At the height of my favorite season comes my favorite holiday. Whether you decide to celebrate big this year or keep it low-key, here some easy, festive and budget-friendly tips to enjoy the Fourth. Flowers Most people can go outside and gather a few fresh flowers, put them in a Mason jar with a ribbon […]
Making a contingency plan for rain is nothing I worry about living in sunny Arizona. But living in sunny Arizona means that sometimes it is too uncomfortably hot to sit outdoors and eat, but picnic food is still on the summer menu. No, I’m not one of those people who thinks an indoor picnic needs […]
Do you have memories of attending church and then going to Grandma’s for a big Sunday dinner? I do and my grandma had been a farm girl and she cooked big time. Those Sundays are sweet in my memories. But things are a little different around here. We play pickleball on Sundays and then usually […]
Putting together a simple mimosa bar and bloody Mary bar adds fun and several options to a brunch menu with very little effort. A very casual Sunday brunch has become our quarantine habit this year. After our early morning Sunday pickleball match, our small group all contributes to brunch afterward – usually at the pool. […]
Is it possible to get out of any store for less than $100 anymore? I know, I sound like one of those geezers who say, “I can remember when a candy bar cost a dime.” But, I wanted to refresh the plants on the back patio for the winter and man, those few plants and […]
We decided to shake up our normal Sunday routine with a fall-themed backyard games and chili get together. This is what we came up with for an easy and fun Sunday afternoon. Evite Sending invitations from evite.com is free and easy. It allows all the invitees to see each other, to respond, to comment, to […]
I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day weekend. We continue to carry on as if it’s summer here and throughout much of the West, but as close as Flagstaff, the weather will be changing. They will be flirting with freezing night temperatures and my sister, Susie, who lives in Colorado Springs, will get her […]
Is it still really hot where you are? We’ve got a couple months left to enjoy super hot days and nights here in Arizona, so I thought I would find a way to create something sweet without an oven and without a ton of sugar. I made these healthy(ish) popsicles with ½ cup of sugar […]
Ok, the whole world might be a bit of exaggeration, but it seems wherever John and I go, we have a reputation for having our fresh veggies with us. Oh, yeah, even when we went to Rome, we found a wonderful little organic market a few blocks from our hotel and made a crudité platter […]
Al fresco dining sounds so fancy, but for me it’s the most casual and friendly way to enjoy friends and family around the table. We use our patio quite a lot, but there is still some prep work involved in taking the party outdoors. I think I have it down to a science and can […]