Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!

To all those celebrating
Thanksgiving
today.

5 Simple nutritional tips for Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are a few tips for enjoying that big meal and 

feeling a bit better afterward!

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Thanksgiving Day meal

1.  Eat small, healthy meals throughout the day before you 

     sit down for your big meal. Don't starve yourself in 

     anticipation of the feast to come

2.  Have small portions of foods that are part of your meal, 

     including veggies

3. Limit your carbs, if possible.

4.  Drink water and take breaks while you are eating to see how 

     full you've become. If you're full, stop eating!

5.  Take a walk! Fresh air is refreshing and even a short walk 

      outside will help you feel better than flopping down on the sofa. 

This is how I handled my eating last Thanksgiving and actually didn't walk away

from the table feeling ill!

How do you handle your eating
on special occasions? 

Ten Things I Love About Fall

 fall lovin'

1. Soup season! 

2. cooking on my wood stove

3. the cooler temps

4. the fashions of fall, especially the boots!

laurenconrad

5. pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere!

6. the changing colors of leaves.

 7.  decorating the house; making it cozy!

fall home decor

 8.  Crisp mornings & sunny afternoons.

 9.  sitting under blankets in the evening for movie night.

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10. planning & crafting for the upcoming holidays.

apple cinnamon Christmas ornaments

What do you 
love about fall?

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Happy Constitution Day (U.S.) - Civics Education

Happy Constitution Day!

September 17 is recognized in the United States as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. The purpose of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is to commemorate the creation and signing of the supreme law of the land and to honor and celebrate the privileges and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship for both native-born and naturalized citizens. 

- Center for Civic Education

Visit the Constitution Day website to explore 

Lesson Plans for each grade level.

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Encourage your kids to Talk about their day!

"Tell me something awesome about today!"

That is a question I asked my kids 

at the end of every day when they

were young!

It opened the door to many wonderful

conversations and I was able to "see"

into the hearts of my precious little ones!

recycled cardboard box, Washi tape,
Echo Park papers (For the Record)
Joy's Life stamps (My Hero)

With school starting, this would be a great way to encourage your children to talk about their day with a positive attitude.

"Tell me something awesome about today."

Let them think for a minute, 'good thoughts,' then jot it down on an index card or let them write it out if they're old enough.  

(helping the teacher pass out papers, encouraging a friend, sitting beside a lonely child on the bus, etc.)

Date it (month, year) and file it under the number date (1-31). 

You'll be creating a beautiful memory file over the years!

Record a Day file box - divider cards

Using my paper scraps, I created divider cards with number stickers and my Joy's Life, My Hero stamp set; so many encouraging sentiments!

The file card box was made with a re-cycled beverage box!

How do you encourage a positive attitude 

in your children?

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My Book Shelf - Book Lover's Day

Apparently I got Book Lover's Day mixed up 
with today's Lazy Day!

As I was quite lazy yesterday (Sunday) as I 
waited somewhat impatiently for the first 
football game of the season last night. 

But I thought I would share some of my 
current reads with ya today anyway.



 Keep It Shut by Karen Ehman 
actually, I just finished it while participating
with an online book club.

some good lessons learned!

A book that I've been reading through slowly for

some time now, to absorb as much as possible...

I'm currently RE-reading The Harbinger 

by Jonathan Cahn. I was talking about it with

a friend and couldn't remember some of the 

remarkable events, so I'm reading through it 

again.

Did you have a chance to participate in the 

#ProverbsChallenge in July? 31 days/31 Proverbs. 

I did and decided to read them again this month 

along with Gloria Copeland's Hidden Treasures book, 

for a deeper study.

And my all time favorite book to read...God's Word!

nothing makes my heart smile more!

I also like to read nature guides, gardening books and 

cook books...so nerdy, I know.

And I couldn't leave without showing you my little

reading corner in our home library room. 

sitting there now while writing this post! (:

my cozy corner of our home library 

What are you currently reading?

Do you have any good reads

to recommend?

HELLO SUNSHINE simple DIY wall art

 

"Some days you just have to create 

your own sunshine!" 

This little gem hangs in the kid's bathroom 

to bring a wee smile each morning.

Hubby made this 5x5 inch wooden base 

with a lip to frame my little creation. The 

design paper was cut to size for the background. 

I used my Cricut (electric die-cutting machine) 

to cut out my sunshine image, stamped the 

sentiment and hung it on the wall!

You could easily use a piece of scrap wood 

or a store bought canvas to make this project, too. 

Cricut - Accent Essentials cart.
Joy's Life stamps (Pun in the Sun)
My Mind's Eye Citron background paper & yellow scraps
Mod Podge,  adhesive & Memento ink (embossed)

This is such an easy art concept, think 

of the possibilities for creating 

coordinated decor for your home.

note: 

My project was photographed before 

giving it a final top coat seal with 

Mod Podge; resulting in a better 

photo without glare.

Do you enjoy creating 
your own home decor?



Want to see more of my
DIY projects?


or click the
"Let's Connect"
tab at the top of
the page for more
options.

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Cricut gift bag - a pretty way to present a gift card

I'm always looking for different ways to present 

gift cards; fun, pretty, unique designs.

Today I  have a pretty one to share. 

A wee gift bag created with my beloved Cricut.

Cricut gift bag with note card

I always stamp on scrap paper first to "test" the stamp. 

Here, my test came out so well that I used it to create 

a little note card.

Stampin' Up:  cardstock, stamps (Happy Harmony, rt.) and markers.
blue textured paper (unknown), Memento black ink, button recycled from my button jar.

 

My custom-sized labels were made in the Cricut Craft Room 

using the free basic software.

online Cricut Craft Room screen shot

What's your favorite way
to present gift cards?

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Line Drying your Clothes - Five Simple reasons

The simple joys of summer...

Why does seeing clean clothes on the line

gently blowing in the breeze bring me such joy?

Maybe it's because it transports my brain back to a 

less complicated time and lifestyle that I so covet, at times, 

in these busy, fast-paced days we live.

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5 reasons to line dry your clothes

1. Fresh Air is Refreshing, for you and your clothes.

   

    

2. Conserves energy and saves money, no static cling, 

    no dryer sheets.

3. If left out too long, no wrinkles, no shrinking or set-in 

    stains. (thanks to your dryer)

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4. Sunlight has a gentle, natural bleaching effect.

5. Clothes last longer; no heat to destroy elastic, 

    no lint or pills.

My handy dandy hubby put my clothesline on pulleys from our house to one of our outbuilding across the yard. It's high off the ground so kids, frisbees, lawnmowers and livestock won't get entangled in the clean laundry; it's a common practice used by our local Amish families.

Amish clothesline

Do you use an outdoor clothesline?

From Cookies to Muddy Boots - DIY Drying Rack

My "About Me" page claims that I re-cycle, 

up-cycle and repurpose for the sheer joy of it. 

Here's my latest joy...

We've all seen the boot drying racks with 

pretty stones, rocks or pebbles in a pan on 

Pinterest, right?

So pretty, yes, however, every time you want 

to clean out all the accumulated mud & dirt you 

have to dump out all the stones, wash them and 

let them dry a bit before putting them back in the pan.

Not very practical for this country girl.

I needed something I could rinse off  easily 

with my hose and put back in place before 

the muddy boots started arriving again!

So here's my solution; old cookie sheet, 

cooling rack and pretty spray paint.

The cooling rack is easy to rinse & dry and 

allows maximum air flow for muddy/wet boots.

Honestly, I did not over think this too much, 

so it was a really quick project. 

I did not "prepare" the baking sheets in any way 

prior to painting. We've been using them now for 

over two months. Works perfectly! 

Have you used the pebble/stone drying racks?
Do they work for your family?

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