JUST BECAUSE.......It's Funny, Gorgeous, Cool, Boho, Good For You, True, Special, and Wise...........

So, what on earth is a blog post titled 

JUST BECAUSE?

It's a blog post from someone whose brain is somewhat fried,

who saw a bunch of random things and thought

"Why can't I share that on my blog?"

"Why does it have to make sense?"

So here we go, JUST BECAUSE!

Just because this made me laugh:)

Just Because this may be the most GORGEOUS Cupcake ever!

Just Because I have ALWAYS loved this idea....

and when my daughter eventually goes away to school, I will do this.

A packet of letters for various occasions/moods/moments

 when she may want or need a note from me.

Just Because I think these letters are so COOL and BOHO and perfect for spelling the word 

"WANDER"  

 (letters from Urban Outfitters)

Just Because this is something good to know and good for you!

 Just Because this is another great idea.......instead of fixing all our little issues all at once, plug away at them month by month, setting NEW habits in the process!

 

Just Because this is so stinking cute and clever and makes me SMILE!

 Just Because this is so true.  

 Just Because we all need a break once in awhile, right?

Just Because I MISS TUTUS and BALLET so much, especially my beautiful daughter's dancing.....and I even miss being a Dance Mom.......but the good kind:)

 Just because I think this is an awesome quote and the girl could be one of my daughters.

Just Because I love horses and if I could have one, it would look like this!

Just Because it's almost Summer and therefore it's swimsuit time.......so it's time to get to work:)

Just Because I love throwing parties for kids way more than adults,

I love fussing over cute treats,

I miss these days and I can't wait to be a Grandma.  Or a GiGI.  Or a Memaw.

Or whatever the heck they want to call me......... on a regular basis.

And also Just Because I love yummy and EASY treats and this looks like

cupcakes with gumdrops, gumdrop slices and peach rings!

Just Because I LOVE my dogs and believe this with my whole heart!

Just Because I love jars, and flowers, and burlap, and lace!

Just Because I believe this!  Sometimes I need to be reminded of this.  Oftentimes.  But I always believe it.  And I hope you do too. <3 p="">

Monday Mornings...Mason Jars + Chalk = Happy

Good Morning Lovelies!

Well, we all know Mason Jars are all the rage

these days. 

With good reason, if you ask me:)

There are SO many uses for them and they are truly

a part of the past AND present:)

Not to mention, here in the south, they are crucial to everyday life:)

So when I saw these at a FAMILY DOLLAR store last week,

I snatched up a few.  

Mason Jars with Chalkboard Paint for messages.

I know, I know...

an easy DIY.  But when I figured the cost of buying

 regular jars chalkboard paint, brushes, etc...

these were cheaper!

Like, $1.50 each!

Whoo Hoo:)

SO many uses, like I said.

Here's a few that we came up with...bet you'll come up with many more:)

Top left:  Party Favors

Left Lower Corner:  Picnic Jars

Middle Lower Row: Drinking Glasses (well duh...best use ever:)

Top Right Side:  Desk Jars for Pens, Treats, Spare Change or...

Center Right:  Sea Shells

Lower Right:  Bathroom Counter Jars...Toothbrush Holder, Makeup Brushes,

 Qtips & Cotton Balls.

So there you go!

If you have paint, get paintin.

If not, get to Family Dollar:)

Happy Monday Y'all!!!!

XOXOXO

Suzanne

Princess Cupcakes, Silly Eggs, Sea Glass and Spring. . . .

well, that's a lot to cover for sure.

and i know what you're thinking. . . .

at least some of you;

spring???

  what's that???

but you know it's coming. . . .

and for what it's worth, it's going to be WAY nicer for most

of you than us here in south florida.

cause that's when our humidity hits full blast for, like, EVER!!!!

some people deny that but it's all too real.

the good news. . .we have nice winters.

it's all a trade-off, right?

so today, i have a few cool, random things i stumbled on 

over at pinterest.

see what you think. . . . .

are these the cutest princesses or what??

and surprise. . . . . . 

they're cupcakes!

yep. . . .some genius person turned a cupcake upside down,

stuck a plastic doll pick in it, frosted it and

voila!

adorable!

actually, i think what i like best about these is it looks like a regular mom

frosted these.  

don't get me wrong, they look yummy and cute,

but they are not some fondant frosting or something perfect like that, you know?

the best kind:)

keeping with the kid theme for a minute here,

these alphabet crayons are amazing!

they melted down crayons and hardened them in 

silicone alphabet trays.

you can get these trays at Amazon for $10.99

a tip i saw was to use cooking spray to enable them to pop out.

there are tons of tutorials all over the web if you want to make these.

i know. . .looks like a bit of a project.

but think what great favors these would make:)

spring makes me think of Easter.

and we used to color eggs when i was little.

what's funny,

except for some super creative types who came up with a new way to do that,

we still pretty much color eggs the same way.

with colored tablets and vinegar.

and some pathetic little egg dipper thing that never worked:)

but how about adding google eye stickers to your colored eggs.

isn't this cute?

i always get an urge to paint something in the spring.

and besides various shades of cream and white,

my favorite color around the house is aqua.

like sea glass.

so very pretty!

okay, this next one is way off track but i had to share.

inside out caramel apples.

oh gosh, i'd love these. . . .

spring, summer, fall or winter!

go to cup of sugar pinch of salt for the how to's:)

pretty soon, y'all will be trading in those snow shovels for these. . . .

pretty bicycles and flowers.

so hang in there!

xoxo

Suzanne

How NOT to make crappy cupcakes and other super COOL tips:)

hahaha..."crappy cupcakes" .

somehow i think those two words should NEVER be together:)

however, according to one pinner on Pinterest,

she no longer makes "crappy" flat cupcakes thanks to a great tip.

so today, i'm sharing her tip plus some other COOL tips
 you may or may not have heard of yet,

from Pinterest, of course:)
***i have not tried every single tip.......they just sound good.
but every one got RAVE reviews from those who have tried them,
 so you decide:)

photo source

and here is something from food network to help make
the cupcakes pretty.......custom frosting colors!

(hmmm...sure is worth a try if you ask me.  no more CRAPPY cupcakes:)

now here's a tip for a great smelling home.

it seems i've also heard of this in the microwave but maybe not.........
Put two caps of vanilla extract in an oven safe mug or pan,
place it in a 300 degree oven for one hour and before you know it, the whole house
will smell AMAZING!
This is actually a common realtor trick:)

okay, you know how you want to give a plate of cookies to a neighbor
or you need to take a plate to a potluck/picnic...........
but don't want to lose the plate?
check this out.......

....take a white paper plate (sturdy, not flimsy)
and with a paper punch, put a few holes around the rim
and thread a piece of ribbon through it.
very CUTE!

now for a cute gift idea.......

when giving a cookbook as a gift,
wrap it in a new, pretty dish towel and add a few cooking tools
as embellishment:)

GOSH...aren't these great tips?
wish i had thought of them (ha:)
but there's more.......

kids at home?
here are a few cool tips.........
how about painting their homework table with chalkboard paint,
for notes or working problems instead of kraft paper!

another cool thing to do with an old globe.........
write this quote on it~~~~~~

hmmmmmmm......this one is really clever.

when you get those photo Christmas cards,

which everyone sends these days,

take a pic of the card to use as caller ID

for that person on your cell phone.

LOVE, love love this idea:)

and here's what someone says is a surefire recipe for the

cleanest, prettiest, sparkliest jewelry ever........

 1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon dish detergent

1 cup water

1 piece aluminum foil

Directions:

Heat water in the microwave for 1 or 2 minutes.

Cut a piece of aluminum foil that roughly covers the bottom of a small bowl (like a cereal bowl).

Pour hot water into bowl. Place salt, soda, and dishwashing liquid into bowl. Place jewelry on top of foil and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse jewelry in cool water and dry jewelry completely with soft cloth. Discard solution after use and make a new batch next time.

According to wire-sculpture.com, "this works well for gold-filled, brass, german (nickel) silver, and sterling silver. I have even cleaned jewelry with freshwater pearls, shell cameos and mother of pearl with no problem.".

last but DEFINITELY not least,
did you know all the things you can use DAWN dishwashing detergent for?

i mean, people swear by these things!
i found most of these tips at JILLEE's place.
i'll list some ideas but visit her to get more!
1. homemade bubbles:
Here is the Giant Bubble Recipe used in bubble makers at many children’s museums: 1/2 cup Ultra Dawn 1/2 gallon warm water 1 tablespoon White Karo syrup
2.  degreaser:
use to remove greasy hair and product buildup

3.  Clean Greasy Tools

4.  PETS AND PESTS

Use it to bathe the dogs.

It kills fleas on contact and is much cheaper than expensive dog shampoos.  

5.  CLEAN YOUR WINDOWS 

Try this recipe from Merry Maids: mix 3 drops Dawn in 1 gallon water and fill a spray bottle with the solution. Spritz and wipe as you would with any window cleaner.  

6.  TUB AND SHOWER CLEANER

Take a spray bottle and fill it halfway with white vinegar. Heat in the microwave. Fill the rest of the way with blue Dawn. Put lid on and shake to mix well. Spray on your tub and shower walls. Allow to sit for a few minutes and rinse away. It will totally melt all the gunk, slime, sludge and other stuff that builds up including a bathtub ring.  

7.  SIDEWALK DE-ICER

For icy steps and sidewalks in freezing temperatures, mix 1 teaspoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and 1/2 gallon hot/warm water and pour over walkways. They won’t refreeze. No more salt eating at the concrete in your sidewalks  

8.  ICE PACK

Partially fill a strong zip-type sandwich bag with Dawn dishwashing liquid, close and freeze. The liquid soap stays cold much longer and it can be re-frozen many times. It will conform to the place you need an ice pack.  

9.  REPEL ANTS

Spray counter-tops, cupboards and any other area where you see ants with a solution of Dawn and water. Wipe dry. The slight residue of Dawn that remains will not be a problem at all for kids or pets, but ants hate it. Should you see a trail of ants, go ahead and hit them with the Dawn spray.  

10.  Fight Stains

"I love blue Dawn dish detergent. I’ve been using it as a stain pretreater/laundry booster, hair shampoo, face/body wash for a long time now (and for my dishes). "

11.  pretty hands/manicures

Soak fingers in full-strength blue Dawn. It makes the cuticles soft and easy to work with. And it removes the natural oil from the fingernails, which allows the polish to adhere very well.
*******Update:  My mom just told me my dad knew about
this years ago and used Dawn to get rid of Box Elder bugs and wasps/hornets.
one spray and they dropped like flies:)

WHEW!

did ya get all that?:)

hope so!

if you would like to follow me on pinterest to see more cool stuff, click on the red link:)

and i hope you have a wonderful weekend my friends!

XOXO

Suzanne

P.S.  and no CRAPPY cupcakes!
 heehee

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