Hello and Happy Saturday! I have so much to share this week and so glad you are here today. As you know, Saturday Meanderings is an opportunity to look at the week and hopefully all good things. I just returned from 6 days in Chicago moving my son and his girlfriend into their new apartment. He will be starting graduate school at the University of Chicago next month. An exciting time for them to explore a new city for the next two years.

My Trip to Chicago

Many years ago, I spent a great deal of time in Chicago for business, but haven’t been back in a long time. I forgot how beautiful the weather can be during the summer ~blue skies, puffy white clouds, no humidity and temperatures in the low to mid 70s. That is exactly the weather I experienced along with cool breezes off of Lake Michigan.

It’s unfortunate that most people think of the Chicago we hear on the news~murders, poverty and chaos. The area near Millennium Park and Michigan Avenue is filled with lush landscaping, beautiful parks, and clean, walkable streets. At no time did I ever feel unsafe, even during the late evening hours.

Lots of unpacking, moving furniture and picture hanging for the first few days. But everything is in its place and now it’s time for them to enjoy their new life in this beautiful city.

I will write a separate post about Chicago as I hope to spend more time there.

It’s Tomato Sauce Season

Back in Phoenix, we pick up 100 lbs. of Roma tomatoes from a local farmer, McClendon Select. Thirty pounds go to my friend, Rick for his own sauce. Our neighbor and dear friend, Tevia, came over last Sunday and we processed 24 lbs. worth of sauce for her pantry.

Now I need to get busy and make the rest into sauce for our winter supply. To see this easy, 4 ingredient tomato sauce recipe, click here. If you want to learn about canning and processing tomatoes, see this post here.

I use every part of the tomato and the skins and seeds go to the chickens~they just love it. Anything else leftover goes to the composter.

New James Farmer Book

Love a gorgeous book? This one is filled with lush tabletops, glorious garden bouquets, fabulous invitations and entertaining tips. James Farmer’s new book, Celebrating Home, is a winner. I love and admire his Southern style and am reading this book cover to cover. If you are not familiar with James Farmer, he is designer and author, known for his classic style with a twist.

This book would make a great gift for you or someone who loves this elegant, yet cozy style. I recommend getting it in hardcover because the photos are fabulous. You can find it here. Now I want to buy all his other books (hint to any family member reading this~!)

Impromptu Lunch with a Friend

After traveling for a week, it felt like ages since I played catch up with my friend, Christine. And after a good amount of restaurant food, I am longing for a healthy meal at home. The kitchen is a mess with all the tomatoes. So I pretty up a table in the corner of the living room for just us.

A vintage tablecloth look so sweet on a table for two. Keeping it more casual, I use the melamine plates and chargers I purchased in the spring from The Enchanted Home.

Grocery store flowers of white daisies and red carnations, plus a few faux blue hyacinths, adds a punch of color.

A hearty salad of mixed greens, grilled chicken, veggies and a homemade lemon dressing is the main course. Air fryer blueberry crisp and ice cream is the perfect dessert. I swear I could eat this type of meal every day.

A Very Good Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

With an evening meeting to attend this week, I decide to bring some sustenance and bake chocolate chip cookies. This recipe from Tara O’Brady is quite good and relatively easy to make. She uses chocolate chunks in the recipe but being in a hurry, I use a combination of dark chocolate and extra dark chocolate chips from Guittard.

I am actually glad they are all gone, but not before I ate 3 in one afternoon. That bit of sea salt on the top is addicting. They are very good and I bet the dough would freeze well! You can find Tara O’Brady’s recipe here.

My Next Creative Project

Did you get the Halloween issue, Halloween Haven from Grandin Road this week? I love Halloween and am always looking for new ways to decorate for our Halloween-themed dinner party. Well, in the catalog on page 37 there is a Haunted Figure Window, however, it is pricey at $1,399.

So I am going to attempt to make one myself. After a quick Google search for old windows, I find The Art of Rust, a vintage shop with many treasures.

Here is the old window frame I bought (at 60% off) and hope to use for this project. More to come on this!

If you missed any posts this week, I share how I organize a space in our master bath (here). Plus I gather ideas from the Internet for fabric in lieu of cabinet doors (here).

Have a wonderful Saturday. I am heading up to our cabin for a quick trip. We are rebuilding a deck and need to check on the progress. Enjoy your weekend. May it be filled with rest and relaxation.

Happy Saturday, friends and it’s time for another Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things. My extensive traveling is nearing an end, however, as you read this we are on our way to California for a family funeral.

Super Cute Pants

Finding comfortable, well-fitting pants is a bit of a challenge for me. However, with the newer stretchy fabrics and fun fall colors, there are lots of choices. The So Slimming embroidered girlfriend ankle jeans from Chico’s are what I am wearing on the airplane and have gotten so many compliments. Paired with a cream sweater or navy t-shirt, this is a comfy and stylish outfit.

Being on the short side, I prefer pants that are ankle length and found these cute olive ones with a decorative edge. Just yesterday, Chico’s did launch their holiday decorative pants and there are even more options to choose. See Chico’s here.

Herbal Coffee

I love a cup of coffee (latte) in the morning, especially when it is from my Nespresso machine. With steamed, foaming oat milk there is just something comfy about the smell and taste first thing in the morning. However, in an attempt to cut down my afternoon coffee intake, I am trying this herbal coffee substitute from Wooden Spoon Herbs.

Though it isn’t my Nespresso coffee, I am enjoying it just the same. In addition to the herbal coffee, I am also trying two tinctures, Immunity Now and Digestive Bitters. It’s too early to share my experience yet but I will let you know if I have a positive experience.

To learn more about Wooden Spoon Herbs, click here.

Halloween

Even though Halloween is in the rear view mirror, I am still dismantling all the decorations on the back porch. We did have a small dinner party and at the last minute, we costumed up. With comfortable jammy pants, a t-shirt, a Bellevue Hospital hospital robe and an old doll, I fell easily into the role as a crazy person. My husband had fun with the cape I made for him 25 years ago as Count Dracula.

Mother/Daughter Trip

When plans to go to Disneyland with her boyfriend fell apart, my daughter’s disappointment was notable. So we turned it into a mother/daughter trip and spent 4 days at Disneyland during Halloween week. I had no idea that “the happiest place on Earth” would be so much fun at this time of year.

All of the Disney properties-California Adventures and Downtown Disney are decked out in autumn colors and decorations. The Haunted Mansion is completely different with a Nightmare Before Christmas theme. And the best part for me was spending quality time with my second born child.

So much has changed since we were there in 2017. If you haven’t been recently, I highly recommend making the new Star Wars area a priority. Quite impressive!

Alice’s Table

What is Alice’s Table? Taken from their website, “Alice’s table is a new generation of entertainment, offering premium live streaming events with a tangible flair. Our curated workshops mix and stir top talent with crave-worthy kits to bring you an experience to remember”. Intrigued, I recently purchased an Autumn Boxwood Wreath making session.

A few days before the scheduled live Zoom event, a box of fresh boxwood greens, a wreath frame, ribbon and faux pumpkins arrived at my home. Instructions on how to store the greens are included. Email reminders for the live event and connection directions are easy to understand.

The live event didn’t take longer than 45 minutes and during the instructional stage, you can ask questions via the chat function. Many of the participants on the live video received this tutorial as a gift from a friend. The cost for this Autumn Wreath making session (with all the materials) is $80.00.

My opinion is that I enjoyed this format. Getting all the supplies ahead of time is very convenient. The instructor was upbeat, interactive and engaging. And overall, the wreath looks good. Unfortunately I haven’t been spritzing it with water everyday so it’s getting a bit tired, but I think it will dry well.

Garden Update

One of the downsides to traveling so much is missing time in my garden. It’s my happy place and lowers my stress. There are still some things to plant, but the winter greens-arugula, Swiss chard, lettuces~ are abundant enough to harvest. I’m not sure there is anything better than a salad made with fresh lettuce!

Shishito peppers are a favorite in our family. Simply blister in hot olive oil, squeeze fresh lemon juice and salt. These plants survive our hot summers and it seems to be always be producing.

It is fig season! This spring I really gave the tree a haircut so I didn’t need a ladder to pick the fruit. However, the tree seems taller than ever. And the figs are ripening one at a time, so I end up consuming them before I can use them in a recipe. Wondering if the tree trimming is affecting the fruit ripening at different times?

Trying to get back to normal

With so much traveling, it is taking some time to plow through all the responsibilities that have piled up in my absence. I hope to start thinking about Thanksgiving next week; as well as getting ready for houseguests. After a hot and long summer, the yard needs some sprucing up but, thanks to my husband, our winter lawn is in. The newly growing grass is a brilliant spring green and a reminder of our beautiful fall weather. Sometimes it all feels a bit overwhelming, but I am reminding myself that everything will happen in due time. Trying to take lots of deep breaths and getting to bed on time. But I do admit, I am very pooped.

I hope this post finds you happy and healthy. Have a wonderful weekend! Also, I am brushing off the crock pot so if anyone has any great recipes, please let me know.

As you are reading this, I am in Charleston, South Carolina. It’s been decades since I have been here and I would imagine that we are enjoying this historical town. Welcome to Saturday Meanderings, where we discuss all good things that happen this week. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind as I started this week in New Hampshire, mid-week in Phoenix, and now in South Carolina. Thanks for joining me and let’s get started!

Wedding Trip to Jackson, NH

So many weddings are being rescheduled due to the pandemic and my nephew’s was no different. We are so happy to be able to attend this one in beautiful Jackson, New Hampshire. I have never been there before and it is an extra treat to be there during the height of fall leaf peeping.

My sister and her husband held the wedding at their mountain home here. What a spectacular event! With a gorgeous view overlooking Mount Washington, the young couple exchanged vows in a late afternoon ceremony. The flowers are absolutely stunning as is the food, music and ambiance.

Getting together for a joyous occasion with family is well worth the rather difficult flight to get here. And to time it during the height of the fall foliage is magical. Jackson, New Hampshire has many lovely sites to see as well as fine restaurants and outdoor activities. Would definitely love to return.

Youth Quote

In cleaning out my late Aunt Gail’s home, I found many newspaper clippings, articles and quotes about life. Here is one to remind us all that age is just a number. Author unknown.

“Youth is not entirely a time of life. It is a state of mind. It is not wholly a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips, or suppleness. It is a temper of will, a quality of imagination, a vigor of emotion.

Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideas. You are as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fears, as young as your hope, as old as your despair. In the control place of every beast, there is a recording chamber, so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer and courage, you are young. When the wires are all down and your heart is covered with snows of pessimism and cynicism then, and only then have you grown old.”

My aunt was nearly 101 years old when she died. She lived alone and independently without any help until the day she passed. The State of Connecticut even renewed her driver’s license. I believe this was her mantra for living a long, healthy and happy life. The goal of my blog is to send messages of beauty, hope, and kindness. If you have a friend or family member who is unhappy, cynical and “old”, please feel free to share this quote with them.

New Book

With lots of air travel hours I am churning through many books. Don’t you love a book that catches you by surprise and has you pondering it long after you turn the last page? Well, Rock, Paper, Scissors did exactly that. I can’t recall the last time and re-read several chapters because the plot twist caught me off guard. Written by Alice Feeney, I highly recommend it. You can find it on Amazon here.

Lemon Verbena

One of the very few plants that survive the hot Phoenix summers is the herb, Lemon Verbena. Even though I did plant it in my garden, I really didn’t know much about it.

What is lemon verbena used for?

Lemon verbena is used for digestive disorders including indigestion, gas, colic, diarrhea, and constipation. It is also used for agitation, joint pain, trouble sleeping (insomnia), asthma, colds, fever, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, skin conditions, and chills. Who knew?

According to WebMD, Lemon verbena contains chemicals that might kill mites and bacteria, as well as chemicals that may reduce swelling (inflammation) and cause sleepiness.

I grow it because I love how it smells. Recently harvesting a large bundle of it, I made some herbal tea (just poured hot water over the bruised leaves). And I am also attempting to make another household cleaner where I am soaking lemon verbena leaves in white vinegar for 4-5 weeks.

Also, I did make lemon verbena simple syrup. If you haven’t made simple syrup is it very S.I.M.P.L.E! Just two cups of sugar, one cup of water and then add whatever herb you like (lavender, basil, thyme, mint) and heat until the sugar dissolves and the herbs steep. This syrup is so tasty added to lemonade or cocktails. We actually added a spoonful of this to the cocktail below as it is a bit too tart for us.

Lemon Verbena Gin and Tonic

This refreshing and light cocktail is made by muddling the limes, lemon verbena and gin together to blend the flavors. Strain and pour in a glass. Fill with tonic. Garnish with lime and a sprig of lemon verbena. Done. You can add lemon verbena simple syrup for more flavor or not. See recipe here.

The rest of the fresh lemon verbena I am drying for future tea use. If it helps with some of the ailments listed above (like insomnia), I will let you know.

A New Garden Dilemma

If you have been following me, you know that recently I have been lovingly growing flowers from seeds in my kitchen. When we returned from New Hampshire, the seedlings are ready to plant in the garden. So I spent all of Tuesday morning this week planting them. Providing structures for the sweet pea seedlings and netting to keep away the birds, I am confident my garden will soon be lush with flowers.

The next day I go out to check on them and guess what? Every single one is chewed down and gone. Seriously?!? Apparently I didn’t secure the area enough and something is getting in and destroying all my good work. When we return I am on a mission to find out what critter(s) is eating his/her way through my garden.

In addition to my complete disappointment on the disappearing sweet pea seedlings, I find this! Back in 2016, my grapevines that create the arched entry into the garden, were infested with the Western Grape Skeletonizer which sounds like a ghoulish Halloween creature. Well, these black and yellow caterpillars are making an appearance again.

Here is what they do to the grape leaves:

As much as I don’t want these invaders, it is rather amazing that they can turn a leaf into lace. And I wonder why I haven’t had them since 2016 and they appear now in 2021….very interesting. Another gardening challenge to overcome.

To read more about these invasive creatures, see my original blog post here.

Fun Halloween Ideas and a Printable

Danielle at Finding Silver Pennies is a terrific artist and blogger. Her post this week is Wicked Good Halloween Ideas. From cookies to costumes ideas, there is also a free printable of her watercolor art, just in time for Halloween. I’ve never met her but I know if we lived next to each other we would become fast friends. See her blog post here.

A Peek into Charleston

We are here in Charleston for nearly 7 days and even though it’s been less than 24 hours, I am loving it! Our accommodations for the first few nights are at Hotel Bella Grace. Our room is stunning and it is in the heart of the historic district of this city. This boutique hotel, is owned by the Marriott corporation and the decor and details are stunning.

The architecture, history, graveyards, and churches are getting captured on my camera. Some of the burial grounds look like something you would see at the Haunted Mansion at Disney. And that moss hanging from the trees!

With 3 centuries of historic landmarks, Charleston is a timeless source of inspiration. If you follow my stories on Instagram @lifeatbellaterra.com, I hope to share more about this beautiful area while we are here.

Need to sign off as we are heading to a wedding! Have a beautiful weekend, my friends and remember, let’s be young together!!

When our children were little, Halloween was a festive and busy time of year. Parades at school; trick or treating; homemade costumes, and lots of decorations around the house. Fun and fond memories. However, just because the little ones are all grown up, it doesn’t mean that adults can’t have some fun too. During my recent visit to Florida to visit Chloe @celebrateanddecorate, a group of friends have a spooktacular Halloween dinner party.

Both Chloe and her sister, Lynn have a long history working with the Disney corporation. Their ideas for costumes and decorations are endless and in a few days, I did learn SO much. In our attempts to replicate the famous ghostly dinner at the Haunted Mansion, we sprayed our hair white, applied ghostly make-up and donned period outfits of white and ecru.

The Tablescape

The table is set with a gray coverlet, a black chiffon runner and tableware of black and red. Using a haunted looking shower curtain (on Amazon for $18.99 here) and hanging it with Command hooks, it covers the window and completely changes the vibe of the room. Lanterns and candles add to the ambiance.

The Centerpiece

Using a white styrofoam pumpkin (see one here), Chloe cuts out an opening in the top. In the meantime, soak floral foam in water until saturated. Insert the foam into the pumpkin and cut off the top of the foam to line up with the top of the pumpkin. Floral foam blocks here.

Next add your flowers by cutting the stems and inserting them into the foam.

Combining the red roses, the deep purple chrysanthemums, the waxy magnolia leaves fill the pumpkin.

Ostrich feathers complete the look which Chloe found on Amazon.

The centerpiece is the perfect size and scale for the dinner table. As a talented table designer and decorator, Chloe gets full credit for this lovely table.You can find Chloe’s blog here.

The Food

Chloe did the meal planning and Andrea (@designmorsels), Chas (@chascrazycreations) and I are all able to pitch in and help with the preparation.

The dinner menu is:

• Chilled shrimp served on a skeleton hand with blood splatter cocktail sauce (skeleton hands here)
• Scary Caesar Salad
• Spooky Stuffed Tomatoes
• Ghostly Twice Baked Potatoes
• Bloody Beef Tenderloin over roasted shallots
• Spidery dinner rolls
• Melted candle red velvet cakes

By using dinner roll dough in the freezer section of your grocery store, is an easy way to make spiders.

Dessert is made using box Red Velvet Cake, store-bought frosting tinted gray and white chocolate candy melting wafers (found here)that drip on the top to look like candle wax. A narrow candle is inserted into the top of the cake and lit ahead of time.

The Costumes

It has been many years since I have dressed up for Halloween. But Lynn brought tubs of fabric and ghostly ideas, including a wedding dress found at a thrift store for $10.00. With some adjustments it fits and did come with a veil too! After makeup and a few props, I am a ghostly bride.

We are even able to capture a photo where it appears as if I am levitating over the dining room table!

Why Do This?

Sometimes putting on a dinner party is a lot of work. However, I can honestly say I so enjoyed doing this with my friends. Chloe is the master of entertaining and she did so much work even before we arrived. However, we all participated in the execution and it was so joyful just spending time in the kitchen together.

Since this trip to Florida was an inspiration for me I am hoping this blog post will be an inspiration for you. After challenging months of isolation, it is a blessing to have fun and laughter with good friends. I learn a great deal from this talented group and look forward to our next gathering

Have a Happy Tuesday! Just arrived back in Phoenix last night, only to do laundry, and pack up again for another wedding in Charleston, South Carolina. If nothing else, I am getting lots of airline miles!

Making cupcakes is a relatively easy task. Decorating them with a Halloween theme should be simple, right? With all good intentions, I set upon making Halloween cupcakes thinking this is a 1-2 hour project. However, there are so many unexpected twists and turns, I feel like a witch on a broom playing quidditch on a Harry Potter movie set.

Also, please read to the bottom to see other Halloween inspired posts by a group of talented women.

Easy Ingredients

Naturally you can make cupcakes from scratch but a wonderful shortcut is to use a pre-mix. Seasonally, Trader Joe’s carries their Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix and it currently available in their stores. During the fall, I keep a few boxes in the pantry because it is a good staple that you can change up with different ingredients.

The Mix – combine with eggs, oil, and water – makes a generous loaf of moist and fluffy, lightly spiced pumpkin bread, or a dozen standard-sized muffins. If you find yourself feeling adventurous, add chopped nuts; dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, or apples; or shredded carrots or zucchini for an extra splash of color and texture.

For this recipe, I add 72% cacao dark chocolate chips (also from Trader Joe’s).

All of this comes together easily and my batch makes 15 (not 12) perfectly formed cupcakes. I also use green and white striped paper cupcake holders, but you can use black or any other color you’d like!

Making the Frosting

Cupcakes need frosting so I make Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting from one of my favorite dessert cookbooks, Layered. To get the frosting recipe, click here. Granted, making your own frosting may sound intimidating, but if you have unsalted butter, sugar, egg whites and vanilla, and a mixer it is rather simple.

Heating the egg white/sugar mixture to 160 degrees is made easy by the use of this tool. It is one of the best cooking gifts I have received (thank you, son!) and I highly recommend it. This would be the perfect holiday gift for the cook in your family. You can find it here.

Adding butter and vanilla completes the frosting recipe and it is whipped and ready to gol

Inspired by an old picture of Halloween cupcakes from a 2012 edition of Better Homes and Gardens, I really want the cupcakes to have black frosting. Surprisingly I have never made black frosting….ever. But, I do have a box of various food colorings and gels, so I am happy to see that in my stash I have black food coloring.

I carefully make the buttercream frosting and in the last few minutes of beating, I add several drops of the black food coloring. The frosting is gray. I add more drops. It is a battleship gray. Sigh. Thinking I have made a mistake, I check the label on the small bottle and it clearly states “black”. Even though the bottle is not full, I empty the contents into the frosting. It remains an ugly darker gray.

Then I add green and dark blue. It’s still an ugly gray, now gray/greenish/blue and looks like the bottom of a swamp

What to Do?!?

This perhaps is the WORST color frosting I’ve ever seen! After opening and closing the bottle so much, I notice my freshly painted fingernails (which I am trying to improve) are stained black. And black droplets have stained my forearms.

In looking around the kitchen, it appears the food coloring has splattered on the counters too with a few drops on the floor. Yikes. I quickly grab a roll of paper towels and try wiping up this incursive food coloring. It seems to be spreading everywhere. Fortunately I didn’t get any on my clothing, but even had some on my neck (how in the heck did that get there?)

Totally frustrated with the rather ugly frosting, I taste it….which is marvelous, by the way. But then I thought if it is staining everything else, are my teeth black….or an ugly gray? I run to the mirror and yes, they are sort of the same disgusting color as the frosting. Of course, during this whole time, did I think about taking pictures? No!

I stop this project and google “how to make black frosting”. Lo and behold it is certainly not with black food coloring. Here is the link to making real black frosting and I probably should have done my homework before I started this “easy” project.

With half the kitchen garbage can filled with black stained paper towels and me with my black cuticles and gray teeth, I just give up. I frost the cupcakes with my large bowl of ugly buttercream and add my witches “legs”.

Making Witches Legs and Shoes

You can use any color, but I did have some leftover green/white striped paper straws. Cutting the straws to approximately 3 inches, I notch the ends to fit the witch shoes.

There are many examples of witch’s shoes on the internet. You can either download a sample or sketch your own. Make sure you have a right and left shoe. I make a template and then trace it on black card stock paper.

Place the shoe in the notch at the end of the straw. Make sure they are facing the correct way or your witch will be pigeon-toed. Stick the straw in the frosted cupcake. With some leftover Halloween crafts, I add a few tombstones and spiders too!

Lessons Learned

On a scale of 1 to 10, I consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable about baking and cooking~maybe a 6 or 7. So this particular obstacle of making black frosting took me by surprise and naturally, I didn’t plan for it. What started out as a simple making Halloween cupcakes did turn into a complete mess in my kitchen and cupcakes that will turn your teeth a grayish green.

What is wonderful about family is that they loved them anyway! The flavor is there and they do look a bit frightful~which is in keeping with the Halloween theme.

Next time, I would just make the frosting white, or orange or purple~something easier. Or truly understand what it means to make black frosting.

In spite of all the frosting challenges, the cupcakes do look Halloween-ish!

Thanks for joining me today! Have a wonderful day and I hope you are already thinking about spooky Halloween fun.

Now On to Other Halloween Ideas

Setting a Fun Halloween Party Table from Celebrate and Decorate

A Quick and Simple Fall Patio from A Life Unfolding

20 Amazing and Easy Dollar Tree Halloween Crafts from Chas’ Crazy Creations

DIY Jack O’Lantern Using a Lantern from Design Morsels

Easy Halloween Dog Toys with your Cricut from Happily Ever After Etc.