Pumpkin Topiary

I love to make a stacked pumpkin topiary every year for the front porch sometimes with three pumpkins - sometimes with two. Here are the steps I followed to make mine:

Materials:

Large urn

fill dirt or gravel

1 large pumpkin

1 small to medium pumpkin

Wooden skewers

Dried moss

Hot glue gun

1. Fill urn with dirt or gravel

2. Break the stem off of the large pumpkin and position it in the urn

3. Stick some wood skewers in the large pumpkin with the sharp side facing up - I usually use 4

4. Position small pumpkin on top of large, gently pushing it onto the exposed skewers. This will stabilize the topiary and hold the smaller pumpkin in place.

5. Hot glue pieces of dried moss in between the pumpkins for a finished look. You can also use fall garland or raffia.

Badmiton

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Badmiton has been around for centuries and I just love it because it so much easier for me than tennis.  We love to play when we are at the lake, especially in the early fall when the weather is a bit cooler and always have a great time.  Badmiton is said to have been originally played at a garden party of the Duke of Beaufort at his home in the country so we feel a little fancy (but don’t look it) when we are swinging away at that birdie!

How to play:

You need rackets, a birdie – also called a shuttlecock, and a net

Stand on opposite sides of the net in the opposite corners

The first player serves underhand

If the birdie hits the ground or goes out of bounds – the server gets the point or the receiver wins the serve

 The first player to get 15 points is the winner

It's even better if you can find some great vintage rackets.  I am always picking up them up at flea markets when I see them.  Sooooo much fun !!!!!

Packing a Picnic

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The weather is just absolutely perfect right now to get outside and enjoy a lovely picnic with your friends and family.  Here are a few tips for packing that picnic basket:

Choose foods that travel well and don’t require more than one utensil to eat

Pack the plates and utensils

Pack last what you will need first - like the picnic blanket

If your food requires cutting – do it at home and then wrap tightly

Pack cold foods in a small cooler so they stay cold

Remember:

Cups and glasses

Napkins

Salt and pepper

Trash bags

Citronella candles

Corkscrew

ENJOY!

Going to the lake...

Friend: "What are you doing this weekend?"

Me: "Going to the lake"

Friend: "AGAIN?"

But a weekend at the lake is something special - even if it is every weekend. A Saturday at home is very different than a Saturday at the lake. A Saturday morning at home is heading to the grocery store with a list and then Target, maybe even Home Depot. Saturday morning at the lake is getting out early with the fishing poles or just taking your coffee down by the water in the adirondack chair.

Saturday afternoon at home is watching your kids run out the door to be with their friends for the day and probably the night. Saturday afternoon at the lake is packing up the boat with the cooler, snacks, rafts, noodles, snorkel masks and most importantly the kids.

Saturday nights at home are in the kitchen preparing dinner or maybe ordering a pizza. Saturday nights at the lake are picking up fish and chips from town and bringing them down to the beach to watch the sunset or having long alfresco dinners on the deck until its time to start the bonfire.

Sundays at the lake are pretty much the same except with maybe the added benefit of bloody mary's and long bike rides- so Target and Home Depot will have to wait - this weekend I am "going to the lake".

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Fresh Flowers

Is there anything more beautiful around the house then fresh flowers? Whether you are picking your own or buying them from the market, here are a few tips to keep them looking fresh and gorgeous.

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From your cutting garden:

1. If you are picking your own try to do it in the early part of the day before the sun starts to drain them.

2. Bring a bucket of water and put the stems in as soon as you cut them.

3. Pick the flowers that haven't bloomed completely yet so they will last longer

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From the market:

1. Cut all of the stems on a diagonal

2. Take off any leaves that will be under the water line in you vase

3. Snip off thorns and remove damaged petals

Use tepid water

Add floral nutrients

Change the water regularly

Before Summer is Over...

There is no denying that summer is fleeting but before it is over why don't you...

  

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Go Outside and Read an Entire Book

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 Dip Your Toes in the Water

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Go For a Bike Ride

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Listen to the Ocean in a Seashell

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Eat an Ice Cream Cone

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Go Skinny Dipping

"Summer's lease hath all too short a date"

- William Shakesperare

Grilled Corn

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Is there anything better than fresh corn in the summer! Nothing completes a summer meal or barbeque like grilled corn and here is a great way to add some zip to yours:

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Need:

Fresh ears of corn

Lime

Butter

Sea salt

Chili powder

Ice cubes

1.  Shuck the corn. Put the ears in pairs on pieces of foil and fold the edges.
2.  Put a piece of lime and butter on each ear and then sprinkle with chili powder and sea salt.
3.  Put two ice cubes on each pair of corn and fold up the foil into a packet.
4.  Place the packets of corn onto the grill and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

ENJOY!