cathyboettner

A Few Tweaks to the Primary Bedroom

You might recall, that I repainted our bedroom and bathroom last Spring. It looks so much more like us now, and I was generally really happy with it. However, I wanted to get all the pictures that we had stored in the basement hung up, so that spurred some minor redecoration. The gallery wall aboveContinue reading “A Few Tweaks to the Primary Bedroom”

Shed Refresh

Our shed has been a workhorse for 10 years now and the stained siding had really started to oxidize, so I went to Sherwin Williams and had them color match a solid stain to the color of the vinyl shingle siding. To get started, I had to take down the irrigation that is attached toContinue reading “Shed Refresh”

Mardi Gras Tablescape

I found some gorgeous purple glass salad plates by Bormioli Rocco “Palatina” at the thrift store. It was fortuitous timing since Mardi Gras is right around the corner. I started with my Wedgwood service plates, RAK buffet plates, and the glass salad plates. I added yellow to the place setting with the gold napkin, andContinue reading “Mardi Gras Tablescape”

Pining for a Meal with Friends

I found a set of gorgeous vintage dishes at the thrift store–Narumi Shasta Pine Cone–which inspired this late winter tablescape. I started with a couple of dark pedestals (also from 2 different thrift stores) with candles and pine candle rings and some balls made out of natural materials. The place settings started with my oakContinue reading “Pining for a Meal with Friends”

Mardi Gras–Laissez les bontemps rouler!

Mardi Gras is coming up on the 19th, and I thought you might like to make some New Orleans favorites. My husband and FIL both say that my King Cake is the best they’ve had. King Cake 1/4 cup butter or margarine 16 oz sour cream 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp salt 2 envelopes yeastContinue reading “Mardi Gras–Laissez les bontemps rouler!”

Thrift Store Score–The Floor Lamp is Finished!

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about finding a really cool vintage floor lamp at the thrift store. Here’s a link to that post: https://cathyathomeontheriver.com/2026/01/25/thrift-store-score-a-vintage-wooden-floor-lamp/ The parts that I ordered for the lamp finally came in late last week and I bought some new sockets and cord from Lowe’s. We didn’t have a lotContinue reading “Thrift Store Score–The Floor Lamp is Finished!”

Chicken Piccata for a Crowd

This is a family favorite! 5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced to 3/4″ 1 cup all purpose flour 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2-12 oz jars artichoke hearts 2/3 cup capers, drained 1 1/4 cup drained sun dried tomatoes packed in oil 4 tbsp minced roasted garlic (or fresh) 6 cups chicken stockContinue reading “Chicken Piccata for a Crowd”

Thrift Store Score–A Vintage Wooden Floor Lamp

Our basement will have can lights throughout, so that when we need a lot of light, it will be available, but most of the time, I want to use lamps, and sconces and other ceiling fixtures for lighting because they aren’t as harsh. One of the things that I know I want to put inContinue reading “Thrift Store Score–A Vintage Wooden Floor Lamp”

The Ancient Basement–Decisions

Since the holidays, I have been watching a bunch of videos on YouTube from The Potted Boxwood, and Homeworthy to get some ideas about how to design the basement. (If you enjoy home design/decor, these are great channels to watch.) Now that we’ve lived with the stairwell painted for a while, I have been thinkingContinue reading “The Ancient Basement–Decisions”

The Ancient Basement–Projects in Process

Work has continued here, but there isn’t much to show just yet. My husband took the last two weeks of the year off as vacation, which is good, because he worked a crazy number of hours over the prior 4 months. He spent a lot of time in the woodshop until the kids got homeContinue reading “The Ancient Basement–Projects in Process”