How have your gardens come together this spring? Harris shares with you some of his ideas for easy to care for English style gardens!
For inspiration, use of Hostas adds for gentle borders or a dramatic effect! Coralbells sport airy flower spikes on wiry stems above low-growing, often dramatic foliage. For us, we feel the use of topiaries is especially wonderful in our historic home, as the art of topiary gardens date back to Roman times.
We feel that our gardens are a reflection of us as yours should be of you. Bottom line, design and plant what makes you happy! But now’s the time to get it done so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor all summer!
For a lifetime of luxurious beauty, plant heirloom peonies in your garden! Give them a sunny spot and they’ll reward you with abundant blooms for a century or more! They are great for cut flowers to add into your home! We enjoy them every spring!
Peonies are now out of season, but we wanted to share with you how ours bloomed this spring. They are so fragrant, beautiful and romantic! If you would like more tips on growing your own, send us your questions!
So, The Dads finally threw their epic outdoor BBQ party! Sure it was thrown on Memorial Day weekend, but really their party was also a launch of their extensive home additions!
Needless to say, it was amazing! Their phones and emails were flooded the following days with praise of how great of a job they did and how much fun everyone had!
First of all they added a new outdoor kitchen… Look at the Weber Summit grill with a Viking cooktop!
They added lots of new outdoor furniture… I love the green!
They added columns, fans and a new railing to the back porch…
And a new outdoor bar… Look at that stock!
(The tags on the chairs were cut of course, post photo.)
They had a special cocktail menu… My favorite was the Coconut Tree Martini! The Dads toasted the shredded coconut right before the party began, and it made it impossible to not want more! It was actually a cocktail designed by my step-sister, Casey (from my mother’s side). She made it for my 21st birthday and The Dads thought it would be a nice personal touch. They also hired their favorite bartender, Megan from City Cafe in Baltimore and her fiancé Tommy, who were super sweet!
They hired their contractor’s brother for the catering called N&M in Pennsylvania. The Dads hired the caters to cook for 70% of the party and The Dads took care of the remainder 30%. They had expected up to 80 guests, so this was not an easy feat!
The food needless to say was divinity. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the passed ahi tuna from the caters, but the highlight for me was their crab fondue! I’m making you salivate, right?
Their friend George was kind enough to bring in a huge amount of seasoned shrimp! I couldn’t stop eating them with my cousin, Stephanie!
The indoor table landscape was designed by their dear friend Leslie…
Of course, Dave’s sister Carol was a huge help!
Did I mention they had 300 pounds of ice?!!!
Well there’s a taste of what a party at The Dads is like!
Want tips on how to throw your next upcoming shindig? Leave your questions in our comments! Or email harrisanddave@gmail.com!
One of the things people mention to us the most is how much they love our home. On this blog, we hope we can give you insight into the thought and details that went into our home creation. Our house is over 100 years old… and we can tell you, it certainly is a labor of love!
Hello! Welcome! Thank you so much for stopping by!
We are lovingly known by our children as “The Dads”. It all began one evening when we were visiting Melissa (Dave’s daughter) and her husband in NYC. We had already left them to head back to our hotel for the night, but Leah (Harris’ daughter) and her husband, Sean, were staying at Melissa’s. Apparently, when Melissa had spotted the air mattress, which was loaned to Leah & Sean by us, she was beyond impressed. Impressed by an air mattress? Yes. In her opinion, it wasn’t just any ordinary, sit-on-it-and-roll-onto-the-floor type inflated mattress. It was a kind that had the edges and sturdiness of a real bed. Well, almost.
Melissa exclaimed how she bet The Dads researched online and read the reviews to find the best air mattress for their buck. Leah laughed and chimed in that Harris had told her about his air mattress buying experience. She told Sean and Melissa that her dad had the cashier open the box at check-out to see if the mattress plugged in without batteries. He didn’t want his baby having to hunt for batteries on her vacation!
And so, the conversation began. They all became so excited with the idea that the Dads should have a site where they could share their tips and insight. Melissa made sure that they documented this momentous occasion with a photo (as seen below).
We are a couple of guys who very much love entertaining, cooking, gardening, antique and art collecting, our koi fish pond, home decor, cocktails… and of course, most importantly, our family!
Please let us know what topics or questions you would love to see us cover! Our e-mail is: HarrisandDave@gmail.com
