Monthly Archives: November 2017

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Praline Sweet Potato Bake

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As my mom can attest, I kind of have a thing for sweet potatoes. They are just fabulous, especially when you add brown sugar! This Praline Sweet Potato recipe is on my to make list every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This is also a great make ahead recipe. Bake the sweet potatoes in their skins the day before and put them in the fridge. When they are cold, the the sweet potatoes shrink in their skins which makes them super easy to peel. Believe me I have burned my fingers trying to peel sweet potatoes more than once before. It’s totally worth baking them the day/night before, plus it saves prep time the day you are cooking your meal.

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Guest Post at Choosing Wisdom: 5 Takeaways From Failure

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Today’s post was written for Lori Jackson’s blog Choosing Wisdom.

 5 Takeaways From Failure

My friend Amanda Jensen is starting her health and fitness coaching business and invited me to join her September Accountability group. I was excited to join because getting healthier has been on my mind now for quite some time.

Unfortunately, I have allowed other things to distract me from taking care of myself physically. I am growing exponentially spiritually and intellectually, but I have been seriously neglecting my physical body.

Ready for a Change…

Click here to read the full article.

Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. – Winston S. Churchill

Choosing Wisdom

References

  1. Choosing Wisdom. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.choosingwisdom.org/5-takeaways-failure/
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Family-Centered Gift Ideas for Grown-Ups

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Gift ideas for grown-ups can be hard to come by.  Many of the adults I know (like my in-laws, for example) have pretty much everything they need.  If new tools or new cookware doesn’t seem like THE THING this year, read on for some meaningful gift ideas.  Many adults appreciate family-centered activities, games, and books.  I’ve gathered lots of possibilities for your gift-giving pleasure this year.

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Grandma Betty’s Cheese Ball

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As we approach the holiday season I always get nostalgic for my Grandmother’s recipes. This particular cheese ball recipe my Grandma Betty made for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. The holiday’s just don’t feel right without it.

While there is no reason to only serve this during the holiday’s, I always crave it this time of year. Whenever I make this I am reminded of wonderful memories with my family, my amazing Grandma, her great food, and the feeling of love.

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Interactive Gift Ideas for Teenagers

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I personally think buying gifts for teenagers is pretty hard, even in the best of circumstances. But when they certainly don’t need another video game or app for their phones, and you know they would benefit from some family connection, it’s even harder.  Sometimes it takes a little creativity to come up with interactive gift ideas for teenagers, but I’ve found some pretty good ones that I’ll share today.  Gifts that encourage family engagement and connection are fun now as well as meaningful in the future.

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Family-Themed Gift Ideas for Kids

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A common dilemma these days is figuring out what to give that will be useful and meaningful after the Christmas tree is put away.  Most kids today need connections more than things, but thinking of a gift idea to foster family connections can be challenging.  I’d like to share with you some great gift ideas that will do just that.  Let’s start with the kids!

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Pumpkin Pancakes

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Fall is such a wonderful time of the year. The temperatures cool down, the leaves turn colors, and it’s time to break out pumpkins!

I always stock up on canned pumpkin now while it’s available, and pull it out throughout the next year. You can totally make your own pumpkin puree, but this is one thing that I find isn’t worth the effort to make at home. Canned pumpkin is readily available and cooks/bakes very nicely.

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Gift Ideas for the Whole Family

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  Have you started thinking about gift-giving?  Whether you’re like me and started thinking about Christmas gift-giving on Halloween or you’re still weeks away from giving it a thought, I can help.  I love sharing gift ideas in November because I’m convinced it makes for a happier December.  As you might guess, since this is #familyhistoryfriday, all the gift ideas here are family-related.  Today I’ll share gift ideas for the whole family, and in coming weeks I’ll share ideas for kids, teenagers, and adults.  Since they’re all family-related, though, ideas you’ll see in all of November’s #familyhistoryfriday posts can easily be gifts for the whole family, too.

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Mini Cherry Pies

... in a Jar

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When I lived in Virginia, my cute neighbor’s husband was at the store one day and saw some Mini pies on a stick, and asked me to make some for him.  Specifically cherry.

It sounded like a fun idea, but I wasn’t feeling confident enough in my abilities to make pie on a stick that wouldn’t go all over the place and become pie on your lap… Small individual pies I could do, pie on a stick, not yet. Maybe I will come back and tackle that project another day…