cathyboettner

Summer Garden Birthday Party

Our niece and her family came in to town and it coincided with her birthday, so we had a get together to celebrate her. I wanted to do something that was really cheerful and summery, so I started with a great Williams-Sonoma tablecloth that I found last year at the consignment store–even the right size!Continue reading “Summer Garden Birthday Party”

Raspberry Iced Tea

My husband loves Peace Tea Raspberry Tea, but I don’t like spending that much on something that has so many “fake” ingredients. I decided to see if I could make something that gave him the same taste, but with much better ingredients. I decided that I would use white grape juice for at least partContinue reading “Raspberry Iced Tea”

Sweet Animals Table

If you’ve been following along, you’ll recognize my thrifted tureen full of yellow kalanchoe, which I just love. I added my favorite bunnies and my metal frog and some green glass lanterns. These items bring out colors that are in the salad plates–Albertina by Villeroy and Boch. I also used some vintage goblets–Savannah by Sears,Continue reading “Sweet Animals Table”

BIG Bouquet from the Garden

We were celebrating my FIL’s birthday at our house and I noticed that my gladioulus were starting to bloom so I picked them. While I was in the cutting garden, I also picked some Nigella stems that were full of seed pods, and some dahlias. I grabbed a few oakleaf hydrangeas and then I wentContinue reading “BIG Bouquet from the Garden”

Strawberry Basil Vodka Gimlet

We have gotten some really delicious strawberries this year and I decided to make a cocktail with them for some friends who are coming over. To start, you need to assemble all your ingredients. I took about 25 large strawberries and about 3 1/2 cups of vodka and processed them in the blender. I thenContinue reading “Strawberry Basil Vodka Gimlet”

Blueberry Lemon Jam

We had this during our trip to Highlands, NC and it was fantastic, so I decided to make some. Here’s how I did it: Ingredients: 4 cups frozen blueberries, thawed 4 1/2 tablespoons pectin 1/4 cup lemon juice Zest from 2 large lemons 5 cups of sugar Process about half the blueberries in the foodContinue reading “Blueberry Lemon Jam”

Tacos and Margaritas

My jumping off point for this table was the adorable margarita glasses I found while thrifting. It’s a little guy napping in front of a cactus–for $1/each, they had to come home. I also found the striped dinner plates for less than $1/each–Lemon Zest by Dansk. If I were going to do this for real,Continue reading “Tacos and Margaritas”

By the Seashore…

We had people coming for dinner and I didn’t want to go and get flowers, so I improvised with items that I have on hand. I love the aqua glass lanterns and shells on top of the sisal runner. I used Wedgwood Maxadura Chargers and tan plates from Ballard Designs and aqua napkin in woodenContinue reading “By the Seashore…”

Strawberry patch and Herb Garden

We did a major thinning of the strawberries this spring and they are starting to produce some nice sized berries if we can get to them before the birds do. You can see where our gutter overflows ALL THE TIME. We have a new downspout coming and we’re going to have to route it alongContinue reading “Strawberry patch and Herb Garden”

Just when I thought I was finished…

I sprayed the outline for adding more river rock around our forsythia, but hadn’t considered that the wild bermuda hadn’t really started growing when we put the rock down…so…it’s popping up everywhere. I will have to stay after this all summer to ensure that I get rid of it completely. In other news, I prunedContinue reading “Just when I thought I was finished…”