Lilac Love......

lovely lilacs.....

bring back childhood memories

 ~of springtime,

~of flowers blooming,

~of bushes bursting with beautiful flowers,

~of one of my favorite scents.

~the scent of HOME:)

because we don't have lilac bushes down here.

i almost ordered a bouquet from 

Martha Stewart flowers 

so my girls could experience fresh lilacs in their home,

at least once.

i decided the cost was a bit too steep.....

but one of these days:)

oh gosh, just looking at these photos makes me smile.

maybe i need to order those lilacs after all.

if it's too late, i have to remember next year

FOR SURE!

don't you think?

this year,

lilacs have taken on a whole new meaning in our house.

because my ballerina Taylor is dancing the part of the

LILAC FAIRY in Sleeping Beauty.

The performance is May 19 and May 20, but here is a newspaper photo

taken at a dress rehearsal the other day.

(combined with my online artwork at polyvore:)

my fairy is the one in.....

lilac!

i swear, this is just TOO MUCH fun!

here's one more using the same photo.

what do you think?

she really is a diamond in a rhinestone world:)

yep, i guess you could say

we're just a bit into lilacs this year.

hope your spring is full of beauty too!

XOXOXOX

Suzanne

PINK Milk and Cookies.......

MILK + COOKIES = HAPPINESS!

they just go together......

they are a reminder of childhood days......

they are maybe the ULTIMATE comfort food!

they make you smile.......

they are just plain a HAPPY treat!

so what are we waiting for?
let's have some milk and cookies!

first up,
we have some ADORABLE cupcake cookies
on a stick.......with white milk.  OOPS:)

 pretty pink toile cookies from
the enchanted oven

pink dress cookies...pretty enough to actually wear:)

and if your pink milk and cookies party

includes some big girls too,

these bustier cookies are So PRETTY!

but for some simple,

you KNOW they will taste good cookies,

just put some pink coloring in your favorite cookie dough.

even better......substitute pink m & m's.

now i know there are actual "recipes" out there.

but why complicate something?
(i'm lazy:)

like i said.......pink food coloring works for me:)

click for some real recipes if you prefer.......(pink cookies)

now, if you're REALLY ambitious,

or have a special child to celebrate,

how about a pink milk and cookies SILHOUETTE party?

 how precious are these cookies?

(found at sippystix)

like the straws?

get yourself some some pretty straws here.......

add some pink milk,

and you have a PINK Milk and Cookies Party:)

OR......you could make your own Strawberry Milk,

courtesy of scrum dilly-do!

In a blender, mix the following:

Ingredients:

*1/2 cup milk

*1/2 cup frozen strawberries

*1/2 teaspoon vanilla or 2 tablespoons Ovaltine

*blender

*whipped cream and sprinkles (optional)

YUM-MY!

and while this last one isn't a cookie,

it looks so fluffy and delicious.....

and it's pink!

it's a strawberry milkshake whopper marshmallow 

cake from (culinary concoctions by peabody) 

here's all you need to do;

Strawberry Milkshake Whopper Marshmallow Cake
Classic White Cake(recipe follows)
Marshmallow Frosting(recipe follows)
Strawberry Milkshake Whoppers(two 6 ounce boxes)

or you could take the easy, lazy way out.......like me:)

BUY a cake mix,

some frosting and whoppers .......instant cake!

see......milk and cookies.

happiness.

childhood memories.

comfort!

and pink saturday:)

thanks to Beverly from How Sweet the Sound.

and happy saturday to all the other pink saturday ladies!

check them out here.......

XOXOSuzanne

Photo Ideas, Cute Kids Stuff and Yummy Recipes.....Thank You Pinterest!

have you REALLY tried any of the 

of recipes, projects and ideas you've found on

Pinterest?

okay, okay.......i'll go first.

YES, i've tried some.

a few.

okay.

maybe ONE:)

haha........ i've tried recipes.

the most FATTENING ones i could find, most likely:)

and they have ALL been

Y

U

M

M

Y

but still.......i have over 5,000 pins.

GEEZ!  

i could recreate my entire home, body and LIFE at that rate!

(you'd think, wouldn't ya?:)

well, there was a day i jumped all over new things.

but i am proud to say that torch has been passed

to my creative nieces.

all six of them.  

but today, here are a few things from 2 of them.
they inspire me to get creative, for sure!

first up, my niece Jennifer.

now, i should say that all of my nieces are young mothers.

meaning they are BUSY ladies,

who still find time to try new things.

Jen saw something on my blog that i found on Pinterest.

i thought it was such a COOL thing to do,

 and the blog post was about ideas i wish 

i had known about when my girls were young.

She has a SWEET little girl named Tori and just look

 at what she did for a scrapbook page.

isn't that so COOL?

i love it!

she has also become quite the photographer as I am discovering,

mainly by snooping around the web:)

(of course, it must be easy with such a pretty girl to photograph:)

i love how she didn't just select the obvious,

smiling photo.

i need to remember that.

and i saw that she pinned this apron from Redneck Girl Aprons.....

 YES, i want one too:)
Thanks for the cute ideas Jen!

next up, my niece Kristin.
Kristin is a very busy mom of three ADORABLE little boys,

but she manages to try new recipes and create cool stuff in her 

very precious free time:)

i would have LOVED something like this to document my girls growth.

she found it on pinterest, followed the instructions and

 this is what she came up with...

now, that is so CLEVER!

Baby Dawson approves of his giant ruler")

(and here i thought the only options were making marks on the wall!!!)
show's what i know!

and when she saw a pegboard with photos, she painted some frames
stapled ribbon on the back and this is what she came up with.....

lastly, she saw an idea for Bird in a Nest cupcakes,

via pinterest and Martha Stewart.

she decided to make them in pink and blue for a baby shower.

she didn't think they turned out but she had to bring them anyway:)

GOOD THING.....because i don't know about you but

I think they are AMAZING!

Kris.....you did Martha proud!:)

a few other recipes she's tried are;

Coconut Chicken with Sweet Chili Sauce

Olive Garden Salad Dressing from The Country Cook and 

Yummy Carmelitas from Lulu the Baker:)

here are a few recipes:

file://localhost/Users/phildutcher/Desktop/www.thecountrycook.net:.webloc

Olive GardenSalad Dressing

Ingredients:
1 packet Good Seasonings Italian Dressing
(Ingredients needed to make dressing; oil, water, vinegar)
½ tsp. dried Italian Seasoning
½ tsp. table salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. garlic powder
½ tbsp. mayonnaise (no Miracle Whip, please)
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbs. white vinegar
1 ½ tbs. water

Directions:
Prepare Good Seasonings Italian Seasonings Dressing as it states on back of package. Once prepared pour it in a medium bowl, then add additional ingredients listed above (starting with dried Italian Seasoning).

Using a whisk, mix all ingredients until mixed thoroughly combined. Serve with your favorite salad fixings.

Store unused dressing in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Be sure to give the bottle a good shake before using.
www.thecountrycook.net

she has TONS of great recipes on her site!

one of the other recipes Kris HIGHLY recommended are Carmelitas. 

before i pass on the recipe, here is what Lulu
has to say about them.  Hilarious:)

"See, a Carmelita is not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill treat. Rather, it is like a buttery oatmeal cookie that swallowed a caramel-filled chocolate bar and then got bibitty-bobitty-booed by the dessert fairy godmother and received an extra dose of deliciousness."
now you KNOW you want the recipe so here you go.....


Carmelitas

32 caramel squares, unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8x8" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.
*A stint in the fridge will help them cool off if you're pinched for time. They shouldn't be served cold, but all of that molten caramel takes a long time to cool down. They should be stored and served at room temperature.
**To make a 9x13" version, simply double the amounts.


Thanks Kris and Jen for showing us how cool some of the stuff you find on pinterest can be!

how about you.....

confession time!

have you tried anything from Pinterest yet?

linking up with.......

Clean, Simple, Fresh.....WHITE

okay..... are you in the mood for some cool, refreshing whites for

 White Wednesday?

here are a few of my favorites.

i cheated a bit and created a polyvore board.

but i so wanted to get back with my friends from white wednesday

that i knew you'd understand:)

here's what i think of when i think of white.....

Clean, Simple, Fresh.....WHITE by shabbychicks featuring hair clip accessories

XOXOXOS.

Check out the GREATIST/GREATEST website.....

HAPPY MONDAY!

you know I'm usually the LAST to discover cool stuff.

and maybe that's the case today.

but.....

just in case....

you've simply GOTTA check this out!

it's the-

seriously!

the website is Great.

"Greatist is your go-to source for all things fitness, health, and happiness."

now, i can't personally vouch for EVERY single article.

but the ones i've checked out so far have been VERY cool.....

full of great tips like this.....

 file://localhost/Users/phildutcher/Desktop/greatist.com:%202.webloc

or this.....

file://localhost/Users/phildutcher/Desktop/greatist.com:.webloc

here are some more topics.....

I want to lose weight. Fight Cravings Boost Metabolism The Ultimate Guide To Interval Training Understand What’s In Your Food Opt for Healthier Snacks I want to get stronger. Build a Home Gym Time Your Rest Try Kettlebells Boost Workouts With Supersets Visualize Your Sets I want to relieve stress. Treat Yourself With Some Retail Therapy Meditate To Build Your Brain Sleep Like a Champ Garden for Happiness Learn to Say “No”

I want to eat better. 80 Healthy Recipe Substitutions Find Which Foods to Buy Organic Try A Healthier Take On Ice Cream The Problem With Frozen Yogurt Cut Down on Sodium I want to get motivated. Harness The Power Of Positive Affirmations Find The Right Workout Environment For You Wear Red To Boost Confidence And Drive Battle Fatigue With a Workout Escape the Bed I want to start working out. Learn The Need-To-Know Gym Etiquette Try A Beginner’s Interval Program Find a Trainer Train for a 5k Run Get Fit With A Playground Classic

hope you like it!