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.

Happy first Saturday of June! Typically by now we are experiencing the summer heat, but I must say our weather has been just gorgeous! Mornings in the low 60s and highs in the low 90s. The next few days may get to triple digits but the forecast is lower temperatures for most of next week! A lovely, long delightful Spring~I will take it! School is out, the snowbirds have left and there’s little to no traffic. Quite honestly, I do love this time of year. What a week! Let’s get started chatting about all good things.

Last weekend was Memorial Day and it was a relaxing one for us at the cabin. Mid-week I drove back to Phoenix which generally is a 3.5 hour drive. Unfortunately, however, a semi-truck fire occurred about 1 hour from my home destination on State Route 87. It appears the contents of the truck caught on fire and traffic slowed as we came upon billowing black smoke.

Even though the driver pulled over to the side of the road, it was a very windy day. Soon the fire spread to the adjacent brush and quickly became a 10 acre active fire….all while I am sitting parked in bumper to bumper traffic with no place to turn around or back up or proceed forward.

Of course, this all occurred out in the middle of nowhere, without close local resources to fight the fire. Eventually ADOT closed SR 87 in both directions. For 3.5 hours we watched as fire fighters tried to contain this wildfire, while also trying to extinguish the huge truck fire.

The good news is that no one was hurt and in spite of the high winds, fire fighters were able to contain the fires. Plus during the 3.5 hours of not being able to go anywhere, everyone got out of their cars and were very friendly. So grateful to those who are trained to rush toward danger to protect the rest of us, as fires can be so unpredictable.

Thank you for your Suggestions

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all your comments and ideas last week on how to tie in the decor on the back porch of the cabin. You are all so talented and each comment I read, I was so impressed with your feedback.

As a result, I found these Bria Gray Stripe Throw Pillows at Big Lots (we only have a few stores up in the mountains) for $9.97 and they are the perfect size for the red chairs. The neutrals of gray and white are a big improvement in tying in the colors of seating area to the dining space.

It’s a first step, and I will be implementing some of your great ideas. Thank you! You are the best!

Cabin Projects Completed

It is a busy week checking off all the projects from the To Do list for the cabin. My husband, is the real champ here, getting so much done. With our neighbor Gary, they are busy splitting wood for the fall woodpile.

He also rented a professional carpet cleaner from Home Depot. I do not believe we have ever cleaned all the carpeting at the cabin. Even the outdoor rug on the screened in porch got a good cleaning.

Typically we bring our outdoor cushions inside over the winter, but failed to do so with one piece of furniture. Even though the furniture is covered, the mice did quite a job on one of my cushions.

The furniture is from Pottery Barn and the cushions are made with Sunbrella fabric. However, it is several years old. I attempt to go to a fabric store which sells Sunbrella but there is nothing in stock that matches. They also make (not repair) cushions but the first available date to get my cushion into production would be late August and it would be expensive too.

Darn. I decide to walk the fabric store to see if I can find any fabric that might match, because I can do this, right? Fortunately, in the remnant section, I find 1 3/4 yard of this Sunbrella fabric.

It’s a slightly different color but I have enough fabric between the decorative Greek key strips to replace the damaged section. Plus this repair will be on the back side of the cushion, not the visible front edge.

Here is the repaired cushion. Not bad for someone who doesn’t sew alot!

I have never been a fan of the angled roof-line over the front door entrance to the cabin. Obviously, the cabin footprint has been added onto over the years, but this part of the structure has always bugged me a bit. This past week, my husband hung a large set of elk antlers and I’m hoping this will be the focal point vs. the roofline.

A Gift that keeps on Giving

Currently, my son, Benjamin and his girlfriend, Delaney are living in Chicago while Benjamin gets his masters degree at the University of Chicago. They live in a high rise apartment on the 36th floor and do not have any outdoor space. However, Benjamin loves to cook and Delaney is creative, so for Delaney’s birthday we send her an Aero Garden, a hydroponic indoor garden system.

The unit is small enough for their apartment, and is providing an abundance of fresh herbs for their cooking.

Their garden is loaded with Genovese basil, dill, thyme, mint, parsley and Thai basil. The control panel tells you when to add water, reminds you when to add plant food (included), automatically turns lights on and off for your indoor herb garden.

I know Father’s Day is around the corner, but this gift would be great for anyone that wants fresh herbs but may be limited on time and gardening space.

The added benefit is that I get photos with plant growth updates as well as pictures of the delicious food they make with these fresh herbs.

You can buy the Aero garden on Amazon here for $119.99. This also includes the plant food and the seed pods. I’m actually thinking about getting one too. Growing and eating your own food does something good for the soul.

Garden Update

We are picking spaghetti squash and love this easy recipe. Roast the squash by cutting in half, remove the seeds and sprinkle olive oil, salt and pepper on the cut side. Pierce with a fork all over the squash and roast in an oven at 400 degrees (cut side down) for 40 minutes. Scrape out the “spaghetti”. We then pour my homemade tomato sauce with ground beef or bison or turkey on top. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese. An easy, nutritious and delicious meal.

This weekend I really need to focus on using up the balance of the peaches. It’s time to pick them all, let them ripen and find recipes so they don’t go to waste. If you missed my post yesterday, it is filled with peach recipes.

The apricots are just starting to turn yellow, but I am picking them a few days earlier so I can get to the before the birds. Looking forward to making my almond apricot tart.

From around the Internet

Have you ever used Mrs. Stewart’s Bluing? I’ve seen it in the stores but have never purchased it. Here is an interesting article from Kitchn about how this product can really whiten your towels. Someone washed my white towels at the cabin with the red ones so I’m wondering if I can remove the pink with this product. If you have used it, please let me know your thoughts.

Speaking of laundry, Carrie Vitt from Deliciously Organic sent an email about toxins in laundry detergent. Here is a paragraph from her email:

The fact is, most laundry detergents are very toxic to our bodies. 

Popular detergents contain over 25 toxic chemicals—and those are just the ones that are blatantly listed on the labels. There are many more trace toxicities that aren’t printed. 

Here are some of the biggest toxins (including known and probable carcinogens) you’ll find in common detergents: 

• Phosphates
• Bleach
• Formaldehyde
• Ammonium sulfate
• Dioxane

And don’t forget about the dyes, fragrances, and brighteners, which are enough on their own to make it a product you’d never sign off on having in your home. 

But, obviously, detergent is a necessity.

Carrie recommends Molly Sud’s Laundry Powder. I’ve never tried this, but let me know if you are concerned about the possible toxins in our laundry detergent. If so, what are you doing to minimize this?

My friend, Andrea from Design Morsels, doesn’t use detergent at all since she converted to an ozone system. You can read her post, the Ozone Laundry System: Pros and Cons, Does it Really Work? Andrea is the modern day Hints from Heloise (am I dating myself?) and her blog posts are always filled with really good information.

Well, that’s a wrap! Here are some pretty pictures to send you into the weekend! Thanks for joining me today.

Our peach crop this year is abundant and amazing. Typically by mid-May all the peaches are either picked or eaten by the birds. But this year, I am still picking peaches into June. The tree is still full of fruit and hopefully by this weekend, all the peaches will be gleaned, ripe or not. Peach season is always an exciting time around our house.

I am not sure what varietal peach tree we have, but these are true peaches~gorgeous, fleshy fruit that is flavorful and fuzzy. I’m not even sure you can find a fuzzy peach in a typical grocery store chain anymore.

We call these our “bend over and eat peaches”. They are so juicy and so sweet. Many a shirt has been ruined with peach juice.

Peach Crisp

This year the first dessert we make is peach crisp. I use the recipe from one of my favorite cook books. If you are not familiar with Susan Branch, she is an author, watercolorist and designer. Born in Southern California, she lives in an 1849 home in Martha’s Vineyard.

Her cookbooks are works of art with handwritten copy. One of my favorites is The Summer Cookbook, published in 1995. The peach crisp recipe is based on the Peach & Plum Crisp one in this book. You can tell I use this recipe a lot as the page is a bit dog-eared! I believe this book may be out of print, but Amazon has it here.

You can’t go wrong with anything crisp~~apple, peach, pear, and cherry. I use this recipe for all fruits because the “crisp” part is the perfect topping. I adjust the recipe by increasing the quantity of one fruit vs. two. Click here for the recipe.

Peach Salsa

What is interesting about picking fresh fruit, is that it doesn’t last very long. So I need to use the fruit within a few days. As a result, yesterday we made peach salsa.

I didn’t really follow a recipe this time. This batch is made with tomatoes (cherry ones from the garden), yellow and orange bell pepper (as I didn’t have any green or red), peaches, cilantro, red onion, jalapeño peppers, lime juice, and salt.

More Recipes

This salsa is perfect with chips, but also goes well with fish or chicken. If you would like to get the recipe from a previous post on Peach Salsa, click here. I have two other blog posts with peach recipes~~Tomato, Peach and Corn Salad (which is delicious!) and homemade Peach Pie.

We will be picking more peaches today and maybe peach ice cream this afternoon? At some point, my family will tell me they are “peached out”. That is my cue to preserve the rest of the harvest.

Have a peachy day!

As I write this, we are up at our mountain cabin. It is overcast, drizzling and chilly temperatures and oh, so very quiet. When you live in a busy city, you ignore all the noise (sirens, traffic, lawn mowers and blowers), but here it is silent. Wow. I haven’t been here since Thanksgiving, so naturally there is much tidying up to do (spider webs for example). I don’t believe I have seen another person here, except my husband. Well, happy Saturday and I am so happy you are here today to discuss all good things this week.

The Drive Up

The drive to the mountains is generally 3.5 hours. On the freeway in Phoenix, my car thermometer registered 104 degrees. About 1.5 hours out of Phoenix, the temperature drops to 87 degrees. But shortly thereafter, I run into a very dark and spooky weather storm and the temperature quickly drops to 53 degrees. Look at that ominous sky! Isn’t Mother Nature just amazing?

Surprisingly Good Find at Costco

Other than their salmon with pesto butter, I tend not to buy seafood at Costco. However, this week I purchase a 5 lb. bag of live farm raised Manila clams and boy, are they delicious. At $4.79 a pound, it is a pretty good deal. They must be seasonal because I do not see them featured on the Costco website. Steaming them in white wine, a little water, garlic, fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro), I serve them with a French baguette (for dipping into the sauce) and a glass of a crisp white wine~an easy and delicious dinner.

Since we had leftover clams, I take them out of the shell and freeze them in the cooking liquid. I’ve never frozen clams before but hoping to use them in a linguini and clam recipe in the future.

Peaches are Ripe!

The hardest part of being out of town is not picking peaches daily. There are still many that are hard on the tree so I’m hoping they will stay until I get home. These “bend over and eat” peaches are so juicy and flavorful. They remind me of peaches growing up. For some reason, the ones you buy in the grocery store today are lacking in flavor and fuzz. I see peach pie in my future!

Spaghetti Squash, any one?

I am afraid I am going to have an abundance of spaghetti squash. Like anything else, the first few are delicious and then you get your fill. If you live nearby and like spaghetti squash, let me know. I haven’t picked any yet, but my guess is that they will be ready very soon.

Thought you might enjoy this photo….the pollinating of my squash blossoms. I’ve never stuffed squash blossoms but that might be a solution to nipping the numerous spaghetti squashes in the bud.

Out-of-Sync Week

Do you have one of those weeks that nothing goes right? Not sure why this happens, but my week has been fraught with one problem or obstacle after another. Are the planets out of alignment? For me, this is often a sign to slow down.

What do you do to reverse an out-of-sync week? In 2020 I wrote a post, Ways to Navigate Life Now, and quite honestly, I just re-read it and it is balm for the soul. Apparently, in 2019 was also a stressful time as I wrote the post, Ways to Decompress. Anyway, if you are experiencing a sense of being overwhelmed, you may find value in reading these.

Fun Things on the Internet

Check out with this Elegant Budget Friendly Before and After house remodel. Featured on The Glam Pad, you get to look inside the beautiful home of Courtney from Tuft & Trim. Renovating on a limited budget, you will be inspired by the transformation.

Need Memorial Day decorating ideas? My very talented and industrious friend, Rachel from The Ponds Farmhouse has 25 Patriotic Decor Ideas for you. There are so many suggestions-from simple to more complicated. You can see it here.

Memorial Day is 10 days away. What? Are you gathering with family and friends to honor this holiday? Wendy from WM House Designs has a blog post filled with party ideas from food to games, as well as this delicious looking Watermelon and Cucumber cocktail. So much is packed into this post you won’t want to miss it here.

Are you growing flowers this year? If so, you will find such great information from my gardening friend, Kim from Shiplap and Shells. My garden is mostly vegetables but this year I am trying to plant more flowers. Her post on Pinching Cut Flower plants is filled with tips on how to make the most of your cut flower plants. This is timely for me as many of the flowers I am growing from seeds are the right height to pinch (yet I’ve never done it as I am a bit apprehensive). Plus Kim has the most beautiful pictures of her home and garden so you won’t want to miss it.

Speaking of beautiful flowers, you have heard me many times say how much I LOVE lilacs. However, we cannot grow them in Phoenix. But, they do grow in the mountains! I am so excited that we are here during lilac bloom and naturally, I cannot help myself from cutting bunches and bunches. Ah, simple pleasures that melt away the stress.

I had hoped to post this week but was having some computer challenges. As requested, I will soon share my sourdough bread recipe. Until then, have a marvelous weekend and keep the faith!

Happy 1st Saturday in May! We are experiencing the absolute best weather~cool mornings and days in the low 70s. All the windows are open and the birds are singing and life is good. As I write this I am home alone, which is rather rare and I am enjoying the quiet and stillness of the morning. Let’s get started chatting about all good things this week.

A Late Birthday Celebration

Now for the second year, my dear friend, Christine, takes me to the English Rose Tea Room to celebrate my birthday. If you live in the area, you MUST go to this very special place. You can choose to dine out on the patio or inside the very girly, rose-filled tea room.

In addition to high tea (with those lovely small sandwiches), they have daily specials. We order the most delicious watermelon, arugula salad with chicken with a few pots of a rose tea. What a delightful time we had and I look forward to this being an annual birthday tradition.

It seems like I don’t dress up very often lately, so it is extra fun to pull out a very feminine skirt (purchased long ago from Soft Surroundings) and heels for lunch. I think decorative longer skirts are back in style? Is that possible?

Thank you Christine for a memorable day! The English Rose Tea Room is located at 201 East Street, Carefree, Arizona, 480-488-4812. If you want to see a video of the interior, check out my Instagram @lifeatbellaterra.

Technology Overhaul continues

A few months ago, we embark on re-doing our antiquated wired technology system…and the project continues. We hope to wrap up soon, but what an undertaking. Twenty-three years ago, when we restored this house and all the walls were open, we had miles of wires installed to have a “smart” home. Well, everything is now obsolete and the wiring worthless, so it’s been a huge project to update it.

We are nearing the finish line and it’s nice to remove all the old, larger equipment for a system that is fast and efficient. We are even seeing our electric bill go down which is a big plus. Looking forward to fixing all the holes and doing a final clean up.

Big Week in the Garden

My artichoke plant is really producing this year. I am able to harvest 4 good size ones this week. Typically I parboil them and finish them off on the grill with a homemade Remoulade sauce. However, this week I try a new recipe where I baked them instead. Less work but I prefer grilling them. But I really think it’s the yummy Remoulade sauce that’s the best (with the most calories!)

Strawberries are juicy and delicious but will soon be gone as soon as the temperature increases.

The peach tree is abundant with fruit. For the first time ever, I am netting the tree this year in the hopes that we get to eat the peaches before the birds.

Remember the gnarly looking hollyhock plants near my garden? Still not sure what caused the disfiguration but all those plants are now gone. Nearby, I have nasturtium that comes up every year and that, too, is looking a bit stressed. So we pull all the sickly plants and reveal that my small raised flower bed needs some attention.

The soaker hose is dried and requires replacing (thank you, hubby). New healthy soil is added and I plant several seeds~zinnias, pincushions, and poppies. We have quite a few quail roaming the property and they are notorious for eating new shoots and sprouts.

Metal hoops and bird netting is added and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a lush flower garden!

Spider Mites~yuk!

Just when you think things are going well in the garden, I now have a nasty case of spider mites. Spider mites feed on the leaves through their piercing-sucking mouthparts. They remove contents from individual plant cells, leaving behind the the cell wall, which makes the emptied cells appear silvery. The most noticeable damage of symptom of infestation is white stippling on the leaves. Heavily infested plants take on a faded, yellowish or greyish cast. Severely infested plants are covered by a thin layer of webbing created by the large numbers of spider mites.

First they attack a very large tomato plant which I pulled and discarded. But the mites are spreading to the tomatillos and possibly my eggplant. We’ve had windy days here so it’s highly possible they are just blowing all over the garden.

Isopropyl alcohol seems to do the trick. I spray a solution of approximately 70% isopropyl alcohol on all the affected plants. So far so good, but they can devastate a crop very quickly.

In gardening, there is always SOMETHING trying to ruin your crops.

Baking and Making this Week

Last Sunday was National Raisin Day (yes, who knew?). It was a good excuse to whip up some homemade rum raisin ice cream. Again, I don’t need the calories but it is really, really good. You can find my recipe here.

I need to share my go-to sourdough bread recipe where I add cheese (gruyere, mostly), fresh rosemary and garlic. If you have sourdough starter this recipe is made the night before with little work, and bakes the next day.

With a lone zucchini that was beginning to decline, I made healthy Zucchini brownies which are gluten free, paleo and deliciously fudgy. You can find the recipe here.

Gravestones Arrive

It took me a while to get up the energy to order gravestones for Cooper and Sox.

But they arrive this week and I am pleased with them. From Etsy, they are black granite, approximately 12″ x 6″ and personalized with laser engraving. Our hearts are still heavy from losing both dogs, but now they are memorialized properly in our family’s pet cemetery.

Monograms

I LOVE monograms but have never had one made for myself or my family. Do you have a monogram? Coco from The Crowned Goat has a wonderful post about creating one using Shuler Studio. The photos are so dreamy that I am excited about finally getting my own monogram. What a great idea for gifts, too. See it here.

Happy Derby Day (May 6th)! If you need any Derby Day inspiration, you can link to two previous blog posts on Derby Day recipes here and How to Set the Perfect Table for a Kentucky Derby Party here.

Have a marvelous weekend. A few of my friends are arriving today and spending 4 days here. I expect we will have lots of fun. Do you have anything fun planned for the weekend?