Have you ever had an idea that just tickled you to death?  I had one of those recently and thought I’d share it here with you today.

My daughter turned sixteen last week and we hosted her party at our house.  She didn’t want a DJ, a dance floor or any of those things.  She wanted lots of flowers and paper lanterns and minute-to-win it games.  I made dozens of paper flowers out of silver, white and lilac paper and, while looking for the paper lanterns I discovered two things–they’re expensive and I couldn’t find any that really matched her theme.  That’s when ingenuity struck.  And when I found these.

I pulled out my clear Christmas lights and popped cupcake liners onto them.  It was ridiculously inexpensive and really, really pretty.  I strung 600 lights around the deck, put balloons and paper flowers everywhere (even made a big display and hung them from the light fixtures), but the cake (which I didn’t make) was the scene stealer.  It was lovely.

What about you?  Any great party/decorating ideas that you’re especially pleased with?

My oldest leaves for college a week from today. 

Right now there’s too much to do to focus on the fact that our nest will be one chick short this time next week–I’ve still got to get curtains, a rug, hangers, etc…–but I heartily dread the drive home without him.  He’ll only be around 4 hours away, but when I’m used to him steaming up the bathroom (he never remembers to turn on the fan) and guzzling milk from the jug in the fridge (yes, I know it’s gross) 4 hours is going to seem like a million.

I know that this will be good for him–he’s excited–and I think he’s made a really good choice when it comes to the college he’s decided to attend, it still seems incredibly surreal that this is happening.  It seems like only yesterday he was crawling across our living room floor toward a Pepsi can, taking his first steps toward the lighted Christmas tree. And now I look at him and, though I’m so, so proud of the handsome young man he’s grown into…he’s still my little boy.

*crying jag*

Sorry.  Should have known better than to choose this topic.  Anyway, for those of you who have little children/brothers/sisters/cousins/nieces and nephews as cliche as it sounds, cherish every moment.  They really do go by too fast.  And for those of you who have already sent your babies out into the cold, cruel world…any advice?

Morning, all!  So sorry that I forgot to get this up sooner!  I’m going to chalk it up to post-conference post-4th-of-July celebrating and move on.

I spent the bulk of last week in NYC for RWA’s national conference and, though I did get to spend some time with my writer friends, I actually spent more time touring around the city with my sister, niece and daughter.  Favorite thing by far was WICKED on Broadway.  The story, the music…loved every bit of it.  (In fact, I enjoyed it so much I did a search after I got home for the off-Broadway production schedule and am taking my mother in February.)  The Empire State Building at night was another treat.  It’s so quiet up there, the city lights and fireworks spread out in all directions.

Were you to ask my daughter what her favorite thing was, though, she would definitely tell you that it was the trip to Carlos’ Bakery (of Cake Boss fame) over in Hoboken, NJ.  We got up early, cabbed it over and were in line for two hours before we finally escaped with our pastries.  (The lobster tails were my favorite.)  It was worth it if for no other reason than to see my girl get all misty-eyed when she recognized several members of the family, most particularly Grace.  It was sweet and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.

I will also never forget the Naked Grandma Cowgirl in Times Square, but that’s a different sort of memory.  I’ve heard of the Naked Cowboy many, many times.  Why is it that no one ever mentions Naked Grandma Cowgirl? 

What about y’all?  Any trips planned for the summer?  If you’ve already taken your vacation, then where did you go?

These are things I need to know.

Here’s what’s happening in my head at the moment.  Be warned…

1.) Daughter introduced me to Pocket Frogs on my iPhone.  I played last night until my eyes were gritty.  I’m not proud.

2.) I’ve started Tweeting, so if you’re a fellow Tweeter, then you can follow me @RhondaRNelson.  I’m still learning and am intimidated by hashtags and some of the other things, but overall I like it.

3.) Someone should invent ketchup packets that are tall and thin and have the peel away lid like other sauces.  Why the messy pack???  We can put a man on the moon but we can’t come up with a better container for the world’s most beloved condiment?

4.) Son left for college orientation today and so far I’ve managed to avoid curling into a fetal ball and sucking my thumb.  Am told this will pass once I no longer have to do his laundry. 

5.) I am on a diet.  Again.  :::sigh:::  RWA conference is at the end of the month and I’ve got to carve off ten pounds to fit comfortably into “conference” clothes.  Sure, I could turn up in what I normally where to work , but my pajamas are a bit tattered and aren’t suitable for polite company.

6.)  Oh!   And for all of you who are voting members of RWA, I’m running for the Region Three Direction position.  Shameless plug, I know, but…

What about you?  What’s happening in your world at the moment?

My husband and I are constantly in disagreement when it comes to our yard. I want to plant lots of pretty flowers, shrubs and trees and he wants to be able to mow the yard without having to get off the John Deere. I understand this–truly. Weed-eating, edging, blowing the cut grass off the sidewalks and such isn’t fun. (Or at least I imagine it isn’t because I don’t do any of that.) But grass alone isn’t pretty and my potted plants just don’t satisfy my soul the way salvia and geraniums do. We’ve argued back and forth over the flower and shrub issue for the past couple of years, but last year I decided that I was going to mutiny and I planted a purple Rose of Sharon bush to the right of the driveway.

You can see where this is going, right?

First trip out on the lawn mower this season and he mowed it down.

Given our Battle of the Yard, I was convinced that it he did it on purpose, though he swears he simply didn’t see it. I’m still not sure what I believe, but am getting another Rose of Sharon bush as a replacement and an ornamental dogwood tree for emotional distress.

What about you? Are you a flowers-belong-in-pots kind of person, or like me, would you elimate the grass completely and have nothing but blooms, trees and vines?

I guess the title of this post speaks for itself. Today is my birthday and, despite the fact that I am officially saying goodbye to my thirties–which have been very good to me–I’m going to celebrate anyway. Because I didn’t want anything left to chance I have told my husband *exactly* what I want. What is that, you may ask? These.

Is this a pathetic attempt to cling to my glorious and occasionally misspent youth? Er…no. No, that’s not it at all. Really. I prefer to think of it as a nostalgic nod to my younger, cooler days. And Wayfarers are timeless, right? Iconic even. I need these.

And even though this is my birthday, I’m going to give ten lucky commenters a free book. I’ll pick random numbers from the comment tail tonight.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday.

My sweet boy turns eighteen on Friday and, because I am a sneaky mother, instead of planning a surprise party for Friday–which would be the obvious choice–I’m planning it for tomorrow because he’ll never see it coming. Muah haha! (And he’ll actually have birthday dinners on Thursday night and Friday night as well, but those are for family and this is for him and all his friends.) I’ve enlisted the help of a couple of his good friends and our youth director at church and can say with confidence that my boy genuinely has no idea this is going to go down. I’m making all of his favorite snacks–cornflake cookies, chocolate-oatmeal cookies, queso dip, sausage balls, etc…–and, with the help of my daughter, have put together a powerpoint slideshow with fifty-plus pictures (all captioned, of course) that ought to provide equal amounts of nostalgia and embarrassment. I can’t wait to see how he reacts.

What about you? Have you ever planned or been privy to a surprise party? Are you a fan of the surprise party or, like me, do you *have* to know what is going on? Will pick five commenters for my February Blaze, THE WILD CARD, and will post winners tonight. Hope everyone has a lovely lazy Sunday.

Actually, we worked on this for several months before Christmas vacation so it would be ready for my sweet three-year-old niece. Needless to say, she loved it. I did all of the painting–every piece had to be primed first–and there are literally hundreds of pieces. Each shingle went on one at a time and had to be cut in just like a real roof. The “wall paper” is actually scrapbooking paper, which is nice because it was to scale. I cut rugs out of upholstery fabric and bits of chenille and the curtains are bits of lace. My husband wired it, so all the of the lights work. And to make it more personal for my niece, I resized pictures of herself and her family into tiny frames and hung them on the wall. (And a poster of Taylor Swift, because my niece adores her. ) In order to make it all more cost effective, each family member took a room and furnished it. Will the furniture survive? Probably not. But the actual house will and that’s what I’m hoping she’ll want to pass on someday.
And there at the foot of the bed in the left-hand bedroom? That’s a cat. Because the house wasn’t complete without a pet.

Special thanks to Brenda and Tawny for all the work they’ve done putting together the Blaze Author’s Pet Project. My daughter volunteers at our local animal shelter every Friday and it’s so nice to hear how many people genuinely care and are willing to support our furry friends. If you haven’t already be sure and check out Furry Friends, the first shelter on our list.

Link to your own local shelter in the comments for a chance to win a free book. I’ll pick five.

During the busy holiday season we all have many places to go, many appetizers to make, many pounds to gain. :-O (Just keeping it real, lol) Anyway, every year when these events start rolling my way, I’m always asked the same question–”Are you bringing the cheese ball?” And almost always, I am, because I can pull it together in about five minutes and it’s really, really good. I look like a culinary genuis and have not spent hours in the kitchen. Win, win. Here’s the recipe.

2 blocks cream cheese
1 small can of smoked ham
1 packet of dry Ranch dressing
1 cup of chopped pecans

Mix first three ingredients well. (At least a minute with the hand mixer.) Form into a ball and roll in chopped pecans. Serve with crackers. Weep with satisfaction.

What about you? Any easy go-to recipes you’re always asked to make around this time of year? I’ll pull five books from my shelf for five lucky commenters!

So this little girl flew into my sliding glass doors and knocked herself stupid enough to let me pick her up and set her safely on the deck rail. I’d never seen this kind of bird in my backyard before and it took going through many books twice to finally figure out that she was a Common Yellowthroat, but there’s nothing common looking about her at all if you ask me. So pretty, so dainty, so scared out of her sweet little mind.

I’ve really started watching the birds in my backyard over the past several years and am constantly adding new feeders and different seeds to attract them. Chickadees are far and away my favorites. Such happy, melodious little birds and there’s something utterly adorable about them. Love the blue birds and finches, too, and the nuthatches and sparrows. I look forward to watching them fill the trees and scratch around in the feeders, watch the mourning doves waddle around on the ground.

What about you? Any birding fans out there? I’ll be out of town today, back in tomorrow, and will randomly select five lucky commenters to win a free book from my bookshelf.