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Tag: thanks

  • Giving Thanks is More than a Holiday

    Giving Thanks is More than a Holiday

    While browsing my Facebook newsfeed this morning I came across this video. It so perfectly summed up how I feel about gratitude and also gave me more to think about. I hope that I live my life in a way that when I’m old and grey I continue to have these same feelings of gratitude for my life.

     
    There were a few parts of this that especially spoke to me

    Giving Thanks isn’t a Holiday. It’s how happy people live

    We never had much money to speak of, but I never felt poor.

     
     
    This is linked up to Creative K Kids Thankful Thursdays
    Creative K Kids
  • Tis the season for Humidifiers

    Tis the season for Humidifiers

    Creative K Kids

    Our week has been filled with raspy coughs and leaking noses. The cold weather always seems to bring it out in my kids. It’s hard not to love a face like this though.

    Over the years we’ve avoided buying a humidifier. There was a time we went through 3 humidifiers in one winter, because they either broke, or just didn’t even work. Poor Prince L though, he’s really been suffering, and it’s effected his sleep, which in turn effects my sleep.  So I called up my mom and asked if we could borrow their humidifier for a couple of days.

    Oh my word, I’m sold. I love this humidifier.

    It’s not loud, and creates more of a white noise sound, it has a night light, and it WORKS!  
    I am so THANKFUL my parents were able to let us borrow their humidifier this week. I don’t want to give back. 
    I remember as a kid my mom pulling out our humidifier during cold weather, and our de-humidifier in the summer. Oh I hated them as a kid. One meant waking up feeling like I was sucked dry of every liquid in my body, and the other meant more running noses first thing in the morning. 
    I’ve since learned to love them. When we moved to Utah, dry dry Utah, I really missed the humidity of the north east. I am so very very grateful for humidifiers in this climate, and with my kids colds. The comfort they now provide is priceless. 
    I’ll leave you to browse the rest of today’s Thankful posts, while I head to Amazon and purchase my own Humidifiers, since I have to give my parents theirs back. 

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  • Pomegranate Memories #ThankfulThursday

    Pomegranate Memories #ThankfulThursday

    I’m joining Tammy from Creative K Kids, to bring you a 4 part series this month on what we are Thankful for. I try all year long to show gratitude in my daily life, but the month of November with our thoughts turned to Thanksgiving, it’s nice to look a little deeper, and share a little more.  Feel free to link up your thankful posts, or share with me in the comments what you are thankful for.

    One of my fondest memories of this season, is sitting around with my Dad as we peeled and de-seeded a Pomegranate. We only got a few during this season, as a special treat, and if we wanted to enjoy the goodness inside, we had to help with the work of getting the fruit. It was always a fun time, that brought us closer as a family. 
    I am so grateful for my Dad and the simple lessons he taught us using a Pomegranate.  
    – We have to work hard before we get a reward
    – Some things are worth waiting all year for. Even if it’s just a small taste we get. 
    – Family togetherness is important.
    I am grateful for smart, dedicated people, who have learned how to simplify a task, making it a little less hard. Recently a couple of my friends shared this video, on how to de-seed a pomegranate with a wooden spoon. After giving it a go, I’m here to tell you, it actually works! It is so much better than the water method (which I never could get to work well).  
    Now you may think that I’m taking away from teaching my kids with this new method, but I’m not. They aren’t big fans of this delicious fruit – too bad for them, great for me – and the faster method means I don’t waste as much with my finger picking, seed mushing way. 
    To put it simply, today I am grateful for Memories, Dads, Smart People, and a bowl full of Pomegranate seeds waiting in my fridge for me. 

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  • Anise Orange Biscotti {Foodie Friday}

    Anise Orange Biscotti {Foodie Friday}

    Every year my family has an h’or doeve contest for Thanksgiving. It gives us something to snack on during the day while waiting for the big meal.  This year I decided to try making some biscotti. I’ve never had biscotti before, but heard it’s good. I was not expecting it to be so hard though.

    So, make sure you have something nearby to dunk these in. Today’s choices ranged from tomato soup, wassail, and hot chocolate.  All were found equally enjoyable.

    Anise Orange Biscotti

    Ingredients
    2 eggs
    1 cup sugar
    1/4 tsp vanilla extract
    1/4 tsp anise extract
    2 tsp McCormick Valencia Orange Peel
    dash of anise seeds
    2 TBS 100% Orange Juice
    2 cups flour
    1/4 tsp salt
    1 tsp baking powder

    Directions
    Preheat oven to 350 F.
    Whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla, anise extract, orange peel, seeds and juice together.  In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Slowly stir the dry mixture into the wet, until fully combined.
    Separate the dough in half, and form 2 logs. Aproximately 2 inches by 12 inches.
    Grease a cookie sheet!
    Place the logs on the cookie sheet, and bake in the oven for 35 minutes, and the tops are slightly brown. Remove from oven. Lower the heat to 325.
    Allow the biscotti to cool for 10 minutes. Cut into 1/2 inch slices, and place back on the pan cut side down. Bake for another 15 minutes.
    Let cool.
    You can dip them in chocolate, drizzle chocolate on top, or leave plain.

    I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thanks for being a part of Foodie Friday. I am truly grateful for my cohost Diane. She really helped kick this party off the ground. And without all of your, this party wouldn’t be so much fun. I am grateful to those of you who come by every week and link up with us. You’re recipes, kitchen creations, and food knowledge always inspires me.
    Now on to the 
    ~FEATURES~
    Post image for Recipe: Sugarplums from Real Food for the Holidays by Nourished Kitchen
    Sugar Plums
    from Real Food Forager
    This screams Holidays! I’ve never had sugar plums, but watching the Nutcracker always makes me want one.

    Baked Cheesy Chicken Taquitos
    Baked Cheesy Chicken Taquitos
    After all the Thanksgiving fare, I was looking for something a little more light. This looks perfect!

    Portuguese Style Orange Cake
    This just looks so yummy! Even if I did eat some pie recently, I think I could go for this!

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  • We found a House

    When we decided it was time for a change, and made the decision to sell our home of 1 year, it was hard. For me, it was extremely emotional. We had spent 6 years moving around, renting where we could find the cheapest prices, and we had finally decided to settle our family down, in a home of our own, where we could paint the walls however we wanted.

    Packing up and moving a year later was not in the plans. Not even the slightest thought of that. But we did it. It happened. After being home owners, though, going back to renting has been extremely difficult. I am grateful, mind you that our landlord rented his house to us on such short notice, so we could move as a family. I’m grateful for a roof over our heads, that keeps us (mostly) warm at night.  I am grateful for a kitchen, with a stove and fridge to prepare yummy meals for my family.

    I am most grateful however, for my husband. That together we knew we wanted to find a home for us again. One that fit our lifestyle, and our kids. One that we could change from just a house, to a home.

    And after much searching, we finally found it. I was hoping to show you pictures this week of us moving into it. But it’s taking a little longer to close than we had hoped. That is not going to get me down though! It means instead of moving over our holiday break, we get to relax and enjoy family time.

    However, I do want to show you some pics of our almost new home.

    Sorry it’s not the greatest picture. It is pretty amazing though! I can’t wait to show you more pictures once we’ve moved in…hopefully before Christmas.

  • I won!

    I want to thank all my readers, and loyal followers for being a great support to me this last year as I grew Home Maid Simple. Never in a million years did I expect to be where I am right now.  Thanks to all of you, and some wonderful blogging friends who have advised me (Simple Stacie and Sassy Sanctuary specifically), I never would have had the opportunities this last year.
    Two opportunities, in particular, that have given me more validation in what I do as a mother, homemaker, and blogger. The first came from a review I did for Cranberry Naturals in November.  As part of the review, they asked me to come up with a new recipe using Cranberry Naturals. It sounded like a lot of fun, and a way to start creating more in the kitchen. Yesterday I received an email telling me the Cranberry Wassail I created had won the recipe contest!  I honestly wanted to cry. Creating recipes has never been a strong point for me, and I almost always have to follow a recipe. Before making my wassail I took the time to search out other wassail recipes, get an idea for what generally goes into a wassail, and then I went from there, using my own ingredients and taste preferences. I may have won $100 visa card from Cranberry Naturals, but emotionally they gave me much more.
    You can view my recipe on the Old Orchard webpage.
    The second opportunity that has made me so thankful for all of you and this blog, came from Rodelle Vanilla. Back in October I blogged about the Rodelle Challenge; a contest that was being run on their facebook page. All you had to do was submit stories, photos, or video’s of memorable baking moments.  I personally have many memories from my childhood of baking with my mom, aunt and grandma, but I was trying to create more of those same memories with my kids. Once again yesterday, I was announced a grand prize winner of the Rodelle Challenge.  I hadn’t gone out of my way to create the memories I shared with my kids, but they were truly things we do on a weekly basis (we made a peach pie this last week, didn’t turn out so great, but it was fun making!).  To have those memories honored by a company like Rodelle, again was more emotionally gratifying than the actual prize (a KitchenAid Mixer!!). 
    Without this blog, and the support you have all given me, I wouldn’t have had these opportunities. More than ever I have more motivation to keep making memories with my kids, pursue my culinary skills, and continue sharing the joys I find in my simple life with all of you. I hope you all enjoy what I write, and if you ever want me to post something specific, I’d love to hear from you!
    You can always contact me at