Happy Saturday, sweet friends! What a week! We are still cleaning up from our Dinner in the Orchard last week (you can see that post here if you missed it). Between working the election and getting everything ready for houseguests this week, it has been a busy one. Thanks for joining me for another Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things that happened this week.

Election

As I mentioned earlier, I signed up to be a poll worker on Election Day. Reporting in at 5:30 a.m. and working without breaks for the next 16 hours was grueling, but rewarding. Our polling site is walking distance from our home so it was fun to see so many friends and neighbors. Exceptional turnout didn’t allow any of us to grab breakfast or lunch and I can honestly say, it was exhausting. My feet, knees, hips and back were not happy at all! But glad that is all behind us as votes continue to get counted in Arizona.

Pinners Conference

One of the reasons my sweet blogging friends (Andrea from Design Morsels, Chas from Chas Crazy Creations and Chloe from Celebrate and Decorate) are here in Phoenix is to attend the Pinners Arizona Conference. I have never attended this 2-day event. There are several classes one can take from calligraphy to cooking to crafts. So far I have taken an Air Fryer Tips and Lettering, Flourishing and Layout classes. There is obviously so much I don’t know about this, but it’s fun to learn and participate.

Thinking ahead to Thanksgiving

As you know, I love a beautiful table. For inspiration, it’s fun to see what others are doing. I am a firm believer that you can use what you have and just jazz it up with flowers, plants, or just mixing up colors and textures. To see previous Thanksgiving tables I’ve done, click here.

Here are some of the places I look for ideas.

• Mrs. Alice~even though Mrs. Alice is not smiling in any pictures, her tables are gorgeous. You can see it here.
• Celebrate and Decorate~Chloe Crabtree, a dear friend and one of the most creative people I know, puts together stunning tables and holiday decorations. Here is the link to her blog, but she can also be found on Instagram @celebrateanddecorate
• Suzanne Zing~Suzanne is a tabletop stylist and you can also find her on instagram @suzannezingstyle
• Bonnie Chase Designs~ Bonnie is on Instagram and Facebook, but she doesn’t have a blog. @bonniechasedesigns

Recycling our Pumpkins

Though I will be using our pumpkins until Thanksgiving, our chickens are the recipients of those that are already starting to decay. They LOVE getting to peck at them and gobbling up the flesh and seeds.

Best Pizza from Italy

I know I have mentioned this before and no, I do not get any commission for doing so, but these pizzas from Naples, Italy are a staple in our freezer. I baked two of them for my blogging friends and they LOVED them. So if you are looking for a great gift for someone you love, please keep these in mind.

You get 8 pizzas (my husband and I share one with a few pieces leftover), packed in dry ice directly from Italy. You can choose what flavor you want or try a sampler pack. For more information, click here.

Colder Weather

It is definitely fall here and sweater weather. For the Dinner in the Orchard I wore a cashmere sweater set and I was happy to see them in good condition after being stored for several months. In the past, we have had problems with moths, but since I found this cashmere pouch on Amazon, my sweaters are protected from the pesky insects that eat holes in them. I always like to share things that work well for me and when you have a nice sweater ruined, this cashmere pouch is worth the cost. You can find it here.

Christmas Cards and Family Photo

Each year we send out a holiday card and family photo. Generally, we take the family photo at Thanksgiving and that gives me just enough time to order a card and get it mailed by December 15th.

In the past I have used an online resource (like Minted, Shutterfly, Paperless Post). Minted keeps an address book for you and you can have the addresses pre-printed on the envelopes envelopes which is a big time saver. Do you send a holiday card? If so, what is your process?

Because I am attending the Pinners Conference for two full days, today’s post is a bit shorter. But I will share what I’ve learned next week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sorry to have missed last week’s Saturday Meanderings. Technical issues, frozen phone and too many hours trying to fix everything put me a bit behind schedule. But here we are now into November and I am trying to put the brakes on everything life related. Happy Saturday and thank you so much for being here. I cannot tell you how much I value you, your comments and support. So let’s get started on all the good things that happened this week.

Halloween Recap

Mr. Bones is a focal point of our Halloween decorations and after a quick bath in the sink, he greeted our dinner guests at the front door.

A few posts ago, I shared my desire to create a spooky woman looking out through an vintage window frame. Well, here she is. The window frame, purchased at a vintage thrift store, is perfect as it gives me lots of space to wind vines, branches and moss.

Since we never get children trick or treating, we host a small neighborhood dinner party on the back porch. Since I decorated with lots of witches hats, it seems appropriate for me to be a witch too. And doesn’t my husband look creepy?

Fall Has Arrived

Arizona is known for having such beautiful light and it is especially noticeable in the autumn. Here are some photos from the around the yard.

Here is the view out to the hen house and garden. The western sky provides a golden backdrop.

The 4 palm trees stand like sentries in the eastern front yard and reflect the colors of sunset.

The area between the rose garden and the orchard has very old date palms, whose feathery fronds silhouette the sunset.

Dinner in the Orchard

Prior to the pandemic, we would annually host a dinner in the orchard to support our church’s music program. We haven’t had an event in over 3 years. On Friday night we are hosting 33 people for a sit down dinner and a musical venue once again. My only concern is that we are experiencing a significant drop in temperature. Keeping my fingers crossed that with a few heaters, blankets and shawls, we will at least be somewhat comfortable. More to come on this next week.

Poll Worker

As we all know, elections are next week. This year, I signed up as a Poll Worker and will be employed the day of the election (for $12.00 per hour) as an election clerk. This is the first time for me and it is amazing how little I know about the procedures/processes at an election site. Each poll worker needs to be trained and certified.

After voting by mail for many years, I am actually excited to cast my ballot in person on Tuesday Remember to vote~it’s a privilege that many do not get to have.

Apples

We have SO many apples and I am experimenting with new recipes. If you have a favorite apple one you would like to share, please do so. This week I made Apple Brown Butter Bars from a Better Homes & Gardens October 2019 issue. I will share the recipe once I make it again, as I didn’t find the directions very detailed. But they are very tasty!

Cranberries

To me, there is something romantic about the cranberry. Growing up in New England, we would take family vacations to Cape Cod where cranberry bogs are abundant. This tiny, vitamin packed fruit is traditionally paired with both Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.

My new blogging friend, Maureen from Red Cottage Chronicles shares a recipe for these sweet and tangy Cranberry Cheesecake bars. I hope to make them soon, but wouldn’t these bars be a great gift too?

You can see her post here.

What Do You Think?

I absolutely love the exterior of this 18th century home in Oxfordshire, England. Owned by London interior designer, Samantha Todhunter, she is known for blending historical places with bold and modern design.

The main living areas of the house (with exception of the kitchen) have big, bold colors with attention grabbing design details. In contrast, the bedrooms are more serene and traditional. Anyway, I’m curious what you think. You can see it all here on The Glam Pad.

New Visitor to the Neighborhood

It was quite shocking this week to see this javelina (wild peccary) in the lot just next door to us. I have never seen one before and not only is this fella big, but he has sharp tusks. They can be aggressive in urban settings, and consider dogs a natural enemy. We hope he cannot get onto our property, because our sweet old beagle, Sox cannot hear or see very well.

Well, that’s a wrap for this Saturday. It will be busy but fun week as my blogging friends are coming to stay for a few days. Hoping for lots of laughter and creative moments.

Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend!

As I write this, we are stuck in Dallas due to the weather and ice storms. Our flights have been cancelled and we are not sure when the airport will open again. Also, why aren’t the airlines subject to price gouging during times like these? A one way flight from Dallas to Phoenix for $4,425.00? Fortunately, we are just adjusting a cancelled ticket but availability is rather bleak. But another week has come and gone and it’s Saturday and time for Saturday Meanderings, where we chat about all good things.

Scones and Lemon Curd

When I get a hankering for something, it’s hard to tell myself no. And anything homemade with love doesn’t have calories, right? Plus the minute I put on my apron, any and all stress melts away. I once took a cooking class from Roland Messier, a former White House pastry chef and purchased his book, Dessert University. HIs scone recipe is a winner and will try and share that with you once I am back home in Phoenix.

Since this book is out of print, you can find it with a google search on Etsy or a used book vendor. There is one available on Amazon here. I tend to alter this recipe into individual scones vs. a bigger round one that you cut into wedges.

I cannot emphasize how easy it is to make lemon curd and you can use it several ways. As a spread on scones, a tart or pie filling, or just eat it by the spoonfuls. It takes 10 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook. This recipe is made with Meyer lemons and you can find it here. Just plain yummy.

Trip to Dallas

The reason we are here in Texas is that a dear friend/client of my husband’s is fashion designer, Robert Comstock @robertcomstockfashion. Robert is launching his Fall line and rejuvenating his concept of design and conservation. Robert donates 10% of his profits to The Peregrine Fund, a wonderful non-profit organization that conserves threatened and endangered birds of prey worldwide.

In spite of the weather, several people turned out for the evening event of food, drinks and fashion. Special guests included four birds of prey from The Peregrine Fund for educational purposes. These birds have been rescued and would not survive on their own in the wild. What an experience to see these incredible birds up close and personal.

Our hosts for the evening were Anne and Steve Stodghill, who generously share their truly amazing home for many charitable events. As you can imagine, this was just a treat for me as I love home decor details and art. I love when someone appoints their home to their tastes and styles,vs. what’s trending or popular. Of course, the word fashion and my name never appear in the same sentence, but who doesn’t love a fashion show?

Fun Finds

My friend, Renae from Peacock Ridge Farm must be reading my mind, as I am considering re-upholstering (or making a slipcover) for one of my fabric headboards. Wouldn’t it be fun to change out the look of a headboard each season? I sew a bit~enough to get me in trouble, but I’d really like to try this. See Renae’s post here.

Stacy Ling from Bricks ‘n Blooms recently moved to a new home, which needs some updating. I love the Before and After pictures of her faux painted sun room. Since we are currently painting over the yellow faux finished walls in the pool house, Stacy’s post seems timely. If you have faux finished walls and are considering a change, check out her post.

Animal prints~are they in style? Or not? According to my friend, Google, yes! Animal print are definitely in style, especially this winter. My friend, Cindy Hattersley, a designer, has a great post on How to Style Animal Prints Over 50. Time for me to pull out the limited animal print items and wear them! Plus if you aren’t family with Cindy, has an amazing sense of style. See it here.

Community Service

For several years now, I work tirelessly on our neighborhood volunteer board to help maintain the character and charm of our North Central area of Phoenix. We are blessed to have diverse architecture from small cottage lots to large estates. It is truly one-of-a-kind place that we all call home. With all the new development and expansive, rapid growth of our City, our temperatures are increasing.

However, our generous neighborhood continues to donate funds to buy more trees to keep our neighborhood the 10 degrees cooler it is vs. the rest of the City. In the last year, we have partnered with the City of Phoenix and have planted nearly 100 trees along our main historically designated street, North Central Avenue. It is so exciting to see the results of our labor.

So that’s another wrap-up for Saturday Meanderings! Have a wonderful weekend and can it be true that March is next week?