Category Archives: Family

Thoughtful Thursday – Give Mom a Gift that Touches her Heart 💖

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Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 14th. Often we take for granted all the wonderful things that mom’s do for us everyday. Like the pile of clean clothes that magically appear in your dresser or the sweet love note with encouraging words that are hidden in your lunch bag. What about the breakfast or dinner that’s ready to go just when you’re starving, in a rush and don’t have time to make anything for yourself. Let’s not forget all the love and support they give as the biggest fan of our lives!

This Mother’s Day give her a gift that touches her heart. Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Spend the day with her doing her favorite things.
  • Serve her favorite home cooked meal on a beautifully decorated table.
  • Create a themed meal from a place that she wants to visit.
  • Bake her favorite sweet treats and serve them up bistro style.
  • Plan a walk or hike in her favorite park and enjoy the great outdoors.
  • Go to the nursery with her and get a few flowers to plant in her garden.
  • Take her on a picnic and spend a quiet afternoon talking.
  • Go on a nice bike ride and stop for a light bite.
  • Spend an afternoon at the local museum.
  • If she has a lot of responsibilities offer to pitch in and give her the day off.
  • Serve her breakfast in bed or cook a morning brunch.
  • Watch her favorite movies with her and bring all of her favorite snacks.
  • Take an art class with her, whether online or in person and create something together.
  • Make a scrapbook filled with all of your favorite memories and photos of her.
  • Make her a handmade card or mini book with special photos or memorabilia.
  • If you’re computer savvy, create a video slide show of your favorites times spent together.
  • Make her a spa basket with handmade treatments (plenty of recipes can be found online).

Get creative, put a little extra thought into it and give her a special gift from your heart!

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“When you look into your mother’s eyes, you know that is the purest love you can find on this earth.” ~Mitch Albom

Thoughtful Thursday Easter Sunday

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Hard to believe that Easter will be upon us this coming Sunday, April 9th. These first months of the year have just flown by. I hope that you’ll be able to spend time with family and friends on this beautiful day and create some wonderful memories!!

I remember growing up how magical my mom would make Easter for us. It would start with a morning mass and then transition to a fun filled day with family and friends. The Easter Egg hunts were always the most exciting part of my day! I hold those memories dear to my heart and I’m so very thankful for them.

Wishing you a joyous Easter Celebration!!

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Thoughtful Thursday Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Time seems to fly by faster and faster because Thanksgiving is here once more. Hopefully you’re able to slow down a bit and enjoy this special holiday. Take the time to really savor the intimate moments with family and friends and create some special memories.

I want to thank you for your continued love and support and for joining me on this creative journey! It really means a lot to me 💖💖

Wishing you a Very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

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Family Art Journaling

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With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I thought I’d share these special journal pages with you. They were created by my family 😊

It was a fun time talking and laughing as we passed the journal around. The idea was that each person takes a turn drawing a line in the journal. You keep passing it around and adding more lines until it’s mostly filled up. It’s pretty funny to see the images that emerge from all the random lines. You can add some color if you like and you’ll end up with a fun family art journal that you can keep as a memento for your special day.

Hope this inspires you to create some fun memories this Thanksgiving. Thanks for stopping by!!!

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Thoughtful Thursday Book Review – Grace Notes by Alexandra Stoddard

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With this year coming to an end, faster than I’d like I thought I’d share this book review with you. It’s written by Alexandra Stoddard and is titled “Grace Notes.” In this book Alexandra offers 365 daily meditations of grace, one for each day of the year. So with January 1st fast approaching now is a good time to get the book so you can start the new year off on a positive note.

The book is beautifully written with inspiring words of encouragement, love and grace. She even gives you a few lines at the bottom of each day to write you own thoughts if you like. Alexandra also includes with each day famous inspirational quotes and her own personal insights. You can find Grace Notes on Amazon where you can also preview a few sample pages to get a better idea of what the book is really like.

With as crazy as things have become, this is simply a nice way to start each day. It’s a gentle reminder of how to live life with grace. I highly recommend this book!

I hope you enjoyed this book review, thanks for stopping by!!!

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Thoughtful Thursday Vegan Pumpkin Smoothie Recipe

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Pumpkin pie is one of my favorite treats for Thanksgiving but that only comes once a year. So to get into the spirit of Autumn sooner I love making pumpkin smoothies.

When you slowly sip this savory drink bursting with flavors of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg you can’t help but to sit back and take a moment to truly enjoy the season. This recipe is very easy to make and is super delicious! I always try to use organic ingredients when they’re available.

Pumpkin Smoothie

  • 1 C Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • 1/2 Can Organic Pumpkin Puree
  • 1 Small Ripe Banana
  • 3 Tbsp Organic Rolled Oats
  • 2 Organic Pitted Dates
  • 1.25 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/4 heaping tsp Ginger
  • 1/8 heaping tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
  • 1 C Ice
  • 1/2 Hass Avocado (optional) *

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Top with sprinkled cinnamon and enjoy! (Makes about 2 glasses)

* Note: If you prefer a thicker, creamier smoothie the avocados do the trick. They have a mild flavor and give you more of a milkshake consistency. But I would try it first without the avocado because you can always add it later, it should be thick enough without it 🎃 Another trick is to use 2 Tbsp Organic Chia seeds. Soak them overnight in water and add them to your smoothie mix and blend.

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Slow Pace of Autumn

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Hard to believe that autumn is officially here today. It’s the time of year to slow down and really take in the beauty of the season. Before long, Mother Nature will repaint her canvas from beautiful greens to stunning hues of yellow, red, orange and brown. Gentle breezes begin to roll in and rustle the fallen leaves bringing much needed cooler temps.

We bid farewell to summer as we watch the days become shorter and nights become longer. We get our warm comfy sweaters out, light a few candles and settle in for the season. It’s a time to rest, reflect and finish what’s needed.

Although here in the South we don’t really see a change in this breathtaking season, I bring warmth into our home by decorating for fall. Being an avid baker the sweet scents of pumpkin, apple and cinnamon fill our home making it even more cozy. How do you spend your autumn months?

Wishing you a peaceful autumn season filled with joy, love and good health!

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Thoughtful Thursday Book Review

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I finished reading “Gracefully You” by Jenna Dewan. In her book she talks about her family life and her career in dancing and acting. Many think a celebrity lifestyle is easy and glamourous. But celebrities face challenges and obstacles just like everyone else. Some even worse because of their notoriety.

I enjoyed reading the book on how Jenna overcame the challenges she faced both in her personal life as well as her career. But she saved the best for last when she wrote about having grace in the worst of circumstances. Especially when it’s so much easier to just let loose and let it all out. But that’s something most would end up regretting the next day.

Life isn’t always easy but it’s up to you as to how you choose to deal with the circumstances at hand. Maintaining grace can be very challenging but it is doable. If you fail by losing grace and have regrets, do your best to make it right. Life has a funny way of giving us second chances to do better and learn from our mistakes. But most importantly, always have grace with yourself.

I highly recommend reading Jenna Dewan’s book “Gracefully You” which is available on Amazon. It was a great read with beautiful photographs and quite interesting seeing life from her point of view.

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Thoughtful Thursday Scary Truth about Rabies Vaccine

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Cocoa

I was horrified when I found out the adverse affects of rabies vaccine on my girls. Most vets give you the option of a 1 year or 3 year rabies vaccine. The majority of pet owners opt for the 1 year vaccine because it’s cheaper and they think their pet is getting a lower dose.

But here’s what you don’t know. The dosage for the 1 year and 3 year are the same. The reason is because the vaccine will stay in your dog’s body for about 3 years. So if you’re getting annual rabies shots you’re basically overdosing on the vaccine.

Adverse reactions to the rabies vaccine can be mild like swelling, lethargy, or vomiting or they can be much more severe. Reactions can show up shortly after getting vaccinated or over a period of time and can cause permanent damage. Dogs Naturally Magazine has a good article online that outlines 65 ways the vaccine can harm your dog including cancers, seizures, epilepsy, autoimmune diseases and so much more.

Sadly I didn’t find out about this until it was too late. I had Cocoa vaccinated annually her entire life. She had the energy and vigor of a young dog until she got her last required vaccine. Within 3 months of getting vaccinated, her health rapidly declined and she passed away within a year.

I miss her a lot but at least now I know how detrimental the vaccine is to dogs so I won’t make the same mistake again. I don’t want you to take my word for it, but do your own research as scary as it may be. Your pup will thank you!

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“65 Ways Rabies Vaccination Can Harm Your Dog” by Dogs Naturally Magazine

Rosie at 9 weeks old

Welcome Rosie

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Chanel our cocker spaniel was pretty sad when Cocoa passed away last summer. She got her happiness back to a certain extent but not like when Cocoa was here. So we’ve been waffling the idea of getting a new pup. We finally decided to go for it and this is our new baby. Welcome Rosie, a Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel from Orlando Cockers.

I know our lives will be turned upside down with this new little bambino in the house but she’ll be good medicine for Chanel and all of us, because life is just Rosie💐

Wish me luck!

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Cocoa (left / 2007-2021) & Chanel (right) – Sable Cocker Spaniels