It's Works-For-Me Wednesday... 

 Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!

A really great Mother's Day gift is that special something that children and Mom can enjoy together, and that's precisely what my lovely brood bestowed upon me!

Doesn't it just look fun?!  When you live in the Nevada desert where it's already hitting 100 degrees or so many days, this is just awesome.  Really!  Snoopy, move aside!

We have been drooling over the snowcone machine aisle since a year ago, but never managed to purchase one.  I attempted to use my Mexican ice shaver last year, but it doesn't work so well, or maybe I just don't have the knack, or the muscle, or the...well, I don't get it.  And the blender just doesn't give the right texture when I attempt to crush ice.  But this little dealy-bop is wonderful.  Daddy insisted on a nice one...he figured we would use it quite a bit.

After a nice Mother's Day lunch, we stopped for some crushed ice at a mini-market.  Dh just laughed when he saw that I selected the large bag.  We nary made a dent in the 20 lb. of ice, and filled the snow chamber of our machine.  In approximately 7 minutes, I was able to nearly fill it, making enough shaved ice for all 10 of us, enough that we even had seconds!  The pre-made syrups from Wal-Mart were great, and the kids thoughtfully picked out a couple of sugar-free flavors for me. 

Of course, I like to get creative, and it took little time for me to think of ways to improve on syrups and ice.  Hubby loves to have juice over crushed ice...my tool until now has been a hammer.  The snow cone machine just improved the process!  I even made ice cubes of cranberry juice, which made red snow.  Yum!  A little tart, but great with 7-up. 

The kids were thrilled when I made a simple syrup yesterday, adding a cantaloupe flavored drink mix. 

Cantaloupe snowcones...delicious and refreshing!  Watch for more flavors and ideas!  I picked up horchata and mango drink mixes yesterday, and can't wait to experiment!  Works for the kids, and it works for me!