i dig it: bota box

     for quite a while, i have been quite a fan of

bota box wine

here's why:

the wine is very good (award winning, no less)

it is a great deal (one box = 4 bottles and costs less than $20.00)

i dig the "flextrap" spigot

the packaging is very eco-friendly

and, did i mention that the wine is very good?

my favorite is their

~ pinot grigio ~

 tomorrow,
i will post a quick-easy-cheap-delicious
cocktail recipe using this wine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

having collected a few empty botas, ahem,

i couldn't stop my wheels from spinning...

so, here are a few of my

☼ repurposeful tips ☼

empty bota boxes are great as is
for storing & dispensing plastic bags for reuse

or you can cut the ends off & use as containers

i like to punch a few holes,
then connect two together to make a sorting bin:

please note:

the makers of bota box did not pay me to review their wine

or give instructions for repurposing their boxes

but they are more than welcome to do so.

♥

gummi bear switcharoo

there are no words, really,

but to explain that these are

gummi bear vitamins (he always gets 2)

and that this happens

☼ e v e r y ☼ s i n g l e ☼ d a y ☼

♥

birthday frezent idea

many of you know by now that presents are really "frezents"

and have made the necessary adjustment to your vocabulary.

thanks for that.

ned & i went to a friend's 5th birthday party on saturday.
his name is Z, so naturally, we made him a Z card:

 

on the inside, ned drew two faces:
one sad face with a red X across it, and one happy face.
i will translate for you:
"don't be sad; be happy because it's your birthday!"
now for Z's frezent, we made a trip to our local hardware store.

here is what we put together:

yes, those are zip-ties.

and a set of mis-cut keys.

and a putty knife.

and a piece of sandpaper.
☼ happy birthday to Z! ☼

♥

DIY kitchen beauty: olive oil sugar scrub

are your hands as dry as mine?

every day, i drink lots of water and slather on hand cream,

but my hands are almost always in need of more.

here is my quick, easy, & cheap remedy:

♥ OLIVE OIL SUGAR SCRUB ♥

it really makes a difference,
and everything you need is in your kitchen.

here's what i do:

holding over the sink, i...

1. pour a little puddle of olive oil in my hand,

2. sprinkle a little pile of sugar right into the oil,

3. work it all over my hands & between my fingers,

4. rinse under warm water,
5. gently pat dry,

6. apply some thick hand cream.

i hope you will give it a try.

♥

mantel redo

our weather has really warmed up this week,

but my mantel was still looking neutral & wintery.

here it is

~BEFORE~

i wanted it to look more like my kitchen window

more colorful, more summery

so,

i poured myself a glass of wine

& turned on some music

(heavenly day by patti griffin was perfect for this).

{♥thank you, virginia, for sharing this song with me♥}

i gathered up most of my vintage books

and other colorful bits from other rooms,

then i stacked & sorted by color...

and,

here is my mantel

♥AFTER♥

(complete with a birdnest)

♥

♪ ¡sí! ¡hay música! ♫

i have added a playlist

of some of my favorite songs.

{see? it's right over there ►►►}☼please note☼

i have left it up to you to press play

because i didn't want to scare you with my music.

(i'm nice that way.)one of the songs is

i don't know by lisa hannigan.

months ago, my friend rebecca
shared this lovely artist & song with me
(thanks, dear rebecca).
there are two videos for this:
1. the live irish pub version (my favorite)
featuring her drummer playing a NEWSPAPER
and, 2. the official version

(with übercool paper cut-outs)

do check her out & prepare to be WOWed

by her talent & creativity.

♥

what's on YOUR grocery list?

today, mine started out like any other list.

until someone else got a hold of it.

tell me, what's on YOUR list?

♥