Author Archives: cathyboettner

We have a specific look in mind for our basement–a 1930’s English pub–and we’ve been on the hunt for era appropriate items that you might have seen in a pub at that point in time. I was hunting around for a trough sink and went down the rabbit hole of Etsy (did you know theyContinue reading “The Ancient Basement–Gathering Materials”

I have a TON of arugula right now because it was starting to bolt so I had to pick it all. I have given some away, but still have a LOT. I also had some asparagus left over from Mother’s Day, so here’s what I did. I sliced an onion into about 1/8″ thick slicesContinue reading “Steak, Arugula, and Asparagus Salad”

There is a recipe in the May issue of Southern Living for a Strawberry Shrub that you use to make a strawberry spritz and that sounded interesting, and I happen to have A LOT of strawberries that I need to do something with. Strawberry Shrub 1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced 1 1/2 cups sugarContinue reading “Strawberry Elderflower Spritz”

I think that I have mentioned that I got a flower subscription for this whole year as a Christmas gift from my husband–a bouquet every week for the spring and summer and into early fall. My flower lady (sweetsouthflowers on IG) drops them off at a local smoothie place around lunchtime each Friday and IContinue reading “Mother’s Day Bouquet”

I went to Benton’s Hams this week to get some bacon and smoked sausage and noticed a bin of ham bones under one of their work tables. I asked if they sold them and the man told me that they give them away. I asked for 3 of them. When I got home, I putContinue reading “Ham Broth”

We have been slowly chipping away at the projects in the basement. I thought when my husband took a week and a half off of work that we would make a lot of progress, but he ended up spending that time cutting wood for the beams, molding, and furring strips for the basement ceiling andContinue reading “The Ancient Basement–Update”

My husband has an interesting sense of style. Most of the time we agree on things, but there are a couple of notable exceptions. His lamp is one of those. His brother is a priest and my husband visited him while he was at the seminary in Indiana. The seminary has what my husband describesContinue reading “The Lamp”

Well, I had hoped to be posting about the stone walls in the basement, BUT my husband cut lumber for the basement with a friend and he brought home the pine furring strips for the ceiling so that we will have a way to attach the beadboard to the ceiling when the time comes. So,Continue reading “The Ancient Basement–the Ceiling”

My brother and his family are visiting from Germany and they came over for dinner last night. I had already worked on the Easter table, so all I had to do was set it with my pastel Fiestaware dinner plates and some cheery blue and white checked napkins. I started my pots of annual ryeContinue reading “Easter Table–Casual”

We are going for a 1930’s English pub vibe in our basement because we have low-ish ceilings and we have to use stone veneer on some of the walls, so that lends itself to that look. As a result, we decided early on that we were going to use antique doors. So last March (2022),Continue reading “The Ancient Basement–the Joys of Old Doors”