cathyboettner

Hosting House Guests for the Weekend–Getting Ready

We do a LOT of hosting around here, and I especially love having houseguests because everything feels less rushed and more homey. This weekend, we are hosting college friends and since I’ve done it a lot, I am going to share my tips on how to do it without running yourself ragged, and minimizing yourContinue reading “Hosting House Guests for the Weekend–Getting Ready”

Bright and Cheerful Table

My zinnias are going absolutely crazy and providing great cover for my sweet potato vines. There are TONS of yellow and orange zinnias in the mix, so I created this table to use them. I found a pale yellow Southern Living brand flower arranging container (the lid has holes in it to hold the stems)Continue reading “Bright and Cheerful Table”

Buon Appetito! Homemade Roasted Garlic Marinara and Limoncello

We went to the Mennonite market with a friend and their canning tomatoes were a really great price $14/box. I wasn’t going to have time to work with them then, but I went back later and bought a box of them to make sauce out of because we are COMPLETELY out of the sauce IContinue reading “Buon Appetito! Homemade Roasted Garlic Marinara and Limoncello”

The Ancient Basement–All the Stone is UP

Oh my goodness. This was so much work! We got a little momentum going from finishing the platform under the stove, but then it was time for the walls of the closets and the wall behind the stove. First things first, we put down Ram board to protect the floor of the platform from strayContinue reading “The Ancient Basement–All the Stone is UP”

The Final Look

I finally got the curtains back and hung up and finished the gallery wall above the bed. Here’s the final look: I’m super happy with how it came out.

Banana Bread French Toast with Peanut Butter Banana Butter

I made a triple batch of banana bread to use up some bananas that I had in the freezer. It had been a few days since I made it and it was getting a little dry. So, I sliced it thin–about 1/2 inch. Laid it in on a parchment lined baking tray and toasted itContinue reading “Banana Bread French Toast with Peanut Butter Banana Butter”

The Ancient Basement–Work has resumed

We kind of overdid it last summer with the stone veneer on the big cinder block wall and we’ve struggled to find the motivation to finish the stone work. However, my husband has gotten the closets clad in plywood and cement board and applied the metal lath and the mortar scratch coat. In addition toContinue reading “The Ancient Basement–Work has resumed”

Lunaria Wreath–Use What You Have Decor

If you have been following along, you saw my post about the lunaria volunteers that I have growing at the edge of our yard and around the compost pile. We really have a LOT of it, so I decided to make a wreath out of them which will mimic the eucalyptus wreaths you see everywhere.Continue reading “Lunaria Wreath–Use What You Have Decor”

It’s getting hot, hot, hot…

We had family over and the forecast was for temperatures in the 90’s, so this orange heavy tablescape made sense. I was drawing inspiration from the Villeroy and Boch Bonjour Monsieur salad plates which have bright green, light blue, yellow, and two different colors of orange. So, I started with a light blue tablecloth–white seemedContinue reading “It’s getting hot, hot, hot…”

Our Design Choices That Get the Most Comments/Compliments

We have a few items in our house from when we renovated the public spaces/butler’s pantry/laundry room that get a lot of comments, and I think that they are kind of surprising. First up is the light fixtures over the peninsula. My husband really wanted stained glass/Tiffany style pendants. When we purchased all the fixtures,Continue reading “Our Design Choices That Get the Most Comments/Compliments”