I have decided to start a new series here on my new blog called My Favorite Things Lately, with links, so that you can check them out for yourself if you wish. Hope you enjoy this and find it useful too. DISCLOSURES Here we go! MURPHY'S RUG LAW: Reader Margie in sunny San Diego, CA wrote asking me where we bought our new floral kitchen runner rug. I told her that I had just spilled a big blob of spaghetti sauce on the white area of it, (of course!), and it took some doing to remove it, so if I had to do it again, I'd buy this colorful rug instead so that any residual stain would never show after cleaning it up. Nothing like a little colorful camouflage to hide a stain! :) ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS GO TO JAIL: Have a hankering to stay in a beautiful Bed & Breakfast inn and get some rest? My hubby Steve and I have stayed in 69 inns in 17 U.S. states, since 1987, but since we can't do that now easily due to the pandemic, we are armchair traveling! We are at a point with so many inn stays by now that trying some really unique ones in the future is on our bucket list, and doesn't this historic Galena, Illinois Jail Hill Inn look delightful, unique, and fun!? I mean, how clever is their "repeat offender program?!" Enjoy the virtual ambience and decor, my lovelies! The best part? Virtual travel is FREE right now while you save up money for your next B&B inn trip, even if it's only for one night. Since it is the month of love and romance, and you are most likely cooped up at home like everyone else on our pandemic-planet, here's my popular article I wrote years ago, Decorate Your Bedroom Like a Bed & Breakfast Inn. So you can get started on that now in your own home while you are under, um, "house arrest," if you will. :) You don't have to go out shopping right now, (please don't/stay safe!), to create this B&B feeling in your own bedroom; use what you have on hand already and be creative! Or, shop online and have it delivered. LIGHT IT UP A LITTLE: I'm a big fan of small dollarwise things to make your own home feel lovely and cozy. (But not so many things that it feels cluttered.) I love the simple candelabra below that I bought for our coffee table. So easy to change out the color of the votive candleholders for varying occasions. I don't think they sell it anymore, but here's another similar style, and another. KITCHEN CABINET COTTAGE COZY: I found this cute brick-pattern vinyl wallpaper and we used it to line the floor of the cabinet under our kitchen sink recently. Cottage dollarwise cozy! ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS LOVE A COZY BOOK NOOK: Doesn't The Library Hotel look like a fun book-ish place in bustling New York City?! Steve toured their lobby for me when he was in NYC a few years ago for his work and he said I'd love it! Well, some day. TIME FOR TEA: Even if you work a super busy job in an office, (and especially if you do!), you can still take time for tea. Store this adorable little travel tea set in your desk drawer and when you go to your office break room for your break or lunch, there you'll be! And you can invite your co-workers too if you wish. FOR SERIOUS CHOCOLATE LOVERS ONLY: This spread is so good on these for a snack! Great with a cup of your favorite tea so maybe you'd better store these in your work desk too, along with your new tea set. :) LIVING LIGHTLY: Even though I've been home and office organizing, DIY decorating, streamlining, simplifying, and teaching and writing about it all in various ways for much of my life, I still like to read books by others on these topics because everyone has a unique perspective that's fun to read about. I'm not a die-hard-minimalist as I seriously love my creature comforts and a few collected lovelies, but instead I'm a small spaces author and dweller, and more importantly, a simplified-living-tailored-to-your-own-lifestyle-guru. Even so, a recent favorite book of mine is Lightly by veteran-minimalist author Francine Jay. She has a wonderful overall perspective on living, especially for our complex and cluttered-world times, in my opinion. This is really a beautiful book! She's funny in places too; I think you'll like her. Like Francine, I've gone mostly paperless, so I bought her book's Kindle version. I hope you enjoyed my first Things I'm Liking Lately blog series and if you want to give me feedback, please email me here. Keep calm, drink tea, and dollarwise decorate your home to make it your haven!* Kathryn :) *My eBooks can help you with that and they are all on sale for the entire month of February. #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #eBooks #declutter #decluttering #homedecorating #DIY #smallspaces #smallspaceorganzing #smallspacedecorating #travel #bedandbreakfastinntravel

Do you love to cook at home, kind of like it, or are you super tired of a whole Covid-year of so much at-home cooking?! No matter which one you are, we all deserve a little cooking-labor break from time to time, so ... Hello no-cooking-on-Sunday-trays! To curb so-much-cooking-fatigue, you just "assemble" healthy attractive "nibbling" foods on trays, but no cooking allowed at least one day a week. That's what I came up with as a solution to so much home-cooking and my husband Steve and I love this m.o.! Here's what I did with our own "Sunday trays" to give you some easy ideas to get started ... DISCLOSURES I bought some new pretty tablecloths on Amazon and I really love this red checked one as it didn't wrinkle out of the dryer and is super heavy. I bought these cute red checked napkins too and they washed up like a dream. And several of these white trays from Amazon worked dandy as they have a lip so foods/bowls don't slide off, and they stack really nicely for easy storage. (These work great too as a lap tray to eat in your car if need be, but that's another topic for another day.) These little white ramekin cups work great for small nibbles like nuts. These bigger clear dessert cups work great for things like olives, dried fruit, dips, etc. And these little-bit-bigger bowls work great for chips and crackers. Bonus: The turquoise bowls come with a lid which is nice for leftovers. (If you have any!) My favorite thing I bought for this little "party" though was these cute little appetizer plates. Are these adorable or what?! These 20 oz. stainless tumblers make for a great cool or hot beverage and they hold a lot. I bought white and they are lovely and pair nicely with any dishes, but they have some really pretty colored tumblers too. The rest of the things for our trays I already had from past entertaining days, like these appetizer forks and spoons and napkin rings. I used my name-and-date-engraved baby spoon to scoop nuts. It's 62 1/2 years old so that was fun! (Home hack: I removed the tarnish on my baby spoon with toothpaste on a soft cloth, and then rinsed it off.) :) I ordered our nibbles food from Amazon Fresh, handily delivered right to our front door, and then I ... Put the tablecloth on the table Put the rings on the napkins Put the food in the dishes Arranged the dishes/food for visual appeal/color Filled the glasses with Club Soda with a splash of orange juice, over ice Moved my battery-lighted orchids to the table for a little floral flair and color And lastly added my Christmas votive flameless candles (These votive holders are so nice and come in so many fun colors.) Nibble all day on Sundays when the spirit moves you! For future Sunday trays, now I have all I need organized and stored together so it will be super easy just to set it all up. I highly recommend setting up a dedicated space to store everything together if you can. I rearranged the bottom shelves of our coffee bar, (similar to ours), for our Sunday-trays-supplies, sorting items into plastic baskets like this and this that I labeled with my trusty label maker. Photo below. For our Sunday trays, what did we eat? We personally strive for healthiest foods, so we had guacamole, gluten-free rice crackers, bean dip, organic potato and corn chips, dried fruits, apple slices, baby tomatoes, fresh carrot chips, hummus, green and black olives, chocolate covered nuts, plant-based cheese melted on crackers, etc. I arranged the trays so the food colors were varied and attractive. So yummy! Have fun with your Sunday trays! Prayers for your daily bread even if it's on a "Sunday tray!" In this pix above, I set two trays up on our foyer buffet vs. on our dining table, and put our candelabra in the middle. I like to keep things easy and simple. Foods on this tray included green grapes, baby tomatoes, cut-up muffins, pea pods, stackers crackers, and small biscuits, to name a few. And this time our Sunday trays were back to the dining table. Foods included dried apricots, prunes, dates, raisins. Tortilla chips with salsa, and sliced apples, just as examples. Blessings on your beautiful, simple, Sunday trays! Kathryn :) #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #bistrotherapy #KathrynBechenSundayTrays #SundayTrays #homecooking #comfortfood #appetizers #easyappetizers #appetizertrays

How has Covid changed the way you and your family dine? For us, like most people, it's been zero restaurant outings and instead mega-cooking at home because we feel safer healthwise eating this way now. My husband Steve and I have not eaten out, had food delivery, nor bought grocery store deli take out even once since the pandemic began. (This is why I came up with our Sunday Trays to make things a little easier too food-prep wise, and now our new pantry m.o. will make our Sunday Trays prep even easier too. Yay!) So much at-home cooking is like running your own restaurant at home, right?! And so, it was time recently for a home-pantry upgrade from our several little mini-pantries we had set up pre-Covid to one big pantry that now holds 95 percent of our in-stock-at-home food, and all of the stock is more easily accessible and visually organized to make ordering groceries easier too. Note: We live in a 748 SF cottage-style home with no basement nor attic nor garage, and we cannot store food in our one small outdoor shed due to Arizona temps. In other words, chocolate melts really fast if you store it in the garage or a shed here! Of course, if you live where things freeze, well then that's something to keep in mind for your at-home food supply, too. :) DISCLOSURES For our new DIY pantry, we bought two large heavy-duty melamine cabinets and had them delivered to our home. Steve assembled them. When we needed more shelving inside, he took apart our white melamine kitchen cart that he assembled three years ago when we moved in so he knew how to take it back apart, and he cut the boards to fit. Since we are replacing the kitchen cart anyway, (more on that DIY project later), the boards were "free" and he didn't have to schlepp the cart to the recycling dumpster. He also saved the cart knobs and the wheels for future DIY projects. We both love to repurpose to keep things out of our landfills, to use our creativity, and to save money. Win. Win. Win. My part in this "little pantry project" was sourcing and purchasing the cabinets online, rounding up and washing any storage baskets and bins we already had in our home so I didn't buy more new ones than we needed, labeling baskets, and the overall organizing strategy inside once the cabinet was assembled and secured well to the wall for safety. (Important!) I wrote notes on paper of my overall strategy before we started this, made a budget for the cabinets and any new basket shopping*, and then we tweaked the organizing too as we went because things evolved. Please don't think you can do a project like this in one day. And it's best to have two people, at least. You have things to order, wash, assemble, label, etc. and you have to get your food supply sorted by category too and put it into the bins/baskets. You have to be flexible as you go too, and also allow for any more food storage containers that you don't already have on hand. In my case, for instance, I added a "sunflower seeds" bin just today, as well as two small containers for gravy packets. It's not perfect usually right out of the gate -- a few tweaks are needed down the road sometimes and that's okay! Something else to consider: Even with planning our project ahead of time, both Steve and I were tired and sore by the end of all the assembly plus the basket organizing and washing and strategizing, I'll freely admit. It looks easy when you look at the pix above now that it's done, but it was like a gym workout with all the bending and carrying and stretching. So you might want to allow at least three days of effort/take vacation time off work so you can finish this up efficiently, but not in one "power day." In a future post, I will show you why I chose varying baskets and bins rather than having them all the same size and "pretty-pretty matchy" like you see on beautiful online boards. Because real life is not an online board, no matter what any social media star tells you, so it's best to stay real when setting a project up like this. :) In an upcoming post, I will also show you how we decorated around this pantry cabinet since it's in our living room/foyer area, but I don't want anyone to know it's a food pantry decoratively speaking, so I have DIY dollarwise decorating tricks up my sleeve for that. I hope this gives you at least a beginning idea of how you can create a large-ish at-home food pantry for you and your family that will more easily help you cook from home, especially if you live in a small home and/or have a small kitchen. More help for small homes and spaces. Remember: Your pantry should be tailored to you, your family, and your space/home. Think outside the box; I know you can come up with things you already have around your home, repurpose them cleverly, and make it a creative family project that's fun for all. True DIY pantry story: Years ago I was asked during a media interview by a young Mom of two boys if I thought she was selfish because they had recently moved to smaller home due to her husband's job relocation so she wanted to turn one of her boys' bedrooms into a walk-in food pantry and have the boys share one bedroom. My response to her was to talk to your family about the pros and cons of this spatial arrangement and why not do this if your kids get along well so they can share one bedroom easily, and your family can save money on food by buying in bulk/on sale, and keeping everything organized in your "walk-in" bedroom-pantry so that you don't buy too many duplicates and can better plan your food ahead etc. For that matter, your kids can learn to organize a food pantry for their future grown-up years when they leave home, and see how it will help them save money on groceries too. Have them help you set this up and show them project planning! And, if siblings share a bedroom, they can learn to get along with others and how to keep their room tidy enough so as not to drive a roommate crazy. :) Of course, if one sibling is an extreme neat freak and one child is a total messy, you might want to re-think this whole idea. Also, now with homeschooling such a big thing, there might not be room for two kids to realistically share a bedroom so you may need to look around the rest of your home to find a "potential pantry" space and you'd be surprised what you might come up with if you think outside the box! :) I don't think this Mom's bedroom-turned-pantry idea was selfish at all; I think it's smart. But it needs some serious thought too if it will work in real life as I mentioned above, before tackling the project. Now that you have food for your body, my lovelies, here's a little food for your soul. Wishing you pantry panache! Kathryn *Since neither of us likes debt, we purposely budget, save, strategize, and plan ahead so that we can pay cash for all of our home goods and upgrades. Repurposing and DIY helps that cause along too. And by living in small home, vs. a big one, there's not as much to buy for one's home in the first place either, which also saves money, avoids debt, and builds our savings/investments. And since we love to travel, (before pandemic times), saving money on home items and projects helps that fun cause along too. Anyone can do this; including you! #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #pantry #foodpantry #athomefoodpantry #foodpantryathome #foodstorage #cookathome #cookingathome #athomecooking #pantrypanache #pantryorganizing #smallspaces #smallspaceorganizing #smallspacestorage

I told you in my recent pantry upgrade post that I'd share with you why I used the particular bins and baskets I did here rather than buy all new pretty colored matchy-matchy bins like you see on beautiful online boards, and also that I'd let you know which bins were my favorites. Here was my overall "flexible" strategy: I don't like colored bins and baskets all that much, (or folders or labels either), because if one cracks or breaks or whatever then you're on a hunt to find a discontinued color. To me, that's a waste of time and energy so I try to stick with white and clear most of the time if at all possible and then I can mix and match them all just fine and the different sizes and textures look interesting to me. Steve and I have been spring decluttering and cleaning in our home so we have moved things around and also organized and re-arranged a lot of things so that freed up some bins and baskets we already had. I used those rather than buy more. It's easier as I didn't have to shop for more, and we like to save money and repurpose. Speaking of shapes, different size bins and baskets fit different things better so the various shapes worked great. Baskets and bins that were not as tall enabled us to add more shelves and stack two baskets. Other baskets that were taller we lowered the shelf to accommodate that basket height. Flexibility is key here. DISCLOSURES Okay, now to specifics and favorites ... These worked so great for soup and veggie cans! Very sturdy. I don't like cans rolling from a cupboard onto my feet and that won't happen with these gems. These worked great for large cans of tomatoes and sauce. Better yet, they are economical yet sturdy and you can buy them in a 12 pack for a song. So what if they're "really" a dishpan?! You know me: a container is a container is a container and my readers and I love to think outside the box rather than be boxed in. :) These worked great for noodles and pasta. And for nuts, Larabars, and little bags of chocolates for our Sunday Trays. They seal well and stack nicely and they come in different sizes and heights. If you don't want to lift every bin to get to the bottom then use a vertical style. These I kept because I already had them and bought them specifically to fit a former cabinet, but if I were buying new flour and mixes bins, I would buy these instead as they hold more and stack well. They are really for the fridge, but you know me: I took the green fridge thing-y out of the bottom and now it's a pantry bin. :) They are quite pricey compared to some bins, but they are so nice they are worth every shiny penny! These I had in our bathroom so I washed them all up nicely and moved them to my new pantry. They have lids so stack well. Perfect for glass jars of olives and pickles and condiments. These are really nice for lasagna and spaghetti noodles. Our easy veggie lasagna recipe. These I've had for years and they've been in my freezer, fridge, and cabinets all around our homes as we have moved homes. The white and gray big basket was a nice sturdy large size for salad dressings and ketchup etc. I don't remember where I bought this but this size is similar. (Though doubtfully as heavy.) The other random bins in there are from the Dollar Store. I wouldn't buy them again though as just too flimsy for my taste. So, there you have my new big pantry organizing m.o. for now. Once we get the decorating around the pantry space done, I'll show you that too. That's evolving and later as we work on functional projects first to improve our storage needs and simplify our home too. (This never ends.) Most importantly, how's your Covid pantry looking lately and what can you do to make food prep at home easier for yourself during this pandemic? I thought I would quit blogging so much since I am working on a new eBook, but alas, I found I missed blogging after doing it for so many years, so here I am again. :) Never say never. Happy St. Patty's Day, (my hubby's half Irish!) I hope you had a good one! As for me, to celebrate the green after all this pantry organizing and cooking has made me tired, I virtually left our cozy Arizona cottage and armchair traveled today to this beautiful Irish Castle to take a luxe nap, have tea and a decadent dinner, and be luxuriously pampered. Dream on, and be simply practical, my lovelies! Kathryn :) #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #pantry #foodpantry #athomefoodpantry #foodpantryathome #foodstorage #cookathome #cookingathome #athomecooking #pantrypanache #pantryorganizing #smallspaces #smallspaceorganizing #smallspacestorage

If you're a foodie who loves nothing more than trying new recipes and spices, you might consider that really fun, but as for me and Steve, we consider cooking pretty much work these days, so going out to cute bistros where someone waits on us and we get to enjoy the wonderful food, decor, and romantic ambiance would be our version of fun! But in case anyone hasn't noticed, cute bistros of the eating-out-variety are out of the question at the moment, in our opinion, due to you know. And so, my lovelies, we must create our own at-home-bistros, and to do that best, we need pantry storage! DISCLOSURES First off, an update: I showed you our new at-home food pantry storage system and it's working great after a week or so of using it! I can see everything at a glance so that makes grocery shopping online so much faster now as I know what I need to order at a glance. How and why I organized the baskets and bins the way I did. If you're seriously considering doing this in your home too, I say go for it! Our new skinny pantry: And now we also have a skinny pantry in our small galley kitchen too. On sale! This pantry's not for food, but for things we need to easily cook and do food prep quickly. Example: These lovelies work great for storing pourable cooking oils; I cut the lid thing-y off to make it easier to pour without fiddling. And I set them on an old cutting board to catch drips which soak right into the board. :) We placed this cabinet to the right of our range since we are both right-handed. And it's all organized inside like an airplane cockpit -- everything is right at hand. The cabinet package includes all the shelves, the handle, and feet that turn so you can level it. It had to be assembled, so my handy hubby Steve did that for us. Paper instructions were included. Leveling it was relatively easy with just a turn of the included feet. (And me saying to Steve: "Please turn it a little more to the left.") :) Having two people helps; one to turn the feet close-up and one to eyeball it from further away and give their two cents. Then at the end, a leveling tool works best to be sure. We didn't need any more shelving, but there are holes to add additional shelving if you wish. PROS & CONS PROS I like the height of this cabinet as it really holds a lot even though it's skinny. The quality is pretty good for the price and it's strong with thick sturdy shelves inside. I love Wayfair ordering and have had wonderful delivery service. This arrived quickly, without damage, and it was easy to track the package to see when it would arrive. (Helpful with snowstorms that impede deliveries.) CONS It's made from particle board with melamine over it so it has a strong chemical smell that outgasses. We placed our big IQ Air air purifier that helps remove chemicals right near it and turned it on high and that helped a lot. BTW, if you want an air purifier in your home for things like this, (and wildfire or cigarette smoke etc.), this air purifier has been repeatedly recommended to me by the many allergist MD's I've hired over the years. We run two of these 24/7 in our home. (But I have severe allergies so you may only need one. And, I don't know about you, but the extra cost for electricity for ours is fine by me so I can um, breathe.) Back to our new skinny pantry cabinet. If you're looking for fine custom cabinetry, this isn't it. But it's just dandy for the use we intended, sturdy, and you can "cute it up" with some flowers and greenery on a tray on the top like I did, and a pantry decal on the front door. (My pantry decal is on order from Amazon. So cute!) I also think these herb pots decals would be adorable on the front and easy to do. I hope this gives you another idea of how you can easily add storage to your kitchen/home, even if you don't have a big kitchen. Bistros-at-home don't have to be indoors. Outdoors works fine too. Our bistro set. I love all the new colors, especially the red and school bus yellow! Keep calm, organize your pantries, dream of future bistro outings, create a bistro at home, and think outside the box! Kathryn :) #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #pantry #foodpantry #athomefoodpantry #foodpantryathome #foodstorage #cookathome #cookingathome #athomecooking #pantrypanache #pantryorganizing #smallspaces #smallspaceorganizing #smallspacestorage

UPDATED POST SEPTEMBER, 2021: This was published awhile back in the spring of I think 2020 or so, (not sure of exact date, sorry), but I have updated and edited it to republish it now. I took most of these pix from the car through my closed window, so that's the reason some are a bit blurry. Please armchair travel along with us, enjoy the trip, and make sure any in-person travel you do is as Covid-safe for you and others as you can manage. :) DISCLOSURES When we take a little road trip ... We always keep melamine trays in our car for when we want to eat lunch or snack in the car as it makes it easy to sit the trays on our laps without making a mess since trays keep drips and crumbs under control, plus our drinks have a flat stable surface too. We wipe the trays off with these. I buy wipes in bulk and we keep at least two packs in each car. (Plus I use them daily to wipe off my bathroom counter and toilet, even pre-pandemic as it's so easy.) Once we get home, we wash the trays in the house sink and put them back in the car right away so they are always in there. We turn our car into our little on-the-road "bistro." :) Also since we both love scenic day trip drives and plan to do more of them, God willing, I bought these for hot lunch in the car for our picnic bags similar to these as we don't feel comfortable eating out right now, (with Covid), and we don't know when we will feel comfortable with that food m.o. as times have changed; we change with them, and we try to make it fun and charming as we go! BTW, if you have kids, smaller melamine trays would work great for the times you have to eat in the car, or are on vaca, and I like these car seat organizers too so that kids can keep themselves tidy in the car, on their own! That top pocket would hold a small melamine food tray in all likelihood. Venturing on now to the beautiful Tonto National Forest ... There are those I've heard say that Arizona is "all drab brown."  But I don't think so ... Okay, they have a point about lots of brown, but you know what? It's not all brown; there's also lots of greenery and colorful flora too if you open your eyes! Stick with me here ... See what I mean about green!? And oh, that oh-so-blue Arizona sky! I rest my case on the green! And although we didn't see any wildflowers on this particular drive, there are many gorgeous wildflowers in Arizona in the spring. See that horse-crossing sign? That's an Arizona traffic-jam! :) Kidding. My hubby told me he saw on the news there were horses on the road the other day. Well, they were here first! :) The cactus are starting to bloom! I give it a week and these will be breathtakingly beautiful and fully open. (Sorry it's blurry but I was in a moving car here!) I am so in love with cactus since moving to this state. I have taken oodles of pictures of them and they just amaze me every time I go outside. One of the things that surprised me the most when we moved to Arizona in 2018 is the number of gorgeous lakes! Really blue, really pretty lakes. One of the other things many Arizonans and visitors like about this state is you can still get on the road and drive, vs. sit in traffic. The Tonto National Forest is one example of a drive like that, although usually you will see some cars, and sometimes several in a row during a busier time. But you hardly ever sit in traffic. Okay now, let's get back to talking about these cactus. The people who claim Arizona is totally brown are usually those people who also say, "Oh p-shah -- you've seen one cactus you've seen 'em all!" But, I beg to differ! Here's why ... Cactus don't all "hug" each other like these ... They're not all "funky" like this one ... They don't all have about as many arms as an octopus, like this one! They're not all "loners" like this one. Some are a little "messy" and rugged. Some are more "prim & proper" and like all their "ducks" in a row! Some are "groupies." And others are content to "do their own thing" -- thank you very much! The one thing cactus, (it's cacti for plural if you want to be correct), all have in common is they thrive in the sun! Good thing too since it was about 105 degrees the day we took this drive, and as you can see, the sun was out! That's A-okay by me though as I personally love the AZ heat and sun! (Growing up in the Midwest shoveling snowbanks, I'll personally take +120 sun any day!) My hubby Steve and I hope you enjoyed your Arizona "armchair day trip" with us! Come back soon please for more armchair travel posts as I am editing and republishing several of my older posts again here on my blog. "Oh, the places you'll go! --Dr. Seuss Kathryn #kathrynbechen #authorkathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #Arizona #VisitArizona #Arizonatravel #TravelArizona

DISCLOSURES I've been enjoying easier home cooking with our new big pantry m.o. that's working SO great! Our new skinny storage m.o. has helped the easier-cooking-in-our-small-home cause along too. (Small Space Organizing help.) And so, I thought I'd share a new super easy online "recipe find" that has so blessed our life since we became plant-based and almost vegan awhile ago. (We still eat honey and once in a great while, fish.) I love a good quiche/easy egg bake that I can make ahead and refrigerate for a next-day guest gathering, and I struggled for a long time in finding a no-eggs quiche that was super easy to make and actually tasted good just like real eggs quiche. (Have you ever cracked a dozen eggs at a time for a 9x13 quiche? Yeah, um, not my idea of a super-fun time, personally. And the hen probably didn't have a great time giving you those eggs, either, bless her little ruffled feathers heart.) :) Thank you to talented/prolific cookbook author/blogger Camilla at PowerHungry.com for saving the no-eggs quiche day! xxx, Camilla! Her chickpea flour quiche recipe is so easy and SO SO SO good. (Who even knew chickpeas were a thing?!) My husband Steve also gives this recipe double thumbs up! He told me there is absolutely NO WAY he can tell it's not made with eggs. (I showed him how to make it so now he can whip a pan up in no time too. Yay!) This quiche is dollarwise too, which makes it even better in my pandemic-thrift opinion. I think a whole 9x13 pan of it is around $10 +/- depending on what you put in it and whether or not you choose organic ingredients as I do. Also, you can mix any veggies or plant-based cheeses or crumbled veggie burgers etc. that you want into the chickpea "base batter," so you could make up several different flavors ahead of time for your Mom's Day Brunch or Graduation Breakfast or Post-Wedding Brunch held at your home. That's why I decided to share this with you now so you can plan ahead for those fun upcoming galas of yours. You could even set up a "quiche buffet bar" with several flavors to offer your guests. But alas, for your future guests who don't live in your home, I am not sure how you will feed them this quiche during the pandemic this year. Hmmm, on second thought, maybe you could email them the recipe ahead of your soiree date, and they can make the quiche at their house and then you can all virtually Zoom and quarantine-swoon over the different flavors from your own homes. Wow; a virtual "no-eggs quiche celebration!" A year ago or so, who woulda thunk it?! Well, during Covid, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?! Freeze this quiche! : It freezes for up to three months so as I already mentioned, you could make several varieties and store them ahead for your upcoming soiree/gala event. Or just for next Sunday's everyday-simple-at-home-brunch if you prefer. Or your next family breakfast-for-dinner meal at home. Single? Freeze them in my fave small fridge/freezer food containers. Just pop one into your mini oven to heat up later on the oven tray. (Minus the plastic container, of course, as you don't want "melted plastic quiche" as a flavor choice!) DISCLOSURES I've personally made these quiche flavors using Camilla's super easy base batter + add your own choice of goodies. Here's her basic PowerHungry.com recipe. Broccoli mushroom: I chopped up frozen broccoli, laid canned (drained) mushrooms on top, sprinkled dry onion/garlic/salt mix on top, my fave spice mix, and poured the batter over it all in a 9x13 pan, and then I baked it according to the recipe instructions. BTW, Camilla uses little muffin tins and her little quiches are so cute! Me? I was too lazy for "cute" so I opted for my latest fave 9x13 pan and then just cut mine in squares. Sometimes I cut them in "mini squares" and sometimes larger. The "mini squares" make a quick microwave snack for our no cooking on Sunday Trays. :) Potato mushroom: I "baked" potatoes in my crockpot the night before and refrigerated them. (This is my fave easy way to make baked potatoes, BTW.) The next day, I diced the potatoes up, laid them in the pan, put mushrooms and seasonings on top and poured the batter over it all in a 9x13 pan and baked. Onions and peppers: Using a frozen chopped onions and peppers combo, I did the same m.o. as above with just one bag. Yum! The flavors are endless using your imagination and your family's taste preferences. Maybe you could add some plant-cheese and crumbled bean burgers to come up with a kid-version "cheeseburger" that resembles a healthier version of fast food?! Just a thought! For best results, we let our quiche cool completely before cutting into squares. You need to do that so it "sets up" or it will be too mushy if you try to cut it when it's warm. Then, we eat it the next day, or pop a piece into the microwave for dinner. (It stays set up and doesn't re-mush after it's cooled initially.) I have both refrigerated and frozen this no-eggs quiche with great success. I love this storage container for keeping it in the fridge or freezer. Enjoy your new delicious and dollarwise quiche! Kathryn :) #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #homecooking #dollarwisecooking #dollarwisehomecooking #cookathome #eatathome

Have you ever felt like this? Yes, I thought so! My hubby Steve and I are doing small dollarwise home-handy projects right now; I have spring-spruce-up fever! How 'bout you? “Spring is the time of plans and projects.” ― Leo Tolstoy Does your home need some little dollarwise spring-spruce-ups too? My favorite eBook I wrote years ago on that topic is useful if you have trouble knowing where to start, or if your home improvement budget is small. Happy dollarwise home improvements, Kathryn #kathrynbechen #authorkathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #homeimprovements #dollarwiselifestyle

I posted about this last year for our 40th wedding anniversary and I thought you might enjoy our "Hawaii at Home" decorating/party m.o. ideas again this year as an easy dollarwise summer party. CDC-compliant, of course due to Covid. We set this all up inside, but it would be super fun to set this up in your own backyard too. (As long as you live in a low-wind zone, that is!) Here's the 2021 Cliff Notes version of our party, with product links at the end of the post for reference. DISCLOSURES I bought everything for our little at-home-luau on Amazon. We kept the food easy to make and arrange and we used melamine dishes. Steve assembled the pineapples that came with the paper straws. Steve picked out a new "Hawaiian" shirt on Amazon. I ordered this tropical sundress on Amazon. Next up on the luau party circuit: I put on my "Ginger Rogers-style high heels" -- a.k.a. my fave slippers, so we could dance the night away to wonderful Hawaiian music. And Steve put on his "beach thongs" -- a.k.a. his most comfortable slippers in the world! As you can see, we're the loud party type!! Actually, we did go to the (faux) beach! As in, we bought the Elvis Presley movie "Blue Hawaii" and after our dancing-in-our-dining nook escapade, we watched this cute movie from our bed. No sand required. I hope you enjoyed our little at-home-luau and will be able to create one of your own this summer. Luaus are really fun for kids, too! Product Links to actual, or similar products mentioned in my post: My sun dress, white shawl, pink poncho, slippers Steve's black palm tree shirt & colorful palm tree shirt Tablecloth & napkins Floral string lights Lighted silk orchid plants Small bowls for munchies Pineapple straws Melamine dishes & trays Plastic wine glasses Beach towels for chairs Blue Hawaii movie Hawaiian music CD Aloha! Kathryn #kathrynbechen #authorkathrynbechen #travel #DIYHawaiiLuau #Luau #LuauatHome #HawaiiatHomeParty #Hawaiitravel #TravelHawaii #HonoluluHawaii

UPDATED & REPUBLISHED SEPTEMBER, 2021 Personally, I still don't believe it's a good idea to travel, with Covid being what it still appears to be according to the news. So let's take a little "armchair travelers" trip together on my blog today, from our own cozy homes, shall we? But first, let me ask you if you've ever considered this ... Is Bed & Breakfast Inn travel for YOU? My husband Steve and I have stayed at nearly 70 bed and breakfast inns in 17 U.S. states since 1987 and we love this m.o. of travel, but we feel it's not for everyone. Over the years, I've been asked countless times why we love inns so much and we have also been asked many kinds of other questions related to inns too. So, I thought I'd address some inn pros and cons and ins and outs, (sorry, couldn't resist the pun!) NOTE: The bed and breakfast inns I am talking about here are small businesses, usually in historic houses, with the homeowners or innkeepers living and working on site and tending graciously to guests. They are not rentals of someone's home bedroom, entire private home, or casita in their backyard that some sites call "bed and breakfasts" today where the homeowner may, or may not, live or be on site while guests are staying there. Just to clarify. IMPORTANT: The intent of this post is only to have a fun "armchair traveler" read here from your own home so as to be safer during Covid. But should you decide to actually travel to a bed and breakfast inn in person during Covid, please use caution, just as you would staying at a hotel during the pandemic. Call any inn that you might be considering and make sure you understand their specific Covid policies; do not rely on their website for the most current information as inns are small businesses with lots to do to provide you a wonderful stay, so their website may not be current due to staffing challenges and added cleaning responsibilities etc. during Covid. DISCLOSURE: I am not being paid to write about or to link to any of the inns below. They are just examples to make my point. Like us, you might enjoy inn travel too if you .... 1. Like historic and architecturally-unique homes and buildings. Examples. 2. Prefer smaller and quieter lodging instead of large bustling resorts or hotels or mega cruise ships. (And don't mind no swimming pool usually, but some inns do have a pool.) Example. Another example. 3. Are longing for a cozy and/or elegant romantic getaway or to celebrate your anniversary or other special occasion in a beautiful, and usually quieter, place. Inns will often give you a special gratis treat if you let them know it's your anniversary or birthday etc. Example. 4. Are not planning on taking your young children with you. Some inns welcome children, but some do not allow kids at all or have a minimum age restriction. Be sure to ask in advance. Our opinion staying in so many inns is that they are not places, ordinarily, that kids would really enjoy all that much anyway as there is little for them to do. (Unless maybe they are introverted bookworms who like sitting in a fancy antique chair quietly reading for hours on end.) 5. Want to get married or spend your honeymoon in a quiet, romantic, beautiful place. Many, but not all, inns host weddings and allow or require you to rent the whole inn for your wedding. Be sure to ask too when you book if there's a wedding as you might be the only guests who are not part of the wedding fun, and it could be nosier that night too. Inn wedding venues. 6. Prefer a "one price for everything" mode of lodging since often a gourmet breakfast, afternoon wine & cheese, sodas, coffee and tea, on-site parking, and free wifi are included in the price. TIPS ABOUT COST: When you add it all up, most inns are a great dollar value overall in our travel opinion, because many amenities are ordinarily included in one nightly price. But yes, prices have increased in the last few years. If you're on a tighter budget, but still want to try an inn, don't fret, because you don't have to spend $350 a night; you can still find a cozy homey style inn for much less if you search diligently online, depending on the location. Another example. A wonderful example. Many inns offer one or more smaller rooms, (usually best for singles), at a much lower price than other rooms. And they often offer seasonal prices that are much less too. Sometimes inns give discounts for multiple-night or repeat stays too so be sure to ask. Also, mid-week stays are usually less too. In Arizona, if you're a resident, discounts can be had for that too. Ask in the state you live in or in the states you plan to travel to. Add it all up and I think you'll see that inns are wonderful stay for the money spent! That all being said, I value what inn owners do so much to provide comfort for their guests that I usually take along a greeting card in my suitcase and write them a thank you note with a nice cash tip for their hospitality. Sure, I've already paid for the room, but I may have received a perk or discount, plus I like to be extra appreciative too so this is a nice way to say an extra thank you, I think. 7. Want to get great decorating ideas so you can turn your own bedroom at home into a "bed and breakfast inn." (If you'd like to see all our own at-home bedrooms where we did that as we have moved all over the U.S. during our careers, sign up for my DIY Cozy Resource Room at the bottom of this page and you can access those pix and my tips article on that topic.) I have really enjoyed "collecting" great decorating ideas from our many inn stays that I have easily applied at home on our everyday dollarwise budget, with my hubby's great handyman help. Some inns not only give you great decorating ideas just by observation, (take your journal or camera!), but they have clever room names too. Once when we re-decorated one of our own bedrooms at home we named it "Villa de Petite" in honor of our inn stays and I made and framed a little sign with the name on it and hung it over our bed. Such fun! :) This is another thing I love about inns and their owners: abundant creativity! 8. Enjoy a delicious hot homemade gourmet breakfast served with elegant china, silver, etched glassware, and fresh flowers. Oh, and a view. Romantic! Did I mention beautiful gourmet breakfasts?! (Don't expect this during Covid though. It may, or may not, happen. Ask in advance.) 9. Like a "sitting room" style lobby with books, classical music, and helpful binders of places to visit in your area. 10. Love high thread count sheets, big fluffy comforters, old fashioned claw foot tubs or oversized soaking tubs, or big walk-in showers. Bubble bath included! 11. Feel comfortable chatting with other guests over breakfast around a big table. Some inns serve this way but others have many smaller tables if you prefer it to be just the two of you at breakfast, and some inns offer room service, or breakfast on the porch or patio. Or in your room. (Covid update: I see many inns are now delivering a boxed-breakfast to the outside door of your room for no contact, so as I already mentioned, don't expect the regular communal dining-style-sit-down-breakfast with china and crystal if you do decide to travel to an inn right now. ) 12. Like a small lodging setting in an often-historic neighborhood with beautiful manicured yards and gardens and views and/or with easy walking distance to a small historic downtown. Example. 13. Enjoy learning the interesting history of the home or building as most inn owners love to tell you the tales of the history of their properties. The historic tales are usually VERY interesting! As are many innkeepers. (Sadly, not all the house tales are happy ones as this inn owner's family experienced the former Spanish flu pandemic in 1918. That inn survived though and is, I would imagine, a haven during this pandemic, over 100 years later!) 14. Enjoy friendly and accommodating innkeepers and owners who have often traveled the world themselves so they are often very interesting people who are great at conversation, resourceful, generous, and kind-hearted in giving you good local travel tips and offering personalized service. Innkeepers are usually "people-people" who like serving others. Amen. 15. Love to imagine you're "stepping back in time" to a more gracious era. (Me too!) 16. Love a mint on your posh pillows. On a silver tray. (Raising hand here!) 17. Want to be pampered and feel like "rested royalty" for even just one day! (I'm not sure that real Kings and Queens rest much, with all their royal duties, but you can at an inn!) 18. Like to support small/local businesses, especially family-owned businesses where all the family talents are used. We like patronizing small and local businesses, including inns. 19. Might want to, or have to take your pet along and need lodging that allows pets. Ask before you book; some inns do and some inns definitely DON'T allow any pets AT ALL so you don't want any surprises, and I'm sure your chic Fido would much rather stay in a comfy inn Puppy Palace than sleep in your car! :) 20. Want a quiet, comfy, and safer lodging place to retreat to as a single to work quietly or just rest. Writers and artists love to retreat to quiet inns! Another example. And another. (Raising writer-hand here!) 21. Want a Grandma-and-Daughters-and-Granddaughters reunion getaway. Or maybe you just want a Girlfriends Getaway or a "Mancation." If you want quiet as a guest though, you might ask before you book if there are any groups staying there as that could get noisy. 22. Want to take your Granddaughter somewhere special to celebrate an event in her life and model for her how to be an old-fashioned "lady" who loves Victorian Tea Parties and tales about The Titanic. 23. Like being surprised by lodging variety and decorative flair, rather than stay in cookie-cutter chain lodging that's usually similar decor wherever you travel. 24. Like the option of dinner on-site as fine dining in the inn's dining room. Many inns increasingly offer this now, or will serve you a romantic dinner for two even in your own inn room. Ask before you book as sometimes you need reservations as their dining room is open also to non-inn guests. Amazing example with a view. Another amazing inn dining experience. 25. Like cozy and elegant add-on packages/enhancements when you stay somewhere, like: rose petals on your bed and a bottle of champagne, afternoon tea, packaged picnic for two, wine and cheese tray brought to your room, couples massage, and on it goes! Bliss. Example. 26. Would like staying in a more private cottage or carriage house that's located on the same property as the larger main-house inn as part of a lodging "complex." This is increasingly common, and a good idea for a working retreat. Example. Another lovely cottage. 27. Prefer non-smoking lodging. Most inns are non-smoking or only allow smoking outside in a certain area, but some do not allow smoking even outside anywhere on the property. And should you get caught being a smoky-naughty, you will likely be charged handsomely for an extra cleaning fee. Be sure to ask before booking! And please be courteous to fellow guests and inn owners. (Spoken here by someone who is extremely allergic to tobacco smoke of all kinds, so I, and your lungs, thank you for not smoking.) 28. Want to stay somewhere very special to celebrate Christmas! We did this on Christmas Eve here many many years ago and loved it. The magical sun room was especially beautiful at Christmas, viewing the fresh white Iowa snow while sitting next to the twinkle light Christmas tree inside. Example. Take an inns Christmas tour! Or go to fun inn jail for Christmas! You and all the "repeat offenders! (Have I mentioned inn owners are clever and creative? Well, this inn owner gets my award for that! Clever. Very clever.) :) 29. Love big-soaking-tubs. (Oh, heaven to me!) 30. Prefer to elope! Or you want a "micro-wedding." Great alternative to expensive weddings. If Steve and I were marrying today, we both agree that we would choose a "just us" wedding at an inn, complete with dinner, room, ceremony, cake, and elegant add-ons for a beautiful, quiet, private memory. Or maybe you want a "mini-moon!" 31. Want to renew your wedding vows. 32. Gone With the Wind is your favorite movie ever! (Me too.) And fine dining is your favorite thing to do! (Ditto.) 33. Love gardens and gazebos. And lavender farms! 34. Think you'd like to buy an inn one day or be an innkeeper. Steve and I have been asked many times if we'd ever like to own an inn since we have stayed in so many. No, in all honesty. We just like to stay in them because if we owned an inn, we would be busy 24/7 running the inn as a business, so we wouldn't be free to travel. Plus, we'd never want to take on a million dollar business loan (or more) to run an inn either. Our preference is to live simply at home and travel to inns and enjoy them that way. 35. Like horse-drawn carriage rides and picturesque water places. 36. Think it would be fun to stay in an inn lighthouse. 37. Think it would be fun to stay in an elegant inn treehouse. I hope you enjoyed these varied inn links and it gave you something to ponder! On our personal bucket list for Arizona inns to consider visiting in person in the future: Sheridan House Inn near the Grand Canyon, Canyon Villa in beautiful Sedona, AZ, Heritage Inn in the mountains of Snowflake, AZ, The Blenman Inn, Tucson, AZ. I'm sure we will find more to add to our possibilities list! :) "One's homesickness for heaven finds at least an inn there; and it's an inn on the right road." --Ruth Pitter Happy armchair inn travels, Kathryn #kathrynbechen #kathrynbechenauthor #authorkathrynbechen #bedandbreakfast #bedandbreakfastinns #bedandbreakfasttravels #bedandbreakfastinntravels #bedandbreakfastbliss #kathrynbechenbedandbreakfasttravels #travel #inntravel #innstravel

DISCLOSURES If it's been as HOT where you live as it has in Arizona where I live, (+115 degrees some days), then you might like to invest in this dollarwise little kitchen lovely so that you don't have to turn your oven or stove-top on and therefore create even more heat in your house and up your AC costs by doing that too. Bonus points here for the fact that this cooking m.o. is a one dish clean-up project. Don't you just love those?! TIP: Soak the white pan insert in hot soapy water with 1/2 cup baking soda for an hour or so and it will clean up anything stuck-on -- food slides right off, or at most, you might need one of these brushes for a little help. The Crockpot pan insert fit perfectly in my sink to do this as shown in above pix. I've been cooking at home a long time, (since I was about 8 years old!), and I must say, I think this Crockpot Casserole Cooker is right up there with my favorite Crockpot as my other fave way to cook now. I have been using the casserole cooker almost every day since I bought it and just love it. Below are some dishes I have made recently that you might like to try for the 4th of July in lieu of grilling, or as side dishes to your favorite grilled meats. The fun thing is, you can make it up as you go and have fun being creative -- I didn't really use recipes for any of the dishes below and yet they all tasted yummy in the end. My hubby raved so this is a good man-food slow-cooker too. The best part, other than that they taste hearty-yummy? They are all dollarwise per portion too, even when using organic food. (Anyone else's food bill gone up during the pandemic? Yes, I thought so. But you, my Dollarwise Duchesses, know how to outsmart inflation so you can stay on your budget, yet also eat healthy tasty meals, right?! If you don't know how to do that, then stick with me kid and I'll teach you in future posts.) Now for the yum ... Chop your favorite veggies like summer squash, zucchini, eggplant, potatoes etc. and top with pre-cut coleslaw. You don't have to use fresh veggies, BTW. You can use a frozen mix like this if you want. Sprinkle a tablespoon of dry onion and garlic over the top, your fave spices, salt, 1/2 to 1 cup liquid aminos, and then pour a jar of your fave marinara sauce over all, or you can just use the aminos and no marinara sauce. My most fave dollarwise marinara sauce. Cook overnight on low. Stir it all up in the morning and oh my! Soooo good. The aminos give it an awesome flavor. Chop potatoes in larger chunks, cover with frozen or fresh diced peppers/onions, a can of Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken soup, your fave spices, a little salt, and some shredded cheese on top. I used this plant-based cheese on top and it's really good. Cook overnight on low. Stir it up in the morning and another yum! Again, chop potatoes in chunks, add in sausage slices. I used these plant-based sausages and they taste really good. Cover with a can of Cream of Mushroom soup, shredded cheese, and if you wish, salt and your fave spices. Cook overnight on low. Yum. Yum! Slice eggplant in thick slices, rinse so they are wet, coat with seasoned bread crumbs. I use this brand as it's gluten-free. Lay the eggplants in the dish. Cover with your fave marinara sauce, add grated Parmesan cheese to the top. Bake overnight on low or about 4 hours on high, 'til eggplants are tender. Serve with a green salad and garlic toast. Oh how delish this is! My hubby Steve gets "fancy" with the toast and cuts our everyday bread into triangles, bless his heart. Fancy mac and cheese, anyone? Boil your fave noodles in a pot of water, rinse, and drain. Add in sun-dried tomatoes, (my faves). Snip them into small pieces with a scissors, and a jar of Kalamata or regular black olives, diced. Sprinkle in shredded cheese and melt all together 'til it's like mac 'n cheese. Transfer to the Crockpot casserole dish, (greased), and sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese and/or seasoned bread crumbs. Bake on low for 4 hours or so. I wouldn't bake this one overnight for so many long hours or it will get overdone, even on low. (Ask me how I know!) Easy-peasy comfort food! Dessert for breakfast anyone? Steve diced up apples and pears and put them in the casserole cooker. He topped them with several packets of quick-cook oatmeal that had been mixed with a little coconut oil and brown sugar and that made a nice crumbly topping. Baked on low right before we went to bed and in the morning we had it for breakfast! Really good with coconut milk on top. Tips I've learned using this little Crockpot casserole cooker ... Greasing the dish with coconut oil or butter helps clean-up. Make your dish up during the day and stick it in the fridge 'til right before you go to bed and then turn it on low. Be prepared for food smells all night though. We set ours on our range top and turn on our range vent fan. I like to cover the top of the white insert pan with foil and then put the lid on. It seems to really hold the heat in well that way. Pix above. You can put the 9x13 inch pan in a handy insulated carrier to easily take it to a pot-luck dinner or a friend's home and the food will stay at least somewhat warm. Anything I have made in this casserole dish can be easily frozen into portions to grab and heat up when you have a busy day away from home yet want to come home to a home-cooked meal. This appliance does not heat up your house excessively in hot weather. It uses much less electricity than using the oven, saving you money. And we all like to save money, right?! I know we do. :) On another note, my hubby Steve has another new kitchen toy he loves! When I read that one reviewer on Amazon said it was as fun as a skill-saw for her hubby, I was sold. I'm not a big kitchen gadget cook personally, but I thought Steve would enjoy using this, and he has, so I'm glad I bought it for him as a little gift for all the cooking help he's been giving me during the pandemic. His eyes lit up immediately! Probably not quite as fun as skill-saw for him, but it dices potatoes like a dream! And he grated cheese for our dishes above and it worked great for that too. Be sure to sign up for my mailing list in the aqua box below and instantly receive a free e-book when you sign up. By signing up for my mailing list, you'll receive special offers now and then, plus I share more personalized stories and tips from my own home and life than I do here on my blog, if you are interested in that. We wish you a wonderful upcoming 4th of July as we enter the deep heart and heat of summer. Stay cool. Stay safe! Stay savvy! Kathryn :) #KathrynBechen #KathrynBechenauthor #AuthorKathrynBechen #homecooking #cookathome #casseroles #Crockpotcasseroles #smallspacecooking #smallkitchencooking #smallkitchens

Soon we'll be celebrating the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday so I thought I'd round up some dollarwise Good Little Things to help us all celebrate ... some require zero cash outlay, and for those that do require a little money, with Amazon Prime's efficient delivery, there's still time to order. I've also included a couple links to some dreamy Thanksgiving locations ... and of course, dreaming is FREE, which makes it even more fun in my dollarwise lifestyle book. :) DISCLOSURES Thanksgiving prayers Thanksgiving songs A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Fall colors floral dress Pretty fall tablecloth Fall leaves lighting ambience Simple fall harvest recipes Fall savory snacks gift basket Vintage fall centerpiece Everything You Need to Know About Caring for a Thanksgiving Cactus Wouldn't Thanksgiving in Hawaii be dreamy some year?! Thanksgiving in a charming Vermont town has always been a dream of mine Living with Thanksgiving all the time -- what a smart way to live and a pretty blog! My husband Steve and I will be celebrating a simple and quiet cozy-for-two Thanksgiving Dinner in our "at-home bistro" that we updated a bit this year with a new table, chairs, pillow covers, turntable for napkins & condiments, and our cute new bistro sign. I bought several new colorful tablecloths* and pillow covers to change with the seasons of spring, summer, fall, winter. Just for colorful fun! That's the extent of my seasonal decorating though; I have never been a big seasonal decor person as I prefer simple overall and to spend money on keeping our home looking fresh and pretty year-round instead of buying seasonal things I will just need to store. Practical gal I am. :) AN OUTDOOR TABLE INDOORS? Our new lightweight dining nook table is much easier to move to clean under and the chairs are easier to get up out of since they have arms, plus they are very comfy seats. We chose these lightweights purposely for these reasons. Assembly required; Steve did that for me, God bless him. A 60 inch round tablecloth fits just right. A 52 inch square one would work equally as well I think or you could layer the square one over the round one for nice effect as I did below. These furniture pieces would look great on a small outdoor patio or balcony, yes, since they are really for outdoors, but I'd be worried if you live in an area with wind that they'd tip over, or worse, blow down the street! Seriously. (Arizona, where we live, has WIND; this is how I know.) :) *NOTE: This tablecloth on our table above has such a beautiful pattern in person but personally I found it a bit too lightweight for my taste to be a long term "keeper," plus it needed ironing and I prefer to just toss in the dryer and it comes out unwrinkled. So in all honesty, I don't think I'd buy it again but if you just want something light and quick, it's fine. Floral lace square table topper is really nice. Really nice weight of fabric too for this tablecloth on our table underneath the topper, and I would buy again. Yummy colors. Came out of the dryer like a dream with no wrinkles and stays on the table nicely due to the substantial weight. "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." --Psalm 136:1 I wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving! Kathryn :) #Thanksgiving #Celebrations #Holidays #KathrynBechen #KathrynBechenauthor #AuthorKathrynBechen #decorating #homedecorating #smallspaces #smallspacedecorating #dollarwisedecorating