mary mary quite contrary... week 5



Our little garden is growing and all the plants have blossoms..thank you bees! It has been really warm here the past few weeks, after a beautiful Spring, I guesse I shouldn't be suprised, but by late afternoon some days the plants are getting a little droopy. No worries, everything perks up as soon as it cools off.

We did have a little drama as we were weeding and checking on the progress a few days ago. I brought my little Bischon with me (I thought maybe a photo op of her looking cute in the garden) Instead she got dog-napped! She was in the front yard doing some inportant business and an older man drove by and though she looked lost? he put her in his car and drove home. Fortunately for us she started to bark and we found her a few hours later not far from my mom's house.

 Strange but true! All is well, let's hope for a drama free garden week!

For some garden eye candy check this out.

Destination:Disneyland

There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING that I like better than a day at the Magic kingdom. I have spent many years receiving criticism from my "parent peers" about this. I can't tell you exactly why I looove it so much, but I think it is because I have so many happy childhood, teenage, and now parent memories of Disneyland. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that we even had season passes for years and we don't even live in California anymore....I could go on and on but I am getting weepy! So a trip to Disneyland is what we shall do... 2 weeks and counting, my brothers and all of their kids too.

 Here are a few things I would love to take with me (besides my husband and 3 excited teenagers)

• I always take Zone bars with me everywhere I go, especially when we travel with the kids
• I would love to take this darling peacock color backpack...perfect for water bottles, souveniers and extra stuff...
• panama hat to keep the sun off my cheeks
• cool cotton t-shirt...ahhh My main mouse Mickey
• classic and a bit retro converse

Happy Disney Dreaming....

Heather

mary mary quite contrary...week 3&4

Our Garden is growing!

I don't know what it is about watching something grow that you planted, but it is very fulfilling. I am combining progress reports (sounds like Jr. High school) from week 3 and 4. Mostly because I have been working hard on the design of my blog and taking an e-class over at Decor8, and I haven't been posting as much as I would like. Blah Blah Blah... Enjoy the pix!





yellow heirloom tomatoes

sometimes a girl just needs some alone time in the garden.

All of my encouraging (the garden) is staring to pay off. No more "garden envy" here!

   

 Heather

Pool Party

Gummy shark skewers...a crowd favorite

Gold fish snacks 

The Birthday Girl

Nothing is better on a hot summer day than a pool party. We celebrated Jensen and Wesley's birthday at the pool....

The gummy skewers were a little D.I.Y. that I put together for the kids

 

supplies needed:

• can of blue spray paint or craft paint
• piece of Styrofoam
• skewers, we used about 20
• big bag of gummy sharks or swedish fish
• trim cut to look like waves (I found this at Joannes) 

spray paint the Styrofoam and let it dry. skewer your fish/sharks upside down so that when you push them into the Styrofoam they are right side up! trim the front edge with ribbon or waves or whatever you have. this would also make a darling centerpiece...

Enjoy your summer



Heather

Happy Father's Day

Things I learned from my Dad

 

                                       

• always leave a campsite cleaner than you found it
• make your room shine like the top of the chrysler building (okay borrowed that one from "Annie")
• If you talk to your garden, it will grow
• be kind to those that hurt you
• eat cookies and milk before bed every night
• love God and your brothers and your mother
• take care of (see above)
• living your life through your children's lives is not such a bad thing
• laugh loudly and cheer even louder for your favorite team
• always tell your children you love them....

Miss you Dad... I can't believe you have been gone for six months...

Heather

Daisy Duke shorts..D.I.Y. tutorial

There is nothing I like better than a pair of Daisy Dukes!

Here is a quick tutorial on sewing lace to the bottom of cutoffs. My daughter fell in  love with some denim cutoffs at F21. Fortunately (for me) they didn't have her size... So a quick trip to Joanne's for some lace and we converted a pair of denim cutoffs into some darling ( and a bit longer) shorts. This made both of us happy!

Step one: buy new or new to you denim shorts, can be cutoff already or just cut and fray at desired length. (might need to ask dad what the desired length is!) 

Step two: pin lace around the WRONG side or inside of shorts. you will need about 1- 1 1/2 yards of lace.

Step three: sew lace all the way around each leg taking care to join the piece or seam at the inside leg.  Turn right side out.. Really this is about a 20 minute project

step four: Enjoy the squeals of delight from your teenager....okay a mom can dream right?!

Come see me here at a link party!

 

mary mary quite contrary...week 2

our first tomatoes..



cabbage patch..not the doll!



Week 2...Project Garden

Everything is growing and growing. I spent a little time weeding and staking the tomato plants. At some point everything that CAN be staked will be. A bit of an experiment, but then isn't a home garden just that? The weather has been perfect for growing. I was having a little "garden envy" as I would drive by other backyard gardens this past week. It seemed that everyone's tomato bushes etc. were bigger and bushier and well, prettier than ours. But, We had a little chat (the garden and I) and I think we are just a week or so behind some of the others. Nothing to be ashamed of....Do you talk to your vegetables? 

Heather 

Hello LOVE....Tennis anyone?

vintage tennis rackets

Have you ever wanted to do something but as time passed you talked yourself out of it? Maybe you wanted to learn to play a sport that you had never played, or bake really amazing artisan bread, or even go back to school to learn a skill that would benefit not only you, but others?

This is where tennis was for me. For years I lived in a place that had virtually no courts. There were a few private courts where lessons and court time was so expensive I had to sell my first-born to afford it. (not really, although the thought did occur.....) We moved to a new city a few years ago, and the first thing I did was start playing tennis again. Technically it wasn't NEW to me. I had played for fun in high school, but mostly with friends and we never kept score. I didn't even own my own racket.  I highly recommend it! Some days I think "what am I doing" I'm not even very good, But I am a hard worker and the more time I devote to practice, the better I am becoming! In my mind anyway!

I challenge you....learn something new, you never know you might LOVE it!

Heather

Spring Soiree on a budget

This Spring I had the challenge to design the decor, table settings and food for an all-girls party.....on almost ZERO budget. I always like a challenge so I looked in my stash for supplies and my recipe books for inspiration and this is what we ended up with. It turned out very beautiful and very pink!

• pink bread from granite bakery in salt lake (most bakeries will dye it for you as a special order)
• filling for the tea sandwiches is one 8 oz cream cheese softened, one pkg of ranch dressing mixed in, spread on the bread and then layer sliced (very thin) cucumbers....amazing!!
• tablecloths were dip dyed "ombre" it was so easy and they were some lace tablecloths from the 80's that I wanted to re-purpose
• "yarn chandeliers" I found the idea at partiesforpennies  but it is all over the Internet..so cute and easy. I had to purchase the glue and 1 ball of yarn.
• the cake in a jar idea came from dear lizzie
• the place mats are pink construction paper that I bought for $2 for 50.
• the plastic cup rims were dipped in water and then rolled in pink sugar (available at most cake and candy decorating stores)
• the polka dot badges on the plates were made with cupcake liners, lace, vintage buttons and crepe paper.....we made 50 for about $3... a nice party favor

Any of these ideas would also be darling for a little girl's birthday party!

Heather

mary mary quite contrary...

We started with grow boxes full of hopes and dreams of fresh salsa, cauliflower mash, and enough heirloom tomatoes for caprese salad...okay and some very FRESH horse manure that Cooper and I mixed in to perfection. If you have never planted a garden by committee, I highly recommend it. Especially If your "right hand man" really is a handsome man (child) gasp! Is he really almost 16 ?! The garden is being tended and watered very lovingly by my mom and her husband, Bob. I visit as much as possible. But when I can't, I get almost daily updates. I think the best part of our Family Garden is that we all share in the work and we all will benefit from the fresh and juicy veggies

 (I hope). 

  

Planting Day

Heather

welcome

hello!

welcome to my brand new blog. I have designed and posted and taken pictures for months (maybe longer)....in my imagination. I think I felt a little intimidated by all of the amazing blogs out there. I am not a brilliant photographer (like my sister-in-law Sara), nor do I have an advanced degree in journalism, I am ME! I promise to keep it real, Even if that means leaving the mess of dishes in the background of a picture or writing from the heart.

A little bit about me; I am a mom of three teenagers (enough to drive anyone mad) I love animals and gardening. In a perfect world, I would spend my days baking, sewing, and throwing amazing parties all with vintage supplies. Alas, most of my time is taken up with laundry, cleaning, errands and mothering. I have a great and supportive and handsome husband on my journey that reminds me when life gets crazy....listen to Jimmy Buffet!

Welcome to my world....