A Royal Novel Surprise
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A Royal Novel Surprise

My very first blog post in September 2016 was about a charitable English tea we had here at Bella Terra with New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author, Rhys Bowen. Not only was the event a wonderful fundraiser for Family to Family, (they provides scholarships to students in rural El Salvador)…

Valentine’s Day Table Inspiration
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Valentine’s Day Table Inspiration

For many years, we would host our annual Valentine formal dinner party for 12 people. So why not this year? It took me all of January to recover from the holidays! And before I knew it, it’s February. Lack of good planning on my part. Instead, this Valentine’s Day table inspiration is a romantic setting…

Lemon Tart with Mile High Meringue
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Lemon Tart with Mile High Meringue

My mother always made the best lemon meringue pies. After she passed, I tried to find her recipe but to no avail. I attempted making one from an online recipe and it was a complete failure. The meringue was loose and runny. I never made another. One blogger I admire greatly is Kayley from The…

Post Christmas News
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Post Christmas News

It was a very rainy Christmas morning here in Phoenix~~just perfect for lighting each of the fireplaces. This is one of the first years we didn’t have guests, so it was just our family. That set the tone for a very relaxing and easy day. After reading Santa’s letter and opening presents, Dad made his…

Countdown to Christmas
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Countdown to Christmas

This week we had our annual neighborhood board holiday party. Nothing like having guests to motivate you to get things done! Unfortunately, I failed to take any great pictures, as I was too busy setting everything up. Photos taken in natural light are the best and of course, these were done in the evening. In…