realtalknic

Here we go! Summer is here and the inn is full to capacity! That's right! All rooms are full, trundle is out and the couches are loaded up! With all this activity I have more mouths to feed and I want to make it good but y'all know it has to cheap. This is one big problem with couponing......a lot of the items with matching coupons are processed, boxed, bagged and seldom fresh. Never fear! You can still save big and stretch your budget by thinking through your menu and really stocking your pantry! Marinades, condiments, and basic starches are a pantry must and most of these items I am able to stock up on throughout the year for pennies if I pay anything at all. The rest I leave to the weekly sales and what's in season. Here was tonight's  $7 sizzler: Hawaiian Chicken! Aloha! This is so easy and has a million varieties and can also be used for fajitas, etc. The thing for big crowds of growing boys is rice, pasta,.....you know....plate fillers! Heehee! I served...

Pots! Pots! OMG! I love pots, and I sure hate WEEDS!!!   And I see what a missing letter can do to your message! Lol If you are anything like me, then you get a natural high from driving up to your home and seeing a nice crisp entrance. Not too busy but a little “pow” of color just to remind you of all nature can do. But who has the time for weeding and maintenance. Not me! So……..bring on the pots!! Pots can be as fancy or plain as you desire. I use a basic budget of $10 per pot for the season for the porch and use leftovers or “extras” for other random pots around my yard and in my rose garden. What I buy with the ten bucks is easy…..a bushy flowering annual, a sweet potato vine, and a coleus. These 3 are tried and true and while they start small they never fail to please. No weeding, a little water and you are done! Front porch bare? Patio pitiful? No worries. Shopping now, a little late for the season can give you great sales and a bigger show. Pop these in and you are...

Kids laughing, old timers groovin, old school R and B steaming through the outdoor speakers.....it's the sounds of summer. Think about it, those BBQs you remember most, the menu is always the same, it's the sounds that gauge if the party is jumpin.....long after the sun has set the music still plays. For me, the sound of summer means the splish splash of the pool and the crackling of the ocean's waves. This black girl don't run..............but she sure swims!! When it comes to swimming, our motto is the more the merrier. We get it in! All summer long. Nieces and nephews and neighbors, let's go. No one is getting thrown out of this pool....this is family!! weekend pool crew, having fun! While no one gets thrown out.....there are rules to get in. Yup. Some rules. And the rules don't always go over very well. I've been accused of being bougie. (really?) Worried about insurance. (I'm not even making this up) And in many cases not taken seriously........

I have a confession to make. I have a Facebook crush. I know, I know.....me being straight-laced and married and all...how could I let this happen? Well, for starters...the cuteness. Off the charts cute. Can't get enough cute!! Then there is the strength. Even in a questioning or frustrated post there is an underlying strength that is tangible. And I love it. And then...there is the expectation....the teasing...that something even better is going to come? Keeping me wondering what's next! Yup....I got it bad. You may be wondering who it is? Are they local? Celebrity? What? Well......get your mind right....my Facebook crush is on the Davis Family. Yep....these 3 right here that I have never met in person but I love like they were my own family. They are my reality TV. When CNN does Black in America I wish they would call them. They are my Huck family (you Scandal watchers know what I mean!) And they are my hope in the future. We do not share the same religion. We live on di...

I love when the stars align and things just come together. Remember Sloan the buffet? She has found a new home! ( for the record......I do not find naming furniture odd in any way...and Sloan is sharp so.....) Here she is when I first spotted her: Now, she is looking pretty junky here but the ad said "free" and if it's free.......it's for me! Woop! I sent my big guys over to grab her......gave my heartfelt thanks....and made a good dinner because even though I would travel the world for a free junky dresser my guys did not find it fun in any way. Heehee! And she is solid wood with dovetail construction. Double woop!  Ok, so Sloan was my second project using my homemade chalkpaint recipe. You can see that process here:   http://realtalknic.blogspot.com/2013/03/sally-sassy-sidepiece-cheapy-chalkpaint.html Here she is as I worked on her. I can't believe how easy the paint is to work with and how quick it dries.  $8 for paint.......what? Love it!  ...