Maui the Goldendoodle

Please pray for my big boy Maui.

tomorrow he has to have a lump on his neck removed and biopsied.

I love that boy (and I never call him a dog:)

and he brings such joy to everyone he meets...

 ...he looks out for me and i look out for him:)

we can learn from our best friend.....

 life would sometimes be soooo much easier...

but no way!

 wouldn't we all...

Please pray for everything to be okay with my big boy:)

XOXOXO

Suzanne

How NOT to make crappy cupcakes and other super COOL tips:)

hahaha..."crappy cupcakes" .

somehow i think those two words should NEVER be together:)

however, according to one pinner on Pinterest,

she no longer makes "crappy" flat cupcakes thanks to a great tip.

so today, i'm sharing her tip plus some other COOL tips
 you may or may not have heard of yet,

from Pinterest, of course:)
***i have not tried every single tip.......they just sound good.
but every one got RAVE reviews from those who have tried them,
 so you decide:)

photo source

and here is something from food network to help make
the cupcakes pretty.......custom frosting colors!

(hmmm...sure is worth a try if you ask me.  no more CRAPPY cupcakes:)

now here's a tip for a great smelling home.

it seems i've also heard of this in the microwave but maybe not.........
Put two caps of vanilla extract in an oven safe mug or pan,
place it in a 300 degree oven for one hour and before you know it, the whole house
will smell AMAZING!
This is actually a common realtor trick:)

okay, you know how you want to give a plate of cookies to a neighbor
or you need to take a plate to a potluck/picnic...........
but don't want to lose the plate?
check this out.......

....take a white paper plate (sturdy, not flimsy)
and with a paper punch, put a few holes around the rim
and thread a piece of ribbon through it.
very CUTE!

now for a cute gift idea.......

when giving a cookbook as a gift,
wrap it in a new, pretty dish towel and add a few cooking tools
as embellishment:)

GOSH...aren't these great tips?
wish i had thought of them (ha:)
but there's more.......

kids at home?
here are a few cool tips.........
how about painting their homework table with chalkboard paint,
for notes or working problems instead of kraft paper!

another cool thing to do with an old globe.........
write this quote on it~~~~~~

hmmmmmmm......this one is really clever.

when you get those photo Christmas cards,

which everyone sends these days,

take a pic of the card to use as caller ID

for that person on your cell phone.

LOVE, love love this idea:)

and here's what someone says is a surefire recipe for the

cleanest, prettiest, sparkliest jewelry ever........

 1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon dish detergent

1 cup water

1 piece aluminum foil

Directions:

Heat water in the microwave for 1 or 2 minutes.

Cut a piece of aluminum foil that roughly covers the bottom of a small bowl (like a cereal bowl).

Pour hot water into bowl. Place salt, soda, and dishwashing liquid into bowl. Place jewelry on top of foil and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse jewelry in cool water and dry jewelry completely with soft cloth. Discard solution after use and make a new batch next time.

According to wire-sculpture.com, "this works well for gold-filled, brass, german (nickel) silver, and sterling silver. I have even cleaned jewelry with freshwater pearls, shell cameos and mother of pearl with no problem.".

last but DEFINITELY not least,
did you know all the things you can use DAWN dishwashing detergent for?

i mean, people swear by these things!
i found most of these tips at JILLEE's place.
i'll list some ideas but visit her to get more!
1. homemade bubbles:
Here is the Giant Bubble Recipe used in bubble makers at many children’s museums: 1/2 cup Ultra Dawn 1/2 gallon warm water 1 tablespoon White Karo syrup
2.  degreaser:
use to remove greasy hair and product buildup

3.  Clean Greasy Tools

4.  PETS AND PESTS

Use it to bathe the dogs.

It kills fleas on contact and is much cheaper than expensive dog shampoos.  

5.  CLEAN YOUR WINDOWS 

Try this recipe from Merry Maids: mix 3 drops Dawn in 1 gallon water and fill a spray bottle with the solution. Spritz and wipe as you would with any window cleaner.  

6.  TUB AND SHOWER CLEANER

Take a spray bottle and fill it halfway with white vinegar. Heat in the microwave. Fill the rest of the way with blue Dawn. Put lid on and shake to mix well. Spray on your tub and shower walls. Allow to sit for a few minutes and rinse away. It will totally melt all the gunk, slime, sludge and other stuff that builds up including a bathtub ring.  

7.  SIDEWALK DE-ICER

For icy steps and sidewalks in freezing temperatures, mix 1 teaspoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and 1/2 gallon hot/warm water and pour over walkways. They won’t refreeze. No more salt eating at the concrete in your sidewalks  

8.  ICE PACK

Partially fill a strong zip-type sandwich bag with Dawn dishwashing liquid, close and freeze. The liquid soap stays cold much longer and it can be re-frozen many times. It will conform to the place you need an ice pack.  

9.  REPEL ANTS

Spray counter-tops, cupboards and any other area where you see ants with a solution of Dawn and water. Wipe dry. The slight residue of Dawn that remains will not be a problem at all for kids or pets, but ants hate it. Should you see a trail of ants, go ahead and hit them with the Dawn spray.  

10.  Fight Stains

"I love blue Dawn dish detergent. I’ve been using it as a stain pretreater/laundry booster, hair shampoo, face/body wash for a long time now (and for my dishes). "

11.  pretty hands/manicures

Soak fingers in full-strength blue Dawn. It makes the cuticles soft and easy to work with. And it removes the natural oil from the fingernails, which allows the polish to adhere very well.
*******Update:  My mom just told me my dad knew about
this years ago and used Dawn to get rid of Box Elder bugs and wasps/hornets.
one spray and they dropped like flies:)

WHEW!

did ya get all that?:)

hope so!

if you would like to follow me on pinterest to see more cool stuff, click on the red link:)

and i hope you have a wonderful weekend my friends!

XOXO

Suzanne

P.S.  and no CRAPPY cupcakes!
 heehee

25 Things You Don't Know About Me. (okay, maybe 30:)

I love reading other "25 Things" list, so thought I'd do my own.  

Of course, I went over 25.  

Maybe one should be that I can't turn off my brain once I start thinking:)

these are not the obvious things (love my family, love God, live in Florida....)

this list is what you may NOT know about me:)

anyway, in no particular order.......

1.  I cut and highlight my own hair.

2.  Jason Aldean (My Kinda Party) is my ringtone.

3.  I am addicted to bags of shredded lettuce and have about 2/day.

4.  My name is Suzanne but I have been called Sue, Suzy and Su-Su.

5.  When CB radios were popular, we had one and my "handle" was Freckles:)

6.  I love roller coasters.  Scream my lungs out but love them!

7.  I hate closed toe shoes, other than boots.

8.  I learned to surf in Hawaii this year.

9.  I've been in a real shark cage in the Pacific ocean.....

 surrounded by sharks!

10.  I flew to the bahamas in one of those planes that lands in the water.  

(That wasn't freaky at all.  haha)

11.  My hair used to be long (still thick and blonde) 

and i used to get full spiral perms.  Yikes!

12.  When I was 8, I was attacked by a cat.  

13.  I once dreamed of being the first female NFL football player.

14.  I can recognize tons of songs in the first few notes.

15.  I truly believe I am an undiagnosed case of ADHD.......

low on the hyperactivity but high on the Attention Deficit!:)

16.  If I were able to choose my last meal, it would be chili pasta, 

icy cold skim milk and a bowl of my mom's frosting.

17.   When I was in London, someone stopped me and said I reminded them

of Princess Diana. 

 That makes two people in the world.....the other person

being my mom:)

18.  Elvis Presley died on my 16th birthday.

19.  I don't eat popcorn at the movies.  

I don't like popcorn, unless it is our famous caramel corn, 

which I could eat every day!

20.  I can eat meat someone else fixes. 

 But if I have to hack away at it myself, I'm pretty much grossed out, 

except for my BBQ ribs.

21.  when I was in my teens, I used to tan on our roof.  (BAD)

22.  one day I slipped and fell off the roof and almost

lost the vision in my lieft eye.

23.  I am incredibly ticklish.  DO NOT TICKLE me. 

 I lose my breath, might have a heart attack, or I'll knock you out:)

24.  My eyes are hazel with a greenish tint.  In college I wanted them greener,

 so I bought a pair of non-prescription GREEN contact lenses. 

 I think I scared myself when I looked in the mirror.

25.  I never wore braces but my teeth are pretty straight.

26.  (told you I went over 25:)  I once had mono so bad while in college,

I ended up in the hospital for a week.

27.  I really have a tough time eating at Applebees, Fridays, Olive Garden or places like that,

but before you think i'm a snob, 

i have no problem eating at McDonald's, Burger King, or local dives:)

28.  i have a phobia of beach umbrellas 

after getting hit in the face by a flying umbrella

 a few years back and needing stitches by my eye.

29.  Last year I had a tooth abscess so bad, 

it started eating a hole into my jawbone.

30.  I was in girl scouts from approx. the 4th grade to 8th grade.....

and never earned a badge.  

well, maybe I earned a sports badge:)

that's it...25, i mean 30 things you didn't know about me:)

XOXOXOXO

Suzanne

what are you wearing this Fall?

okay, living in south florida as Fall approaches is

TOUGH.

for those who don't know, we are still technically in

hurricane season and this time of the year is the HOTTEST and the

STEAMIEST time of the whole year.

i know, you thought it was summer.

and while that's hot, there's just something especially miserable about fall.

(not to complain or anything. haha:)

maybe it's because we know that up north,

you're getting cooler temps, pretty fall days and maybe even

a glimpse of color change in the leaves.

go ahead, i give you permission to gloat:)

so when i talk about Fall style,

please know i am still in tank tops, shorts and sandals.

but i can't wait to pull on jeans, boots and MAYBE a sweater

the minute our humidity drops.

i am going to show you what i WOULD be wearing

 if i had a normal fall to wear it in.

but first, what are the experts saying will be IN this fall?

i tried and tried to look up fall fashions but basically,

there are some UGLY trends out there right now.

and because i'm getting old.....and know what i like.....

i decided, who cares what they say to wear anyway, right?

so instead of specific items,

i'm giving you a few colors that are supposed to be everywhere.

this way, if you care about trends, 

you might grab a single piece in a fall color, 

you know?

the best i could tell, two colors that are big this fall are 

burgundy/wine 

and 

hunter green.

honorable mention goes to

  navy:) 

let's take a closer look.......

 notice the pea coat in burgundy, turtleneck and colored jeans.

key items, they say:)

in this photo, see the colored jeans again, and also the army green trench

(military touches are popular)

and the plaid.

so you see,

simply adding a pair of burgundy gloves might just make you look

as if you stepped off the runway.

or maybe not:)

it would take a WHOLE HECK OF A LOT

 more than gloves for me,

that's for sure:)

 i will enjoy a burgundy sweater and i love the burgundy leather backpack.

i have never worn a lot of green so that would have to be trial and error,

if i wear any at all:) 

but my mom's friend Betty is going to be rockin that green, for sure!!!:)

and now for my personal preferences,

cause i know you are wantin to know.....not:)  

hahaha

basically, i don't much care what they say.........

for FALL,

i LOVE blue jeans, natural tones (cream, sand) sweaters, 

warm, worn, medium brown leather accessories 

or

colored leather accessories

gold/jewel tone jewelry, 

football jerseys/sweatshirts/fleeces,

turquoise anything,
boots and that about does it.
nothing new for me, right?:)

my favorite thing here is the purse.
also love the burgundy boots.
and now that i see burgundy and hunter green with my natural tones,
i like the look.
maybe i will add some trendy colors after all:)

XOXO
Suzanne

BOO!...Pumpkin, Apple and MUMMY Treats

it's that time of year again.

time to think about the CUTE little goblins

(cause i hate the creepy side of halloween:)

and the stuff i found is SUPER easy.......

Pumpkins.......

here's a lil treat idea for you.

pinterest is full of breads and cakes but if i had seen

 this when my girls were young,

i would've run with it.

you just need a round of orange tulle from Joanns or a craft store,

green pipe cleaner,

and some treats.  

all orange is a cute idea and it could be

jelly beans, orange m & m's, reese's pieces, even candy corn.

pretty cute, huh?

and who doesn't love the fall flavors at Starbucks?

especially the pumpkin latte.

well, thanks to Molly,

you can make pumpkin lattes in the slow cooker!

photo courtesy of http-::gimmesomeoven.com:pumpkin-spice-latte:

Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Serves: 8 

Total Time: 2 Hours

-8 T of pumpkin puree

-8 T of vanilla

-2 t of cinnamon

-8 cinnamon sticks

-4 cups of strongly brewed coffee

-6 cups of milk

-8 T of sugar

-whipping cream [optional]

{Instructions}

-Combine the milk and coffee, and pour into the crockpot. Whip together the other ingredients [minus the cinnamon sticks and whipping cream] and pour into the crockpot. Mix together well.

-Cover the crockpot, and cook on high for 2 hours.

- put whipping cream on top of the lattes, and add a cinnamon stick for extra flavor.

YUM!

so how about apples?

any apple lovers out there?

personally, caramel apples in any way, shape or form are

probably my most "favoritest" treat:)

but they can be a bit tricky to eat.

so when i saw this idea, i flipped out!

caramel apple bites

okay, no need to complicate things.

if you're handy with a melon baller,

scoop little round apple bites out of an apple.

dip in your favorite caramel and toppings and

VOILA...caramel apple bites!

photo: taste of home

if you want an even faster way, have a self serve caramel bar.

use lollipop sticks with apple wedges.

clever stuff people come up with, i swear!

and thanks to How Does She Do It.com,

apple pie floats......

if you like apple pie and ice cream floats,

this one is for YOU!

simply mix 50% ginger ale, 50% good apple cider and vanilla ice cream

and you have an apple pie float.

~garnish with cinnamon and whipping cream if desired.

now how about those mummies?

personally, i think a mummy is as halloween as a pumpkin.

and kinda cute:)

so here are a few, but not all, mummy treats for you.......

sources:how does she do it .com

created-bydiane.blogspot.com

eighteen25.blogspot.com

bedifferentactnormal.com

there are more too...you could dip giant pretzels in white chocolate and

decorate to look mummyish,

cake pops, brownie bites...all would work!

and if you don't feel like "carving' a pumpkin,

just wrap one up.....

kinda cute, huh?

alrighty then,

i did my part fixin y'all up for the spooky day:)

now for a TOTALLY random moment,

i have to show you this.

i love dogs.

no secret there.

but i have never been a huge fan of "hot dog" dogs,

or dachsunds.  

just not the look i'm going for.

until now.......

OH. MY. GOSH!!!!!!!

i saw these miniature hot dog dogs and fell in love,

especially with the little blonde one.

aren't they PRECIOUS?????

uggghhh...who am i kidding.

i want every dog!:)

have a beautiful day!!!!!!!

Suzanne

Football.....Home.....and Banana Bread Bars!

Well hey there!  I'm re-posting something from 2012.
Yes, I'm being lazy.......but it still pretty much works and it had a recipe I wanted to share.
I've updated it a bit (see the parts in red) so here goes...
Happy Fall Y'All!

i just love saying that!

kinda like i love saying

"ROLL TIDE"! 

yep......i love BAMA football!

Heck, I love college football.  Isn't it funny how you get favorites?
I couldn't tell you much about pro football.
Once they get there it stops being about the game if you ask me so it's
college all the way in this house:)

i've been accused of being a traitor.

but what can i say?

~one of my girls want to go to an SEC school.
(She did too.......she's at the University of Alabama...........
Yep!  I'm a Bama Mom:)

~we live in the south.

~i love a good football game.

~and agree with me or not, SEC just has some good, entertaining football:)

so, i have been an absentee blogger lately.
(Nothing's changed about that)

uggghhh.....fighting migraines that seem to go on forever!
(unfortunately they are still an issue, just not as much:)

i think we have finally found the one medicine that works.

i hope and pray we have, anyway!

Taylor and I took a quick trip up north to my Mum's house.

and had such a great time.

there's no place like home, right?

we even spruced up her house a bit.

she wanted her front door painted a HAPPY, sunny yellow.

so off to home depot we went,

we picked out a paint called "mellow yellow"

and painted her front door.

it was so pretty, we did the shutters, too.

actually, miss Taylor did most of the shutters....in the rain!

can't wait to go back and do more fixer-upper stuff:)

isn't it so pretty?

truly the prettiest house on the block!
(I left this part in because while I haven't been up there to spruce it up this Fall, I need to!:)

while we were gone,

jordan found a recipe on pinterest for

BANANA BREAD BARS

 with Browned Butter Frosting

can you say YUM?????
(Now here's the real reason for this post.  But this time it's Taylor and I who will make them tomorrow.  Not to eat.....to make the house smell good.
Ya...........RIGHT!) lol

From the girl who ate everything

Banana Bread Bars:

1-1/2 c. sugar

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. butter, softened

2 eggs

1-3/4 (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Brown Butter Frosting:

1/2 c. butter

4 c. powdered sugar

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. milk

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 375F.  Grease and flour 15x10-inch jelly roll pan.  For the bars, in a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy.  Blend in bananas and vanilla extract.  Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute.  Stir in walnuts, if desired.

2.  Spread batter evenly into pan.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

3.  Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling.  Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately.

4.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk.  Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze but thinner than frosting).  Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the bars are still warm). 

Yield: 2 dozen large bars These are crazy good so if you happen to have some bananas sitting around begging to be used, try this.  You won't regret it.  Well, if you're like me and eat half the pan, you might regret it.  But you'll love them while they last!  Promise!!!   

Now for a few random things I'm adding........

Have you ever heard of the store Rural King?  

I LOOOOVEEE this store.  Really cool:)  We go in and pretend we're buying 

stuff for our ranch.  Actually, we have to pass on the horse troughs and head straight to the dog food:)  BUT.........I saw these the other day and I'm dying to buy one (or four:) Hehe

I just know there must be something cool I could do with it, 

but for the life of me I can't think.  Any ideas?

I've been messing around with some jars and stuff.......what do you think?

Last but not least, one of the funniest pictures I've ever seen.

It's titled "Moose Hunt" and you'll see why!  

That's it for me!  Now go make yourself some Banana Bread Bars. You're welcome! ;)