Author Archives: cathyboettner

I started this table with the natural washed linen tablecloth with a beautiful embroidered table runner from Pottery Barn. I love the colors in this table runner. Perfect for fall get togethers. I used a teak tray from Sweden with pumpkins, squashes and gourds and verdigris metal containers with green apples. I added some shineContinue reading “Fall Tables–#2”

I am going to post a series of tables that you could use for any fall occasion, or for Thanksgiving. There will probably also be some Halloween specific tables thrown in for good measure. For this one, I used a wool throw over my natural washed linen table cloth. I love the colors in thisContinue reading “Fall Table #1”

We dug our sweet potatoes last night and at first I thought it was going to be a puny harvest, but the last few plants we dug up had some crazy big sweet potatoes. The skin on these was really scarred and I wasn’t sure if they were going to have something wrong with them,Continue reading “Sweet Potatoes Two Ways”

Now is full blown apple season here in SE Tennessee, so I decided to make some apple crisp to put in the freezer for later. Filling: 24 cups of diced apples 1/2 cup Minute tapioca 3 cups sugar 3 tbsp cinnamon Peel and dice the apples. Stir together the sugar, minute tapioca, and cinnamon beforeContinue reading “Apple Crisp for the Freezer”

I am helping my niece with table decorations for her wedding reception. She wanted to use coppery colors in her flowers and candle holders. I have used metallic paints before, but this paint is amazing: I was absolutely stunned by how the candle holders turned out. Here’s how I did it: Step one: Wash andContinue reading ““Copper” Tea Light Candle Holders”

As I mentioned in my last post, a friend and I went on the East TN Food Tour–Apple Valley Orchard, Mennonite Market in Delano, Tellico Grains in Tellico Plains, Benton’s Hams, and Sweetwater Valley Cheese in Philadelphia, TN. Apple Valley Orchard sells bushels of second quality apples for a lower price than first quality. AContinue reading “Applesauce by the bushel!”

A friend and I went on the East TN Food Tour today and I got some gourds, squashes, pumpkins, and apples that inspired this table. I assembled an assortment of containers in various materials, but all in shades of brown–metal, pottery, and wood. I placed these on top of a natural washed linen table cloth.Continue reading “Fall Harvest Table”

By this time of the year, just about all the flowers are tired, really tired. But, I was able to pull together one last bouquet from what is left in the cutting garden. It really may be the last one of the season. It’s different kinds of dahlias, zinnias, and some alstroemeria that I boughtContinue reading “The last of the cutting garden…”

In our basement, some of the walls were drywalled and painted when we bought the house, but others were not, and we have a lot of walls that are cinder block that we have painted with dry loc paint. My husband has wanted to hang the drywall because the exposed insulation just sucks the lightContinue reading “The Ancient Basement–Our first adventure in dry wall”

I have been making cinnamon rolls for years. The boys used to take them for boy scout camping trips and we brought them to all the boys’ regattas. Chris and I made hundreds of pans of them to raise money for his trip to Europe when he was in 7th grade. In fact, they wereContinue reading “Apple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls”