MacKenzie-Childs On The Deck

My friend Miriam is enjoying the cheese board from Ann Thibeault that we gave her and Zack as a wedding gift last year. She has a knack for entertaining, and I just knew this was the perfect gift for them.

We went on a little vacation and missed the MacKenzie-Childs Barn Sale this year. When we got home, I set a table for two on the back deck and enjoyed a cupcake.  

My personal shopper, Patti at Pandora's Box, had a fun day at the Barn Sale, and found one of the three items I wished for. They were not big items, just personal favorites of mine. MacKenzie-Childs has free shipping until the end of the month, so I'm thinking of ordering two items since I saved a ton by not going ;o)  Ha!?!?

 

Edit: Here are the three items that were on my Barn Sale wish list.  Patti was able to get the Floral Thermometer and I will love it!

 

 Picadilly Garlic Keeper

 Green Enamel Pitcher  -- this looks fabulous with flowers in it.

Floral Thermometer - I love this, and it will go right outside my kitchen window so I can see it every morning when I make coffee ;o)

 

Thanks for stopping by! I am joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

xo

Debbie

Mackenzie Childs Barn Sale 2014-Updated

This is the first year since 2008 that I will be out of town and won't be attending the Barn Sale. Not to worry, I have a personal shopper this year as I am only looking for three items. More about that after the sale.

MacKenzie-Childs is having their annual BARN SALE – Thursday, July 17th – Sunday, July 20th from 8AM to 6PM. Last year I attended the sale with over 15,000 people, some driving hours across the country and others even camping out overnight. I'm a big fan of the whimsical luxury home décor brand and items from ceramics, glassware, furniture, rugs, holiday and more are all up to 80% off. This is a wonderful event at the company’s gorgeous 65-acre estate farm in Aurora, New York.

EDIT:  Let the fun begin! I am vicariously attending the 2014 barn sale via Facebook and my iPad while I am away. Here are some photos Mac-Kenzie Childs posted this morning on their FB page. A fun event for sure!!!!

I wish this was my basket :-)

Yes please :-)

 

Cute shirts! If you are interested in previous Barn Sale posts on my blog, I have included the links here 2010, 2011 and two posts from 2012 and here 2012. 

 

 

My favorite purchase at a previous barn sale is the table. The flower pot is in the Wallcourt pattern. Did you know that the Mackenzie-Childs story began in a humble studio run out of the basement of a Wells College dorm named Wallcourt? I love that. 

  

Thanks for stopping by!

xo

Debbie

A Lavender Day

 

Have a seat and relax in the field of lavender. Yesterday, we attended the Finger Lakes Lavender Festival in Skaneateles, NY which had been on my list for over five years. 

 

Of course I bought lavender. Some for culinary purposes and some to make sachets for my drawers. You can see the difference between the two varieties.

The lavender market had a nice selection, and I knew I wanted to try the honey, fudge sauce, dryer bags, sachets and lavender oil. Joe will probably want to swat me for telling you, but he is in the tub soaking in lavender Epsom salts that I mixed with baking soda. It's good for drawing out toxins, lowers stress related hormones and balances pH levels. I'm next :-) 

 

The Drying Barn

I gave my mom the pretty yellow flower, and ate the lavender cookie all by myself.

 

What a charming sign. It motivated Mr. Mountain Breaths to make a similar sign at our camp.

 

 



I wonder if she catches any butterflies :-)

 

 

  The gardens were in full bloom and I couldn't resist.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for stopping by!

xo

Debbie

Summer Tabletops

I picked up a lovely book at the library, Tabletops by Barbara Milo. The tabletop above was taken in my home with the Waterlogue App on my iPad. I am joining Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

"Setting a stunning table need not be confined to special occasions. As renowned author and designer Barbara Milo Ohrbach brilliantly demonstrates, any meal can be made special with the proper visual approach. The ingredients need not be fine china and matching silver; the real key is to develop a creative look for your table." 

Whether you are having a party, sitting down with friends and family, or celebrating a holiday, the pleasures of eating at a beautiful table help to make the meal truly memorable. 

I am sharing a quick and easy tabletop, and it won't take more than 10 minutes. If your garden is overflowing with large hosta plants like mine, wrap your forks and knives in hosta leaves tied with ribbon. I also used a large hosta leaf as a placemat for a dessert plate.

We had coffee and dessert on the deck, and it didn't take any effort to set the table.

A close up shot of the fork and knife wrapped in the hosta leaf.

While I was photographing, Mr. Mountain Breaths came up with his tabletop version. Not kidding you, he did this on his own. Now you see why we get along so well.

Love the "heart" beet.

The centerpiece was made using  a casserole dish and flowers from my garden. In the book, the author discusses how to choose the right container for every event.

The hosta leaf looks like a heart in this photo :-)

Thank you for stopping by!

xo

Debbie

Happy Fourth!

We had a busy weekend with a graduation ceremony and attending six graduation parties. It was so nice to celebrate with the graduates!  Joe is glad to have the summer off from school. September will be here before you know it. I set up a patriotic vignette on the table. I love everything red, white and blue.

I also celebrated 30 years with the company I work for. I feel 30 so not sure how I worked 30 years for the same company :-)  We went to see the band Journey in Saratoga Springs. Any Journey fans? Fantastic concert that we will always remember.

I've been using the Waterlogue app and it's a lot of fun. Always a surprise to see my photos in watercolor.

Lots going on this week. On Tuesday, we will celebrate son Cory's birthday at the Melting Pot in Albany. Happy 28th to Cory!

On Thursday, we will be heading to our camp in the Adirondacks for the Fourth of July celebration. The BEST FIREWORKS ever. They set up at the beach, and shoot them right over the water. People anchor their boats and it is lovely. It is such a busy weekend. Guess who's cooking? 

Our summer has been splendid so far. We have had six beautiful weekends in a row! We can't get enough of dining al fresco. This is where we sit ;o)

Thank you for stopping by! I'll be back to sharing recipes in the fall. 

xo

Debbie