You're Never Too Old For Santa!

On of the traditions that Jess and I do every Black Friday is get our picture taken with Santa. It started so many years ago, when we first started going out. Santa's Photo booth was up in the mall, and I guess because it was early there wasn't a single kid for miles. No line, and Santa just sitting there all alone. We decided to go for it and take our picture. It was so fun we have been doing it ever sense. We have about 8 of these gems accumulated now. Start your own tradition with family Christmas pictures with Santa. It's one of our favorite things to do each year.

5 Things To Think About This Black Friday

I love Black Friday: my daughter and I have been chasing down deals for years now. We are NOT one of the crazies that can be seen in the stores at ridiculous hours however, and we will NEVER be seen in a line longer than 5-6 people - there just isn't a deal worth all that. For us, it's just a great girls day, and we enjoy every minute of it. There are a few things about Black Friday however that I completely disagree with. I would really ask you to think about them before heading out.

Strawberry Cake

This weekend we celebrated our baby's 22nd birthday. Ya, I know, that's really showing my age! Every year she wants me to make her my strawberry cake, and it's always a big hit with everyone who is over enjoying her birthday with us. The funny thing about his recipe is, I got it way back in High School in a cooking class I was taking (we won't discuss how long ago that was), and it's still a family favorite today.

10 Ways To Teach Kids Gratitude

We have incredibly blessed lives. When you really take the time to look at the world around you it's easy to see just how many blessings you have: a roof over your head, shoes on your feet and food on the table seem like insignificant things, but they are luxuries that many don't have. I think it's important for us to teach our kids gratitude for the things most take for granted. Here are 10 suggestions to help.

Write A Thank-You Note

Checking the mail these days is a lot different than it was growing up. With texting, email, instant messaging and video chats no one ever gets anything fun in those little boxes by the road side. Heck, you don't even get bills in there any more - the most you can hope for is solicitations and ads. Let's brighten up someone's day, and mailbox!

Pancake Poppers

Yesterday the Seahawks game came on in the morning, so instead of having the usual football fare we decided to do a football breakfast. One of the things I made up were these pancake poppers. They were easy to make a bunch at one time, since you bake them in the oven, and were perfect for a breakfast buffet. No leftovers with these guys!

Thanksgiving Office Decorations

I spend a lot of time in my office: it's where I work, sew and write. I always have some sort of holiday cheer on my desk and because it's been so cold and dark as of late, I wanted to incorporate a burning candle into my Thanksgiving focal point. This is what I came up with. It's super easy, very inexpensive, and makes my office feel nice and cozy.

Pumpkin Doughnuts

Sunday is treat night at our house, and as usual this time of year I had a hankering for something with pumpkin. For some reason I had a yellow cake mix in the pantry, which is weird because I never buy cake mixes, but there it was. Putting the two together, and a little bit of magic, I came up with these baked, low-fat doughnuts. They were so good we couldn't stay out of them.

Pumpkin Bread

It's Fall, which means pumpkin! I love pumpkin and everything that goes along with it: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. A nice piece of pumpkin bread with a hot cup of tea is my idea of a cozy morning on a rainy day. Make  up a batch of this pumpkin bread and enjoy a relaxing morning on me.

Keep A Gratitude Journal

It's really easy to get caught up in life, especially during the holidays. There is so much that needs to get done, places to go and people to see that there isn't much time left for anything else. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to remind yourself of all the blessings in your life. I challenge you this year to start a gratitude journal.

November Holidays

Thanksgiving will be taking front and center in November, but it is so late this year let's have some other excuses to have some fun until then. Here are your unusual holidays for November. Enjoy the changing weather and darker days by staying in and having a min-party.