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???

SUPER Simple Organizing Tips To make Decorating NEXT Christmas EASIER...

Well HOWDY!

I hope y'all had a very, MERRY and BLESSED Christmas!

Question:  Are you one of those who can't wait to get the decorations down?

Or are you like me, leave them up till after New Year's........AT LEAST;)

Either way, these tips will help.

I know we all get tired eventually and just want get the house back, and if you're like I used to be, that means you CRAM the stuff in boxes till next year.

Then next year, you open boxes full of STUFF......some of it broken, ripped, stained.........basically ugly and un-useable.

Well here are a few simple tips to help. (common sense, but who has common sense? hahaha)

By taking a day or at least a few hours to do some of these, next year when you drag the Christmas boxes out, you can be a bit more FESTIVE as you deck the halls!

1.  Take a look around your house.  Do you like what you see?  Did your Christmas Decor this year turn out pretty darn cool?  Or AWESOME?  Then here's what you do.  Go around the house and take pictures.  Wide angle, close up......especially if there are smaller items that you had placed "just so".  Load the photos on your computer and create a file or print them out and place the photos in a folder.  Next year, look at the pictures as you decorate.

It seemed my nutcrackers and village houses landed in just the right place this year:)

2.   Packing up........ As you take down your ornaments, get rid of any that are broken or irreparable in any way.  Seriously.  Unless it's a sentimental and/or incredibly valuable ornament from Great Aunt Bee, get rid of it.  Frankly, even if it is, you should probably get rid of it.  Chances are it won't be nearly as sentimental to whoever inherits it as you are.  Just sayin.  And if you didn't use some ornaments.......just know there is a good chance you will never use them.  So throw em out, donate or something:)

3.  Pack carefully.  This is something I NEVER do.  But this year, I will.  I kinda like the ornaments we have now and want to keep them around.  Wrap fragile pieces in tissue paper.  Make dividers using pieces from a cardboard box or even use egg cartons.  You can try packing them in plastic cups.

 Hey, you can stuff tissue in ziplock bags if all else fails.  Use your other decor........christmas towels, artificial snow.......stuff like that, for padding.

My husband bought me Christmas plates this year and you can bet they will be packed up right!

4.  Christmas Lights.  Oh gosh.......the dreaded Christmas lights.   Make sure all lights work and then roll them neatly on cardboard.......pieces or old rolls of paper towel.  Do this for garland and ribbon that came unwound also.

5.  Gift Wrap.........Here's the deal.  We all save crappy bags that should be tossed because they have been used for 5 years.  AND.......we buy rolls of new paper and forget about what we already have.  Go shopping TODAY and buy some half-price bags, bows and paper.  Make an inventory list and keep it on your phone, in your wallet, on the computer.  Anywhere and Everywhere.......just keep it and look at it before you buy more. * * *Extra Tip: If you shop all year long, then WRAP all year long.  Why not.  Just record what you have and who its for.  Important:)

What can I say???  I really liked the rustic touches we added this year to a HUGE white tree, like the plaid and birch gift wrap.  When I saw it on sale for 1/2 off today, I grabbed some for next year:)

6.  Christmas Cooking.........Did something turn out really great this year?  Or really awful?  Did you receive a food gift that you just have to make next year?  Rather than keeping every recipe that sounds good, keep the ones that you know are a SURE THING.  They should be in a special notebook for Holiday Cooking.  Then, when you come across a recipe that might be a keeper, you can place those in there too.  I have the mother load of Christmas cookbooks and guess what.......we eat the same things every year.   Remember.....Simplify!

Alrighty then, I guess that's it from this us.

You might.......no, you probably DO have better ideas.  But this is HUGE progress for me and maybe it will also help you.

And next year, when everyone else is freaking out over their Holiday preparations,

we'll be feeling pretty chill.

At least that's the plan:)

XOXOXO

Suzanne

MERRY Little Christmas Treats

Hey there....

'tis the Season to be MERRY

and make MERRY treats;)

I'm talking fun, festive, easy, yummy kid-friendly treats!

I looked at my secret and not so secret (Pinterest) places

 and here are a few I want to pass on.......including links when available.

let's get started.......

First up we have "Grinch Kabobs".

 I told you easy, right?

a toothpick, grape, strawberry, banana slice

 and a mini marshmallow is all you need!  Yummmmm.

Rice Krispie Treats.......

Y'all know the recipe is on the box, right?

Just add green food coloring and build a Christmas Tree 

like Cookies and Cups!

 Red Velvet Santa's Hat Brownies.....

Hmmmm.  What does one say about these except double YUM!!!!!

 (source...Cookies and Cups again:)

Pretzel Presents.......

these are new to me this year.  

Nothing fancy.......just square pretzels, melted chocolate and m & m's.

or how about a Grape Christmas Tree?

Styrofoam cone, toothpicks, grapes and You're done!

 One of my favorites are Powdered Sugar Donut Snowmen,

made with mini donuts.

Soooooo cute and easy!

These are from A Little Tipsy.

In keeping with the donut theme,

mini chocolate donuts, pretzels and red m & m's = Rudolph!!!

source: puertabella

Check this out.........

Strawberries and Bananas!

What a cute after school snack:)

 Last but not least, one of our all time favorites.....Santa Hats!!

We first saw this on a Disney Video and have made them every year since.

Simply use a vanilla wafer as the base and use a dab of whipped cream or frosting to stick the strawberry to it. Decorate your "hat" with frosting or whipped cream again.

Well, there you go!  I DID say easy:)

XOXOXOXO

Suzanne

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to stop in and say that I miss my blog, and the LOVELY people

I have met through it, terribly, and I hope to stop by more often.

Merry Christmas!

     

xoxo
Suzanne

Christmas in July. . . . .Holly Jolly, Merry and Bright

Ho, Ho, Ho. . . . .

we LOVE Christmas at Shabby Chicks. . . .

and it wouldn't be July if we didn't have Christmas in July!

Today's theme is a Bright, COLORFUL,

Holly Jolly Christmas theme.

But first, welcome to my blog readers AND my facebook readers.

If you haven't stopped by facebook.com/shabbychicksnaples, 

please do!

Alrighty then, let's do this:)

While this theme isn't for everyone. . . .

(it is non-traditional and some don't like that)

it IS fun and festive.

Here is a simple way to add the brights to the Holidays...

simply frost those sugar cookies with pretty, bright color.

Who says Santa has to wear red!

What about a lime green Santa?:)

Okay, okay. . . .no haters.

To each his own, right?

What about the tree?  

You can add beautiful bright ornaments to any tree.

But if you have a big white tree like I do. . . . or like the one in this picture,

look at what you can do:)

You can make ornaments or buy them in brights or jewel colors.

All stores carry them these days.

This is what we did one year to add a punch of color. . . .

I had some bright glass bulbs and supplemented with a bunch of plastic 

bulbs from the dollar store.

Put them in a large glass vase with white twinkle lights and voila. . . .

instant, easy decorating.

Here are a bunch of other looks.

a few more ways to add color. . . .

colorful pompoms. . . .strung on fishing line or strong thread and they make a cute garland.

Colorful paper rings. . . .another of our traditions.

Who says snowflakes have to be white?

Cut out some colorful paper snowflakes:)

 I love this idea. . . .gift wrap wall hangings!

You could wrap current framed photos or art and hang them up as packages, 

or buy some blank canvases in various sizes.

After Christmas, unwrap the canvases and mod podge

 some favorite photos from the Holidays on them.

painted pine cones, brightly colored ribbon and colorful felt ornaments are cute ideas too!

You've probably seen tons of sites teaching how to make these

ornament wreaths.  If not, there are a couple of ways.

If you want a smallish wreath, you can un twist a wire hanger, 

thread ornaments on to it and twist back up.

Instant ornament wreath.

If you want to make a bigger, fancier ornament wreath,

here is a link for a you tube how-to video. . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjHKsG-L4Z8&feature=youtu.be

hint. . . .it's really easy:)

one of my favorite finds this year is the ornament "Ho Ho Ho".

This could be done so many ways. . . .threaded on wire or

glued on over sized letters.

Notice the colorful packages above and in the following pictures.

See these trees?

They are made from cupcake liners!

here's the link with instructions. . . .

http://papercrave.com/how-to-make-cupcake-liner-flower-tree/

here are two fun snowman ideas. . . .

on the left, wrap 3 cardboard boxes in batting and using hot glue, stick together.

add a scarf, some black pom pom buttons, a black hat and HELLO. . . .Frosty!

Don't you LOVE the snowman appliances?

These are window decals that you can find in various stores around the Holidays.

SMILE:)

don't forget the brightly colored gift tags. . . . .

Ready for some FUN Holiday treats?

Okay, I will say that today's theme calls for fun festive treats that are a bit

on the kid side:)

Most are self-explanatory too. . . . . .YAY!!!

Rice Krispie Tree. . . .

Color those Krispie treats green,

add m & m ornaments and you have an easy, yummy tree.

 Dressed in colorful candy scarves and top hats, these stylish, easy-to-make snowmen are sure to liven up any holiday gathering.

What you'll need

bag of 8-inch pretzel rods

• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• mini chocolate chips
• orange decorators' gel
• fruit leather (various colors)
• gummy rings
• gumdrops
• How to make it:  Melt 1 cup white chocolate chips as directed.  One at a time, dip the end of one 8-inch pretzel rod in the melted chocolate and use a plastic spoon or knife to spread the chocolate two thirds of the way down the pretzel.  Place on waxed paper and press on mini chocolate chips for eyes and buttons.  Use orange decorators gel to add a carrot nose.  When the chocolate has hardened, stand the pretzels in a mug or glass and tie on strips of fruit roll-ups for scarves. For each hat, stretch a gummy ring over the narrow end of a gumdrop and secure it on the pretzel with a dab of melted chocolate.
• source...spoonful.com

This is an oldie but goodie that we always did when my girls were little. . . .

and an awesome idea for a kid's party.

Frosted Christmas Trees!

Simply use ice cream cones, tip them upside down and frost with green icing.

then DECORATE:)

This one is SOOOO cute and delicious!

Santa Hat Brownies!

Make the brownie recipe of your choice, top with your choice of white icing or cool whip, then a Strawberry for the hat.

Really cute, don't you think?

And having a ballerina in the family,

I really love the "Sugarplums":)

cause what kid wants to eat a regular sugar plum:)

Dip a marshmallow in tinted white chocolate and add sprinkles.

Yum. Cute. Genius!

Do you make a gingerbread house?

We do. . . .or lately we've used the gingerbread mini house kit.

Well, it might take a bit of searching on your part but if you buy

 pastel or non-traditional candies,

look what you could make!

Okay, this is it.

Last idea for today.

My favorite "gift" for the neighbors.

My girls took these gifts to neighbors for years andit was always a hit.

Only thing we did different was we eventually quite making the cookies from scratch

and bought them.

And our tag read "From our family to yours. . . Merry Christmas"

Get it?  Our family to yours?  Gingerbread family???

heeheehee

Okay, but it is a good idea;)

Check back tomorrow to see what the theme will be.

Pink Christmas?

White Christmas?

Rustic Christmas?

Traditional?

Beach Christmas?

Hmmmmmm. . . . .

See Ya!

xoxo. . . .Suzanne