This, That, and Other Things

Lots of little projects going on at Our New Vista.  We are so happy to be "fully vaccinated" - but still being careful about going out.  We ate at a restaurant (in an outdoor area) for the first time in over a year this week.  We took a ride to nearby Lititiz, PA for our monthly anniversary date.  On our 40th anniversary my sweet husband decided that since you never know how many anniversaries you will be able to celebrate it would be a good idea to celebrate our anniversary each month.  So, on the 8th of every month we do something...take a ride to a new place, have lunch or dinner out, go to a play or movie - though Covid put an end to that for awhile.  So, this month we decided to try eating outside since we were vaccinated. I have to admit I was a little nervous, the the place we chose had a lovely covered patio, well spaced tables, and the staff was all masked.  

There was a limited lunch menu and I chose the special of the day - Blackened Spicy Shrimp Tacos.  They were amazing...and once I took off my mask and started to eat it felt like life was finally getting back to normal.  Sadly, the number of Covid cases in our are is rising...and all the amenities here at our community are still not available.  But, this first venture to eat at a restaurant has started us on the path to venturing out more often...

If you ever get a chance to visit Lititiz, PA....do it!  Here is a link to check out one of the coolest small towns in America -https://lititzpa.com/ It is such a cute little town with tons of great places to eat and shop.  Here is my honey in a favorite shop called Zest.  Filled with cooking items and lots of fun things means I never leave without buying something.  This time is was a brown sugar keeper ( I recently purchased these containers for my flour and sugar and love them...ProKeeper brand) - and I could not resist this Eiffel Tower cookie cutter.  It is the perfect size. You can also check out Zest online - https://zestchef.com/

Along with great chocolate, tea, gifts, and clothing - Aaron's Bookstore is a great place to browse.  I admit to not buying books very often as I am a HUGE library patron.  But, I wanted to support Aarons as they are a big part of the author luncheons sponsored by the library here.  I found this book - and I just love WWII historical fiction - so it followed me home.  You can check out Aaron's bookstore here - https://www.aaronsbooks.com/

Next up was this little project!  I cannot take credit for this - Niky at The House On Silverado posted this idea a few days ago and I thought it was adorable.  

This metal plant container is from Dollar Tree.  I noticed them before but never thought of any way I could use one...then Niky shared her idea and I rushed to Dollar Tree to get started on this project.

I needed something for the base and found these "doll heads" at Michael's.   

I had some white craft paint on hand and used that to cover the wooden pieces...

I used a small screwdriver inserted in the little hole at the bottom of the "head" to hold it while I painted it...

First coat....

Second coat and let it dry thoroughly...

Used some super glue adhesive (also from Dollar Tree) 

I added a good amount to each piece....

Then evenly spaced them on the bottom of the planter...

Then I found the heaviest book in my house and placed it on top to make sure things stay glued...

All this hand washing was talking it's toll on our hands.  We were using the dish soap and that was drying us out.  I bought these two, but did not like the look of the bottles on the counter - I have my dish soap in a nice dispenser on one side of the sink - and wanted to do something with these -

This worked out great...it contains the hand soap and hand lotion and just looks cute!

I added a new faux plant I found at HomeGoods in front of the faucet and now I love how everything looks.

Thanks to Niky for this great idea...

And since Dollar Tree also had this one in French I will be working on another one for our Paris guest bath!

Thanks so much for stopping by Our New Vista today - you can leave a comment below and let me know if you tried this idea, share any ideas you have been working on, or just say hello.  I have added a subscribe by email to the top of the blog if you would like to be notified of new posts.  While it is cool and rainy outside we know that better days are ahead.

Make it a great day wherever you are!