Saturday Meanderings

Has anyone else had a strange week? Is there a full moon? Anxiety levels seem to be up this week and I am SO happy it is the weekend. Happy Saturday to you and thank you so much for joining me for another week of Saturday Meanderings, where we chat about all things taking place this week.

If you have had a crazy week and missed my two blog posts you can see them here. The Room by Room series featured our master bedroom (click here ) and if you are thinking ahead to Memorial Day you can find patriotic table inspiration here.

A Week of Flowers

This week I received two beautiful flower arrangements. One from my blogging friends expressing their condolences about the death of my sweet aunt. This white themed bouquet is full of lilies, ranunculus and snapdragons. You have heard me rave about The Bouqs before and these flowers did not disappoint. Thank you, friends!

The next arrangement arrived yesterday from a local florist, Camelback Flowershop. Typically local florists tend to be expensive and the bouquets are underwhelming. But I must say this stunning arrangement from my sister, Joanie, is just gorgeous. The color combination of dusty pink with a soft orange is unexpectedly unique. Roses, tulips, wax flowers, ranunculus, stock, hydrangeas and pincushions create different textures and aromatic scents. Such a thoughtful gesture!

The sunflowers planted from seeds from Floret Farm are bursting in the garden now. A bit of a low yield, but I am so happy to see some results of my planting labor.

Recycling Flowers

This week I made another big batch of chicken potpourri with dried flower petals, lavender and calendula. Now that the weather is getting hot, we tend to see more bugs in the hen house. Placing the potpourri in the nesting beds does help in reducing the pests. Plus I think our eggs taste better when laid on a bed of rose petals!

Results of the Fast Metabolism Diet

Several posts ago I shared the book, The Fast Metabolism Diet by Halie Pomroy. This 30 day program allows you to eat a lot (3 meals and 2 snacks per day) without counting a calorie or fat-gram. There is a great deal of scientific information (which, quite frankly I skipped over) about the mechanics of the body and how the metabolism works. The purpose of the program is to keep your metabolism guessing in a very specific and deliberate way.

The author states you can lose up to 20 lbs. in 28 days and I do believe you can. Eating specific foods on specific days is the key (i.e. Monday and Tuesday, lots of carbs and fruit). Haylie also claims that not only will you lose weight but your cholesterol will drop, blood sugar stabilize, energy increase, sleep improve and stress melt away.

Actually, I did enjoy this program. I do not recommend it if you are traveling or on holiday. The challenges for me include eating every few hours, which is hard if you are on a plane or staying with friends. Do this program when you are at home and can control your environment. I didn’t lose 20 lbs. but I did lose somewhere between 10 and 13 lbs. (different scales). The recipes are tasty and fun. I am now off the program for 10 days and haven’t gained a pound….so I’m hoping this means my metabolism is fast again?

Going forward, I may do this the first week of every month because I do like the structure of it. If you decide to try this, please let me know what you think.

Did You Know?

According to an article published by theKitchn.com the best place to store cucumbers is….drumroll please……room temperature and not in the refrigerator. This is based on a study by University of California, Davis, which determined that cucumbers are sensitive to temperatures below 50°F. When stored at room temperature, cucumbers thrive and last longer. Stored below 50 degrees, they’re prone to developing “chilling injuries,” including water-soaked areas, pitting, and accelerated decay. No wonder my cucumbers don’t last long.

How Often to Clean your Sheets?

In a recent article by Food 52, the question is “how often do you wash your sheets?” According to the National Sleep Foundation, it’s best to wash your sheets once a week. Why? Because because your bed collects lots of stuff while you sleep ~sweat, skin cells, soil, food crumbs, makeup, dust mites… you get the picture.

Pillows collect the same icky stuff mentioned above so the recommendation is to wash them every 6 months (pillow cases weekly).

Blankets or duvet covers should be laundered 2 to 3 times a year~think seasonally. Time to do laundry.

Thinking Ahead to Summer

Remember when you were a child and school was finally out and you were so excited about summer? Those lazy, hazy crazy days of summer that seem to have lasted forever? I want to re-create that this year. It is so insufferably hot in Phoenix that most of the summer is spent indoors in air-conditioning. Though we do have some travel plans, I am longing for cool days at the cabin, easy brain-candy summer books to read and lots of watermelon.

Shortly I will be creating my summer reading list so if you have a book that is not controversial, not political, but a fun read (can be a mystery or thriller), please do share. And the goal is to start painting again! I don’t understand why I am not painting so getting motivated again is definitely a goal.

Well that wraps up this edition of Saturday Meanderings. After a controversial week, I am turning off my phone and just chilling. Cannot wait! Sending you big weekend hugs!