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!

DIY Summer Beach Bag by Shabby Chicks

Hey y'all.......

 I have a super cute project to show you!

Yesterday, I made an adorable beach bag and I am in LOVE with it!

(hope you like it too:)

I first saw a bag like this somewhere online for $78.00.

I wish I knew where I saw it:(

Anyway, the other day I visited one of my favorite blogs,

toriejayne.com, and she had a blog post with instructions for making one of 

these cute bags.

Shazam!!!

I ordered a straw french market bag from Amazon and went to work.

It was so simple!

All you need is an oversized straw bag, white primer paint, 

a sponge brush and regular paint brushes, a star stencil, Martha Stewart

acrylic paint and you're good to go!

Step 1........using a sponge brush, paint the bag with white primer paint.

Step 2.......Using a stencil, outline the star with pencil and brush paint

around the shape.  

I used Martha Stewart paint in Beach Glass.

After the bag was painted, I tried to soften it a bit by 

lightly brushing a glaze over it.

(I used soft blue pearl paint from Martha S.)

Let it all dry and that's it!

I'm so in love with this bag, I want one in every color:)

Try it for yourself.......you'll be so happy you did!

XOXOXOXO

Suzanne

Lazy Days, Luscious Lemon Blossoms and Lots More:)

L

E

M

O

N

S

what summer would be FUN without lemons?

that sour fruit has been the source of some real

summer fun

for generations.

so today is all about those lemons.

i'm talking lemon bars, lemonade stands, lemon cookies, lemon cake

 and more........

good stuff like that.

first up, lemonade stands.

nothing says summer like kids sitting by their lemonade stands.

my girls and their friends did this for hours every summer and

it was always a big hit. 

 of course the boys came and tried to steal the lemonade.....

but that's part of the fun, right?

simply make a pitcher of lemonade,

set up a card table or a picnic table.

if you have a lemonade stand, great! 

personally, i love the rustic lemonade stand.....

you could have a PINK lemonade stand.

and maybe even have the proceeds go to a favorite charity.

that REALLY gets people to buy the lemonade and is a good

teaching moments for kids.

and don't forget the yummy treats.

now, you don't have to do this......

but it will be a big hit if you do.

that is, IF the kiddos don't eat them all, 

which has happened to me:)

but if you do feel like baking, check these out from Itty Bitty Bakery......

Lemon Melting Moments,

and they will melt in your mouth! 

 now, some of these ideas may be too much for a lemonade stand,

 but there are

so many great ideas out there, i had to share:)

like this recipe from Paula Deen for

Lemon Blossoms

bring them to a family picnic and they'll be gone in no time! 

Lemon Blossoms

Ingredients

• 18½-ounce package yellow cake mix
• 3½-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• ¾ cup vegetable oil

Glaze:

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. (Filling more than half will have batter spilling above the top of the cups, which tend to break apart when turned out from the pans. ) Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a clean dish towel.To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set 

thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

let's see..what else...

lemon bars are ALWAYS good.....

but Lemon Cheesecake Bars by Leigh Anne are

Lemony Luscious!

i haven't been able to track this next baker down but maybe the 

picture will inspire some of you:)

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

okay.

is your mouth watering yet?

the last cool idea i want to share, and you have probably seen this but

here we go anyway,

is a lemonade stand in a pail.

how cute is this idea from giggles galore?

great for having your own lemonade stand or a really cute gift to take to a friends house

as a thank you for a playdate or maybe even a thank you for dinner.

i swear, there are some crazy talented people out there!

so go visit:)

well, i guess that's it my friends.

hope this gets you inspired for some lemony 

SUMMER FUN!

xoxoxox

Suzanne

Sprinkles, Prayer, Happy Pills and Flowers.......Being HAPPY on a Monday Morning!

Huh!

Being happy on a Monday morning isn't as

easy as it sounds.

Monday means work, school (some parts of the year),

 the end of vacation.........and who knows what else.

So how can we have a better Monday morning?

~Pray~

Saying a prayer and asking for a lil help would be a start:)

~Coffee~

Monday means coffee..........and lots of it! hahaha

~Happy Pills~

No silly, not THOSE kind of happy pills.

THESE kind of happy pills.

Make yourself a little set of happy pills for the office:)

~Flowers~

Stop by and grab a few on the way to work, or bring some from your yard.

Nothing fancy...just something to brighten the day!

If you're lucky enough to have lilacs like these from my

mama's yard, definitely bring them:)

~Compliment Someone~

Sincerely, genuinely honestly find something to compliment someone for.

Big, little.........make their day! (nothing better than a good cereal maker;)

~Be Positive~

Don't think of all you HAVE to do, 

or didn't get done last week.

This ia a NEW week.

 Don't look back, look forward.

~Wander~

That's right, take a few minutes to let you mind wander.

Think about an upcoming vacation,

about a special dinner you have planned,

think about sneaking off for an ice cream cone.........with sprinkles!:)

anything to make YOU smile!

And on this Monday morning........

know that you are loved!

xoxoxoxox

Suzanne

Summer + Lilly Pulitzer.....some things just go together.

Ever since we lived near Palm Beach,

the land of Lilly Pulitzer,

I've been a fan.

Every year for Easter, I bought matching dresses 

for me and my 2 girls.

And now that one of my daughters hopes to work at Lilly this Fall,

we are once again in full Lilly mode:)

It's just HAPPY...and we like happy stuff! 

Lilly Pulitzer passed away last year,

but she left quite a "colorful" legacy with her beautiful designs.

And she was a fun lady, if the books are accurate, 

and I believe they were.

Speaking of books, if you like Lilly,

you simply must add these two books to your home. 

 Full of stories, fashion, family photos, anecdotes and recipes.......

they're awesome!

Here is an example of a few recipes.......

CHIPOTLE SLIDERS

This smokey mayo looks divine, but we can’t help wanting to add a little slice of avocado. You know how we are about pink and green!

1 cup mayonnaise

2 chipotles in adobe

1 tbsp adobe sauce

1/2 lime, juiced

salt and ground pepper

Sliders: 

1/2 to 1 pound ground chuck, 80/20

salt and ground pepper

cheese slices

mini burger buns

Grill and assemble sliders, serve with chipotle mayo, pickles and red onion slices.

_________________________________________________________

PINK LEMONADE

2 cups white sugar

9 cups water

2 cups fresh lemon juice

1 cup cranberry juice

In a large pitcher combine all. Stir to dissolve sugar.

See?????  Buy the Books! :)

Then there are her amazing fashions.

Fun, fresh, colorful, feminine, cool.......they're perfect for summer.

Or if you live in the south like I do, they're great year round.

 You just can't be grumpy when you wear cute, happy clothes like these:)

Yep, summer and Lilly just go together.
And as Lilly herself said,
"Wear PINK and make the BOYS Wink" :)
xoxo
Suzanne

Happiness is.......The Long Hot Summer Edition

because while it's only mid July.....

it's been a loooooong HOT summer!

so hot, i think maybe i've been even LAZIER than normal!

which is why i haven't been on my blog much.

too hot + lazy = no blog posts.

seriously, this is what happens when i sit at the computer to write.....

awwwww....so cute:)

i mean, this heat is draining.

  all i wanna do is lay around like these cool guys..... 

but before you think i haven't been enjoying summer,

here are a few things that spell summer happiness to me.....

and we all need to think about the HAPPY in our life, 

past and present, right?

Happiness is.........

~having FUN is what summer is all about.

remember water balloons?

SOOOO much fun in the summer!

well, now some creative mommies have discovered how to have a water fight with sponges!

photo credit: Sponge Balls

super easy to make.....

just cut up 3 sponges into strips.  

gather them together and tie with dental floss.

fluff out your water sponge and you're ready for a water sponge fight!

COOL, huh?

now that's some serious summer fun, sure to make everyone

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY:)

~Happiness is also.......

the beach!

going to the beach with a book and a CUTE hat are even better.....

(love this book, and what do ya think of our new hat?)

next best thing to going to the beach is EATING the beach.

haha......one of our favorite desserts is sand on the beach.

kind of like dirt cake except with vanilla pudding, cream and crushed vanilla wafers.

OR

you could experiment with happy beach cupcakes.

okay, enough about the beach, our happy place:)

~Happiness is an ICE cold treat.

if you don't like em, they make a CUTE gift!

credit: eighteen25.blogspot.com:

Happiness is........

hanging out and just talking with my girls.

well, one of them.  the other is still at Boston Ballet but coming home soon.

happiness is ALSO that she is HAPPY, having FUN and made some wonderful, life-long friends!

but speaking of talking with your kids this summer, 

here is a list of great ideas from iMom re: talking with the kiddos.

Happiness is.........eating simple.

as in simple dinners!

like the good ol' 

B

L

T

Yum!

Happiness is.........

 lemonade stands.

my girls used to do this ALL the time.

so much fun and still makes me happy.

do yourself a favor.......

if you see a lemonade stand, stop.

you may be the only one (besides the mom) who does.......

and you will make some children VERY happy:)

Happiness is.......

cuddling and playing with my dogs.

they just make me happy, no matter the season.

this time i bring you my big boy,

Maui the Goldendoodle.....who doesn't know he is big at all:)

YIKES! hahaha

and last but not least,
Happiness is.........
staying inside on a hot summer day,
doing crafts with my girl(s)
like these SUPER CUTE headphone wraps!

we saw the idea on pinterest and in one night, Jordie was done with hers.
(mine took longer but only cause i was doing 10 other things at the same time:)
aren't they cute though?

okay, okay.....enough catching up!
time to get out and enjoy the day before it gets TOO hot and steamy:)
most important, remember this.......

XOXOXOXOX
Suzanne