Finn, Doves and Pies

Every year at this time, two doves come and make a nest above our front door. This is Finn's first summer with us and he's obsessed with watching them! Actually it's more like stalking. Lol! 

He stands guard like this for a long time. 

Still at it, but moved to the window sill. He chatters at them non stop. He mimics the "chattering" sound of a bird in order to try and draw them close to him so he can, well...eat them. Yikes! Good thing there is a window between them. 

UPDATE: Sadly, this happened the other day...

So sad. That mama dove worked so hard on building this nest. I need to review my security cam to see if I can figure out what happened. 

And to end on a lighter note, I had to share these yummy pies I made the other day. They're Pink Lemonade Pies, but I didn't add the red food coloring, so they're just a very light pink. They're made with frozen pink lemonade concentrate. So yummy and refreshing! 

Refrigerator pies are very popular in the south in the summer. :) 

Do you have a favorite summer dessert?

~Lisa 

Waffles, Kolaches and Cats

Just a few quick things to share with you today. 

Have y'all tried these?

My goodness, they're good! So fluffy and Madagascar Vanilla? Yes, please! Fair warning though...if you try these, you'll never go back to regular Eggo waffles. These are a tad more expensive and there's only 6 instead of the usual 10, but it's so worth it. 

My hubby went on a business trip recently and brought back some kolaches...

Oh, how this Czech girl loves kolaches! Apricot is my favorite. And yes, that's a princess plate left over from a party. ;) 

And just because I felt like this post didn't have enough pics, here are a few more...

 Such a rough life.

Holly's serious look. 

Hope y'all have a great day! 

~Lisa 

Finn, Paul Mitchell and a Borax Question

I know, another random post. :) That's kinda what it's like in the summer though. Just a mishmash of things going on. 

First up, would you look at this boy...

I mean, could he get more relaxed? Of course this was right after he chased Holly through the kitchen and knocked over all three barstools in the process. Oh Finn. His cuteness saves him every.single.time. 

Just look at these furry toes...

Cute!

Do y'all remember me telling you about my new favorite hair straightening serum? It's Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum seen here...

I started using it in early March and I talked about how it was more expensive than my usual straightening cream seen here...

Here's the thing. The Paul Mitchell stuff was about $17 for 5.1 ounces. I was paying $2.89 for 3.5 ounces of the Suave. 

But...the Suave only lasted me about a month because I had to use a lot more. And I've been using the Paul Mitchell for two months and look at how much is still left...

I haven't even used half of it yet because you only have to use one little pump. I have shoulder length hair and one pump is plenty. So...I've concluded that even though the initial cost is more, it ends up costing the same (or even a tad cheaper) in the long run because you use a lot less. 

It took me about two months to use about 1/3 of the PM, so it'll probably last me another 4 months, so that's 6 months total it will last. In six months, I would have bought 6 tubes of Suave for a total of $17.34 versus the $17 for PM. So about the same, but I still think the PM works a little better. 

Did you follow all that math?! Ha ha! Bottom line is that PM seems expensive, but it lasts a lot longer than the cheaper ones, so it's about the same in the long run and it works better. Just something to think about. :) 

Okay, now for a laundry question. Do any of you add 20 Mule Team Borax to your regular detergent when doing laundry? Here's a pic if you don't know what I'm talking about...

It's basically a detergent booster and it's supposed to keep your whites white and help to soften hard water, therefore doing a better job of cleaning your clothes and removing stains. It says to add 1/2 cup to your regular detergent.

 Here's the thing though, I use dye free/perfume free detergent because I don't like extra chemicals sitting on my clothes. I don't use fabric softener, scent boosters or dryer sheets either for the same reason. I mean, some of those scent boosters say the scent will remain on your clothes for three months! I really don't want something that strong on my clothes because just think...your clothes are in direct contact with your skin. Anyway, that's probably just my paranoia settling in. Lol! 

But what I'm saying is since I don't use any of that stuff, should I even consider adding Borax? It's an all natural mineral (sodium tetraborate) so I wouldn't think it would be that bad. I'm mostly interested in whitening my whites. 

So if you use Borax, my questions are:

1. Does it noticeably whiten your whites?

2. Does it dissolve in cold water? (I wash everything except sheets and towels in the gentle cycle with cold water) 

3. Do you use it with colors? 

Thanks so much in advance! Y'all are so smart and I always appreciate your input. Also, be sure to share any other laundry tips with me. I'm always looking for new things to try. 

~Lisa 

Shirts, Snakes and Suppers

It's funny because I always say "dinner" but I used "supper" in my title because I like alliteration. Maybe it's a regional thing? Do you say supper or dinner? Anyway, I wanted to share these cute shirts I got at Walmart. 

Click HERE to order, but do it now if you want one because they're going fast. They're also available in stores.

Here's what I like about them, aside from the $8.88 price. They're short sleeved and thin, which makes them a year round piece around here. Also, see how they're a hi-low shirt? Meaning the back is a tad longer than the front? I love that because then I can wear them with my Old Navy Pixie pants or even leggings and they cover my bum. :) And look at all those colors! I got it in six different shades. 

Here's a little PSA about Walmart. Did you know they offer free 2 day shipping on orders over $35? Yep, and there's no annual fee, unlike Amazon Prime. Which by the way, did you hear Amazon is raising their annual Prime rate to $120? Ugh. I remember the good ol' days when it was "only" $79/year. 

So, I went for a walk around the lake the other day and look what I saw...

He had an identical twin too. :) I actually stopped long enough to take a video. They were really graceful together.

So, y'all know I've been slacking in the cooking department, right? I rarely cook dinner anymore. (See...dinner, lol!) But for whatever reason, I made three meals this week. They were very easy and tasty too, so I thought I'd share. 

First up is Paula Deen's crockpot mac n cheese. 

Click HERE for the recipe. It's really easy and so very tasty! We usually fight over the leftovers. 


Next up is another crockpot recipe. This one is potato soup. It's made with frozen hash browns and is really easy. 

Here are the only ingredients...

Obviously I pulled this pic from an old blog post. :) 


To this day, it's still one of my most popular posts. Click HERE for the potato soup recipe. 

And my third meal of the week was Spanish rice with sausage. I just used these ingredients...

Two packets of Mahatma Spanish rice, jalapeño sausage, diced green chilis and diced tomatoes. I ended up not using the tomatoes though. I just followed the directions on the rice package and added the sausage and green chilis at the same time I added the rice. The green chilis added a lot of flavor and heat to it, which I love. 

Oh, and I made STACEY'S MAGIC BISCUITS. Y'all...these will literally MELT IN YOUR MOUTH! Trust me on this one. If I'm willing to turn on my oven in 90º heat, you know it's good. :) The best part is they only take about 5 minutes to prepare. I think her recipe says to bake 15-18 minutes, but I only bake mine for 11, but maybe that's just my oven. And I've used both light sour cream and regular and they're both great. 

Yum!!!

Y'all be sure to click HERE for more of Stacey's yummy recipes. 



One more thing. I'm making this Peach Crunch Cake this weekend while we celebrate my mom's b-day and Mother's Day. 

Would you just look at that homemade vanilla ice cream melting on top? Oh my! Click HERE for the recipe. 

Are you hungry now? Wishing all of you a Happy Mother's Day! 

~Lisa