As I picked these Easter tablescapes to feature on my blog I noticed one commonality, fresh flowers. Whether the flowers are in a glass vase, a painted tin can or a can wrapped in denim or Peeps candy, they scream Spring is here! I hope these table settings inspire you. Have a wonderful Easter weekend!
Examiner.com Pinterest via Valerie
Posted by Andrea
The company I work for Chapman Richards and Associates is a proud supporter of Love Utah Give Utah! We even have our own charity Chapman Richards Cares that is one of the nonprofit organizations that you can donate to.
What if you could help change the future of Utah in one day? You can.
Today Utahns will join together to support the nonprofit organizations and schools that make Utah exceptional. Love Utah Give Utah, the single greatest feat of fundraising Utah has ever seen.
Chapman Richards Cares would love your support. But whether you donate to us or one of the other 400 local charities participating, I invite you to “Give where you Live” and make a minimum $10 donation on line. Your support can help to make Utah an even greater place to live.
Join us – it is simple and fun! Just point, click, and donate on TODAY at www.loveUTgiveUT.org
The answer to that question is…all of the above! I served a mission in Belgium and I had an English companion that referred to boots as wellies. Before that I had only ever heard them referred to as wellingtons.
As I was writing this post I was curious where the name wellington came from since the original wellies are actually made by a company called Hunter. Thanks to Wikipedia this is what I found out. It’s a bit lengthy, so if your not interested in history jump down to the darling wellies out there to buy!:
The Duke of Wellington instructed his shoemaker, Hoby of St. James’s Street, London, to modify the 18th-century Hessian boot. The resulting new boot was fabricated in soft calfskin leather, had the trim removed and was cut to fit more closely around the leg. The heels were low cut, stacked around an inch (2.5 centimetres), and the boot stopped at mid-calf. It was suitably hard-wearing for battle, yet comfortable for the evening. The boot was dubbed the Wellington and the name has stuck in British English language ever since.
Wellington boots were at first made of leather. However in 1852 Hiram Hutchinson met Charles Goodyear, who had just invented the vulcanization process for natural rubber. While Goodyear decided to manufacture tyres, Hutchinson bought the patent to manufacture footwear and moved to France to establish À l’Aigle (“to the Eagle”) in 1853, to honour his home country. The company today is simply called “AIGLE“, “Eagle”). In a country where 95% of the population were working on fields with wooden clogs as they had been for generations, the introduction of the wholly waterproof, Wellington-type rubber boot became an instant success: farmers would be able to come back home with clean, dry feet.
Production of the wellington boot was dramatically boosted with the advent of World War I and a requirement for footwear suitable for the conditions in Europe’s flooded trenches. The North British Rubber Company (now Hunter Boot Ltd) was asked by the War Office to construct a boot suitable for such conditions. The mills ran day and night to produce immense quantities of these trench boots. In total, 1,185,036 pairs were made to meet the British Army‘s demands.
This year my girls each got their first pair of wellies and I have to say it may have been the best pair of shoes I’ve bought them all year. They are easy to slide on and off and the bright colors look cute with everything. Most importantly they don’t get their feet wet!
As I was shopping this weekend I noticed lots of rainboots for everyone in the family to welcome Spring!
Hunter Boot (also found at Nordstrom)
Have fun shopping!
Absolutely stunning Victorian home near the University of Utah! This home was featured on HGTV. It has $80,000+ in renovations. Hardwood, exposed brick and amazing leaded glass for old-world charm. New, gorgeous kitchen with a walk-in pantry! A gas fireplace has been added for modern convenience. There are 4 bedrooms and 3 renovated bathrooms. This house has large rooms, tons of light, finished attic with skylight that can be used as a bedroom or study. Fun original built-ins! Private fenced backyard with a patio and carriage house that has been turned into a garage. This home has it all and is priced at $460,000.
If you have any questions about this property, contact me at andrea.summerhays@gmail.com
Posted by Andrea
Photos by Obeo
Love UT Give UT will bring together Utahns for 24-hours of unprecedented giving. It’s one extraordinary day to support the organizations that make Utah special. And it’s your chance to make a real impact. On March 22, 2013 we will be able to make a real impact by adding our donations to thousands more. Every donation gives your favorite organization the chance to win challenge grants.
I heard about Love UT Give UT through a good friend at work. It’s an opportunity for us to learn about different non-profits in our community and a way to raise money for them. The Community Foundation of Utah has organized this first ever event in Utah. Check out the link below to learn how you can get involved and to see a full list of non-profits that you can support.
Some make New Year’s resolutions, we make THE LIST (cue the dramatic music dun-dun-duun) What is this scary list you ask? Well let me tell ya. The List is a blueprint if you will of all the projects we want to accomplish that year. You would think that after years of making and sticking trying to stick to the list we would be out of projects, not true. There is always another project to do. So here is our List for 2012.
Move Mary to a bed and create a fun bedroom for the two girls to share.
Re-paint the main floor bathroom – maybe stripes or maybe wallpaper???
Decorate the walls of the kid’s playroom
Paint the spindles on the staircase and stain the handrail.
Finish painting the shed outside – as soon as it is warm again.
Build a bench outside near the basketball court.
Find a perfect couch for our living room.
I’m exhausted already! We need some good inspiration. Let us know what you think of our ideas and share any great ideas that you might have.
Posted by Greg
Greg and I celebrated Valentines Day a few days late to avoid the masses of people. We love trying new restaurants so we gave Zy a try. It was fantastic! They are famous for their wine and cheese. However since we are not wine drinkers we enjoyed the fabulous variety of cheeses they offer. Everything we tried was delicious! They take reservations which is very nice and they have fun tasting events that are listed on their website. Go give it a try!
Posted by Andrea
Since Valentines Day has just passed, chocolate is on the brain. I am a lover of chocolate! Not just any chocolate however.
I didn’t always have a love affair with chocolate, in fact I didn’t really care for it as a kid. I liked gooey candy or a good box of Nerds. When I was 21 years old I was a missionary for my church and they sent me to Strausbourg, France for 8 months and then up to Brussels, Belgium for another 8 months. That is where the love affair began. It was amazing to see a whole store dedicated to chocolate. There was chocolate everywhere. Godiva, Leonidas and Galler chocolates were some of my favorite. My sister Rachael carried these gorgeous Stephan Dumon chocolates home from Bruges, Belgium for me last year. They were delicious!
Recently I stumbled across this beautifully written post by Lindsey Johnson titled 9 Secrets to Tasting Chocolate. If you LOVE chocolate, you must check it out.
Posted by Andrea
This South Mountain home is a 2-story beauty with timber accents inside and out! It has 4 bathrooms, 5 bedrooms including a master suite with a deck and incredible views. Gorgeous walkout basement and mature scrub oak for privacy. This house has 3658 square feet and is listed at $444,000. You don’t want to miss this one!
Views from the front of the house.
Views from the back of the house.
If you have any questions, contact me at andrea.summerhays@gmail.com
Posted by Andrea
Photos by Obeo
I was raised on these bran muffins. In fact, we even ate them at my aunt’s house every year on Christmas morning. She served them with grapefruit, eggs, bacon, ham and sausage.
I love this recipe because it’s packed with fiber and the batter keeps in the fridge for 30 days. I fix a batch and put it in a Tupperware bowl with an airtight lid and store the batter in the basement refrigerator. We get fresh, warm muffins all month. I love serving them with raspberry honey butter. Try them!
4 cups All-Bran cereal
2 cups boiling water
1 cup margarine
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 quart buttermilk
5 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups flour
2 cups Bran Flakes cereal
Pour boiling water over 4 cups of All-Bran cereal and let sit. Cream margarine and sugar; add eggs then dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk. Mix in All-Bran and water mixture. Last of all, stir in Bran Flakes. This batter stores in refrigerator for 30 days and makes dozens of muffins. Bake at 400 degrees for 16-18 minutes in greased or paper-lined muffin tins. Bake time 10-12 minutes for mini-muffins.
Posted by Andrea
