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.

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!

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.

Burlap Swag

I love swags on my mantle. It just dresses it up so much without being too overbearing and gaudy. This fall I decided to play around with some of the cute little dried Indian corn that was at the farmers market. I always love those little bundles, so I wanted to do something that would really showcase them. I came up with this awesome swag. I will give you step by step instructions, including how to make an awesome bow to go with it.

Fall Centerpiece

I love it when September hits and I can pull out the fall decorations. It's one of my favorite times of year. When I went to the farmers market this week I was excited to finally see the pumpkins. I always enjoy coming up with fun things to do with the small sugar pumpkins and this year I put together a simple centerpiece for my table. It was super quick to make and looks great.

The Man Cave: Why You Might Be the Turkey on Thanksgiving

I know that insulting Family Strong readers is not the best way to build loyalty. For some reason I don't care today. I'm going to exorcise my Thanksgiving demons. I'm going to pull no punches and say the things that are really on my mind; tell it like I see it.

And if you don't like it...well...you can get stuffed.

10 Tips For Surviving Black Friday

Jess and I are Black Friday Shoppers, and have had this tradition together for about 6 years now. It's really quite amazing how similar my rules for Black Friday parallel those for "Rules of Zombieland". If you have never seen this movie, it's a must in your preparation for Black Friday. Look at it as a training video.... It's quite uncanny how the shoppers you will run into on this morning mirror zombies: you have sleep deprived, caffeine pumped maniacs that will do anything to get what's on their list.

So, here we go - 10 Tips to survive the Black Friday Apocalypse.

Pumpkin Muffins

I love pumpkin! Pumpkin bread, muffins, pie, cake, smoothies - you name it, I love it. This time of year is always a special treat because I really break out the pumpkin and go to town.

This muffin recipe is pretty much a staple right now. I think I have made it three times so far, so I thought I would share.

The Man Cave: Ten Tips to a Manlier Thanksgiving

For many Thanksgiving is the forgotten holiday...the middle child in the Holiday family. Not for me. I love Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday. You get all the perks of Christmas and none of the hassle or pressure. There is very little home decorating, and maximum opportunity for manly pursuits.

Here is how you do it:

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Cake

 Guest Writer: Amy Hamblin

This is one of my family’s very favorite desserts!!  Whenever we are asked to bring a dessert to any function, this is what we bring.  It is easy, it isn’t to bad for you but most importantly it tastes fantastic!

Turkey Sandwiches

Turkey sandwiches... and I meant that quite literally. Another amazing idea floating around out there! People's creativity never cease to amaze me. What a simple way to make lunch fun while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I LOVED this idea..... I wonder if I could get Jess to eat her veggies if I made her this when she comes  home for the holidays?....... Better not get my hopes up.

Oreo Turkeys

I was talking with my girlfriend the other day and she mentioned a care package that she is sending her son. One of the things she was putting in there were the supplies to make Oreo turkeys..... Oreo turkeys? Never heard of them, but it sounds amazing! After our conversation I immediately got online to look these little gems up. I found a few sites that had them, but these were my favorite - SO CUTE!

Paper Bag Turkey

I was jumping around some of my favorite sites this weekend and found this little craft on Kaboos.com. I thought it was so cute that I would share it. Sometimes I really wish I had the little ones still to do fun crafts with...... I guess I should just hang in there. In a handful of years I can start doing them again when I have some grandkids to do them with ;o) Make one of these for me!

Start A Thankful Banner

We have so much to be thankful for in our lives that most of the time we take it all for granted. It really is an eye opener to be able to visualize all of the things you have around you that make your life so great. We did this one year as a family and it was an amazing experience to see all the blessing we have: we started a "Thankful Banner" and it was crazy how quickly it filled up.