Mother's Day Give Away and Coconut-Strawberry Smoothies

I'm feeling very crafty lately. Which would seem pretty odd if you knew me in real life. I've become, in the words of my MIL 'domesticated'. Crafts weren't what she was referring to when she told me that, but I always found the term... annoying  interesting for some reason. Alas, it's true. I spend my 'free' time flipping happily through cookbooks and magazines, I like to bake now for crying out loud and I've started doing crafts which I swore I'd never do, who has the time for that? Oh, and to top it off,  I even purchased my very own sewing machine recently! shhhhhh  You'll ruin my rep. Oh who am I kidding, the kids put a screeching halt to any dignified or interesting style that I had long ago. Totally worth it, the darlings. ;)

Which brings me to Mother's Day, the most important day of the year. ;)  Does anyone actually read the preface of a blog post titled 'Give Away'? I saw some yarn wreaths on the web a month or so ago and thought, 'Hey, I could totally do that!' They are super cute and add a touch of 'domesticed flair' to your front door. So I made one for me (of course) you know, just to see if they were cute enough to give as gifts. I also made one for my MIL and step-mom; another annoying term, I always associate it with the negative for some reason. My mom lives with us so she doesn't get one ;) We usually go out for lunch by ourselves on Mother's Day.

They turned out really cute and I love how soft and pretty they are. The felt flowers are just adorable don't you think? They are just perfect on a front door for Spring time. They'd also be cute in a laundry/sewing room which is were my step mom, Brenda is putting hers. You can doll them up by adding little birds & eggs or some empty thread spindles (is that what they're called?) or whatever you'd like. There are great tutorials like this one here if you'd like to make your own. She used a straw type wreath to wrap the yarn around. I used a cheap-o Styrofoam one on sale at the craft store. Did I mention that these sell on etsy for $40-$60?!!
It cost me about $12 to make 2 of them! I did get everything on sale, but stuff like this is usually always on sale.


I'm giving away one yellow yarn wreath to a  lucky reader in honor of Mother's Day. I wish I had posted this sooner for those of you who would have liked to give it as a gift but I honestly thought Mother's Day was towards the end of May. {where did I put my 'mommy brain' disclaimer stamp?....} 

The wreath itself  I'm giving away will be yellow but the winner can choose any combination of the following colors of felt in up to 5 flowers arranged how you like:  Teal, Burgundy, Cream, Petal Pink, Grey and Tan.

To Enter: Leave me a comment telling me what you'd like for Mother's Day.

sorry, this one's open to U.S. residents only.
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Give Away Ends Friday, May 6th!

For those of you who are still with me I really wanted to share this fabulously refreshing drink with you!
Honestly, it's my favorite pick me up drink and is so yummy. Coconut water is the key to this instant feel good drink. Coconut water is loaded with minerals and electrolytes that work instantly to refresh your tired body and mind. I don't know how I ever lived without it. The thought of a cold Pomigranate-Coconut drink pulls me out of bed in the morning because I know I will feel instantly energized and ready to tackle get 4 kids up and fed and ready for the day. Most days I just don't have time to sit and sip on the 3 cups of coffee that used to get me slowly moving.

My kids love this smoothie made with coconut water. My teenager is the only one who won't drink coconut water by itself because he stubbornly insists that Gatorade is where it's at. I won't buy Gatorade so he'll come around eventually! I wish he would drink it, Coconut water is is a million times better as a 'sports drink' IMHO. The electrolytes are derived right from nature and it's what your body wants needs.


For the Coconut-Strawberry Smoothie:

2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
3 cups chilled coconut water (Trader Joe's and Costco are cheapest)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
if using fresh strawberries, throw in a cup of crushed ice.

Optional: 1/2 a banana, 1-2,  1" pieces frozen orange peel, 1 tablespoon flax meal


Blend all ingredients together on high speed until completely blended. Enjoy!

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Have a happy Day!