Progress in the Vegetable Garden

If you have been following this blog you will know we've been busy establishing our new square foot garden. Pictures of our square foot garden at our previous house can be found here and throughout the archives up to late June 2007 when we moved here. This garden has been 2 years in the making as we focused on clearing out a lot of overgrowth. The planned design is 4 - 4' x 10' raised beds and

Build a Bear Winner

Here are your random numbers:54Timestamp: 2009-06-29 20:57:32 UTC The winner is Her5Boys and she actually did a lot of those bonus entries, which helped ensure her spot. Take a look at these: My 7 yr. old son really wants the Brown Sugar Puppy and he wants to dress him in a Laker's Uniform!# posted by her5boys : 10:06 AM I follow you on Twitter!http://twitter.com/her5boys480# posted by her5boys :

Time to get our drink on!

And what better way than with the very British "Pimms Cup".


The anglophile in me would naturally glom onto this summer staple of the highbrow set. Wimbledon proudly sells 80,000 half-pints each year. What is it you ask? Well really only three, yes three, people truly know. A well-kept secret since 1859. What we do know is that it is gin based, the Pimms No. 1, that is. Do not bother with #2, #3.................THIS IS THE FAVORED.



So, back to Eddie Ross ( notice how i keep bringing that up :-)

When we found out Eddie and Jaithan were coming to the shop I read that Eddie liked Pimms, in luck, my speciality! And many calls later asking for the recipe, here it is;




Per glass;

1 jigger Pimms No. 1
1 jigger white rum
ice
lemon soda, typically not found in the US, do not substitute ginger ale. Target sells lemon soda

and fruit, lots of fruit; cucumber spear (a must)
strawberries
orange
lemon
garnish with mint.

But..................

I prefer to make it in giant pitchers. Add to taste the ingredients, let the fruit sit for an hour or two and pour.

have a summer cocktail party, invite and make new friends, cheers!

Iris verna

Iris vernaPictured is the Iris verna growing in one of our gardens. Iris verna is a beautiful, delicate looking wildflower that is hardy throughout Canada and the United States. It blooms in early spring. This clump forming iris is well behaved in the garden. Deer It reaches a maximum height of 12 inches at maturity making it an ideal border plant or as a statement plant. Iris verna grows

Cool Product of the Week

Each Wednesday I will be featuring a "cool product of the week". Our first feature is from West Elm. The headboard and attached bed frame are sleek enough but you can also attach two nightstands! The bed and other pieces also come in a deep chocolate brown. Click on the above title to take you directly to the west Elm website.

Wordless Wednesday: Loves Yogurt

This picture was inspired by a product review and giveaway coming up in my next post. My son absolutely LOVES Yoyo Baby and walks around saying "yo-yo baa-by." Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Tuesday Toot MeMe

Earlier this week I decided to go back to my all positive posts and no negative. Pretty much that'll be easy but after looking at Toot MeMe and reading all those other entries I think looking at even the smallest things for accomplishments can improve one's image or thoughts. We all know that we attract what we put out there so there is no way I want to attract those awful things. So I need to

Ruby Tuesday: The Red Sleeper

I'm new to Ruby Tuesday, I've only posted one other time. Here's my Ruby Red post. Oh look at the two of them. As you can see, it was still a bit nippy in the air so Little A was constantly in sleepers but this was such a great shot of him and his sister, BabyGirl running around and playing soccer. Remember those sleepers? Oh the days when we were younger and could get away with wearing them all

Smucker's Has New Toppings

It's an ice cream type of day here in Missouri. Why? Oh ummm, because the weather is 92-101 and we deserve a cooling off. So what better way to cool down? Have an ice cream party. Thankfully Smucker's recently sent us a few of their delicious products. We got the Smucker’s® Apple Cinnamon, Smucker’s Special Recipe® Dark Chocolate, and Smucker’s Magic Shell® Vanilla Cupcake and I went and got

Strength in Numbers

"In union there is strength"
Aesop


This year, 2009, is my 20th year in business. The learning curve was, and still is, huge. The rewards beyond measure. My company is my only child, my heart and soul. Gratitude is an enormous component, via my business I have made countless friends, lost a few, shared our lives and grown together. My blessings are counted daily.

And again, together, we will tough out the economy. Old patterns will be modified, I will learn to shift gears, you may see changes but that is the cycle of life. By and large I am happy to say we are "still in the game", thanks to you. But do I ever worry, absolutely, we all do.

A recently discovered organization has grabbed my attention, full on strength. Read below;


learn more here (or to read without a magnifying glass)


Together, those of us that can, have a responsibility to actively support our favorites. My three businesses are;

Town House Books and Cafe in St. Charles, Illinois. Here






Sandra Webster clothing in Geneva, Illinois. Here




Moveable Feast in Geneva, Illinois. Here

Random Picture Weekend

It is the close of the weekend with it being 10:21pm on Father's Day and I thought I'd do a bit of catching up on all the things we've been doing. We had a bit of fun in the pool over the last few days, then we tried moving the pool to a different location because it kept becoming lower and not by splashing.First lesson- a pool stinks very badly when it is moved after sitting in one location for

He's Home & I Drove to the Airport

Okay ya'll are probably wondering about that title right? Well for those that know me know I do NOT drive. Okay, I got my license at age 26 and we lived on a base, speed limit is what 25mph on a base? We then moved to Camp Lejeune, NC (jacksonville) and I barely ever left the base, so once again only around 25mph and sometimes 45 when off-base. Like I said, that was rare.We moved out to Misery,

Organic Gardening

Organic Farming and Compostingcartoon courtesy of SeppoHappy Gardening!Garden Gnome©2006-2009

Build a Bear Gift Card Giveaway

Build-a-Bear sent us this adorable puppy and Endless Summer of Hugs beach towel, which he's sitting on in the picture. They also sent us a $25 Gift Card to Build-a-Bear that one lucky reader is going to get. This little guy hit the stores on June 12th (my brother's birthday). The beach towel has already been poolside, but not to worry puppy stayed in the coolness of the house.Isn't this puppy

New Raised Beds Layout

Over the past weekend we worked on two new raised garden beds (more here). The beds are being created while we are continuing to rip out existing vegetation so the new beds were not planned using Garden Manager software mainly because the beds were going in late spring. I would have to reboot in Windows as well since this software is not Mac compatible. I've been using the combined with

Dealing with the Unexpected in Gardening

Gardening is one of those activities that come with a lot of risk. You plant your seeds and seedlings then with a bit of tending you hope for the best. Many a gardener has woke to find their carefully planted garden destroyed by hungry rabbits or deer. Gardens are often raided by marauding four legged and two legged thieves. As if that is bad enough the gardener is faced with adverse weather

First of the New Square Foot Gardening Beds

New SFG BedsJune 16, 2009Little did we know when we moved here 2 years ago we would be spending a good portion of our gardening time ripping out vegetation overgrowth. Our property had been over planted in a willy nilly fashion without regards as to growing conditions in certain parts or how the plants would mature or what problems some plants would create. It was so over grown we could not see

Wordless Wednesday: My Office

I moved my office from upstairs to downstairs and have lined my wall in the basements with nothing but books and plants. What do you think? Now I can see everything the kids are doing and when they are playing outside. Happy WW!

Top 10 Family Friendly Restaurants

Parents Magazine recently did a survey asking what readers thought the friendliest family restaurants were and here's the list:#1 Cosi#2 Jason’s Deli#3 Noodles & Company#4 Fazoli’s#5 Panera Bread·#6 Zpizza#7 Atlanta Bread#8 Corner Bakery Café#9 Taco Del Mar#10 McAlister’s DeliEach restaurant answered a 25-question survey and submitted nutritional information for all of the items on their kids’

He Stuck a Bead Up his Nose

Yes, you read that right. Little A decided to do some exploring to see what all he could fit up his nose. All I know is I was sitting at the computer finishing up my last paper when he came walking in the room repeating, "Nonio, Nonio" it's what he calls his brother. I told him just say yeah, he insisted on his nose but we couldn't figure out what he wanted. He just kept saying "Nose" and

Dealing With Rabbits

The RabbitJune 5, 2009Wild rabbits are the bane of many gardens. In a very short period of time they can strip your seedlings down to nothing forcing you to replant if there is time. This is my third garden dealing with rabbits and while I have written about them before on this blog (here) I am taking a bit more of a natural and laid back approach to dealing with them here. We are on

Hands of Hope

This beautiful setting is the gardens surrounding the pool at Vicky Wauterlek's home, founder of 'Hands of Hope'.
Annually she opens her gardens along with several other generous homeowners in the bucolic suburb of Barrington Hills, Il.
This major fundraiser for her organization is this Friday and Saturday June 19th and 20th.

Laurette Grove, shown above, is a volunteer on one of the trips to Africa. Helping women and children in impoverished nations seek medical care and an education. Funding additionally helps build wells, an amazing resource for a region. Here is what I personally admire; 100% of the proceeds goes to their foundation, 100%!

The following snaps are peeks into the grand beauty of this property. As a garden tour guide in England I have to say this setting rivals many of the famous gardens of England.


In addition to the garden tours enjoy the market of quality vendors, such as Scentimental Gardens! Find a bargain at their upscale flea market, enjoy lunch in the garden.........be inspired.
To learn more visit here.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has"
-Margaret Mead

Join me for a demonstration on creating garden party tablescapes. Friday and Saturday at 1pm

Farmer's Market and Garage Sales

It was a day of thrifty shopping, well I guess I can't totally say that. Ya'll knew how much I wanted to go back to the Farmer's Market and due to my burn and the rain I never did go this past Wednesday, so the kids and I went today instead. It seemed like the same people there with a few different types of fruits and veggies. But here's what I bought: Farmer's Market:- Apple Butter from

Ribbit Day

If you have not heard the term ribbit it refers to ripping out mistakes in knitting. Today we are doing a major ribbit in preparation for the permanent vegetable beds. Yes we are a bit late but it's been a cold, rainy spring here. So stay tuned for our progress.Happy Gardening!Garden Gnome©2006-2009

Someone Tried Breaking In....

Just a little update on our life at the moment, while everything seems fine and hokey pokey all is not as it seems. Sure the family life is great, but its those things that go bump in the night that are scaring me now. It seems that on Wednesday Night someone tried to break into the house, I won't lie I did hear something that night at the front door but due to the storm I just ignored it and

Using Every Bit of Space

In small spaces, it's easy to think you are just plain out of room for anything else. If there is a spot in your house that does not serve much purpose, rethink it! Space above the bed, that blank wall when you first walk in the door. Rethink every spot in your home. Also don't feel like you have to have certain things in certain rooms. A home office can be in your bedroom if it works there for you. Decide how your life flows and design your home around YOU!

let's think of something else for the moment....

Imagine this for a moment; you are a new blogger, you collect pictures for months, the thrill of a lifetime...............yes, for me it was...............Eddie Ross is in town and he has accepted an invitation to a cocktail party at your shop!!!!!........AND.............after a magical day and evening you realize your CAMERA IS GONE! ugggghh

So, until I plead for others photo's to share with you, let's talk about something else. We will get back to Eddie and Jaithan's visit.

Dream Houses

There is a site for buying and selling historic homes in all price ranges. Here are a few that caught my eye. Here



Lambertville, Pa.
Stone house overlooking the Delaware River. Newly renovated kitchen and bathrooms,
and 5 fireplaces!
$1,495,000.00



Gettysburg, Pa.
Revolutionary and Civil War period stone and log home on 5+ acres
Bid for auction


Vernet Les Bains, France
6 bedrooms in the foothills of the Pyrennes by Perpignon. Walk to the Mediterranean.
$483,000.00 USD

Lynchburg, Virginia
1875, 1191 s.f.
Possession of Va. housing authority and in Homesteading program. Comply with their renovation standards and this could be yours.
$1.00
Yes, a buck, house and land!


Eddie......sigh...........stay tuned!

The Anniversary Dinner

Well I haven't told ya'll this but the hubby had to go off to Arkansas for two weeks due to military training, which also meant he'd be missing our 13 year anniversary (June 7th). Hey, being military you get use to these types of things, to be honest the military has taken him for more anniversaries than I can count. But he'd be doing more of a work out then I would be on this particular

Wordless Wednesday: The Storm

It got really dark right after this and it was only noon. Yesterday we had a bunch of storms come through the Kansas City area and with some hail, winds, lightening and tons of thunder. We did not have to deal with any sirens thankfully, but I did have one baby hiding under the covers. Happy WW!

Ruby Tuesday: Farmer's Market

I learned about Ruby Tuesday through another blog I read called AskewtoYou (Hi Michelle), apparently every Tuesday you post a picture of something red. This should be fun especially since we have a ton of little red fruit at our house this week.I told ya'll we stopped at the Farmer's Market section of the Carnival because someone (a little girl that I won't name) couldn't pass up her strawberries

Weekend of Carnival Fun

Over the weekend we stopped over at our local downtown to have a bit of fun at the carnival. On Friday we went with a neighbor and her two boys and rode all types of rides. Here's a list of some:BalletGirl- Carosel, slide, pirate ship, boat spinnersBabyGirl- Carosel, slide, pirate ship, airplaneSoccerBoy- slide, boat spinnersLittle A- Carosel Oh and yes I rode the carosel with Little A and the

Beef Winner

Congratulations to the lucky winner, there were only two entries this time. (I think next time I'll do it for anyone that lives near a Hy-Vee) I used Random.org to pull my number and the lucky winner is....I really like the Beef Kabobs with Parmesan Orzo recipe from the Beef it's what's for dinner website. We love to grill in the summer and my husband would love Kabobs for Father's day! from,

Weed Control

DandelionMay 29, 2009If you haven't seen a dandelion in your yard then you either don't have a yard or your yard is chemically treated. The Ontario Pesticide Ban is now in effect so some consumers are now concerned they will not be able to control weeds in the yards. Round-up® a chemical herbicide that some relied on heavily can now only be used to control poison ivy and you have to sign a

Table Gating Party Winner

Wow there were so many inventive ways to convince those kids to eat those veggies. Course for me it would be to get the hubby to eat them. Some of these I've never tried myself and will have to do, others I have and loved. But I know ya'll don't want to hear what I've tried doing to get the kids to eat veggies. Right? Hmm? Oh you do, well I've tried hiding it in the food by mixing it in, getting

Wordless Wednesday: KC Zoo

We had a fun weekend, check out the picture of the elephant. This is BabyGirl's Favorite zoo animal.Happy WW!

Entertaining Eddie

Watch this man! Eddie Ross (Bravo's TOP DESIGN, Martha Stewarts Senior Style Editor, House Beautiful style editor)

He is a force of talent in so many arenas; entertaining, design, floral, antiquing, repurposing, crafting.......etc, etc.

AND....Eddie and his partner, the additionally talented Jaithan Kochar, are coming to Chicago, the Kane County flea market in particular.
Saturday, June 6th, these genuinely nice guys will guide many of us through the market with their keen eye. I am beyond excited and open to "seeing" with new eyes.




His showcase at the New Orleans Home and Garden Show

Searching at the Scott's antique market

A clever creation from his flea market find


A few sprigs of baby fern bring a table setting to life. Simple and elegant



Another of Eddie's tablescapes. The drama of the forsythia branches are pulled thru-out the setting with the yellow tones in the bakelite utensils and the underlying tablecloth





You will see this man everywhere, soon. Sign up for Eddie's blog to be inspired and to stay in touch. When he comes to Chicago again you too can join Eddie and Jaithan.
will post photo's next week :-)

One Table Two Uses

You have to love any furniture that can work for you double duty. Here this table is a office by day and dinner table by night. Extra bonus for the cleaver slots in the sides for extra storage. I will be posting soon about kids rooms and more double duty furniture!