I love homemade cards ~

I celebrated another birthday yesterday! 

It was a beautiful, sunny day here in the Northwest, but my

 day was made extra special by this awesome homemade card from my daughter.

Thanks, Em!

Petie

Spring Break Getaway

We are headed out tomorrow for a Spring Break vacation.

We'll be stopping here 1st...

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The beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast

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Can't wait to visit family and enjoy some of the delicacies....

gumbo, po-boys, and crawfish to name a few.

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After a few days in Mississippi, we're driving to Destin, Florida for a little more coastal time.

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Hope you're having some sunshine to welcome spring wherever you are!

Petie

Valentines for the older kids

I found these large cups at TJ Maxx a couple of weeks ago.  

They have some great inspirational phrases on them....

Be an individual.

Take risks.

Be spontaneous and imaginative.

Have integrity in everything you do.

Make a real difference.

Wake up smiling.

Seize every moment.

Try new things.

Amaze yourself.

Take chances.

Be optimistic.

Embrace change.

Have an open mind.

Be fearless.

I think these are great words of advice for my 12 year old daughter and my 14 year old son. 

They're both huge water drinkers, so I'm hoping they'll wear these cups 

out and some of the advice will rub off!

For Valentine's Day I've filled them with treats 

(always a plus for kids).

And, these cute Valentine cookies caught my eye on Pinterest, so I tried to re-create them.

They are sugar cookies with a melted Jolly Rancher center.

I cheated and used store bought, pre-made, cookie dough.   Using 2 sizes of heart shaped cookie cutters, I cut out the design and removed the center heart.  Just add your Jolly Rancher to the center and bake according to package directions.  Let them cool.

Are you making any surprises for you kids this week for Valentine's Day?

Petie

Reminiscing to warm up!

I have not been able to get warm this weekend.  I wish you could feel my nose right now....brrrrr.
We have had some beautiful sunny days lately, but with low's in the 20's and high's barely reaching 40, I can't get warm.

I've decided to take a trip back to our summer vacation in the British Virgin Islands....a much, much, warmer place...

We spent a couple of weeks here in July...Virgin Gorda.  A beautiful island in the BVI.

This is Little Dix Bay...

...the home to our first stand up paddle adventure!

We loved it!

We spent everyday snorkeling and exploring the island.

 

This was the view from our lanai.

(Enjoyed it every morning with coffee...)

The house we rented was great, we even had our very own pool! 

 Loved, loved, loved the laid back atmosphere.

 
 

 

 I....think....I'm....starting....to...warm....up.... :)

Petie

They might be in your neighborhood this week!

 It's that time of year again ~ GIRL SCOUT COOKIE SALES!

 

My daughter has been a Girl Scout for 6 years.....she's officially a Cadette now.  She has wonderful troop leaders and has nurtured great friendships while being a Girl Scout.  I'm always amazed at the many opportunities and adventures they experience through Girl Scouts.  Just yesterday, her troop (and interested parents that included myself) attended a 4 hour first aid/CPR training class.  It was full of good information for kids and adults.  Next month the girls are attending a Taekwondo Self-Defense class, another great opportunity.  They work hard going door to door to sell cookies (that most people look forward to once a year) and earn money to afford these great experiences.

And, for those customers that aren't interested in eating the GS cookies, they can donate boxes to be sent to our troops overseas.  There's a great group, Mission Mahalo, that takes on the responsibility of packaging all the boxes of cookies to mail to troops.  Below are the donated boxes the girls sold last year.   I like to believe they made some soldiers very happy when they bit into some of those Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, etc.

So, be on the lookout for cookies being sold in your neighborhood this week! 

What's your favorite Girl Scout cookie?

Petie

Pumpkin Carving

 I love my kids, but I do not like carving pumpkins....

They always have big ideas for the designs, and they expect mom and dad to pull it off......not!  

They will help clean out the pumpkin "guts", but they get tired of the

 muscle work that is involved in the actual carving.

 This is what we came up with!

Happy Halloween!

Petie

Displaying Special Memories

I always get inspired when I'm flipping through the pages of a  Pottery Barn catalog, but this time was a little different.  This time it was this quote that got me thinking. "Display cannot be measured by worth.  IF AN OBJECT BRINGS BACK MEMORIES, put it out to display."

When I lost my dad a few years ago, this dog was one of the things I kept from his belongings.  We always had some kind of dog when I was growing up.  I think this was a gift someone gave to my dad.  It always makes me think of him, but I haven't had it out on display in a prominent place because it's not really my style. 

My dad lived on the MS Gulf Coast in 2005.  This dog made it through Hurricane Katrina and the 6' of water that got into my dads house.

Then I saw this cute dog online at ZGALLERIE and got more inspiration.  Maybe I could spray paint my dog to give him new life, but still have the special memories he brings me.  (I've assumed he's a "he" somewhere along the way.)

As always, I turned to my trusty Rust-Oleum spray paint.  This time in gloss white.

 And, while it was a tough decision to make, because I hated to lose the authenticity of my dads dog, I am happy with the end result. Thanks, Dad!

Before

 After

I hope to display "him" in a prominent place in our home office (once I re-do it in greys and whites) and enjoy the memories!

I'm joining the following parties:
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Tuesdays Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Baking for the dogs!

My daughter is quite the dog/animal lover.  She has decided for her 11th birthday (which isn't 

until January) that she wants to have friends over to bake dog treats to take to the Humane 

Society.  She's been on their website searching for ways to help the animals at the shelter. 

The Humane Society posts recipes for homemade dog treats.  My daughter printed the 

recipes last weekend and we got busy baking.

 

  These are the Cheesy Dog Cookies.

 We found these cute cookie cutters at Joanns.

Ready to bake!

 And, of course, we had to let our favorite dog do a taste test.   She loved them.

 We're planning to go to the Humane Society this weekend to visit with the animals and 

ask what kind of donations are needed.  My daughter is planning to ask her friends to bring

a special toy or treat for the animals in lieu of birthday gifts this year.   I'm so proud of her!