A picture is worth '1,000 Artist Journal Pages'

Remember doodling as a child when even if you couldn't spell all of the words you still could tell a story through pictures? They say "a picture is worth a thousand words," yet it seems once we master basic writing skills we forget that.

Guilty as charged.

I can remember as a young girl writing in my diaries and drawing little pictures to illustrate my deepest thoughts and "secrets." Eventually I stopped drawing pictures, but continued to keep journals well into adulthood. After Sophie was born, I took zillions of pictures and kept them in precious photo albums, pulling them out to wander visually through her first days with us. My journaling became sporadic. Then came Max, and there was less time for pictures and writing as I struggled to keep up with a busy toddler, a newborn and a full-time job. Add a third child to the mix, two new businesses, a cat and a messy household and I'm lucky to squeeze out a blog post every now and then.

And that's unfortunate.

I know there's going to come a day when I wake up and find that my kids are grown and I have but a few random blog entries to remind me of this special time in my life. But I have a dear friend who has inspired me to get back on track with my journaling.

Dawn Devries Sokol and I attended college at Arizona State University and worked on the school newspaper together. Dawn is the author of "1,000 Artist Journal Pages".
Art journals are illustrated diaries that correspond with any theme. They can be a record of daily thoughts or dreams and are embellished with drawings, photographs or bits of memorabilia from a treasured or momentous occasion. This gorgeous book is a compilation of journal pages created by artists from around the world. Some are dark, some are sad, some are ethereal, some are funny, some illustrate trips, and some are odes to coffee, foods or a particularly enjoyable meal. All are different and fascinating in their own way and truly inspirational. After poring over this book for hours I found myself itching to journal again.

The holiday season is right around the corner, and it's the perfect time to start journaling or, in my case, to pick it up again. Dawn is offering a workshop titled {12.31} art journal project on her blog which will help you document the holiday season with less stress. As part of {12.31}, you will learn how to create an art journal cover, how to incorporate or "bind in" scraps of paper or poster board and how to prep your pages so they are ready for you to doodle or journal to your heart's content. Once your journal is complete, Dawn will provide a prompt a day to get your creative juices flowing and, since your journal already will be done, all you will have to do is create. The online workshop runs from Nov. 6 through Dec. 31. You can register by clicking here.

Maxism #967: "Can you change my name?"

This morning I was in my usual manic state trying to get all three kids ready for school and out the door by precisely 8:06 a.m. I had pulled the kids' uniforms for the day and handed them to each child. When I handed Max his clothes I told him, "Please get dressed and then wash your face and brush your teeth. And be sure to put your pajamas in the hamper."

He took the clothes and then said, "If I do these things for you, will you change my name to M-A-X-X?" Not knowing where this came from or where it was going I did not want to commit to anything, so I merely laughed a bit and said, "We'll see."

When we were finally in the car and on our way, I made a point of telling the kids how well they did getting ready that morning without me having to nag them. From the back of the car I heard Max ask, "So, Mommy, now will you change my name to M-A-X-X?" He also muttered something about a tent and a battery.

"Well, we can't legally, but it could be your nickname," I suggested.

"No, Mommy! I want it for REAL!" he insisted.

Still not knowing what precipitated this all I could say was, "I'll have to talk with Daddy."

When I spoke with Steve later on I told him about the exchange.

"Wow!" Steve said. "I didn't think the tent and the battery had that much of an impact! When I took Max to WalMart the other day, we saw a tent with the name 'Maxx' on it. Then we went to Home Depot and saw a battery with the name 'Maxx' on it. I told Max 'wouldn't it be cool if your real name were M-A-X-X?' I didn't know he would take it so seriously!"

We decided we would tell him he can change it legally when he's 18.

Gotta get a Snack Square!!!!

I don't believe there ever has been a product more perfect than the Snack Square from my friends at mint. sweet little things. In fact, the Snack Square was one of the first embroidery blanks I ever purchased. Its utter cuteness won me over almost instantaneously and set in motion the formation of SuziHomemaker.net, but I digress...the reason I am waxing nostalgic is because I just sent the Homemaker children back-to-school with their brand new personalized Snack Squares and I, once again, was reminded how versatile these little bags truly are.
Don't let their compact appearance fool you, these bags are roomy enough to hold an ice pack, a sandwich or Lunchable, juice box, piece of fruit, two packages of crackers (my kids get hungry at school--gotta feed those HUGE Homemaker brains!), utensils and a love note from Mom! (I kid you not! The proof is in the picture above!) A zip top makes them easy to stuff and two adorable handles makes them easy to carry. Snack Squares fit perfectly into your child's backpack. I am pleased to report that just about every Kindergartner and Second Grader (this year we conquer Smart Start!) at the Country Day School has one of these in their possession--they make excellent gifts!

Not only are they great for packing lunches and snacks, but they also serve a multitude of other purposes. Snack Squares can be used to store CDs or DVDs to keep them cool while in the car. They can be used to carry portable game systems and games. Stuff them with small wine boxes and give them as a housewarming gift. Fill them with toys, balloons and noisemakers for the ultimate goodie bag or stuff them with hot, moist washcloths to use at your next Mary Kay party. Max has one he carries his Matchbox cars in and one for his Thomas trains. The girls use them to store hair bows and Polly Pockets. I have a local preschool that purchases Snack Squares for each new student because they stack so nicely in the refrigerator at school! They also can be used to store breast milk bottles.

Have I convinced you yet? You gotta get a Snack Square! What will you put in yours?

Recipeasy Monday: Suzi Homemaker's tomato-cucumber salad

Reprinted from last August.

4 large tomatoes, diced
3 cucumbers, peeled and diced
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
8 large basil leaves, chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced (or use garlic salt)
Sea Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons ExtraVirgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

Mix everything together and serve as a side salad or as a topping on grilled chicken, fish or steak. We had ours as a side salad to roasted chicken breasts and put it on Wasa sesame seed flat bread. What a great summer meal!! Enjoy!

500th Internet Sale is close! BIG prizes for winning purchaser!

I'm so EXCITED I can't hardly stand it! Earlier in the summer I alluded to the fact that I was honing in on my 500th internet sale. I had predicted it would come in July, and I am just a few sales off! Could it happen today?

In celebration of this momentous occasion, I am going to honor my 500th sale purchaser with a monogrammed market tote, a Suzi Homemaker tee shirt, embroidered tea towels and anything else I might feel like tossing in the box! Prizes will be valued at more than $100. No purchase is too big, nor too small! Lots of back-to-school items from which to choose, so if you were planning on making a purchase soon, now's the time to do it! Good luck!

Recipeasy Monday: Potato-bacon frittata

I just made this simple, but tasty dish for my father's B-day brunch!

Ingredients
8 oz bacon, cooked and diced
3 cups Simply Potatoes diced potatoes with onions
salt
pepper
6 eggs
1 Cup shredded colby-jack cheese
1 Cup milk
1/3 Cup Bisquick
2 Tablespoons butter, melted

1. Spray 10-inch quiche dish or 9" by 9" baking pan with Pam. In skillet, over medium-low heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 1/4 cup bacon fat from skillet. Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 15 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender. Remove skillet from heat and add crumbled bacon.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In medium sized bowl, beat eggs, cheese, milk, Bisquick and 1/2 teaspoon salt until well mixed. Pour mixture into quiche dish. Spoon potato mixture on top. Bake 20 to 30 minutes until set. Serve with fresh tomato slices or salsa and sour cream!

Recipeasy Monday: Christi's Frito Pie

One of the easiest recipes ever (it's the most complicated my friend, Christi, can handle!):

Ingredients
3 cups Fritos corn chips
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2-1/2 cups chili (I make mine homemade, but you may use canned or turkey chili)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spread 2 cups of Fritos in a baking dish. Sprinkle half the onion and half the cheese over the Fritos. Pour the chili over the onion and cheese. Sprinkle the remaining Fritos, onion and cheese over the chili.

Bake for 15 or 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Serve hot. Garnish with diced tomatoes and sour cream.