two SIMPLE steps to SIMPLIFY your life.......

seriously.....

only TWO steps.

hard to believe, i know.

because we ALL want a simple, HAPPY life, right?

well, here you go......

as i think about this, it is easy.

but we make it difficult, 

worrying about things.

like what others will think if we don't volunteer as always,

not saying no to time wasting activities,

creating clutter.....

on top of clutter.

i'm as guilty as the rest.

but i really, truly am going to try and remember these two steps.

because this really says it all.....

identify what's important to you and get rid of the rest.

and i know it's not truly easy in the course of every day life.

but maybe, just maybe,

i can make things a tiny bit easier if i remember this:)

if you need more steps to simplify,

check out this list of 30 tips to simplify at 

marcandangel

have a SIMPLY happy day!

Suzanne

Hey Moms........

this is your week!

i say, work it......all week:)

and if you ever feel alone,

or like no one understands,

or you need advice from a friend,

then PLEASE

visit my FAVORITE parenting site,

iMom.

this site is so inspirational, encouraging, informative and downright cool!

it's like talking with your best friend.

check out this list.......

11 things you should NOT do as a mom:)

1.  I must be cheerful for my family at all time.
2. I must never admit I'm having a hard dayI must focus on my kids 24/7
3. I am only as good as the size of my jeans
4. I must make every meal healthy, tasty and special
5. I must make every day fun for my family
6. I cannot go to bed until all of my "mom work" is done
7. I must get everything "right" with my kids or they will be ruined
8. I must keep my house pretty close to spotless
9. I must say yes to every school or volunteer request
10. I must berate myself when I fall short of these mombligations

(hahaha.....now remember, those were 11 things you should NOT do) 

• TONS of parenting tips and articles like these.....
• 10 Ways to Discipline Your Child
• 21 Creative Consequences
• 5 Ways to Help Your Shy Child
• 9 Strategies for Feeding Picky Eaters
• Anger: Dealing with Anger in Children
• Attitude: Instilling a Can-Do Attitude in Your Children
• Bedtime: How to reduce Bedtime Struggles
• Behavior: Getting to the Heart of It
• Chores: Age-Appropriate Chores
• Church Benefits
• Complaining: How to Stop the Whining and Complaining
• Cursing: Kids and Cursing
• Disappointment: How to help your child deal with disappointment
• Fear: Is your Child afraid of the Dark?
• Goal Setting with your Children
• Honor: More than Obedience
• How Not to Let Your Family Revolve Around One Child
• `Kindness: Five Ways to Cultivate Kindness in your Child

and those are just a few articles you'll find on iMom

i got this in my email box today and thought i

would pass it on.

please visit iMOM and print these great sheets out for yourself.

a few FOR mom, a few for your kiddies, a bit of everything:)

great for a memory book.......

sometimes it's that one tiny special thing you do that makes the day!

 (i think I need this to stick with a diet/exercise program:)

and lastly, a fun, yummy mother's day treat you AND your kiddos will love...... 

 Super Easy Super Yummy Chocolate Fondue

                             1 cup chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, dark or bitter)

2 tablespoons butter

1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For dipping: sliced apples, sliced bananas, sliced pineapples, marshmallows

Skewers

DirectionsPlace chocolate chips, butter, condensed milk and water in heavy saucepan.  Melt mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove pan from stove and stir in vanilla.Use fondue for dipping while it is still warm. Store unused fondue covered in refrigerator.

okay, so go meet your new best friends at iMOM and while you're there, be sure to sign up for Espresso Minute.

you'll be so happy you did!

linking up.....

Hugs,

Suzanne

short...sweet...SUPER EASY craft projects...

wow...it's been a long time since I blogged about crafts.

 I seem to have GREAT difficulty focusing on one thing long enough to

actually complete a project...

until today:)

these are soooo easy and fun to do.

first up...

Flip-Flop Fun!

(we do LOVE our flip flops down here:)

this would be perfect and easy to do with kids, summer camps...anyone!

Here is the pic and click here...HUDDLE MO for the tutorial.

i made some today.

cute...but not quite as cute as hers.

still...you can see the potential:)

next...grab any old canning jars, vases, bottles...

get out your glue gun and write words on them...if you like.

after drying, go out and coat your goodies in spray paint.

I like matte paint for this project personally.

See...there could be a MILLION uses for these jars...

and they look great in white, pink, aqua...

and can you imagine how cute in orange or black for Halloween, 

red/green for Christmas...

yep...pretty COOL!

along the same lines...

take a canvas...any size...and glue wooden letters...

any size or shape...to the canvas.

you guessed it...then you spray paint it all one color.

stuff like this is all over the place these days.

I am absolutely going to make my version of this!

finally...

a vintage doily table runner.

OH. MY. GOSH.

is this amazing or WHAT?????

I don't know exactly what was done but I imagine a bit of sewing together

doilies and VOILA!

so there...cool craft ideas:)

by the way, i found my inspiration on PINTEREST!

I am TOTALLY addicted to this site.

if you love pictures, inspiration, photography...anything,

check it out.  yes, like always, there are a few who try to ruin it...

but it is BY FAR the cleanest, nicest photo site I've found.

you create "boards" and then "Pin" your favorite photos...from their site or anywhere on the internet.

it is beyond awesome, so check it out.

if you click HERE...it will take you to MY Pinterest site.

say hi...so I can find you and follow your boards too!

XOXOXO

Suzanne

Wonder and Beauty...

and...

miss my blog...

miss my blog friends...

XOXOXOXOXO

Suzanne

Quitting, Inspiring and a Blog Button...

Wow...

there's a mouthful!

Let's start with quitting...

I can be a quitter

but in the nicest possible way.

I have so many ideas flying through my head...

and so many plans...

that I often start them and don't finish.

And nobody is harder on me over this...

THAN ME:)

But this time, I thought of quitting my blog.

Seriously.

I don't know what happened between the time I had

big plans for this one

AND a new one 

(must have been on a "steroid high":)

But I find that I'm struggling to find time,

time to blog,

time to create...

time to be lazy!

(Wait...I'm finding time for that last one.  hahaha)

So many people have been encouraging to me.

I know I've mentioned Paige of Simple Thoughts before...

but did I ever tell you that Paige's blog was the first blog I ever read?

I was so inspired by her that I started my own blog.

To this day, I read her blog and feel as if I know her.

I would love to live near Paige.

I would love my girls to know her girls!

Do you have a blog that inspired you?

Paige has written me such beautiful messages since

learning of my journey with MS.

So kind...Thank you Paige!

Then there is Karen, from
Some Days are Diamonds
(also know as the lady who started
the Bloggerette Sisters Sorority:)

The day I sat down to tell you that I was quitting,

I received an email from Karen.

Karen, as always, was encouraging...

and kind.

She had no idea I was thinking this way...

She told me to have faith,

be positive,

remember the prayers,

rearrange a few things...

in my path and in my life...

keep a sense of humor

and keep journaling.

Thank you Karen!

Next, blog buttons...

I asked Cat from

to make me a blog button.

See it in the sidebar and at the top of this post??

Go ahead, take it if you like.
Just click on it.
She made it really easy to do:-)

And I am going to go around collecting buttons from all of you

in the coming days.

It's the least I can do, since I have been so lazy about a 

blogroll.
(Wait till you see the divider she is working on for me!)
And here is the blog button from my "other" blog...
the one I plan to have fun with...
IF I ever get my act together.


(Although I have to confess...the other day my 13 year old
DID say "You ARE a cool Mom" after I did something...
cool apparently;-)

Finally,
have you ever heard of iMom?
If not, check it out ASAP!
I subscribe and I love the daily emails.
They are always useful and thought provoking...
for moms with kids of all ages.
They are inspiring...
just look at today's "espresso minute"message...
16 Ways to Inspire your Children...
They have a link for a bunch of these cut-out cards
to post around the house or put in your child's lunch.

Here are a few but I suggest you visit iMom to meet
some very inspiring moms...
and get some fabulous parenting tips
and get the rest of the inspiring cards!

Whew...told you it was a mouthful!
Have a beautiful day and be inspired...
better yet, inspire someone else.
You never know how much they need it!:)
Trust me on this one, my friends!

Favorite Things...White Edition

I'm fickle...
My list of "favorite" things can change with the season
With the month
With the day.

But some things never change.
Thank goodness!!
I love white...
which is why I'm back blogging on White Wednesday.
Couldn't resist.

I really love these pretty white treasures...

Ballerinas in fluffy white tutus
Hope
Dreaming
Starfish
Crowns
Brooches
White Pearl Bible
French Country
Old photos

Please visit Faded Charm
to see more White Wednesday participants.
And thank you for stopping by to see my favorite white things!

XOXOXOX
Suzanne

The Power of Words...

...My best friend once walked into my home and told me she loved being there because everywhere she looked, there were inspiring words and sayings. She said "If you guys aren't inspired every single day, there's something wrong with you"! Well Deborah, that's what I'm going for. But I'm worried it's a little like living within view of the mountains or ocean...because you see it every day, you no longer notice:-) Hope not though!!! Anyway, you never know what life is going to throw at you (or if you ask my girls, what kind of mood mom is going to be in) so while you're in my home, hopefully you smile and feel just a little bit more encouraged and inspired.

Most of the signs are self-explanatory but I will explain a few...



The "smile" sign is hanging in Taylor's room. People who meet her say she is "always smiling". Good...I taught her well:-)




Well, it is, isn't it? This was a little thingambob that came as part of the gift wrapping on a present. Don't you just love things like that? Kind of like an extra little gift. SAVE THESE!!!! You can do one of 3 things... use them around the house like I do, pass on to another friend as part of their gift wrap or use it as a decoration on a Christmas tree. Seriously, sweet little things like this make the best ornaments and have a ready-made memory attached!




Hey...it beats crying:-)




What can I say... I LOVE chalk boards! The one above is hanging on the wall between my daughters' bedrooms. Just in case they tune me out when I say this over and over...it's in writing, too!



This chalkboard is in my foyer and the message changes weekly.




Probably the first thing you see when you walk in my front door is this "Believe" sign...because I want you to know right off the get-go that we believe:-)




"Live a good life"...This is hanging above my front door so when you walk through on your way to the outside world, you are reminded to live a good life:-)




My best friend gave me this when we moved. On the bottom she wished us well in our new home with a very special note. So sweet...I will keep it always!




"Wish" is a cool sign that is hanging above the windows in my dining room. Why the dining room??? I have no idea. Maybe because I WISH i could eat whatever I want and not gain weight:-)




Another little thing tied to a gift that has found a home in my kitchen on a cupboard knob. "Celebrate life"...enough said!