How $1.25 can put a smile on your face

On Saturday, Grady (my 3 year old) and I went to the pool. Unfortunately, we got some yucky weather and decided to try to sit it out under the pavilion. There was another Mother/Son team there next to us. The little boy got a pack of skittles out of the vending machine. So, of course Grady wanted some. I explained to him that Mommy didn't have anymore change becau...se she gave it all to him to have THREE GUMBALLS 5 MINUTES BEFORE GETTING TO THE POOL (haha) He got a little butt hurt, but surprisingly didn't pitch a fit. All of a sudden, the little boy brought Grady $1.25....it's a good thing I had on sunglasses because my eyes filled up with tears. I looked at the mom and said "Thank you SO much. That is so sweet of you, but you really shouldn't have". She said, "trust me, I understand how it is with kids".

Simple acts of kindness warm my heart and make me want to Pay it Forward.

I never thought $1.25 would make me SO happy and have Faith in this World we live in.
Thank you to the lady with the awesome accent and fabulous haircut. You put a huge smile on this Momma's face..and yummy treats in my son's belly.

You know what's in it, fruit cocktail

My boys love fruit!!! So, we don't mind spending the little extra money on fresh fruit, and we know what they are eating. I prefer not giving them fruit that has been sitting in a can of syrup...

I recently went to Costco (similar to Sams Club) and purchased some great looking fruit in bulk. Some might think that is insane for a family of 4. Well, I don't. It's cheaper and hey...better than potato chips!!! 

I chopped up some strawberries, peeled some plums (I am not a fan of how tart the skin is) and threw in some blueberries. The color is just so beautiful, these fruits blend very nicely, and the texture is on point! Yum yum 

Mini Fruit Pizza

A friend of mine makes Fruit Pizza for special Holidays, so I thought I would give a try! Plus, I have been craving it!! So, I decided to make mini ones, using premade cookie dough cookies. 

Ingredients:

Cookie dough. I went with sugar instead of chocolate chip. I wish I had done both!!

8oz cream cheese,softened

2 cups confectioners sugar

2 cups cool whip, thawed

Your desired fruit for topping

Make your cookies according to package. In the process, start making the cream cheese "sauce" for the pizzas. 

Beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until creamy and smooth. Then, fold in cool whip. Nobody will judge you if you happen to take a taste of this delicious cloud of heaven!!!! 

DO NOT put the "sauce" onto warm cookies. Let the cookies cool completely. I actually put the mixture into the fridge to set a bit. 

Spread it on the cookies and add your favorite fruits!!! I used Strawberries and Blueberries for 4th of July. Raspberries and mandarin oranges are delish on this dessert!!! 

I do recommend patting the fruit dry, so it doesn't run. 

There are many recipes for this, and I honestly don't think you can go wrong either way. I preferred to use powdered sugar instead of white sugar because I wasn't sure of the texture and I am pleased with the outcome! 

I know my family will LOVE them! I had so much "sauce" left over that I am going to fill strawberries with it! Yum! 

Bridesmaid dresses....will you wear it again?

Bridesmaids dresses. For every woman that has a good friend getting married, we ALL say "I will wear what you want me to wear"...but deep down, we are thinking "PLEASE DON'T LET IT HAVE PUFFY SLEEVES". I have been honored in being in 7 weddings. Yes, that means 7 different dresses. Only 2 I have worn again...the rest are in my closet, waiting to be turned into a pillow case or something.

When I was getting married, I knew we were getting married on the beach so my girls' dresses could be pretty simple. I will say, I had some of the prettiest bridesmaids and they all had a somewhat petite build. HOWEVER, they ALL had different personalities. I could have put them all in the same dress and have them all look stunning. But, I wanted something different...I wanted THEM to choose. So guess what??? If they had an issue with the dress, it was THEIR FAULT. Not mine. HEHEHE

I went with Davids Bridal since my girls were all over the country and it was easy ordering. I chose the color and the material. Told them I would prefer it be a shorter dress since it was on the wedding, and they could choose their style/cut of dress.

The turn out was beautiful. I STILL get compliments on my Bridesmaids and wouldn't change a thing about it. I just wanted to share this small tid bit for those getting married in the future. It's not so dramatic that it draws attention away from the important person..THE BRIDE..DUUHHH...but, it adds extra personality to the day.