Dandy Holiday

The weather has turned cold here in the Lou.  Really cold.  Like in the 30’s cold.  I don’t think that I’m ready for this, but I guess snow is pretty dandy???  So…  I gotta look at the positives and outweigh the negatives.  Snow is kinda dandy…  Am I right?  It looks dandy.  The smell of it all fresh as it falls from the sky.  Big fluffy flakes.  I’m making this sound better and better.  More and more dandy.  If I keep up the mantra then I will believe it.  *wink*   We only had flurries the other day.  I’ll be sure to let you all know when the first big snow storm hits.  I’m sure you will be waiting on pins and needles for this announcement.  *wink again*

I’ve always loved how the Brit’s refer to vacations and trips as, “going on holiday”.  Could be my British ancestry speaking, but it’s just more dandy to call it a holiday.  After all holidays are time spend with family and loved ones.  So if you are going on a trip with your family then why shouldn’t you call it a holiday???  Well, last weekend we got out of St. Louis and took an overnight getaway kind of holiday.  We headed west on I-70 a few hours and came very close to entering another state.  That’s a clue as to where we went.  It was great to get out of town and spend time together as a family.  This family adventure was truly a grand time.  In fact we went on a tropical adventure.

We stayed warm by the fire:

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We were greeted with warm cookies upon our arrival:

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And we spent time in a sauna like atmosphere.  All misty and warm air.  Safe and protected from the outdoor elements.

WHERE  DID  WE  GO???

Just for funs I’ve created a puzzle for you to help “piece” together where exactly we went.  Hey, it’s too cold to go outside these days, so I’m spending a lot of time indoors.  Oh and the pun was definitely intended.  🙂  Enjoy!

Stay tuned for a detailed post on the new blog, Seeing Dandy.  All will be revealed soon.  🙂

*I received a discounted hotel stay and park tickets in exchange for my review, but all opinions are definitely my own.

Bunny Be Good

Some women fear spiders and snakes.  I fear clowns and bunnies.  Sure I’m frightened like the best of ’em when it comes to things that go slither and have eight legs.  However, my fear of clowns and bunnies is quite irrational.  Let’s start with the clowns shall we?

I believe it all started with the movie Poltergeist and the scene where the clown jumps out in the brother’s bedroom.  You know the one.  It gives me the shivers just thinking about it.  Well, then a few years later someone had the bright idea to get me one of those laughing clowns for my birthday.  Here’s a video of one just like mine:

Super creepy, right?  Keep in mind that this is not a video of MY clown.  My clown was thrown out just as fast as I could get rid of him!  Here’s the thing about the laughing clown.  I swear to you… One night that clown just started laughing.  All.  On.  Its.  Own.  I kid you not.  He was hidden on the very top of my bookshelf under a bunch of stuffed animals.  That way I would never, ever have to see him from where my bed was.  I mean how would I ever fall asleep if the thing was staring at me???  He just started laughing.  I’m sure it had absolutely nothing to do with a malfunction or anything.  After the laughing incident I think I had my parents remove his batteries.  Buh-bye, creepy clown.

Next up:  Creepy bunnies.  As in bunnies of the Easter variety.  Ready for the background on this one?  When I was about 5 years old my family and I went camping to Meramec State Park over Easter weekend.  It started raining a ton and we were awakened in the middle of the night by a park ranger saying that the river was flooding and everyone needed to get out fast!  So we quickly packed up and arrived back home in the wee hours of the morning.  I remember lying awake, quite concerned that the Easter Bunny would go to our campsite looking for me and only find a massive flood.  While my overactive imagination was coming up with all of these horrendous scenarios of what would happen to the Easter Bunny in the muddy waters of the Meramec… I saw a shadow land on my open bedroom door.  To my very own horror I watched as the head of the shadow grew these long rabbit shaped ears.  From that moment I was creeped out by the big, ‘ole bunny.  I mean seriously.  What kind of earless bunny goes into people’s homes and then peeps in on little children who are supposed to be sleeping?  Years later I learned that my dad was the “earless bunny” and when he saw me rustling around he made the bunny ears shadow.  Trying to keep the magic of the Easter Bunny alive, but in the process scaring the daylights out of me!

What else do I find nightmare provoking about the bunny of the Easter variety?  Bunnies are supposed to be ultra cute, soft creatures that hop around the yard all day and eat up the strawberries in your garden.  Every.  Single.  Strawberry.   (Another story for another day.)  Bunnies are not supposed to look like this:

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So who had the bright idea to make the Easter Bunny look like an abominable monster anyway?

Obviously the daughter of my friend Holli Ann (of An Ordinary Blog) is going to be traumatized for quite some time.

(Disclosure:  All of the Easter Bunnies in this posting are actually from my friend’s personal pictures.  I like to keep things all personal like that. *wink*)

Then you have Spray Tan Bunny.

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I mean really.  Who here has ever seen an orange bunny?  They do not exist in nature I tell you!

And this bunny?  He clearly has a perma smile that says, “That’s right.  I get my kicks scaring little kids.”

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It’s like he’s laughing about it!

Then…

The bunny without a soul.

(Provided by Nancy of Initials, Inc.)

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Look deep into his creepy, soulless eyes.  More shivers.

Finally…  Here is my Banjo with the clown looking bunny.

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We have now come full circle.

For all those who observe this holiday…  I wish you a Happy Easter full of religious celebrations, good cheer, and a time of reflection spent with loved ones.  May we remember that this day is not about creepy bunnies, egg hunts, or even chocolate mini eggs.  It’s about a sacrifice so great and above all else that we have been given.  The ultimate gift.  I’m truly humble and grateful.  May we all have a blessed holiday weekend.

The Piano Guys Christmas

I’ve always loved this beautiful musical arrangement and my husband has known these guys since high school:

 

They are so very talented!

Happiest of holidays to you all!

The reason for the season

189940_10151186924650894_1605470864_n As we go about this night before Christmas may we all remember its true meaning… Please feel free to share this message as it’s my hope that all can feel the peace that the Spirit of Christmas brings. Merry Christmas Eve! Love, Tara

Too Much Gobble Gobble

The day of turkey has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone gone. We had two turkeys this year. One that my uncle picked up fresh from the turkey farm (like he does every year for my mom to cook) and the other that my brother deep fried.
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I had never tried deep fried turkey before and I’ve gotta say it was quite dandy tasting.

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Two turkeys means lots of leftovers that are eaten for days upon days. Do you have a few too many turkey leftovers??? Carissa over at Good n Crazy has some really great ideas HERE for what to do with all that turkey.

Now to figure out what to do with all the pie…

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Who wants the recipe I used to make that German Chocolate Pie???

Happy Thanksgiving from Banjo and Ruby!

Getting her to actually look at the camera was never going to happen. Pine needles are just too, too interesting to look at. Camera? Mom? Not interesting enough. But pine needles…


I’m so very thankful for my family even though everything is not always picture perfect.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Spidey and the Peacock

Hello dandy friends!  Consider yourself very, very lucky.  I’ve stepped away from the candy bowl long enough to give you an account of our Halloween festivities.  😉

This year Banjo was really into the idea of begging for candy around the neighborhood.  We humored his interest with the typical parental candy fee for taking him.  “One for you.  Two for me.”  🙂

Of course he went as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

And what Spidey is complete without his loyal sidekick…

None other than the Pretty Peacock.

They were quite the hit of the block.

                             

Notice the missing peacock headpiece?  It didn’t survive the attempt to be eaten by Ruby.  *sigh*  Oh, well.  I think she’s cute enough to pull off the costume without the hair feathers.  🙂

Goodbye October.  Hello November!

Costume Express {Review}

We had our very first trick or treater on Thursday.  My little niece.  A little early, but she likes to be prompt.  You know to make sure she doesn’t miss a single house.  She arrived wearing the most adorable Little Red Riding Hood costume that I ever did see!

Isn’t she just the cutest???

Costume Express sent the costume over to my house and I knew that it was just perfect for this little reviewer.  She’s darling, so everyone is going to want to bail on their previous costume idea and go with this one.  Am I right?  It’s super cute, super great quality, and super unique design.  You can’t beat that!  Well, now…  What day is it already???  You better hurry, because the 31st is almost here!  Halloween is in T-3 days!  Have you got your Little Red Riding Hood costume yet???  There’s still time to get your costume if you order right now through Costume Express!  You have until October 29th at 2:59pm CDT to be exact.

At Costume Express all the members of your family can get in on the action with the other characters:

    

Or isn’t this a cute family theme?

 All can be found at Costume Express, so you better get ordering!  🙂

 

*This posting was sponsored by Costume Express, but all views and opinions are strictly my own.

Minted Holiday Cards… very dandy!

Start thinking November 23rd.  That just happens to be the day after Thanksgiving this year.  The event is only 56 days away, so it’s definitely coming up fast!  And what is significant about that particular day???  Etiquette experts agree that it’s the first day you can start sending out your holiday cards.  So…  That means you only have 56 days to get ’em picked out and ordered.  Oh and that’s not even counting the time you’ll need to get your family pictures taken for those photo holiday cards either.  So you better get moving!  You can actually start on the process today by finding the best card choices at Minted.  Here are just a few that I think are really dandy:

 

 

Minted seriously has options for everyone.

Are you a business kind of person?  Well, well, well…  Minted also has you covered with business holiday cards!

Check out those cool stripes on the back of the card!

Did you see a must have for your holiday cards?  My favorite…

I love the retro feel.  Yep I’ll be telling Audi about this beauty.

There’s plenty more of perfect picks available at Minted, so get ordering your holiday cards today!  Remember you only have 56 more days.  🙂  Use code:  ‘PREVIEW2012’ to get 20% off (offer expires 10/8).

 

This posting was sponsored by Minted, but all opinions are strictly my own.

Dress up!


Kids love to play dress up.  Am I wrong?  You all know that it’s true.  Banjo loves to run around the house as a superhero.  Lately it is Spiderman, because Audi recently introduced him to that old 80’s cartoon.  I cannot wait for Ruby to get in on the action.  Eventually I will be purchasing loads and loads of princess costumes for my little princess.

 

 

 

All of these cute girls costumes can be found at Wholesale Costume Club!

Recently I was sent this cute, cute, cute costume that’s a surprise for my little niece:

She loves “Tangled”, so she is going to love this costume!

It’s super cute.  Super great quality.  And will make one little girl’s dreams come true.

So if you have a kiddo who loves to play dress up then don’t miss out on Wholesale Costume Club!

It’s that dandy!  🙂

 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.