Forest Lake Greenhouses

Green Fiend!

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!


You're not out of luck yet!

If you are in Florence, SC today
head on over to 
Forest Lake Greenhouses


for some

Lucky Irish Shamrocks

Once you have your

shamrocks,

skip the green beer

and
head to the kitchen...

Grab your Blender


I
 LOVE
my Blendtec

but
any heavy duty blender will do.

ADD

-- 1 1/2 Cups green grapes --

-- 1 1/2 Cups spinach --


--  1/4 Lime including the rind --

-- A handful of ice cubes --


                                   -- Blend on Whole Juice --

and 
VOILA!
you have the best St. Patty's drink around...

 Spinach and Grape Smoothie with Lime
hyyc

Famous for being the secret to Popeye’s legendary strength, spinach is truly a nutritional powerhouse—and perfect for green smoothies.  

A Harvard University study found that women who ate spinach more than five times a week had a 47 percent decrease in risk of cataract surgery compared with those who ate spinach less than once a month.
  
--- I rely on my blender ---
I take my blender with me when I am going out of town and traveling by car.

The point
.
Smoothies are a remarkable
addition to any diet as you can cram in loads
of vitamins through veggies & fruits as you
enjoy something delicious!

Try adding
 some GREEN
to your next 
smoothie!

Best of Christmas 2011

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Two 20 pound boxes of boxwood and cedar cuttings, miles of white pine roping , oasis, clippers, twine, etc... ready set GO! 


 Some people get excited jumping out of a plane but for me, opening an old fashioned waxed box of eight inch boxwood clippings is pretty thrilling.


Oh, the possibilities....
After clipping hundreds of tiny 2-3 inch boxwood clippings, I nestled them into floral foam (oasis) which come in different shapes.
Unfortunately I could not find many of the shapes that I was looking for... a little trim here and there and voila!  I made little round balls plus fat and skinny little trees!
Each one takes more than a few hours, but the end result is well worth the work! These will stay fresh well into February.

A skinny Christmas boxwood tree waiting to be placed in a silver Revere bowl.
Boxwood Christmas "kissing ball" on a silver butter dish.
Lots of luscious red satin ribbon used for a pop of color here and there.
Recycled Trader Joe's Christmas bags cover amaryllis pots.  Amaryllis grown in Florence at
Forest Lake Greenhouses... one of my all time favorite places in the world!
One of my favorite finds this season, kraft paper with gold stars... twinkle!
Check out the wooden bunny (from Anthropologie) on this package from my children.  
These Chinese carryout boxes from Michael's are great for tiny treasures and look especially pretty when tied up with satin ribbon from Paper Source.

Candlelight, paperwhites, cedar, the aroma of garlic and mushrooms cooking, the fireplaces crackling,  warm hugs of family...nothing could be better.


Boxwood and cedar (plus burlap... everyone knows how much I love my burlap!) in every nook and cranny.



This gorgeous package contained a very special gift from my husband.


Gorgeous poinsettia from
Forest Lake Greenhouses 



Mantels decorated, boxwood and yards of boxwood garlands, wreaths made and hung.  Every minute of snipping and tying was beneficial to all involved.
This work energizes me and satisfies my soul not to mention and all seemed satisfied with the end results!


 Now for a peak into the life of a full home at Charles' residence... 


Our sweet, sweet Lizzie taking a break from watching all the activities surrounding her.

The tree is up and the stockings are hung.
A lovely gift from Charlestowne Hotels arrived
which made for an exciting, spontaneous ice cream party where we 
"played the rating game" (a favorite activity while traveling)
and scored each of the fabulous flavors...
And the winner...
DRUMROLL
Toffee Chip
...
 with everything else coming in at a close second. 
Loved the chunky peppermint ice cream for the holidays.
Check out Graeter's since 1870 for your own party!

A lively game of LCR (dice_game) played with "real" money resulted in a scholorship for a girl in Malawi to attend high school.  






         If you are interested in finding out how you and your family can send a child to high school 
click on link to Peachtree Presbyterian Church (below) and look for the Tubepoka Development Initiative.

My manly husband and son built a big bonfire down by the pond.  
We roasted marshmallows, ate s'mores and yes, even sang camp songs around the fire.


These were just a few of my favorite things this Christmas 2011.


Hope your Christmas celebration was lovely, too!


Wishing you the very best in 2012!


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