Front Yards

06 Sunday Jun 2010

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I’ve been thinking about front yards lately—in part because I worked in my own front yard during the Memorial Day weekend and in part because son #1 and his lovely wife just purchased their ‘first’ home in Austin.

Nice path to the front door and I like the use of green plants, no grass.

We’re excited for them and believe the house looks like a wonderful first home (they forwarded us the realtors link and we were able to take a virtual tour of the home). While the inside of the home seems to have been updated in all of the important rooms, kitchen and bathrooms, the front of the house could use some new landscape. The home is brick and I see great potential for improvement.

I've always liked the idea of sitting in the front yard watching the neighborhood, sipping ice tea.

My hope is that once they are settled and have taken care of the ‘move in’ items one always needs to purchase when you buy a new/used home, that they will allow me to come and assist them with their yard.

I confess, I love grass and big trees in a front yard.

I love a project and landscape is so much fun. Plus, I figure I’ll learn something new since I live in Southern California and they live in Texas where the weather and plant material will be decidedly different.

Again, no grass but nice use of shrubs and color.

Anyway, I’ve attached some pictures I think they might like. Let me know what you think.

Another example of a grass-less front yard.

The kids don't have a 2-story house but window boxes are always so pretty.

Okay, now I'm dreaming more about the front of my house!

Nice terraced yard. Picture Sharon Cohoon, Sunset Magazine

Weekday Cooking

02 Wednesday Jun 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Food, Simple Meals for the Avid Cook

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simple meal cookbooks, Simple Weekday Meals, weekday cooking

My husband and I are off to Arizona to help my step-father. If I don’t post Friday, this is why. Meanwhile, since it’s Wednesday and we all have busy schedules and we all have to eat, I’ve posted these weekday cooking tips. We love these two cookbooks and have prepared several recipes from them. Enjoy!

I love to cook. However, working full time can present challenges to cooking weekdays. I have found a couple of really good cookbooks at Costco within the last few months and have found them do what their titles say, “The Best Simple Recipes” and Everyday Food, “Great Food Fast” cookbooks.

Available at Amazon and some Costco locations

I’ve tried several recipes from each book and found them to be easy and delicious—my family agrees, which is always a good sign. I don’t know about you, but usually if my husband doesn’t care for a new recipe I generally toss it. He’s not over picky so I try to cook recipes we both love. If the recipe is truly so yummy to me personally, I’ll save it for a ladies lunch. Is that what you do?

If you’re pressed for time during the week and don’t have an interest in trying new recipes, I totally get it. Give a few of these recipes a try on the weekend. It’s more relaxing to cook when you aren’t pressured for time!

Delicious and simple

Have a delicious week.

Work in the garden

30 Sunday May 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Flowers, Gardening, Maintenance

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Garden, Gardening

It’s Memorial Day weekend and I have big plans to work in the garden. My front yard needs some work since the roses are finished with their first bloom. I need to fertilize them and cut off the dead blossoms.

Iceberg and freshly planted impatiens

I redesigned the bedding area as you walk up to my front door earlier this Spring. I had my gardener remove some plants that weren’t holding up their end of the bargain (to thrive and bloom). We planted 3 white iceberg roses and I will be planting impatiens and lobelia in and around the boxwood bordered bed.

Lobelia & Impatiens - with any luck these will double in size over the next 6-8 weeks.

I’ve said it before, impatiens are simple to grow and perform without much work and that’s what I love about them. With a busy schedule that is what I’m looking for!

I'm counting on this little guy to keep an eye on my newly planted flowers.

I hope to get to the side and back yard for some maintenance chores but I’m taking it easy—something I have a difficult time doing so if I don’t get those areas finished this weekend I’ve been told the work will be there waiting for me next weekend!

Antique metal planter - planted with mother fern

What chores are you taking care of this long 3-day weekend, or are you relaxing the entire time? Good for you!

In a former life…

28 Friday May 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Misc

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…I might have lived on a houseboat. Seriously, I’ve always thought I’d like to live on a body of water. I have never wanted to live right on the ocean but give me a bay, lake, brook or pond and I think I’d be in heaven.

This is the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat

That’s why when I saw the movie, “Sleepless in Seattle” (Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan) I was totally in love with the houseboat Tom Hank’s character live in. It came on the market in 2008 for only $2.5 million {yikes}. The houseboat is 2,075 square feet and was built in 1978. It has 4 bedrooms and “nearly” 2 full baths (this is a direct quote from the ad that ran).

This has possibilities.

I was surprised at the square footage—it’s bigger than my own house and has 1 more bedroom than mine. Just imagine living on the bay or lake or whatever that body of water is, hearing the water gently lap up the sides of your house at night. Ahhh, what could be more relaxing that that?

Surprisingly roomy!

What do you think, could you live on a houseboat?

One Method for Removing Wallpaper

26 Wednesday May 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Renovating

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home improvement, Removing wallpaper;, Tips for removing wallpaper

Since I listed removing wallpaper from my library in a recent blog, I thought I’d pass along tips from my experience with removing wallpaper. And no, I have not started removing the wallpaper in the library yet. The method below has worked for me even when the wallpaper seems to be cemented to the wall.

Begin by tearing off the any loose edges/strips.

I suspect there may be some wallpaper that requires a wallpaper steamer, something I’m sure most of us don’t have waiting in the garage! I haven’t encountered paper that requires one, yet, thankfully. Be sure plant plenty of drop clothes before you begin.

1. If there are any loose edges, or if you can lift a corner of the paper you will have a place to start. Slowly tear the paper, don’t worry if it leaves a thin layer of paper on the wall, we have a solution that will take care of that.

2. Remove as much of the paper using the tearing method—don’t despair if you cannot get very much of the paper off using the first step. Once you’ve taken as much paper off the wall as possible, mix DIF Liquid Concentrate Wallpaper Stripper with hot tap water (following mix to water ratio on bottle) in a spray bottle. Don’t be tempted to buy the pre-mixed spray unless you have only a couple of strips of wallpaper to remove, its more expensive and you will most probably need more than 1 bottle to do the job. Spray the hot wallpaper remover on the area you want to start with. Note: I would work 1 strip of wallpaper at a time, ceiling to floor, that way if you have to stop it looks a little less like the big mess that it is.

Carefully scrape wallpaper once solution has set for 15 minutes

3. Leave the solution you’ve sprayed for about 15 minutes, this gives it time to work its magic. Set the timer, you don’t want to let the paper dry out, it will make it more difficult to remove. With a 3-4″ metal scraper begin to gently scrape the paper and paste from the wall. This is not an easy 1-2 hour task. But you will get a rhythym going and with an iPod in your ears time will go by fairly quickly. If the paper doesn’t budge, repeat step 2.

4. 1/2 to 1 day later you’ll be finished, hopefully. Those who have read my site before will remember that I live in a cottage, not a McMansion, so the rooms are smallish and it doesn’t take me too long to remove wallpaper from a room. Next, you want to mix a bucket of warm water and TSP (a powder cleaner found at most hardware stores). Wash the walls with this solution until you are certain all paste is off the wall. This step is especially important if you plan to paint. If you don’t remove all of the paste residue it will cause your paint to crackle in those spots. It won’t be pretty and we’re going for pretty!

This is you in your newly painted room once you've removed the wallpaper.

Sounds easy right? So not I need to heed my own advice and get started. Let me know if you have questions, I’m here to help if I can.

By the way, one of my favorite blog sites, Southern Hospitality, recently had a post about wallpapering just one wall—that probably wouldn’t work in my library but I loved the examples she shows us. So, before you use my handy tools for eliminating wallpaper, think about keeping one wall or take down the paper you don’t like and put up some you like.

Images courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens/Cottage living ideas

Flowers for Entertaining: Potted vs. Cut

24 Monday May 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Flowers

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centerpieces

I may have mentioned this before—I love to entertain. I think setting the table is nearly as much fun as cooking for a party (and by “party” I mean any meal served at the dining room table with as few as 4 and as many as 10 {10 is the max that my dining room table will seat comfortably}.

I love the look of hydrangea with the Staffordshire figurines as added interest in the beautiful table setting.

I used to visit a wholesale flower seller where you could select cut flowers by type/color. This was fun but could be quite expensive depending on what flower you wanted and it often meant too many flowers of one variety (the bouquets were large). I would distribute them in vases all around the house but what I was really after was maybe 3 different flower species in 1 or 2 colors.

All of these plants were transplanted into the garden after the party.

Trader Joe’s and some of the local markets started carrying a greater variety of cut flowers and they weren’t too expensive. The problem was the odd color combinations the supplier would put together. I realize we all have our color preferences but I didn’t find mine very often—purple, orange and hot pink bouquets weren’t going to cut it.

Herbs make a wonderful Spring or Summer centerpiece

One of my friends, who happens to set an amazing table, had a party recently and set her table using potted plants. (You know, the kind they sell in the nursery and warehouse home stores) She took some of them out of the plastic pots and arranged them in color-coordinated bowls and cache pots, others she was able to leave in the plastic pots and add a layer of moss around the top of the container. Bottom line, it was unique and beautiful and the best part?…she planted the little pots of flowers in her garden afterward, where they flourish to this day. Is that great, or what!?

Jan Barboglio (an incredible artist that designed the napkin ring in this picture) says, "I seldom choose color or floral arrangements. Instead I select artifacts my children or I have collected..."

You don’t really need to stick to flowers when it comes to centerpieces for a table setting, as demonstrated in the picture above from House Beautiful as well as the picture below.

Seasonal Fruit can be beautiful as a centerpiece.

I plan to copy this idea for my next party. In fact it has opened up a whole new creative stream of imagination for me. I now look at pottery, ceramic or metal containers in my home and stores with one thought, how would this look on the dining table filled with beautiful flowers that coordinate with my dishes?

Have you used potted plants as a center piece when you entertain.

Pictures: Bottom 3 pictures courtesy of House Beautiful

In a former life…

21 Friday May 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Uncategorized

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Sometime in my mid-thirties my friends and I became aware that we (collectively and individually) all possessed Champagne tastes on beer budgets (and not the micro-brewed, good stuff). So we found ourselves using a phrase that I have decided will be a weekly installment here at Garden, Home & Party.

I'm not sure I truly would want a house this big but maybe if I had one I would have servants and it wouldn't seem so enormous.

In working on making my blog work for me and for the one or two readers I’m aware of (thanks mom and Linda!) I thought it would be fun to post pictures that reflect dreams (wants over needs). These “wants” may never happen and I don’t say that to garner pity—I have so many things to be thankful for. But I thought it would be a fun way of documenting a desire that upon closer scrutiny you realize you don’t really need but man, would it be great if you had it! And sometimes just thoughts on what life would be like if you lived somewhere else or had a job doing something else…you get it, right?

So, that said, whenever I have a burning desire or dream, I will share it—do you have a dream to share?

Photo: Veranda Magazine

Happy Friday!

Easy Ladies Luncheon

19 Wednesday May 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Party Planning, Simple Meals for the Avid Cook

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friends, lunch, meals

Because I love to entertain—have I mentioned that—I’m always looking for easy, make-ahead recipes that are delicious but won’t kill the cook, so to speak, especially since I’m usually trying to entertain with minimum time to clean, cook, buy flowers, and set the table.

A beautiful table setting using similar vases and decorative items, not expensive and so lovely.

I was recently invited to a ladies luncheon in honor of a friend’s birthday. Our hostess had only recently moved into her new home and we requested a tour. I love home tours and always come away inspired to do something or another to my own home.

Don't you love the antique fire brand behind the stove?

We were invited to be seated at the dining room table, which was beautifully set (picture above). The first course was soup and as you can see from the picture (below) was beautifully presented. It tasted as good as it looked and we all asked our hostess for the recipe. My friend smiled and explained that the soup was Butternut Squash soup in a box from Trader Joe’s (a market located primarily on the west coast). She had garnished it with fresh chives and feta cheese and served it with warm baguette slices and butter. I’m telling you this soup was delicious!

Soup from a box---as delicious as it was simple to prepare.

Next came a salad of grilled chicken, baby greens, fresh raspberries, Craisins (Ocean Spray dried cranberries), candied pecans (now available in most stores) and crumbled feta cheese, topped with a bottled Creamy Raspberry Vinaigrette. Pretty doable: Grill the chicken in advance, assemble the salad in advance and toss just prior to serving. Yummy!

Dessert was French Macarons (not the coconut macaroons) and these too were purchased in the frozen section at Trader Joe’s. These were served with fresh berries and coffee to drink.

My point is, {honest, I have one} you don’t have to slave over a hot stove to entertain. Most of the food was pre-made and she presented it with such attention to detail we were all wowed and loved every bite! When someone else does the cooking food just tastes better, don’t you think?

A luncheon doesn't have to be overwhelming.

Have fun, invite friends over and experiment with a few short cuts. Do you have any entertaining shortcuts you’d like to share?

Austin, Texas

16 Sunday May 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Uncategorized

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Austin, Texas, travel

My husband and I visited son #1 and his lovely wife at their home in Austin. You may be thinking, “what does Austin have to do with Garden, Home and Party?” Well, while we were visiting we were invited to join them in their search for a home to purchase (their current home is a lovely 3 bedroom rental). We saw some great possibilities and some homes that seemed sadly neglected.

Most of all, we had fun visiting the kids and taking in some of the tourist attractions. Our son and his wife have only lived in her home town for the past year so we still have adventures ahead with each new visit.

Torchy's Tacos---wish there was one near me in So. Cal.

I thought I would share some of the pictures we took and give those of you who haven’t visited this great city a peek.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center was amazing!

This picture doesn't do justice to the natural beauty on the grounds of the Wildflower Center

Everything is bigger in Texas {smile} These ants were part of a metal sculpture exhibit, thank goodness.

Hook 'em horns! Even the cows are burnt orange!

Hamilton Pool, Travis County

Hamilton Pool is an amazing place. It’s a natural pool fed by the waterfall in this picture. The county checks the water for swimming safety and posts whether swimming will be allowed that day or not. It’s so beautiful and refreshingly cool. You should visit this spot (bring sunscreen and a bathing suit) if you make it to Austin.