Patriotic Birthday Bag

My mom and her twin sister (my second mom!) celebrated their 73rd birthday yesterday.  First of all you should know that they do not look or act 73.  They are fun and energetic and absolutely darling.  Soooo they deserved a fun birthday gift that reflects how lively and vibrant they are.  I don't always get them the same thing for holidays because although they are identical twins and a lot alike in some ways, they do have some differing tastes.  This time though I decided an fun Fourth of July-themed gift would be just the thing to celebrate a summer birthday.  The inspiration started when I found the cute red polka dot canvas tote bags.  My Devilish Assistant Emily and I had a blast shopping for fun, summery things to stash in the bag.  Here are some of the great things we found:

Here's all the great stuff we found to put in the bags.
Some things were red or blue,
and some just seemed like summer!

A patriotic plaque to decorate for the 4th of July!

The candle scent is: Summer Slices.
It smells so fruity and summery!

It's not summer without a
refreshing glass of lemonade,
so we added a cute little canister
of lemonade mix.

Since summer is sandal weather,
their fingers and toes need to
look fabulous in bright red polish!
I'm IN LOVE with this hand cream.
It says, "For dark spot removal" but
it is the most luxurious and moisturizing cream ever.
I don't have dark spots on my hands, but I will
say after using this on a nightly basis
my hands do look much younger!
I thought my mom and aunt would like to
give it a try too!

Here's everything all bagged up in the cute
polka dot tote.  I stashed a little flag in the pocket
to add to the patriotic flair!

I thought this would make a great summer birthday gift,
but it's also ideal for a 4th of July gift or
summer hostess treat!

Beefy Grilled Vidalia Onions

A couple of days ago my mother-in-law was sweet enough to share some Vidalia onions with me.  If you're not familiar with Vidalia onions, they are a sweet onion that grow in certain areas of Georgia.  Much like only certain cheeses are allowed to be marked Parmigiano Reggiano, true Vidalias are also trademarked.  They are typically available from late April through mid September, and though I've never tried it, I've heard that some people just bite right into them like an apple.  I have tried this version many times, and it's one that we absolutely love.  It's a great side dish to any meal, super simple to make and something a little different when you're tired of potatoes or salad.  They're rich, beefy and just a little sweet.  It's like a little package of French Onion Soup!

Beefy Grilled Vidalia Onions--
They're like a French Onion Soup Side Dish!

Vidalia, Georgia's Finest!

COOL Dad Father's Day Treat with Printable Tag

Father's Day is upon us.  Normally I cook a big spread and have all of the Dads in my life over for a meal.  Back at Mother's Day our dog was so sick that the Moms were lucky they got a store bought gift.  I didn't have the time or the sense to do any cooking or entertaining.  Fast forward to this Sunday coming up.  I'm delighted to report our precious pup is doing much better, but now I'm the one under the weather.  I'm still on crutches recovering from yet another foot surgery related to my car accident in 2010.  Of course the family is totally understanding, and they know I can't very well cook and entertain with only one good foot.  But that doesn't mean the Dads don't deserve something special.  A while back I saw a commercial for these cooling towels.  You get them wet, and they are supposed to help cool you down at least 30 degrees.  Say what?!?  Cooling down 30 degrees in an Oklahoma summer is A LOT.  All of the guys in my life play golf, and spend a lot of time outdoors.  I thought these COOL towels would make a COOL gift.  Not being one to just wrap up a towel and say, "Happy Father's Day," I had to take it a step further and come up with something that would let the Dads in my life know just how COOL they are!

A COOL Treat for some COOL Dads!

You'll need:
Cooling towel
Ribbon
clear treat bag
Ice Breakers Mints
Dentyne Ice Gum
(or other COOL treats of your choice)
printable tag (below)

Bag up your Ice Breakers Mints and
Dentyne Ice Gum.  Tie the bag to the top
of the cooling towel and add the tag.
Voila!
A COOL gift for Dad!

 Mission Endura Cool Instant Cooling Towels

What do you think?
Isn't it COOL?!?

Here is the free printable tag
I've included to make things easy for you.
Simply click on the image to enlarge it,
then right-click and save.
You can then open it with the program of your choice,
re-size if necessary and print it out.
Easy as that.