Home Remedy for Outdoor Fly Repellent

Yall its HOT here in Texas and we have flies so bad this year.  Seems like they are invading us by droves...or would that be swarms?  Anyway I have a DIY remedy for outside use. 

According to Pinterest flies HATE pine-sol!  I decided to give this homemade repellent a try, never hurts to try huh?  It only costs me $2 for this experiment. I was at Walmart so I picked up the spray bottle for .97 cents and the "PineGlo" for .98 cents.  Cheap enough for an experiment.

This is a 50/50 mixture of pine-sol and water.  My spray bottle is marked clearly with 24 oz, but also says it holds 32 oz.  Anywho.....

Step 1:
I poured in the pineglo in to the 12 oz mark.

Step 2:
I added water to the 24 oz mark and then replaced the sprayer nozzle onto the bottle.

Step 3:
Mark your spray bottle accordingly so you know what you're spraying.

Step 4:
Spray the area outside that you will want to keep flies away from.

I sprayed all around the seating area on the patio and then sprayed the perimeter of the back door going into the house too.  Right away the flies were beginning to disappear.  I was impressed!  I'm not going to tell you that ALL the flies disappeared, because they didn't, but there were very few and it was a much more pleasant atmosphere to sit and enjoy our patio.

NOTE:  Right away I thought this would be an excellent thing to keep in the RV/camper for those camping trips where flies think they are invited to the party.  Um, no flies, not YOU!


Flies in the house...that's another story for another time.  I found another remedy for that but I haven't tried it yet.  I'll let you know if it works.

It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!
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Between Naps on the Porch

Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet

Who needs a quick meal for supper time?  Me too! Well, this is one of those really quick and yummy meals that everyone will love.

I found THIS recipe on Pinterest and the minute I saw it, I had to to try it. Thanks Shawn!  This is a one pan dish, so its less clean up as well.  My favorite!  What Mama doesn't want less dishes to clean up?  All the Mama's I know want that!

Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet

• 1/2 Onion - diced
• 1 Lb. Lean Hamburger Meat or Ground Turkey
• 1/4 Cup Taco Seasoning (I used 3 Tblsp of my DIY Taco Seasoning)
• 1 (14oz) Can Diced Tomatoes - Do not drain
• 1 Cup Frozen Corn
• 3/4 Cups White Long Grain Rice - Uncooked
• 2 Cups Beef Broth
• 1 1/2 Cup Shredded Colby Jack Cheese

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook your onion for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the hamburger meat.  Be sure to break up and crumble the meat as it cooks. Drain fat if needed.
2. Add the taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, corn, rice and beef broth, stir together. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring once at about 10 minutes.
3. Stir and top with the cheese. Cover and cook on low for an about 3 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with the taco toppings of your choice.  We chose cilantro, tomatoes and black olives.

Add a salad and some tortilla chips and you have a fast YUMMY meal for your hungry family!

Let me know if you try this meal and how you like it.  We love it so it will be showing up on the menu more often.

Want more recipes using my DIY Taco Seasoning?

Turkey Taco Nachos
Skinny Taco Pie
Creamy Taco Sauce

It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!
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Between Naps on the Porch

Quick Homemade Iced Coffee

If there is one thing I've learned in my 50 years, its how to save money and still have fun in the meantime!  I'm one of those people who likes to have a treat from Starbucks every now and again, but even though the coffees are yummy, the prices are not.  If you want a delicious iced coffee and want to save yourself the money, make your own treat at home!

You're not going to believe how easy this is (says the queen of easy recipes) lol!  But seriously, its three ingredients...four if you count the umbrella straw!

Let me just warn you, I do like a little coffee with my cream so of course MY homemade iced coffee may look a bit light to most.  Doesn't it look cute with its little umbrella straw?  And yes, that is a wine glass, you gotta have fun when sipping your homemade iced coffee!

Currently these are my top four creamers that I go for at the store.  You can use any creamer that your heart desires though, that's the easiness of the recipe!

Some days we end up with leftover coffee, not often, but sometime.  I make my coffee for the next day the previous evening.  So, when I reach for the coffee canister and there is still coffee in there, I make myself (or my honey) a nice homemade iced coffee as a treat.  This tall size is the one my honey likes. lol!

I bet you're wondering how I make it, aren't you?  Ok, its so simple.  Fill your glass of choice with ice, pour in your desired amount of creamer and then fill the rest of the way with your leftover (cooled) coffee, stir and sip.  For the perfect experience, add one little umbrella straw or any straw you have on hand.

Need a safe way to clean your coffee maker?  Click below to see how I keep my coffee maker sparkling!

Cleaning Your Coffee Maker Without Harsh Chemicals

It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!
I'm Linking to:
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Between Naps on the Porch

Rustic Pallet Wood Flag

Hi there!  I think next to my favorite color being red, my next favorite is red, white and blue!  When my kiddos were little my whole kitchen and dining room was all done up in the patriotic colors.  I love it!

Anywho, I always love adding to my collection of the patriotic stuffs, so this year I made this little project.  I found the idea on Pinterest.  That one was a bit more polished than mine, but I love me some rustic goodness!

I like the REALLY rustic look in case you couldn't tell.  The more beat up and chippy, the better.

First, I picked out a few beat up pallet slats from our giant stash of wood and my honey cut them to the sizes I needed using our circular saw.

Next, I drilled the holes that would be needed to "tie" everything together and hang the flag once it was finished.  I just laid the pieces out the way I wanted them, marked each drill spot with a pencil and then drilled each hole.

Now I'm ready for paint.  I just used acrylic paints in the colors flag red, real blue and antique white.  These are just paints I have in my stash.

I mostly used a dry brush technique which means, dab your brush in the paint and then pounce off most of it before you start brushing it on.

See the little wooden stars up there? I got a pack of (6) at Walmart for $1.48.  I painted those with the antique white color.  I made them look older by using an antique glaze in charcoal that I got at Lowe's and have used on so many of my projects.

Now, the flag looks way too new for me, so I took it back out to the shop and used our mouse sander with 220 grit paper and lightly sanded the edges and some on the top where I painted to make it look more rustic.  While I was at it, I sanded all the other edges just so they wouldn't be so rough for handling.

Ok, old and rustic looking, check!  Now its time to tie the pieces together and I needed my honey for this part because he's better at it than I am.  He cut each piece of wire and using needle nose pliers, he twisted the ends to make a little spiral "knot".  Lastly he added the hanging wire using the same technique.

After all the wire was attached, I hot glued the stars on the blue strip of wood and I was finished!

I made a little hook using the same wire that he tied it all together with so I could hang it on my old shutter out on the front porch.

I love it and it just added a little more red, white and blue goodness to the front porch decor.

Want to see more patriotic projects?

How to Make a Patriotic Rug Wreath
2 x 4 Block Flag
My 4th of July Mantel Scape

It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!
I'm Linking to:
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Between Naps on the Porch

$5 Bedside Table Makeover

Happy Father's Day and Happy Birthday to my sweet Mama!

I don't know about you, but I just get tired of looking at the same old decor and I have to change it up every now and again.  I've been like that ever since I can remember.  I was always moving things around in my room when I was a kid.

Since I needed a change, I decided to create myself a new bedside table.  I bought this little table at a yard sale about a year ago for $5 and then it just sat in our shop waiting for me to get around to making it look pretty again.

It needed some repairs but I wasn't worried because my honey can fix anything.  The whole top was loose and in several pieces.  It was even missing two pieces that my honey had to recreate the best he could.  Above its all back together with clamps holding it all together while the glue dried.

After all the glue had dried I lightly sanded the top because there was some nail polish spilled/painted on it.  You can now better see the two side pieces he fashioned to complete the top.

I'm not going to go into great detail on the process I used to paint it because its really the same technique I've used several times before.  You can see more on that right here.  First I cleaned the whole piece really good before I started, it was so dirty!  Basically I painted the whole thing with the above paint that I got a few years ago at Lowe's.  The color is Dust Bunny.  It's a very light beige color that has a tinge of pink to it.  Pretty!

After the paint dried really well I smeared some of this antiquing glaze on and then wiped most of it off until I got the look I wanted.  Its a personal preference and you certainly don't have to use this step but I like my furniture to look old and well loved.
TIP: If you live in Texas and its a million degrees outside on the day you are painting and the glaze dries too fast, just wet an old rag and wipe off what you don't want on there.

Lastly after everything dries and it'll be fast if you are in Texas in million degree weather, you will want to apply a sealer like this one to seal in all your hard work.  Now, before I applied this step I used our mouse sander and distressed the whole thing to make it look old and used.  I like it better that way.

When you distress a piece you will be able to see the base color underneath all the paint.  This is may favorite!

Luckily it came with these great brass knobs that I just cleaned up and put back on after everything dried good.

I carried my "new" bedside table into my bedroom and started decorating it and since my last table didn't have drawers to stash things in I was excited to put all my goodies in their little hiding spots.....BUT.....this is what I saw every time I opened the drawers. NOPE!  I had to do something about that!

How about some gorgeous blue chalk paint to cover all that up? YES!  I bought this paint at Walmart almost a year ago for another project that I ended up using something else on.  I started out using a sponge brush to paint in on but quickly decided I needed my trusty  paint brush to make it look smooth.

Tah-Dah! Much better!  It was drying here, but I already thought it looked much better than a bunch of marker scribbles did.

Yes, I like this view much better!  I know you're wondering where we got our lovely "multi shades of blue" carpet, aren't you?  Well, keep drooling because it came from the 80s and I don't think you can purchase it anymore! lol!  Some day we will get to change it out.

It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!
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Between Naps on the Porch

Roasted Veggies and Sausage

Yall, summer is finally here and the days are getting longer!  Summer is my favorite season. Yes, we live in Texas and we have brutal summers, but I love the warm/hot weather the best.  I could sit in the sun for hours.

Anyway, my little run about summer was actually inspired by this recipe.  It makes me think of summer when I see it.  Fresh roasted veggies with yummy sausage roasted up in the oven for a bit and you have got yourself an awesome meal your family will absolutely love!  I found the original recipe here and tweaked it for my family.

Roasted Veggies and Sausage

Baby Carrots
Red Potatoes
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Skinless Smoked Sausage (Beef)

Seasonings:

1/2 TBLSP each: dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, garlic powder
1/2 TSP each: onion powder, dried thyme
1/8 TSP red pepper flakes (optional)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
4 and 1/2 TBLSP olive oil
Pinch of fresh parsley, salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with foil for an easier clean up. Cut up everything into bite sized chunks. Place ALL ingredients in a large bowl and toss. Pour all the veggies and sausage on the foil lined cookie sheet and spread evenly. Place in the heated oven for 15 minutes. Remove and toss around the veggies/sausage and return to the oven for another 10-20 minutes or until veggies are tender.

WARNING: Your house will smell amazing and may just bring out all the hungry people in your neighborhood! lol! 

 It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!
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Between Naps on the Porch

Homemade Ranch Butter

I've got another recipe for you today, Ranch Butter!  If you've been visiting my blog for a while, then you know I'm all about easy recipes and this one is about as easy as it gets.  You may see lots of recipes for a bit because we've had another financial life change and we are on one tight budget for a while, so not much home renovations will be happening here for a stretch. Anyway, we will still be eating here so lets get on to this recipe!

My Mama always made this butter using the store bought Ranch mix you buy in the big canister at Sam's, which is what I always did, but now I make mine using my homemade Ranch Mix which turns out is way more healthy for you.  Another healthier ingredient I use is Country Crock Light because its way less calories and it taste just as good as the regular one.  You can use any butter or margarine of your choice, but this one is good yall!

Ranch Butter

1/2 cup Country Crock Light Butter (or butter or margarine of your choice)
1 tablespoon Ranch Mix (Find my recipe HERE)

Mix the two ingredients well.  This is always better after it mingles for a while, but don't worry if you need to use it right away, its still going to be good!  You can use this Ranch Butter on many things.  Try it on anything you'd use butter on like french bread, mashed potatoes, vegetables, etc.  Store the unused portion in the fridge to use another time.

I like to slather this on french bread, sprinkle on a little cheese and toast it in the oven till golden, Oh My Goodness!

Here are a few more recipes I use my homemade Ranch Mix in:

Roasted Ranch Carrots - click HERE.
Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing - click HERE. 
Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili - click HERE.

It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!
I'm Linking to:
These lovely and FUN parties!
Between Naps on the Porch