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

For My Girls... Marriage 101: Marry Someone like THIS ...

someone like Tim Tebow...

 a young man of FAITH, HONOR, INTEGRITY.

a man of GOD...

who loves his family...

and is a friend to everyone he meets.

that's the kind of guy I want my girls to marry

now the hard part...

finding TWO of him...for my TWO girls:)

do you know who Tim is?

if you live in Florida...you MUST know him.

first he is a child of God, the son of missionaries, a little brother to 4 siblings.

(heehee...some little brother)

and oh yeah...

Tim Tebow was the heisman trophy winning quarterback for the

Florida Gators,

and is now a quarterback with the Denver Broncos.

He doesn't drink, smoke, use bad language, cheat, and as we all know

from the press conference that was supposed to be for 

questions about football but instead he was asked if he was a virgin...

he is NOT going to have pre-marital sex.

and in case you haven't noticed,

he's what you call

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS!

yep...we love our Timmy Tebow down here!

as a fellow christian,

as a GATOR,

as a sports hero.

a lot of people come down on him...

say he is TOO GOOD!  

what?????

they watch and wait for him to trip up...

and they make things up if he doesn't.

but as Tim himself says, he will...

because none of us is perfect.

but he'll try not to...

and if he does, he knows that he is saved by grace.

i doubt this twisted, screwed up society will let him alone.

no, somebody so good makes others feel bad about themselves...

even though he is not trying to do that.

in our society, kids hero worship Lady GaGa (gross),

Tiger Woods (uggghhh), Michael Vick (grrrrrr)

Arnold Swarzenegger (BOO HISS!)...

basically everything and everyone is quickly forgiven...

unless you're one of the good guys...truly.

click on this link to read a blog post Dr. Phil wrote about Tim Tebow.

he titled it "Yes Virgina, there are still sports heroes". 

Tim has a new book out..."Through My Eyes".

 not to be showy

but because he wanted to tell HIS story...

tell the TRUTH.

how refreshing is that?

okay, back to dating...

we have something around here called the 

TIM TEBOW FACTOR.

my girls always say that I'll never like a guy they bring home and I say that is NOT true.

bring home a guy like Tim Tebow and I'll be one happy mama:)

so when they like a boy, we talk about what his qualities are...

and if they measure up or not. 

hahaha

yep, Tim Tebow is the real thing...

so how about we give him a break...

give him the benefit of the doubt.

let's hear what he says when a quote is taken out of context...

and let's hear what he says about an innocent photo...

that has been painted to put him in a bad light.

 if you want a good book...for you, your kids, 

or Father's Day...

pick up "Through my Eyes."

you won't be sorry...

and you might even have a new sports HERO...

one who deserves the title...

one you WANT your kids to look up to...

one who actually walks the walk!

and by the way...

I'll also accept a guy like this:)

XOXOXOXO

Suzanne