What a week! Every day is scheduled with so many things to do….and then the unexpected happens! It always seems that way. When I’m on a mission to get all the items done on my To Do list, it seems God has other plans. I hope you had a nice 3 day weekend and enjoying cooler, fall weather where you live. Welcome to Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things.

Update on The Pioneer Woman’s sheets from Walmart

A few weeks ago, I shared an incredible bargain on The Pioneer Woman’s sheets for $11.00 from Walmart (if you missed it, you can see it here). I so appreciate your remarks and feedback. One subscriber, Dee, asked if the sheets, after laundering and drying, shrink. I washed (on warm water) and dried (on medium heat) a queen size set and they did NOT shrink. Surprisingly, they have very deep corner pockets and the fabric felt even softer to me. What a nice surprise seeing I spent pennies on these sheets.

Here is how they look on a queen bed. I did not iron them which would make the ruffle look better. These sweet gingham patterns are perfect for our cabin. Though many of the patterns are out of stock, it appears there are a few left by mattress size! See it here.

Successful Pumpkin Hunting

It is SO fun to go to Willis Family Farm and roam the fields picking pumpkins. They have an amazing variety of pumpkins and gourds. You pay by the weight so the price is significantly less than what you find at the local grocery store. Our Safeway has pumpkins but without stems or with broken stems. I love a pumpkin with an interesting handle! It may not look like many pumpkins in the back of my old 2006 Escalade, but the back seat is tipped up and the trunk is full.

Cannot wait to arrange them with huge pots of chrysanthemums and ornamental cabbages on the front porch.

Geraniums on the Move

The annual transport of our huge geraniums from the cabin to Phoenix also took place this week. I cannot tell you how old these plants are, as we move them every Spring up to the cooler mountains and every Fall down to the warmer valley.

The ride in the back of the pick-up truck is a bit stressful. I instantly deadhead them as many of the blooms blow away during the 4 hour trip. Water them and then wait a few days before I fertilize them, as they adjust to their new winter home.

Taking Advantage of Free Fall Foliage

With armloads of freshly cut tree branches with autumn leaves, this is an affordable way to add fall to your home.

This is probably the only time I use this handblown, huge green glass vase. Each year the leaves are a slightly different color. Over time they fall from the branches and my dining room table becomes a bed of leaves. This is especially fun when it’s 85 degrees outside!

Inspiration from a Friend

My friend, Chloe from Celebrate and Decorate (who is coming to Phoenix for the Fall Styling Workshop) is such a source of inspiration. At her home in Florida, I spy this fabulous blue and white bowl filled with chrysanthemums on her side porch. (Her home, by the way, is complete eye candy).

Can you believe these chrysanthemums are fake? They look so real in person. So, while in Florida we go to the nearest Hobby Lobby and buy up the rest of them (at 40% off) and I carry them back to Phoenix in a suitcase.

Here is my version using a copper preserving pan. What do you think? I am surprised at how realistic they look.

Thank you, Chloe for all that you do to inspire me.

Emergency Room Visit

On Tuesday, coincidentally I am also at Hobby Lobby, I feel a growing pain in my right abdomen. By the time I got to the register, I was slumped over my shopping cart trying desperately not to throw up. The level of pain keeps increasing, so once I get home, I ask my husband to take me to the emergency room at the closest hospital. Pain level 6 quickly grows to pain level 10 and more vomiting.

Long story short, I apparently have a 7 mm kidney stone. Everyone says it feels like labor, but when you are pregnant you expect pain with labor. But not knowing the cause of this sudden excruciating and very focused pain, is a bit scary. Though I am in good health, I did wonder if it was the beginning of the end.

I still have it and will be seeing a urologist next week. Pain is under chemical management, thank goodness. In addition to really screwing up my Tuesday, I am hoping this resolves itself soon. Certainly not an experience I want to repeat. Has anyone had a kidney stone?

Around the Internet

Purple Cherry Architects

Oh my! This architect creates the most gorgeous homes. Truly I would be very happy with the pool house as my main residence. The founder, Cathy Purple Cherry (love the name!) is the namesake to her firm, Purple Cherry Architects. See this article written by The Glam Pad and view the stunning pictures of classic and elegant architecture.

Ah! This kitchen! I love how the copper pots almost hide the large lanterns.

Kristin Ellen Hockman’s country estate

I do love Charleston and gobble up any photos or stories about homes there. Here is another one from The Glam Pad about interior designer, Kristin Ellen Hockman’s 1852 country estate about 35 minutes outside Charleston.

If you love gardens and gardening, this is the article for you! In addition, Kristin lives in an updated Greek Revival home. What a piece of heaven for raising a family! You can see it here.

Mantel and Table

My friend, Barbara from Mantel and Table, creates this dark, moody fall tablescape that I find so intriguing.

Using her mother’s Hawaiian pareo as a tablecloth, it shows you the range of possibilities when it comes to covering your table. See it here.

Sending good thoughts for a wonderful weekend. I will be busy tidying up the house, planting the garden and getting ready for our Fall Styling Workshop next Friday and Saturday. Wish you all could be here for it but we will have a full house both days, which is truly exciting. Not sure I will be posting much next week, but we will catch up shortly thereafter!

What a week! Back to being busier than ever, I reflect back and long for the cool, relaxing summer days at our cabin. Oh well. Life does get in the way, doesn’t it? As we near the end of September, I hope you are experiencing touches of fall weather and hints of pumpkin and spice. Thank you for joining me this morning for another edition of Saturday Meanderings, where we chat about all good things this week.

Fall Styling Workshop

October is just around the corner and it’s time to get new and exciting ideas on holiday decorating. Chloe Crabtree, from Celebrate and Decorate who has over 10 million monthly views on Pinterest, will be in Phoenix showing you all the tips and tricks of her amazing table and mantel decorations.

Here is one of Chloe’s fall tablescapes. Isn’t this elegant and beautiful? Truly, Chloe is so talented and her brain never stops working. I, personally have learned so much from her, and now you can too!

We will be having hands-on demonstrations of both fall and Christmas decorating ideas! The Fall to Holiday Styling Workshop will be held on two dates, October 20 and October 21st from 10:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. so sign up with this link. We look forward to seeing you then!

Importance of Friendship

Lucky me as September is filled with great friend experiences. During the last Saturday Meanderings, I just returned from a 5 day trip to Newport Beach, California with my dear friend, Christine.

This week I am spending time with my gal friends in Florida. Yesterday we had an unexpected trip to Epcot where we walked 12 miles! Lots of laughter and fun memories as we visited the various countries of the world. I cannot stress enough the importance of having good friends. Making friend time is balm for the soul.

Annual Tomato Sauce Project

Two weeks ago, I finally tackle the 60 pounds of Roma tomatoes I purchased the previous week from a local farmer. The kitchen was beginning to smell a little organic so it was time to act. Most of the tomatoes are in great shape but a few were starting to show signs of deterioration. Making tomato sauce from scratch is easy with my friend, Rick’s tomato sauce recipe. You can see it here.

The time consuming part is prepping all those tomatoes (removing the seeds, core, cutting into smaller pieces) and cooking them down with olive oil, garlic and salt. Once that is cool enough to handle then it goes through a food mill to remove the skins and any seeds I missed.

The strained sauce goes back into the pan and then gets reduced to a thicker consistency. Processing tomato sauce is very important for healthy consumption and preparing it took all day Sunday. As much work as it is, it is very therapeutic ~all alone in my kitchen, listening to music and making tomato sauce that will last us for the next year.

Canning is not for everyone, and I am certainly glad it’s finished!

Peaches and more

Naturally, any time you are leaving on vacation or out of town, it seems to be a scramble before departure. This week, we receive a 65 lb. box of Utah peaches from a friend. Not only are the peaches delicious (Utah and Idaho peaches are best this time of year), but I know they will not stay fresh while I am gone.

Last Sunday, I spend the entire day making peach preserves, peach salsa, and a peach pie. The remaining peaches are cut in half, frozen and then stored in Ziplock bags. Albeit exhausting, it is a worthwhile effort!

For my fresh peach salsa recipe, click here. I am done with canning this year!

Favorite Shows to Watch

We just started watching, on Prime Video (also on PBS Masterpiece Theatre), The Durrells on Corfu. In this British comedy-drama, Keeley Hawkes stars as an intrepid widow decamping from dreary England to a sun-drenched Greek island with her four recalcitrant children, ages 11 to 21. There are 4 seasons but we’ve only completed the first one and so far, it is a winner.

Why Women Kill details the lives of three women living in three different decades: a housewife in the ’60s, a socialite in the ’80s, and a lawyer in 2019, each dealing with infidelity in their marriages. The series examines how the roles of women have changed, but how their reaction to betrayal – has not. Though the title is a bit daunting, I can assure you this isn’t a violent, bloody and disgusting show.

The setting is a gorgeous house is Pasadena. The same house is used through the different decades~1960s, 80s, and 2019 with 3 different families. If you love costumes and vintage attire/decor, this is the show for you. First season is very different than the second, but I found both interesting, enlightening and clever.

Recipe I Want to Try

I certainly don’t mean to make this post all about food, but it is finally nice to turn the oven/stove back on. Over the hot summer, we tend to eat cold food so I love fall which equals lots of cooking/baking.

Ambitious Kitchen is one of my go-to blogs for different, healthy recipes. Doesn’t this Ultimate Spicy Cheddar & Apple Fall Veggie Sandwich sound delicious?

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Goodbye, September and looking forward to a cooler and exciting October.

I love my dining room and having an oriental rug with shades of pink, claret, beige and greens does create obstacles when decorating for the colorful fall season and holidays. But I love a challenge and what better way to dive in than taking those colors and transforming them into fall decor. With white walls, white slipcovered chairs, and a mahogany dining table, I have some neutral pieces to work into the scheme.

The Dining Room Rug

As you can see, this 9’x12′ rug anchors the space under the table and chairs. The dark claret border looks especially nice against our Canadian beech hardwood floors. See how typical autumn colors would clash with this?

Getting Affordable Fabric

We have a great fabric superstore, SAS here in Phoenix with a huge fabric selection at good prices. I select a toile, and soft yummy fabrics in the rug colors for handmade fabric pumpkins.

As you know I am not a big DIYer, but in 2020, a bug infestation ruined many of my purchased fabric pumpkins. Forced into making more of my own, I find that this DIY task is very easy, and I wrote a blog post about it. If I can do it, anyone can!

I cut various sizes of fabric circles and start making custom color pumpkins during a weekend at our cabin. Saving pumpkin stems from the previous year’s real pumpkins, I glue them onto the fabric pumpkins using a glue gun for a realistic look.

These are so quick to make and it takes no time to end up with a rather hefty crop of fabric pumpkins. Running out of real stems, I use short branches for the smaller pumpkins’ stems.

The Mantel

Starting with a blank canvas, I remove everything from the dining room mantel (and do a little dusting too!). The walls are painted a Cottage White, providing a creamy background. Our sweet youngest child, Elisabeth is 3 years old at the time and the subject of the oil painting. Holding her favorite chicken, the colors of her dress and background go well with this room.

I start adding back some elements that I love~this orchid pot from Dear Keaton to anchor one side of the mantel.

On the other side of the mantel, I use faux antique-looking books, with my vintage Virgin Mary statue under glass. Adding dried hydrangeas at the base of the statue ties in with the color scheme.

Adding the Pumpkins and Candles

I have fun playing with the different sized pumpkins and where to place them. It seems a little bare with just the pumpkins and some seasonal candles, right?

Greens and Faux Flowers

By adding some green and pale pink eucalyptus, faux burgundy hydrangeas, and a few magnolia leaves, look how lush the mantel looks now!

Here’s an overhead view and you can see how this fabric combination works so well against the dining room rug colors.

Fall Decor that lasts until Thanksgiving

What I love about this color combination is that you can leave it up from September to November. It’s seasonal, yet timeless. I am able to incorporate these colors into my Thanksgiving tablescape and the decorations become easy on the eye.

I realize many people decorate for the fall in neutrals and whites. Do you use bright autumn colors to decorate? Truly I never thought shades of pink and green would work but I love taking the plunge to use other colors enhances this room in particular.

The fall decorating is happening ever so slowly this year. But it always comes together sooner or later.

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Every year Judith Baigent King (teaching chef, food writer, author) coordinates and organizes a Fantasy Table event to raise educational scholarship money for those who work at our country club in the mountains. It is a monumental effort and hence, very difficult to say no when she asks you to host a table! What makes this event unique is that every table is decorated differently. It is up to the table host to select their theme. Last year, you may remember my table, Dinner in the Library (you can see it here). This year, my theme is Enchanted Forest and I’m excited to share the photos from this event with you.

The Invitation

The guests we invited last year were so much fun, that we replicate the same guest list. I believe electronic invitations serve a purpose for some events, but I really prefer a paper, in the mail, invitation. Perhaps it’s a bit old fashion, but I feel the same way about hand written thank-you notes too. If someone takes the time to buy you a gift, then how much effort is it to hand write a note? Having said that, I did use an electronic image that I download from Zazzle and personalize it on my computer.

After printing on card stock, we mail them off to the 8 participants.

The Table Cloth

Generally, I start with the tablecloth and work out from there. Since I didn’t want a table covered in moss near the eating utensils, I opt for a tapestry that depicts a misty forest which my creative friend, Chloe from Celebrate and Decorate, finds on Amazon. I quickly order the inexpensive the 71″ x 95″ piece.

Layered over sand colored tablecloths, it provides a nice rich green backdrop without the mossy mess.

The Dishes and Charger

Since I really don’t have any dishes that represent an enchanted forest, I find these Woodland Dinner Plates by Spode on Replacements. I order 4 with elk and 4 with deer. I justify this purchase as I really need more dinner plates to use at our cabin.

Perhaps the most compliments received that night is due to this wood charger. I can’t recall where I bought them (years ago) but it could have been through Wayfair.

Name Cards

My sweet husband cut these wooden circles out of oak. After letting them dry out I am able to calligraphy the names of our guests. Some of the circles warped while drying out so you may want to weigh them down during the process. Also, in order for the felt marker not to bleed through the wood grain, I coat them with one coat of Modge Podge matte first.

Please note that I do NOT do calligraphy but I did use a lettering book by Lisa Funk as a guide. I think they came out rather well. Scott drills a hole at the top so I can insert a piece of jute twine to attach to the napkin.

The Centerpiece

The focal point of the table is the real tree we use as a canopy. We were notified that the tables would be narrower than last year so in order to make an impact, I decide to go up. Unfortunately, this little sapling needs to be removed and we recycle it for the center of the table.

The custom made metal base has a rebar post. Scott drills a hole in the trunk which allows the tree to slide over the top of the rebar post. Using rocks on the base helps to prevent the tree from tipping over. I’m 5’4″ so you can get a sense of the size of the tree.

Table Decorations

You cannot have an enchanted forest without mushrooms and fairies. This 21 piece set of unfinished wooden mushrooms is the perfect size for the centerpiece. My daughter, Julianna agrees to paint them in both realistic and whimsical tones.

The forest floor provides natural material for the table~from pinecones to mossy rocks. Delicate porcelain fairies from Etsy come in a set of 8 and are tucked into the nooks and crannies. Fresh flowers and votive candles give the table an elegant and bright touch.

Scott cut logs of differing sizes to create some height in the center, adding more places and spaces to tuck flowers, moss, candles and fairies.

Faux bois vases have a plastic cup insert where cut daisies, mums and greens are placed. A combination of forest moss, reindeer moss and green moss (who knew there are so many kinds!) fill in along the empty spaces between the chargers and centerpiece.

Initially I worry about the large Malapai rocks weighing down the tree base, but they add character, height and texture to the table.

Lighting the Tree

Perhaps the most time consuming part of this table is hanging the glass votive globes from the tree.

These 3 inch glass globes come in a set of 24, with jute twine, but I want the votives to feel like they are floating. I use clear fishing line which looks better, but is a pain to tie. Having the patience to hang only 16 of them, I am satisfied with the end result. A bit of moss is added, mostly to hide the battery case on the bottom.

Our club house recently underwent an entire renovation, but it appears the design team overlooked the fact that you can see into the kitchen from this dining room. Since our table is placed very close to the kitchen, I put up a dividing screen to block this unsightly view. The local florist, Blume Haus Florals, delivers the lighted tree as another forest contribution.

Additional Touches

For the female guests, I provide a floral hair piece to wear. The original ones are from Amazon, but did not feel substantial enough (artificial flowers only). I add fresh flowers and greens to beef them up a bit.

In addition to raising money from the table sales, there is a dessert auction. Since I had so many apricots, I donate an almond apricot tart with a small bottle of Amaretto di Sarona. Thankfully it is one of the first desserts to sell at full price!

This year, it seems all the table hosts stepped up their game. Many of the tables are unique, colorful and have a fun theme~from Yellowstone to pickle ball. The best news is that lots of money is raised for well deserving scholarships.

All in all, it is a very fun and worthwhile event. Any thoughts on what theme I should be considering for next year?

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Since I didn’t have the time to write a Saturday Meanderings last week, this one will cover all the good things (and some not so good) from the last two weeks. Happy Weekend to you!

It’s Galette Season!

I love making galettes and it’s a great way to showcase all the wonderful fruit that is in season. If you haven’t made one of these, or don’t bake, trust me…..this is E.A.S.Y. and anyone can do it.

What is a Galette?

Galettes are freeform and baked right on a baking sheet. Pies are baked in a sloped pie pan, often with a top crust. With a galette you use the same pie crust dough, but the edges of the galette are folded over the center filling, leaving a wide opening from which the filling can be seen.

This week I made both an apple and cherry one. You can use really any fruit~peaches, apricots or berries. Links to galette recipes are in a 2021 Saturday Meanderings here.

An Expensive Week

We have a well on our property which provides water for the garden and orchard. Unfortunately, the well pump and associated equipment broke and rendered the well inoperable.

Negotiating big equipment to the back of the property is challenging. Also, it is not an ideal time for the well to quit as it is heating up in Phoenix. The cost to fix this is ridiculously expensive, but a necessity, as using city water would be astronomically more.

Last year you may recall we replaced the front deck on our cabin. Even though the work was done by a licensed contractor, the new deck is a big disappointment. Twenty-six (yes!) items wrong with it from not being structural to not being level…it’s a mess.

The only solution is to tear it off and rebuild it (with someone who actually knows what they are doing). My advice~make sure your check references on anyone who does construction work. Just because someone has a license, does not mean they know what they are doing.

It’s been a pricey week.

Wonderful Gift

Earlier this year, my sweet neighbor across the street passed away. In cleaning out her home, her daughter and I became acquainted. Look at the pretty rocking chair that she gave me! I cannot wait to refinish it and feel so honored to get this as it comes with a lot of history. Lucky me.

Annual Yarnell Memorial Run

This is the third year my daughter, Julianna and I participate in this special memorial run. Here is some history about this wonderful event:

On June 28th, 2013, a lightning storm sparked what would become the deadliest wildfire in Arizona history. The Yarnell Hill Fire claimed 127 structures and the lives of 19 brave men as the country watched in helpless shock. These men belonged to the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew, based in Prescott, AZ, where many of them also resided.

On June 7, 2014, the first Yarnell Memorial Run was held in Memory of the Hotshot Crew to raise funds to support the work of local firefighters. The success and support was amazingly vibrant, prompting the Memorial Run to become an annual event. Participants have the privilege of running through the area of town known as Glen Ilah, which is where much of the burn robbed residents of their homes. In 2014, the burned area was still quite noticeable, but as time’s magic healing process has taken effect, flowers have bloomed, grass has returned with vigor and homes have been rebuilt. The Yarnell Memorial Run has grown, giving runners and walkers four different options including a 5k, 10k, 19k and family/child friendly Fun Run & Walk.

Enchanted Forest table

This week we participated in a charitable event, where each table host chooses a theme and decorates their table accordingly. I will be writing an entire post about it because there are so many details, but here’s a peek at my Enchanted Forest table. It was a surprising success!

For the same charitable event, there is also a dessert auction. I made this delicious Apricot Almond Tart (with fresh apricots!) and am very happy it sold immediately! The recipe is in a 2020 post and you can see it here.

Huge Fruit Harvest

This is the week for apricots and picking the last of the peaches. Typically I make pies, jam and salsa, but really didn’t have the time this year. Instead, I sliced and pitted the fruit and froze as much as possible. Now bagged and dated, I am hoping to use them throughout the summer.

A big garden surprise is finding plums on our newly planted tree. The tree didn’t look very healthy and we had already lost its partner earlier in the year. Quite frankly, I expected this tree to die too, so I didn’t pay any attention to it. Low and behold it is full of delicious plums. Since I didn’t thin them, the fruit is on the small size but big in taste.

Did you know that the silvery white film on plums (and grapes, blueberries) is a naturally occurring substance known as the “bloom”? It acts as a barrier against insects and bacteria and helps to seal in the fruit’s moisture. The bloom is also a sign of freshness, since it fades with time and handling. And all this time I thought it might be an insecticide!

A Weird Egg Anomaly

Fart eggs (also called fairy eggs, diminutive eggs, cock eggs, wind eggs, witch eggs, dwarf eggs) are teeny tiny eggs laid by normal-sized hens. They usually are just egg white, just egg yolk, or possibly a teeny tiny miniature egg. It’s like an oops, mistake that happens in the chicken’s reproductive system and this tiny egg comes out instead of a normal sized ones.

Even though they are perfectly safe to eat, I just collect them in a bowl. Eventually the contents dry out and I have these perfectly made tiny eggs. Isn’t Mother Nature full of surprises?

Do You Wear Skorts?

I don’t have great legs so I tend to shy away from skirts above my knee. However, during a recent trip to Costco I did pick up 3 skorts. Not only are they super comfortable, but really affordable too (I think around $15.00) I was pleasantly surprised and am wearing them with a simple t-shirt. Plus at my age, no one is looking at my legs!

You can find them online (different style than what is offered in the store) here.

Well, that’s a wrap to Saturday Meanderings. Wishing you a glorious weekend and If you are celebrating Father’s Day, please cherish the father (or father figure) in your life. The next few weeks will involve some traveling for me so I hope to continue to blog, but if not, I will catch up with you as soon as I can.

Be well and stay safe out there!