Cute Gift: Citrus Hand Scrub

Hello!  


It's Monday...where does the time go?  I'm coming off a nice and relaxing weekend, ending with a lovely Mother's Day celebration with my family at our house.  Fred grilled and I made dessert...chocolate cake with peanut butter icing.  Of course, the day wouldn't have been complete without a photo shoot of the kids, plus one with my mom and sister. 

Also, I hinted the other day about a homemade Mother's Day gift made by my daughter and me.  Since we gifted them yesterday, I can let you in on the secret.  Here was my hint...

Payton and I made a homemade citrus hand scrub that is all natural and really makes the hands super smooth.  I got the idea from a recent bridal shower and I thought it was a nice way to say "I love you" to all of the moms in my family. 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup kosher salt (or iodized salt)
1 cup olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange 
Optional - lemon extract for scent

Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl.

It kind of resembles a lemon snow cone, don't you think?

Package the mixture into little mason jars, top with a piece of fabric and adorn with a self-created tag.

And presenting...a cute little gift for a women of any age!

This scrub is made of easy-to-find ingredients and is very simple to put together.  The best part...it looks very pretty!

Time for school...have a great day! 

Tracy

A Perfect Bridal Shower Gift

This past Saturday, my daughter and mother-in-law headed west to celebrate the bridal shower in honor of my husband's niece, Emily.  She grew up in the Lancaster area of Pennsylvania and that is where the shower was held.

Of course, bridal registries are usually a convenience when shopping for the bride-to-be, however, I believe that sometimes it is nice to stray from the list and purchase something a little different.  I also keep in mind the items that I love {and use in my own home} because someone else may find them just as useful.

This is my go-to bridal shower gift of choice:  Williams-Sonoma’s Glass Domed Cake Plate/Punch Bowl.   

Here’s the magic…not only is it a domed cake plate with a covered lid, it also flips upside down to become….

...a punch bowl!  Sorry the image is a little fuzzy {it was the best I could find}.

A few years ago I received one at my shower and I've used it on numerous occasions.  This gift is reasonably priced and the clear glass coordinates with any dinnerware print, color or pattern.  

The next time you are at a loss for a bridal shower gift, I hope this idea could help!  

Happy Monday!

Tracy

A Gift for Mom {or Anyone, Really}

Hello!  How are you today? 

Before I head to a teachers' in-service at school, I want to show you a cute gift that I made my mom for Easter.  I wanted to get her something as a small token of my family's love, and the usual gifts immediately came to mind {flowers, candy, etc}.  This year, I wanted to try something a little different and here’s what I came up with…

As I was browsing through our local Christmas Tree Shoppe, a store filled with seasonal goodies and home items at reasonable prices, I spotted these painted ceramic garden mushrooms.  

They looked so pleasant and whimsical as they were displayed at the front of the store.  Immediately, I had an idea.  I thought I would adorn each mushroom with the names of my mom’s grandchildren. 

This store also had a variety of cute baskets, so I picked one up, along with some foam for the inside and some paper grass for the top. 

After choosing the perfect four, I used black puffy paint to simply write the names of the kids.  Then I placed them in glasses and left them dry overnight.  

  

Viola!  A cute Easter {or Mother's Day} present that will last through summers to come.  My mom loves her flowers and potted plants and I think these mushrooms will look adorable nestled within her colorful display on the patio.  

Make it a great Tuesday!

The Need for Speed + A Gift Idea.

Happy Tuesday!  How are you this morning?


Today I have a recap of my speed workout from the weekend, plus a cute gift idea that could be given to anyone...

First, the other day Jesse and I did a pyramid-type miler's workout on the track.  

On the docket: 3 x 200, 2 x 300, 1 x 600, 2 x 300, 3 x 200, plus a fast 300 at the end.  Basically, we wanted to do all of our intervals at a pace that is faster than what I would run a 1500.  It was a beautiful, sunny day but the wind was horrible on the third turn.  We made the most of it and here's what we did... 

Work-out: 

1.5 mile warm-up + drills

3 x 200-- 35.14, 35.85, 34.64 (1 minute rest in between each) 4:24 - 1500m pace

3 minutes rest

2 x 300-- 54.12, 54:65 (1 minute rest in between each) 4:31 - 1500m pace

3 minutes rest

1 x 600-- 1:57  (4:53 - 1500m pace)

3 minutes rest

2 x 300-- 54.62, 55.11 (1 minute rest in between each) 4:34 - 1500m pace

 3 minutes rest

3 x 200-- 35.35, 36.21, 34.57  (1 minute rest in between each) 4:25 - 1500m pace

3 minutes rest

Last 300 -- 52.87  (70.5 through 400m, or 4:24 1500m pace)

Mile cool-down

My legs definitely felt better than when we ran last week's mile repeats...thank goodness!  


On another note: I have a quick and cute birthday gift idea for someone of any gender or age.  Both of my girls were recently invited to separate birthday parties and they both happened to be for boys.  My question...what the heck do I get a 7 and a 10 year old boy for their birthday?  The light bulb finally went off and I came up with this... 

I purchased these plastic popcorn baskets at Target (2 for a $1.00) and filled them with paper grass at the bottom.  Next, I added some candy and a gift certificate to the local movie theater.  Once assembled, I wrapped it all up in cellophane and secured the package with a pretty bow.  Voila!  A perfect gift for a movie lover of any age!   Hope you can use this idea in your future. 

Ok, I'm off to get ready for school.  Make it a great Tuesday!


Enjoy!

Tracy