Hello and welcome to Saturday Meanderings! It’s hard to believe this is Saturday Meanderings #141. What started out as way to appreciate and note all good things happening weekly, Saturday Meanderings has become one of my favorite posts to write and thank you for your dedicated following. One sweet subscriber stated it feels like friends sitting across the table having a cup of coffee and catching up. Let’s get started to see what life has given us this week.

My Birthday this Week

Another birthday under my belt…it is a bit humbling to know that most of your life is in the rearview mirror. But the hope is that each and every day going forward is lived with intention and purpose. Mentally, I certainly don’t feel 68 (more like 25) and physically, well some days are better than others. Here’s to another year!

Bread Baking Experiment

My friend, Chloe (Celebrate and Decorate) sends me links to Instagram posts that feature unique bread baking techniques. I am a novice sourdough bread baker and love seeing the creativity of other bakers. Here are the inspiration pictures:

This week I try my hand at making my very first sourdough focaccia (recipe from The Perfect Loaf by Maurizio Leo). However, being my first try, I kept it more simple as I didn’t know how it would taste. Using cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, fresh rosemary and sea salt, here is what my focaccia looks like before going in the oven.

Here is the focaccia after baking.

For years, literally, I have had a big bag of lace scraps in my garage. My mother bought it at a yard sale and gave it to me 40 years ago, at least. So, I try my hand at making the lace bread, but of course I don’t have the right ingredients (who has 100% black cacao powder on hand?).

The flavor of my sourdough bread is honey lavender (really good), but a black lace pattern on the top just doesn’t fit. I search my cupboards and find rose powder and 100% coca rouge powder~which actually sounds like the flavors would go with the honey lavender.

After sprinkling the powder combination on the dough, here is what it looks like.

At this point, I am rather excited because the pattern looks very pretty and I hope the flavors will enhance the taste of the bread.

Though some of the pattern is pronounced after baking, it is certainly far from the results of the inspiration photo. I am slightly disappointed, however, it just means I need to conduct further experiments!

My Online Store

If you haven’t noticed, there’s a tab at the top of the page that links you to my online store. I am considering eliminating the store as I set it up a long time ago and I do not replenish the inventory. However, this week someone purchased one of my favorite items~ a Meissen blue and white compote. A bit sad to see it go, but the buyer has been looking for a long time to find one. Sounds like it is going to a good home.

Check out my store as I am getting ready to update my website and will more than likely remove the inventory. If you see something you like, let me know.

Has This Happened to You?

In our library we have two arm chairs that are upholstered with a Waverly fabric (Olana). This is a medium-weight cotton fabric that has furniture upholstery as a suggested use. I notice the seat seems a bit dull and perhaps dirty so I use my trusty Little Green Bissell and clean the upholstery this week.

As evidenced by the very dirty water in the machine, I thought the seat cushion (especially the bird in the pattern) would return to the same color and intensity as the one on the back of the chair.

The library doesn’t get much, if any, direct light so I know the fabric isn’t faded, but the seat is clearly much more worn than the rest of the chair. This is a room that isn’t used often and really, the only time we sit in these chairs is during the winter, with the fireplace going. Our cat will sometimes nest on the chairs, but we have a towel down for his use. Not sure why the colors in the fabric could be worn down with little use.

I have more of the Waverly fabric and considering putting a piece over the original seat. Just checking to see if anyone else has had fabric color and patterns “wear down” with such little use and no exposure to the sun. Going to the expense of re-upholstering just the seat doesn’t seem worth it if the details of this fabric will fade or wear so easily?

So Many Poppies

This week the poppies are popping! Every day more of these sage green plants are putting out the most beautiful flowers.

There are so many poppies all over the property. Their beautiful blooms only last a few days and then they go to seed. Maybe it is time to make lemon poppyseed bread?

Finn Update

The puppy is growing so fast and his rascal personality is emerging. He is quick to steal a shoe or a blanket and run out of the house. He is getting more comfortable navigating the yard and is still cute as the dickens.

Here he is helping me pick oranges in the orchard, and “assisting” in putting down a clean Ruggable in the pool house.

Mary’s Must Haves

Our handheld frother that we use every day to mix things into our coffee (like Vital Proteins) finally died. My husband bought this one on Amazon and wow, what a difference! This frother is far more powerful and has two speeds. It’s astounding how much better it is that our last one (which was probably dying a slow death).

This frother has really great reviews and I can attest, it is the bomb. Priced at $18.49, here it is. After some muscling by my husband, the new frother fits in the old frother’s stand. But note that this brand, the stand is not included.

Do You Make Your Own Salad Dressing?

After discovering how easy it is to do so, I always have my lemon vinaigrette on hand and ready to go. If you aren’t convinced, here is an article from The Kitchn about her tasty homemade salad dressing. Though I haven’t tried her Homemade Italian Dressing, it’s on my list of things to make.

I will be ordering this salad dressing container, as I currently use a Mason jar which gets a little messy on the top. With excellent ratings (4.7) from over 10,000 reviews, this salad shaker is affordable at $11.95.

Merit Street Media

Though I never watch daytime television, I am sure you are familiar with Dr. Phil McGraw, an acclaimed host. What I recently discovered is that, after 26 years, Dr. Phil has left CBS and has created his own new media network called Merit Street Media.

Merit Street Media is a fully distributed cable, satellite, and free-over-the-air broadcast brand that reaches over 65 million television homes.

What I find amazing is that Dr. Phil and his wife, Robin are in their 70s, worth over $460 million dollars and could certainly spend the rest of their years playing golf and taking it easy. However, Dr. Phil is concerned about some of the issues occurring in America today and wants to have open conversations about it.

We watched our first episode this week and I am a fan. Merit Street Media is attempting to bring a balanced national news outlet that will lead to honest discussions and dialogue. In addition, other shows include Steve Harvey which focuses on a mentoring program to inspire young men. Nancy Grace will be hosting a crime series segment.

Since I stopped watching mainstream news 4 years ago, I am hoping this new network will provide viewers with a fresh approach and a high degree of integrity. Merit Street Media just launched April 1st and check out your local listings for access…and it is free. How novel.

Have a fabulous weekend. We are busy with a few events but hope to relax a bit with our buddy, Finn and enjoy our glorious spring weather.

Just a quick post today to share with you some of my favorite things that are significantly discounted today on Amazon. Most of these are limited edition sales and may not be available after today. Prime Day discounts are for a two day period from October 10-11.

Bissell Little Green Multi-purpose Cleaner

I bought this Bissell Little Green multi-purpose cleaner for $123.59 and this is the LOWEST price I’ve ever seen at $89.00. It’s portable and cleans carpets, upholstery in your home and car. Check out my post where I used this successfully in cleaning red wine out of an upholstered chair. There are numerous uses for this from carpet stains, pet stains to outdoor furniture cleaning. This is a steal at $89.00.

eufy by Anker, Lumi Plug-in Night Light, Warm White LED, Dusk-to-Dawn Sensor,

These are the BEST night lights. Today I will be buying more for our cabin. The Eufy lights are warm and go on automatically at night and shut off during the day. Small in scale, but big on performance, you get 6 for $18.99, discounted from $23.99. Since October is Do Not Fall month, this is a great gift for an elderly friend or relative to help light their path at night.

Faux Fall Flowers

With many stores low on fall flower inventory, check out these artificial flowers. The description calls them “fake mums”, but I’m not convinced they are chrysanthemums. Nonetheless they are very attractive and for $26.38 you get 16 bundles. Customer reviews rate them nearly 5 stars stating that you cannot tell they are fake. Pretty, right?

After the brutal summer we had here in Phoenix, my faux 5′ cedar artificial topiaries by the front door still look brand new. Those, too are on sale today from $131.00 to $105.00

Martha Stewart Dutch Oven

At our cabin this weekend, I made a pot roast but didn’t have a Dutch oven large enough for the recipe. My husband went to Walmart (really our only retail option there) and spent way too much money on a Dutch oven. I wish we had a few days to order one online, because I cannot believe the price of this one from Martha Stewart. Today on Prime, a 7 quart Dutch oven is available in multiple colors for only $54.99, a 31% discount from $79.99! I use my Dutch oven to bake bread and make soups and roasts.

A Dutch oven is a must have in my cookware. Now is a chance to get one at a very reasonable rate.

Love this Suitcase

Even though I just purchased this suitcase in March 2023, it has already been on numerous trips. Each and every time I travel, someone stops me and admires this piece of luggage. It’s been to South Korea, Mongolia, Chicago, Florida and still looks brand new. Not only does it fit well in the overhead bin, but I can pack quite a bit for longer trips. Mine is a 21 inch carry-on which is on sale today from $321.48 to $279.99 (a 13% discount), but the bigger savings in on the 24 inch checked size which is marked down from $259.99 to $220.98 (a 15% discount).

The Delsey Paris Chatelet backpack easily slides over the handles of the luggage and is very room. There is a padded space for your laptop too. However, it is not on sale at $186.10. I do not like to check luggage and the carry-on size works for me, especially with the extra room in the backpack. Truly, I can’t say enough about this stylish, yet effective luggage system.

Women’s Underwear

These boxer type cotton underwear shorts were a lifesaver this summer, especially in the heat and humidity. So comfortable at 95% cotton and 5% spandex, they are not constricting and are anti-chafing. A steal today at 30% off! Normally $27.99, the set of 4 is priced at $19.59. Comes in both regular and plus sizes and helps add a smooth profile to your bottom.

Big Deals on Security

We recently installed a video doorbell and it’s amazing how effective they are. With discounts from 20% to 50% off today, you can bump up your security with a Ring system. There is lots to choose from, depending on your needs. See it here.

Prime discounts ends today. If you are not a Prime member, you can sign up for free using the following instructions.

Step 1: From your desktop or mobile browser, go to go to amazon.com/prime. Eligible customers will see a “Start your free 30-day trial” button.

Step 2: Click on the “Start your free 30-day trial” button to sign-in, or create your Amazon account. From there, choose the membership plan that suits you the best.

Happy shopping! Some of these discounts are too good to pass up. Have a wonderful Wednesday, friends!

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.

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

New Exterior Paint

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

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

Here are my paint selections:

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

Trim: Sherwin Williams Khaki SW8067 in eggshell

The Shutters

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

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

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

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

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

New Side Door

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

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

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

Overall Updates

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

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

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

Kitchen Updates

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

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

Every drawer and cabinet have cute shelf paper liners.

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

Living Room

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

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

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

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

Bedroom

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

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

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

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

Bathroom

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

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

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

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

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

If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest.

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.

*******************************************************************************************************************

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.