This and That...

So happy that Summer is here and we are vaccinated so we can go out and about!  The dish picture above is a throw together - our community has an area where you can have a small garden plot.  The cost is 5 dollars for a small raised bed or ground level garden.  That cost includes the landscape crews turning over the plots early in the season so the ground is ready to have plants put in the earth.   When we lived in our houses I enjoyed gardening...flowers and some herbs in pots.  I never was a vegetable garden person - I guess because my family never was.   All of our neighbors were...and we always had friends giving us home grown tomatoes and other produce.   Now...I just don't see the need to go through all that work - we live in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and there are farms and farmstands all over where we can buy fresh produce.  And...the neighbors in our building who do have garden plots are VERY generous with their bounty.  Some put extra produce in a common spot for anyone to take.   I often find a bag of some wonderful, fresh produce at my front door.   That was the case this weekend - a friend gave a bag of snap peas - and I turned some chicken tenders, carrots, a pepper that was hiding in the crisper drawer, and the snow peas into a wonderful stir fry supper.  The snap peas were SO tender - much better than the frozen ones I usually use.  The other nice thing about the garden program in our community is that extra produce is also placed in the gazebo near the gardens...and volunteers package it up and donate it to the local food bank each week!

It was a very easy meal...just threw everything in a pan with sesame oil, a little ginger, onions...and finished it off with some soy sauce.  Yummy!

My other project this weekend was unexpected - while browsing around Bed Bath and Beyond I came across this shelf - 

I have a similar unit in white that I use in my kitchen and love it...so when I saw this AND the sign on the shelf that said it was reduced to $9.00 I knew it had to come home with me...

This is what the area under my sink looked like...I had those white stacking shelves but it was difficult to see what I had and to get to the items in the back - 

It took me a little while to figure out where I wanted things to go...some of the items I use daily I had sitting in front of the old organizers and thought I would try to avoid that...I put the items I don't use every day in the back of the pullout drawer.  There is a divider in the middle to keep everything from jumbling together...

This is the finished project....No more tall items in front of the unit that kept falling over.   I was able to corral everything in the pull out drawers, keep my hair care and some other products in the purple bin, and have my two body lotions within easy reach.  I alternate between the TanLuxe Tanning butter and the Booth lemon body lotion in the summer months.   I am hoping this system stays neat and is easy to maintain...

Have you been reading about how to do a "gel" manicure at home?  Several blogs and Pinterest posts have been talking about this for the past few years.   I decided to purchase the Gelous and the Gel Effect Top Coat and give the manicure a try...here's the process - 

One thin coat of Gelous

One coat of any nail polish ( I used OPI Strawberry Margarita )

Another thin coat of Gelous

Another coat of nail polish

Top coat 

I did this process a week ago today and I think it is holding up great!  I am pretty active with my hands, but I did start using my rubber gloves to clean the pots after dinner...I also put another top coat on on Wednesday and Saturday...it is fast dry so that was not a problem.  And...I have started to rub in a cuticle cream each night while I watch television.  I am not as good at using hand lotion - I do before bed, but not a lot during the day.  Have to get better at that...but I am THRILLED with the way the manicure lasted!  A little wear at the edges and a tiny chip on one...but overall - SUCCESS!

Last but not least...this visitor was eating the shrubs behind our apartment last evening.   I tried to get a better photo, but did not want to scare him off.  I say him, because he was starting to grow antlers and before he wandered off he was rubbing the antlers on one of the tree trunks.  I love seeing nature outside our window...and hope he stays away from the flowers!!!

So...do you have a garden ?  Do you grow flowers, veggies... or both ?  Any tips and tricks for making a manicure last ?  Or...animal visitors ???

Please leave a comment and any tip you have below - I love hearing from you.  Until then, thank you for visiting Our New Vista !

 

Guest Room Spruce Up

Finally....after so many months of Covid  restrictions we had good friends travel for a visit and overnight stay!  Our guest room doubles as an office area, too - and the cabinet pictured above is over 40 years old.  It looks great now that we spruced it up - and company coming was the perfect excuse.

Once again, I forgot to take some "before" photos!  The base of this cabinet was purchased in J. C. Penny's in 1978 when we moved to Horsham, PA for a job my honey was starting.   We had only been married a year and my wedding china was still in boxes in the closet.  We found the base cabinet and it worked perfectly under the window of our dining area and held all of our china....then a year later we moved into John's parent's home back in Schuylkill County, PA.   Sadly, John's dad died before I met John...and his mom became sick before our marriage and passed away in late 1978. She had just remodeled the home and never even got a chance to use her new kitchen.   After a year in the Philadelphia area and looking for a home we realized that our best bet was to move into John's family home.  We slowly made it our own....and took this base cabinet with us.  Once day when we were out shopping - at a J. C. Penny - we found the two completing pieces to this modular unit on sale.  One boxy unit for the television, and a topper that had glass doors.  We were thrilled.  We used it in our family room...took it with us when we built a house in 1989 and used it in the basement family room...took it with us when we built a larger home in 1993 and put it in a guest room there.   When we moved again in 2007 we did the same thing...and the larger, old fashioned televisions fit in the unit perfectly.   

Times change....we downsized, moved to this wonderful apartment in a fabulous community and brought the unit along again.  But, times and televisions change...and here we were with this BIG HOLE for the back of the old fashioned televisions in the middle of the unit.  The smaller, newer televisions did not fill up the empty space.   For a little while I covered it up with a piece of wood...but that did not look right.  I tried woodgrain paper...not a great look.  Then I saw many posts about peel and stick wallpaper and my plan was hatched...

Since this is the bedroom near the Paris bath - you can see a post about that here - 

Paris Decor

I found some paper with a French newsprint design on Amazon and we started the project.  You can see a bit of the hole in the back of the cabinet where the wires for the television and printer snake through...and some of the awful fake wood backing that never bothered me when the BIG old television was in there.

We had to overlap a big to get the paper to match up, but it was already looking much improved...

Once that was completed it was time to work on the glass doors on top.  I have been using that area more as storage than display and it looked kind of messy through the clear glass...

So, we measured some cling on window film that we had leftover from the bottom of our bedroom windows. ( I have room darkening shades in the bedrooms, but did not want them down all the time and as our bedroom looks out onto our screen porch we covered the bottom half of the windows with this film and it is perfect...)

You can see the difference here...one side clear glass, one side with the film....

And here is the finished product.  I took everything off of the top, cleaned and purged and moved things around and her it is! I added a few plants to the sides of the printer for some more color.  I love it!  So much better than it was before...and since we have had the cabinet pieces for so long it is nice to use what we have. 

Did you do any makeovers on furniture pieces you have had "forever"?

Let me know what you think - leave a comment below!  Thank you so much for stopping by Our New Vista!  Have a fabulous week!

 

Red, White, and Blue!

Memorial Day marks the beginning of the summer season and time for the red, white, and blue to come out of storage.  I usually keep the patriotic items up until after the 4th of July.  Have had this wreath for a few years...recently added a few more flowers and the hat that I picked up at Dollar Tree.

Dining room table has a silver charger, some wicker stars from Williams Sonoma, and a candle with red/white/blue crystal filler from Dollar Tree.

The foyer gets a bit of patriotic pride with the red lantern and the pledge...

Thanks to Ann of On Sutton Place for the great printable!

I tied some red/white/blue ribbons to star cookie cutters and spread them throughout the house - and have a few stars and stripes dishes that I use for the season.

The candle on the porch is on a time and sits on a patriotic plate...

I stick flags in plants wherever I can and pull out the flag coasters...

Coffee table gets some festive napkins - display is an old, faded flag twisted around a candle holder and some picks from JoAnn Fabrics.  I found the picks last year at a great sale and knew I would find a place for them this year!

Another plate...and the last of my Boyd's Bears - this one sporting a flag sweater.  I had quite a few stuffed and resin Boyd's Bears that did not make the move when we downsized.  I was amazed at how they did not sell at our moving yard sale...I ended up giving them away to children who came with parents to the sale!

Some more stars scattered around make it feel festive!

Also did a bit of moving art around the apartment.  When we moved in we had the grandfather clock on this wall, but we could not use the chimes because it was too loud and drowned out the television.  We moved the clock to the foyer and put another print in that place, but it was way too small....this Cafe at Arles was in the dining room....

So we moved it and put Starry Night in the dining room and it is much better!  See the hole in the wall ?  Originally each room in the apartment was slated to have a fire alarm, but then the builder decided not to install them, but left the wiring covered by a tan, solid switch plate in case they were needed in the future.  Those shiny plates reflected the light and always bothered me...so....

We removed them, painted them with the same, flat paint as the walls...

After they dried we up them back up and now you hardly notice them!

Finally tried Impossible Burgers...since we are not eating beef since my honey's heart attack.

They grilled up really well on our little outdoor George Foreman grill....I added some cheese and toasted the buns...

and they were DELICIOUS!!!  I really could not tell the difference between the impossible and a beef burger.  This will be on our menu many times for the summer!  You can find the recipe for the salad that accompanied our meal here 

Simple Side Salad

Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day Weekend! Do you decorate with red/white/blue for the summer months?  Please share your ideas, I would love to see them!  Leave a comment below - I love hearing from you!  Thanks for stopping by Our New Vista!

 Simple Side Salad

We are trying very hard to eat a more healthy diet...without giving up the food we love.   After John's heart attack, the diet recommendations were to limit fat, sugar, etc.  As summer approaches I wanted to experiment with some side salads that would be a bit healthier than the side salads I always purchased at the grocery store deli.   I love a good macaroni or potato salad - our deli has a great red potato salad - but I realized that the macaroni was not whole wheat, the diet suggestions say to veer toward sweet potatoes instead of white, and I felt the mayonnaise used in the store bought salads were filled with fat, salt, and preservatives. So, I am on a quest this summer to make side salads for our burgers ( no more beef...turkey and maybe impossible), chicken, and salmon on the grill!

Here is what I came up with today to accompany our pulled chicken barbecue sandwich.  I purchased the sandwich filling at Aldi...feeling the chicken was a better choice than the pork.  In the future I plan on making my own version with sugar free barbecue sauce and skinless chicken - but we had this in the freezer and it was enough for lunch. So...In my last shopping trip I purchased this cole slaw mix - 

It was called "broccoli slaw" and is a combination of shredded broccoli stalks, red cabbage, and shredded carrots.  I chopped one small Gala apple into bite size pieces, and added some low sugar "Craisins"...and added enough slaw mix for two into a bowl.

Then I put one tablespoon of Duke's LIGHT may in a measuring cup and added a dash of salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, and a little pickle juice - and mixed that up.

I poured that over the slaw/fruit mixture, tossed it together, and put it in the refrigerator to chill for a few minutes while I heated up the chicken.  I also spread the buns - and I use Schmidt's 647 buns- (they have more fiber and less calories) with Benecol Light Spread

and put the buns on the grill for a few minutes.

Served the sandwiches with the salad, some pickles, and a few BAKED potato chips...

And took it all outside to enjoy on our screen porch on a beautiful May day!

Do you have any recipes for healthy side salads ?  Please share!  And leave a comment below - it makes me so happy!  Thanks for stopping by Our New Vista!

Mid May Musings

May is flying past !  As everything blooms outside this book was the perfect read for those who love gardens.   The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly tells the tale of several gardens at old, historic English homes, and the lives of the people that created them...and lived with them.  I had to enjoy it with a cuppa and a scone.   These scones are so easy to make - you can find the recipe here  Apricot White Chocolate Scones

I have been enjoying several good books this month...

I really enjoy Stephanie Dray's books...she seems to do so much research for her historical fiction novels and you can learn SO much about different periods in history.  This one tells about the ancestral home of Lafayette through the stories of his wife, the chateau and the women involved in the chateau during WW One and Two.  I loved it - and learned SO much about Lafayette!

So thankful for our local Public Library...they really feed my reading habit.  Some other titles I enjoyed this month are...

If you read The Lilac Girls and The Lost Roses, this completes the saga of the Woolsey family and the part they played in history.  Once again...this author does so much research that even though it is fiction, I learned SO much.

Another historical fiction about the Warsaw Ghetto...again, very well researched and I learned a lot about real life hero  Dr. Janusz Korcsak, who was an advocate for children before the war and tried to be a savior for children throughout the terrible times in the ghetto.

Getting out of my historical fiction genre and starting this today...I have heard so much about this book, so I suggested it for my Book Club that finally got together last week.   Everyone voted to read it, so I will lead the discussion next month and look forward to reading this!

Purchased the book from Thriftbooks and now have earned a FREE BOOK - Yippee!

Amazon purchases this month include these timers.  I love to have lamps on timers but my old timers are starting to make that clicking sound...they are the older, rotary type of timers and somewhat bulky.  Susan at Between Naps On The Porch recommended these on one of her posts so I am going to give them a try.

Ever in search of the perfect mascara, I have noticed a lot of bloggers and posts on Pinterest seem to love this Lash Princess.  A bargain at 4.99 I ordered the waterproof version.

I really love my FitBit Versa 2....love that it not only tracks my steps but also am able to see my email and texts right on my wrist...and reply to texts by speaking into it.  I feel like Dick Tracy and his watch in the old comic strips! (Wow, just dated myself!!!) But I did not like the bands that came with the Versa...used the navy blue during the winter and switched to the pink for the Spring...but the look was a little too casual for me. I found this mother of pearl looking band on Amazon...

I just love the way it looks...

It feels more like a bracelet ...

and it came with this handy tool that made it fairly easy to take out a link to make the perfect fit!

And...I don't have a recipe for this...just had some tomatoes that were left over from making a salad, some spinach that needed to be used before it turned bad, and had some shrimp in the freezer.  I sautéed it all together with some onion, garlic, and served it over pasta...it was a huge hit.  Though next time I take a photo I have to remember to wipe the drops from the plate...a food stylist I am not!!!

Other good news...today our 5th floor cafe reopened - over a year closed since Covid.  Our building includes a beautiful continental breakfast and one of the best parts of living here is having breakfast with friends and a great view!  It was SO good to be back today...still a limited menu and social distancing...but great to see our friends and neighbors and chat over a cup of coffee!

What have you been reading and buying this May ?   Please share your ideas in the comments below - I would be thrilled to hear from you!

Thank you so much for stopping by Our New Vista! Have a great day!