Saturday Meanderings

Well, Happy October! Whoosh and just like that September is in the rear view mirror. Hopefully as you are reading this we are up in the cool mountains of Arizona. The big goal this weekend is to finally gather pumpkins and gourds from Willis Family Farm in Snowflake. Maybe that will light a fire under me to start/complete Fall decorating. Thanks for joining me for Saturday Meanderings where we chat about everything good that is happening.

Decorating by Room

Finally after years of putting up the same decorations, I am now focusing on the colors of each room and integrating that into my seasonal decor. My biggest challenge is the dining room because it truly is the only room that the reds, oranges and browns just don’t work. During a recent trip to SAS Fabric Superstore, I did buy some copper, blush, pink and green velvets to make pumpkins.

This fabric store is a bit intimidating and the people working there tend to scare me a bit. Not a great deal of customer service goes on here and answers to questions seem more like barked responses. However, there is a huge selection of anything and everything related to fabrics and sewing. I will let you know how these new pumpkins turn out.

My Pathetic Hands

I am the WORST at taking care of my hands. Truly, I need to write an entire blog post on the benefits of pampering your hands as I must get motivated to do so. We are attending two weddings in October and it’s time to buckle down and improve my mitts.

It’s my own fault as I garden without gloves (I love the feel of the dirt); wash dishes without gloves (just plain lazy there) and with the increased hand washing and sanitizing, well dryness is hard to avoid.

On Instagram, I did see this advertisement for Olive and June for an entire nail kit with fall nail colors. So I ordered it and it arrived this week. Look at the cute packaging. I cannot wait to dig into this and try it. At least from everything that I’ve read, the polish lasts longer and they guide you through creating the perfect manicure.

Recently, I went to a public meeting and the women sitting on either side of me had beautiful nails. I literally saw theirs and then promptly sat on my hands. It’s embarrassing but I’m the only one to blame. Will try this new nail kit and will keep you posted. Wish me luck! Here is the link if you are interested.

Cleaning the Garage

This is a bit of a sore subject because I have cleaned our garage several times. But SOMEONE, whose name I will not mention, tends to mess it up. Finally we are more motivated to clean the garage as a location scout needs a place to film a commercial.

This is a great opportunity (in my opinion) to get rid of stuff. In the process of sorting and organizing, I discovered some quilts I started many, many moons ago and never finished. My recollection is that I took up quilting to heal from the grief of losing my first husband, but my memory of sewing these is such a blur.

Nonetheless, I do really want to complete these quilts. Perhaps this will be a new goal for 2022?

Old Age Inspiration

Last week, my husband and I went to the Eagles Hotel California concert at a huge arena in town. I had some reservations being inside with thousands of people, mostly because we haven’t done anything like that in a very long time. And even prior to the pandemic, I’ve never been a big crowd person.

The Eagles signed their first contract 50 years ago….it’s almost hard to believe they have been playing for that long. For 3 hours, Don Henley (age 74), Joe Walsh (age 73), Timothy Schmit (73) and Vince Gill (64) played like they were in their 20s again. All of the performers are in great shape and what an inspiration for anyone who thinks being in your 70s is old.

The band sounded as good as ever! I remembered most the lyrics and the thousands of people there were dancing, singing and just enjoying themselves. It was 3 hours of bliss and I am so happy we attended. At one point my husband said to me that it all felt so normal.

Naturally in order to get in, someone at the door checks for either a negative COVID test or a vaccination card and then you get searched for weapons, but beyond that, it was an amazing evening. Everyone was kind and generous and friendly and fun. We. So. Needed. That.

Speaking of age inspiration, isn’t this a lovely picture of the Queen of England? I love that color blue and the touch of orange (which are perfect fall decor colors). Queen Elizabeth II is 95 years old….what an amazing person. Age is a state of mind, right?

New Beverage

As much as I love a glass of wine or a fun cocktail, there are just some days that I do not want alcohol. I am not a soda drinker and I drink half my body weight in water ounces every day. So I recently tried this Noughty Dealcoholized Sparkling Rosé and it’s rather good. This alcohol-free organic vegan sparkling beverage, it’s low in calories too!

It’s festive and perfect to serve guests who do not drink. Here is the link to their website. You may have to google where to find it, but I purchased mine through Food 52 here. Apparently they have a sparkling white too.

Bloggers’ Best Fall Home Tour

If you like peeking into other people’s homes (like I do), you may enjoy this. Each day this week, six bloggers share how they are decorating their homes for the Fall. I know many of the bloggers who are participating, and it is fun to see some new names and faces. No, they didn’t ask me to participate, but maybe next year.

There is a variety of home styles from farmhouse to classic and it’s easy to gather new ideas from it. I do like the fact that it is spread over the course of the week so it doesn’t become overwhelming or too time consuming.

You can find it here.

Baking Bread Again

Now that summer has simmered down, I am beginning to make homemade sourdough bread again. During the cooler months, I tend to make fresh bread weekly, but it’s been months! I nearly forgot how to do it. But low and behold, two delicious loaves of cranberry and walnut bread are being happily devoured.

Well that’s a wrap up for this week’s edition of Saturday Meanderings. I will be traveling quite a bit in the first half of October. Hoping to be organized enough to get blog posts out but if not, I’ll be back in a few weeks.

Happy October, my sweet friends!