Monday, March 26, 2018





Easter and Spring !


After what was the last (hopefully!) snow of this winter it was time to get Our New Vista decorated for Easter and Spring.   The wreath above has been an Easter favorite on our front door for many years.   The eggs that were on the wreath were a beautiful pastel crackled style...and after our move some of the eggs fell off and I noticed that since the wreath had been on our front door in full sun for a few years some of the eggs looked faded.  I could not find the same kind to replace them, but found these glitter eggs at Target ( a GORGEOUS new Target just opened up near here) and I think they really pop!  Now that we are enjoying apartment living I think all of my holiday wreaths will have a longer life as our door is inside.  And, we are near the building elevator so that means that everyone who gets off at this floor can see the wreaths - and I get lots of comments about them.  I love this wreath because it does not have a bow...the bunny and daffodils are perfect by themselves.
Step inside our foyer and be greeted by Spring!   The lovely art was downloaded from the wonderful blog On Sutton Place  Ann from On Sutton Place allows downloads of all kinds of beautiful prints and chalk art.  I just printed it out and put it in a Dollar Tree frame.
Near the closet and Powder Room is another "old" decoration - this basket of snowdrops and crocus has been a staple in my Spring decorating for years.  Each year when I stuff it back into the SPRING BOX for storage I think "this is going to get crushed", but it always revives itself.  Just like our gardens after a long winter!
The Dining Room table has some simple tulips, a Ukrainian Easter Egg ( called a Pysanka) and some candles.   I found these silk tulips in clay pots years ago and put them out for Easter...and keep them up until it is time to "summer-ize" my decorations.
Here is a better view of some of my treasured eggs.  These are wooden and painted to look like the traditional eggs.   I treasure these as they belonged to my mother-in-law.  She passed away at much too young an age shortly after we were married.  I love bringing out anything that belonged to her...and I like to think she knows that she is remembered with love...and the things she enjoyed are still bringing joy.
Here is another view of the eggs...as well as my little bunny keeping watch.  This table has had many uses in the MANY years we have had it.  Purchase with our dining room set as a server in 1979. it has been a room divider, a sideboard, and now a sofa table.  I would live to have a large buffet lamp on this table, but there is no floor outlet near.  I have one floor outlet on the other side of the room and don't want to run a regular extension cord under the area rug.  If you know of any flat, under the rug, extension cords please leave a comment below !!!

Since we downsized I have a lot of eggs that I used to use all over our bigger home...so I have been sticking them in plants and some other spots all over the house.
Coffee table gets a simple tray ( used to be brass, spray painted it with crackle silver to "go" with new decor) with tulips and nest.
I walked around with this tulip plate for several minutes before finding a spot for it.  I always placed it in my kitchen window over my sink and enjoyed the way the sun illuminated the colors.  Well, no more kitchen window....but blessed with TONS of windows in this new apartment home ( it is called The Vistas!) so I placed it on this table where it can catch the light.


The snow is slowly melting....so I put some things out on our screened patio, too.  I cannot wait for the warm weather so we can enjoy this lovely space!
Just a little Easter fun over the stove....
and this little chick cookie cutter that was my grandmothers.  I never met her, but I am so glad I have some of her kitchen items and say a prayer for her when I use them.
Palm from Palm Sunday is put out every year behind our crucifix...I also made little palm baskets to pin on our coats for next Palm Sunday.  My dad always made them and now my sister and I carry on the tradition.
And...as I was decorating I looked out and saw these visitors.  So beautiful.  This is a soybean field behind our building and my guess is they were looking for any food they could find.

That's it from Our New Vista - thank you so much for stopping by!  
Do you do a lot of decorating for Easter?
How long do you keep your "EASTER" things on display?
Please leave a comment....and have a wonderful Easter and a beautiful Spring! 

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Wonderful Treat






What a nice treat to get in yesterday's mail!  A few weeks ago one of my favorite authors posted a recipe from this cookbook and asked you to tag who you would invite to dinner.  If selected, you would win a copy of the cookbook.   I was so pleased to learn that my response was chosen.  I sent my address to the email listed and then...as life got busy...forgot about it.  Yesterday this wonderful treat arrived in the mail.   Close enough to my birthday to consider it a birthday gift!  Wrapped in pretty tissue and string...with a cute note...
and autographed, too!  I am thrilled for several reasons:
  • I adore all of Adriana Trigiani's books and love the way she writes
  • Was thrilled to get to meet her when she was the featured author at the Library Author Luncheon last year.  She could not have been nicer!
  • I love to cook, and when we moved and downsized last year I gave away many of my cookbooks because I just did not have room for them.   I am now on my building library committee ( if you know me, big surprise, huh?) and I can see I should have saved them for this library instead of donating them to other places.
  • I love how Adriana relates to her readers on her FaceBook page...and how she shares ideas, thoughts, and family recipes with others.
  • I am always looking for new recipes and this will give me lots of inspiration.
So, thank you VERY much, Adriana Trigiani...for your gift, for your novels, for the way you share your world with all of your readers.  And now...a cup of tea and a cozy chair to sit and read my new cookbook!I love the title...love my sisters!

Monday, March 5, 2018

Lovely Day at Longwood



"Safe in my garden, snowdrops grow still"


Lovely Day at Longwood Gardens

It has been a wild weather week here in our neck of the woods...a storm and terrible winds over the weekend and the promise of more storms and SNOW this week.  But today....BEAUTIFUL!   Not too cold, sunshine, blue skies....perfect day for a trip to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA   Dear friends gifted us with a membership to the gardens last year and we have enjoyed it several times...sorry to miss the wonderful holiday displays due to illness.  So, we decided to take a drive through the farmland of Pennsylvania and visit the Orchid Extravaganza that is now on display.  The snowdrops above were scattered throughout the gardens and a wonderful promise of Spring.   Before heading into the conservatory we stopped for a delicious lunch of the famous Kennett Square mushroom soup in the restaurant.  Though under renovation, there was a wonderful heated tent to sit in and enjoy our soup.  We never expected the beauty that was waiting for us. Words cannot describe...so just scroll down and enjoy the beautiful flowers that will make you even more anxious than you already are for SPRING!



































What a wonderful day and a great taste of the joy that will come to us in the Spring!   Have you ever visited Longwood Gardens ?  What is your favorite flower?   Please leave a comment...and thank you for stopping by Our New Vista ! 

Travel Items I Tried

 Travel Items I Tried We just returned from a wonderful trip to London, Paris, and Nice!  I will post some of the highlights as soon as I go...