Sunday, August 31, 2014

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 Melograno E Arancia (Pomegranate & Orange) 11.15 Fl Oz 6 Pack
San Pellegrino Pomegranate Orange. 
Check out my 2 Ingredient Margaritas too. 

Cheers!


Thursday, August 28, 2014

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



Tuesday, August 26, 2014

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

Saturday, August 23, 2014

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!

Thursday, August 21, 2014

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!


Sunday, August 17, 2014

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! 



Thursday, August 7, 2014

A 'Shelfie'....The MAY DAYS Library

What's on my bookshelf?
Here are some of my favorite lifestyle,
decorating, and other 'housey' books.
I keep this one on my bedside dresser.
I can pick it up whenever I feel like
reading a few random pages and always
 fine a little inspiration.
Decorating books, gardening, craft...anything 'housey'.
I haven't bought many lately. With the
internet, blogs, and Pinterest I have
 unlimited decorating ideas at my fingertips.
But when I pick up one of these...it just 
feels different. Relaxing
Some older ones.
All my 'housey' books are grouped together. 
I love Christmas books too.
Here's a collection of Southern Living Christmas.
Alexandra Stoddard. Love reading everything
she writes. I've even made copies of the
articles she wrote for McCall's magazine.
That was years ago.
I've put them in a notebook.
Her article was always on the last page each
month and it was the first page I read. 
A signed photo from the last time I heard
her speak. I've  been able to enjoy 3 of her
 lectures over the years.
 For years, I would subscribe to every decorating magazine.
I would tear out the pages I liked and put them in files
and later notebooks for each category.
I will continue to edit them to just a few.
Now I have Pinterest! So easy now to save
all those inspiring ideas I find. I have 173
categories (boards), and over 13,000 pins!
Whew! and I can share with everybody. 
I also have a large collection of cookbooks. 
I'll feature those in another post.
Some very old, very used, and tattered.
I make notes in my cookbooks.
Do you do that? On some I've noted dates
of when I made the recipe.
It brings back those memories. 
The general books are on the bookcase
Larry built in the hallway, HERE
Cheers!
Links: Facebook, Between Naps On The Porch,  French Country Cottage