My husband and I are in Austin visiting son #1 and his lovely wife—I’ll post about Austin upon my return.  Here is a post on the fragrance of home.

To scent or not to scent.  That became the question when, quite by accident, I discovered that one of our friends is allergic to scented candles, soaps and perfumes.

Nothing sets the mood at a dinner quite like candles

We have had this couple in our home for dinner many times and there has never been any comment regarding the candles that I traditionally light while entertaining.  I respect his allergies so I will light only unscented candles for the upcoming dinner party.  I had to purchase them special since I only have scented ones.  Probably a good thing to have on hand in case this comes up again with other guests.

Flowers can sometimes trigger allergies

I do love the scented candles by Votivo (Red Currant is a favorite) and Aromatique (Sorbet is very fresh smelling).  I tend to select spicy fragrances for the fall/winter months and citrus/fresh for the spring and summer.

Do you enjoy a scented home?  What are some of your favorite candle makers/scents?

As part of my ‘divide and conquer’ advice in my previous post I thought I’d tell you how I began to convert a really plain and homely back yard into something we could enjoy.  When we first moved into our ‘cottage’ (28 years ago) the back yard was filled with grass/weeds and the bedding areas were bare except for several trees along the back fence.  I have always enjoyed working in the dirt but I confess this yard was a little overwhelming.  I don’t have ‘before’ pictures so you’ll just have to take my word for it, it was pretty ugly.

Not my 'before' picture but very similar

Using my divide and conquer philosophy I decided to focus on the side yard (part of the back yard) which was the first thing you saw when you went out the kitchen door.  Mind you, we had no extra money for someone to come in and revamp the space so I started slow.  I sat down with my pen and pad and analyzed the space to try to figure out how I could add some charm without breaking the bank.

Similar to the first arbor we installed

The first thing I did was to put a wooden arbor on my Mother’s Day wish list (which happened to be about 1 month after we moved in).   My husband bought the arbor from the local nursery and it was very affordable—all I had to do was paint it white (it was stained with a redwood stain).  I placed it so that when we looked out of the dining room window you saw this cottage arbor.  I planted 2 1-gallon snail vines on either side and was amazed that by summer’s end they had covered the arbor.  Note, the arbor is no longer the focal point in that location, a Smith & Hawkins teak bench was the replacement some years later.

Cottage garden look - Salvia

When I found plants on sale I would pick up plants that met my cottage garden criteria, i.e. penstemon, roses, lavender, loubelia, maiden hair fern, azalea, camellia, English daisies, pincushion ‘scabiosa’ and foxglove, to name a few.  I amended the soil with a compost blend (you can find this at the home improvement stores and nurseries) every time I planted something new.  This will greatly improve your chances for success.

A bird house from the K-Mart Martha Stewart collection was mounted on a post and still provides home to wren families that visit our yard.

Birdhouse

My point is that in about 6 months the area I had decided to start on was l0oking 100% better than it did upon our moving in.

Don’t be discouraged, if you don’t know for sure what kind of garden you would like to plant, visit the library or stop in at the bookstore (the ones where they invite you to sit and look at magazines) and start getting an idea of what kinds of plants you love and can maintain.  You can do this!  If you have questions feel free to contact me or your local nursery.  Enjoy the season and happy planting.

You can create your own Private Garden with time and patience

I’m beginning to sound like my eyes are bad with my overuse of the word focus —well actually, I do need readers, but that’s another story.

Library - the heart of the home

Being new to this blogging business I’ve been shopping other blog sites, not to copy but to figure out a direction for my scattered thoughts.  When you have 3 distinct “favorite areas of interest” it can cause overload.  Yet they (areas of interest) are so well intertwined—HOME for most of us applies to indoor as well as outdoor space and it seems natural to want to entertain family and friends in these spaces.

Garden Rooms

That said, one of the things that has hit home is being true to your own self no matter what your area of passion.  I realize that some of you might be saying, “Look, if I knew what my own taste was I wouldn’t be wasting my time reading what you have to say!”  I recognize we are all looking for ideas and inspiration to help us make our home life  more beautiful, enjoyable and comfortable.

Outdoor Living Space

My experience when pondering any task (such as determining how to manage the decorating, gardening or entertaining problem of the moment) is to divide and conquer.  Think about what your first priority might be, at least for now. (Priorities are always changing, right?).  Are you hoping to create a beautiful garden where you can relax and enjoy the upcoming season?  Wanting to revamp a room in your home that is in need of a face lift or a total redo?  Have a fabulous wedding/baby shower or party for family/friends on the calendar and need some wonderful recipes for the party?

Start with a notepad, pen and maybe a stack of nesting magazines. OR, maybe you don’t need the magazines—you can visit some of the wonderful blog sites for this sort of thing—and prioritize.  Include your ideas for for what ever you are desiring.  Congratulations, you’ve taken the first step.  I’ll talk about each of the above mentioned topics over the next several days, weeks, months and I hope I can be of some help.

All images courtesy of my favorite magazine (which is no longer publishing) Southern Accents.

Below is the recipe I”m preparing for our friends that are coming later this month.  I need to figure out what sides to prepare and what I will fix for appetizer.  To read this recipe from the Martha Stewart site visit here:  http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/parmesan-stuffed-chicken-breasts

Everyday Food by Martha Stewart

Parmesan-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Serves 4; Prep Time:  10 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes

It’s a beautiful day in Southern California, thankfully the rain clouds have moved east and we have sunshine and blue skies.  It’s a day to relax and nibble and to that end I am preparing several new recipes, all from the Pioneer Woman site.  She is truly amazing and everything I’ve cooked from her vast array of delicious foods, has turned out to be easy and delicious.

Today I will make her Italian Drip Beef sandwich.  In California we call it a French Dip sandwich but you can pretty much call it anything you like and it will usually be delicious.  PW calls for a chuck roast, beef broth (or consomme), Pepperoncini Peppers (which I am serving on the side as opposed to cooking them with the meat) and Italian seasonings.  I am using Cavender’s all purpose Greek seasoning, something my lovely daughter-in-law introduced me to years ago.  Okay, so I’ll bet you are saying to yourself, “you aren’t really preparing PW’s recipe, you are preparing your own” and I guess that would be partially true.  But I like to give credit where credit is due—I wouldn’t have thought of preparing “Drip Sandwich” had it not been for her recipe.

Sides for this feast will include Salsa, Guacamole and Pico de Gallo from the above mentioned Pioneer Woman.  I can hardly wait.

I’m rooting for the best team to win since I like the Saints because a former USC player (Reggie Bush) is on that team and I love the fleur dis lis AND I like the Manning brothers and since I always forget which one plays for the Colts I will be happy  no matter which team wins.

Good luck and good eating on this wonderful Sunday.

I love the fall.  I guess I prefer cooler temperatures and have often felt I should be living in a cooler climate…my husband agrees, fortunately.  Odd, since we both grew up in Southern California and should love the sun.  In any event I gain a burst of energy during October that doesn’t usually subside until early May.

I find that the first cool night (55 degrees or so) starts me planning for cozy fires in the fireplace, soups, casseroles, comfort food and baked goods.  I also begin planning for entertaining friends and family.

One of my dear friends and fellow cooking/entertaining  enthusiasts is having a birthday this month so about 3 weeks ago I decided I wanted to host a ladies lunch in celebration of her birthday.  Since the planning is at least half the fun I began by emailing the people I wanted to invite to make sure they would be available on the proposed date.  Then I started the process of creating the invitation, menu, what dishes I would use, table linens, flowers and a little gift for each guest.

To be continued…