A Little of This and a Little of That

Hello there! So tell me, are you looking forward to spring? I am. I usually love winter, but I'm ready for green grass and flowers again.

Just noticed my Kindle is in that pic above. Oh well. :) Do y'all like to read? One of my favorite things is when I have the house to myself and I can fix a cup of coffee or tea and read all day long. It's even better if it's raining. Oh, the joy! Right now, I'm re-reading the Sweet Cove Mysteries by J.A. Whiting. So good! Any book about a girl who owns a bake shop is my kind of book. And in this one, she also owns a huge victorian mansion that she and her sisters made into a B&B. So fun!

I thought I might get tired of these tobacco baskets, but so far they're still here. I kind of like the interest they add. 

Again, trying to show different views of my home so you don't get too bored. You can see how we made that metal piece with the wood frame HERE. I have to warn you though, it's an old post and you may not recognize my house. Lol! 

Don't you love when you've just finished cleaning the whole house and every room is sparkling? There's nothing like a freshly mopped wood floor. Obviously I lead a very wild life...reading, cleaning...

I don't know if I've ever shared this side of the little alcove area in my home. It's just off the kitchen and I never know how to decorate it. I just have this little corner shelf on one side...

And this table on the other...

Just like the tobacco baskets, I'm still not tired of these leopard pillows on the dining room chairs. I've had them for years now and still love them. I think the older I get, the less I'm changing out my decor. 

I mean, you can't beat a clean kitchen, am I right? :) I don't cook much anymore, but mine still manages to get messy. Especially with all those vegan recipes Logan is making. Lord. 

I've been getting lots of questions about my kitchen curtains. You can see how I made them in THIS post. Again, it's an old post, so my house looks a lot different, but it's fun to look back. :)  

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

~Lisa 

Chopped Salad, Cats, Homemade Froth, Gardening and Vegan Burgers

How's that for a post title? Sharing a little of this and a little of that today. Obvi. :) 

I made this Middle Eastern chopped salad the other day...

It's one of my favorites, but I haven't made it in years. Here's the recipe:

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped

4 Tablespoons black olives, pitted and chopped

2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and enjoy! It's even better after sitting in the fridge for a while. 

The felines are enjoying their long, leisurely days around here...

 Finn totally looks like a vampire here! Lol! 

Holly was on top of the kitchen cabinets in this pic, hence the weird angle...

I couldn't resist dressing Finn up in Holly's old tutu...

I decided to add some homemade froth to my coffee. Have y'all ever done that?

It's so easy to make. Just pour milk into a mason jar. (Skim works best, and just use as much milk as you want in your coffee) Put the lid on and shake for 30 seconds, then remove lid and microwave for 30 seconds. 

 I came across this vegan gluten free falafel burger recipe and texted it to my son. He made them and they were really good! To me, it tasted just like taco meat. Here's a link to the recipe we used:

Vegan Falafel Burgers

Here's a pic of his...

This next pic is the opposite of vegan. :) I was grocery shopping the other day and couldn't resist everything lemon and coconut flavored...

Those coconut wafer cookies are so good! It's like my grocery store is setting out all things spring related. Lemon and coconut just scream SPRING to me. 

So this was my lunch the other day...

Such a mishmash of random things. Cottage cheese on a Triscuit, a pickle spear and some almond butter on a piece of wheat bread. So weird, right? :) 

We've been "walking the property" as we call it and assessing what needs to be replaced/cleaned up in our garden for spring. Here's the yard work to-do list I made:

"We" already removed the pine tree. :) It has been dead for a while and needed to come down. The Angelonia is an annual, and might come back, but I think I'll just buy new ones since they're inexpensive. And yes, our pergola needs to come down. It's starting to rust at the base. We fertilized the grass last week. This is the earliest (by a few weeks) that we've fertilized, but we were already starting to get weeds. This is our favorite fertilizer for the grass:

I pulled weeds in the flower beds and put down Preen to control future weeds for the next 3-4 months. Here's the Preen I put in the flower beds...

Only 24 days until spring, y'all! Thanks for stopping by! 

~Lisa 

Household Tips: Carbon Monoxide Detectors and Laundry Symbols

We just replaced our carbon monoxide detectors, so I thought I'd do a little PSA on here. :) Carbon monoxide detectors usually last around 7-10 years. After that, they lose their effectiveness. Ours were around that age, so we replaced them. You should have one on every level of your home (including the basement) and in (or close to) each bedroom. Oh, and don't forget to replace your smoke detectors too. They usually last about 8-10 years, but remember to replace the batteries yearly. Also, don't forget to test your carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors regularly to make sure they're working properly.

Here are the Plug In Carbon Monoxide Detectors we got...

Click HERE to see similar ones at Target. 

What I like about this particular one is that it plugs in, but has a battery backup if you lose power. It has a digital display that tells you the life of the battery, so you know when it's time to replace the battery. It also has a display that shows the life of the unit itself, so you know when to replace the entire thing. I went ahead and used a permanent marker and wrote the date and year these were installed, right on the side of the detector, just so I'd remember. 

If it detects carbon monoxide, the alarm will sound and it will have a digital display, telling you what the levels are. 

Click HERE to read Carbon Monoxide Poisoning FAQs.

Here is the one in my bedroom:

So, on to laundry. I bought some new clothes recently and was a little confused when I read the tag. It had all kinds of symbols I didn't recognize. I googled it and turns out, there are a ton of laundry symbols I didn't recognize. So I put them together for you right here. Just what you always wanted to know, right? :)

I mean...did you have any idea the more dots there were, the hotter the water? I sure didn't. 

Again, I never knew about these bleach symbols.  

I mean..."Dry in shade???" Not sure when that will ever apply, but it's good to know there's a symbol for it. Lol!

Goodness. That's a lot of symbols! Ha! Who knew?!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Lisa 

Around The House

Just a few random things today. First up, I made these goodies...

No Bake Monster Cookie Bites...

By the way, Target dollar spot has these mini cake stands back in stock for $1!

They were so easy! Here's the ingredients:

I got the recipe from @sarah_spickler on Instagram. 

Here's the recipe: 

1 cup oats
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
1/2 cup mini M&Ms
***If the mixture doesn't seem to be binding together, use a little more honey. 

Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to one hour. Use a cookie scoop to roll them into 12 small bites. They were a real hit over here!

I finally decided to try some highlighter on my cheekbones. This is the one I got:

e.l.f. Baked Highlighter in Moonlight Pearls $4 at Target

I actually like it! I do my normal makeup routine of moisturizer, foundation, powder. Then I apply some highlighter on my cheekbones using my blush brush. Then I apply my blush and kind of blend it with the highlighter. 

My youngest son has decided to become vegan, so my fridge is filled with things like this "sour cream" made from cashews...

And this...

And this...

Some protein powder...

And of course this...

Then I was stumped when Logan got an ear infection and had to take antibiotics. From what I've always understood, antibiotics kill the bad bacteria, but also some of the good bacteria we need. Because of this, anytime we take antibiotics, I always make sure we eat yogurt to replace the good bacteria. I was a little perplexed as to how I could get Logan to eat yogurt since he's become vegan. Well, a little Googling and I had my answer...

Silk Almondmilk Yogurt Alterative! 


And it has the three live and active cultures I wanted...

And Silk Dairy Free Yogurt Alternative...

And it also has the three main live and active cultures I wanted...S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, and L. acidophilus. 

So glad they have these alternatives for vegans. Makes this Mama feel at ease. :) 


Not sure how long this vegan kick will last, but I have to say, he's eating a lot better now and gets plenty of fruits and veggies. 

Do you have any vegan favorites I should know about? 

~Lisa