Hello Winter

This picture evokes so much emotion in me, I can't tell you! I LOVE IT! Makes me sigh and reach for a cup of warm joe! Tis the season and the first snowfall....

xoxo

Love, Rock and Whimsy

Dreams of adventure, in photo story form

How do you create a life full of Love, Rock and Whimsy? You fill it with things you love. With things that spark your creativity. With things that make you feel a little bit like a rock-star. And with the beautiful, magic little things in life that bring you bliss.

Of course, cramming those things in when you also need to eat, sleep, earn a living and all those other little things can be tricky. Actually, finding time the time for those things at all can completely fall by the wayside, if you let life start spinning past you.
That’s why, today, I’m posting a photo story of some of the interesting, adventurous, fun and frivolous things I’d love to add to my life to make it sparkle…

Learn photography. Whether that means taking a weekend class, an online course, or devouring a bunch of books from the library. And putting it into practice! Start snapping!

Dedicate time to writing. Journaling, blogging, and finally starting that novel or book. Writing is a huge part of who I am, and I need to really start embracing it.

Read more. I say I’m going to do this every year, but I pretty much always let it slip, aside from the odd fits and bursts. No-one ever became an amazing writer without reading a bunch of amazing books.

Create a nest to-die-for. Seriously, your space has such an impact on your life - so I’m psyched to create a space that really nurtures my spirit and brings me joy. This might even involve exploring that interior design course I’ve always thought about taking…

Get in touch with my inner French-girl. I’ve always wanted to confirm rumours that my grandfather’s ancestry has French roots, so maybe a little research is in order. I’d also love to learn the language. And embrace a more ‘French’ approach to life and confidence. They’re so… how do you say… chic.

Roller Derby, baby! I’m not going to lie. Although the idea of roller derby is amazing and exciting to me - the thought of actually going out there and doing it scares the bejesus out of me. Which is probably the perfect reason to actually do it.  

Take a dance class.  I think what attracts me to hip hop is the sense of fun and confidence you’d get from mastering (or at least trying) them. Until then I shall stick to Zumba!           

Learn guitar. I’ve always loved music (I was totally a trumpet bandgeek at high school), and what could possibly be more rockstar than playing amazing riffs on a hot pink guitar? Step one… find out what a riff is…

Create. That’s right. I love it, and I keep meaning to make time for it, but sometimes the simple act of creating something just for the fun of it doesn’t make the top of my priority list. That’s about to change though, whether it’s in the form of writing, painting, baking, or styling. Creativity begets more creativity. It’s as simple as that.

Inject a little more rockabilly into my personal style. I adore rockabilly style, but never feel brave enough to rock it. Maybe if I start with some cute cardigans, a little leopard-print here, a dangerously high heel there…

Take a cooking class. Think Liberty Lakes Hottest Home Baker meets Julia Child. I could even cook my way through a recipe book, like that film, Julie & Julia. Fun!

Travel. Road trips and plane trips and train rides, oh my! I want to start seeing the world, as well as my own backyard, and there’s no time like to present to start turning those dreams and what-ifs into realities and making that happen. Oh, and I want to look uber-fabulous while I’m doing it too…

Be beautifully tattooed.
             
So there you have it! All my dreams and desires for a more interesting and adventurous and amazingly fabulous life, in photo-story form. I’ll be keeping you up to date on how things progress. First things first though - looks like I have a little research to undertake this week!

Sweet Potato Casserole..."Dont tell mom, but this is the best I've ever had."

With the holidays being right around the corner I decided to let you in on my little secret...

THE BEST TASTING Sweet Potato CASSEROLE EVER!
Serves 8

3 cups sweet potato (mashed) 1 cup sugar 14 cup evaporated milk 2 beaten eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup butter (cubed)

1 cup coconut 1 cup nuts (chopped) ...We have family with nut allergies so I do it without 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup softened butter 1/2 cup flour

1	Preheat oven to 300º.
2	Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Boil until tender, then mash.
3	Add next 6 ingredients and mix with an electric mixer. Pour into greased 8x8 baking dish.
4	Mix topping ingredients and crumble on top of potato mixture.
5	Bake 30 minutes.

Everyone at Thanksgiving said "Keep THAT recipe"  "Don't tell my mom, but this is the best I've ever had". Truly, it's wonderful. I make it  a day ahead, (well actually my husband does!) then just take it out of the fridge and bake it about 5 minutes longer.

It's delicious!


Oh and one more thing...

I used to hate kid's tables when I was a kid.
I wanted to be with the grown ups, I mean that's where the good conversations where and also the good food.
I always think you should serve the kids the same as you serve the adults. Don't do the pizza and hot dog thing, give them real food.Anyway, I came across this kid's table for Country Living.
You just cover the surface with kraft paper and set out little pots of crayon to tic-tac-toe.
Stamp  paper for place cards and use a marker to make place settings.
And the best thing is the cleanup after, just throw away the tablecloth.
Have a fab weekend darlings.

xoxo

She's BACK!

Alright, it's been WAY too long! I'm sorry and really truly hope not everyone has given up on this Sugar Fairy! Life has been hectic, and exciting and I can't complain one bit! Weddings, birthday parties and a fabulous anniversary celebration have occupied my last couple months! Okay enough excuses here it is.....

 Greyson's "little man" party

It was such a fun party to see come together! It was all of Greyson's favorite things! Cookies, marshmallows, fruit, pj and j and popcorn OH MY!

Instead of goody bags full of randomness everyone took home a bag from the marshmallow bar! And remember the bow tie tutorial? Yes we tested it out, and all of the "little men" wore home a darling bow tie and the "little ladies" got a rosette! There was a photo booth, bean bag toss and baseball throw! Greyson was in heaven!

We couldn't have asked for better summer weather! It was a gorgeous September day and he was a very lucky "little man" to have so many people come celebrate with him!

and Martha....aka me, well I couldn't have pulled this off without the help of Harper and Mother Mary! I love them to the moon!

kids crack me up!

These always brighten my day :)

Take a stab at it.  See if they work for you.

Yup... in the words of this guy...

"I don't care who ya'are... that there's FUNNY!"

IMPRESS AND BE YOUR BEST

I FOUND THIS POST @ MARK AND ANGEL HACK LIFE

and I just had to share...

Here are 28 dignified ways to impress everyone around you. If you practice these tips on a regular basis, they won’t just impress others, they’ll help you become a better person too. {There's some great life lessons in this list for your kids too!}

{We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. ~ Winston Churchill}

1. Be authentic. Be true to yourself. ~ Judy Garland once said, “Always be a first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of somebody else.” Live by this statement. There is no such thing as living in someone else’s shoes. The only shoes you can occupy are your own. If you aren’t being yourself, you aren’t truly living – you’re merely existing. And ask yourself this: If you don’t like who you really are, why should I like you?

2. Care about people. ~ If you don’t genuinely care about people, they won’t care about you. The more you help others, the more they will want to help you. Love and kindness begets love and kindness. And so on and so forth.

3. Make others feel good. ~ People will rarely remember what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel.

4. Be honest and take ownership of your actions. ~ Nobody likes a liar. In the long-run, the truth always reveals itself anyway. Either you own up to your actions or your actions will ultimately own you.

5. Smile often. ~ Everyone likes the sight of a genuine smile. Think about how you feel when a complete stranger looks into your eyes and smiles. Suddenly they don’t seem like a stranger anymore, do they?

6. Respect elders. Respect minors. Respect everyone. ~ There are no boundaries or classes that define a group of people that deserve to be respected. Treat everyone with the same level of respect you would give to your grandfather and the same level of patience you would have with your baby brother. People will notice your kindness.

7. Address people by their name. ~ People love the sight and sound of their own name. So make sure you learn to remember names. Use them courteously in both oral and written communication.

8. Say “Please” and “Thank you.” ~ These two simple phrases make demands sound like requests, and they inject a friendly tone into serious conversations. Using them can mean the difference between sounding rude and sounding genuinely grateful.

9. Excel at what you do. ~ I am impressed by great guitarists, writers, bloggers, painters, motivational speakers, internet entrepreneurs, computer engineers, mothers, fathers, athletes, etc. There is only one thing they all have in common: They excel at what they do. There’s no point in doing something if you aren’t going to do it right. Excel at your work and excel at your hobbies. Develop a reputation for yourself, a reputation for consistent excellence.

10. Help others when you’re able. ~ In life, you get what you put in. When you make a positive impact in someone else’s life, you also make a positive impact in your own life. Do something that’s greater than you – something that helps someone else to be happy or to suffer less. Everyone values the gift of unexpected assistance and those who supply it.

11. Put a small personal touch on everything you do. ~ Think of it as branding your work. If you’re funny, add a little humor into it. If you’re an artist, decorate it with illustrations. Whatever you do, customize it with a little personal touch of ‘you.’

12. Over-deliver on all of your promises. ~ Some people habitually make promises they are just barely able to fulfill. They promise perfection and deliver mediocrity. If you want to boost your personal value in the eyes of others, do the exact opposite. Slightly under-sell your capabilities so that you’re always able to over-deliver. It will seem to others like you’re habitually going above and beyond the call of duty.

13. Get organized. ~ How can you get anything accomplished if you aren’t organized? You can’t. Make a regular habit of organizing your living space and working space. 

14. Do your research and ask clarifying questions. ~ Don’t be that clueless dude in the room who just nods like he knows what’s going on. Prepare yourself by doing research ahead of time. And if something still doesn’t make sense to you, ask questions. The people involved will respect your desire to understand the material.

15. Share knowledge and information with others. ~ When you can, be a resource to those around you. If you have access to essential information, don’t hoard it. Share it openly.

16. Be positive and focus on what’s right. ~ Everything that happens in life is neither good nor bad. It just depends on your perspective. And no matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should. Either you succeed or you learn something. So stay positive, appreciate the pleasant outcomes, and learn from the rest. Your positivity will rub off on everyone around you.

17. Listen intently to what others have to say. ~ Eyes focused, ears tuned, mobile phone off. In a world that can’t move fast enough, someone who can find time to listen to others is always appreciated.

18. Be faithful to your significant other. ~ Sustained fidelity in a long-term intimate relationship is not only impressive, it creates a healthy foundation for everything else you do.

19. Learn to appreciate and love Mother Nature. ~ Those who truly appreciate and love the natural world surrounding us typically exhibit the same high regard for all humanity. It’s a positive way to live, and it’s something people notice.

20. Invest time, energy and money in yourself every day. ~ When you invest in yourself, you can never lose, and over time you will change the trajectory of your life. You are simply the product of what you know. The more time, energy and money you spend acquiring pertinent knowledge, the more control you have over your life and the more valuable you will be to everyone around you. 

21. Perform random acts of kindness on a regular basis. ~ Buy the office receptionist flowers just to say, “Thank you.” Help an elderly lady with her groceries. There’s nothing more rewarding than putting smiles on the faces around you.

22. Compliment people who deserve it. ~ Go out of your way to personally acknowledge and complement the people who have gone out of their way to shine. Everybody likes to hear that their efforts are appreciated.

23. Speak clearly and make eye contact. ~ Most people have a very low tolerance for dealing with people they can’t understand. Mystery does not fuel strong relationships and impressiveness. Also, there’s little doubt that eye contact is one of the most captivating forms of personal communication. When executed properly, eye contact injects closeness into human interaction.

24. Make yourself available and approachable. ~ If people cannot get a hold of you, or have trouble approaching you, they will forget about you. Your general availability and accessibility to others is extremely important to them. Always maintain a positive, tolerant attitude and keep an open line of communication to those around you.

25. Be self-sufficient. ~ Freedom is the greatest gift. Self-sufficiency is the greatest freedom. And self-sufficiency is quite impressive too. In the business world, it’s one of the primary dreams that inspire people to give-up their day jobs to pursue entrepreneurship.

26. Exploit the resources you do have access to. ~ The average person is usually astonished when they see a physically handicap person show intense signs of emotional happiness. How could someone in such a restricted physical state be so happy? The answer rests in how they use the resources they do have. 

27. Be a part of something you believe in. ~ This could be anything. Some people take an active role in their local city council, some find refuge in religious faith, some join social clubs supporting causes they believe in, and others find passion in their careers. In each case the psychological outcome is the same. They engage themselves in something they strongly believe in. This engagement brings happiness and meaning into their lives. It’s hard not to be impressed by someone who’s passionate about what they’re doing.

28. Stand up for your beliefs without flaunting them. ~ Yes, it is possible to stand up for your beliefs without foisting them down someone else’s throat. Discuss your personal beliefs when someone asks about them, but don’t spawn offensive attacks of propaganda on unsuspecting victims. Stand firm by your values and always keep an open mind to new information.

Of course, the coolest thing about this list is that everything you need to impress everyone around you is already contained within you. So stop trying to impress people with the possessions you own and start inspiring them with who you are and how you live your life.

My Monday

: ) X