I Could've Been a Hunter...or a Shark...

I can't believe this is the post I'm writing,

after months of saying I'm going to work on my blog.......

i need to work on my blog.........

today is blog day.

But it never happened.  Until today.

Today is the day I can say...........I'm BAAAACK!  

Lucky You! :)

* * *May include a rant.  

My day started at 6 a.m.  

Got up, made coffee, took the boys out, started a grocery list,

sent my family off to work, ready to start my day with a little quiet "ME" time 

(devotion, pinterest, stretching) 

when out of the corner of my eye I see something.

A smallish lizard runs from my sliding glass doors over to my couch and slips under it.

EEEEEEEK!

I HATE those things.

I work SO hard to keep them from getting in my house and let me tell you,

that is no easy task living in South Florida. 

But my success rate has been pretty good.
However, this changes everything.

My plans are scrapped........I have a creepy lizard to find.

Now, before some of y'all who are big hearted, nature loving peeps start

lecturing me about how they are "harmless".......

that they actually "eat bugs"............PLEASE.  Don't.

Save it for somebody else.

I don't care if they eat bugs.

I kill those too!!!  
Yep.........if they get in MY house they will not survive.

I wonder if this is why I have this crazy fascination with sharks.

Because they must feel this way too.

You go in THEIR home and all bets are off.

Hmmmmmmm................

Maybe instead of my girls calling me mamabear my name should be

MAMASHARK!!! ;)

Back to my plans for the day.........

as I said, they've changed.  

No quiet time for me because I refuse to share it with a lizard.

So, since I saw with my own eyes him crawl under the sofa, I start there.

Now you need to know I really do try to have the house picked up

before I go to bed so I wake up and it looks nice.

It looked so cozy this morning.

Then this.

Immediately I strip the slipcovers and start throwing them in the washing machine.

That sofa is BARE!  

My poor dogs don't know what to think.
 I move everything aside, 

vacuum and mop everywhere.

Inspect the UNDERSIDE of the sofa.

Shake out and vacuum the area rug.

Clean under, in and around the other chairs.

Spray Stuff.  Shut doors.

Basically I go crazy and tear the house apart.

Did I mention I immediately texted my husband as he must've been 

less than a mile away at the time.

You see, I noticed a pesky lizard the other day on our SCREENED porch out back

and I asked/told/requested that he NOT leave the sliding doors open until

we find how they're getting in.  Which he forgets constantly.

He said I was overreacting and that lizards couldn't get in there.

So the first person I wanted to notify of my lizard problem was him.

Bet y'all want to know what he said.

"Wow...guess you were right.  Okay...I'll look later."

Ummmm.........not good enough!

So I go back to my manic search for the culprit.

In my mind I'm thinking I should leave it and maybe, in a perfect world,

it will jump out at him when he gets home.

But we don't live in a perfect world and because of that,

it would jump out at ME, so I search.

And clean.

And move EVERYTHING.

If you're thinking we live with things all the time and don't know it, I understand.

But you see, I KNOW this sucker is in my house.

My ocean.

My little part of the world.

So I hunt for him.

And hunt.

And HUNT some more.
And because I'm talking about hunting,
 I am including my favorite hunting pic for about the 40th time;)

Awesome, right?

Next up, I strip my bed, which I was going to do anyway in order to put my

Christmas bedding on.

And since I'm kinda having one of those days,
one of those manic, ADD kind of days where my mind is racing, 

i'm gonna talk about the Holidays.

I agree the stores should not force us to swallow three holidays 

at once and should slow down.
I don't want PRE-Black Friday deals and besides, I hate that phrase.
It sounds like a massacre or something occurred on "black" friday.

It just doesn't seem right to happily shop for a few special gifts for Christmas on a day that sounds so evil.
And if we NEED these bargains/deals so badly to save a few bucks,
maybe we don't need to spend the money in the first place.
But that's just me...getting old and opinionated! lol
It is something to think about though.

BUT, could y'all PLEASE let me choose which holidays are a priority to me?

Let me just be the bad guy and say Halloween and Thanksgiving are

not a big deal to me.

I love little kids in costumes.

I hand out candy.

I make Thanksgiving dinner. 

(although three of us don't really like turkey much.)

Pumpkin pie?  I'd be happy to have it all year.
And I am VERY thankful for everything I have.
But stuffing my face doesn't make me more thankful. lol
It doesn't upset me in the least that Christmas often overshadows Thanksgiving.

But that's me.  And I have that right just as you can insist pumpkins stay in your
home until the last dish is cleaned on Turkey Day.

Now, Christmas, that's another story.  THAT is the one I'm ready for come September.

I would never impose that on anyone but if I feel like skipping Thanksgiving to go

straight to Christmas, who cares?

I'm just gonna say it...I think people make too big a deal over it all.
Like the Starbucks fiasco.  Who cares what color their cups are?
we need to CHILL and be thankful ALL year long and have some of that PEACE on earth all year too.
Seriously, Is someone preventing y'all from eating turkey?

My sister makes one whenever she feels like it, not on the day she is told to make it.

Besides, it has been so frappin hot here that forgive me if I love to decorate my house 

to make me think of Snow. And Christmas trees.
 And Cheer. Goodwill to men.

Pilgrims don't do the same thing for me.

Neither do Zombies or Skeletons.

However, I love a good Snowman. And ANGELS. 

And being more obviously reminded of our Saviour's birth.

So sue me.  But please stop telling me I'm wrong for feeling this way and that you are right

for following a calendar hundreds of years old.
Please don't try to make me feel guilty for wanting to be a happy elf.

My kids are grown.  Someday I hope to have a bunch of grandchildren and

we'll make oreo cookie turkeys.
(You know, the ones i blogged about long ago when i told of one of my fails as a mom?  Don't remember?  Well let me remind you.  My sweet Taylor proudly carried a box of these that we had made to her first grade class as a Thanksgiving treat, only to be told she had to take them home.  They were made not bought.  Bad mommy!!!  I thought because all the ingredients were bought it was ok but apparently the fact that my grimy hands touched the food it was a no go.  Grrrrrr.....my poor girl was so sad:(  There you have my oreo cookie turkey story:)

But one thing we wont have is green bean casserole.  Kinda yucky.

We will have Thanksgiving dinner by the CHRISTMAS tree with carols playing,

and we'll use my beautiful Christmas dishes.  And maybe watch ELF.

That is OUR tradition.
And I hope you enjoy YOURS!! <3

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

Okay, now blame the lizard for getting me all wound up.

I really am a fairly happy person.
I'll stop now and continue with my hunt.
Wishing you JOY, my friends!
XOXOXO
Suzanne
P.S.  Now Christmas is right around the corner.

And I realize I held off for a turkey.
And y'all know how I feel about turkey.  (here we go again;)
Are you ready???

Fresh Fruit Kabobs, Tacos, Cones, Parfaits and MORE Crazy Combos!

 It's that time of year again.......

Warm weather, Summer Holidays, Picnics, Fireflies and Family Fun!

It's also the time of year when so many fruits are at peak season........

which means fresh, healthy, fun snacks!

I'm all about EASY.  And DELICIOUS!  And if a snack can be FUN, even better;)

I swear, I can think of all kinds of treats for kids (or young at heart).

Just don't ask me to do sophisticated, please! 

So here are some SUPER FUN and EASY treats for a picnic, birthday party, cookout or anytime in between........

Summer Holidays usually have a bit of red, white and blue going on,

so why not make our treats that way too!

1.  Red/White/Blue Parfait.......just layer whipped cream (or yogurt) with blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.  Personally, I'd add a cherry on top:) BHG

2.  Fruit "Sparklers" or Kabobs:)  Berries and Marshmallows in the shape of a flag.  Berry Kabobs

3.  Flag Fruit and Cheese Tray......Don't just bring a boring fruit and cheese platter.....dress it up like a flag! Red, White & Blueberries & Cheese Tray

4.  Watermelon Pop Stars.........Star shaped pieces on a popsicle stick! Watermelon Pop Stars

5.  Flag Fruit...........This is also a cute and simple way to display fruit....The stars are black raspberries and the stripes are rows of banana slices with strawberries on top.

More Fruit Fun.........

1. and 2.  Kids LOVE fruit in an ice cream cone.  Trust me on this one:)

3.  Sugar Cookie Fruit Taco........so cute and delicious! Just a Pinch

4.  Chocolate chip cookie cups with fruit.......cookie cups

Don't you think the little picnic munchkins will love these ideas?  The not-so-little ones do too:)

If these summery fruit ideas don't get you excited for summer......how about these?

Summer flowers.......daisies in a glass of water with food coloring aded.  Cute:)

Guess that's it for now, my chicas!

Hey Guys (and Kiddos)...Do THIS Not THAT For Mother's Day...

Okay, okay, okay.......

I know what y'all are thinking.

You're telling yourself "It's the thought that counts."

or "My wife/mom isn't like that." 

or "She doesn't like us to fuss/spend/make stuff."

But the best one is "She already knows we love her."

Ummmm.......yeah. RIGHT.  Let's go with that.

Or not.  DEFINITELY not! :)

But we can have a little fun with this, so let's get started.

Anyway, I'm gonna help you navigate the tricky waters known as Mother's Day.

Ready for this???

  Okay, in no particular order, we will look at traditional (#old and #boring) ideas,

 and then we'll tweak them a bit to make mama happy.  

Ready?  Let's DO this.......

1.  Breakfast in Bed.

Who doesn't like Breakfast in Bed?  Just remember this.......

NO mom will enjoy breakfast in bed if Junior sticks his hand in the toaster, 

and the dog pees on the floor cause no one took him out.  And if she walks out to 

a kitchen wth syrup dripping from the ceiling and sticky juice on the floor, it's pretty much worthless.  Save yourself the trouble. 

SOLUTION:   If you are gonna do breakfast in bed, do it RIGHT! 

Keep it simple.......some fruit cut up and placed in a pretty bowl, coffee just the way she likes it,

and some sort of toast/pastry/scone.  (*Hint:  buy this the night before;)  

* *Bonus points for a simple flower in a vase on the tray.  And it's a perfect time for a few handmade cards for her to read while sipping java.

You can do more...but clean it up!  And no screaming and fighting in the kitchen.

This makes mom nervous.

2.  Gift Certificates/Gift Cards

These are great gifts.  A relaxing spa gift card. Shopping at her favorite store.

But your job does not end at buying the gift card boys.

Yes, you are telling her to splurge.  Treat herself.  Have fun. Enjoy!

But you have to BABYSIT!!!!!  Or arrange for a sitter.  And make sure sanity reigns at home.

(Meaning she doesn't get all chilled out and happy, only to come home to a house thats been destroyed, babies crying for mama, and a sitter or daddy who is ready to blow.

Not cool.  Give her the whole package.  Please do this.  I can't tell you how many times my husband gave me a spa day to go with my best friend (who was also my baby sitter at the time), only to be too busy to babysit.  And a note about gift cards.  Tell her to buy whatever she wants with one condition.  Show and Tell when she gets home.  Because I promise you,

there are MANY moms who will end up buying for you, the kids or the house. 

I still do that sometimes.  THEY need the treat, okay?

3.  Mom's Day Off

Let's see how this works.

If you give her this ON Mother's Day, she'll be happy but really, this won't work.

Why?  Think about it.  Here is what her day will be like.......

(and I'm assuming Mom goes to church, but even if she doesn't, it may be similar).

You: "Honey, you are not to do a THING toady"

Her:  Well alrighty then.  I can do that!  Think I'll hop in the shower.

And when she comes out, all fresh and pretty, ready to go........

The kiddos still aren't dressed.  NO WORRIES.......she wants to help her babies, right?

You finally get to church and when you get home, YIKES!  Did anyone take the dogs out before we left?  GUESS NOT!  

Her: Hahahaha it's okay.  I love you anyway!!!

As the day goes on, little things remain undone.  Dinnertime?  Clean up again!

And don't forget if the kids have homework, git r done!!! And pack those backpacks for Monday:)  See my point?  If you are gonna give mom a day off, then do it right!  

Cover all the bases OR better yet, let her get away with a friend for the day and maybe night.

Girl time, Relaxing time........and home comes a HAPPY Mommy who missed her family and can't wait to jump in there and take care of her family.  Hopefully!

Give her a day off:)

4.  Chocolates and Flowers

Hey.......you really took the easy way out.  

If the kids did this, okay.  But Dad.......come on.

IF you are giving sweets, please make sure she likes them and/or even WANTS them.  If she's trying to get in shape, then what the heck are you thinking?

UNLESS.......you give her a box of THESE chocolates:)

Adorable!!!

And flowers.......as a mom I used to hate if my husband ordered expensive flowers at a florist.

Get them at Costco or something.  Beautiful and not so pricey.  And give her the rest of the $$$$$ if you FEEL cheap.  But that isn't necessary, since it's not about how much money in the end.

Even worse though is giving her a bouquet of super thorny roses, so she can sit and trim them all morning.  Please, buy trimmed flowers or do it yourself. Or buy flowers she can plant outside if she likes gardening.  There are many ways to make mom feel special.  One time (and I believe ONLY one time LOL) my husband taped messages of love all over the house and pics the girls drew for me.  (They were young)  

* * * * * BEST gift ever!

5.  You know those commercials for a pricey necklace to celebrate "MOM"?

Save yourself the trouble, dude.

Chances are she won't like/want that generic piece of jewelry.

If you want to splurge, go for it. IF as a family you can afford it, and only if !

But seriously, ask her what she might like, or buy her something awesome that celebrates HER as a MOM and HER family and is something more to her taste.  Personalize it!  Etsy has great gifts for this.

6.  Perfume

When you go shopping and the salesperson wants to show you their new fragrance but you really came for her all-time favorite, BE FIRM.  Buy her favorite and ask for a sample of the new one.  No surprises.......it's her fav for a reason, okay?  

Here's my favorite.........Michael by Michael Kors;)

7.  Lingerie

Here is my tip from most of the moms I have ever know.  

SKIP THE LINGERIE!

Chances are, what you think she wants isn't what she wants.  If you have young children, she needs something she can hop out of bed at 3 in the morning to soothe a nightmare or doctor a sick child.  

Now, what you CAN do is get her a super comfy yet super cute pair of PJ'S.  

(Notice I now call them PJ'S.  THIS is what a mommy wears, so deal with it;)

Just check her size before you go and make sure there is a good return policy, just in case.

Remember......CUTE/PRETTY/COMFY are the key words here.

8.  A Clean House

You and the kids can do this yourselves OR you can hire a maid service to come in and deep clean the house for her. Personally, I would love this.  

But I have this weird habit when on the rare occasion someone is coming to clean my house.

I nearly kill myself the night or morning before they arrive cleaning the house.

YES, the house you paid them to clean.

Because I don't want some stranger to think I am a gross hoarding slob.

Or I didn't raise my girls to clean up after themselves.

I'm serious.  AND,  I am not alone here.

So as part of the package, YOU go around and make sure the things that SHOULD be put away are.  I'm not saying you have to clean.......just pick up.  Straighten things.  

Fluff and Buff a little.  She's gonna LOVE you for this gift if you do it right:)

9.  Family Photo Book

Chances are, she's your family photographer and/or photo organizer/scrapbooker/photo book maker.  This one is MUCH easier than you think.  Shuuterfly, Apple, Snapfish, Mixbook.......

even your local Target or Walgreens. 

You or the kiddos could gather your favorite photos (or drawings), no rhyme or reason necessary, and make a photo book for mom.  This is always a hit.

10.  Family Fun Day

This is always FUN!  A day at the beach, on the boat, at the park, at a ballgame........

just remember that if everyone pitches in 

(and I bet mom will too if everyone is on their best behavior)

it'll be an AWESOME day for everyone and nothing will make Mama happier:)

Tips and Tricks:

~when in doubt, ask her friends, her mom (yes, she may know her little girl better than you think) even your children.  

Hey........when it comes to things like favorite color, favorite music/movies, stuff like that............

my girls have always known me WAY better than my husband:)  Just sayin.......

~if you are determined to give her "gifts" to open, but you are not a shopper........

do what my nephew did this past Christmas.  He let my girls and I shop for his wife.

I think even she appreciated it.  But even if it wasn't perfect, he/we tried. 

All that counts:)

~Just because you golf. Or play tennis.  Or throw horseshoes........

don't assume she wants to.  And in fact, just because you don't get her love of knitting, or refinishing furniture, or anything crafty/diy..........let her do HER thing sometimes while YOU watch the kids.  Kind of like she does when you pursue your hobbies.

Support her.........like our friend from The Notebook!

Bottom line here is this;

If your're buying her a gift, make it something she will LOVE.

If you are giving her a gift that involves just "mommy time", give her the whole package.

And remember, MOST moms don't care what you spend.

And they TRULY LOVE handmade gifts from their babies.  

And they really don't ask for much.

Just go out of your way to make her feel special and appreciated on Mother's day.

Do your BEST!

Next time I have a few COOL and unique gift ideas:)

XOXO

Yummy, SWEET Valentine's Treats That You Can Make in a Hurry!

Happy Hearts Day!!!!!

Need some last minute ideas for your sweethearts?

 (big and small ones alike:)

well I've got you covered.......and I can vouch for them all! 

(and i'm starting to look like it;)

Let's get to it.........

Oreo Cookie Balls (or Oreo Truffles)   

 So good and SO easy!

What you need:

1 pkg.  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

40  OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided

4 pkg.  (4 oz. each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, broken into pieces, melted

MIX cream cheese and 3 cups cookie crumbs until blended.

SHAPE into 48 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 min. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan.  (Tip: use a toothpick to dip)

Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.

(Substitute white chocolate if desired)

We have a tradition of making pink or red foods on Valentine's day.

This next drink is on the menu:)

Maybe I should stop here and get to dinner rather than dessert:)

No complicated dish here.........

Pizza with heart pepperoni!

Or take it a step further and shape your own dough in a heart:)

Me?  I'm lazy.  It's the heart shaped pepperoni for this girl:)

Okay, okay........you want something healthier, right?

How about fruit kabobs?

(Well, there IS fruit!  And marshmallows too!)

Don't you just love vintage Valentines?

The good old days:)

Sweet and Salty Valentine Popcorn

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn

1 bag Colorburst Pastels Candy Melts 

(Wiltons............or use any white chocolate to melt)

1 bag Valentine M&Ms

Sea Salt to taste

Lastly, I share you cookies made by my own little Valentine:)

Love, Love, Love on Valentine's Day!

XOXOXO

Suzanne

Made With Love....Simple Ideas for Valentine's Day Gifts and Decorating

When my girls were younger,

we had barely put Christmas decorations away

before we started decorating for Valentine's Day.  

Hearts were everywhere, and we were already thinking of

what Valentines to make and what would be on our 

Pink and Red Menu for Valentine's Day.

The past few years we've kinda let it go.

Life just got more busy, you know?

Until a few days ago, when my 12 year old niece Macy

wrote to show us pictures of how she had decorated her room.

I think she did an AMAZING job!

She finished by asking how we were decorating this year.

Ummmmm..........well,  I wasn't sure if we were.

UNTIL that email from her.

Until I was inspired by a young girl's festive spirit.

So I went online and I walked around the house,

 looking for ideas.

I found a few things I had made and tweaked them a bit

to make them work for Valentine's Day, either as a

decoration or as a small gift.

See what you think........

1.  Candy hearts look adorable in a Mason Jar pedestal.  At least I think so.......
but then, I love these candies so I would think they look great in ANYTHING!
And these are really easy to make, using a mason jar, candlestick and E6000 glue.

2.  Painted Mason Jars and Milk Bottles hold anything you can think of,

and would be a beautiful way to hold flowers, candy or special messages.

3.  Bejeweled Mini Mason Jars.......Strips of lace or burlap glued around a jar, embellished with a jewel and/or flower.  These look cute gathered on a table top and make

AWESOME gift containers!  No wrapping necessary:)

4.  Heart Garland.......dollar store craft!  

5.  Heart Pencil Toppers........Again, the wire and pencils were bought at the dollar store.

Simply twist a piece of the wire into a heart shape and wrap on the pencil tops.

 

These heart toppers are also fabulous on a longer stick and used as bubble blowers!  

Thank you Macy!

Without the inspiration from you, we might've been lazy and let this Holiday slip by:)

A few other decorations I found were these:

A heart wreath.......paper hearts glued on a wreath or any round form.

 Pom Pom Monsters!

How cute are these?  Pretty dang cute if you ask me:)

Heart Rag Wreath!  Super cute and EASY!

Yarn wrapped letters or hearts.  This is such a simple project that

will be a real eye catcher!

Well, why NOT a heart tree?  

You could write little messages on them or leave as is.........

cute either way!

  Remember the heart garland I mentioned above?

You could tie them on branches outside.  Awesome!

Alrighty then, I think that's about it.

Check back soon.......I have other ideas to pass on but didn't want

 to bombard anyone:)

XOXO

Suzanne