The New Walls

I love when i can walk into a store and the first thing i notice is that they have made some beautiful changes. Aesthetically speaking....being creative within your home with the decor and the arrangement of furniture and light and space is art. You make people feel at home and welcome in your home by arranging things a certain way. One of our goals it to inspire you through the products we carry and also our decor. We are constantly changing things around and giving our space a fresh look. We had some new walls hung and we are having so much fun showing them off.

We have a new wall in the dining area, the nursery, and the bedroom space. Three different spots to showcase our products and use our imagination to decorate in a fresh new way. 

Come see us soon!

“I like my house to be unique to me. Sure, I’ve bought plenty of things out of a catalog, but the way I put them together in my home is special. You might have bought your sofa at a major home decorating store, but the rug you found at the flea market is so unique, it takes your room from ‘carbon copy’ to ‘simply yours’ in no time.
-Nate Berkus”

Outdoor Furniture: Polywood.

It's that time of the year! The only thing we want to do on a beautiful day is to be outside. Having bar-b-q's and roasting hot dogs. School is coming to a close and we have a few major holidays creeping up on us. This line of outdoor furniture we carry is not only beautiful, colorful, and comfortable. It is built with top notch quality and sturdy. It will last you from years to come!

And we have the beautiful cushions to mix and match with whichever color you choose!

““Summertime is always the best of what might be.”
-Charles Bowden”

Rainbow Trout

Many of you enjoy a walk to the deck to visit the fish pond when you come to see us. 

The fish are rainbow trout and we raise them just for fun. We have sold some to trout clubs and fishing derbies over the years.

The pond is fresh water, much of which comes from the spring house on the south side of the pond. There are a few springs that bubble through out the pond. Approximately 500,000 gallons of water flow out of the pond every day. 

Take the time to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the scenic views on the comfy outdoor furniture we have set out for you. Save some bread for the ducks!

Greenhouse Hunting

If you've visited the store and you picked up the booklet titled Lancaster County Favorites you will see that there are a list of greenhouses in there that you really must visit. Lancaster County has a rich rich supply of greenhouses with houseplants, annuals, perennials, succulents, air plants; and so far as I have experienced, the supply of knowledge about plants is amazing. When do i plant petunias, can I plant lettuce this late in the year, does it matter what kind of plastic should i use to line my plant hangers? This list was a list of Miriam's favorites and we are all interested in what she likes because we like her taste so i went on a tour for myself! I love greenhouses. Love is maybe not the right word. When i walk into a greenhouse, the smell itself makes me feel like in this place right now I could be anywhere in the world. Africa, Montana, Niagara Falls (just to name a few) .... anywhere. There has been no greenhouse that I have yet visited that i felt disappointed. I love them. So allow me to take you on a tour of our list of favorite greenhouses!

HORST GREENHOUSE: This greenhouse has good quality plants and we like them specifically for their houseplants. That is what the booklet says. I was excited to visit because I wanted to buy an asparagus fern. This greenhouse sadly, is closed and no longer in business. So I visited Sauder's Nursery located just beside where they used to be.... also beautiful. Outside plants only. Lots of trees and mulch. I didn't buy anything but would have if i was looking for a tree a shrub or some mulch.

My next visit took me to Hess Greenhouse on Hess Rd in Leola. This is a small Amish owned greenhouse with very personable staff. They are on of Miriam's favorite greenhouses (along with Fishers). They are only opened until June so make a trip soon. I bought so many plants here. They have rows and rows of beautiful hangers and i had two i needed to fill and a new one  to purchase so it was the perfect place to be. They answered my question about what kind of plastic to line my hanging baskets with and i ended up using a black garbage bag because the kind lady said you can use any plastic you have around the house. I also bought some tomato plants here.

Don't you just love how a greenhouse looks from the outside?

From Hess Rd I traveled over to Newport Rd to visit Ken's Greenhouse. The most frequented greenhouse due to it's locality, but more than that, they always have the friendliest staff paired with a beautiful variety in household plants, shrubs, and bushes. This place will drive you crazy with the amount of options they have. They always have creative examples and ideas to draw from and just loads and loads of beauty.

In this room in the back right corner they have a space where you can pot the plants you just purchased. So handy.

Took a photo of this because I had bought my mom one a while back and we didn't know what it was called or how to take care of it. Walmart. Not super helpful.

Here is where I found my asparagus fern. I bought the largest and the nicest one and also I think there are different varieties of this plant- I didn't ask.

WARNING! If you walk through this door you may leave penniless.

Someone has a great sense of humor. This is where I asked about the lettuce. I ended up buying a container of already grown lettuce and taking home two different packets of seeds which I planted for a later growing to cut from. ( I have no confidence that it will grow) Fresh lettuce!

The character of this greenhouse is so fun.

From Ken's I headed over to Rt. 340 to visit Shenk's Greenhouse and Rohrer Seeds. Shenks is the best place to buy vegetable plants and herbs at the best price (except maybe for roadside stands).

I was amazed by this wall display of hanging plants.

And then to Rohrer Seeds. I have a sad admission. I don't think I have ever been inside this place. Everyone I know buys seeds here (and for good reason- they have everything you could hope to ever plant). It's amazing! I purchased a new pair of gardening gloves for me and a teeny tiny pair for each of the kids. Dinosaur ones for Jaxon and Emma's had a ducky on. AWWWWW! Also purchased a floor puzzle that is in the shape of a John Deere tractor. We love puzzles. Rohrer's is a good place to buy your seed and bird feed. Miriam buys mealworms here to feed "her" bluebirds.

Something about this photo makes me really want to get out there and plant a garden!

I did not get to the last place on the list: Fisher's Greenhouse. Our favorite place to buy succulents and located near Sight and Sound Theaters. Probably best I didn't get to that one! Our list is ever changing.. Miriam just told me of another one in Gap that she loves for their elephant ears! I have to pay it a visit and see what I can find! Happy gardening to you!

Office Furniture & Supplies

We have a beautiful selection of quality desks, chairs, and other office accessories.  Whether you are looking to upgrade your business or home office we have something that would be just right for you. The desk chairs are comfortable and firm and when you are at that desk for hours we know you need a whole lot of both to stay at it. Looking for a birthday gift for your husband and his office? He would love these chairs.

Come see us! We would love to help you out!

Characteristics of Popular Hardwoods

 

RED OAK

The sapwood of red oak is white to light brown and the heartwood is a pinkish-reddish brown. The wood is similar in general appearance to white oak but with a slightly less pronounced figure due to the smaller rays. The wood is mostly straight-grained, with a coarse texture.

BROWN (SOFT) MAPLE

Soft maple is very similar to hard maple in most respects. Generally the sapwood is greyish-white, sometimes with darker colored pith flecks. The heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The wood is usually straight grained.  Soft maple is about 25 percent less hard than hard maple, has medium bending and crushing strength, and is low in stiffness and shock resistance. It has good steam bending properties.

CHERRY

The heartwood of cherry varies from rich red to reddish brown and will darken with age and an exposure to light. In contrast, the sapwood is creamy white. The wood has a straight grain; a fine, uniform, satiny smooth texture, and naturally may contain brown pith flecks and small gum pockets.

HICKORY

The hickories are an important group within the eastern hardwood forests. Botanically they are split into two groups: the true hickories and the pecan hickories (fruit bearing). The wood is virtually the same for both and is usually sold together. The sapwood of hickory is white tinged with brown, while the heartwood is pale to reddish brown.

WHITE OAK

The sapwood is light colored and the heartwood is light to dark brown. White oak is mostly straight grained with a medium to coarse texture; having longer rays than red oak, white oak has more figure.

Ladies Night Out

““Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the mind.”
― Luther Burbank”

Susan Mayer from Divine Florals provided us with the most beautiful blooms for our Ladies Night Out. It was so much fun watching the flowers become bouquets. Some ladies made their own and others shopped and socialized while Lori made their arrangement for them. Yummy snacks were available to all and there were a few vendor stands to browse as well. We were so glad to host each one of you and we hope you come back again next time. Flowers really do brighten up the day for anyone who enjoys them and in the "middle of winter" they are extra special!! It was so much fun watching each of you enjoy your flowers. They certainly were gorgeous!

Happy Spring! It's right behind all of this snow....i know it is.

Cheddar Seasoned Pretzels

If you have never tasted these pretzels you are completely missing out! They are so good, it is easy to eat almost a whole box in one sitting. I'm gonna post the recipe at the end so you can make them for yourself, but before you do that be sure to read through the tips from Anita. We recommend these pretzels as a snack for everything from a sports event to a ladies spa night. They are just that good. When you come to our store we serve them alongside coffee so you can snack while you shop.

The beautiful juice cups also from our store. The recipe is pictured below. If you are a non cooking person like me you will need some tips. Be sure to use the powder sour cream and onion POWDER. I know it says it there but i might be the kind of person to just go ahead and try the liquid sour cream. Another tip is to mix the oil and the sour cream and onion powder together before you mix in the other ingredients with the pretzels. Let us know how they turn out! And you can always buy them here and have them shipped to your home.