Back to School Soon

My daughter will be heading back to school soon, so I've got school lunches on the brain.  I try as much as possible to only pack her lunch in reusable containers.  I even include cloth napkins - she's never thrown one away yet!!

Here are a few things that have caught my eye.

I love these reusable snack sacks.  This one is from the Etsy shop WasteNotSaks.  There are a lot of shops on Etsy that make this type of sack, and you can find a wide variety of fabrics.  I've also bought the sandwich size bags.

This one is for you crafty types out there.  It's a pattern for a reusable lunch bag from Etsy shop agreensleeve

This is the Laptop Lunch Bento Box available at Amazon.

Pottery Barn Kids has all kinds of lunchbox options like this one called the Fairfax.  They also have all kinds of containers to go inside:

Kleen Kanteen water bottles

stainless steel storage

Finally, these enamel stacked lunch boxes are pretty cool.  They are available from VivaTerra.

Of course, some of these would make great lunch boxes for work too!!

For Indoor Gardening

Hi Folks!  I'm still having a super hard time getting motivated to update this blog, so I'm sorry for the scattered posts.

I did get an ad in my e-mail from Terrain advertising their vertical gardens.  I just love shopping at Terrain on-line.  Unfortunately I've never been there, but I've heard it's fabulous!

Their terrarium reminded me of this one I've seen on Etsy:

from seaandasters

and how fun are these:

from mudpuppy

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Next week I hope to be back in the swing of things!

Christmas in July Sale!!

Hi Everyone!!

I'm joining Etsy's Christmas in July promotion, and will be offering 15% off everything in my shop until July 24th.

Use coupon code CIJ15 during checkout.

Headed to the Country

via CarolynCochrane

Happy Friday!!  I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend.  What do you all have planned?

We are headed to see family in Indiana and then Chicago for some nice relaxing summer days, and then some site seeing!

Friday Wishes

from butterflyfood

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.  We are off for some fun in the sun (hopefully).

Random Product Recommendation

raceytay on Etsy

As I sit here enjoying my latte, I decided I should share with you the machine that changed our world.  Sounds dramatic, doesn't it?  Seriously, I bought this espresso machine for my husband as a Christmas gift several years ago and we couldn't love it more!  You see, my husband was going to Starbucks once, sometimes twice, a day and we all know how expensive that can get.  It was a bit of an investment up front, but it has certainly saved us money in the long term.

We have the Saeco Odea Giro.  The one above is the Saeco Odea Go II, which is evidently pretty similar. The beauty of this espresso machine is that it does a lot of the work for you.  You put the beans in the top, water in the reservoir, and select the volume and strength (only available on the Giro model) of your espresso shot and then push a button.  It grinds, tamps, and disposes the grinds in a container that has to be emptied every few days.

I've read some reviews that have said theirs broke, but we haven't had any problems.  We got ours from Costco, which has a good return policy.

HomesteadingRoasters on Etsy

Happy coffee drinking!

On a Hot Day

There is nothing better than a chilled cocktail on a hot day.  One of my favorites is Sangria.  It would be perfect to serve it in this gorgeous beverage dispenser from Anthropologie.

These straws are also super fun and summery.

How perfect would those be for a 4th of July party?  They come from soandsuch on Etsy.

This is the Sangria recipe I use.  It's by Emeril Lagasse, and has been a hit every time I've served it.  I've only ever used regular lemons and limes, and it has been delicious!  My printed version of the recipe also allows lemon-lime soda instead of club soda if that is what you have on hand.

Ingredients

• 2 bottles chilled dry red wine, like Rioja
• 1 cup brandy
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup superfine granulated sugar
• 2 oranges, cut into thin rounds
• 2 Meyer lemons, cut into thin rounds
• 3 Key limes, cut into thin rounds 
• 2 apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 cups cold club soda

Directions

In a large pot or bowl, combine the wine, brandy, orange juice, and sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the orange, lemon, and lime slices, the apples and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour. Remove from the refrigerator and add the soda. Serve in glasses over ice.

Enjoy!!

Mustangs

I am seriously in love with this print by BlueTrike on Etsy.  I go look at it about once a day and think about where I would put it in my house.  It's only $35 for an 11X14, so I'm not sure why I haven't just bought it already.

This is another of their prints that makes me smile and may have to go in my boy's room one day.

love Playmobil!!

Father's Day Etsy Style

A few fun Etsy finds for Father's Day:

pillow: YellowBugBoutique

train print: AmeliaKayPhotography

pint glasses: vital

cookie-wiches: tookies