This week I want to thank all of my beautifully blessed bloggy friends for just being you and making me feel special with all your kind words and comments….now move in close so I can give you all a great big hug!!!
I would also like to thank Missy Homemaker for nominating me for a Versatile Blogger Awardand to apologize for the delay in accepting.
Blogging is a wonderful thing but it can also be overwhelming, however, the recognition for doing so is always rewarding.
In accepting this nomination I am completing the following tasks:
Acknowledge the blogger that presented the award – Missy Homemaker
Name 15 deserving bloggers
Let them know they have been nominated
List 7 interesting facts about yourself
I am nominating the following bloggers in no particular order:
I trust your week is going well and all is good in your neighborhood! When I decided to wear this maxi skirt the first thing I noticed was how beautifully the colors transitioned from Summer to Fall.
Although there is still plenty of snow left on the ground or at least on my back deck, the winds were mild enough so my legs didn’t get too cold. The longer sweater and booties also kept me warm so perhaps this skirt will make another appearance during a winter month (with tights and over-the-knee boots).
This sweater was actually a Christmas gift that my hubby gave to my grandmother over 10 years ago. I’ve always loved the color and the length as well as the crocheted cowl neck collar.
The beige booties were purchased a few seasons ago at Rugged Wearhouse and are quite comfortable, more so than the brown ones that I gave away last week on Instagram. If you don’t follow, you should because I will be giving away more in the near future. #payitforward
Here I tried to re-create the #myessence photo, so what do you think, which season did I wear it better?
I know you are busy but if you get a chance hop over to Alison’s blog and “Get Your Pretty On!” this wonderful Wednesday.
Have a blessed day and don’t forget to share it – Smooches!
Can you believe that there are only 8 days until Christmas? Considering I haven’t started decorating or even shopped it’s definitely going by way too fast for me, I really need to get on the ball.
How about you, have you finished shopping and decorating? Are you baking and cooking up a storm? Are your weekends filled with parties and festivities? If not, why not host a holiday party of your own, a Festive Holiday Sweater Party it’s fun and is also for a good cause.
We all have old holiday sweaters from previous years. What if you could give those sweaters a new life and help support community programs in the process?
Through the AdCouncil’s campaign with Goodwill®, they have developed a new holiday resource that helps you do just that! It’s called Snapguideand it shows you how to host a Festive Holiday Sweater Party using clothing you already have or new clothes purchased from your local Goodwill.
The Snapguide walks you through the steps of hosting a holiday sweater party – from finding the perfect sweater to fit your personality using Goodwill’s online quiz and then getting outfitted at your local Goodwill store. After the party is over all your guests donates the sweaters back to support Goodwill’s mission in providing job training and community services to people in need.
All donations to Goodwill are charitable tax-deductions, including the festive holiday sweaters you donate back. Use Goodwill’s locator tool to find the nearest Goodwill location and the Donation Impact Calculator, shows how every item you give supports people who are seeking to earn jobs and build careers.
On Sunday I headed to our local Goodwill store on Kirkwood Highway and found some really nice sweaters for both men and women – what do you think? They can be jazzed up with holiday decorations or worn just as is.
Your Festive Holiday Sweater Party can be as casual or as glam as you’d like but I guarantee you will find something to fit the bill.
Last year, Goodwill provided employment training, job placement, financial education, youth mentoring and more to 6.7 million people in the United States and Canada. To see how the process works, just watch this “How We Do It PSA” and I’ll get to decorating!
Have a blessed day and don’t forget to share it – Smooches!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are up and at ’em for a terrific week ahead. I’m usually up at 6:00 a.m. but never home before 6:00 p.m, which is why I can catch a weekday sunrise but not a sunset. However, thanks to last week’s snow storm, I was able to catch them both from my back deck.
Behind me and to my left the sun is rising but in order to get a good shot and not one of me squinting, I had to step forward a bit.
Now with the holidays approaching I begin to think and miss my sister and grandmother even more. I have a hat box full of jewelry including brooches and pins that once belonged to them so I decided to wear two of them together in their honor.
These Route 66 knee high suede boots were purchased several years ago at Kmart. I keep them dry and clean by spraying them with a rain&stain guard protector from Payless.
Which do you prefer, a sunrise or a sunset?
Remember the song, “These boots were made for walking” by Nancy Sinatra? You may be too young and if you are, here it is on YouTube.
Liberty Creek is one of my favorite wines so I am honored to work with them in sharing this information with you! Liberty Creek® Vineyards Supports Operation Gratitude in Holiday Drive to Bring Music to Troops Overseas Liberty Creek Vineyards is teaming…
Today’s Friday Foodie Feature is Kale & Black Eye Pea Soup
Sunday I purchased a container of CutnClean Kale from Safeway to be used in my salads for the week. However, after hearing the weather forecast for more snow I decided to use it to make a Crock Pot soup with Black Eye Peas.
In the winter, my grandmother used to make the best homemade vegetable soups using ingredients she already had in the refrigerator, freezer or pantry. So in keeping with tradition I used some leftover celery stalks, an onion, garlic, carrots and Bouillon cubes to make this soup.
Ingredients:
Dry Black Eye Peas – 1/2 bag
Kale – 1/2 package
Celery – diced
Carrots – diced
Onion – diced
Garlic – diced
Bouillon Cubes (2)
Water
Olive Oil
Black Pepper
Smoked Turkey Necks (optional)
Mama Midget (yes that was her name), never used measuring cups or spoons so neither do I especially when using the Crock Pot. I just throw in what I have or think is enough.
Rinse and drain 1/2 bag of dry Black Eye peas
Add 2 Bouillon Cubes to 3 cups of hot water
Pour Olive Oil into Crock Pot just enough to cover bottom
Chop onion, garlic, carrots and celery and add to Crock Pot
Add Kale and sprinkle with Black Pepper
Pour in Bouillon Stock, adding more water to cover all ingredients if necessary
Stir and if desired add Smoked Turkey Legs or Necks
Cover and cook on low 8 hour, high 4 hours – depending on Crock Pot model. Don’t forget to make some Skillet Corn Bread!
Nothing beats walking into the house on a cold and snowy day to the smell and taste of “good ole homemade soup”!
I miss you Mama – RIP!
Do you make any of your mother’s/grandma’s favorite recipes?
Last week before this burst of Wintery weather I was wearing scarves and wraps because I don’t particularly like wearing coats, especially while driving.
Wrap – Burlington Coat Factory | Skirt and Polka Dot Top – thrifted from GW Boutique | Shoes – thrifted from The Salvation Army
Wraps and scarves are easy breezy to put on and take off and were perfect for the late Autumn weather.
But now that the snow has arrived with a vengence, I guess it’s time to break out the full winter gear…the hats, coats, scarves AND gloves…
but then again…maybe not!
Have you pulled out your winter gear?
Linking up today with my girl Whitney for Personal Style Wednesday – come on over and check out her “Thriftmas List”
Last week I attended Delaware Today’s signature event, Women in Business Luncheon (Upstate) which was held at The Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington. This annual event is held to showcase and highlight Delaware’s women in business and provides a great opportunity to network, share and connect with others. It was a warm and beautiful December day made even more so by the smiling faces on the many men and women who came out in support. The lobby of the Chase Center was filled with hundreds of people engaged in lively conversations, and various Sponsors of the luncheon had tables of information, giveaways and games. Music by Phillip Berger entertained the crowd with mellow sounds until noon, then we made our way into the main Ballroom for lunch and the afternoon program.
The meal was delicious and consisted of a mixed greens salad, 1/2 Cornish Hen, Couscous, Steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower. It was definitely far more than what I normally eat, so unfortunately the slice of cake remained uneaten!
Dr. Maria Hess, Editor-in-Chief of Delaware Today Magazine opened the program acknowledging the recipients of this year’s Women in Business Awards. As each name was read the women stepped to the podium and it was wonderfully encouraging to see the diversity among them all. You can find the full list of recipients along with their photos on the Delaware Today website.
Emcee and NBC10 anchor, Tracy Davidson introduced the guest speaker, Dr. Janice Nevin, Chief Medical Officer, Christiana Care Health Systems.
Dr. Nevin gave an enlightening and sometimes humorous presentation. She acknowledged the men and women who challenged her, giving her the resiliency to break through sexual barriers that once held her back. Graduating from the once all-male St. Andrews High School in Middletown, was just the beginning of her becoming “the first female” in many areas of her life including during Medical School.
Sheer determination and learning to “lean in” makes her the wonderful wife, mother, and Chief Medical Officer who is compassionate and resilient despite the odds.
The day ended just as it started with lots of lively conversations, networking, sharing and smiles.
Thank You Delaware Today for honoring these wonderful women!
I trust you all had a great weekend with an opportunity to do something special with your family or friends. Saturday evening after spending all day sitting on hard gym bleachers at our son’s 1st wrestling tournament, hubby and I attended a festive family event. The family members were some that we had never met before nor did we know they live only 12 miles from us.
It was at my mother-in-law’s funeral this past summer that a cousin told us about this annual family affair and invited us to attend. It was a festive evening spent with our new found family members and their wonderful friends.
Here are a few highlights from the evening.
Their home was beautifully decorated and decked out for the holidays
Plenty of food and drinks…
Chatter and Cheesecakes…
Joyful jokes and jolly …
Many conversations and memories from past…
Festive photo in front of twinkling windows…
Giggles, games and gambling…
A night of Festive Family Fun led to a our first Snowy Sunday…
