Sunny Sunflowers

Hello readers!  I should be talking about back to school things because it seems to have consumed me this week but I'm still in denial that it has actually started so let's talk about something else.

How about sunflowers!  I love these things.  When they come up they signify for me the end of summer and the hint that fall is around the corner.   They are also super easy to grow and drought resistant which is super convenient for me.

I was reading in one of my gardening books that sunflowers are also referred to as Texas corn which is just another reason for me to love them since I am a Texas girl born and bred.  Every year I buy several packages of these beauties in all different kinds of varieties.  I actually never get them all in the ground and have to save some for next year's garden.  They also tend to reseed themselves which is always fun.  This year I actually never got to plant any and had Mike transplant some that volunteers and just needed water.  I love that fact that the birds and bees love them and can be found buzzing among them happily.

If you are looking for something easy and fun to grown which is striking and beautiful try a sunflower.

Sunflowers are also reminding me of my girls this week.  Small at first and then tall and beautiful in such a short time.

I have magnets in my shop if you just feel like growing some on your fridge.  :)  No work required!

Have a great week!

Crazed Momma

Chocoholic

There are only three things in life that matter - good friends, good chocolate and, oh dear, what was that other one?

Hello readers!  As you can probably tell from the quote above today I am crazy about chocolate.  If I am honest I can admit that it isn't just today.  I've been crazy for chocolate all my life.  Who isn't?  Actually, I have come across people who don't care for it but we won't talk about them because they are obviously delusional.  :)

To celebrate my love for the brown sweet stuff let's review some fun facts that you may or may not know. 

• Dark chocolate has more antioxidants than green tea and just as many as blueberries.
• White chocolate isn't really chocolate.  It is made from the cocoa butter which is produced when beans are pressed.  
•  Chocolate does contain chemical elements that really do boost your mood and produce a euphoric feeling.
• Eating chocolate gives you the same feeling as falling in love. 
• Chocolate comes from the Aztec word "xocolatl" which means "bitter water".
• Switzerland is one of the top countries for chocolate consumption. The Swiss consume about 22 lbs of chocolate, per person, per year.
• Cocoa beans were used as currency by the Mayan and Aztec cultures.
• Hershey is the oldest and largest chocolate company in the US.
• The most expensive chocolate in the world is $2,600 per pound. It's called Madeleine and is made by Fritz Knipschildt, a chocolatier in Connecticut.
• Craving chocolate when a woman is on her menstrual cycle may have more to do with the fact that chocolate is known for helping ease menstrual symptoms. (See, we do have a reason!)
• Eating chocolate can also reduce the symptoms of stress.
• Chocolate is beneficial for proper blood flow to the lungs and other organs.
• The minerals in chocolate help to increase brain power and function.

These facts were found at http://escoffier.com.

I find most of these reasons to be encouraging.  Who knew chocolate could be so good for you!  Maybe I should start bathing it.  I love the smell and I have actually been known to buy shower gel and perfume that have a chocolaty aroma.

Lately, I have been trying to decrease my consumption of sweets in order to lose all those pounds I have gained from adoring chocolate just a little too much.  When I actually had some chocolate peanut butter ice cream a couple of weekends ago I was proud of myself  for calmly enjoying my waffle cone and not losing all control and rubbing it all over my face.  Hopefully, my desire for chocolate and my consumption of it can come to some sort of compromise.

So, how do you like chocolate?  Do you have a preference?  Do you prefer it in a drink, in bars, with nuts, baked, boiled, or fried?  Do tell!  This post is making me hungry so I think I will go and have some (you guessed it) CHOCOLATE!!

By now you know what I'm going to say:
Check out these cute magnets and have a great week!


Crazed Momma

I love Butterflies

Hello readers!  I will jump right into this post and let you know that one thing that I have been crazy about since I was about 12 or 13 is butterflies.  As I have contemplated the reasons, I honestly can't think of anything specific.  How weird is that?  It's just one of the things that make me happy.  Some people like smiley faces, ladybugs, rainbows, cats, dogs but for me it has always been butterflies.  Two instances come to mind when I think of my love for them. 

One of the first memories I have of consciously picking something with butterflies was a pair of curtains.  My Granny worked very hard cleaning houses so that she could have spending money.  She often, and very generously spent this money on her grandchildren.  She would take each of us on or around our birthday and take us shopping and to lunch.  This particular birthday she had allowed me to pick some curtains and other decor for my bedroom.  I fell in love with these curtains with monarch butterflies on them.  After that, and even to this day I still am drawn to these beautiful insects.

My next memory is going to San Francisco with my husband for the day.  We only had one child and were lucky enough to have babysitting.  We were able to go and spend the whole day on Fisherman's Wharf.  My husband surprised me by allowing me to pick a really special souvenir.  There was a whole shop filled with mounted butterflies in glass cases.  I picked one and it hung on my wall for years.

I always enjoy seeing them float and fly by because it signals summer is here to stay for awhile and they seem so peaceful in their silent flight.  Because of my infatuation with butterflies I had to of course include them in my magnets sets.  Have a look and have a good week!

Crazed Momma
Naquai 

Beneficial Bugs

I hope all of my readers are enjoying their summer.  One of my favorite parts of summer and one of the things I am crazy about is planting a garden.  I have kind of a love/hate relationship with this pastime.  I love to look at seed catalogs and dream of my own Garden of Eden.  Most of the time it just ends up being a Garden of Weedin' instead.

One of the things that we have discovered as we have tended our garden is the use of ladybugs to help with aphid infestations.  We were at the greenhouse and they were selling them in a bag.  I was fascinated the first time I saw this.  You just take this cute little bag of bugs home and follow the instructions.  I have done this a couple of times and each time I followed different directions.

 
The first time we read that you were supposed to put the bag in the refrigerator to help the bugs slow down a little and then at dusk place them under a bush or tree that you have sprayed with water to spread the aphids.  The instructions also recommended putting a plastic cover over this bush in order to keep the ladybugs in that specific area until daylight.  This last time that we bought and released the ladybugs we didn't do the refrigerating or the cover and I think it worked just as well.  The aphid population isn't gone but definitely diminished. 


I have always wondered why there were called ladybugs because obviously they are not all ladies and thanks to www.ladybuglady.com I found an answer.

There are different versions of how these beetles came to be known as ladybugs, but one of the most popular versions is that during the Middle Ages in Europe, the crops were being taken over by insects and dying. People were beginning to starve so the farmers decided to pray to the Virgin Mary to help them with their insect problem.

The farmers were a little bit upset when even more insects showed up, little red beetles with black spots on them, because they thought that these new insects were going to eat the crops, too. But the beetles that came actually ate the bugs that were eating the crops, and so the beetles became known as the “beetles of Our Lady”, eventually shortened to simply ladybug.

Here are some more fun facts:

• A Ladybug can lay up to 1000 eggs in its lifetime.
• Not all Ladybugs have spots.
• Ladybugs will clean themselves after a meal.
• Ladybugs come in many colors like pink, yellow, white, orange and black.
• Over 300 types of Ladybugs live in North America.
• Ladybugs make a chemical that smells and tastes bad so predators won’t eat them. 
• Ladybugs hibernate in large groups in cold weather.
• Many countries consider a ladybug to be a sign of good luck.
• Ladybugs are actually beetles, so sometimes are called LadyBeetles.
• The bright colors of Ladybugs warn birds that they don’t taste good.
• The spots on a Ladybug fade as they get older. 

The one important thing to remember when you invite these lovelies into the garden is not to spray the larva when you see them.  We could not figure out what these little bugs were the first time we saw them and almost sprayed them.  They definitely look nothing like their parents.  :)

So, the next time you feel the need to eradicate some pests in your garden try these little beneficial bugs and of course I have some cute magnets you can check out too!  Good luck!

Crazed Momma
Naquai

Launches and Flip Flops

Hello there..it's been awhile since I have posted.  I've been busily trying to get my Etsy store ready to launch and I can happily say that it has been accomplished.

Officially on July 11th, I posted eight products on my store.  It was a little bit of a let down since after I hit the list button fireworks didn't explode and people weren't immediately clamoring to buy my things, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.
 
In honor of this momentous occasion, I want to discuss footwear.  Odd..you say?  Let me explain. One of my magnet sets features those summertime essentials, flip flops.  I find it funny actually because I don't wear flip flops.  I don't like to have things between my toes.  I also have realized that there is a learning curve when it comes to wearing these things.  I bought three darling sets for my three year old and she can't keep the dang things on her feet.  She's constantly tripping over them and losing one in the process.  The up side to these shoes is that they are cheap.  I can buy them for all my girls for less than one pair of shoes at Payless.

Now, I don't like flip flops but I am a definite lover of the distant cousin of flip flops, Birkenstocks.  I had never even seen a pair until I met my husband and his mother and sisters and my brother in law all lived in theirs.  When I had my first baby I gained two foot sizes and width and the only thing that was remotely comfortable was my mother in law's "birks".  When I found out they came in many different shapes, sizes, and patterns I was hooked.  They are an investment, but they last forever if you take care of them.

Of course, I had a favorite pair that I finally had to get rid of because my friends threatened to break into my house and steal them during the night while I was asleep because they were so tattered and awful looking.  My husband has also drawn the line at socks and birks during the winter months.  So, I limit myself to wearing these favs during the spring and summer months.

What is your favorite air conditioned footwear?  Are you a flip flop fanatic?  Are you graceful enough to handle the strap between your toes and walk at the same time?  I'm interested to know.  Also, be sure and stop by my store and take a look.  Thanks in advance for taking the time for reading and browsing.

Naquai
crazedmomma
 

How Clueless People Pick a Logo...

So as you may be able to see, I got myself a snazzy new logo for my blog and also my soon to be open Etsy store.  This has been a process, and I have had both fun and frustration in working it out.  I knew that I wanted something unique and eye catching.  I also know for a fact that I have absolutely NO artistic ability.  I started by going to one of my girls' friends that has lots of artistic ability.  She drew me an awesome picture which I used to base the final design on.

I then went shopping for a graphic artist who could turn my dream into reality.  Let me tell you that there are some very talented people out there.  I actually turned to Etsy to find this awesome lady.  She has made this daunting endeavor almost painless and economical to boot.  If you are in need of any graphic art needs shoot me a message or email and I will give you her name and answer any questions you may have.  In honor of this new logo I thought I would tell you four things you may not know about me but can probably tell from my logo.

1.  I love color and especially tie dye.  My family has made them for many years and I always get excited when I think about the next tie dye adventure.  (My husband always runs the other way when I mention those two words and get that look in my eye.)

2.  I have freckles.  I'm not a red head but you wouldn't know that if you looked at my arms and face if I'm out in the sun long enough.  I'm of Irish and American Indian descent and obviously the fair skinned and freckles side wins in that department.

3.  I have an I.D. bracelet that I wear on my left wrist and only take off when it is absolutely necessary.  It is a gift given to me by my husband that we call my "poker" bracelet which is another blog post in itself.  :)

4.  I'm crazy and I'm a momma of four beautiful girls.  I've already discussed the crazy part in a previous blog and being a momma is something I would never trade.

I'm very excited to share my logo with you and look forward to also sharing my Etsy store.  Have a wonderful 4th of July!

Crazed Momma

Life is a Thrill a Minute...

....when you are on a roller coaster.

I have usually written about things that I am crazy or passionate about because of the nature of my blog.  This post is about something that I am NOT crazy about.  Namely, roller coasters or thrill rides.  The reason this has been on my mind of course is because it's summer people and it's a time for carnivals and of course rides that you wouldn't normally put your children on or in but for some strange reason we place the little darlings in their respective seat and buckle them in and tell them to have fun!  You can imagine that they are thinking, "What in the world?  This woman won't even let me cross the street."

My thrill ride experiences have been few and far between mostly because my parents have always been very protective of me and they aren't big thrill ride people either.  I can also get motion sickness in a car so why would I pay to intentionally feel like barfing?

  One of my memories is having the carnival come to town when I was in High School and having to be there because I was in the band and we ran a concession stand.  There was a ride called the Zipper which I wouldn't have ridden if you had a gun to my head, but there was this boy. You know how stupid you can be when a boy is involved.  I wanted to be with him and so of course I climbed into one of the cages of death and allowed myself to be hurled at the ground over and over to show that I was cool and that I liked him.  That experience didn't go too bad.  I screamed the whole time and the adrenaline rush was such that I didn't hurl.  I felt so good about it that I agreed to go on the Octopus.  It was a  ride which spun round and round while you spun round and round in a cart.  I barely made it off that ride without tossing my enchiladas all over him.  Ah...youth.

When my husband and I were first married, we went to Dallas for our honeymoon.  My friend took us to Six Flags over Texas.  I was thrilled to be a "grownup"  and on my own and was obviously feeling full of myself because when we got in line for the log flume and the line split to go to the Texas Giant, I agreed that it was something that I needed to experience.  I figured I needed to get this over with so that I could always tell my children that Mommy had ridden the #1 wooden roller coaster in the world (in 1999) with an impressive drop of 79 degrees from 147 feet.  Now, remember I hate roller coasters AND am terrified of heights.  We ride this thing and at that time I was actually skinny and kept slipping under the bar that was supposed to keep us in.  My husband tells me that the picture they snapped of us "enjoying" the ride consisted of him smiling big and me looking close to death.  After riding it, I cried all night long.

My final foray into these confidence killers was at Disneyland.  They had just created California Screamin and it looked like a pretty cool roller coaster.  I didn't want my second oldest to be frightened of these things just because of me and so agreed to ride it with her.  We finally get up to the cars and climb in.  We make the first hill no problem and then after we climb up to the second hill the roller coaster stops DEAD.  I'm thinking it's part of the ride and then figure out that no, we are stuck at the top of this thing.  I'm trying really hard to keep my composure and not show my daughter how scared I am, but it's not working too well.  Finally, someone climbs the stairs up to where we are and promptly clips himself to a bar and informs us that we need to climb down.  WHAT?  Where's my clippy thingy dude?  We did eventually make it down the stairs and to the ground and I can honestly say that it was the last time I've felt the desire or need to ride one of these babies.

One of the great things about all this is that my shy daughter loves these rides and my outgoing daughter is reluctant to go on them.  You just never know.

Do you love the thrill of the ride or are you a scaredy cat like me?

The Texas Giant

Crazed Momma