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A while ago I saw an advertisement in a magazine for a book release.  It was one of the books in the Debbie Macomber series Cedar Cove.  I had never heard of it before and had not read any of them, but the cover looked interesting as did the synopsis.  I decided to borrow the first book in the series from our library and liked it a lot.  When I went to borrow the second book, I had to be put on the hold list because there was a wait for it.  And then I found out the reason why…because Cedar Cove was coming to TV.

Flip-flops have proven time and again to be a fad-less fashion trend that’s here to stay. It’s an incredible feet (ha ha!), to be sure!

You’ve seen that I’ve written about the importance of keeping an open dialogue and talking about underage drinking with my teenager.  In just over a week we’re going to be dropping her off at college and while I trust she’s going to make smart decisions, I can’t say the same for the rest of her peers . 

You can help fight childhood cancer one cup of Freckled Lemonade at a time!

When we purchased our home last year, we went into the deal knowing that this 1980’s era house would require quite a bit of updating.  The sellers had done some minimal upgrades to bring it into the 21st century, but they left us with plenty of work to do.  Like removing the trash compactor in the kitchen.

In all our years combined (and my husband has 50 of them to his life so far!) no one in our family knows what it is like to be hungry.  We can reach into the pantry, fridge or freezer for anything from a juice drink to chicken nuggets at any given time.  After having a child of my own, I had a keen passion for helping the plight of hungry kids in my own community who might go to bed with an empty stomach at night.

The Hunger Heroes campaign is all about action.  It’s about turning families into superheroes, and tapping into the incredible power of giving. 

So there are two things I thoroughly enjoy when it’s time to kick my feet up on the couch and relax.  Drinking coffee and watching HGTV.  I can totally get absorbed in both.  My coffee addiction is legendary, as is the barista bar in my home.  Brewing up a cup of coffee and tuning in to Flip or Flop, Love It or List It or my new favorite Flipping the Block, has me completely engrossed on a Sunday evening.

Did you see last week’s episode?  Whitney (who also happens to have a blog!) & John won a consult with David Bromstad the previous week for their bathroom reno project.  He gave them some great advice and painted them some original art work.

Last week I got the chance to cross off another thing on my bucket list.  Stomping grapes at a winery.

As a parent taking Amber to the doctor for immunizations was never something I looked forward to.  She was full of anxiety and her drama queen persona would melt down into something worthy of the Oscars.  Promising her a special treat and a fun bandage would calm her down just long enough for the nurse to give her the shot.  Afterward Amber would proclaim “That didn’t hurt so much!”  Yet she would still hold me to my promise of the treat 😉

I think she was fully convinced that when she finished high school all that was behind her.  She was not amused in the least to find on her university admissions forms that she needed a meningitis shot.

You can give your foods a flavorful punch with a simple, yet flavorful marinade using Holland House Cooking Wines.  Veggies (especially eggplant, zucchini, asparagus and mushrooms) and meats soak up the flavor and it’s as easy as letting them marinate and then tossing them on the grill!