It's Graduation Time

I can't believe it's already May!  

Only 21 school days left...insert squeal...

What preppy princess wouldn't love 

to have these Lilly inspired cookies gracing her table at graduation?

Taking Limited Orders

So...I did my first set of cookies in three years this past weekend.  
I can't believe it's been that long!  
Goosie Girl was going to a pre-prom party 
where they were going to be taking pictures and having dinner 
and she wanted me to make cookies.  
I did them in school colors and have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it.  
So much so that I decided I would start taking limited orders (since I'm still teaching).  
I've missed that creativeness and I love the finished product.  
Please visit my Easy shop to see which pretties are being offered.

New Beginnings

Gosh...I don't even know where to start...

Well...how about that I'm no longer doing cookies and am going back to teaching...

How's that?

It's totally a God thing...
especially as sequential as everything happened...

I swear I woke up Monday, November 10th

and felt God had laid on my heart that I needed to go back to teaching...

Teaching?...What?...

I said I would NEVER go back to teaching...

NEVER SAY NEVER...

I'd rather be a greeter at Walmart (my husband kindly reminded me)...

I gave away ALL my stuff 

(to a teacher friend of mine who was a single mother of 5 teenage boys)...

My teaching certificate had expired...

Within the week, I'd reapplied to get my certificate reinstated...

I'd signed up for my Students with Disabilities online class that I now needed to have...

I'd signed up for subject area exam that I had to retake...

Done with everything by the middle of December...

I just had to wait for the results to filter in...

(which I'm happy to report I passed and am completely official once again)...
**Note to teacher friends...
DO NOT EVER LET YOUR CERTIFICATE EXPIRE!!!!!!!

While everything was processing...
I had gotten a job at Keene's Crossing Elementary 
(where I used to teach 4th grade)...
as a Reading Tutor...
It was perfect for getting my feet wet...
I'm happy to report that I have gotten a full time 5th grade teaching position 
at Dillard Street Elementary...
I've learned a lot through this process...
Patience...
As the Bieb's would say "Never say never"...

This one has been a biggy and I keep getting reminded of it over & over...
and
Gratitude...I never thought I'd feel so happy to get a teaching job...

I'm excited for these new beginnings!

Monogrammed Baby Girl Layette Set

I am just swooning over the sweetness of this baby girl layette set...

 Talk about the perfect outfit to bring the newest addition home from the hospital in...

 Oh...and how about this as a shower gift?

I mean who wouldn't love to receive personalized pretties...

Have I mentioned how much I love doing these?

 

Personalized Baseball Onesie

It's never to early to prepare your little one for the World Series...

Especially when their in the perfect uniform...

 Can be done in a onesie or t-shirt...

Monogrammed Preppy Turkey T-Shirt

I love doing my cookies...

but I love embroidering & appliqueing too...

Some people have asked why I want to do both...

Why can't I do both?

I'm participating in a Fall Festival next week...

(nothing like waiting until the last minute)

and I'm using it to showcase the embroidery/applique part of Sweet Goosie Girl...

So this week & next, you'll be seeing all kinds of new designs...

I'll also be listing them in my Etsy shop as well...

Please let me know what you think!

 This tee comes in sizes from 3 months to kids 8...

 

Preppy Anchor and Sweet 16 Cookies

What a perfect Sweet 16...

preppy, anchors and a magical age...

 

Preppy Pumpkin Cookies

I am just loving these preppy pumpkins...

They are one of my favorites...

 On another note...

I am getting ready to participate in a little Fall Festival...

show casing monogram and embroidery items...

I can't wait to show you the finished products!

I Tried a Holistic Remedy for a Urinary Tract Infection and It Worked

I'm so excited to share this...

The end of last week I had that familiar terrible sensation

that you get when you have a urinary tract infection coming on...

Usually I'd call the doctor...

go to the doctor and spend countless hours in the waiting room...

and then wait some more in the exam room...

he'd come in...

you tell your symptoms...

yep...uti...here's your prescription...

take it to Target or where ever...

wait some more for it to be filled...

blah, blah...

I decided to take a different approach this time...

I hopped online and googled holistic remedy for a urinary tract infection...

Yep...I've seriously lost it...

So I started going through the sites I'm familiar with...

Of course the number one remedy was cranberry...

and then quite a few talked about baking soda...

baking soda?

Apparently it makes the bladder environment more alkaline 

which doesn't allow bacteria to multiply...who knew?!

(most of our bodies are acidic from all the crap we put in it 

which allows bad bacteria to take over)

1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon mixed with 8 ounces of water...

I went in the kitchen and whipped it up...

I gave it the taste test...not very appealing...

what's the worst thing that could happen...

it doesn't cure the problem and I go to the doctor...

I decided the best method was just to slam it...

so down the hatch it went...

Afterwards, I headed to the grocery for cranberry...

I had heard about cranberry tablets...

I was all for that but the ones I found all contained soy

(which is one of the most genetically modified crops out there)

so I headed to the juice aisle where I bought organic pressed cranberry juice...

I got home and took a swig of that...

yuck! 

(definitely not the kind you find in your favorite fruity cocktail)

When it doesn't have all the sugar, it is pretty potent and not at all tasty...

I poured some in a dixie cup and slammed that...

I then diluted the rest with water and sipped on it through the day...

I have to say, it all helped...

(probably because it was in a monogrammed glass)

It definitely wasn't any worse...

The next day...

I started my day with the baking soda cocktail and followed with the cranberry...

I did this for a few days and lo and behold it went away...

no doctor's office...no antibiotic...no copay...

just the cost of the juice...

(I already had the baking soda at home)

Will this work for everyone?

I have no idea but it's worth a try...

the worst thing that happens is, it doesn't and you go to the doctor...

On a side note...

I went to multiple drug stores, GNC & grocery stores 

and could not find any organic cranberry tablets...

I finally went on Amazon and ordered some off there...

I'm going to take one (they are seriously larger than horse pills) a few times a week 

to, hopefully, prevent any reoccurrences...

Breast Cancer Awareness Cookies and Diet

The month of October is known for many things...

Breast Cancer Awareness being one of them...

I'm sure we all can think of at least one person 

who has been affected by this awful disease...

As I mentioned yesterday...

I've become slightly obsessed with food ingredients...

Seriously, you need like a doctorate in bio-chemical engineering

to decipher what is in the food we eat...

I never really thought much about it...

It's in there because it has to be...right?

WRONG!  

Most packaged food 

(you know...the inside aisles of the grocery...the ones they tell you to avoid...)

is laden with chemicals that are toxic and genetically modified (GMO's)...

The more I read the more I can't believe...

Did you know that the american staple, macaroni & cheese

is required to have a warning label in England that says

"consuming this may cause ADHD in children"...

Many pesticides and chemical ingredients that the United States allows to go in/on our food is banned by most European countries because of it being harmful...

Can all this be a cause of cancer?

Absolutely...

We are all familiar with the adage "You are what you eat"...

It's true...

We can even take it a step further...

"You are what you eat eats"

How's that for a mind boggler?

Really, I think we all know the above to be true...

It's common sense...

Eat organic fruits, veges & meats...

Is it easy?

Nope...not when you have things like Oreos staring you in the face...

Am I perfect?

Nope...I wish!

I struggle every single day with this...

I thought I'd share my breakfast (and many times lunch too)...

A green smoothie...

Start with...are you ready...

(all organic and/or non GMO)

spinach, kale, strawberries, banana, avocado, apple, almond butter, almond milk, pumpkin puree, white sweet potato (from the night before), apple cider vinegar...

I change this up depending upon what I have...

sometimes no sweet potato...sometimes add carrots...etc.

Throw it all in to the blender in no particular order...

(I can't wait to get a new blender)...

And mix it up...

My little blender is old & cheap 

so sometimes I have to help it by stirring with a spoon while it's on...

When it's all combined, pour it into your favorite cup...

Get a spoonful of Chia Seeds and eat them (yes I eat them plain like this)...

washing them down with the smoothie...

Then I get 2 spoonfuls of ground Flax and do the same...

Note...I only eat the flax & chia at breakfast...

And voila'...breakfast and lunch of champions...

Filling and extremely good for you...

What do you think?

Pink & Green Elephant Cookies and A More Organic Way Of Thinking

I've taken a sort of hiatus from blogging lately...
I guess you could say I've had some changes in thinking...
My family jokingly says I'm teetering on the radical side...
They say I just need to start wearing Birkenstocks, 
move to the Washington/Oregon area and throw on a tree hugger t-shirt...
I can't help it...
I've tried to become organic in more ways than one...

I have become radical in the area of food...
I don't even know how it happened...
One post got me clicking to another and then I'm ordering books and doing research...
When I spout off a fact, Goosie Girl asks if I got that from Suzy Q on the internet...
haha sassy girl...
I wouldn't say any of it is rocket science...
more like common sense...
just not what we are conditioned to think like...
I've come to the conclusion that I don't need to think like the masses...
So I've decided to take a more organic approach to blogging 
where I can still share pretties but infuse some other insight as well...
I hope you'll continue to join me for more of life's pretty and delicious with a slight twist...

Hot Air Balloon Decorated Cookies

Hot air balloons seem to be a party favorite lately...

I've had many inquiries in the past few weeks for these pretties...

I love the way they are like art in the sky and full of color...

I don't think I would necessarily like to go up in one...

but they are amazing to look at!

Pink / Purple Unicorn Decorated Cookies

Gosh!  I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted...

These pink & purple pretties are the perfect addition

 to any magical, enchanted unicorn party...

Fancy Script Monogram Girls Puff Short Sleeve Empire Waist Ruffle Dress

A girl can take on the world with a dress and her monogram...

Capes are optional...

Pink White Gingham Monogrammed Mason Jar

Everyone has a cup or water bottle that they use at work and/or school...

I had one when I taught...

But it wasn't nearly as fancy as the little monogrammed mason jar...

This is guaranteed to make your work day a bit more enjoyable...

Whether it's filled with lemon water, sweet tea or soda...

It will be the envy of your coworkers...

Did I mention that that the little monogrammed mason jar makes a fabulous gift

 for a fellow employee and/or teacher?

It's perfect for a birthday or a celebration!

College Football Inspired Monogrammed Mason Jar

Who's ready for college football to start?

Little monogrammed mason jar is...

Whether you're tailgating at the game or in the comforts of your own home...

having a personalized cup makes the whole experience a bit more enjoyable...

You get to sport your school spirit with your team's colors...

(this navy & orange one is for an Auburn tiger)

No one will take your drink because your monogram is on it...

(don't you hate it when you lose your cup?!)

You will be the envy of all your friends because they'll want one...

So what are you waiting for?

Get yours today!

Turquoise / White Gingham Monogrammed Mason Jar

Little monogrammed mason jar...

You'd be the perfect favor for any event...

How fun you'd be at a bachelorette party...

You'd be the perfect toasting glass for a bridal party getting ready on the big day...

Sororities would love to show you off at their socials...

And teens would think you were oh so stylish at a birthday...

And what I love most...

is you are the gift that keeps on giving...

because you are reusable...

(always thinking about Mother Earth aren't you)...

Orange / White Gingham Monogrammed Mason Jar

Well aren't you fancy in your orange/white gingham...

 and your sassy royal blue monogram...

Perfect for a Florida Gator...

or in Goosie Girl's case...a West Orange Warrior...

I'll enjoy taking you to both sets of events...

Monogrammed Mason Jar

Oh hello little mason jar...

Have I told you how much I love you?

You with your tall thin body...

and lid with a fancy stripe straw...

Clothed in a gingham monogrammed sleeve...

that has velcro for easy removal...

Did I mention that I swoon because you fit in my car cup holder?

You are the epitome of southern preppiness...

and everyone who sees me with you is jealous 

and wants you for themselves...

It's a good thing there's plenty of you to go around...

Vines Script Monogram Girls Puff Short Sleeve Empire Waist Ruffle Dress

Gosh!  It's been SO long since I've blogged!

I'm excited to introduce a new line that I've just added to my shop...

This little white dress is a necessity for any little girl...

It is so soft and comfy yet stylish with the monogram...

It is perfect for a day at school, a morning at church 

or even an afternoon on the playground...

I have such possibilities in mind for this sweet little thing...

Back to school...football...Halloween...Thanksgiving...Christmas...

Being festive is never going to be easier!

Order one for your little girl today!