Saturday Meanderings

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!