With quite the rain, thunder and lightning storms this week (hail in some areas), March is definitely in like a lion. We need and love the rain and I can hear all my plants making gulping noises as they absorb nature’s shower. Happy Saturday and weekend, my friends! It’s a chilly morning here at Bella Terra, but enjoying the quiet with a nice cup of coffee. Let’s get started and check out all the good things that happened this week.

Early Signs of Spring

Isn’t it interesting that year after year, the seasons come and go, whether we are ready or not? Even though several of our trees are still in winter mode and bare, there are many plants that shout that Spring is on its way.

So sad that we lost our apple tree to the extreme heat last summer as I already miss it’s pretty pink blooms.

The peach and apricot trees are blooming, and our newly planted Santa Rosa plum tree is filled with flowers.

Lady Banks roses run the entire width of the front of the property along the street. These dense climbing vines provide privacy and reduce the traffic noise. But this time of year the long and tall hedge fills with delicate pale yellow roses.

Though the sweet yellow roses only last a few weeks, and watching them come to life is a reminder of Spring’s beauty. Poppies and hollyhocks are growing but not blooming yet, but there are signs of new life everywhere.

Garden Update

Finally, this weekend, I am planning to work on the vegetable garden. This week I picked all the tomatoes on my winter crop. What I noticed is that the tomato plants from last fall, look healthy and are actually producing flowers.

Typically, I pull the old plants and put in new ones. But after doing a bit of research, apparently some tomatoes are annuals and others perennials. They are called determinant (annuals) and indeterminant (perennials) plants. Since many of my plants are heirloom varieties, it appears they are indeterminant and continue to produce fruit until the plant is killed by frost.

Does anyone grow tomatoes that you would consider perennial? I did trim the plants back to newer growth areas and will fertilize this weekend. Hoping for an abundant healthy crop from them.

My 5 Days in Florida

Last weekend I was in Celebration, Florida at my dear friend, Chloe’s home (Celebrate and Decorate). What an absolute treat to be in her lovely home with 5 other blogging friends. We try and meet twice a year because we enjoy each other’s company and learn so much from each other.

Chloe arranges for a lovely boat ride around Winter Park and Lake Osceola, with a delicious lunch following.

In addition to exploring, we work collectively on blogging issues. It is fun to take photographs of Chloe’s Easter decor and tablescape. To see more about this seasonal table for two, click here.

Another photo opportunity is Chloe’s large chocolate Easter bunny in this basket of hydrangeas.

Check out these cute bunnies on pedestals on Chloe’s living room mantel? They are $5.98 each and you can find them here.

Of course, darling Lily spent the entire time with the girls. I swear she is a person reincarnated…maybe even a princess in a previous life.

Bread Making Week

I am in the bread making mood this week and finished 3 loaves. This is my second attempt at a Honey Lavender sourdough bread, a recipe adapted from @barefoot.mimosas. Surprisingly, this bread is delicious. Sometimes rose or lavender can be a bit too perfume-y or soapy, but the subtle herbal flavor is just fantastic. It is especially tasty out of the toaster with honey butter.

Another favorite is my cheese, garlic and rosemary sourdough bread which I mix up after dinner, let it rise overnight and bake the following day. So simple and easy, but delicious especially when experimenting with cheeses from gruyerè to cheddar.

I am also thinking about having a Bread class here at Bella Terra~a general one about sourdough, yeast and quick breads. What do you think?

From the Internet:

Lemons, Lemons, and More Lemons

As you know, I recently hosted the All Things Lemon class (see that post here). Also in this post are some kitchen tools I recommend for working with lemons.

My sweet friend, Wendy from WM Design House has a marvelous post on several way to use lemons from making a household cleaner to creating a lemon scrub.

Now is the time to take advantage of the lemon season, before the prices go up over the summer.

Spring Cleaning

Each Spring, my mother would open up all the windows in our Connecticut home and start her spring cleaning. Often times she would change out the linens, replace the rugs and lighten the winter look to the new season.

There is no easier way to refresh your house for the Spring with a good deep cleaning. If you change out your rugs for lighter weights and colors, then you need to read my friend, Andrea’s post on Rug Buying Guide: An Essential Part of Decor.

Not sure of what size rug to use? Andrea has all the answers in her post. There are so many attractive, affordable rugs on the market and this is another simple way to update your home for spring and summer.

Bulb Gardening

Here in Phoenix, now is the time to garden for Spring. Each year I look forward to my bulb garden, however, this year it is underwhelming. I am learning that bulbs last for only a few years here and need re-planting.

Kim from Shiplap and Shells has a very informative post on Growing Tulips from Bulbs: Tulip Care and Maintenance 101. So if you are interested in planting bulbs in the fall and enjoying their beauty next year, check out her post here.

Wishing you a terrific weekend! We have a friend’s birthday event tonight and hope to get the garden cleaned up and planted.

As I write this, we are stuck at the airport in Charleston, South Carolina. Our return flight home is “delayed” creating missed connections through Dallas. Oh well, the joys of airline travel. We (the entire family)are here celebrating my husband’s birthday, which falls on December 13th. It has been a wonderful week and now it’s time for our weekly Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things (except airline delays!)

Charleston in December

I hope to write another blog post about Charleston in December, but here are some photos from our trip. The camellias are in bloom and check out this beauty, the Christmas Carol camellia. I have tried to grow them in Phoenix, but they failed in the heat.

Holiday house decorations did not disappoint with the abundance of magnolia leaves in wreaths and garlands. Charleston is such a walkable city and I could have spent all day, just roaming through the lovely neighborhoods and house snooping.

Cleaning before vacation

Do you deep clean before you leave on vacation? The thought of coming home after traveling to a messy home is not an exciting prospect. One of the cleaning projects is really my least favorite, but it always feels good when it’s completed~cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer! Admittedly, I do not clean these spaces as often as I should. The recommended frequency of cleaning a freezer is 3 months; 3-4 months for the refrigerator.

With a separate SubZero refrigerator, freezer and refrigerated drawers, this is a several hour project. I wish I took before pictures as there were some interesting finds, especially in the freezer. A year old piece of last year’s Mary Berry Christmas cake for example!

Perhaps the photos above don’t look particularly organized, but it’s 1000% better than it was.

Another project is organizing the front hall closet where all the linens and tablecloths reside. When I opened the door and several things spilled out on me, it was just time to pull everything out and focus on this space.

In 2020, I did a blog post about this unusually shaped closet and apparently that was the last time it received any attention. How do things get so messy in 2 years?

Labeling Light Switches

Though not an obsessive labeler, I do like to label light switches, especially when there are multiple options. It was nearly 8 months ago when we remodeled the pool house. FINALLY, the switches are all marked. Project done! If you need a labeler, check out this one.

Frost Warnings

This week the temperature in Phoenix will drop significantly. Adding frost coverings hopefully will protect my plants while we are gone. Usually I put Christmas lights inside to help add some warmth, however, I did not this time. Keeping my fingers crossed that all is well.

Saltine Toffee

My cousin, Donna, always makes saltine toffee for family gatherings, and she was kind enough to share the recipe. I admit to being a bit skeptical making it, but it is a huge hit and oh, so easy to make. Only 5 ingredients (Saltines, brown sugar, butter, chocolate chips and nuts), anyone can make this yummy treat.

Sally’s Baking Addiction has good step by step instructions on how to make this. See it here.

Cute Cheese Ball

Last week I shared a Hedgehog cheese ball and this week, look at this cute snowman cheese ball. Jen, from Tatertots & Jello, share this 15-minute recipe here. Not sure what my fixation on cheese balls is lately, but both of these recipes look good.

Christmas Party Food

My friend, Rachel from The Ponds Farmhouse has quite the spread for her annual holiday party. Wow! I wish I lived closer to her. What I like about her post, is that the food is a combination of store-bought and homemade. She gives the resources and recipes. See it here.

How to Take Better Holiday Photos

The holidays are the perfect time to take more photos of family, food and friends. My friend, Pam, from An Artful Mom has great suggestions on how to capture that perfect moment. See it here.

12 Festive Christmas Cocktail Recipes

In the past, I’ve had good luck with cocktail recipes from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles. Her post this week includes 12 Festive Christmas Cocktail recipes that all sound rather delicious. If you are looking for a holiday-themed cocktail for yourself or your guests, you can certainly find something here.

Well, I am STILL stuck at the airport and not sure we will even get on a plane today. The only good news is that it allowed me the time to complete this Saturday Meanderings post and say hello to you! Let’s pray we get home soon.

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!

Happy Saturday and as I write this, it’s hard to believe nearly half of 2022 is over. Since I started grand jury duty, my schedule is non-existent and I can’t really recall what happened to the last 3 weeks in June. I always look forward to writing this post so let’s get started and chat about all good things this week.

A Few Days at our Cabin

Being up in the mountains provides such a wonderful change of scenery. Big storms came in with abundantl rain, which we so desperately need. If you missed my Dinner in the Library tablescape post this week, you can see it here. The Scholarship Dinner raised a significant sum of money for the employees educational needs.

I am already thinking about what table theme I will do next year, so if you have any suggestions or thoughts, please send them my way.

Who needs television when you can watch the local wildlife at work? Very relaxing to sit on the front porch and have our coffee in the morning, while the squirrels and bird entertain us. Like last year, we have another nest of eggs in the flower arrangement by the front door.

A Year Ago

A year ago today, we were in Nantucket. It was our first trip there and we were very lucky to stay with friends who own a gorgeous property with a guest cottage. Since more people are traveling this year, here is my overview of that trip.

I am SO longing for a trip to see water, but nothing planned to date. Are you going somewhere fun this summer?

A Little Garden Excitement

I always leave a few artichokes to flower because they are SO beautiful! The purply-blue spike tops are like a soft brush and fun to touch.

An unknown plant has been growing over the past few weeks. It finally gave me a clue by producing this. So I am guessing spaghetti squash, however, I did not plant any this year. I planted some two years ago but they did not produce so I’m a bit surprised. Ah the unexpected joys of gardening!

The last of the apricots are finally gone! Not a huge crop this year but the few remaining are used in a simple apricot galette made with puff pastry. For some reason I could not download the picture of the galette, but here is an apricot tart with an almond crust I made last year (recipe is here).

Using Healthy Hair and Skin Products

Growing up, our choices for skin care were limited to Ivory soap. Who remembers the Breck girl and Breck shampoo? Now there is a multitude of products to select for your skin and hair. Lynn from Living Large in a Small House writes a detailed post about what you can do to ensure you are choosing the best products that are free of harmful chemicals.

My skin and hair care routines are rather basic, however, I find Lynn’s post very enlightening and something we should share with our children and grandchildren.

See Lynn’s post here. It makes sense to not want to put things like formaldehyde, mercury or some word no one can pronounce on our bodies.

Perfect for Summer

When I saw this recipe, it screams summer to me. Annie from Most Lovely Things shares a S’mores Icebox Cake that you can make ahead and just take out of the freezer. Who doesn’t love s’mores? Anne takes amazing photos and even has a video to show you how to make this delicious dessert. You can see it here! Though I do not know Annie personally, she is very talented and I enjoy her posts from the same Connecticut town in which my sister lives.

Need to Know More about Sunscreen?

Living in a climate where it is sunny over 300 days per year, skin protection and sunscreen are important topics. Carrie Vitt from Deliciously Organic is living proof that what you eat and how you live can be toxic to your health. Changes in her lifestyle have reversed Hashimoto’s disease, chronic migraines, IBS and eczema.

Recently she shares how to choose the right sunscreen for you. Her post is filled with great information as to when you should wear it, too. You can see it here. Spend some time on her website as I know you will enjoy Carrie’s wealth of knowledge on thyroid disease, asthma, headaches, skin issues and more.

Need Dog Help

Lately, our nearly 15 year old Beagle, Sox, wakes up between 3:30 and 5:00 a.m.(every day) and stands in the middle of the room and barks. He sleeps in the family room with his brother, our Akbash, Cooper. Sox is hard of hearing and his sight is diminished. As soon as I (or my husband) enter the room, he stops barking and will go back to sleep. I have gotten into the habit of taking my pillow downstairs with me and will settle in on the sofa for a few more zzzzz.

Does anyone have any great suggestions for how to get our sweet, old Beagle to sleep through the night? Last night we tried Hemp Calming Chews but they did not seem to help. Not sure they work better over time. I love our dogs, but I need my sleep! I am at a loss here so any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Well, that’s a wrap! Thank you so much for joining me and I wish you a wonderful and relaxing weekend.

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!