January is coming to an end….wow. But instead of this month feeling like a blur, my month, surprisingly, is more intentional and productive. I am beginning to think that the key to slowing down life is to being more deliberate each and every day. How did your January pan out? Nonetheless, it’s the weekend and time for Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things.

Our Anniversary

Last Saturday we celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary~where did the time go? We didn’t do anything special or out of the ordinary, but I did receive a beautiful bouquet of red roses. Here’s a picture of our wedding day in January 1995.

Wrapping up our 28 day reset

For the last 28 days (Sunday will be the 28th day), we have been doing the Fast Metabolism Diet. I plan to weigh myself tomorrow, but I believe I’ve become a bit leaner. With no caffeine, no alcohol, no sugar, no dairy, no wheat, no soy and no cheating, the reset is nearly complete. We did love the recipes in this book and will continue to make them.

However, I do want my cup of coffee in the morning and look forward to that on Monday. Other than an occasional cocktail, I am surprised how I didn’t really miss anything else. My husband would like to do it for another 28 days. I’m not so sure about that!

If you are looking to make a diet change, and can eat within 30 minutes of waking, and have 3 meals a day and two snacks, I highly recommend this 28 day reset.

Lower Heart Rate

The Health app on my phone recently sent me a notification about my resting heart rate. On average, my resting heart rate is 7 beats lower per minute than before. I am not sure if that is due to the 28 day reset program or my goal of slow and intentional living. Regardless, I will take it. My resting heart rate has always been around 72 beats per minute, not 77. What a nice update to receive!

Updating my Christmas card list

Do you send Christmas cards? We do every year with a family letter. I like documenting where everyone is in life, because over time, I forget some of the details. At the end of the holiday season, I take our received Christmas cards and try to update addresses, name changes (weddings) or deaths.

Well, I haven’t done this for the last 3 years and this week, I finally went through all the Christmas cards and updated our mailing list. Doesn’t seem like a big deal, but being able to discard 3 years worth of Christmas cards did feel like an accomplishment. Fortunately, I keep a digital address list through the resource we purchase our cards (Minted) and can make changes anytime.

Thinking Ahead to Spring

This week I received my flower seeds from Floret Farms. We are still in danger of frost (below freezing this week) until the end of February. But already, I am planning my garden and looking forward to a successful planting season soon.

Two years ago, I had great success with their sunflowers.

Not only are they stunning to have in the garden, but the sunflowers attract peach faced lovebirds (lots of them).

Needless to say, but I am looking forward to having these huge happy flowers in my garden this year.

Projects This Week

~Master Closet

Slow and steady… I am getting things done around here. Three years ago I shared a post about cleaning the Master Closet. Boy, back then it was in a very cluttered state. Fast forward to 2023 and the master closet is slightly messy but not nearly as bad as it was in 2020.

The shelves need wiping down; blouses and shirts could use adjusting on the hangers; some shoes require cleaning and time to thin out clothing, suitcases and bags.

Using Clorox disinfectant wipes, all dirt is removed from heels and shoe sets are lined up by heel size. It’s surprising how little cleaning projects like this make such a big difference.

~Cedar Closet

Not sure I’ve ever shown our cedar closet but it is a small room off of the master closet. I will do a future blog post on how I organized all the pillows, linens and stuff filling this closet.

~ Planting Tulip Bulbs

After refrigerating the tulip bulbs from Longfield Gardens since October, it is time to plant them here in Phoenix. Sixty holes (my hands hurt!) and these precious bulbs are set into the ground. They are already sprouting so I have high hopes for apricot tulips in the spring.

Thrifting Finds and other Goodies

In my attempts this year to really watch finances, I am not someone who does alot of shopping. However, this week a friend of mine is helping another friend downsize and move. In our conversation she mentions silver pieces and old furniture that will go to donation and my ears perk up.

Though the pieces need some work and love, I find these two particularly unusual. One is a chair which looks like a normal chair…

Until you flip the top of the chair back and it becomes prayer chair. Obviously this piece needs refinishing and reupholstering, but isn’t it fabulous?

Look at this sweet desk! Again, it needs repair but the inlaid details, the leather top and the side drawers are spectacular touches.

I cannot wait to work on this and bring it back to life. Quite honestly, I have never seen a desk like this but it feels European.

Goodbye Shiplap, Hello Dark Woods

You know, if you wait long enough, everything comes back in style. According to Pure Wow, traditional touches and dark woods are all the rage this year. It is called Historic Heritage. The article is interesting and worth reading. You can find it here. Maybe I am finally back in style?!?

If you missed my Tuesday post, I share my favorite lemon recipes. You can see it here.

Do you know that over time I have written 18 posts on Valentine’s Day? Next week I hope to consolidate those into what I think are the best ideas for the upcoming holiday. As a last minute decision, we will be having our formal Valentine’s Day dinner party so my mind is swirling with all sorts of ideas.

Happy Saturday, friends! That’s another wrap for Saturday Meanderings. I know I am getting close to the 100th version of this Saturday post and will be having a few giveaways to celebrate. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and stay safe out there.

Happy New Year and this is the first Saturday Meanderings of 2023. It is nice to be back with you after a reprieve from blogging the last week or so. Our holidays were full and abundant and I can honestly say, I am enjoying a mostly slow and relaxing first week of January. So let’s get started chatting about all good things that are happening.

Slowly Taking Down the Decorations

Since we don’t start taking down our holiday decorations until January 6th, the Epiphany, I’ve been enjoying them every day without all the company and holiday hustle. Just to sit and look at our tree with a cup of tea is so fulfilling and peaceful. It does make me a bit sad to take them down, as the house looks so magical with all the twinkly lights. The tree and the cedar garland is still fresh and smelling so good. We never know what the next Christmas will bring so this time between Christmas and the Epiphany is one I cherish.

This year, instead of rushing through the decoration removal, I am doing it one room at a time. It’s all part of a greater plan to be more intentional this year (more on that below).

New Books and a Podcast to Recommend

Finally, I have a few books that I can recommend. I truly enjoyed The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. Little did I know that there was a network of female spies during WW1 called The Alice Network. Kate Quinn does an excellent job of weaving fact and fiction into a compelling novel. Definitely worth reading.

If you like adventure, a treasure hunt and a love story, you will enjoy Something Wilder by Christina Lauren. This is the first book I have read from these two authors (Christina Hobbs and Laura Billings) and I did enjoy their writing style. Just downloaded another one of their books, The Unhoneymooners. Will let you know what I think about that one too.

For longer car trips, we love listening to books on tape through Audible. For me, the narrator has to be articulate, clear and entertaining. Nathaniel Parker is the narrator for the Mydworth Mysteries (written by Neil Richards and Matthew Costello). These fun murder mysteries take place in the 1920s and are just delightful to listen to during long car rides. There are 13 books in the Mydworth Mysteries series and you can get the books on Amazon too.

Though I am relatively new at listening to podcasts, the listening time tends to be short (much shorter than novels) and can cover a variety of topics. Recently, I listened to Archive Unknown (there are only 4 podcasts to date) on Audible. Archive Unknown reveals secrets, crimes, conspiracies, and unbelievable true stories that are tucked away in archives across the country. Host Lara Zielin finds fascinating objects from history and tells you the mysterious stories behind them. They are 12 to 16 minutes long and I hope Lara Zielin drops more episodes. Really well done.

If you have any book or podcast recommendations, please let me know.

The Best $9.75 You will Spend

This week I helped move my daughter out of town to start her Master’s Program. As you may know, she has been living in our guest cottage for the last few years. What started out as a place to stay after college graduation while she worked nearby, turned into a few more years due to the pandemic.

While helping her pack, I came across her pots and pans and they were not in great condition. Actually, every pot and pan looks similar to the photo above. In good conscience, I could not pack them knowing as is.

Introduce Bar Keepers Friend Powder Cleanser. Cleans and polishes and is a bleach-free product. This cleanser is a stainless steel cleaner and can easily remove rust, tarnish, mineral deposits, and tough stains from most surfaces. Trust me, this stuff is fabulous. Her pots and pans literally look brand new. You can purchase 2 containers from Amazon for $9.75 here.

Plus you can use it in other places in your home~kitchen, bathroom, and outdoors (on your grill, tools, hardware, sporting equipment). I highly recommend you wear gloves as it can be very hard on your skin. Love this stuff!

Gorgeous Sunrises and Sunsets

The sunsets and sunrises are in the spectacular phase lately. The tall palm trees in our front yard almost look like they are on fire after a late afternoon rain shower. You can barely see the rainbow in the moody sky above.

This is the same view to the east and check out this gorgeous sunrise. Every day Mother Nature is providing works of art in the sky. It’s just amazing.

A Different Approach to the New Year

Typically, I start every new year with a bang~renewed energy, resolutions and excitement for a new chapter. However, this new year is not the same. When I reflect on 2022, most of it is a blur. I think after being restricted during the pandemic, 2022 was the year to move fast, tackle lots of things and feel alive again. But instead of feeling satisfied, my life last year equates to a movie on fast forward. I am asking myself, where did the year go? What was meaningful about it? With no easy answers to these questions, I find it all a bit unsettling.

Is anyone else experiencing this? Well, I’ve decided 2022 is not the way I want to live my life. The hope and goal this year is to slow down and live with more intention. Instead of thinking of all the things I need to do while brushing my teeth, I am trying to just think about brushing my teeth.

As a result, I’ve decided to not adhere to my blogging schedule of posting Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday each week. Instead, I will post when I have something to share that I think you will love. Saturday Meanderings will continue because I really enjoy writing this post. Not that I don’t enjoy writing the other two, but they do feel more like work with a deadline.

I want to paint more and give myself permission to put my feet up and read a book. Having a very strong work ethic can be a blessing and a curse. This year, I want to work hard but also slow down and enjoy life. Often we are expected to do it all but if it is not fulfilling, then we must let go.

That’s the plan for 2023 and I believe a shift to a more intentional life is a worthy goal. Do you have any goals or resolutions for the new year?

Thank you so much for being so supportive. I truly appreciate the time you take to read my posts and provide your wonderful comments. Learning from you is really the highlight of this blogging adventure!

Happy New Year, friends!

It has been 6 months since I wrote an edition of Room by Room. So today we will take a look at our library nestled between the family room and mudroom.  This sweet room has many bookshelves and a fireplace. Measuring in at 11 feet x 18 feet, this smaller room has the lion’s share of doors~two sets of French doors, a pocket door and an exterior glass door. One set of French doors leads to the living room; the other to the family room and the pocket door goes to the mudroom. 

Lots of Books

The books are organized by topic including gardening, travel, art, history, animals, health and medicine, poetry and favorite novels.  Also stored here are numerous photo albums of our early years with the children, long before digital cameras. Also, I want to apologize for the quality of the pictures. This room faces west but has an outdoor covered patio that blocks good quality light for photography.

Unlike designer-staged shelves, ours are filled with cherished items. Antique clocks, treasures from our travels, sculptures and family photos, to name a few. The painting below is by my friend and artist, Jane Horn. Each cubby is lighted which looks lovely at night.

On every shelf is a remote controlled candle, which is a fun way to add ambiance to the room when entertaining. Candles are at a very good price right now (9 candles for $22.09) on Amazon here. Especially around the holidays, this small touch makes the room feel magical.

The Sitting area

The two reading chairs are covered in a grayish-blue bird print ~~ Olana Bayleaf by Waverly.  Between the chairs is a vintage glass topped garden table and a library lamp. The walls are painted a lovely blue (paint name escapes me, but if you inquire, I will find out what it is).

The Bar

In one corner, we repurposed an 1820s English mahogany wash stand as a bar. It’s a bit more cluttered than this now as I believe we acquired more beverages during the pandemic…..can anyone relate?

Paintings

The painting of the street scene below reminds me of our trip to Italy, where we had many dinners on the sidewalk.  The artist, Cecilia Rosslee, sells her beautiful pieces online through Etsy here.

I am a fan of gilded framed antique oil paintings, and two of my favorite hang above the bar. The artist is W.T. Fisher and they are from late 1800s.

The Fireplace

Getting pictures of the fireplace and artwork above is a bit difficult due to the light and too many reflections.  The mantel has an inlaid wood pattern that is delicate and intricate.

Deep garnet crackled glazed tile from Waterworks adds a rich time period color to the fireplace.

As always, I have my animal helper nearby~~Sox, our 15 year old beagle.

My favorite time of the year in this room is the winter.  When there is a fire going, the room is so warm and cozy. It’s a wonderful space to sit and chat with a glass of wine or cup of coffee, or read a book.  Do you have a small, special, cozy place in your home?

Recently, we had an unexpected visitor in the library. To see the full rescue, check out a video on my Instagram @lifeatbellaterra. He doesn’t look real in this photo!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour of the library. If you missed any other editions of Room by Room, you can find other posts below:

The Living Room

The Master Bedroom

Front Hall

Butler’s Pantry

Wine Cellar

Thanks for joining me today and enjoy the very last day of August 2022!

If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest.

I am getting ready for turning 60 pounds of fresh tomatoes into jarred tomato sauce, so having enough room in the pantry is critical. It seems that every few years I need to organize the kitchen pantry. Here is the story of before and after and how I use this small, yet efficient space. The pantry is original to our historic home so all the narrow shelving and bead board reflect kitchen life over 100 years ago.

The Before~Messy and Unorganized

As embarrassing as this is, I have to show you the “before” picture of my kitchen pantry.  How do things get this messy?  It becomes the room that we just toss stuff in.  You can’t even walk inside.  Moan. After hanging onto the door frame and stretching long and reaching in, nearly breaking my neck, I decide it was time to clean it.

Sorting and Organizing

This first step is removing everything from the pantry. There is a breakfast table nearby for easy access to stack and see what items are actually currently in the pantry. I throw out all the expired food (2017, really?) and donated all the “near” expiration dates and those items I have multiples of (way too many garbanzo beans). Surprisingly, this removes a good percentage of the canned goods.

All the food items are now organized alphabetically.

Making a decision on how to use this space may vary per family member. I use this for all canned goods, back up supplies (plastic wrap, coffee pods, etc.) and cookbooks.I do not use this for small appliances that I infrequently use (such as a crockpot). But when you live with others, they can just dump things in here when they don’t have a better location. That is always a challenge.

Beverages are now organized and in one place. The open shelves allow a quick glimpse to see what is in stock.

Do you have alot of recipes?

I finally sort and organize piles of recipes I had cut out of magazines or printed off the internet. Years ago, when I was busy with 3 little children, I hired my friend Linda to sort and organize my recipes.  She created these fabric covered binders which I use ALL the time.

Each recipe is in a plastic sheet protector which proves beneficial around this messy cook.

After my aunt passed away, I was delighted to get her handwritten recipe cards. I am currently looking through and sorting them. What a fun glimpse into foods from decades ago. These will be placed into the binders in their appropriate tab.

I reduced my cookbook collection significantly, only keeping those I use frequently or cherish.

Staying Organized

Shelves are labeled so hopefully, other family members will know where things are located.

Cleaning out this room made me realize we don’t need to buy Ziploc bags for a long time! It also helps to create a grocery list where items are needed and encourages me to use those products where I have multiples.

My sweet husband polished all the copper Martha Stewart cookie cutters I purchased long ago.  The salami and cheese ball are fake, but fun to use when staging for a party.  The miniature utensil rack is a gift I received several years ago from my sister, Joanie. No reason not to make your pantry pretty.

The After

Here is the “after”:

Ok. So I’m a little giddy over this.  I can actually walk in the pantry, finally!

There are 9 foot ceilings in our home and I use the upper sections for hanging large platters that don’t seem to fit anywhere else.

The original pantry had one door that unfortunately would swing right into the adjacent door to the basement.  We resolve this by putting in two narrow swing doors with metal mesh screens.

We feel so fortunate to have this space within the kitchen area. As I try to can and preserve food from either the garden or a local farmer, this space is ideal.

Often I am inspired to tackle a project after seeing someone else sorting and organizing. Hopefully you will feel a need to tidy up an area of your home after reading today’s post.

Have a wonderful week!

Quite honestly, prior to recently, I had no knowledge of Prime Day. So why not share what I have learned with you? I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Amazon. But since my blog is all about beauty and kindness, I will just share what I love. I find it amazing that you can order something in the morning and you have by the afternoon or the next day. Shopping online proves to be almost necessary as many retail businesses have unfortunately closed. With gas prices ridiculously high, and with free shipping, it is an affordable option.

Having said that, we strongly support local businesses and restaurants. Small business is the backbone of our country and for us, we limit our online shopping as much as possible.

Since I am a bit technologically challenged, I find this deeper dive into Amazon and Amazon Prime rather interesting.

So what exactly is Prime Day? And what does it mean to be a Prime Member?

What is a Prime Member?

Amazon offers a prime member subscription and for a monthly or annual fee, you can get additional benefits through Amazon.

• FREE Two-Day Shipping on eligible items to addresses in the contiguous US and other shipping benefits.
• FREE Same-Day Delivery in eligible zip codes.
• FREE Release-Date Delivery on eligible preorder items delivered on their release date to ZIP codes within the continental US.
• FREE No-Rush Shipping. Select No-Rush Shipping and earn rewards for future purchases.
• Amazon Day, where you can choose a weekly delivery day for the items you buy throughout the week.

If you watch or stream shows, Amazon Prime Video has unlimited shows that are free or paid. Personally, I don’t operate the television often and my husband is in charge of the controls.

From groceries to books, you can find it all on Amazon. There is a student discount too.

What is Prime Day?

Prime Day is a shopping event with deals exclusively for Prime members. Anyone can participate in Prime Day by becoming a member of Amazon Prime. If you’re not yet a Prime member, you can participate in Prime Day by signing up for an Amazon Prime free trial or paid Prime membership. 

Prime Day 2022 begins July 12 at 12:00 a.m. Pacific time and ends July 13 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. If you are looking to make a significant purchase, now may be the time.

My Favorite Purchases on Amazon

Quite honestly, I have never paid attention to Prime Day. However, this year, I do have some things I want to purchase and hope to get them at a significant discount.

I also thought I would share my favorite products with you just in case you have a need or desire for a product that I have tried and like. Right now, some of these products are already on sale. Again, I cannot promise they will be on sale as this is my first Prime Day event!

If you are one of those highly organized people that start purchasing your Christmas or holiday presents now, then take advantage of Prime Day.

Cleaning and House Products

Little Green Bissell is truly a lifesaver with an active family. We use it all the time on carpet and anything that is upholstered. See how I used this to clean a very bad stain off a chair in our pool house. Also, I cannot say enough about these night lights. Their slim profile make them nearly invisible during the day, but they put out a strong light at night.

Faux Trees and Plants

With 100+ degree heat, these realistic faux cedar trees and potted plants keep the entrance to our home looking great. No one would ever know that are faux. The cedar trees appear to be 20% off

Skin Care

I am using this powdered sunscreen every day and will be definitely ordering another one this week. Same goes for the eye cream too. And this moisturizer is my all time favorite!

Battling the Bugs

Perfect for the summer and the ongoing battle against mosquitoes and flies, try these two products. The fly fans appear to be 46% off, at least at the time of me writing this post.

Pampering your Bones and Muscles

For your bones and muscles I like these products. Please make sure you check with your health care provider before you take anything new. These two bone building products work very well for me to ward off osteoporosis.

Clothing

I am far from a fashionista but these very affordable clothing items typically get many compliments. The Boho blouse is very feminine and lightweight (I have it in pink and lilac) and is 24% off. The kimono is showing different fabric styles since I first ordered this, but still a wide selection. Great to wear over a tee and jeans or a bathing suit, showing 7% off the price.

Hostess Gifts

We always try and take a hostess gift when we get an invitation to someone’s home. Keeping a few of the pretty soap/paper towels on hand for gifts is a great idea. There is such a wonderful selection and I love their seasonal choices. Check out the holiday styles. Of course, I am adding my most favorite candle scent too.

My Husband’s Favorites

Here are some of my husband’s favorites. He loves these clear large ball ice cubes for his brown liquids. As a newbie in smoking meats, the Traeger seems to do the trick. It is 17% off the original price. If you dislike cleaning your grill, these Kona Grill Mats are the perfect solution.

Kitchen Items

You can’t go wrong with a good Dutch oven. I use mine all the time to bake bread or make soups and stews. This 5.5 quart Creuset is 28% off. This digital probe thermometer is 21% off and would make a great stocking stuffer or while grilling those summer meals.

Using a candy thermometer to check the temperature of boiling fluids is a bit terrified to me. Using this Etekcity infrared thermometer is a breeze and feels alot safer and accurate. It’s a great bargain at 30% off.

Oh, my! I wonder if my FAVORITE coffee machine will be on sale for Prime Day? This is a big ticket item but if you can get it at a good sales price, it is totally worth it. When I think of all the money I spent on drive thru coffee, this machine will pay for itself within a few months.

Good Stuff to Read

I do love to read and here is a list of the books I highly recommend.

Full disclosure, if you do order any of these products through my links, I do get a small (really small) stipend that doesn’t impact or affect your price. Personally, I love getting product recommendations from those whose opinions and judgements I trust. It saves me from doing the research or reading the reviews. All the products I am recommending here today are ones we have purchased, used and love.

I am looking forward to officially participating in Prime Day and hope to find great bargains or early Christmas shopping gifts!