Today on weekend meanderings, my fall cleaning and decluttering project continues and you won’t believe what I’ve dispensed with for good. Plus, I’m decorating for fall with faux stems, and sharing a hearty vegetable beef soup recipe.
Happy Saturday, friends!
It’s time for the weekend post with Kim and Elizabeth. Our weekly roundup of inspirations and goings on.
Oh my gosh, it’s November! We finally felt a seasonal shift and our heat went on for the first time. We turned on the fireplace too. I love cozy nights reading or watching TV in front of the fire.
That said, it’s only November so let’s calm down about Christmas. Ok, you do you. But I’ll be enjoy fall through Thanksgiving.
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We did turn on our holiday lights last night. In recent years I’ve been putting up our Christmas tree for Thanksgiving and decking the halls over Thanksgiving weekend.
We’ve got a lot of ground to cover so let’s go …
Celebrating 10 Years with Miss Pippa
This week we celebrated our 10th year with Pippa. We adopted her on Halloween 2014 when she was 5-6 months old. She was being fostered at a local daycare where our Bella went to play 2-3 days a week. One day I went to pick up Bella and felt a little wet nose on my leg. I look down and saw Pippa, a little wisp of a dog. I scooped her up and fell in love. It took some convincing to get Jim to agree to bring her home. And now he refers her the heart and soul of our household. She’s a wonderful big sister to Maggie and the nemesis of our cat, Abby.
Pippa may have been expecting a different kind of celebration on her adoption anniversary, instead she went in for a dental cleaning. The kind that requires anesthesia. She also had three teeth removed. Poor Pippa. She’s a terrier mix and prone to dental issues. She had eight teeth removed just 18 months ago. Did you know that all dogs have 42 teeth? With that in mind, she’s only down 11 and her important chewing teeth are intact. Dental care is so important for dogs. Dental, and veterinary care, is expensive, but when we bring fur babies into our family’s we’re committing to giving them the best possible love and care to allow them to live long, comfortable and happy lives.
Pippa is so resilient, she barely skipped a beat. She’s on a soft-food diet for the next two weeks and taking antibiotics plus a pain reliever. Last year we started feeding Pippa and Maggie fresh food from Nom Nom. Their monthly delivery arrived this week … they enjoy Beef Mash and Turkey Fare. I wish I’d started them on fresh food sooner, they love it!
Fall Cleaning & Decluttering, Part Two
My fall cleaning and decluttering project continued this week, but I didn’t get as much done as planned. Jim surprised me by getting in on the act and doing a serious clean out of his auxiliary closet (closet in one of our guest rooms) which contains among other things his golf wardrobe (eye roll).
What remains …
When I went in to admire his work I realized to my horror that I had more sheets stored in that closet. Last week I did a cursory review of our tiny linen closet, but this discovery forced a more thorough overhaul. After reading Shira Gill’s book Minimalista last year, one of my takeaways is that we have too many sets of sheets. Shira feels that two sets per bed is sufficient and I agree. But, I didn’t put my money where my mouth is until yesterday. She says the same about towels – we have too many – and I reduced our collection as well.
Our linen closet is very small and shares space with the ‘brains’ of the house. In order to keep it clutter free and organized I moved our extra sheet sets to the bedroom closets so the linen closet is just towels tucked into these storage baskets. I used these baskets for washcloths, sheets, and pillowcases.
While we’re on the subject of bedding, I made another decluttering decision and this one may surprise you. I said goodbye to decorative Euro pillows on the beds. Gasp. I know they look nice and give a bed that polished look. And as much as I love the look, I’ve come to find them impractical. Where to put them when actually in the bed? Our bedroom isn’t large and the Euros spend most of their time wedged between the nightstands and the wall. And because there are three Euros, one side gets two stacked on top of the other. Not cute. I’m a daily bed maker but rarely put the Euros back on the bed. One reason is that they take up so much room. First it’s our regular pillows, then the Euros, plus a bolster, and two little dog beds sit at the end. This leaves no room if I want to plop down to read or watch TV unless I take the Euros off. For all intents and purposes, the Euros have become clutter. Here’s the bed with and without. I can live without.
Images by Jessica Brydson Photography
This year I tried linen sheets for the first time and fell head over heels in love. After doing the sheet purge, I decided to order a second set of linen sheets and extra set of pillowcases and now we’re all linen, all the time. I’ve had lots of questions about them … do I find them scratchy, too warm, too cool. And the answer is no, not at all. As far as temperature goes I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like they’re cool in the summer and warm in the winter. What can I say? I’m a fan.
The last thing I’ll mention on the subject of decluttering – for today – is a total failure on my part. It’s about Zeebee. A large, stuffed zebra that I’ve been hauling around since my grandfather won him for me at a faire when I was one or two. Zeebee has seen better days. He has no eyes, ears, or tail. Whenever Jim encounters him, he asks why – WHY – is this ratty old thing in the house? I don’t know what to say – it’s as though I’ve bestowed Zeebee with a soul which makes it unthinkable to toss him out. Earlier this year I moved him to the garage, one step away from … you know what. This week, while sorting through the declutter pile, I caught a glimpse of Zeebee – cold and lonely in the garage – and got an idea. So I brought him back inside. Jim saw him and shouted, ‘WHAT is Zeebee doing in the house?!’ Call down, Jim. My plan is to find a stuffed animal restoration place to rejuvenate Zeebee and pass him along to my nieces littles. If anyone knows of such a place, please let me know before ZeeBee mysteriously disappears (if he does there will be hell to pay).
Coffee Table – Fall Edition
While many have moved on to Christmas, I’m just barely getting to fall. This week I zhushed our coffee table for the season. I didn’t do much, just changed out the stems in my chinoiserie cache pot to something more fall friendly. My coffee table formula is simple – square tray + books + plant + candle + decorative box + cocktail napkins. You can see it come together here.
My fall stems are from the Eye for Pretty Home in Danville. The stems are long and I had to clip them down and bend the ends to fit into my small cache pot. I use dried Spanish moss as a topper and it helps hold the stems in place.
I also bought pretty dusty rose stems for our dining room and put them in this many years old Target vase.
I really love the wood pumpkins I found at Grandin Road for my fall centerpiece. I think they sold out. Eye for Pretty Home has a lovely pumpkin selection as well as fall stems and everything you could possibly need to decorate for Thanksgiving and beyond.
I found these wood pumpkins online ~
Soup Season – Veggie Beef
It’s officially soup season, although I enjoy soup year round. There’s nothing better than a Dutch oven simmering away on a fall day. I feel like I’ve shared this recipe before, it’s my go-to, super easy, vegetable soup.
It’s an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of soup. And it’s different each time depending on veggies and stocks I have on hand. Here’s how I made it this week.
Vegetable Beef Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 lb Beef Stew Meat, cut into small pieces
- 2 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion, diced
- 4 Carrots, diced
- 4 Celery Stalks, diced
- 1 Red pepper, diced
- 1 cup Green Beans, chopped into 1" pieces
- 1 cup Broccoli, diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves, diced
- 32 oz Beef Broth
- 32 oz Vegetable Broth
- 14.5 oz Fire Roasted, Diced Tomatoes
- 8 oz Frozen Sweet White Corn
- 8 oz Fresh or Frozen Peas
- 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 Parmesan Rind
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in dutch oven on medium heat. Add stew meat. Cook until browned, but not cooked through. Remove onto paper towels.
- Add more olive oil to pan then add onion and cook for a couple of minutes. Add carrots, celery, red pepper, green beans, broccoli, salt and pepper and cook for 5-10 minutes. In last few minutes, add garlic.
- Add beef and vegetable stocks, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, parmesan rind and bay leaves. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and reduce heat. Continue simmering for 30 minutes.
- Adjust seasonings and add corn and peas. Continue to simmer 10-15 minutes.
- Serve garnished with shred parmesan and chopped parsley.
The Lincoln Lawyer, Season 3
Season three of The Lincoln Lawyer is on Netflix. All ten episodes are available so it’s ready to binge. We’ve watched episodes one through six but had to take a break so I could finish this post. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo stars as Los Angeles defense attorney Mickey Haller, and Neve Campbell as Maggie McPherson, a prosecutor and Mickey’s ex-wife. The entire cast is amazing including Jazz Raycole as Izzy who drives Mickey around LA in his Lincoln.
If you haven’t seen seasons one and two … what are you waiting for? If the series is new to you, the 2011 movie starring Matthew McConaughey (based on a Michael Connelly book) is good background.
Odds & Socks ~
- On Halloween niece Sophie’s husband Chad took part in the amazing rescue of a woman who’d fallen into a deep well. Chad is a member of CalFire and he’s the cute guy lowered into the well to bring the woman to safety. Needless to say we’re very proud of Chad so I had to brag about him. I know it’s just another day at the office for Chad and his colleagues, but wow. A couple of years ago I shared Sophie and Chad’s intimate family wedding.
- And in preparation for Thanksgiving and the holiday season, let me offer my annual reminder that favorite blogger Preppy Empty Nester’s sista and nephews wrote a wonderful book, Gobble: The Quintessential Thanksgiving Playbook, that will inspire you through the holiday entertaining season. Not only will you love it, but it makes a great gift for those establishing their own households and holiday routines.
- Serena & Lily’s Sale of the Year is on as of yesterday until December 4th … with 25% off + more, and free shipping.
For my local friends, a few upcoming holiday events we’re looking forward to ~
- Orchard Nursery’s annual holiday shopping wonderland opened yesterday. I can’t wait to get over there.
- Walnut Creek Historical Society’s annual Holiday Tea at Shadelands tickets are on sale. Daily teas are offered at 11:00 and 1:30 November 30 through December 15th, with special Champagne Teas on December 7th and 14th at 4:00pm. Call for tickets 925-935-7871. And visit the Holiday Faire from 10:00am to 4:00pm daily the same dates whether or not you’re having tea.
- Ruth Bancroft Garden & Nursery’s Garden of D’Lights tickets are on sale. This is my first year attending this annual event … a self-guided tour through the garden with everything lit up for the holidays. The tours take place on weekend from November 22 through January 11.
- Tickets to Town Hall Theatre Company’s Every Christmas Story Ever Told, and Then Some (December 7 – 21) are on sale!
- The Allman Betts Family Revival returns to The Fillmore on December 21st! This is one of our favorite annual music events celebrating the lives and music of Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts and The Allman Brothers Band. Devon Allman and Duane Betts, sons of the music legends, hit the road with their band and special guests for 19 shows starting in Illinois on November 30th and ending at The Fillmore on December 21st.
Current Favorites ~
And that’s what I have for you this week. Let’s see what’s inspiring Kim and Elizabeth.
In case you missed last weekend’s post, you can catch up here.
I’m had some backend issues with the blog this morning and my comment section went missing, but it’s back up and running. Thank you, Grayson!
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
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