simple thoughts...

...that happen to be very true:)

Paramount Potato Chips, Playgrounds, Scary Dentists and more.....

every once in awhile, i like to play the 5 word game.

using a random 5 word generator,

i write about what immediately comes to mind with each word.

i have plenty i want to write about.....one of these days.

but sometimes i feel like writing about something random.

and this is truly random!

the 5 words given to me were:

1. bill

2. juice

3. chips

4. dentist

5. playground

so, let's get started with my 5 words.

1. bill:

i get the mail at our house. once in awhile my girls do too, but it's usually me.

i have a confession to make.  it goes back to the days when i used to run up the credit card.  i mean, nothing horrible, but i got my use out of it,

that's for sure.  well, i have a certain philosophy about yucky bills like the good ol

American Express.  if it comes in the mail on a Friday or Saturday.....

i like to "put it away" until tuesday, if there is plenty of time,  which there should be.  why?  because there is NO WAY i want to start off the weekend with

my husband opening the Am Ex bill.  no way!talk about a mood killer! but why not monday? because it's monday.  bad enough you have to get back to work, who wants to come home to a bill? haha  

and, if the bill comes on the day before a holiday,   i hold on to it until the day after the holiday.  again, why ruin a good thing!  the funny thing is, i don't use it that often.....and rarely for me.  more like for pointe shoes and tennis gear.  but i still get nervous:)

2. juice

hmmm.....juice.  what can i say?  well, we are really hung up on pineapple juice since our trip to Hawaii.

and if you like cranberry juice,  there is one out there that is 5 calories per serving.

i think it's by ocean spray.  sometimes you can get cranberry pomegranate.

but what i love to do, is mix up half a glass (usually a bit less) of juice with half a glass of water.  my own water flavoring!  and since doing this, i am drinking a TON of water!

i love when i find something easy that helps in some way!

3.  chips

i think i could live without ice cream.  even candy.  cookies and cake would be tough for me.  but the hardest thing for me to give up would be potato chips.

i'll even eat crappy chips.....just so i get chips.   which is why i rarely buy them.....because i WILL eat them!  

my mom taught me a trick.   store them, even after opening, in the freezer.

they don't get so stale, stay crisp and keep the cool, salty flavor.....YUM!!!!!

i guess my favorite today is Lays,  but growing up, i LOVED Paramount Potato Chips.  

remember them, in the red bag? and Slim Chipley, the cowboy potato chip?

i miss my paramount potato chips:(
and by the way.....no ruffles with ridges.
oh, i'll eat them.  no doubt about it.  but i believe you are either a ridgy potato chip person  (like my husband) or a smooth chip fan (like me:)

4.  dentist

(this picture just creeps me out!:)

i have a phobia of dentists. not so much going, although i'd rather not. but growing up,

i became paranoid of running into my dentist outside of the office. cause i swear to you,

if i saw him, within a week i cracked a filling, broke a tooth or something.

it was horrible!:)  i have to pass on my favorite bit of "tooth wisdom".....or something like that.   remember Farrah Fawcett?  besides the hair, she had a gorgeous smile.....with great teeth. and this was BEFORE the tricks out there today, you know?

once, in an interview, she shared her secret and philosophy on teeth.

she said she thought you either had healthy teeth that weren't so beautiful, or beautiful teeth that were rotten, if only people knew.  she had the beautiful/rotten teeth.  and guess what?  so do i!  well, maybe they're not beautiful.....but they're decent. and they're rotten!  my dentist used to feel so bad for me.   i think i have soft teeth.  or something.  but i do have a nice smile:)  if i say so myself.

5.  playground

i feel sorry for kids today.  i know they have these incredible wooden playgrounds,

forts, swings, tons of climbing.  but they are soooooo missing out!

missing out on hot summer days, trying to slide down the metal slide and burning your butt:)

ahhhh, the memories:)  
and they are missing out on REAL swings.

the kind that have long metal chains.  chains that creak and groan as you go higher.  chains that you get your hand pinched in at least once in your life:) BUT, they would go SO high!
then you try to swing at the same exact speed and height as your friend and you say "we're in the same neighborhood":)

hahaha...fun times!   then, you would push each other and run under them, and you would jump off the swing in mid air.

 nearly breaking your ankle, twisting it at least once.  childhood;)
then we have the wooden see saw, or teeter-totter.

if you're lucky not to get a sliver in your bottom, you would think you broke your tailbone because inevitably, the person on the other end (or sometimes you) would gets off without warning and
BAM...your end of the see saw bangs into the ground!
what in the heck were these things?

scary looking animals on springs. you just had to hop on them but after about 60 seconds, you would be totally bored:)
 but the most amazing experience kids are missing today is the merry go round.

 or whatever that short round thing was.  heck, maybe they still have these playground toys.  but just in case..... you know, a few of you are sitting on it and someone else pushes it.  and while you're supposed to stay seated, it's a challenge to stand and move around.  what a skill that was!   i remember lying back, closing my eyes and feeling my head spin.  then jumping off and trying to walk, but being too dizzy.  SO MUCH FUN:)   and life just wouldn't be complete without the memory of somebody screaming to get off and then puking their guts out.  oh, that was really cool!!!    yeah, they're missing out:)

there you have it...my 5 words.
my pathetically obvious example of wasting time:)
oh well...fun for a change.
XOXO
Suzanne

Ballerinas Invade Boston.....

at least it seemed that way for awhile on Saturday.

okay, no need to rewrite history or anything.

(Paul Revere, your legacy is safe!:)

actually, saturday was check-in day for the advanced/pre-professional 

ballet students lucky enough to be chosen to attend

the Boston Ballet School 2012

Summer Dance Program.

and my girl Taylor is one of those students,

chosen from more than 2400 students who auditioned 

during a 46 city audition tour that traveled throughout the U.S, 

Canada, Europe and Asia.

these students will train for at least 5-6 hours/day for 5 weeks this summer.

(kinda makes me feel lazy......i thought summer was for doing nothing. haha)

anyway, i am back from dropping her off at her dorm,

Shelton Hall on the campus of Boston University.

i have to say, i am not really a big city person anymore.

(give me my little florida town:)

but, for such a big city, Boston was pretty cool.

her dorm is right near Fenway Park and it reminded me what a big deal

baseball is in the summertime for many people.

because they are CRAZY for their red sox!

but i suppose what impressed me, if anything could impress me

in the SWELTERING heat we endured while walking MILES to find

the right stores to outfit a dorm room

 (and this comes from someone who lives in south florida)

was how the city of Boston has preserved it's history.

beautiful old, historical places, like Trinity Church.

kinda reminded me of big cities in Europe, 

because their history is very much preserved.

but back to the invasion of the ballerinas.....

it is kinda crazy on check in day but Boston Ballet wins the award

for the MOST organized summer program so far.

and what a relief, cause it was steamy:)

we got miss taylor's room assignment and went to check it out.

she chose the bed looking out onto the famous Charles river.

this is the roomiest dorm room she has had, 

and the only one with a "view".
(seriously, there is a big space between her and her roommate.
it may look small because we chose to make her's a cozy little nook of a room:)

you see what it looks like BEFORE we start decorating.

well, i think we gave her a pretty cool room in a few short hours.

we went with a surfer girl/country girl theme,

 (with some ballet thrown in too:)

to remind her of home.

can i say she LOVES her room?

and according to her, the other girls do too:)

as she said "mom, this is what you do best".

or something like that. hahaha

she knows to not fight me on this.

the minute she is accepted to a program,

i start thinking about a theme.

yes, she does get final say:)

but rather than go with the predictable pink/ballet-ish look,

 which she has lived with her whole life,

we shook things up and went to the beach!

 note to everyone out there........twinkle lights are a MUST!:)

see, we did include some ballet photos.

but check out that surfboard poster.

isn't it COOL?

then we have that gorgeous sunset poster i got online for .98 on amazon.

cool hawaiian leis from the dollar store.

her favorite country singer, Luke Bryan.

next to the bed, her pink alarm clock and devotional book by

Bethany Hamilton "Soul Surfer".

(that's my girl)

and posted all over her closet and walls, 

many random photos i printed out......

photos of her much loved pups, quotes and family, of course:)

i'm telling you, it was so cozy!  

i could have taken a nap there:)

by the way, she loves her new roommate,

a sweet girl from Pennsylvania named Cheyenne.

i think they'll have a great time together!

so we got done decorating and decided to walk around the area.

look at these beauties outside her dorm.......

we walked a block to a neat pizza place called Bertuccis,

and had pizza with the most AMAZING

watermelon lemonade i've ever had in my life.

the ONLY watermelon lemonade i've had in my life.

whew.......was it good or what!

i need to find a recipe for that ASAP!

well, i guess that's about it.

today is a big day for her......

placement classes to determine exactly what level.

before i go, look at these sunflowers i saw

at this cool, big grocery store smack in the middle of Boston, 

Shaws groceries.

pretty incredible.

they were ginormous!!!!!

and they were also fake:)

well Taylorina......

(come on, you knew that was coming;)

i'm gonna miss you!

but i know this is what you want to do so i hope it's a 

fabulous experience in every way!

be safe......learn a lot......and have fun!!!

XOXOXOXO

Mummy:)

FUN, yummy, creative summer food for kids and you, too.....

okay, no rambling from me today.

too many YUMMY treats to show you!

wow...once again,

some really creative people out there!

(all inspirational sources listed at the end.)

two categories here.....

fruit and cupcake-ish stuff.

your kids are gonna LOVE these yummy ideas.....

1.   Goldfish fruit cup.....cute, cute cute! 

2.  fruit tacos made with a sugar cookie shell.....YUM!

3.   fruit filled ice cream cones.......

regular cone

4.  sugar cone 

5.  chocolate chip cookie bowls with fruit and ice cream

6.  Strawberry Ninjas

7.  palm tree and watermelon pail.......

8.  rice krispie treat sand castle (NO peanut butter, please:)

9.  flower pot cupcakes

10.  teacup cupcakes.....

and last but not least, one of the coolest cupcake ideas

i've ever seen.....

11.  ice cream cone cupcakes!

well, does that get you inspired?

it sure got me to thinking.

food can be fun and cute?

i love it!!!

but does it really have to be fattening?

Smile!

Suzanne

linking to...

thank you to these talented people.....

1.  life with baby

2.  modern hostess

3.  simply nabiki and 

4.  mudpie multiples

5.  cookie bowls

6.  babble

7.  palm tree and watermelon pail

8.  hungry happenings

9.  relish

10.  swanky chic

11.  bridal banter

some cool DIY ideas.......

it's summertime and that means,

fun for kids and fun for mom!

okay, maybe diy projects aren't fun for you.....

but if they are, check out these super simple, super cool 

diy projects!

(courtesy of pinterest, of course:)

1.  Corkboards.

who doesn't love a cork board or some type of bulletin board

to pin to-do lists, phone messages, photos, kids art.

so many great uses, you know?

and since i and pretty much the rest of the world is crazy about

burlap these days,

how about a diy burlap corkboard like this.......

simply buy a piece of cork or a cheap corkboard and recover it with burlap.

the burlap is available for cheap at Amazon 

($7.50 for 2 yards.)

simply use a staple gun to attach to the back of the board and 

if you like the look of the studs, Michaels or your local hobby store 

should carry those.

shoot.....maybe amazon even carries them!

2. Mercury Glass-Like Lamp

oh gosh, one of the things i LOVE is mercury glass.

that's probably why i love Pottery Barn,

because they always have something beautiful in mercury glass.

as a matter of fact, a lamp with a mercury glass base from there 

 has been on my list for awhile.

well, now i think i'll be making my own,

using Krylon looking glass mirror paint!

i found this idea on ivillage, along with diy instructions

which are super simple!

just think of the pretties you could make by painting your old glass, 

vases or knick knacks.

love it all!

3.  i am crazy about chalkboard paint.

i think i did a blog post about this awhile back,

 but here are some ideas i saw recently.

 (source)

message trays.....

 (source and instructions)

kids table.......

(source)

4.  painted vases.....

okay, head on out to your local thrift store and grab the glass vases.

no matter the color!

cause look what you can do with pretty paint.....

just like sea glass:)

(source)

just like sherbet!

 (source)

well mon amis,

that's all for now:)

have fun creating!!!!!!

Suzanne