Super Sized

vegetables and fruit.
Everything in our garden is growing like crazy. 

We have ginormous zucchini, massive cucumbers and a gazillion tomatoes 

as well as 

pears in the tree and windfalls in the yard

and apples almost ready to pick.

Time to get busy and harvest these babies!

NW Trendy-third...

...Nob Hill, Uptown or the Alphabet Historic district

no matter what you call it

we spent a fun afternoon there with our Birthday Girl browsing in all the chic boutiques and trendy shops, admiring the wonderful old houses on every block and enjoying the smell of coffee, chocolate, pizza and other amazing food as we walked by restaurants, cafes, pubs, coffee shops and candy stores. 

And how perfect is this??

We stopped by Twist and they just happened to have this festive table set as if they were expecting the Birthday Girl and her guests to arrive. 

So adorable!!

Happy Happy Birthday to our wonderful Daughter!!

Lovebirds

on top of the cake
along with edible feathers adorning the tiers. 

~more lovebirds, nests and feathers~

And, these were fun but easy to miss....

...OSU toasting glass charms!

I loved the details.

Newlywed send-off

After the wedding and reception the newlyweds came back to our house to change and grab a bite to eat before leaving for their honeymoon....

...so I decided to decorate...

and cook...

and sparkle up their send off! 

 I made pom poms, bows, banners and tags, strung some lights and paper lanterns, bought some white mums in different sizes and put them on tables and around the yard and tied everything up in white tulle. 

I tried to keep the food simple and made everything the day ahead. I set out all the serving bowls and platters so that they were ready and could be quickly filled when we returned. 

Our Menu:

Honey Ham

Turkey

Rolls

Homemade Honey Mustard

Assorted cheese tray

Roll-up Sandwiches

Scalloped Potatoes

Fruit Salad

Pasta Salad

Rice Salad

Cheesecake

Blackberry Cobblers

Mini Brownies

Lemon Cookies

A little DIY inspiration! 

WEDDING DAY

in
Abigail's Garden
at
Abernethy

After much planning and anticipation the BIG DAY finally arrived.
We had been monitoring the forecasts daily as the wedding drew near because when planning an outdoor event you tend to keep an eye on the weather. All predictions were for partly sunny and 72 on Saturday and rain arriving on Sunday but surprisingly the rain showed up a day early causing a slight, last minute change in plans.

Instead of the gazebo, where we had practiced the day before at rehearsal,

the ceremony took place inside the tent where the Bride and Groom along with their guests stayed dry
except for a few wet eyes
caused not by rain
but
tears of joy!

Wedding Day hairstyles

An up-do for the i-do!!

the Bride

the Bridesmaids and MOB

We arrived at 7:00am for our hair and makeup appointments at the Elements of Style Salon. The salon was buzzing with excitement as the hair went up and makeup on, all the while cameras were flashing to record the fun.  

What a special morning it was. 

"a lot to do...

....a lot to do, a lot, a lot, a lot to do!!!!"
We have been saying that a lot lately. 

It is from Harry Gets Ready for School by Harriet Ziefert, a favorite book we read to our kids every September when they were younger about getting ready for school 

but
it also describes our entire month of September and this year is no exception. 

Lots to share next week

but for now 

here is a beautiful rainbow from last night

right in our backyard!  

Look closely at the photo above....

it's a double rainbow!

bachelorette dinner

at  ORUPA

Fun, colorful, french theme plates..

 ...beautiful,

delicious food...

...fancy drinks...

...BRIDE to Be, bridesmaids, MOB, MOG, aunts 

and...

...gifts!!

A fun Saturday night surprise Bachelorette Dinner
for the
Bride to Be!

Greater love....

...has no one than this,

that he lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

God Bless America

Friday Family Fun

Surprise Birthday Party downtown at Old Town Pizza
Bachelor Dinner
 High School Football Game

A Fun Friday night for the entire Family!

waterfall skirt

Putting the final touches on our

DIY Waterfall! 

It took several days to tile the skirt around the pond but it is finished. 

Now we just need to back fill to the edge with dirt, add some sod, set the lights, trim the liner and add a few rocks. 

A nice spot to do homework, read a book or visit with family and friends.

To see our DIY Backyard Makeover and the construction of our DIY Waterfall go:  here

game day

We're ready for some football!

  GO BEAVS!  

reusable lunch bag

An easy to make, reusable lunch bag.

For my pattern I used a paper lunch bag. 

This would also make a great Back to School gift, Teacher Appreciation gift or filled with school supplies and gift certificates and donated to a school auction. 

So many possibilities.