Happy Easter weekend! I love this time of year and have such happy memories of this holiday. Dad would buy us corsages to pin on our new spring coats. Dressing up for church in hats and gloves and Mom’s homemade lamb cake after dinner. Signs of spring would be popping up in Connecticut and winter was in the rear view mirror. Thanks for joining me today for Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things that happen this week.

This picture cracks me up! That’s me in the foreground, with my older sister and brother and Mom. Not sure when this was taken, but it may have been before my other 2 siblings were born? I still look dorky in a hat!

And We Have Winners!

Thank you ALL so much for your comments to last Saturday’s post. Your feedback and comments are like gold to me. Instead of choosing just two winners for a free box of fresh citrus, I picked four out of a hat. The winners are: Debbie Fischer, Linda DeBono, Tanya Lochridge and Virginia Jordan. I hope you have all received your fruit!

I am Hooked!

Thank you, Valerie for the suggestion to watch the Cornell Lab Barred Owl live cam. I am completely addicted. For those of you unfamiliar with this, there is a live camera on a barred owl in a nest in Indiana. She is sitting on 2 eggs which should be hatching within the next week or two. What I find fascinating is her dedicated partner who brings a variety of food to her, while she incubates the eggs. From snakes to frogs to a woodpecker, this mama owl is eating well.

I literally keep the feed up on my laptop in the kitchen and catch glimpses of her throughout my day. And if you miss an important event like a feeding, there are short videos that capture the important moments. Isn’t Mother Nature amazing? Here is the link.

What is Wrong with my Hollyhocks?

Typically, I have very good luck with hollyhocks. They are like weeds here and grow everywhere. A particularly stunning show of hollyhocks is located near my vegetable garden. But this year, these hollyhock plants are deformed.

The leaves are tightly curled and the flowers are small and sparse. Does anyone know why? At first I thought it might be frost damage? However, in other parts of the yard, the hollyhocks look fine. I’m hoping it’s not a virus or something that spreads.

I think I may pull all the damaged plants out and replant, as I have lots of seeds. It’s a bit perplexing.

Did you Know?

If you are like me and not in-the-know, it appears that every 26-ounce canister of iodized Morton Table Salt has a built-in salt shaker. This is only revealed after removing the sticker from the metal spout. Under each sticker are two salt-shaker-sized holes that can be used to pour much smaller amounts of salt — without having to pour it into your hand first.

Someone posted this on TikTok and has over 13 million views. I certainly didn’t know this! Did you?

Also, please remember that iodine is an important nutrient that your thyroid needs to produce certain hormones. Not getting enough iodine in your diet can lead to problems such as an enlarged thyroid gland (goiter) and an abnormally low level of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism).

Unexpected Project Completed

On the back of our well tower, is a small platform with a fireman’s pole (to slide down from the second level). Unknown to us, the platform has been rotting due to water damage, which we just discovered this week.

Fortunately our contractor John is able to come by and replace the damaged wood.

My husband repaints the security railing which is faded from the sun exposure.

Now the platform is completely stable and ready for our friends and family to use and slide down the pole safely.

There is always something to repair with these old houses!

The Cherry Blossom paper Wreath

Last Saturday, I shared the paper cherry blossom wreath by Janine from Happy Happy Nester. Well, this week I decide to make it (as I love cherry blossoms). This is the first time I have ever used paper flowers for anything.

Since I want the flowers to have some weight, I download the pictures of the cherry blossoms and print them on some old stationary paper stock.

Cutting the flowers is a bit tedious, however, after a while, I just relax and cut while watching my barred owl live camera! The whole process reminds me of cutting out paper dolls and clothing (am I dating myself?).

In Janine’s tutorial, she uses a 12′ wreath, while mine is a 15″ wreath, so I just keep cutting flowers. A previously used grapevine wreath with lots of old glue dots makes my placement strategy easy by just covering the spots up with flowers.

So what do you think? I’m actually surprised and delighted with it!

The number of flowers cut depends on the width of your wreath and the density of your flowers. For my 15″ wreath there are 70 flowers. Bending the petals gives the flowers a more life-like appearance. You could do less flowers, too.

Baking this Week

I keep trying to perfect two recipes~gruyere, garlic and rosemary sourdough bread and a sourdough panettone. This week, the panettone gives me the perfect rise out of its tall pan and finally I feel like I have a success.

Last week’s panettone:

This week’s panettone:

Trying to get my baking in before the hot summer hits.

Hurt Hummingbird

The downside to having clean windows is birds often fly right into them. This unfortunate incident occurred this week with a hummingbird. My husband found it and it was unclear whether the little fella would make it.

He put the injured bird into a makeshift bed and placed it in a tree. A few hours later, the hummingbird was gone! So we are hoping that he/she recovered from the shock of hitting the window. Makes me want to have dirty windows.

On the Internet

If you are longing for beautiful pictures of front porches, check out my friend, Stacy’s (from Bricks ‘n Blooms) post on 7 Small Porch Ideas on a Budget. I’m always looking for ways to charm up my front porch without spending a lot of money. Plus this post will lead you to 9 other bloggers’ front porch ideas! See it here.

If you garden or just love beautiful flower gardens, you cannot go wrong with reading Kim’s blog (from Shiplap and Shells). For those of us who are enjoying the daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and other flowering bulbs, pretty soon they will wither. After showing their best blooms, we are now left with rather ugly plants. Kim has a great post on When to Cut Back Spring Bulb Flowers and Their Foliage. I’m at that stage with some of our holiday bulbs (amaryllis, narcissus and now my tulips). Lots of good information here.

Whether you celebrate Easter or Passover or just Spring, have a blessed beautiful and blessed weekend. I am so excited that I will be hosting Easter brunch for 8 and will spend all of today cooking and baking. Ah, my happy place!

With a mostly dreary, rainy and overcast week, we are so enjoying the blue skies, big white puffy clouds and gentle breezes these last few days. The grass looks greener and everything feels like Mother Nature gave it a good bath. What is it about Spring that just brings joy and happiness? Happy Saturday to you and I am hoping you are having beautiful weather too. It’s time to chat about all the good things this week. Thank you so much for joining me today.

My Heart is Full

I cannot tell you how much I appreciated all your wonderful condolences for Sox’s passing. Even though I try to answer each of your comments, it was hard to do so while sobbing. So please know that the fact that you took the time to share your stories and sympathies, really filled my heart. You are the best.

Great Response to the Fall Styling Workshop

We are so excited that we received so many positive responses to the pending Fall Styling Workshop. We will have room for 20, but if we exceed that number, we may add another day to the schedule. I am finalizing the agenda and cost and will publish the specifics soon.

Fun New App

My neighbor Karleen (and her friend from Wisconsin) recommend this app called Merlin. Developed by the Cornell Lab for Ornithology, it is a field guide in your pocket. The app is an interactive tool for you to identify birds. How it works is that you record the bird sounds nearby on your phone and Merlin will identify what bird is making what sound. Especially now in the Spring, there is so much bird chatter, it’s nice to know the names of the birds.

Merlin is complete with photos, sounds, and ID tips for more than 6,000 bird species and seasonal bar charts for any location at a glance. Now people across six continents are using Merlin to identify birds daily. Merlin is a free app and you can download it on your smartphone.

Spring Front Door

After several days of searching, I finally found my Spring tulip wreath for the front door. Seriously, it is so frustrating when you cannot find something when you put it in the same spot every year. Typically I put most of the wreaths inside the well tower hanging in plastic bags on the wall. Well, this wreath must have fallen off because it was on the floor squashed behind plastic stacking storage boxes. Mystery solved.

It appears I may need to rearrange the green leaves on it, but I am happy it is finally up for Spring. To see the DIY on making this wreath, click here.

My Baking Week

Not sure why I did so much baking this week, but I made scones, another batch of those addicting ooey gooey salted peanut butter oatmeal bars, sourdough panettone and sourdough crackers. I am trying to experiment with almond flour so the crackers, though tasty, didn’t get as crisp as I like. But I do want to share this scone recipe with you.

Not that I’m a scone snob, but some scones taste like baking powder to me. But these scones are SO delicious and I think they are rather easy to make…and no baking powder. The recipe comes from a former White House pastry chef, Roland Messier so you know it has to be good. The actual dough is so versatile and can be used to make cobblers, shortcakes or turnovers.

After baking, you dust them with confectioner’s sugar and pop them under the broiler for just a few seconds for the perfect finish. I promise you will not be disappointed. See recipe below.

Are You Reading Any Good Books?

I just finished The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren.

Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. This is the first book I have read from this author(s). Although a bit predictable it is a fun read about identical twin sisters, a bad wedding experience and a series of comical circumstances. If you are looking for a bit of brain candy, I would recommend this. Not alot of heavy lifting here and every now and again, I know I need a book for pure entertainment. Amazon has it listed as Editors Pick for Best Romance. You can find it here.

Finally a Use for Italian Tiles

I bought a stack of tiles from Deruta on a 1998 trip to Italy. Not sure what I intended to do with them, but they have been sitting around for the last 25 years in a drawer.

Finally, I decide to add clear adhesive rubber pads to the bottom and now we are using them as coasters on the outdoor back terrace.

It feels so good to get little things like this done! And each time I use one, it reminds me of our trip to Italy.

Exciting Ideas from the Internet

Wendy from WM Design House comes up with the most clever ideas. Her blog post, Adult Easter Eggs; Four of the Easiest Ways to Decorate Eggs is full of new and different creative projects.

I cannot believe Easter is about 2 weeks away! Her blog post will get you motivated to do something different and fun with your eggs. See it here.

My talented and very creative friend, Rachel from The Ponds Farmhouse, shows how to make a Custom Tablecloth and Napkins. I’ve never done this. My only attempt to do cute napkins ended in complete failure (see that post here). But look how sweet this tablecloth is! You can see Rachel’s very detailed DIY here.

If you love lily-of-the-Valley, check out Chloe’s (from Celebrate and Decorate)post on her Spring Table Decor. Isn’t this just so elegant and delicate? So many great ideas for an Easter or Spring table.

Look at this delicious dessert grazing board Maureen from Red Cottage Chronicles creates. I love the combination of sweet and salty and this dessert board has it all~taste, textures, color and beauty. See it here.

That’s it for today’s Saturday Meanderings! Now I am off to finally think about Easter. Next week I hope to share some Easter/Spring inspiration. Wishing you a lovely, relaxing weekend!

As I write this, the skies are heavy and gray with a gentle rain falling. We cherish the rain here in the southwest. However, it’s hard to get motivated to do anything since I’d prefer to just curl up with a good book and a cup of tea. Happy Saturday to you and I love writing this post to chat about all good things this week.

Color Attraction

For some reason, every March I am attracted to the color violet/purple. The rest of the year this color doesn’t seem to float my boat, which seems a bit odd to me. In March 2018, I wrote a post about this very topic, realizing that 5 years ago, in March, purple was again the color for me.

This must have something to do with taxes~the needless worrying that goes with that unpleasant event. Anyway, Coco from The Crowned Goat wrote a wonderfully thoughtful post (see it here), which inspires me to look for violet bed linen.

In googling lavender sheets, I find this bargain at Home Depot. Laura Ashley Lillian 4-piece sheets (king) for $42.83! When did Laura Ashley sheets get so inexpensive? The original price is $77.81 with a $35.04 discount! They should arrive in a few days but I am very excited about getting them.

Here’s the link in case you too are having a violet/lavender/purple obsession.

New Faux plants

I cannot take complete credit for this because I saw these faux boxwood topiaries on a recent Miss Mustard Seed blog post. Don’t you love it when someone else does the research, makes the purchase and then shares their review? It is fortuitous since I am in the market for two, low (actually no) maintenance plants on the front porch of the pool house.

At 56″ tall, I think these artificial boxwood topiaries provide a bit of elegance to the front entry of the pool house. It appears they may be out of stock on Amazon (see link here). I am able to order them directly from the Silk Warehouse for $239.00 for two trees. UV rated for out door use, I am hoping they last a long time. No watering required!

The plants are inserted into these high density resin planters I found at Costco (a package of 3 for $31.99). My husband fills the planter with a bag of pea gravel which provides enough weight to hold it steady. Such a sweet addition to the front of the pool house!

Planting the Garden

It appears we are finally passed the frost and just overnight, it is Spring here. The birds are chirping, everything is budding and yes, that yellow pollen is covering everything and anything.

After an extremely productive trip to my favorite nursery, Whitfill Nursery on Glendale Avenue, I am ready to get my hands in the dirt. The beds are filled with freshly composted soil and while I still need a few more amendments (iron and copper), the seedlings are in the ground.

Here is what I have growing in my garden now:

• Artichokes
• Arugula
• Rainbow Swiss Chard
• Bell Peppers-green and yellow
• Tomatillos
• Spaghetti Squash
• Green beans
• Peppers-jalapenos
• Shishito peppers
• Alfresco Lettuce mix
• Romaine lettuce
• Strawberries
• Tomatoes-Sun gold, early girls, black heirloom, San Marzanos
• Kale
• Raddiccio
• Rhubarb
• Sage, basil, thyme, wild bergamot, dill, cilantro, parsley, tarragon
• Eggplant
• Onions
• Flowers-sunflowers, pincushion, zinnias and bee attracting seeds I planted last fall

Two days this week in the garden which is emotionally so satisfying but physically tiring (my poor back). So far no critters have come in to mow down all my hard work, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Dogsitting Hemingway

While my daughter is hiking the Son Doong cave (the largest natural limestone cave on the planet) in Vietnam, we are pet-sitting her German Shepherd, Hemingway. He is balm for the soul after saying goodbye to our sweet beagle Sox recently. Such a well behaved and well mannered dog, we are truly enjoying his companionship.

While she was in the cave for 6 days we had no way to communicate with her. As you can imagine, we are so delighted to get these photos from her yesterday.

Speaking of traveling, our son, Benjamin and his girlfriend, Delaney are traveling through Colombia. I think I want to come back as one of my children! We feel so blessed that they have the love of travel. While the two oldest are traveling to exotic places, our youngest just picked up her cap and gown for graduation. Lots of new adventures for our three rascals.

Dead Animal in the Garage

There is no other smell as awful as an animal or human decaying. We’ve yet to find the dead animal in the garage, but I’m guessing it is underneath our chest freezer. In attempts to pinpoint the location, I took a flash light and looked around. Much to my surprise (and a bit of fear), I find this:

What??!! First of all, I didn’t know we HAD snakes and to find out that we do in the garage? Yuck. Hopefully this weekend we can figure all this out, but I’m not happy about it….not one bit.

A Dangerous, yet yummy recipe

As you know, we are trying to eat a healthier diet. But for me, sometimes I need just a bit of something with my cup of tea or afternoon coffee. Not necessarily a cookie, but you know, something sweet but not fattening.

I often look to Monique from Ambitious Kitchen as her recipes lean toward the healthy side. Well, I found her Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars and oh my, they are so addicting. Using almond flour, coconut sugar and oats, they do seem a bit healthier. I made some adjustments to the recipe such as using sunflower seed butter vs. peanut butter. The problem is that I cannot eat just one.

Even though we cut them up into very small portions, I have to figure out a way to control myself. Not only are they delicious warm out of the oven, but I really prefer them after refrigeration. See Monique’s recipe here.

Fall Styling Workshop

We are so blessed to have Bella Terra, a place we call home. This unique property, however, should be shared with others. As the push for new development continues, properties like ours are being plowed down for denser housing. Quite honestly, I’m really not sure how long this parcel will remain intact.

More now than ever, I am determined to share our property and gather people together who appreciate beautiful places and spaces.

I am teaming up with some very talented bloggers and will be hosting a Fall Styling Workshop here on October 21, 2023. I feel it is so important for us to share time together and learn something new. As we fine tune the agenda, I hope you are able to join us for this special day. Do you want to learn how to transition from fall to holiday decorating? Easy tips for styling a beautiful mantel? Enjoy a delicious al fresco luncheon in the orchard with others?

Let me know what you think. Would you like to attend? Anything in particular you would enjoy learning? Please reach out to me as we would love your input! The goal is to kick off a successful workshop, which hopefully will lead to a few more each year.

Thanks for checking in today. Wishing you a wonderful weekend that is filled with lots of rest and relaxation!

I am so sorry I missed posting Saturday Meanderings last week. In addition to having house guests, planning, cooking and organizing our Valentine Dinner party (if you missed it see it here), our sweet dog Sox had an episode where we thought it was over for him. Thankfully, he came around but it was a heart wrenching moment. But onward and upward and here we are on Saturday for another Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things!

Getting Paint out of Carpet

In selecting colors for repainting the guest cottage, I brought a few gallons home from Sherwin Williams. Unfortunately, there was a small amount of paint under the lid and when I turned the corner, the can rolled over in the back of the car. Dark green paint spilled out onto my car’s trunk carpet, which is tan.

I didn’t realize this had happened as I have large pieces of foam covering the carpet. My car is 17 years old, but the interior carpet looks brand new under the foam. Two days later, I discover the paint stain, which is hard and dried. Sigh.

Not really knowing how to tackle this, I get my trusty bottle of Krud Kutter and spray the spot and let it sit. This cleaner/degreaser softens the hardened paint. Blotting up as much of the paint as I can, I continue to spray and rub until all the of the paint is gone!

This is a miracle cleaner and I cannot recommend it enough!

By the way, having foam covering the trunk floor is really great for protecting the rug, but also helps to prevent things from rolling around (except paint cans!).

Do You and Your Spouse Have Different Decorating Styles

My friend, Andrea asks her husband to describe his ideal house and is surprised by his answer. I ask my husband the same question and discover some enlightening details.

But what do you do if your tastes are vastly different. For example, my husband owns very contemporary art, while I love old oil paintings in substantial gold frames.

If you find your spouse or significant other has different design tastes than you, Andrea has a great post and several tips on what you can do to negotiate and mix your styles. See it here.

Before and After Sofa

The very old, yet well made sofa is back from the upholsterer and I am so delighted. I can’t stress enough that reupholstering a sofa with a hardwood frame is well worth it vs. buying something new made out of particle board.

In order to give the old gal a more contemporary look, the upholsterer made two seat and back cushions where here was three.

Here is the before. See how lumpy (and dirty) the cushions are?

Viola! Here is the new sofa in white. It looks like a completely different piece of furniture. I am so happy with it…now it will need some Scotchguard.

My Geraniums

For the last few years, my geraniums have suffered from worms/catepillars that eat holes in the small blooms, preventing beautiful flower growth. Trying different sprays and treatments, nothing seem to work. For hours I would hand pick those little buggers off but each season they would return.

My husband bought a bag of First Saturday Lime which I spread on top of the soil in each pot. First Saturday Lime is an environmentally-friendly alternative to pesticides that is safe for children and pets. This product creates an inhospitable environment for insects to reproduce. Apply it monthly for best results.

To date, my geraniums look fabulous and there is NO sign of those creepy crawlies. What an impact the pink geraniums make on my Valentine front porch. Every single geranium pot is filled with large, gorgeous blooms, thanks to this product.

Loving Jicama

Lately, we are snacking (all the time) on fresh jicama. Jicama is a root vegetable with thick, brown skin. It’s white inside and tastes like an apple but not as sweet. It’s a bit like a potato but with a lot fewer carbs.

It’s a fiber-packed snack that prevents constipation, lowers cholesterol, and lowers your chances of getting colon cancer and heart disease. Loaded with Vitamin C, it gives a big boost to the immune system. It’s also good for your eyes and skin.

Jicama has Vitamin B-6, which supports your brain and nerves, forms red blood cells, and turns protein into energy. If you’re watching your blood sugar and insulin, jicama is a safe snack. It has carbs, but they have a low glycemic load.

Plus it is easy to cut them into fun shapes using a cookie cutter! And they do not brown like cut apples.

Such a Sweet Story

I read this on Nextdoor and this really restores my faith in the kindness of others. It’s a bit long, but trust me, you will be glad you did (and you may need tissue). It’s a great way to end this post.

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Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month. The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought that we could, so she dictated these words:

Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? Abbey died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I ‘m happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to swim and play with balls. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey & Meredith, addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, ‘To Meredith’ in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, ‘When a Pet Dies.’ Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith, Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help and I recognized her right away. Abbey isn’t sick anymore.

Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don’t need our bodies in heaven, I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in so I’m sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by. Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I’m easy to find. I am wherever there is love.

Love, God

Well, that’s a wrap! Thank you so much for joining me today. Have a wonderful weekend. Today I am attending a watercolor class with a dear friend, which is a big treat for me.

Happy Sweet Valentine’s Day to you and yours! As you may recall, we host an intimate dinner party for 10 to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I wish we could invite many more people, but since it is more formal and a sit down dinner event, the maximum number we can accommodate comfortably is 10. This tradition started in 1998 and what was once an annual event, now occurs every 2 to 3 years.

The Invitation

Normally, our style for entertaining is casual and comfortable. But for our Valentine’s Day dinner, we step it up a bit, starting with the invitation. Since there is one invitation per couple, I try and make it one of a kind and extra special.

This year, I use watercolors and hand paint the front of the card. Inside are instructions on time, date and the attire, which is Dazzling and Dapper.

Using a white satin ribbon and a fabric covered button, the invitation is finished.

The invitations are hand delivered with a homemade gift of Meyer lemon Marmalade and freshly baked heart-shaped scones.

I have several lovely white boxes (from my quarterly subscription to My French Country Home box). With the jar of marmalade and scones in tissue paper, the invitation goes on top. The box is hand delivered, fun trips for my husband and I.

Guest Homework

Since some of the guests know each other and others do not, I like to get the conversation going during the cocktail hour. Each guest is asked to provide the answers to 3 questions. With a glass of Champagne, the guest is handed a sheet of paper with some of those answers. They are tasked with matching the person with the answer.

Gifts for Guests

Since my husband and I do not buy gifts for each other for Valentine’s Day, we love providing a little something for our guests. One of my favorite virtual friends, Tanya Lochridge creates and makes exquisitely designed, meticulously handmade jewelry (that is affordable!).

Please check out her online store. She is a dear and always willing to make something unique and extra special for you. Each of the bracelets she made for our guests are similar in color but one of a kind. You can find Tanya’s website here or on Instagram @tanyalochridgejewelry

For the men, I found these useful, yet fun, rechargeable flashlight gloves on Amazon. Perfect for working in small spaces and even for night time walks with your dog.

Menu Planning

Most years we hire a caterer to help with the meal, just so I can fully participate. However, our caterer is not available this year (somewhat due to our last minute decision to hold this party), so I think “I can do this”. Aye-yai-yai!

Of course, I want something elegant and a choice of entrèes~beef or salmon. To take it up a notch, we choose Wellingtons, for both the beef (Gordon Ramsey’s recipe) and the salmon (recipe by Tasty). The sides will be potatoes au gratin (by Serious Eats) and snow peas with sesame seeds.

Even though I have never made it before, my friend, Rick highly recommends this salad and it sounds delicious~Apple and Pomegranate Quinoa and Kale Salad with Feta in a curried maple dijon dressing. See recipe here from Closet Cooking.

Dessert will be Lemon Pots de Creme, which is light and refreshing. You can find that recipe here.

With menu in hand, I go to Total Wine and meet with Peter, who helps me select the wine pairing with each course. My husband researches each wine and shares the information with our guest in between courses.

On Friday and early Saturday morning, I try and pre-make everything that I can. The goal is to participate in the dinner as much as possible and not be tied to the kitchen. Timing everything is the key and I write a schedule so I know what to put in the oven when so everything comes out hot at the same time.

Cocktail Hour

This year, the cocktail hour is in the entry, dining and living room. Typically we hold it on the front porch, but daylight hours are still short. With a starting time of 6:00 p.m., sunset is at 6:09 not providing enough light to make gathering outside enjoyable.

In addition to a bit of bubbly, I serve homemade cheese straws, shrimp cocktail and a variety of vegetables and hummus. Of course, I didn’t take any pictures of the final presentation…

The Table

On the back terrace, we have a table that comfortably seats 10. With the addition of gas ceiling heaters and 2 portable heaters, it is perfectly lovely to dine outside here in February.

The flowers are from Torchio Nursery in San Francisco, which they ship overnight to me. I find it easier to buy large quantities of flowers this way and their quality is excellent. Since this post is getting quite long, I will share how I built the centerpiece at a later time.

Hydrangeas, tulips, stock, peonies, carnations, gardenias and seeded eucalyptus make up this abundant and fragrant centerpiece.

Gift bags are at each place setting.

My sweet daughter, Julianna and her boyfriend, Dalton, are big helpers the night of the event. Just before guests arrive, they inflate 50 balloons with long pink ribbons. This provides a festive look to the table!

I should have hired a photographer because I am far too busy and preoccupied to remember to take pictures! But here is one photo with our guests opening their gifts. With the fireplace going in the background, the setting looks so magical with those balloons!

Needless to say, the evening is a resounding success. The food is just delicious (that salmon Wellington!). We are so lucky to share moments like this with our friends and each time we learn more about each other. Toasts are made to peace, health, love, happiness and prosperity. Conversation is lively and thoughtful.

To see the details of our last Valentine’s Day dinner party in 2021, click here. That post was so long that I wrote it in 2 parts.

Have a loving and warm Valentine’s Day. My husband and I are still a bit pooped after this event, so I’m hoping it’s cozy clothes and a good movie for us.

If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest.