10 Gifts for Spring...just because!

I think Spring might be happening. Here in Arizona Spring means 80 degrees and lots of sunshine. Spring in Oregon mean 55 degree, rain, wind and beautiful flowers. It is all relative. In either case the feeling is the same...hopeful and happy!

We will be returning home soon and now I am beginning to think about our summer gift giving. We are gone all winter and so birthdays and other small celebrations get neglected. To make up for it, we have a huge "share a cake" celebration and everyone gets a gift. It is like Christmas in the summer. I like that a lot. I will shop mostly on Amazon so I signed up for their 2-3 day free shipping offer. I can use the service for one month at no cost. Free shipping is huge these day.

So here are 10 things I will be looking at for the family:

I saw these Zazzle shoes while we were on vacation last summer. The
man that was wearing them was very proud
of his personal design.

Puzzles...Amazon has three-dimensional jigsaw puzzles that caught my eye. A puzzle is perfect for children of all ages and our family loves to build puzzles at parties.
Junior Circle Top blouse. I think these little tee shirt blouses would be perfect for the teens or even preteens. A Nordstroms ad showed these little tops with a long pendant type necklace...darling.
Flowered long scarves...featured by teen and a big favorite this season! Check out the websites for up scale teen styles and then replicate the look by ordering online.
Gift card for Zazzle ...both boys and girls would love to design everything from their own shoes to their three ring binders and have them be delivered to the door. The wonderful shoes are real eye poppers and prices starting at around $50!
10x makeup mirror...lighted of course. The whole family would love one of these. This mirror can save money for women on minor "beauty chores" and men will love them for shaving. I would choose a portable one so we can travel with it.
An invitation for a trip to the local nursery to shop for plants. Spring calls for a country drive, lunch and a basket of flowers. (See Back Roads Near Portland Oregon)
If the man in your life is a golfer, a sleeve of three Pro V One golf balls are always a winner...even if they say they want the cheap kind from the drug store.
Cutter Buck has some beautiful golf sweaters...all men will love one of these whether they golf or not.
Costume wear...in the southwest the cowboy is king so a cowgirl costume or a cowboy costume is the perfect gift from a returning snowbird grandparent. Find one of those hats or fringed skirt so your grandchild can pretend to be a cowgirl or cowboy.
A game...I think Taboo would be fun. My grandsons love to play cards and games. It never sees to get old.

There you have it. 10 spring gifts...just because everyone like a present.

Five Little Ducks...stories played out!

The children's song about the little ducks leaving the nest to fly away has always been one of my favorites. Every mother has seen their babies fly away and rejoiced. Life comes full circle. Animals live that same cycle. Babies grow up. Birds leave the nest. Life goes on. So when the three ducks show up every year near my patio I am not surprised. But I am puzzled that it always seems to be the same three. Something just doesn't seem right. It appears the one did not fly away at all. Five little ducks Went out to play Over the hills and far away. The mommy duck went "quack, quack quack," Four little ducks came swimming back... And then Three Two and One. A drake, a female duck (a hen) and a not quite a drake but still not a hen gather here on the 5th green of the golf course. She leads and the other two follow along obediently. They eat, sleep, and guard each other. Each and every day this time of year they come. I have not named them. Jinxing them would be very pos...

How to be a 12 Month Snow Bird

Vacation Rental in Mexico I live around snowbirds 6 months of the year. I have heard those people say that they all want to live the "snowbird" lifestyle when they go home. But it just is not possible. They are isolated and cold. Social activities with friends and beautiful weather are greatly missed when they return to the realities of their "real" life. One couple I visited with lately returned to Florida this morning where they own a home. The woman is a nurse and works in the summer. They are not going home until May this year. It is too cold in Michigan in the spring so they are hoping to extend their good weather season by simply staying away. Besides that they love their Florida lifestyle a lot. Last week I visited with a woman that lives the snowbird lifestyle year around. No going home to the Midwest in the spring. They essentially vacation 12 month out of the year. And I thought their solution for avoiding unpleasant weather and keeping their lifestyle in...

If You Build It, They Will Come...Maybe!

It all began with a antique window in front of a local shop. It had been painted yellow, the glass was loose and all of the hinges and latches were gone. My old friend Betty would have approved...she would tell me it was just broken enough and damaged enough for me to drag it home. When my dear husband saw it, he wondered what he was meant to do with it. Imagine his surprise when he was presented with the plan to build a small neighborhood library exchange. It wasn't the first time he had heard me ask "How hard could it be?" Now it is six weeks later and we mounted the darling little library exchange on two posts in our front yard. I love it. Now the question is, will they come or has the time passed when people actually read something made of paper? Our association president stopped by and admired the box but left after telling me that he only read books on his Kindle. We will see. Would you bring a book and take a book? b+

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