I am addicted to the Great British Baking Show which airs on Netflix.  The 15 seasons, now hosted by Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood (swoon~~ah those blue eyes!), is a must see. Each season brings the best home bakers from across the country vying for a chance to be named the winner. Since this show ignites the baking desire in me, I am inspired to share how to make these delicious tea cakes, known as lemon madeleines.

Have you Watched this show?

Amateur British bakers face off in a 10-week competition whipping up their own dishes hoping to be named the best in the U.K. The show is so informative-who knew the British had so many different cakes, breads, puddings, and pastries! Even though Madeleines are French in origin, it is the Great British Baking Show that encourages me to step out of my comfort zone and try new recipes.

What are Madeleines?

Madeleines are a very traditional French breakfast or tea cake.  Perfect madeleines should have a nice hump at the top, indicating a good rise and a lightness in texture. The thinner edges should be golden brown, caramelized and crunchy. According to this recipe, a madeleine pan is nice but not necessary. You can also use a miniature muffin pan. Personally, I like the shape of this tea cake and prefer to use the correct pan.

Ingredients and Recipe

This recipe for madeleines is from Dessert University by Roland Messier, executive pastry chef at The White House for 25 years. My friend, neighbor and chef, Barb Fenzl, hosted Roland’s cooking class years ago. His cookbook is a treasure trove of delicious desserts and you can find it here.

Not only was his class informative, but he entertained us with food stories of various presidents and their families. Working at the White House for 25 years, I’m sure there are many things he cannot share.

Simple, Fresh ingredients

The ingredients are rather simple~~flour, baking powder, lemon, sugar, eggs and lots of butter!

Blend the flour and baking powder together.

Zest the lemon~~later the fruit will be juiced for the lemon glaze. Zesting is very easy if you have the right equipment. This is clearly my favorite zesting tool here.

Using the paddle attachment on your mixer, blend the sugar, butter, lemon zest and salt.

Be careful not to over beat.

With the mixer on low, add the eggs and then the egg yolk until well combined.

Stir in the flour mixture and mix until dough is smooth.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Baking Preparation

Butter and flour the madeleine pan.  The only one I have is a Tefal silicone one with 8 cakes. Though the recipe stated there isn’t a need to butter and flour the non-stick pan, I did so to prevent any sticking. Updated note: I do not like this silicone pan. It buckles in the oven and prevents the batter from laying evenly. Maybe it works better laying on a cookie sheet? See another pan resource here.

Fill the cups 3/4 full.  The batter is almost cookie dough-like and it’s hard to tell when it’s 3/4 full. My first batch produced rather large madeleines.  I measured the batter in the second batch (a low heaping tablespoon) and the madeleines were a more normal size. Below is a picture of the first batch pre-oven.

With my convection oven so I set the temperature at 400 degrees (recipe calls for 425 degrees) and baked them for approximately 8 minutes.  That time will vary depending on the how much batter is in each hole.

Finishing Touches

After baking, remove the madeleines immediately from the pan.  Mine pop out nicely.  Brush each one with the lemon glaze. This silicone basting brush works very well with the delicate cakes (see here).

This is only the second time I’ve made madeleines and I really love this lemon recipe.

These are a big hit with my family!  I wonder what Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith would say 🙂

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I recently purchased a new book, Simply Living Well by Julia Watkins. This hard cover book is a guide to creating a natural, low-waste home. The book is filled with great ideas and recipes on how to reduce what you consume and throw away. But it got me thinking about how we live. What are we currently doing that is living efficiently and reduce what we take in and what we discard?

Composting

About 30% of our kitchen waste is recycled through composting. I have written about this before (see post here) and we put every single peel, pit, skin, eggshell and other non-cooked fruits, vegetables and flowers into the composting garbage can.

Grass clippings, tree branches and other brown material is also composted here on the property. This significantly reduces our waste that goes to the City’s landfill and dump.

All the luscious rich fertilized soil goes back into the yard~the garden, the orchard and all the bedding areas. Giving back to the land is very rewarding.

If you do not compost, please consider doing so. There are many containers on the market that make composting a breeze.

Recycling

The City of Phoenix has a recycling program so we separate our garbage into separate bins for pick up once a week. Cardboard boxes, paper, plastic, glass and cans are separated from the trash. In our kitchen we have 3 cabinets with pull out garbage cans~one for composting, one for trash and the other for recyclables. Does your community have a recycling program?

Gardening and Chickens

Growing our own fruits and vegetables reduces the number of trips we take to the grocery store and farmers market. With the exception of summer, our garden is in production.

What we don’t eat, or what has grown past its prime, goes to the chickens or into the compost bin. Growing your own vegetables and fruit is immensely satisfying too.

Our chickens provide us with the most delicious eggs. In order to increase egg production, we will soon need to get some more chicks as our flock is aging out. It is joyful to have these feathered friends and they, too, help reduce our food scrap waste.

This summer we are spending more time up at our mountain cabin. If we continue to do so, then it may be time to plant a garden and set up a composting system there as well.

Preserving Food and not being wasteful

Growing up in a family of 7, my mother never wasted a thing. For example, leftover stale bread was turned into bread pudding. I am sure that philosophy is a result of living through the Great Depression and also having a limited budget.

Because I was raised with a frugal mindset, it’s hard for me to throw good food away. I just made a big batch of mole chicken and after eating it a few days in a row, I will freeze the rest in individual servings for another time. Same with the big pot of chili I just made. How nice to have a meal ready, especially on those busy days where cooking for dinner is the last thing I feel like doing!

Abundant harvests from our garden or the orchard are canned and preserved for use during another season. From fruit preserves to tomato sauce, these are either canned or frozen. Though preserving food does take a bit of work, the rewards outweigh the effort. Opening up a jar of summer tomato sauce in the middle of winter, is such a treat!

Laundry

Line drying here in Phoenix, especially in the summer, is a quick and easy energy efficient task. Not only does the sun acts as a powerful disinfectant but also has natural bleaching powers. Nothing smells better than slipping into freshly washed sheets! Even my children notice when their sheets are washed and line dried.

Our local electric rates increase significantly over the summer. Not running the dryer and other large appliances is an effective money saving strategy too.

Coffee

I recall a time when daily and sometimes more, we would drive through the local Dutch Brothers and get our coffee. The staff knew us by name and their fun, upbeat vibe was a plus to our cup of Joe. Unfortunately, that coffee location closed, but fortunately for us we removed Dutch Brothers as a line item from our monthly budget.

Now we make our coffee here at home using my favorite Nespresso machine (currently 38% off a used one on Amazon!). The coffee pods get recycled through Nespresso recycling program. Making our morning coffee at home not only saves money, but we are no longer using paper cups, plastic tops, time and gas to drive to and from Dutch Brothers.

Paperwork

As I mentioned in a blog post about my kitchen, there is an industrial shredder placed sitting in our kitchen, which some people think is odd. See that post here. Daily, the excessive amounts of junk mail is shredded and added to the composting bin. The shredder keeps the paperwork stack down on the counter and it gets recycled!

Manage our Utilities

A few years ago, I was asked to give a lecture to a group of 7th and 8th grade students about the recent utility (electric) increase and how that rate hike affected our neighborhood. Of course, I didn’t even realize we had a rate hike. So in order to provide an intelligent presentation, I did a deep dive and thorough analysis of the cost of electricity.

What I discover is that we, personally, are not on the most efficient or advantageous utility plan. Once I understand that, then I start paying attention to our electric usage. By changing our behavior slightly, we save quite a bit of money. Over time, we save even more.

The moral to this story is 1) understand your utility usage; 2) investigate the best plan for you and your family; 3) by making reasonable changes you can reduce your usage and save money.

Now, during the warmer months (trust me, air-conditioning bills can be ridiculously expensive here), we monitor our large appliance and air conditioning usage from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Water consumption

Water here in Arizona is a precious resource. Rates increase especially in June, July and August. By using flood irrigation provided locally, we are able to deep water the orchard and yard at a low annual cost. The well that we re-instituted many years ago, handles additional yard watering in a cost-effective manner (see that post here).

Room for Improvement

Like with most things in life, I can certainly improve and lessen my waste. We have too many things that need to be sorted, organized and donated. My hope is to reduce the items in each room by 50%. Lofty goal, but this is an ongoing effort.

Are you familiar with Marie Kondo’s organizational tips? I believe she has (had) a Netflix show where she shares her organizational philosophy. See where I use Maria’s tip in organizing my master closet here.

Other Ways live Simply

I’d love to live in a place that doesn’t require driving everywhere. Phoenix is more car-dependent than other cities, but during the cooler weather I do try to bike and walk more. No one wants to bike or walk when it is 116 degrees.

In addition, I need to assess my use of cleansers/detergents and investigate more eco-friendly cosmetics.

So what are you doing to live more simply and efficiently? Please share any ideas so we can all get better at this!

Happy Wednesday!

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This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday #614

Is it really the first Saturday in August? I cannot believe some children are already back in school. Are you wanting summer to stretch out or are you ready for fall? I am hanging onto summer, especially as we are enjoying it in the cool mountains of Arizona. It has been a very busy week so it feels like it just flew by. Well, Happy Saturday and it’s time for another Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things. Let’s jump in!

Local Farmers Market

A week ago, at this time, we decide to explore the farmers market up here in Pinetop. I would summarize it by saying it is small but mighty. I find pickling cucumbers, garlic and onions from the local produce lady; great Italian frozen take-and-bake food from Chef Scotty; an excellent quiche (by the slice or whole) that rivals my own; Japanese Milk buns from Cedar Hill Bake Shop (@cedarhillbakeshop); 1847 sourdough starter kit and grass fed beef from Skutel Cattle Company.

It can’t recall a time when we had such a haul from a farmers market, but this one is a winner if you get there early. If you are ever in Pinetop-Lakeside on a Saturday morning, check out the White Mountains Market, 1501 W Mountain Blvd. from 9 am to 2 pm.

What are Japanese Milk rolls?

According to King Arthur Flour, Japanese milk rolls are referred to as Hokkaido milk bread. These rolls are incredibly soft and airy thanks to a simple technique involving a roux “starter”, known as tangzhong. The roux is mixed into the final dough, producing wonderfully tender bread each and every time.

You are probably wondering why I am a bit fixated on Japanese milk rolls, especially since I have never heard of them before, nor have I tasted one. In reading Elin Hildebrand’s book, Five Star Weekend, her main fictitious character is Hollis, a food influencer. According to the story, Hollis has a website, Hungry with Hollis, and she posts a video with her “making a meatloaf sandwich with homemade refrigerator pickles on freshly baked Japanese milk bread”. The video goes viral and hence her story begins.

Well, being the food enthusiast I am, once I read that passage in the book, I just couldn’t let it go. So when I saw the Japanese milk rolls at the farmers market, guess what I did? Yes, you are right! I quickly made a meatloaf and refrigerated pickles with the meat and cucumbers I bought at the same farmers market.

Needless to say, it is all very, very good. I’ve never seen these rolls for sale anywhere so if you cannot find them, I would say a close second would be Hawaiian sweet rolls. Not as fluffy as the Japanese ones, but a good option.

BTW~Making refrigerated pickles is also simple and I hope to write a post about that soon. Also, do you have a favorite farmers market? If so, please share.

1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter

As I mention above, I purchase the 1847 Sourdough Starter kit at the Farmers market. Story goes that the seller, during the pandemic got some of this semi-dry sourdough starter (you can find the entire source/story here) and is now selling activated bits of it. Since I don’t have any sourdough starter up here at the cabin, I thought, why not? Maybe it is the real deal or maybe it isn’t, but it will be fun to experiment with baking bread at 7,500 feet.

The instructions are not completely clear so I follow it as best I can. My beautiful Le Creuset pot which I use faithfully to bake my bread is also in the Valley, but I have a smaller Lodge cast iron Dutch oven that may work.

I literally just pulled the bread out of the oven and I’m so pleased with how it looks. Unfortunately I need to wait a bit before I slice into it, but so far, so good!

Pavlova

It is definitely a week for cooking and new recipes. After making two Apricot Almond tarts last time at the cabin, I had 10 egg whites leftover from that recipe. Since I don’t like to toss or waste, I freeze the egg whites in a Ziplock bag and use them for a pavlova.

What is a pavlova? According to Wikipedia, a pavlova is a meringue-based dessert. Originating in either Australia or New Zealand in the early 20th century, it was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Taking the form of a cake-like circular block of baked meringue, pavlova has a crisp crust and is soft and light inside.

A typical pavlova uses 4-6 egg whites, but with 10 I just assume I can make a bigger one…which I did but still had pavlova mixture left over. I use that for 6 more individual pavlovas. In summary, way too many pavlovas. Other ingredients include sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Here is a very easy recipe from allrecipe.

The fun part is the filling which can be fresh whipped cream, lemon curd or really what ever you’d like. I use whipped cream and fresh fruit for both the gigantic and mini ones. Thankfully friends agree to come and share the large one, with plenty left over to take home with them.

If you are looking for a light summer dessert, try making a pavlova. It’s simple and your friends will be impressed!

Gardening in the Mountains

Most of our property here is natural forest and not structured landscaping or gardens. However, we do have an existing pear and apple tree that came with the property. Recently, we add a watering system and now will do more planting.

To date, we have two new cherry trees~a Bing and Montmorency and one new apple tree~a Fuji. I am excited to see how they grow, as this hardiness zone (6b) is so different than the one in Phoenix.

New foundation plants should be going in soon and hopefully then I will have hydrangeas, lilacs, peonies and hostas. Yippee!

Do You Use Dryer Balls?

We use dryer balls but I never understood the benefits of something so simple. Dryer balls bring forth fluffier towels, softer sheets, and less-wrinkly shirts while also reducing drying time by 25%. This is an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fabric softeners and dryer sheets. The main purpose of using dryer balls is to reduce drying time, soften fabrics, and decrease static cling in your laundry.

Benefits of Dryer Balls

1. Drying time reduction: Dryer balls work by creating space between clothes in the dryer, allowing air to circulate more efficiently. This improved airflow helps to dry your laundry faster, potentially cutting down on drying time by up to 25-50%. This can lead to energy savings and lower utility bills.
2. Fabric softening: The tumbling action of the dryer balls against the clothes helps to soften fabrics naturally without the use of chemical-based fabric softeners. This is especially beneficial for people with sensitive skin or those looking to avoid synthetic additives in their laundry routine.
3. Reduced static cling: Dryer balls can also help reduce static electricity in fabrics, which is a common issue when using the dryer. The gentle agitation of the balls against the clothes helps prevent static buildup, leaving your clothes less prone to sticking together or clinging to your body.
4. Environmentally friendly: One of the main advantages of dryer balls is their eco-friendly nature. Unlike single-use dryer sheets, which are typically discarded after each use, dryer balls can be reused for hundreds of drying cycles before needing replacement. This reduces waste and is more sustainable in the long run.
5. Hypoallergenic: Wool dryer balls, in particular, are often preferred by those with allergies or sensitivities because they are free from synthetic fragrances and chemicals commonly found in fabric softeners and dryer sheets.
6. Scent options: While dryer balls don’t add artificial fragrances like dryer sheets do, you can add a few drops of essential oils to the dryer balls if you prefer a scented effect. This allows you to customize the scent of your laundry without using potentially harmful chemicals.

Overall, dryer balls are a practical, cost-effective, and eco-conscious addition to your laundry routine, providing a more sustainable way to dry and soften your clothes. Apparently wool balls are the best and you can find them here.

That’s it for this week’s Saturday Meanderings. If you missed my Tuesday post, you can see all the organizing and cleaning I did in my kitchen here. Next week I hope to share my Spice cabinet redo.

As always, thank you so much for joining me today. I so appreciate your continued support! Enjoy your weekend and stay cool out there.

How can it truly be the last Saturday of April? Happy Saturday and weekend to you. This week seem to move along rather quickly for me and I am ready to slow things down once again. Thanks for joining me today as we chat about all good things this week.

Tackling Another House Project

I truly love my kitchen. It is the hub of our home where everyone gathers, cooks, socializes and is the most used room in the house. As a result, of course, it tends to get a bit messy. Daily cleaning is typical for dishes and counters; weekly the floors and rugs get washed. But when was the last time I cleaned out each and every cupboard? I mean really clean~sorting, tossing what isn’t used, wiping down the shelves, replacing the shelf paper, etc.

This project started this week. So far, I have thoroughly cleaned 16 spaces (cupboards, drawers, shelves) and still have 37 to go. My goal is to complete this project before house guests arrive on May 6th. Naturally it has been all consuming. But there is a slight giddiness when I open a space and see the transformation.

Here is a kitchen drawer before:

And here it is after. All the expired aspirin and vitamins are gone. Similar items are together and organized. It is such a feeling of freedom, right?

A cupboard that holds mostly tea and beverage related items gets a good overhaul. The shelves are scrubbed clean and old labels removed.

Here is the before:

And here is after cleaning and organizing.

Making Focaccia for the First Time

My son, Benjamin, makes focaccia bread all the time. Surprisingly, I have never made it. So this week I decide to try my hand at it, using my sourdough starter, not commercial dry yeast. I add olives, fresh rosemary and a good sprinkling of sea salt. Up to this point, it looks good.

Well, it was a total flop. I think I over proofed it and rushed the process. Other than eating the olives off the top, it was added to the kitchen trash. I will definitely try it again and maybe follow the directions this time?

Have you Ever Made a Hand Knit Blanket?

I finally finish a chunky chenille yarn blanket in a blush pink. It’s a graduation gift for my daughter’s friend, who happens to love the white chunky yarn blanket I made for Elisabeth. Personally, I am an abysmal knitter, but this hand knit blanket is relatively easy and something I can do.

The yarn is from Joann’s Fabric (I order it online) and it comes in 16 colors. It took 6 skeins and the finished size is approximately 3 feet by 5 feet. A fun and doable project~coming from someone that doesn’t have a knitting skill set. There are many tutorials online too.

Flower Botanical Art Work

This week on the blog is an easy DIY Botanical Artwork that you can make with supplies around your house. If you missed it you can see it here. Being curious, I try this same technique but with flowers.

With only enough time to make two of them, what do you think?

Do You Wear Sunscreen?

I try to wear sunscreen on my face and neck all year round. But as the weather gets warmer, especially here in the Valley of the Sun, protecting your skin from the sun is important. Here are two products that I LOVE and use every day.

Colorscience Brush-On Sunscreen Mineral Powder is a substitute for my face powder every day. I also keep one in the car for those long drives where the left side of my face is exposed to the sun. It’s $69.00 and comes in 4 colors. Though a bit pricey, I can honestly say it seems to last forever. You can find it on Amazon here.

I LOVE this product. Again, Colorscience Total Eye 3-in-1 Anti-Aging Renewal Therapy. It immediately brightens and corrects dark circles, while smoothing fine lines and wrinkles. I wear contact lenses and this product does not bother me at all. It has the added benefit of protecting your delicate skin around the eyes with a broad spectrum SPF35. It is a bit pricey at $79.00 but I am still using the tube I bought in June 2022. Comes in 4 colors and you can find it here.

Do you wear sunscreen on your face and neck every day?

New Show We are Watching

We just started watching this yesterday but I am intrigued by the concept of arranged marriages. Though this show is into Season 3, I am just learning about it and starting Season 1. In Indian Matchmaking, Mumbai’s premier matchmaker Sima Taparia, draws from decades of experiences, insights and traditional methods to help single people find their perfect matches. You can find it on Netflix.

Dreaming About an English Cottage?

Nestled in a quiet enclave on the outskirts of Rugby in Warwickshire is this charming four-bedroom thatched cottage…..and it is FOR SALE! Check out the gorgeous pictures and dreamy landscape here. I just found this website and it has a plethora of homes, cottages, apartments for sale~lots of eye candy!

Proud Moments

My youngest child, Elisabeth, is getting ready to graduate college shortly. She attends the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University and her undergraduate requirement is to write and present a thesis. This week she presented her defense on Monday to her professors and I had the honor of watching her as it was held virtually. Not only did she pass, but the comments by her professors made all her efforts worthwhile.

Elisabeth is a Criminal Justice major and is currently interning at the County Medical Examiners Office~makes me cringe a bit but she seems to be learning a great deal about dead bodies.

Well, that’s a wrap for the last Saturday Meanderings in April. Have a spectacular weekend! Do you have any fun plans?

The guest cottage renovation is complete. This is not a comprehensive renovation, but enough to make it feel fresh and functional. My daughter and her two dogs and one cat made this their home for 3 years. Normal wear and tear plus pets…well you get the picture. Here is the guest house remodel reveal and I hope you enjoy the changes.

New Exterior Paint

One side of the guest cottage is constantly exposed to the brutal southern sun. The rest of the building is heavily shaded and as a result, the paint lasts longer there. With a very weathered and faded south side, it is time to completely paint the outside. Even though I spent some time wondering if a different color would be better, I realize that I love the green as it seamlessly blends in with the surrounding foliage.

The exterior siding needs some love and attention as cracks are filled and repairs made.

Here are my paint selections:

Body of the guest house: Sherwin Williams Basil SW6194 in satin

Trim: Sherwin Williams Khaki SW8067 in eggshell

The Shutters

The shutters are French, very old and apparently they have been hanging the wrong way for numerous years.Before, the shutters on the cottage were painted a dark blackish green called Black Hills SW 1189.

However, the painters inadvertently painted the shutters the body color (Basil). Actually, it is a happy mistake because I think I actually like the lighter color this time around.

The red on the doors and decorative trim is the same red on the barn and the hen house, which is Ralph Lauren Barn Red. Since these 3 structures are somewhat near each other, I want the color palette to be cohesive.

Our painters did not want to do the decorative trim paint, so I use one of my artist brushes and complete the details.

Here is the after picture of the exterior. I still need to do more landscaping and with all the winds recently, need to clean off the roof. It’s amazing how a fresh coat of paint just makes everything look so much better.

New Side Door

The side door (again on the south side) leading into the kitchen has such deterioration that it requires replacement. Also, the door trim is rotted and must be removed.

In addition, the front door screen never fit correctly. My contractor retrofits it with new hinges and finally the screen door is tight to the frame.

Regarding the windows, the screens also did not fit well. Each one is planed and sanded and now is secure to the window frame. A big improvement to keep out any little bugs.

Overall Updates

All the old interior can lights are replaced with new Halo LED ones. I particularly like this brand because it has 5 color temperature options from warm (2700K) to daylight (5000K) and are also dimmable.

All plugs and light switches, which are yellowing, are changed out to bright white. What a difference these two electrical changes make to the overall updated look of the guest cottage.

The living room and bedroom have wall-to-wall carpeting while the kitchen and bathroom have hardwood floors. Just having the carpet cleaned by a professional company, Zerorez is a huge improvement. Zerorez does not use soaps or harsh chemicals. Their patented technology cleans with Zr Water® – a powerful cleaner that is non-toxic and completely safe for people, pets, and the planet. I highly recommend them.

Kitchen Updates

A yellowing, dated microwave is replaced with a new stainless steel one. Since my daughter absconds with most of the pots, pans and dishes, and flatware everything is replaced with new items. Small appliances like a toaster, Nespresso machine and tea pot are also new.

But most importantly, all the chips, bumps and bruises to the wood work and cabinets are cleaned and repainted or touched up. Even the scratches on the hardwood floor are fixed with a wood stain marker.

Every drawer and cabinet have cute shelf paper liners.

New area rugs add a bit of fun to the kitchen too! The Studio McGee Threshold line at Target does have an attractive and affordable selection of rugs. This skid resistant 5’x7′ cotton blend woven rug compliments the kitchen colors and adds some pattern to the room.

Living Room

This sofa is ancient…I believe I bought it in 1982 from Ethan Allen. However, it is well built with a hardwood frame. But as you can see it desperately needs an overhaul. If you have an old sofa with a hardwood frame, it’s worth recovering. My upholsterer is so impressed with the inner workings of this sofa, which is also happens to be a sofa bed.

With a new whiter fabric and reducing the cushions from 3 seat cushions to two, the sofa looks much more contemporary and attractive.

I’m not sure I like the glass waterfall coffee table. Since it sort of disappears, I suppose I can live with it. Tell me if you love it or hate it.

The small scale highboy provides workspace or a place to write or read.

Bedroom

There is such history in the bedroom. The Victorian bed was once owned by a famous pianist from San Francisco whose list of friends included John Philip Sousa.

Color combinations include both shades of blue and green. All new queen size bed linens and pillows just give the room a fresh update. A scallop edge matelassè coverlet is put to use as a bedskirt.

One of my favorite pieces of furniture is this green chest of drawers with Asian details, acquired in an auction. The simple round 30″ mirror is from Target for $59.99. All the woven cordless shades are from Factory Direct Blinds. They are identical to the ones we have in the pool house and I love the way they look with drapes.

Remember these curtains I got from Home Depot for a penny? I’m sure it was an error but look how fun they are in this bedroom.

Bathroom

Wear and tear on a bathroom is common. New and additional lighting helps brighten up the space.

In a previous post, I shared how we installed more hardwood flooring under the stackable washer/dryer (glad that project is complete!). It is so much easier to slide the unit in and out now.

Small but important things like soaking the shower head to remove mineral deposits, adding a towel rack, painting the baseboards and deep cleaning the walls and ceiling help make this room sparkle.

All of the interior improvements with the exception of some electrical work, are done by my husband and I. We are very pleased with the outcome and now look forward to welcoming guests to visit.

Thanks for visiting the blog today and I hope you enjoyed seeing the photos of the guest house rejuvenation.

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