2 Ingredient Sparkling Sangria

Here's another one of my favorite summer

 cocktails, sparkling sangria!

This is the fast and easy version.

That means you can enjoy one anytime!

 Just 2 ingredients!

 Red wine and orange soda. About 50/50.

Adjust to you taste preference.

 Fill your tall glass with ice. Fill about halfway 

with red wine and top off with orange soda. 

Give it a stir and garnish with fruit on 

the rim if you like. I've also been adding a 

sprig of mint from my garden. BTW, I found 

these footed glasses at a thrift store for 25¢. 

It so refreshing and tasty! 

I discovered this sangria at a local tapas
restaurant. Couldn't be easier.
I may try it next with

San Pellegrino Pomegranate Orange. 

Check out my 2 Ingredient Margaritas too. 

Cheers!

Links: Facebook,
Under The Table and Dreaming,
Dwellings, The Scoop,
Between Naps On The Porch,
A Stroll Thru Life, Designs  by Gollum,
My Romantic Home, The Charm Of Home
French Country Cottage

These Boots Are Made For...

Coming out of the closet!

...and decorating when not walking.
I have several pairs of cowboy boots 

that only get worn when we travel to

 NC or TX, or anywhere in the fall.

 Last seen worn in Florida  HERE.

So when they aren't walking they don't 

take up closet space. They are part
of the decor in the blue guest room.
They are coming out of the closet!

They sit on an antique tool trunk at the foot

 of the bed.

I tuck a few Western-style belts in the top.

Why not store and display them here too?

Cheers y'all

Links: Facebook, 

Between Naps On The Porch,
French Country Cottage

The Best Tip To Hull Strawberries!

Can't believe I haven't posted this before. 

The best way to remove the the green leafy
 tops from strawberries with no
strawberry waste and also

 remove some of the white core without
buying another kitchen gadget is to... 

simply use a plastic drinking straw. Yes!

BTW kids love doing this. 

Just push it up through the bottom lining it up 

with the center of the green top.

Boom! Repeat until you have a straw full of 

core and then rinse it out. 

Save the straw for next time.

Make our favorite Strawberry Puff Pancake.

I had mentioned it to a friend after she made 

my Cherry Pie, (and loved it BTW).

It's also how I pitted the cherries for my pie.

Cheers!

Links: Facebook

Coffee In A French Press

In a push-button world of coffee it's nice to 

slow down and enjoy the the ritual of making 

coffee in a French press.  I enjoy the whole 

process that goes into making it. 

Especially on a weekend morning.

Here's how to do it.
1. Bring a kettle of fresh water to a boil.

2. Grind your beans on coarse grind setting.

 3. Add the coffee to the carafe.
(1-2T per 5 oz cup of water, usually
1 coffee scoop per cup)

 When the water just comes to a boil, bring

 it off the heat for 1  minute. 

4. Pour in just enough water into the carafe to
 saturate the grounds; wait 30 seconds to let
 them soak and bring out the 'bloom'.
Now slowly pour in the the rest of the

water. Give it a stir then place the plunger
 on without depressing it.

5. Let brew for 4-6 minutes.

While you're waiting you can

pour some of the excess hot water
 into your mugs to warm them. 

 6. Slowly and steadily press down on the plunger.

 7. Now, pour yourself a good cup of coffee 

into your warmed mug. 

 If not serving all the coffee right away, 

decant it into another server; like an 

insulated coffee carafe.

You can tweak the amount of coffee and 

brew time until it's just the way you like it.

Optional:

A warm croissant with jam

A comfy robe

A little soft jazz playing

(or THIS. Edith Piaf singing

La Vie En Rose with just the 

right amount of scratchy sound)

A chair outside, or by the fire

(depending on the season)

A no-place-to-go attitude

Now...slow down and enjoy your weekend.

Bon Jour!

Links: 
Facebook,
Between Naps On The Porch,
Design By Gollum

Using Trays For Vignettes

I love using trays. 

I always have a tray in this spot on 

the bar counter in the kitchen.

Trays make it so easy to create a 

seasonal vignette and change it often.

Playing around with a little raffia.

The wood tray on the family room

coffee table for Summer.

 I added a vintage linen hand towel.

It has a light blue detail and fits in the

tray perfectly. 

The breakfast table usually has a tray
 corralling an ever-changing assortment
 of my things.

I also like to use a small tray next to the sink.

This time I'm using a spatterware platter to 

hold soap/lotion dispensers, and a small vase 

filled with a few fresh herbs. The tray

makes it easy to move everything when I

wipe down the counters.  

The sugar pot is filled with homemade hand
scrub: sugar with just enough dish liquid to
 make a creamy/gritty paste. I used blue
dish liquid to match my colors. That way I
can have any color I want. See some
others HERE. Using this to wash my 

hands, especially after gardening leaves 

them clean and so smooth.

Cheers!

Links: Facebook,
Between Naps On The Porch,
My Romantic Home

Free Faucets

Free is always good. 

 So when my new neighbors were replacing 

these faucets with something more 

contemporary to go with their decor, 

 I got their 'old' brushed nickel faucets.

 I commented that these faucets were nicer 

than the ones in my guest Jack and Jill bath. 

They were happy that we repurposed them. 

 They were doing a major remodel on

the house. Almost everything was changed.

 Larry removed our old ones and had these

 installed in no time. 

Reuse, repurpose, recycle, redesign...

is always good too.

Cheers! 

Links: Between Naps On The Porch