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May 31, 2011

Lovely May Shower- #2

Welcome to our second bridal shower this month!

This past weekend I attended the 2nd Bridal Shower
for my son and his Fiance' Angela.
They will be married in Pennsylvania
so my family decided to have a 2nd
Bridal Shower in Michigan so we could
introduce the bride-to-be to more family and friends.
These are my sisters, Sherry, Donna, and Jen 
and niece Jessica.  Sherry hosted the party
here at her home and they all pitched in with
food and decorating. Jess is in culinary school
and made these lovely Lemon Tartlets...
These Lemon Tartlets were topped with a raspberry and
a piece of mint on each one.
They were so good!  Of course I am a lemon nut
so I might not be a fair judge!
The luncheon included a salad famous to those
of us who know what J.L. Hudsons
 was in Michigan.  
They had a lunch room that we all enjoyed
going to and the Maurice Salad was a favorite.
They duplicated the ingredients here.
There were strips of ham, turkey and cheese,
shredded lettuce and sweet relish (which I didn't use)
and the famous Maurice dressing! We also had
homemade muffins, bread rolls and fruit!
 Behind this area is an island that had a terrific
punch flavored with strawberries...it was very good!
The tables were all set with decorative plates,
silverware and a wine glass...the little baskets
were something I found up here in Traverse City
and they added Cherry flavored candies to them
since Cherries are a huge industry here, and it
makes a connection to our son's hometown.
Each table had a centerpiece with a real bottle of wine
from a local vineyard here in Traverse City and a 
faux bottle of wine with labels my sister created.
Later we played a few games and the faux wine 
bottle was a gift that was won by a few people.  
Inside them were these wine related items.
 Here is a closeup of one of the bottles...Angela's family
is 100% Italian so my sister Jen made the connection
to her heritage with this label.
 My husband's family were Dairy Farmers and raised
Holstein cows for milk.  Again my sister made a 
connection to his family heritage.
Many gifts were given and I have to say that
nearly everything on their wedding registry 
has been purchased!
Do you remember these cakes from back in the
1960's maybe early 1970's?  I got a kick out of
seeing one of these again.  This frosting had to
be kept refrigerated so I snuck a picture of it in the
fridge.
Here she sits at the table.
Ryan (our son) and Angela's father along
with my husband had returned to help with
loading gifts into cars.  We had
Ryan stand in for a quick photo op!

 The nuptials will take place in about one month

 We are in the countdown now!



May 27, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend- Planting so I can Relax!

Today, May 27th I planted my window boxes.
 I've been itching to plant my flowers but we keep
getting frost warnings.  Last night it dipped to 36
but I had covered everything up just in case. Today
it warmed up beautifully and the forecast looks
fine for the future.
Lobelia, Impatiens, Vinca Vine and Begonias
in the window box at my kitchen window.
These two are on the side of the garage. This picture 
got a little burned out from the bright sun, but
there is salvia lined up in the back, vinca vine 
and a plant called diamond frost that spreads out.
One of the tulips that are blooming.
Last year I played around with some perennials
and added some coral bells and more hostas.
On the right side is my Jack Frost, Brunnera
that has been blooming for 3 weeks...the purple
leaved coral bells are about to bloom.
Today was also about getting these impatiens
planted around the fountain area. 
144 plants to be exact...here I am staging
them.
About 2 hours later I had them all planted. This
picture isn't very flattering but soon the flowers
will fill in and make a good showing.
A quick shot of the backyard...we've come 
a long way since that last snow storm
in April!  Thank goodness!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend 
and a great
Memorial Day.

May 26, 2011

Planting, planting, planting

Well I finally got the boxwoods planted.
I put the alyssum along side them,
but they don't show up much just yet.
 I lost two shrubs from damage by voles this winter and
then I decided to try a new shrub rather than
repeating what I had.  So I went for these
Dwarf English Boxwoods.  They are supposed
to be very slow growing and easy to take
care of. 
The sundial my sister gave me seems to work rather
well set in this area.
My Coral Bells and hostas are rapidly growing!
You can see the Jack Frost, Brunnera in the background.
I do love that plant.  It's been blooming for two weeks and
still going strong.
Out back behind the water fountain area I have these large rocks
setting about.  I planted some Japanese Forest Grass (Hakone) next to 
a couple of rocks this year.  The Sweet Woodruff is blooming
right now..it has a nice smell.
Sunday morning was pretty and I enjoyed watching
the sun making it's way through the woods
to the back yard.

Mother nature has it together!  You can't 
compete with the beauty she provides! A
little heavenly sunshine and you've got a
perfect mix!

May 23, 2011

A Lovely May Shower

On May 1st I attended the Bridal Shower for my soon to 
be daughter-in-law Angela.
We drove to Pennsylvania for the event. 
They have a large family and lots of friends so this lovely
little mansion on the grounds of a private school 
was used for the shower!
As I approached the room I started taking
pictures. On the left was a guest book.
As I came in the room,
this grand fireplace caught my attention.
 Of course I loved all the round tables with 
full length tablecloths- which dress things
up nicely.
Each table had it's own centerpiece
made with a cake stand that had desserts
on the top and a ring below with fresh
flowers! 
There was a handmade bar of soap, by a company
from Michigan where I come from as a small
gift for each guest.
I loved that they used real china, glassware
and flatware.  It all added up to a lovely
table setting.  
We were treated to a wonderful buffet
of food with delightful desserts that followed!
 These are pastry shaped swans with a
custard filling in them, and next to the swan
is one of the Peach cookies...they are a cake like
cookie with a custard like filling and a
little piece of mint leaf added to make
them look like real peaches!
I don't know all the names of these desserts,
but they were wonderful.  Some of the
guests made the desserts!
The bride to be and some bridesmaids helping 
her open gifts and keep record.
My son Ryan and Angela!

May 20, 2011

Getting in the groove again!

Well I found some Dwarf English Boxwoods to go in this area
that borders the sidewalk and the walkway by the garage.  
 I think these little boxwoods will be
easy enough to take care of...
 I've got to find one more, but so far I'm
not doing well. 
This will look better once I've got them planted.
 I almost forgot to take a picture of my magnolia...
it bloomed so beautifully this year...
The frangrance is great, even at a distance you
can smell it!
 I adore this Jack Frost, Brunnera...in part because
the color of the flower is sensational!
My little girl statue looks like she's checking them
out...I think she likes them too!
Today was about planting annuals. Every year I
get out my Gardenway cart and start loading
it with the annuals as I collect them.  We
have to be careful of frosts for so long here
it's always a gamble as to when to plant them.
So I stack them on the cart, move them in and
out of the garage until I feel it's safe!
I always think if Liza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and the
flower carts they used when I load up my cart!
 I started with these flower pots that I potted
 white Apple Blossom begonias.
Our son is getting married in July and I
decided on all white this year because of it.
These will look gorgeous as they get larger.
I added some of these Etain Violas in a couple of spots.
They have a lovely soft fragrance!
I've planted Cordyline in these cement pots
with some lime colored Coleus.
 I went with these Royal Purple Salvia and more
Violas
This crackled pot caught my attention
at T.J. Maxx's....as these flowers
develop it will be cheery and colorful!
My daffodils have been blooming for a 
few days..the tulips are close
to blooming!  So much
is happening so quickly! 
I truly love
spring!
It's a little hard getting going every spring
but I'm getting in the groove again!

ABOUT ME



Welcome to Home and Gardening With Liz. I have combined my previous blogs “Infuse With Liz” and “Sit With Me In My Garden” into this new blog. I love interior decorating and gardening. I enjoy redefining interior spaces by moving things around and reusing decorative items already found in the home. I also enjoy creating tablescapes and an occasional crafting project. I'm so pleased you've stopped by. I invite you to follow me and I do hope you will keep coming back! Liz
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