Save for this pair of Uggs!

So what do you do when the menace, otherwise known as Duke the beagle/hound mix, puts a hole in the Little ladies $180 Ugg???

If you are this momma you first throw it in the trash and threaten to leave the back gate open for the menace.... then you collect yourself, and the Uggs, and turn tall Uggs into short ones!

I have to say I'm pretty impressed. They look great and unless you knew they had been altered probably wouldn't even notice. I did stitch the side and back seams being that cutting the tops off severed them but that was super easy.

I'm happy, the Little is happy, and the menace has learned his lesson!

 

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Just a moment to reflect in this age of digital photographs...

My mom as a little and how adorable she was! I do believe my sister is a clone!

Have you ever been asked "what's the one thing you'd take out of a burning house?"? Most always the answer is photographs. I remember my mom saying that when I was a little. Of course way back then, family photos were hard copies of 3" x 5" or 5" x 7" fading prints that had been meticulously organized in album after album and tucked away in boxes somewhere in the basement. From time to time over the years while visiting my parents I still go looking for those old albums. From grandparents long gone, to my siblings and I first birthdays, to family trips to the lake, weddings and on and on it's such a wonderful trip down memory lane.

These days reminiscing via "photo albums" is grabbing my iPad and scrolling through photo after digital photo.... and I have literally thousands! I'm not saying one is better than the other because, pictures are pictures and the important ones can illicit strong emotions. But, there is something to be said for physically flipping the pages of an old beat up album and realizing that some of those loved ones long gone carefully compiled those memories for us to have today.

A day at the beach somewhere on the shore of Massachusetts.

In this day of Facebook, email, Twitter and smartphones its so easy for families to share pictures and videos of old and new, and my family is no exception! The black and white photos above were found and posted by a third cousin of mine, who lives clear across the United States from me. Not to mention I haven't seen her in at least 20 plus years! So thrilled to have them as the little pictured above is my mom some 57 (or so) years ago......

 

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Snow Day Valentine Crafts

One of my favorite things about Valentine's Day is the opportunity to make handmade goodies for the littles classmates. The oldest "little" now in middle school, announced he's too old, but that's okay... I have two littles ready and willing! Luckily I planned ahead knowing we'd be snowed in and collected all the goodies needed for this years bunch.

Here's what I used:

• pretty cardstock cut to 5" x 7" size
• glue dots
• clear cellophane bags
• double sided tape
• Sweedish Fish
• pom pom creatures
• sticky mustaches

Martha Stewart's Craft Studio app is great for making cards of all sorts. It's a free download with a limited amount of included backgrounds and design elements. There are many other themes that can be purchased for $1.99 each.

I purchased one of the Valentine themes and used elements for both the "stuck on you" and "fantachetic" cards. The app is very user friendly and super easy to use!

By using glue spots to attach the little pom poms and the mustaches, it leaves the sticky backing for the kiddos to use wherever they like.

Sure these cost a bit more than the drugstore valentine cards embellished with charecters of all sorts but, to me a little effort and creativity (and lots of perusing on Pinterest) go a long way!

 

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My Own Version of the $3.99 Mango Smoothie....

I love Panera smoothies! I would get one everyday but it's a bit inconvenient and costly. So I decided to figure it out and make my own.....

First to make is the mango puree, yummy!

This is what you need:

·     3 mangos peeled and cut into chunks

·     1/4 cup of water

·     juice from a lemon

·     2 tablespoons sugar or honey (more or less depending on your preference)

Puree all the above and store in a container. I used one of my reserved coffee mate containers; they have about a billion uses! May be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days or frozen for a month.

Time to make the smoothie!

Combine about 1/3 of the mango puree, with 1/3 a cup of plain or vanilla yogurt, and a scoop of ice in a blender and process until your desired consistency. I love my Ninja for this! It's very efficient at smoothing. I found my original concoction was a bit tart and added some honey into the mix.

Easy peasy! Delicious, nutritious, affordable, and I know what's in it!
The possibilities are endless. Next up will be peach.