Sisters, South Beach and Smooches. . . . .

have you heard of South Beach?

it's one of those places that goes by more of a nickname 

than the actual location.

south beach, SOBE. . . .

it is actually Miami Beach. . . .

or more correctly, SOUTH Miami Beach,

which explains the name "South Beach".

so, have you heard of it?

maybe you saw it in the movie

The Birdcage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.

Hysterical when it came out, and kinda/sorta true:)

South Beach has quite a reputation for being a FUN place,

Beautiful Beaches, cool refurbished art deco hotels. . . . .

and a crazy side.

yes, DEFINITELY a crazy side.

all too wild.

but parts are kinda cool and very pretty.

like the beach, and the boardwalk along the beach.

we were in south beach last Sunday, so here are a few pics. . . . .

GORGEOUS water!

lots of celebrities stop by south beach.

and where celebrities go,

the PAPARAZZI will be there also!

yep...there they are. . . .the paparazzi.

apparently some model was on the beach with her friend and let me tell you,

she didn't move a toe in the sand without them snapping away.

personally, i think they should've been snapping pics of my partner in crime,

Jordan.

we were in south beach for Taylorina 

to attend

an audition for Ballet Austin (Texas) 

that was held at Miami City Ballet.

fun times.

well for me and Jordan.

maybe not her.

she had to work:)

 probably more than the beauty of the shimmering turquoise Atlantic,

was the beauty i caught on my own iphone camera.

i went to the car because the meter was almost up and

Taylor was not yet out.

Jordan stayed at MCB to wait for her and show her where we were parked.

as they walked to the car, i caught a glimpse of them as sisters.

and it was so special.

they were walking, talking, laughing. . . . . .

being sisters.

and it was such a beautiful sight for me.

they have their moments.

oh yes!

but they truly love each other.

and that's all i could have ever hoped for, especially through these

teenage years.

yes, sisters are special.

i have three of my own.

 and i know how very blessed i am!

sisters.

they had their moments.

they STILL have their moments.

moments one of them just feel this need to drive the other one crazy.

on purpose.

gotta laugh sometimes, right?

now, i believe i mentioned "smooches" in the title of my blog post.

so here you go. . . .

hey sweet boy. . . . .i'd sign up for a smooch from you!:)

xoxoxo

Suzanne

Thoughts from the Grocery Store. . . . .

as i walked out of the grocery store the other night, 

i started thinking of the little things i noticed in just one trip.

yes, i do have more important things to think about.

but sometimes, it's a good thing to let your mind wander,

right?

i hope so!

because mine wanders a TON:)

what i thought about at the grocery store:

~ ~ ~that i prefer doing my shopping at night.

i know my mom hates hearing that.  but it's so much more relaxed

and i sometimes take one of the girls with me:)

~ ~ ~i am so HAPPY to see the big juicy blueberries in January. . .

and they're pretty inexpensive!

STRAWBERRIES, too:)

~  ~ ~note to cashier. . . .

i know you think you're being incredibly thoughtful if, by chance,

i'm buying a little treat.

but you know, that doesn't mean it's for me!

it could be a treat for one of my girls.

so PLEASE don't hold it up and ask, LOUDLY, 

"Is this for you"?

or "Would you like this in your purse?"

because i promise you, if it is for me,

i WILL deny it.

regardless of who it's for,

i will deny the possibility it's for me by saying

"no, just put it in the bag"

or i might even go so far as to say

"it's not for me...just put it in the bag".

GEEZ. . . .

do you expect me to grab it and say

"oh thank you!  I'm glad you reminded me.

i need to SCARF it down in the car before i get home,

so good thing you loudly asked if i wanted it in my purse!!!"

GEEZ. . . again:)

but thanks anyway for your thoughtfulness!

what else, what else. . . .

~  ~ ~i know!  I went to the dr. yesterday and mentioned how frustrated i was

at all the different diets out there,

how stubborn my body was being. . .

you know, stuff like that.

she is so REAL and down to earth.

i love her!

here was her advice.

my extreme FATIGUE was in large part due to my MS.

good luck with that one:)

but my diet was most likely contributing to it.

she said, based on her conversation with me, that i might benefit from

a higher protein and high fiber diet.

and within a few weeks should feel some good effects.

so, i asked the $30,000 dollar question (s)

1.  was she saying to cut out all carbs, sugar and flour stuff?

(as i watch my morning show and see a commercial for the CUTEST

heart shaped donuts at Dunkin Donuts!:)

HELP!!!!!

2.  in addition to lowering my fatigue,

would i lose a few (or more) pounds?

3.  what about all the HOOPLA about 

clean eating, Paleo diet, hunter and gatherer dieting.....

what about it?

this was her take on it and as i respect her opinion,

i have to say i agree.

HER ANSWERS:

1.  i did NOT have to cut out all carbs.

yes, it would be beneficial to cut out white stuff. . . .

white flour, white sugar, white rice, white potato (i think she said that)

the good stuff.

the best i can.  she didn't say go crazy.

just make a better effort.

but she does want me to still have whole grains in moderation. . .

whole grain bread, pasta. . . .

(no heart shaped dunkin donuts, i guess.  boo!)

and as i said, more protein.

one tip she had was to drink 2 packs of the

Special K protein water flavorings/day,

which would mean i had 4 of my 6-8 glasses of water with protein added.

this drink flavoring has 5 mg of protein per packet,

so by drinking 2/day was an easy way to add 10mg of protein to my diet:)

2.  yes, i would probably lose some weight, 

depending on me controlling cravings, moderate exercise and eliminating

fried foods and that kind of thing.

3. what about all the EXTREME diets out there?

TOTALLY not necessary, in her opinion.

not bad diets.

just not necessary.

(ya, try telling that to all the people who try to make you feel like

a criminal because you just ate something that had a label on it.)

she said diets like that are still fads, regardless of what anyone says.

some may stay on them for life, but diets like this have been around forever.

i totally agree. . . .just as i agree that if someone loves eating this way and is doing well,

that's great!

but as she said, you "have to buy into the whole plan, philosophy and all that"

and if you don't, they won't work any better than anything else.

which is true of anything.

what she DID suggest was. . . .

drumroll please. . . .

w

e

i

g

h

t 

w

a

t

c

h

e

r

s

they have changed things so you get credit for eating more protein and fiber, i believe.

i'll be honest.

i'm going to have a piece of my daughter's birthday cakes.

and a warm chocolate chip cookie once in awhile.

and strawberry shortcake at least once or twice during strawberry season.

i know this about myself.

and i know i get tired of meat.

and hate touching raw meat.

so, i need a healthy eating plan that understands i will cheat sometimes.

and my whole body isn't suddenly screwed up because i did.

(excuse me for a moment while i change the channel.

Al Gore is on the screen. uggggh  GO AWAY!)

okay, back to my eating.

i'm gonna give it a try.

my neurologist doesn't want me to do anything extreme for a diet or exercise.

and this all seems pretty non-extreme.

so i'll try...for real this time.

i'll keep you posted.

and now that i've gone over this,

have you ever seen

The Biggest Loser?

i kinda get tired of the yelling, screaming, crying. . . .

good tips sometimes but i would rather read a book.

or watch Honey Boo Boo.

JUST KIDDING!!!:)

however, Bob Harper, the trainer from the show, has a great book.

in particular, he has a list of "rules"

called 

The Skinny Rules

1. Drink a large glass of water BEFORE Every meal-No Excuses!
2. Don't Drink Your Calories
3. Eat Protein at EVERY Meal -or stay hungry & grouchy!
4. Slash Your Intake of Refined Flours & Grains
5. Eat 30-50 grams of FIBER per day!
6. Eat Apples & Berries Every single day- Yes, EVERY-SINGLE-DAY!
7. NO Carbs after Lunch ( eat 'lean & green' at night)
8.Learn to Read Food Labels so You know what you are eating!
9. Stop Guessing about Portion Size & Get it Right-for good!
10. No more added sweeteners-including artificial ones!
11. Get rid of White potatoes!
12. Make one day a week Meatless
13. Get rid of Fast foods & fried foods
14. Eat a REAL breakfast
15. Make Your own food and eat at least ten meals a week at home
16.. Banish High Salt Foods
17. Eat Your Vegetables-(no excuses)- Just DO it!
18.Go to bed hungry!
19. Sleep Right
20. Plan one splurge MEAL per week

OK- there you have them --print them out, tape them on your refrigerator and let them be your guide to NO EXCUSES. 

These rules are NONNEGOTIABLE remember!!

I think these sound pretty reasonable, don't you?

and last but not least (i promise) a few other interesting tips.

i tried to make these printouts as large as possible but if you can't read them,

do whatever you need to in order to make them bigger. 

they're really good:)

that's it for me!

i'm sure the only person who read this all the way through is my mom,

and even she might have had enough! hahaha

have a great day!

Suzanne

Warm, Cozy and Yummy. . . . . .

brrrrrrrrrrr. . . . . .

it's been just a bit chilly outside, hasn't it?

even down here in south florida,

although nothing like up north.

and frankly, i like this chilly weather.

we don't get much of it you know, so we have to take advantage!

like, pull on a sweater, wear some cute boots, make some hearty

comfort food.

stuff like that.

but i know what a cold winter is like,

really, i do!

so i've put together a few things to warm you up a bit.

i hope:)

to start with, i hope you're all bundled up in a cozy blanket

maybe reading a book by a

roaring fire!

maybe you're on the computer,

doing a little online shopping or looking at all the fashion sites.

gosh, i'd move north just to wear these cute clothes!
or maybe not:)
but i still love the clothes!

don't you just LOVE this button purse and the cute booties?

i do:)

it's a good time to cuddle someone. . . . .

or something you love:)

go ahead, say it. . . . . .awwwwwww!

now, we can't forget something warm to drink.

hot cocoa is always a good choice.

especially hot cocoa with marshmallows.

especially hot cocoa with chocolate chip marshmallow eyes:)

my favorite warm drink happens to be a drink at starbucks.

but my girls figured out how to make it without buying some pricey flavored syrup
and whatever else they use.

the drink i'm talking about is a 

warm caramel apple drink.

and it is soooooo good!

it's super easy.

simply heat up a mug or pan of apple juice.

stir in caramel topping you would use for ice cream, to taste.

garnish with a bit of whipped cream and caramel on top.

y.u.m.m.y!

ok, i don't know if i've mentioned this or not,

but we are trying to eat a bit healthier around here.
trying.

so when i saw this recipe for stuffed peppers without rice on table for two blog,

i knew we had to try it.

last night, jordan made a batch.

and let me tell you,

these are SOOOO good!

light comfort food.
quick and easy.

not bad, huh?

you have got to try these!

Easy Stuffed Peppers

1/2 pound ground beef or turkey

1/2 large sweet onion, diced

1 cup frozen corn

1 Tbs or so taco seasoning

3 large bell peppers, seeded and halved

1 cup shredded cheese (i used two kinds...cheddar jack and pepper jack)

olive oil

~on a large baking sheet, place your pepper halves on them and drizzle olive oil all over them.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the peppers are bubbling up a bit and translucent around the edges.
~While peppers are baking, saute onions in a tsp or so of olive oil until soft.
Add in the ground beef or turkey and cook till browned.
Mix in the taco seasoning.  Stir, then add in the corn.
~Cook for 5 min. more then remove from the heat.
~Place the (cooled) pepper halves in a casserole dish, then spoon the filling into the peppers.
Trust me, it's okay if you stuff them a bit much:)
~Sprinkle cheese on top of the filling, then place it under the broiler till cheese is melted and bubbly.
~Serve immediately.
***Makes 6 pepper halves. . . . .but these are soooooo good and light tasting,
you should plan on doubling the recipe.
I would give ANYTHING to have leftovers for lunch today:)

well, are you getting warm yet?
need more help???
here is one more....
Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki

 1lb chicken, 1c chicken broth, 1/2c terriyaki or soy sauce,

 1/3c brown sugar, 3minced garlic cloves... 

Optional... a can of drained pineapple, peppers

There was no cooking "time",

but if you use a crockpot, it's either on low for 6-8hrs. or high for 3-4 hrs.

(hope i got that right:)

if you like, serve over brown rice and add sesame seeds.

well, i've rambled long enough, right?

let me leave you with a thought for your day. . . . .

happy friday!!!

Suzanne

My Top 10 Most Popular Posts of 2012. . . .Fruit Loops, Swamps and Shabby Chic

well!

i've never done one of these posts before.

i have to say, it's kinda FUN looking back on the year.

and it's really COOL to see which posts are the most 

POPULAR for your readers.

as you can tell by the title,

my blog posts are all over the place.

and my readers are looking for fun and

interesting posts about decorating, parties, FASHION and treats:)

 i thought i'd list the 10 posts, with a link to take you to each one,

just in case you missed out, you know:)

before i do,

thank you to the many, many wonderful readers who visit my blog

on a daily basis.

that is so much more than i deserve,

and i am so grateful!
i wrote 147 posts last year, and here are

My 10 Most Popular posts of 2012,

starting with 

number 10 and working down to number 1. . . . 

10.  for mom......a shabby chic dream cottage and soft, cuddly puppies......

9.  Cool Summer Treats and Cool Stuff to Do in the Heat of Summer!



8.  I Love LIME...the spring trend is NEON!


7.  Spring Fashion Week 2012...Pretty as a Princess



6.  Aloha...Palm Sunday, Bunnies, Bunny Bait and Hawaii




5.  lessons in decorating from a country girl/surfer girl/cowgirl....




4.  My Life in Candy

3.  i'm just crazy about mirrored furniture............




2.  (This one cracks me up)  Swamp People Birthday Party



never can tell, can you?:)

and my number 1 most popular post of 2012. . . . .

1.  fruit loops, prayer, recipes and Oscar dresses... 





so there you have it.
i have to say, this really surprises me. . . . .
but in a good way.
and i think it tells me something.
as i said before, my readers know they can come for a light,
fun, happy, pretty, positive blog post.
no rocket science here. . . .
my blog is what it is. . . .
and so am I:)

xoxoxoxoxoxo
Suzanne

"OH HECK" . . . . . .Hocus Pocus Buns, Babies, Fat Belly Puppies and MORE!

before i start, i kinda think i may have done a post like this before.

but my head is a bit foggy with the flu, so if i have,

please forgive me.

but i got to thinking,

i may not feel like writing any major post,

but i can always share a few favorite "pins"

from Pinterest with you.

these are from a board i have named

OH HECK.

i chose this name because they are pics or ideas for things that

are very cool/beautiful/unique.

things that make you simply say

OH HECK.

here we go. . . . .

Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake.

mmm-hmmmm

if this doesn't make you say oh heck, i don't know what does!

the recipe was too long for me today, so if you go to the King Arthur's Flour site,

you can see it all unfold.  YUM!!!

so Sweet. . . . .

Four-year-old Paige Bennethum really, really didn't want her daddy to go to Iraq. So much so, that when Army Reservist Staff Sgt. Brett Bennethum lined up in formation at his deployment this July, she couldn't let go. No one had the heart to pull her away. (www.nbcphiladelph...)

simply stunning!

another special story,

about a man and his best friend. . . . .

seriously, i think i might pass out if i went to a wedding reception and saw these 

mismatched, ruffled, bejeweled chairs.

OR, a little boy walking down the aisle carrying THIS sign. . . . .

this is just too stinkin cute and precious and beautiful!

and if my girls were little,

this message would be on their wall pronto.

and cause we love cute babies,

here is an oh heck picture of a baby:)

one more yummy treat for you (and me:)

HOCUS POCUS BUNS

Marshmallows dipped in melted butter, then cinnamon sugar, wrapped in crescent rolls and baked. They're called Hocus Pocus buns because the marshmallows disappear! YUM!

now, what kind of post would this be without an adorable pup?

especially one with a fat belly!!  

lastly, a thought for your day. . . . .

so. . . . .did anything make you go "oh heck"?

hope so!

what would life be like if you never saw something that made you smile, drool or just plain

be at a loss for words:)

xoxoxoxoxoxxo

Suzanne

A Handbook for 2013...Make it Your BEST Year Yet:)

it seems there's a handbook for everything.

a new fridge,

a new job,

exercise handbooks,

handbooks on organizing, childcare. . . . .

even Christmas shopping.

wouldn't it be nice if a there was a handbook for everyday life?

now, i COULD say there is. . . . the Bible.

but for the sake of a little silly fun,

here are some simple, everyday tips. . . . . 

hope you find something to help you through the days,weeks and months of

2013!

2013 Handbook

 

Health:

 

1. Drink plenty of water.

 

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

 

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

 

4. Live with Enthusiasm and Empathy for others.

 

5. PRAY.

 

6. Play more games

 

7. Read more books than you did in 2012

 

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day

 

9. Sleep for 7 hours.

 

10.  Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

 

 

Personality:

 

11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

 

12.  Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. 

 

13. Don't overdo. Know your limits. Stick to your limits.

 

14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

 

16. Dream more while you are awake

 

17.  Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

 

18. Forget issues of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

 

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate!

 

20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

 

21. You control what goes in your head...make it good.  

 

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.

  Problems fade away like algebra class,

 but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

 

23. Smile and laugh more.

 

24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

 

 

Society:

 

25. Call your family often.

 

26. Each day give something good to others...

even if it's a shoulder to lean on:)

 

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

 

28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

 

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

 

30. What other people think of you is none of your business,

so don't worry about it.

 

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.  Stay in touch.

 

 

Life:

 

32. Do the right thing!

 

33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

 

34. GOD heals everything.

 

35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

 

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

 

37. The best is yet to come.

 

38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

 

39. Be happy.

40.  Have Faith.

Have a beautiful Sunday!

xoxo

Suzanne