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Hi Reader,

I hope things are going well with you! It was so wonderful to read all the emails I got after I sent last week's newsletter. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it - thank you for being a part of this wonderful simple homemade life community.💜

This week has been so lovely, weather wise, and I've had no problems keeping up with my goal to walk at least 26 minutes each day. And not on the walking pad but outside in the glorious sun!

Happenings

Speaking of sun reminds me that I just have to share this story to let you know that so many things here do not go according to plan.😀

So, you remember when I shared we had bought a Costco greenhouse about a month ago? In the classic DIY domino effect, we couldn't start to assemble it until we figured out how to bring the cement pad we already have (that slopes to one side) level. It's an odd-shaped pad poured by previous owners, so we also had to do a lot of measuring to see where it would fit best. Once we had that figured out a week later, we'd be good to go, right?

Um, no. Because then it meant the greenhouse will be about 6-inches from the back of the garage...which we haven't painted since moving in 8 years ago (and needs it). So, we've got to paint.

But first, we have to pressure wash. And then paint. In February. Sigh. So the whole project has sat for a few weeks (when we had freezing temperatures). This last week, thankfully, it warmed up and we had that lovely sun AND a couple of 60 degree days!! So Brian washed the garage and then started rolling just the back with paint (we'll do the rest of the garage later).

And now, finally, we can start to assemble the greenhouse...just in time for us to leave on a two week trip.😂

An Appetizer Meal for Sunday - or Any Day!

Honestly I love appetizer or charcuterie meals and think they should be a regular part of meal planning. Mostly I serve them for fun days like New Years, big football games or parties, but they are also a summer hot weather go-to. Here are some highlights from my Appetizer & Drinks category:

• ​No Bake Greek Nachos (15 Minute Recipe)​
• ​Easy 5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Taco Dip (or Instant Pot) with chips
• ​5 Minute Goat Cheese Appetizer with Dried Tomatoes & Roasted Red Peppers with baguette slices
• ​Cheese-Stuffed Mini Peppers with Roasted Corn Salsa​
• Cut up veggies with Homemade Creamy Feta Dip & Dressing Recipe​

Will you be watching the Super Bowl?

From The Blog

​Good Things List No.93​ Our visit to a sweet coastal motel, things to do in Newport, a candle warmer update, an inexpensive setting powder, plus four (actually 9!) short book reviews and a few things to watch. READ IT HERE!

​February Dinner Menus: Simple Real Food Cooking​ I'm now on the right timing to update the monthly menus at the beginning of the month.😀 New formatting, updated recipes and the PDF download option ready to make meal planning easier! RECIPES HERE!

A few more things

#1 - I don't usually share a photo way down here, but I wanted you to see how realistic these faux flowers from Hearth and Hand look:

I ordered three stems of the pink ranunculus and two of the white sedum which I mixed with some baby's breath I had (that will dry nicely) and a few rosemary stems. If you look closely, they're obviously fake, but from a distance you can't really tell.

I'm ALL about real flowers here - I use them all the time when I have them growing which is about 9-10 months. But late January, February, and March before the daffodils start blooming there's not much to harvest outside. We don't live near a store and the last time I bought a couple bouquets at Trader Joes it was $11 for a week of blooms. The fake flowers were $30 and will last kind of forever. As a stopgap between the seasons, I think this is a good investment (and way cheaper than I've seen other fake flowers). Oh, I should mention that I also looked at some greenery stems they also had, but they looked WAY fake and I'd never use them. Adding real greenery with faux flowers is a great way to make them look better.😀

#2 - Brian and I are listening to this audiobook right now that I saw on another blogger's list and we're enjoying it so much! The protagonist is a teenager who's secretly a prince from a disposed kingdom and he finds a way into a prestigious academy that might be his way to helping his people. While there is familiarity with the themes and structure to other popular books (hello, Red Rising), there are many layers to this story, the main being that even though it seems like a Roman world (togas, carriages, stone tablets), the lower classes cede their will to upper classes, which allows the people in charge to become more powerful and do more things. It's part of a series and apparently the next installment is very good, too.

#3 - After years of looking I bought a pair of white tennis shoes for comfortable travel and casual walking and after using them for awhile I have to report that I love them and can walk miles in them easily! They are the Adidas Grand Court 2.0 with a cushiony insole. I debated back and forth on real leather, but in the end just couldn't pay the price. These have held up well for about a year now and are not showing any signs of peeling or breaking where they bend with walking. They have been really easy to keep clean, too - I never worry about that as everything easily washes off with a sponge. I love how they seem to go with so many things in my closet!

Enjoy your weekend and the week ahead - thanks for reading!!

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