During these Spring days when it is warm one minute and cold the next, it is perfect for me, especially in our drafty old home.

I own a blue and olive green one and depending on the weather, it works well with long or short sleeves. I’m 5’4″ and am wearing a Small. This yellow one is particularly cute, isn’t it?

Great Rubber Shoes

These Sloggers are my go-to shoes when it’s wet or muddy outside. They are perfect for gardening too. My very first pair was a gift from my friend, Janie and not only are they cute, but oh so comfortable. Now I own two pairs and one set of boots.

With 24 designs to choose from, you can be slogging through the mud in style. I typically wear a 7.5 woman’s shoe size so the size 8 works out well.

I could go on and on today, but there are hot cross buns and babka bread to be made for Easter Sunday. Wishing you a blessed holiday weekend. Please look for my post next week where I will share all the details of this handsome guy!

Another rainy and chilly few days here in the Valley of the Sun. My garden is very happy about the additional moisture and of course, the cooler temperatures are always appreciated. Happy St. Patrick’s Day weekend! Tonight we are hosting a dinner party celebrating our daughter, Julianna’s 27th birthday. I will be serving my two favorite recipes which I did share with you this week. Welcome to another Saturday Meanderings, where we chat about all good things this week.

Hosting a Cocktail Mixer

As you may know, I sit on the board for our neighborhood association. This week we hosted a cocktail mixer to introduce people to the association and recruit new board members. With about 40 people attending, I am hoping a caterer will help out with hors d’oeuvres, however, my favorite person is not available.

Using the large round wooden board from Sur La Table, with the help of Costco and Safeway, I create a charcuterie board using cheeses, meats, fruits, nuts and crackers.

Nasturtiums are abundant in the garden right now, and it’s amazing how a pop of color can take your charcuterie board up a notch.

Store-bought French macarons from Costco and lemon yogurt covered pretzels from Safeway make for a colorful Spring dessert tray.

This is the first time buying the Green Chili Chicken Firecrackers from Costco. A quick bake in the oven, it’s always nice to serve a warm/hot appetizer. By cutting them in half, this became a one-bite finger food. I didn’t try them but the tray was nearly empty, so I’m guessing they tasted good.

No photographs but in addition, there is a vegetable tray with hummus dip, fresh shrimp on ice with cocktail sauce, small bowls of cashews, garlic herb almonds and salt and vinegar potato chips.

All in all a very productive and fun meeting.

Gardening Update

This week I plant 6 brand new San Marzano tomato plants. I love this variety of tomatoes as it makes the best sauce. Five out of the 6 plants are missing….just gone. What? For years now, I have grown tomato plants and the critters have never expressed any interest in them. Who/What is eating my tomato plants?

Scattering seeds this week in the garden. I love growing chamomile for its delicate flower and scent~wonderful to dry or make tea. Even though the growing season for chervil is short, it makes a tasty salad.

The castor bean seeds are a new experiment and not even sure it will grow here. Now in doing some research apparently the seed and leaves can be really toxic so I may pull the plants if they grow. Here I thought castor beans = castor oil, all good for you, right? Geez. Not the brightest thing I’ve done.

Do You Take Magnesium?

Gaia Herbs posts an informative article about magnesium. Do you take this mineral that supports muscles and bones, energy, brain function, and so much more? Here is the article and it appears I need to do further research about this.

Currently, I take Magnesium Lactate as this was recommended to me after having low magnesium via a hair mineral analysis years ago. Taking a bath and using Epsom salts is another way to absorb magnesium into your body. Will do a deeper dive and let you know what I discover.

From the Internet

With warmer weather prompting Spring growth, it is also weed season. Stacy from Bricks ‘n Blooms has a very informative post about Homemade Weed Killer and other natural ways to kill weeds.

If you are using weed killers with glyphosate, there is evidence of its connection with cancer. With so many chemicals in our gardening world, please find an organic way to control weeds.

This time of year I love to tackle small Spring cleaning projects. Barbara from Mantel and Table will get you motivated to clean out your linens drawer(s) with her post on Storing Napkins~How to Organize a Beautiful Linen Drawer.

Do you stop for roadside freebies? I am guilty of doing so with this set of Adirondack chairs. Check out how my friend, Rachel from the Ponds Farmhouse transforms these resin planters into DIY faux Concrete ones. It’s probably good that Rachel and I do not live near each other! Ha!

Since my goal is to always post beautiful things, I consider this next post valuable to keep all of us safe. Since I drive a very old car, I don’t have a wireless or remote starter to the ignition. But since many of you do, please read this very informative article for your own personal safety and to prevent your car being stolen while pumping gas.

Mary’s Must Haves

If you have the sourdough bread making bug, then this starter set is a must have for your baking. It is 27% off this week at $39.99. Not baking sourdough bread yet? This is also a great gift for someone who does.

Speaking of bread, my sweet friend and neighbor, Tevia, ordered some dehydrated sourdough starter from the internet and shared some with me this week. Yes, you can order starter from around the world and rehydrate it.

There is one that is several decades old from San Francisco, and with it I make this nice looking loaf of cheddar, rosemary and garlic bread. I will post this recipe shortly~it’s a family favorite. It is fun to experiment with different starters.

Cake Pans

After purchasing my favorite cake cookbook, Layered, I realize that I do not have good cake pans. Yesterday, in making the London Fog cake (a request from my daughter, Julianna, for her birthday), I want to share these cake pans that I love.

The cake recipe requires three 8″ round cake pans and these from Fat Daddies do not disappoint. It’s amazing that just having the right equipment makes such a difference in the success of the recipe.

I am in the process of trying to consolidate all my Mary’s Must Haves. There will be tab at the top of my home page where you will be able to find all the items and their associated links. Hope to have that complete in a week or two.

Tonight, for the birthday celebration for our daughter’s 27th birthday (which is actually on St. Patrick’s Day), I am busy in the kitchen making 2 Guinness beef pies, a Bailey’s Irish Creme cheese cake, my favorite arugula salad and of course, the London Fog birthday cake.

On Sunday, I am doing a 5k/10k with said daughter in order to work off some of the calories from the night before!

Next week, we are heading to Virginia to pick up our new puppy. I am not sure if I will have the opportunity to post, but I hope to share pictures of our journey (and our new little fella) along the way.

Until we chat again, have a wonderful weekend, a fun St. Patrick’s Day and we will connect soon!

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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 December! Wow. Already. We are in full holiday decorating mode, albeit slowly. The week is filled with menial, yet necessary tasks (making returns, getting things fixed, paying bills) but there are a few highlights. Are you all decorated for the holidays? Thank you for taking the time to join me for Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things.

Anne Geddes

Who remembers Anne Geddes and her famous photographs of babies and children? I love her unique artfully crafted fantasies of children. Recently I read an article which saddens me a bit how certain “progress” is to the detriment of others. Here are some excerpts from an article written in Artnet News. “The industry that propelled Geddes to superstardom in the 1990s has all but evaporated. Today, the internet churns out imagery at a pace with which few photographers can compete, while email gobbled up the greeting-card industry, leaving Geddes in dire straits.”

“Geddes hasn’t set foot in a photo studio since 2016. Paper products, the medium by which she amassed her fortune and cemented her icon status in the late 1990s—in coffee table books, calendars, and greeting cards—have all but disappeared, leaving the photographer without reliable or regular opportunities for work “.

Elaborate photography sets, which used to take Geddes months to set up, are now being done in lightning speed with digital photography. If you would like to read the rest of the article you can find it here.

But what struck me most about this article is this quote by Anne Geddes:

Children are not only our hope for the future—by their very existence, they will be our future. And yet, we so often take them for granted or underestimate their essential importance. We need to take care of them now, educate, nurture, and love them now; teach them the values of harmony, love, understanding, tolerance, and an appreciation of other cultures now. Because every newborn baby represents our eternal chance at new beginnings.

Geddes unique work has sparked smiles and joy and reinforces our love for children.

Goodbye Pumpkins

As we transition from fall to Christmas decorations, it’s hard to say goodbye to all the gorgeous pumpkins. The good news is that my husband saves every unique stem for any future fabric pumpkin projects. He also collects the seeds and gives the rest to the chickens as a treat. After they are pecked clean, they go into the compost pile and turn into glorious soil that gets used again. I love this photo I took at dusk and want to share it with you.

Clever Use of Ribbon

My friend, Chas from Chas’ Crazy Creations took a piece of the nutcracker ribbon (used in our living room Christmas mantel decorations) and repurposed it into this:

A simple, yet elegant DIY that I would have never thought to do.

Making Turkey Soup

My mother taught us not to waste anything. It goes without saying that all those turkey bones and leftover meat are put to good use this week with a delicious turkey wild rice soup. The kitchen is smelling so good as the bones simmer for hours on end. As you may know, bone broth is very nutritious and rich in collagen proteins that supports skin elasticity and joint health.

Bone broth is a superfood and even though you can buy it already made, it is so easy to whip up a batch yourself. I think this needs to be a future blog post!

Front Porch Maintenance

As we get ready to decorate the front porch, we notice multiple water, mineral and rust stains on the scored concrete floor. Typically I would be showing you a picture of a freshly decorated front porch, but these stains need tending. After the stains are removed, then a sealant will be applied so I hope to show you some before and after pictures soon.

Making Sourdough English Muffins

In an attempt to eat more homemade sourdough items, I try my hand at English muffin making this week. On a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the most successful) I would rank my efforts at a 5. The muffins look good but I could not get the center to fully cook and get all those nooks and crannies. A quick stint in the oven only made them a bit too dry to eat.

We did try the first 2 but the rest will go to the chickens. Looking forward to mastering this recipe so I can share it with you.

A Fun New Recipe to Try

You may see this recipe in social media streams, but it looks easy and impressive. Using boxed or from scratch brownie batter, you can form these into pinecone shapes. Then add sliced almonds for the scales and drizzle with melted chocolate. I haven’t found a specific recipe, but hope to make them this week.

Garden Delights

Unlike colder areas, gardens in Phoenix are flourishing now. Currently I have fresh lettuces, chard, arugula, herbs, peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, eggplant, chives and garlic growing. This week I harvest shishito peppers and eggplant, which sharing the greens with the chickens.

Mary’s Must Haves

This week’s dental appointment is a success as I take oral hygiene seriously. It is nice to hear the dentist compliment you on the condition of your teeth, as who wants to be toothless or wearing appliances as we age. Brushing, flossing and using a water pick contributes to good dental health. My old water flosser needs replacing and this week I purchased a new one.

This Waterpik Aquarius is currently 30% off on Amazon. It’s more sophisticated than my previous one, so I am learning about all the settings and tips. Whether you are continuing good dental care or need to improve your current way of cleaning your teeth, I highly recommend this device. See it here.

As temperatures drop, my baking/cooking activities increase, especially bread baking. This week my old scale finally died and after some research, I order this one due to it’s great reviews. It weighs up to 11 lbs. and has a pull out display which helps if you are using a large bowl. See it here.

Vitamin D3

Why Vitamin D3? As the days grow shorter and sunlight becomes scarce during the winter months, our bodies may not produce an adequate amount of Vitamin D naturally. Vitamin D, aka the “sunshine vitamin,” plays a crucial role in maintaining our overall health and well-being. Supplementing with Vitamin D3 ensures that our immune system, bones, and mood stay in top form, making it a valuable item for your wellness in the winter.

Why Signify Nature’s Vitamin D3? • QUALITY: Pharmaceutical-grade excellence. • POTENCY: 125mcg (5000 IU) cholecalciferol. • VALUE: A whole year’s supply for only $12.99 – that’s less than 4¢ per day! • CLEAN LABEL: No fillers, no artificial additives. • ORIGIN: Made in the EU with pharmaceutical-grade gelatin. • PURITY: Free of PCBs, heavy metals, mercury, and impurities. see it here.

I am trying this Vitamin D3 supplement and taking one soft gel at breakfast. It’s hard to believe a whole year supply is in one bottle! Great price, too.

What We are Watching?

What are you watching lately? Have you seen the Royal Flying Doctor Service on PBS? “Based on remarkable real-life stories, this gripping drama series follows the modern-day heroes of the Royal Flying Doctor Service as they navigate private lives as turbulent and profound as the heart-stopping emergencies they attend to across some of the most beautiful and inhospitable places in the Australian outback.” There are currently 2 seasons and we are adding subtitles due to the heavy Australian accents.

Well, that’s a wrap! Enjoy your weekend. We hope to walk down to the Electric Light Parade tonight and finish up Christmas decorations!

Love Local businesses refer to small business week?

We are at our mountain cabin. Waking up this morning to the first light snow is so magical. There’s a natural hush outside and oh so very quiet. Not many people are up here this time of year as it is more of a summer destination. The days are filled with warm fires, long crisp walks, hot cups of tea and good books. Our cell and internet coverage is spotty at best so I’m hoping this post gets to you on time. Welcome to the last Saturday Meanderings of November. It’s always a bit sad to see one of my favorite months end as we will now be fully embedded in the holiday crush.

Thanksgiving

I hope you had a wonderful day with family and friends. My husband spatchcock an 18 lb. turkey for just the three of us so happy days ahead with turkey leftovers. Since we had the whole family here a few weeks ago celebrating an early holiday, this Thanksgiving was calm, quiet and surprisingly enjoyable.

Failed DIY Project

My husband sent me this post on Instagram on dyeing pinecones red.

Having lots of pinecones, I decide to try this, following the instructions.

Here is the final result. I certainly don’t see a vibrant red color and actually some of the pinecones had a pale pink creepy residue on them.

They certainly do not look like the photo in the IG post. Not sure if I did something wrong~cheap red food color? I let them soak (submerged) overnight and a half day. Has anyone else tried to do this with success? Next step, I will probably just spray paint them red.

A Few Successful DIY projects

As you know, I am not one who does many DIY projects. But for some reason this week I got the bug because I was inspired by others. Last Saturday, I posted the salt dough ornaments from Eleanor Rose Home. Since I received this wooden mold from Amazon (still awaiting my second one), I try making them.

Here’s a sneak peak because I will be writing a full blog post about this shortly.

I do not know why I’m a bit obsessed about anything gingerbread this year, but I do try my hand at making a plain, brown cardboard house look like one. Again, I want to include this in a future post.

Changing Insurance

Insurance rates in Arizona have skyrocketed since 2020. After the near heart attack I had after receiving our recent bill, I decide to go out to bid for our house, car and umbrella insurance. If you are experiencing high rates, you may want to consider doing this. It is not an easy task, as everything is now done either online or via phone. After 5 hours (yes, 5 hours) on the phone with a new insurance provider, we end up saving thousands of dollars (yes, thousands).

However, since our home was built in 1910, and it’s been standing for over 110 years, the insurance companies get nervous about insuring it. Even though we’ve never filed a claim, they still are always concerned about insuring it properly. I literally spent days this week taking photographs of every room. For the most part, we keep our home fairly neat, but we have a room or two (or three) that aren’t as organized as the others. Of course, I did try and tidy those rooms up before taking the picture. Just what you want to be doing Thanksgiving week. Sigh.

Mary’s Must Haves with Holiday Savings

I am not an expert on Black Friday, Blue Friday or Cyber Monday sales but it appears that now is the time to compare prices and buy what you need.Many things I would recommend are not on sale but I am surprised these items are significantly discounted.

My favorite face moisturizer of all time is 48% off today at $27.00. Not sure how long this sale will end, but yesterday, I bought two of them. See it here.

Our electric kettle at the cabin leaks when you pour it into a cup. I will be buying this one today because it is 29% off at $24.99.

We have this kettle in Phoenix and use it all the time. I’ve shared this with you before but this is the best price I’ve seen so far. See the link here.

My hair is fine and straight and it only has some oomph and body because of this texturizer. A small squirt and applied to wet hair, it adds body after blow drying. Works for both straight and curly hair.

I have literally used this texturizer for years and LOVE it. Today it is a shocking 40% off at $12.00. It’s in my cart!

If you have an Apple Watch, what a deal today for this set of colorful watchbands. They are easy to switch out and compliment your outfit. A whopping 37% off at $11.99. Would be a great stocking stuffer!

My husband loves these LED Mason jar solar fairy lights~which are perfect for adding sparkle your holidays. They are waterproof and hangers are included if you want to use them outside.

At 40% off and priced at $23.99 for a set of 6, you cannot go wrong! See it here.

With the weather getting colder, here is an affordable door sweep weather stopper that will help keep out the cold and keep in the warm. In reading the reviews it also keeps our light and odor too. If you live in a drafty house, what an easy solution.

It comes in 4 colors and is 23% off at $13.99! See it here.

These are the BEST cordless table/desk lights ever! I use them on my dinner table and they cast a nice warm, welcoming light. Multiple colors are available and they are on sale (yes!) at 20% off at $39.99. I currently have 3 which is the perfect number for a dining table with 8 chairs. See it here.

I hate to be a broken record, but we are a big Nespresso family. This machine makes the best lattes, cappucinos, macchiatos and flat whites. Clearly, this is the lowest price I’ve seen it at 30% off at $454.30. Plus there is a monthly payment plan. Still a big purchase, but will be well worth it vs. spending your $$ at the local Starbucks and the money you would save on gas going through the drive-thru. Would be an amazing gift for the coffee lover in your home. See it here.

Getting Older

I often wonder when people feel “old”. As much as I try to remain youthful in my thinking, my body is telling me otherwise. Yesterday, my daughter and I hiked Mount Baldy, a rather challenging, 14.2 mile out and back trail near Eager, Arizona. The weather started out clear and quite cold, with rather high winds. I’m guessing with the wind chill the temperature was somewhere in the 20s.

With four layers on and two sets of gloves, I did feel appropriately dressed for the weather. However, I didn’t anticipate snow and ice on the trail. We hiked 2.5 miles in and storm clouds were blowing in rapidly so turned around and hiked 2.5 miles out. Just before we got to the car parking area, I tripped on a rock buried in the snow and my bad knee fell onto another rock buried in the snow.

A hot bath with Epsom salts seemed to help all the aches and pains…but I don’t like the fact that my body just doesn’t act like it used to. Getting old is not for the faint of heart.

All in all it is a very beautiful hike and getting the chance to do it with my daughter and her two amazing dogs is a joyful experience.

Well, goodbye November and hello December! We head home today and the holiday decorating starts! I hope you are still relaxing after Thanksgiving and wishing you a wonderful rest of the weekend.

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. My blog may contain other affiliate links but not all links have affiliations. I truly love to share products that I have personally tried and highly recommend.