What do Scotty McCreery, Tootsie Rolls, Victoria's Secret, Twitter and Flat Stanley Have in Common?

hmmmmmmm........
give up?

they're all great gift ideas this year!

i know, it isn't even halloween yet,

but you have to admit time is FLYING by.......

before you know it, halloween is past, the turkey is stuffed:)

and the Christmas Holiday is upon us.

don't believe me?

i try to hold off.
really!!!
but just as some don't like talking
 or even THINKING about it,
i happen to LOVE thinking about it.
"keep Christmas in your heart all year, ya know???:)
gotcha!
and no, it is NOT all about shopping.
far from it.
it's the whole "package, so to speak;)
now, in my defense, Taylorina is in full NUTCRACKER mode

and on Saturday, we are doing a Holiday Boutique for
Vintage Charm.
soooooooo.......
be warned.......
cause here on my lil 'ol blog,
 the Christmas season is OFFICIALLY on :)


now, the one thing i know how to do is SHOP!
and these are just a FEW little ideas to get you started.
no doubt i'll have MANY more in the days to come, okay?

on to gift idea #1.....
Christmas Music
my first gift idea is actually a Pre-Holiday gift.
remember Scotty McCreery,
who WON American Idol a few years back?
if not, here's the low-down.
Scotty is one of the Good Guys.
~~~17 years old when he won.
~~~a sweet, shy, southern boy who sings country music
 with his beautiful deep baritone voice.
~~~a Christian.....who at 17 was not afraid to share his
Faith at every opportunity on national TV.....
and still isn't.
~~~a very grounded, all american, baseball loving kid who
is doing it the "right" way.
~~~the kind of young man you hope and PRAY your
daughters bring home some day.

 Scotty released a Christmas CD this week,
and when i listened to it,
i just knew it had to be my number one pre-holiday gift idea this year.
songs include the traditional
Let it Snow,  First Noel,  Jingle Bells,   Holly Jolly Christmas,
Winter Wonderland,   Christmas in Heaven (one of my favorites)
Christmas Comin Round Again,  O Holy Night,
The Christmas Song,  Elvis's  version of Santa Claus is Back in Town,
and the most beautiful, pure version of "Mary Did You Know" I've ever heard.
trust me, at $11.99, it's a GREAT gift!

and being the GINORMOUS fan of Michael Buble that i am,
i MUST tell you he also has a Christmas cd coming out.

(something tells me i'm gonna be adding a few new albums this year)


gift idea #2.
PINK Clothes from VS.
ummm.....what's so new about this?
well, they finally added a REALLY pretty
SOFT pastel pink to their line.
and it's flying out of the stores.
these photos don't do justice.

once again, trust me.....
they will be a HUGE hit for someone on your list.
i also love this hooded, raglan sleeve top.
talk about COMFY!
and these Sparkly boots are super cute:)
all from VS.
and selling out fast!



gift idea #3. 
Books!
 of my favorite authors is John Grisham,
and he has a new book out,
The Racketeer.

actually, he has a lot of books, and if you haven't read them,
now might be a good time to start.
they're clean.....and gripping from the very start.
this would be a very welcome gift around here!


any TEENS on your list?
this is an AWESOME book that i have given
 as gifts for a few years now.

5......

Where Will You Be FIVE Years from Today?

actually, it is a great book for anyone, of any age.

here's what it's about;

The next five years can be the most exciting and satisfying years of your life---or just another five years. Whether you are just graduating from college, newly married, considering a new career, setting goals for retirement, or just looking to inspire a special friend, employee or family member, here's the most inspiring and compelling gift you can find.

sounds good, huh?


know anyone who's a fan of Christian fiction?
Tricia Goyer is a really good writer,
and her brand new book is on MY wish list:)
The Memory Jar.

Click here to read about it on amazon.

and the last book for today is actually a BOOK SET,
and it's for the kiddos out there.
the adventures of FLAT STANLEY!!!

i wish we'd known about Flat Stanley when i was a kid.
fortunately, Stanley comes to stay with us once in awhile,
 and we get to have fun that way:)
i bet the little ones on your list would love having this books set!


gift idea #4.
a TWITTER necklace.
like facebook and other social networking sites,
twitter is HUGE.
and if you know someone who LOVES to TWEET
 (kinda sounds silly, i know;)
here is the perfect accessory for them.....

a twitter id necklace, from various sellers on ETSY
these are a few examples.
mine would read @shabbychicksmom.
hey...it's just an idea:)

gift idea #5.......
a Tootsie Roll scarf!!!

look, if you have to go through winter,
why not have a sense of humor about it?
even better if you love tootsie rolls (like i do!:)
you laugh, but these are selling out fast.
i found this on amazon,
but if they sell out,
try searching other stores online.
good luck...it's realllllly CUTE!
gosh, i need to stop!

but a few more things.......
like, where is this place?

i want to shop there!
shoot, i want to LIVE there!!! :)

and most importantly,
 whether it's October, November or December,
remember the REAL reason for it all.

xoxo,
Suzanne

Rules to Live by and Things I Love for Birthday Week:)

welcome to my birthday week:)

in case you're new around here, this is me.

 and to celebrate, i am pretty much doing what I want all week:)

and to start with, that means spending time with

 my favorite country girls!

there they are......my pride and joy:)

we kicked off the week at a country concert;

Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan.

even though we got soaked before and after,

we had a FABULOUS time!!!

but then, i have a fabulous time pretty much WHENEVER we

are together.

so that's the beginning of my birthday week.

today, my girls wanted to go to coconut point to do a bit of

birthday shopping.

they had ideas, but still wanted to know what i would like.

seriously, am i the only mother out there who doesn't have a list of

goodies i want?  

so in this age of technology,

i created a picture board on polyvore to give ideas

instead of writing a list.

here is my birthday idea board;

Things I love by shabbychicks featuring studded handbags

let me explain.
basically what this board shows is that i love rose gold,
bracelets...cross jewelry and western style,
i like things with inspirational words/messages,
whether wall signs or again...bracelets.
i also would like a fun kinda ring.
the denim backpack is one of my favorites but since that
would be hard to find, it stands for anything denim which i LOVE.
this is a great time to find sale clothes and i wear a lot of tank tops.
purses.....i could use one for Fall.  they know what i like,
which is pretty much everything.
the quilt on the chair is in case they found a cool one for our
new couch. highly unlikely but who knows:)
i also listed a few shops they might find something and
i wrote the words in turquoise/aqua
 cause that is the color i'm into the most these days.
still like pink...and always love creams.
and black is always safe.
but turquoise is a favorite...today anyway:)

now for those life rules..........
i've had this on a page at the top of my blog forever,
but i thought maybe it was a good time to re-post it.

45 Rules to Live By

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone…

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

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

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special

22. Over prepare and then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. Smile at someone today. Better yet, find something to compliment them about.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

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

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

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

42. The best is yet to come.

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

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

until next time.....