Happy sweltering Saturday! Typically we travel a lot over the summer, but there have been a few surprises with us staying closer to home this year. Normally, I stop thinking about the garden in June and let it go fallow. But this year it is still producing. Any day now I will be picking watermelon and the basil is still braving the sun (under shade cloth of course). We are trying to cook more on the grill or air fryer in order to keep the kitchen cool Our air conditioning bill is off the charts, but what choice do we have? It’s that time again. Welcome to Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things this week.

Chicken with a Large Comb

Check out the huge comb on this leghorn chicken! She’s in the process of laying an egg, panting to keep cool. Doesn’t it look like she comes with her own sunhat? In doing a little research, the comb helps chickens cool down in hot weather. Since leghorns were developed in Italy, they have large combs that allow them to deal with the heat fairly well. Combs also are the way that chickens recognize each other. Usually, birds with the larger combs will be higher in the pecking order rank. Who knew?

This is the time of year when I make lots of good, cold snacks to help keep the girls cool. They love frozen veggies and fresh fruits.

Drying Artichokes

I’ve been experimenting a bit with drying artichokes. Since I grew them this spring in my garden, I took the smaller ones and just let them air dry. They may be useful in making fall decorations.

In the garden this week, the artichokes that I let flower on the vine, have also dried beautifully. Again, not sure what I will do with them, but I love the color and shape.

Our Weekend Trip to D.C.

Last weekend we traveled to Washington, D. C., to visit our son, Benjamin. So nice to spend time with him, and I got to see beautiful flowers and landscaping~lots of things that don’t grow here. I seem to have more pictures of flowers/landscaping than I do my son….yikes.

He is in Chicago now, checking out his new future home at the University of Chicago’s business school. Such an exciting time in life and I look forward to helping with the move.

I used to travel to Chicago frequently when I was working in corporate America, but haven’t been there much in years. Looking forward to reacquainting myself with this city.

Back to Painting Again

This week I am scheduling time to do more painting. Months have passed without me picking up a paintbrush and I am so excited to start again. This is the largest painting I’ve done and in a style I don’t typically paint, so a worthy challenge. There is quite a bit to do before it’s officially finished.

Re-thinking my Dinnerware, Linen, Glass storage

I am considering setting up a wall of storage for all my entertaining things in our garage. Right now, items are spread over multiple areas. ~ in the basement, butler’s pantry, and garage. Inspired by a storage system by Susan from Between Naps on the Porch, wouldn’t it be nice to have everything in the same place?

My first thought is to go to IKEA and look at their storage systems, especially after reading a blog post by my friend, Andrea from Design Morsels. Her How to Customize IKEA Furniture and Save Money has so many good suggestions and ideas on how to make IKEA products unique and personalized.

If anyone has tips and tricks on storing all your entertaining things, please share.

Cocktail Hour

With the weather being so hot, it’s hard to think about eating a big meal for dinner. Instead, we have a later substantial lunch and for dinner, a cocktail hour with snacks. Small bowls of olives, potato chips and really good Greek feta accompanies whatever the cocktail choice is…in this photo it is cold vodka and tonic with fresh lime. Feels a bit civilized and satisfying!

Have you seen these 100% cotton disposable cocktail napkins? They feel very substantial and elegant, but you toss them after use. A step up from your typical paper cocktail napkin. You can find them here.

Do you find yourself eating differently during the summer?

Increase Your Water Intake

Staying hydrated is always a bit of a challenge but if your water is tasty and pretty, isn’t that easier? With all the fresh fruits available now, make a pitcher of water with strawberries, cherries, lemons and I add cucumbers too.

Morton’s Neuroma

Recently, I am having sharp nerve pain in between my second a third toe, which occurs only when I am barefoot. Apparently the cause is related to my metatarsals pinching a nerve. The last thing I want is a cortisone injection so I am trying multiple remedies. The latest is something called yoga toes ~similar to what is used to separate your toes during a pedicure.

I put these on just before bed and take them off sometime during the night, as they feel a bit unnatural. As we age our toes tend to stiffen and lose their flexibility, so I am hoping these toe separators will improve this condition.

Take a Vacation without Leaving Your Home

I have always wanted to visit Greece and Turkey and these destinations are definitely on the bucket list. My friend, Kim from Shiplap and Shells shares her 3 week trip to these gorgeous areas (and Italy too). Kim has a drool-worthy garden in the Pacific Northwest and she takes the most amazing photos. See it all here. I love Kim’s blog and you can find her on Instagram @shiplapandshells.

Bubbles and Hope Offspring

I love sharing my sourdough starter (named Hope and Bubbles) and it is so joyful when the recipient shares their sourdough bread pictures. My dear friend and another gardener, Kim recently became a first time grandmother. Her daughter, Delanie was in the last trimester of her pregnancy and asked for some starter. Fast forward and a healthy baby later, she is making sourdough bread for her family. Just warms my heart.

Cucumber Salad

This refreshing cucumber salad is so easy and inspired by Stacy from Bricks n Blooms. I’ve altered the recipe slightly by adding non-fat yogurt. Instead of using 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, I use 1/4 cup yogurt and 1/4 cup mayonnaise. See Stacy’s recipe here.

The refreshing cucumber salad is the perfect side dish with salmon made in the air fryer.

And that’s a wrap! Thank you so much for joining me today. Have a terrific weekend and wishing you glorious weather wherever you are!

It’s hard to believe it is the middle of May. The temperatures are suppose to start rising here this weekend, but hopefully we will be on our way up to our mountain home. We haven’t been there in months so I am hoping the squirrels and mice have not moved in. It’s time for another Saturday Meanderings, where we chat about all good things this week.

Pretty Coffee Cups

I love a pretty coffee cup and when we were in Boise last week, Big City Coffee served up my 20 ounce latte in this adorable cup. Of course, I checked out the manufacturer and was surprised to see this cup is from The Pioneer Woman, a line you can find at Walmart. You can find these 26 oz. latte cups in a set of 4 here.

By the way, if you are ever in Boise, check out Big City Coffee. Great breakfasts, huge pastries (see scone above), family run and a lively atmosphere.

Garden Fit

My friend, Cindy, recommended this PBS show to me this week (thank you, Cindy!). I have only watched one episode and really enjoy it. GardenFit is all about how to take care of your body while taking care of your garden. It is inspiring to see beautiful gardens AND get great tips on health and exercise.

The episode I watched is about an energetic 95 year old and her gorgeous garden in New Jersey. You can see it here.

Zucchini and Summer Squash

We use zucchini and spaghetti squash often as a pasta substitute. Granted, nothing can take the place of delicious, freshly made pasta. But with lots of zucchini coming out of the garden now, we feel a bit better about eating our veggies in lieu of carbs.

My favorite way to eat zucchini is lightly tossed in butter or olive oil, quickly sauté and seasoned with salt, pepper and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Do you own a spiralizer? Spiral cutting zucchini is another way we use it with sauce and meatballs or adding a protein such as grilled salmon or chicken. A few weeks ago I shared a lemon pasta recipe that works well with zucchini too. If you missed that post, see it here.

Ordering Clothes on the Internet

Do you order clothes online? I’m a bit hesitant to do so due to a bad experience with an order through PayPal.

The key is to order from a reputable clothing company. But what if you find something you like from a new company? So I took the leap and order 3 summer dresses that are rather inexpensive from Coacia.com. Here is their Coacia High Neck Sleeveless Blue Flower White Midi Dress.

It is loose fitting and note that this midi dress comes to my ankles (I am 5’4″). For our hot summers, this is a perfect dress, especially at $43.99. Unlike most companies, I did not get several emails updating me on the order status. But this dress arrives in a reasonable amount of time. I haven’t laundered it yet but I did receive lots of compliments when I wore it out to dinner this week.

Son Doong Cave

Every year my daughter volunteers at the Phoenix Film Festival. A Crack in the Mountain is a feature length documentary which tells the story of the world’s largest cave, Son Doong (pronounced “soon dong”). My daughter met with the filmmakers during the festival.

The cave was first found in 1990 by a local farmer in Vietnam. It wasn’t explored until 2009 when a British exploration team rigged ropes and descended down. Many people describe Son Doong as a “lost world”. It has it’s own lake, jungle and even a unique weather system. It has only been open to the public since 2013 and I believe only 1000 visitors are allowed each year.

I never knew this cave even existed. The photos are breathtaking and I just had to share them with you. My daughter is now making plans to do a 6 day adventure hike to Vietnam to experience it next year.

The documentary, hopefully will be coming soon so all can view it. To see the trailer, click here.

Wedding Attire

Weddings are such happy events and if you are going to any this year, here is a great post from Cindy Hattersley about Wedding Attire for Women over 50. Whether it is a beach, garden or evening wedding, Cindy has some great tips and suggestions. You can see it here.

Well, that’s a wrap. We are up in the mountains for a few days. It’s been months since we’ve been here so lots of tidying up to do. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for joining me today!

We love when guests come to visit! After a long journey, I know I want to unpack and settle into a lovely environment. Since we have had many guests recently, here are 10 ways to prepare your home for overnight guests.

1. A Comfortable Bed

Perhaps the thing I miss most when I travel is my bed and pillows. So we try to make the sleeping arrangements at our home as comfortable as possible. If you don’t have a good mattress in your guest quarters, you can affordably add a pillow top. There are so many to choose from depending on how firm or soft you want your bed.

The photo above is my college-daughter’s room. If you would like to see how and why we painted it this luscious shade of orange, click here. While she is away at school, we use this spare bedroom for guests.

2. Scrumptious Linens/Blankets/Pillows

No one likes scratchy old sheets. There are several options based on your budget. Costco carries an 800 thread count hotel linen line that we like. My friend, Andrea, who used to run a bed and breakfast, swears by linen sheets. See her post about why linen sheets are a worthy luxury.

I always wash our sheets and line dry them. The sheets smell SO good and fresh and no dryer or dryer sheet can replicate that.

With so many choices on colors, thread count and patterns, you can make your guest bed look like a 5 star hotel.

Provide an extra blanket or quilt so your guest can regulate how warm (or cool) they want to sleep.

For pillows, I like a choice so we place both a firm and softer pillow on the bed. Since some people may be allergic to feather or down pillows, using a hypoallergenic filler is a safe bet. All our pillows have zippered pillow case protectors beneath the pillow case.

3. Bath and Pool Towels

Before our last group of guests arrived, I did an inventory of our towels. I found a sorry bunch of mismatched, stained, and frayed towels. Since then, many of our old towels are donated to the local dog shelter and new sets of towels are bought. It made me realize that I am fine using an old towel, but do I really want my guests to use a towel that is falling apart?

Also, make sure you have enough towels for the length of their stay, including a face, hand and bath towel. My husband loves the towel sets from My Pillow.com, which are quite affordable.

Since the pool is a big attraction with visitors from colder climates, large pool towels are a must.

4. Beverages and Snacks

Living in a dry climate, keeping hydrated is very important. Bottles of water are available in both the bathroom, bedroom and/or kitchenette. Finding out a guest’s favorite beverage or cocktail, makes one feel welcomed. If you missed the post about the new bar cart in the pool house, click here.

Most people like a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, but are not yet fully dressed or showered. Having a coffee maker and/or tea pot nearby is a bonus. In remodeling the pool house recently, we bought a small Nespresso maker that has a milk steamer attached. With a small beverage refrigerator we can supply milk, cream or Coffee-mate for our guest so they can make their own cup of Joe.

I like to put together a basket of snacks, too with items such as nuts, trail mix, crackers, cheese crisps and those wonderful Biscoff cookies (one of my favorites).

5. A Place to Work

Since many people continue to work while they travel, having a designated place and space to plug in is important. Make sure you have plenty of outlets too. And don’t forget write down your WiFi passwords to your internet.

6. Toiletries

Since airlines only let you travel with small sizes, providing large containers of shampoo, conditioner and body wash is a plus. We also keep a supply of toothbrushes, razors, bandaids, cotton balls and Q-tips in the bathroom. Hand soap and hand cream by the sink ensures your guests can wash their hands frequently.

And no one wants to carry a blow dryer that takes up space in their suitcase so keep an extra one handy. And if your guest is lucky to have their own bathroom, stock it up with toilet paper and Kleenex.

7. A Place for Luggage and Unpacking

When I check into a hotel room, the first thing I do is put my luggage on the luggage rack and unpack those items that need hanging in a closet. If you have room to have your guest put their belongings in a dresser or closet, that is ideal. If not, a luggage rack can serve as open dresser. Here’s an affordable one from Amazon that will fold up nicely.

Make sure you provide extra hangers and make space in your guest room closet.

Another nice touch is providing robes. We have thick Terry cloth ones and lightweight cotton kimonos for guests to choose. Again, unisex white Terry robes are easy to find on Amazon here.

8. A Nightstand and Necessities

On the nightstand, next to the guest bed, a good lamp for reading or providing light to the room is essential. Also provide outlets for your guests to charge their phones (if they want to keep them nearby). We also have a water pitcher and glass available for those thirsty needs at night. Here is a nice bedside carafe and tumbler from Lily’s Home.

9. Some privacy

No one ever wants to feel underfoot while they are guests. No host wants to feel intrusive or hovering to their company. If you can provide a place so you guests can enjoy some privacy that is ideal. Whether it be a balcony, an outdoor terrace or a piece of the yard, giving your guests space is a nice gesture. It certainly doesn’t need to be something extravagant, but an area where they can be alone.

As much as we love company and love visiting friends and family, sometimes you just need some quiet time. Our pool house provides space for our guests to spread out and maintain their privacy.

10. Fresh Flowers, a pretty candle

Who doesn’t love a pretty bouquet of flowers? Bright red tulips look fabulous in this black, white and green bedroom. This is my other daughter’s bedroom, which is now an additional spare guest room. If you want to see the post on how and why we painted this room black, click here.

A beautifully scented candle adds ambiance to a room. My favorite candle is Volcano by Capri Blue (see it here), however, Target also has a nice affordable candle selection too.

As more people are traveling, we hope the number of house guests you have increases. Any extra touch you provide to make your guest’s stay special will be so appreciated.

I hope you enjoy these 10 tips on how to prepare your home for overnight guests. As always, thank you so much for joining me today. I hope you have a spectacular Wednesday.

If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest.

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Every time I write a Saturday Meanderings I cannot believe another week has flown by! As I am composing this I am sitting in the waiting room at Superior Court of Arizona, recently summoned for Grand Jury duty. I have never done this before and it will be interesting to see if I am part of the selection process. Have you ever served on a jury or grand jury? I am afraid this will be a painfully long day so what better way to pass the time than to talk about all the good things that happened this past week.

Cleaning an Upholstery Stain

In remodeling the pool house, I discover this horrible stain on one of the upholstered chairs. It’s hard to tell if it is wine, tomato sauce or worse, but it is all over the arm, back, seat and cushion of the chair. I poll the family to see if anyone knows the source of the stain. Accidents happen and I wasn’t assigning blame, just trying to get information.

However, no one knows what it is so I use our trusty Bissell Little Green Multi-purpose portable carpet and upholstery cleaner (see here) and start the cleaning process. As a side note, if you are looking for an affordable carpet and upholstery cleaner, I cannot recommend this Bissell Little Green enough. We use it frequently and it doesn’t disappoint.

This particular stain is a stubborn one. Since the seat material is different, the stain comes out easily. However, I don’t seem to have much luck with the stains on the upholstered fabric. After a few attempts, the stain doesn’t appear to lift. As a last resort, I sprinkle some Oxi-Clean powder, rub it in and let it sit for a few hours and then remove it.

Surprisingly when the fabric dries the stains are nearly gone! A few more passes with the Bissell and the chair looks significantly better.

Rug from Wayfair

Since I am a visual and tactic person, I prefer to purchase something after I have had the ability to see it, touch it and inspect its quality. However, since so many items are purchased online, I took the leap and bought this 8′ x 10′ rug from Wayfair. With so many positive comments from thousands of people, how bad could it be?

In stock with quick delivery made the decision rather easy. This rug will replace the woven seagrass one in the pool house. Though I love the look of a natural fiber woven rug, the rubber backing tends to break down quickly, creating a horrible dusty mess.

Priced at $245.99, I am so impressed with the quality and ease of acquisition. Here’s the link but it is Alanis Oriental Tufted Area Rug and it comes in different colors and sizes.

Habit of Re-Use

We actively try to keep our waste to a minimum. I get such pleasure in knowing that there’s a circular pattern to life and living. Right now, I am preparing the garden for Spring planting. With the hen house adjacent to the garden, many of the plants that are past their prime are pulled and fed to the chickens. For example, I grow cauliflower over the winter months and harvest it for our consumption.

Now I am pulling the plants and feeding them to the chickens. Once the foliage is pecked clean, then the stems will be thrown in the composter. Only to make more soil for another garden bed. And the cycle continues. If you missed my post on Composting 101, you can see it here.

Countertop Choices

It has been a long time since I picked out a countertop surface. There are so many choices now~granite, quartz, marble, quartzite, butcher block and gauged porcelain slabs. Porcelain slab is a high fired ceramic surface much like porcelain tile. Using ink jet technology they are capable of mimicking natural stone, wood, and virtually any look you can dream up. The benefit of Porcelain is that it has a scratch resistant surface and is impervious to chemicals.

Unfortunately, my contractor does not know how to install porcelain slabs (or have the right tools) so I fell back on selecting quartz. And won’t this look sharp with blue cabinets?

Need a Vacation?

Check out this gorgeous the stone cottages at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. Set on a 4,200-acre farm, this high-end resort in the Great Smoky Mountains is 10 miles from Tuckaleechee Caverns and 15 miles from Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

A Relais & Chateaux property, this tranquil property is the perfect escape for you and your family. It was on my bucket list and my sweet husband planned one of my big birthdays there. Truly memorable and if you like to see this gorgeous location and my surprise birthday there, click here. I do have a birthday coming up, maybe it is time to return?

Poignant Words

Isn’t it interesting that certain things cross your path when you need them most? Saw this on Instagram this week and wish we could all live by it.

Great Photo

Here is a picture worth a thousand words. My daughter, Juliannna and her handsome German Shepherd, Hemingway. The relationship they have is one of pure devotion and love. Every time I look at this, it warms my heart. I hope you enjoy it too.

With that, I bid you adieu. Have a truly wonderful weekend. I hope mine is filled with a bit more rest and relaxation, which I desperately need.

When I google-searched holidays in January, I certainly found more than I needed. Today, January 15th is everything from National Strawberry Ice Cream Day to National Pothole Day. Who the heck makes these decisions? Anyway, I didn’t realize it is a real holiday weekend with Martin Luther King Day on Monday. As you read Saturday Meanderings, I am flying back to Phoenix from Boise, Idaho. Thanks for joining me today and let’s chat about all good things that took place this week.

Book Recommendations

Hopefully you had the opportunity to read my Self Care post this week about sleep. Every night before bed I read as part of my bedtime ritual. Golden Girl by Erin Hilderbrand is one of those books that I cannot stop thinking about. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this author, as some of her books are laced with her political opinions. Quite honestly, I am tired of political nonsense and don’t want to pay to hear someone’s position, whether I agree with it or not. But Ms. Hilderbrand doesn’t disappoint with Golden Girl. It is EXCELLENT and thought-provoking and I highly recommend it. You can find it here.

Though I am not finished yet, I am engrossed in Nine Perfect Strangers. Liane Moriarty is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author of the book, Big Little Lies, which I haven’t read yet. But I am enjoying the character development in this novel. And apparently Nine Perfect Strangers is now a Hulu original series (again, which I haven’t seen). Here is the link.

Boise, Idaho

On Wednesday, my husband and I flew to Boise, Idaho. Look at this fabulous photo I captured from the plane. Clearly a very different topography and weather from Phoenix. Back in the day, when I was working full time, I traveled to Boise very frequently. But I haven’t been here in a long time.

We are staying at a lovely boutique hotel, the Inn at 500 Capitol. I love hotels that display gorgeous artwork everywhere~from the lobby to each individual floor. Our room is themed~Audrey Hepburn and her Oscar winning, best picture, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. A section above the bed is filled with Audrey Hepburn memorabilia. Different and a bit fun.

Unfortunately, I came down with a 24 hour bug with a high fever but no sniffles or cough (no COVID) . Fortunately, it passed after spending a day in bed. Funny how the minute you feel a bit off, you start to worry about having the dreaded VID.

Boise has a beautiful architectural combination of historic and new. After being here for a few days, I can certainly see the attraction to move here. But it is VERY chilly!

New Things to Watch

We are always looking for great shows to watch. Intelligence, a Vancouver-based crime drama, highly rated television series created and written by Chris Haddock, only aired 2 seasons. Rumor has it that the Canadian government didn’t like the story line (maybe because there is some truth to it?). It’s amazing how you end up cheering for the bad guys and really not trusting the supposed good guys. Wish there were more seasons, but we enjoyed all 25 episodes. Took a little while to warm up to it, but we well worth the watch. Can be found on Prime Video.

Recently received this recommendation from Rosemary from Content in a Cottage but I haven’t seen it yet. Doesn’t it look intriguing? Monarch of the Glen has 7 seasons. According to Rosemary, “the characters are as wonderful as is the Scottish castle and the countryside of the vast estate.” It is on Amazon Prime and TUBI and may be on BritBox. After Downton Abbey ended, I feel like I need to fill the void with more castles, don’t you?

Are you Organizing?

If you missed the post this week regarding Organizational Tips, please make sure you check it out. There are so many great ideas from 7 other bloggers. I literally have been thinking about re-doing my spice mess and isn’t this just so inspirational? You can see the organizing post here.

Self-Care Series

This week I started a new series called Self Care. It would be nice to focus on one topic each month and I want to solicit your input on what you may be interested in reading. My thoughts are to include topics such as hair, nails, skin, eyes, attitude (happiness), and posture (bone density). If you would like to see something else, please leave a comment below. I hope you enjoyed the post on Sleep. If you missed it, click here.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend and we’ll catch up next week!