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In: In The Kitchen
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As the weather gets colder, my desire to eat more hearty meals increases. One of my favorite cold-weather meals is shepherd’s pie. It is a simple meal when you break it down. Meat, vegetables, and potatoes all together into a piping hot dish. One of the great things about shepherd’s pie is how versatile it is. The type of meat and vegetables that are included can be changed to fit tastes, dietary restrictions and what is available. We prefer ours to be made with just ground beef, though many use a mix of beef and pork. Carrots can be added instead of corn. Really theRead More →

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In: Crafts
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With the holidays fast approaching, you may be thinking that it’s too late to squeeze in some Christmas crafts. However, there are a number of relatively quick to make crafts that are perfect for this time of year. One of those being salt dough ornaments. The ornaments are quite easy to make and only require three ingredients. This is a great family craft, as everyone can choose the shapes of their decorations. Then the real fun comes when it’s time to paint them. Make them as fancy as you wish! Of course, you can also leave them unpainted if you choose. Looking for other ChristmasRead More →

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In: Life In General
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The final month of the year has arrived. It’s amazing how time flies. This month is the chance to tackle any of your remaining 2019 goals. The important thing to remember is to not burn yourself out. While it’s nice to get everything accomplished, sometimes we have to accept that there simply isn’t enough time for it all. Especially with the holidays coming up, we tend to be a bit stretched thin this month. Your December goals should be reasonable, while still aiming to get stuff done before the new year. Before I share my December goals, let’s take a moment to look back onRead More →

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In: Bookshelf
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November had come and gone. That month really flew by, but that often happens as the end of the year approaches. Despite a large number of distractions this month, and not reading many days, I did manage to get a decent amount of reading done. With every book that I read, my enormous TBR shrinks just a bit more. November in books in the eleventh installment of my ongoing series highlighting the books that I read in a month. The post may contain affiliate links. This means that should you make a purchase after following one of these links, I may receive a small commissionRead More →

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In: Life In General
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NaNoWriMo has come to an end! Wow, those thirty days just flew by. Well, some of them flew by, others dragged on and on. Some were great, others not so much. That’s all a part of attempting to write 50,000 words in such a short period of time. With every NaNoWriMo that I participate in, I learn a bit more about myself, my writing and what I am capable of. Not every year is a success. Last year, was an utter failure. Over the course of this NaNoWriMo, I have shared updates on where I have been at. It’s now time for the NaNoWriMo 2019Read More →

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In: Life In General
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I’m really becoming a fan of subscription boxes. Once a month, a box arrives at your door filled with goodies. Boxes that give you snacks are the best. The November Japan Crate recently arrived and I was so excited to dive into it. This is my first experience with Japan Crate. Like other Japanese snack subscription box, Japan Crate is full of different candies, treats and a drink from Japan. Each month contains new items. As a bonus, the pamphlet includes information on events happening in Japan for the month plus a few Japanese phrases to learn. This is great, as I have made itRead More →

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In: Gardening
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The garden season is over. It always seems to sneak up on me. One moment, it’s June and the seeds are going into the ground. Then in the blink of an eye fall has arrived and the last of the plants are clinging to life.  The final weeks of the gardening season are always a blur of frantic harvests, steady weeding and then prepping everything for winter. This garden overview will cover my struggles, triumphs and general thoughts on the 2019 gardening season. 2019 garden overview This was by far the most unusual year for the garden. Normally, we have fairly wet and cool weatherRead More →

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In: Life In General
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Have you heard of Tokyo Treat? It’s a monthly subscription service that sends you candy and snacks from Japan! Japan has such a huge variety of unique snacks, With this subscription box, you can experience a number of those snacks each month and get a taste of Japan at home. The November 2019 Tokyo Treat is my first experience with Tokyo Treat. I was so excited to dive into this box of snacks. My husband got me a three-month subscription to Tokyo Treat as a Christmas gift, so I will be reviewing all of the boxes that I get. Interested in Tokyo Treat? Sign upRead More →

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In: Life In General
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We are about two-thirds of the way through NaNoWriMo! Time is flying by! The word count is piling up and a story is forming. Or at least that’s what should be happening. Everyone’s NaNoWriMo experience is different. Some may be ahead on word count and others may be behind. There may be novels coming to an end or several projects in the works. If you have managed to stay on track, then you should have hit 35007 words now. If you are there, I congratulate you on sticking with it! If you are behind, I congratulate you on every single word you have written soRead More →

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In: Bookshelf
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There was a time when I would read books as fast as I bought, sometimes even faster. This was many years ago when a TBR didn’t exist to me because I devoured books so quickly. Then I began to follow that dangerous and alluring reader path that pits TBR against reader – and the TBR more often than not wins. It’s the point when a reader buys books in vast quantities knowing they likely will never read them all, but they swear that they will one day. While I did go through that suffocating stage of feeling like my TBR would forever win, I haveRead More →