Egg-cellent Easter Baskets

With Easter right around the corner you might be wondering what to fill your baskets with, but wonder no more, the Accents of the South have you covered. We have compiled ideas for the perfect Easter basket for everyone in your life, from babies to teens and even your furry family members.

First up on our list... Babies. Some great basket fillers for babies are
1. Bunny Ears
2. "My First Easter" bib or shirt
3. Baby's Favorite Treat (think yogurt melts and puffs)
4. Teething toys
5. Pacifiers
6. Socks
7. Books
8. Bath toys
9. Hair accessories for girls and/or new summer hat for boys.
10. Feeding Utensils/Plates/Sippy Cups
11. Stuffed bunny/chicken/lamb

Next on the list we have ideas for your favorite kiddos. These ideas are geared more for toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary aged kids. Some great basket (truck, boot, or umbrella) fillers for this age group are 

1. Books

2. Coloring books

3. Art supplies

4. Bubbles

5. Hair Accessories 

6. Hats (they also make great baskets for older boys)

7. Sunglasses

8. Puzzles

9. Play-doh 

10. Socks

11. Hot Wheels and other small toys

12. Balls

13. Legos

14. Flashlights 

15. Mr. Potatoe Head

16. Stuffed bunny/lamb/chicken

Character themed baskets are also fun for this age group.

Next up something for the tweens and teens in your life. Some great Easter basket fillers for this difficult age are

  

Girls:

1. Makeup (nail-polish and lip products can typically fit inside of an Easter egg).

2. Socks 

3. Flip Flops

4. Body Spray

5. Journals 

6. Colored Ink Pens

7. Sunglasses

8. Gift Cards

9. Books

10. Chocolate 

11. Hair Accessories

Instead of a typical basket fill a cute beach tote, new purse, umbrella, or new pair of rain-boots.

Boys:

1. Socks

2. Flip Flops

3. Gift Cards

4. Books 

5. Snacks (chips, beef jerky, etc)

6.Sunglasses

7. A new Watch

8. New Wallet 

9, Cologne

10. Hair Products 

11. Body Wash

12. Sports Equipment (balls, bats, fishing lures/poles, etc)

Instead of a basket fill a new gym bag, umbrella, tackle box, or a hat.

We are not done yet, now its time to piece together the perfect Easter surprise for your significant other. Some great ideas for basket fillers for adult women are...

1. Makeup

2. Body Sprays/Perfume 

3. Body Lotion 

4. Gift Cards

5. Socks

6. Books

7. Chocolate

8. Flowers

9. Jewelry 

10. Coffee

11. Magazines

12. Flip Flops

13. Sunglasses

Instead of a basket use a cute pail, bag, or umbrella.

Now for the adult men in your life. Some awesome manly Easter fillers are

1. Fishing lures

2. Tools

3. Socks

4. Snacks

5. Gift Cards

6. Beer/ Alcohol (if he enjoys the occasional drink)

7. Car care products

8. Hair products 

9. Body Wash 

10. Cologne/Body Spray

Instead of a traditional basket fill a hat, cooler, small tool box, or a tackle box,

Have a fur baby that means the world to you? Well we have you covered, here are a few Easter treat ideas for your four legged friends.

Dogs:

1. A stuffed bunny/chicken/lamb

2. Bunny ears (if he/she will wear them)

3. Chew toys 

4. Balls

5. Grooming Products 

6. Treats

7. New collar and/or leash

Cats:

1. Plastic Easter eggs filled with catnip

2. Toys

3. Treats

4. Grooming Products

5. New collar

Instead of a basket use a new bed or food dish.

Here are some more fun Easter basket ideas just in case you did not see anything that you liked above...

Go Green!

St. Patrick's day is looming right around the corner and we all know what that means, we need to figure out how to rock something green. Working green into your wardrobe in honor of this festive day can seem daunting but I promise its not. One of my favorite ways to sport green is on my nails or my eyes...

 My all time favorite way to incorporate green into my wardrobe is by making a green tie dye shirt. This is probably my favorite for two reasons 1. You get to be creative and make a mess. 2. I can do it with the whole family. My kids love tie dye. The best thing about tie dye is that it is so easy to do and you can't do it wrong. All you need are a few supplies.

Supplies:

1. White cotton shirts.

2. Rubber bands.

3. Dye bottles or condiment bottles.

4. A bucket (if you are planning on using a dye bath)

5. Dye (for our St. Paddy's shirts we used an emerald green and a yellow)

Once you have you supplies you need to decide what type of pattern you want for you tie dye.  Once you know the pattern you want just start banding your shirt/shirts. I personally like a more haphazard pattern so I just put rubber bands all over without any rhyme or reason. 

Once your shirts are banded your are ready to dye. I wanted my kids to be able to participate so I used dye bottles and a liquid dye. I poured a little green dye into the bottles and filled the rest of the bottle with tap water. Next, I gave each of my kids a bottle and a shirt and let them dye until their little hearts were content (or they used all their dye, whichever came first).

Once, the shirts were dyed with the green, I tossed all the shirts into a dye bath. The dye bath was yellow, which mixed well with the emerald green and filled in any white spaces with a more vibrant green. I let the shirts sit in the dye bath for about 15 minutes before tossing them into the wash.

After the shirts were washed I removed the bands revealing our beautiful, green masterpieces. I really do love our end results and the kiddos have something fun and festive to wear. 

I would recommend wearing gloves because the dye will stain. I neglected to do so and now have festive hands. Also, do not trust your husband with the dye, I now have festive legs thanks to mine.

I hope everyone has fun this St. Patrick's Day, and remember to Rock your Green! 

Review: Me Before You

I am so excited that we have decided to do book reviews each month, for several reasons! One, is that I love that all three of us adore books and can colaborate on a post together! Another is that I am not the one choosing the books that we are reading, so it is pushing me a little out of my reading comfort zone.

It seems as though I read the same type of books one right after the other! It is one of those things that I love and hate about being a Kindle reader. Once I finish a book, there is always a “suggested read” for something that is fairly similar to the book I just finished. So, I was excited to be challenged to read something entirely different from my norm. Now, with that being said, I wasn't so sure about reading a book set in modern day times. I am generally drawn to historical fiction and I think that is partly because reading is my escape. Some people are TV watchers or movie buffs but I am a book worm. So, when I want to escape “the real world”, I read. When I started this book and learned that it was set in modern day times, I didn't exactly get excited. But, I kept my mind open. And I dove right in. Once I started, I just absolutely couldn't put it down! I really can't say the last time I was this enthralled in a book. (Don't tell my boss, but I actually contemplated calling in sick so that I could stay home and read.)

Here are a few things I think you should know about Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

One of my favorite things about this book was the character development. I genuinely felt like I knew each of them. Every character played such an important role. Just like in my life, the people I come in contact with daily have an impact of my choices and even more so, my thoughts.

This book was so full of emotion. I felt every bit of it. I was full of compassion and anger and guilt right along side of the characters. I cried. I laughed. I held my breathe waiting for the outcome. Definitely have your tissues handy! Probably not the best book to read in your local coffee shop, unless you are a pretty crier.

Another major thing that this book offers is modern day controversy. The basis of this book is very controversial, it even says that in the story, but it offers an inside look. There is no cramming ideas down your throat or harsh tones. It just uses a persons everyday life to show you, that not all choices are black and white. Not everything is an easy choice to make. We always think we know what we will do until we are actually faced with the hard reality. I know I took a lot away from it.

Probably my favorite thing is that just when my minds starts to wonder what is going on inside the head of another character, I turn the page to see a chapter written from their perspective! I LOVE that! In real life I am always curious how a situation looks to someone else, and I find myself searching for that same perspective in a book. I love knowing what the minor characters are ACTUALLY thinking, instead of how the main character perceives their thinking.

I am very anxious to see the film adaptation in just a few months and I am sure we will share our perspectives on that as well! I also plan to read the sequel, AfterYou, but I haven't started it yet! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do! We would love to hear your feedback!

So I recently finished reading Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes, This is a book that I had put on my 2016 reading list only because I knew it was going to be adapted to film.  I have a rule when it comes to books and movies, always read the book before seeing any movie based on it. It is a good thing that I put this book on my list before ever actually laying eyes on the book. I am a huge judger of book covers (yes I know what they say, never judge a book by its cover) I can't help myself, and this book's cover screamed boring to me.

In this case what they say was true and you should never judge a book by its cover. This book quickly earned a spot on my favorite books of all time list. Once I began reading I couldn't stop. This book was an amazing read that made me fall in love with the characters and feel things that I have never felt from a book. This book in all of its breathtaking beauty changed me, and I can't say that for many books I have read. To risk any spoilers all I will say is that this book will change how you look at the world and life's hard decisions, it will show you that the world is not black and white but rather in technicolor.  After reading this book you might also change how you live your life. 

Also if you love this book you must read After You. 

Louisa Clark is an unassuming, eccentrically-dressed young woman who finds herself unemployed. After answering an ad to be caregiver to a quadriplegic, a job that is outside her comfort zone, she meets Will Traynor. A former adrenaline junkie, Will struggles to come to terms with the frail state of his body and being dependent on those around him for everything. When Louisa discovers the truth about why she’s there, she takes on an undertaking that will change her life and Will’s forever.

If I had seen Me Before You while out book-shopping, I probably would have skimmed over it. I probably have skimmed over it. The cover is unobtrusive and generally, I lean more toward historical fiction and historical non-fiction. If only I’d realized what a treasure lies between the covers. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved this book. I would easily consider it one of my favorite Realistic Fiction novels. I never wanted to put it down, but when I did, I was left thinking about it until I could get back to it.

What I liked:

The character development was phenomenal. A novel is only as good as its characters, and well-developed characters should hop off the page. Between Will’s tendency for sarcasm and Louisa’s fashion sense, these characters did just that. I love books that provoke a real, physical reaction out of me. There were times I laughed out loud while reading Me Before You, and times I bawled my eyes out. This novel takes a situation most of us would pretend not to notice out in public and puts a face on it. It addresses an uncomfortable subject with raw emotion, paints a picture for us of the person at the center, as well as the friends and family who strive to keep them hanging on. This was a very “real” novel with no contrived dialogue or situations. I truly loved it.

What I didn’t like:

Honestly, I can’t think of anything I didn’t like. The writing was engaging, the characters were well-defined, the storyline was good. I loved it. It does have a bittersweet ending for those who prefer commercial fiction (where everything resolves happily and there’s even a little bow on top), but I would not criticize it for that. As a writer (and I’m sure many readers feel this way, as well), I have an appreciation for and a need for both happy endings and bittersweet ones.

Surviving Snow Days!

Snow day! Two little words that have the power to fill a parents heart with dread or pure joy. I am a parent who absolutely loves snow days. We have currently been snowed in for four days now and we are not only surviving, we are thriving. We have had so many wonderful experiences as a family from movie nights, sledding, snow art and snow science. The best part is lasting memories we have made as a family.

This is how we survived Snowmageddon 2016...

Day 1- Finally we had the "S" word in the forecast, with the possibility of accumulation- Yay! Naturally I bundled the little's up and headed to the store for some snowssentials and I am not talking about bread and milk. First stop, the baking aisle for some baking soda and a big jug of white vinegar. Next, everyone got to pick out a special candy. We grabbed a box of popcorn with the pour over butter (because calories do not count on snow days), and of course caffeine for mom because I am not crazy enough to take on a snow day with three little's with out a morning pick me up. Finally, we hit the shampoo aisle for a bottle of white conditioner and then we were ready to checkout and head back home. As the evening of day one approached my little's were bummed that not a single snowflake had fallen so we took matters into our own hands. We made our own snow!!!!!! We did this by mixing 9 cups baking soda and 1 and 1/2 cups of the white conditioner (the original recipe calls for only 3 cups baking soda and 1/2 cup of conditioner but I needed enough for three). The outcome was pure playtime bliss, my little's loved this activity and the best part was that it really felt like snow.

Day 2- OMG!!! It's Snowing! There is actually white flakes falling from the heavens and it is sticking. After watching the snow fall for a few hours we ventured out to play and by mid-afternoon we had about five inches of glorious white snow which meant that we could finally make a snow volcano. To make our volcano we used a small Pepsi bottle that I filled about halfway with baking soda, a water bottle filled with the vinegar, a few drops of red food coloring, and snow. Next I placed the Pepsi bottle in the snow and covered the sides with snow, basically building a mound around the bottle. After the volcano was built my husband poured the vinegar and we watched. Almost instantly we had a volcanic eruption that wowed and amazed my little's. They loved it so much we repeated the experiment several more times. As the sun began to set we headed in to warm up with some hot chocoate and prepare for a movie night. We ended up watching Mr. Poppers Penguins which was free on Demand. We also stuffed our faces with popcorn, M&M's, Sour Patch Kids, and Sour Patch Watermelons.

Day 3- Of course we spent to morning just enjoying the snow but by the afternoon my littles wanted something new and fun so we attempted to make ice marbles using balloons, water, and food coloring. You are supposed to use water balloons but all I had on hand was thick party balloons but I figured it was worth a try.We filled each balloon with water and a few drops of food coloring before putting them in the freezer to set up. After about 3-4 hours in our freezer the balloons were rock hard, so we peeled the balloons off and what we had were ice ovals. They were not round like marbles (I think the balloons affected the shape) instead they were egg shaped. I was bummed things had not worked out the way I expected, but then my oldest spoke up, "Wow! mom we have dinosaur eggs! Lets hide them and go on an egg hunt!" We spent the rest of the afternoon hiding and hunting dinosaur eggs.

Day 4- Day four brought blizzard like conditions with frigid temperatures so we weren't able to play outside but that did not stop us from enjoying the snow. In the morning we made snowflake sun-catchers to hang on our patio doors. It was a simple project that we were able to complete with items we had on hand, we used clear contact paper, black construction paper, and tissue paper in shades of blue. I helped my two youngest cut their snowflakes out of the black paper but my oldest was able to to hers on her own. Next we placed the snowflake in the middle of a piece of contact paper, and then added the tissue paper to fill up the rest of the contact paper. Once they were finished I hung them on our glass patio doors so the sun could shine through them. This was a very simple and stunning art project. After lunch we collected some clean snow and made snow cream which was a huge hit. I know most people have a favorite snow cream recipe but in case you don't here is the one we used...

Snow Cream Recipe:

8 cups fresh snow
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract. 

Mix all together and serve immediately!

After we finished our tasty treat I went back outside and filled a bucket of snow which I brought inside. We used this snow to make snow buddies. Each kiddo made their own snow body (they were basically just blobs) next we used Mr. Potato Head pieces to give our snow buddies life. They actually turned out super adorable and they were a lot of fun for the kiddos.

Day 5- The original plan for day 5 was to build a snow fort with snow guards but that went out the window when our neighbors invited us to spend the afternoon sledding with them. By the time we had finished sledding the sun was setting and it was nearly dinner time but we were able to squeeze in time to build a small snowman family before heading in for the night,

There you have it, how we survived Snowmaggedon 2016. Please feel free to try any of these fun activities with your own kiddos on your next snow day. If you didn't find an activity you loved check the pictures below for more ideas from our previous snow days.