10 things to say to your teenage daughter

I came across this on Facebook, and it was so good I didn't want to forget it when my baby girls are a little bit older, so I'm going to post it here and then pin it in hopes to always remember this! PS- the pic is so I can pin it, so yeah, it's a little strange, but I like it!

This was originally posted by Kat's Closet

10 things to say to your teenage daughter:

1. If you choose to wear shirts that show off your boobs, you will attract boys. To be more specific, you will attract the kind of boys that like to look down girls’ shirts. If you want to date a guy who likes to look at other girls’ boobs and chase skirts, then great job; keep it up. If you don’t want to date a guy who ogles at the breasts of other women, then maybe you should stop offering your own breasts up for the ogling. All attention is not equal. You think you want attention, but you don’t. You want respect. All attention is not equal.

2. Don’t go to the tanning bed. You’ll thank me when you go to your high school reunion and you look like you’ve been airbrushed and then photoshopped compared to the tanning bed train wrecks formerly known as classmates – well, at least next to the ones that haven’t died from skin cancer.

3. When you talk about your friends “anonymously” on Facebook, we know exactly who you’re talking about. People are smarter than you think they are. Stop posting passive-aggressive statuses about the myriad of ways your friends disappoint you.

4. Newsflash: the number of times you say “I hate drama” is a pretty good indicator of how much you love drama. Non-dramatic people don’t feel the need to discuss all the drama they didn’t start and aren’t involved in.

5. “Follow your heart” is probably the worst advice ever.

6. Never let a man make you feel weak or inferior because you are an emotional being. Emotion is good; it is nothing to be ashamed of. Emotion makes us better – so long as it remains in it’s proper place: subject to truth and reason.

7. Smoking is not cool.

8. Stop saying things like, “I don’t care what anyone thinks about me.” First of all, that’s not true. And second of all, if it is true, you need a perspective shift. Your reputation matters – greatly. You should care what people think of you.

9. Don’t play coy or stupid or helpless to get attention. Don’t pretend something is too heavy so that a boy will carry it for you. Don’t play dumb to stroke someone’s ego. Don’t bat your eyelashes in exchange for attention and expect to be taken seriously, ever. You can’t have it both ways. Either you show the world that you have a brain and passions and skills, or you don’t. There are no damsels in distress managing corporations, running countries, or managing households. The minute you start batting eyelashes, eyelashes is all you’ve got.

10. You are beautiful. You are enough. The world we live in is twisted and broken and for your entire life you will be subjected to all kinds of lies that tell you that you are not enough. You are not thin enough. You are not tan enough. You are not smooth, soft, shiny, firm, tight, fit, silky, blonde, hairless enough. Your teeth are not white enough. Your legs are not long enough. Your clothes are not stylish enough. You are not educated enough. You don’t have enough experience. You are not creative enough.

There is a beauty industry, a fashion industry, a television industry, (and most unfortunately) a pornography industry: and all of these have unique ways of communicating to bright young women: you are not beautiful, sexy, smart or valuable enough.

You must have the clarity and common sense to know that none of that is true. None of it.

You were created for a purpose, exactly so. You have innate value. You are loved more than you could ever comprehend; it is mind-boggling how much you are adored. There has never been, and there will never be another you. Therefore, you have unique thoughts to offer the world. They are only yours, and we all lose out if you are too fearful to share them.

You are beautiful. You are valuable. You are enough.

Instant S'mores

I'm not usually one to post recipes, but this one was too good to keep to myself. I am slightly addicted to Pinterest lately, and the recipes on the site really get me excited as I love to try new things, and I'm not the best cook when left to my own devices. I told my husband I was going to make him some s'more bars (like cookie bars) because he likes s'mores so much. He said that a co-worker of his introduced him a few days before that, to what I like to call Instant S'mores. I was a little sceptical, but as soon as I tasted these, I was hooked. They are so good and so easy and you can keep everything on hand and not have to worry about cooking them, heating them, or refridgerating them or their ingredients. Genius!!! I just have to share these with you!Graham Crackers broken into quarters
Nutella
Marshmellow fluff

Put the nutella on one piece of graham cracker and the marshmellow fluff on another, push the 2 crackers together and voila! Instant S'mores!

I thought it would be fun for parties to break each quarter of graham cracker in half so they were bite sized squares, and assemble them the same way, or even use a piping bag, or a ziploc with the corner cut to make a cool design and leave them open faced. Just be aware that these things can get a little messy, but they are so good, you won't care! Enjoy!

400 ideas for homemade gifts

This looks awesome, 400 is a lot so I haven't gotten through all of them, but the ones I have seen are amazing!

http://www.tipjunkie.com/2011-homemade-gift-guides/

Coasting to Inspiration

When we were recently married, I bought some coasters 4 for a dollar. I bought 2 because I loved these colors. Since then they have been boxed up because, frankly, I'm not really sure why I bought some coasters when we still have yet to own a coffee table... (shrug). But I recently found them when I went to get some other things out of storage, and I still love these colors, I still don't own a coffee table, so... AH HA!

I have been trying to decorate my new, ok, so I've been in this house for over a year, so it's about time to get some pictures up on the wall. I love the look of Vinyl on the wall, but it's so expensive. I have a Cricut and I can cut it, I just don't have the fundage to buy it. Then it came to me when I found these costers, I also found several rolls of shelf paper from our first house. It was really old and needed shelf paper and it had shelves everywhere so we bought a bunch. We didn't get to put it all up before we ended up moving, so I have something like 5 rolls of black marble shelf contact paper. So I tried it out with this project and EUREKA! So I had 8 total and when I figured out where I wanted them, on either side of my kitchen sink, I had to think of a phrase. (yeah, this is the final, but before I was done this is where I knew I wanted to hang them.)

I just say someone that had, "Count your many blessings, name them one by one. So since, I'm actually over orange, I came up with "Count your Blessings, One By One." So I put one word on each coaster and then once I got them placed where I wanted I found a picture on my cricut that I loved that came from nature. So here's the final product!

I love it. I just put it on with masking tape, but I might change it up and hang them on a wide single ribbon, or 2 thinner ribbons. If I do something different then I have shown, I'll post the new look.

Flip Over Flip Flops

I am back, sorry, I've been gone for a while.
So I have been looking for a good pair of fun shoes that don't cost much and look great, not to mention comfortable. So I finally decided it's time to make some. No, I can't make shoes, as much as I wish I could. So I went to Walmart and bought a pair of black slightly wedged flip flops. If I remember right, they were $3 or $4. SCORE!

Then I also bought a string of beads for I think, $2-$3, and I already had this yarn, thread stuff with the stings coming off of it. I bought that a long time ago for another project and I've used it for everything, from little girl's bows to hat bands and now, shoes. It didn't cost much and I still have a ton of it and I've used it a bunch. I also bought a pair of small black painted metal flower embellishments for $2. I also used a needle and some black thread that I suggest everyone always have on hand (along with white thread). So project done, it cost somewhere around, but less then $10, and I got it all at Walmart.
So I started at the toe area. I started by tying the end of the black thread onto the tip. Then I took the stand of beads and measured how long I wanted the beads to go down the side of the flip flop. Then I used a needle and thread to re-string the beads onto that. I make sure it is taught to the top and then make a loop around the bottom of the side of the flip flop. Then I go the other way through the beads. When I get back to the top I tie it back at the toe, so it's secure. The with the thread, to back down the side strap and wrap it around and around securing the bead strand to the strap every other bead or so. When you feel like it's secure enough, tie off the thread, making sure not to put a thread knot on the bottom where your foot would feel it.
That done, do the same to the other side of the flip flop

Now, let's work on the little embellishment that you have for the toe. Take the fun thread with the little threads coming off of it, (you can use anything that is like a string that is fun, they have a lot of fun yarns or scrapbooking embellishment threads) I just cut off what I think I will need, noting that you will be wrapping it around, up and down twice at least and still need room to tie it off. I cut 2 lengths and tie the end of both onto the toe area. Then I thread the loop at the top of the embellishment through both strands. Then I work with one strand of fun thread and wrap it around and around in between every other bead or so, then when you get to the bottom, wrap it around 2 times and do the same on the way back up toward the toe. Then secure it at the top.
Note:Some embellishments might be stubborn and want to go one way or the other. I ended up wrapping some fun thread around the bottom to anchor it and level it a little better

With all the fuzz and frill, you can't even tell that there's something there, and it's very secure. Also, you can't see the black thread or any of the knots. Here's my before and after.

Note:I always mention being secure. If it's not secure, it might come off, or break when you're out on the town. These aren't something that sit around and decorate your house, these are shoes that will be moving all the time you're on your feet

Free Simplicity Projects

Simplicity Patterns has a link to free sewing and knitting and crocheting in their "classroom". Here's the link. Click on either sewing or knitting and crocheting and there are dozens of projects with patterns and instructions for free and they are adding more all the time! Just in the sewing section, they have projects for everyone, from kitty toys and a travel doggie dish, to home decor like pillows and frames, to accesories like necklaces, bangles, headbands, and belts to quick and easy clothing like embellished t-shirts, and ruffled denim skirts. There is everything you could ever imagine like costumes, pins, lunchsacks and totebags, and that just barely scratches the surface. Check it out, I'm sure with all the options you'll find something you will fall in love with! And I only visited the sewing section, if you knit or crochet the options are even more diverse and exciting!

http://www.simplicity.com/t-classroom.aspx

A Princess is Always Prepared!

A friend of mine posted about an Emergency Purse Kit. This would be a great Bridal Shower or Baby Shower gift! Here's the link. This list seems do-able! I couldn't think of anything I would add, but while writing this I thought of sunscreen or sunscreen stick, I don't know if that's on the list or not, but if my family plans on being in the sun for more then 5 minutes that is a must! And while I was typing that, I thought of gauze and medical tape? Maybe, for bigger cuts? Anyway, enjoy!

http://queenofchaosandjoy.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-purse-emergency-kit.html

Someone commented that they needed to add:
nail clippers
Phone numbers so you can call people if you phone goes dead
a snack like crackers or peanuts
a toothbrush or brush ups (but that sounds like a personal problem...jk!)