Memorial Day: Much More Than a Reason to Cookout

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Kate Rudy

By: Mary Pat Baldauf

If you’re like me, you’ve been counting down the days until the long Memorial Day weekend. Now that it’s here, you probably have some great plans for this three-day weekend: a cookout with family and friends, a trip to the lake or the beach, or perhaps just a little extra rest and relaxation. But before we slather on the sunscreen or fire up the grill, let’s take a few minutes to learn more about Memorial Day, a day of remembering those who paid the ultimate price in the service of our country.

The holiday was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. It is thought the date was chosen because by that time of the year flowers would be in bloom all over the country.

In 1873 New York became the first state to officially recognize the holiday. While approximately 25 cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson bestowed that honor to Waterloo, New York because they had been conducting an annual community service regularly since May 5, 1866.

Memorial Day continued to be Civil War-focused until WWI when observances expanded to honor all those who had died in America’s wars. It is different from Veteran’s Day, which honors all veterans living or dead.

In 1971 Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May, thus beginning the tradition of federal three-day holiday weekends.

Memorial Day etiquette is to fly the flag at half-staff until noon, then fully raise it until sunset.

To ensure Americans do not lose sight of the sacrifices soldiers have made, “The National Moment of Remembrance Act” was signed into law in December 2000. On Memorial Day at 3 p.m. local time, Americans are encouraged to pause wherever they are for a minute of silence to remember those who have died in service to the nation.

Many people wear red poppies on Memorial Day to honor the dead. This tradition originates from the 1915 poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae.

Some of the biggest Memorial Day parades are in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.

How are you celebrating Memorial Day? What are you doing to remember those who have lost their lives defending our country?

Mexican Hotdogs

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Kate Rudy

By: Brady Evans

Cinco de Mayo is coming soon. This is such an awesome excuse to eat Mexican food, which is one of my favorites. Enchiladas and burritos and tacos can get boring, though. (I must say, however, not SO boring that my husband and I didn’t just practically fight to the death over the last taco from the 18-pack I whipped up the other day).

If you are looking for a sort of American-Latin fusion dish to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, this is the perfect one. Take your favorite hotdogs and top them with the perfect arrangement of classic Mexican toppings and enjoy this holiday!

Mexican Hotdogs

Ingredients

4 hot dogs, cooked as desired
4 buns
1 avocado, diced
1/3 cup chopped Mexican crumbling cheese (queso fresco)
2-3 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion
lime juice
pinch salt

Instructions

Mix together all ingredients except hot dogs and buns
Top cooked hot dogs with avocado topping and enjoy!

Fun In The Kitchen

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Kate Rudy

By: Shannon Shull

As one of our fun Easter activities together this year, my li’l angels and I had some sugary fun in the kitchen! We brought out a cookbook that I had bought years ago, which inspired us to want to get creative with some sweets. If you ever get the chance to check out this particular recipe book by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson, you will see why it’s called “Cupcakes, Cookies & Pie, Oh, My!” This book of super cool baking creations is from the creators of the New York Times bestseller “Hello, Cupcake!” I think the pictures alone in this book are enough to spark anyone’s interest and capture your imagination! Leading up to our special baking “date,” the kids and I scoured over the cookbook choosing our favorite recipes that we wanted to try out. My daughter made a list of each of our favorites and we voted in order to decide what we wanted to create on our day of baking and making artistic desserts.

I also came across a really cute creation on http://www.JustaPinch.com and had saved a picture of this Kit Kat dessert creation called Redneck Piggy Pool. My 7 yr old son, Sawyer, absolutely loves Kit Kats! So, I saved the picture on my desktop for a couple of months knowing I eventually wanted to attempt this one. A recipe with Kit Kats was the main enticement that helped me to get my son to actually participate and join us in the kitchen! When it was time for the Kit Kat dessert making, my son was in the kitchen in a flash ready to play and, of course, sample along the way! And now, because I couldn’t get my hands on any fondant (much less had a clue at first what it was!), instead of making little piggies to go in our mud bath, we put pink Peeps in our chocolate puddin’, Kit Kat fenced in, mud bath! We all thought our little ‘Peep show’ creation was very appropriate here at Easter time!

Naturally, my creative 9-year-old girl, Mina, loved every bit of the baking and creating. In fact, the child is quite the artist in her own right, and I must admit, her creations were WAY better than mine! She’s got quite the knack, so we will certainly make sure to do more of this kitchen fun in the future so she can really tap into her artistic baking talents.

A big thanks goes to my mother, my babies’ grandmother, a.k.a. “MamaMe,” who opened up her kitchen and aided us in our fun quest to produce some of these neat treats. We destroyed her newly remodeled, lovely kitchen! Cupcake and brownie crumbs, chocolate, loads of different colored sprinkles, M & M’s, and several different flavors and colors of icing were not only all over the counter tops, but were spilled and splattered on the floor and cabinets! Fortunately, my precious Mama was so excited to have us there playing with her for the day that she didn’t mind the mess one bit! Thankfully, we escaped with only one kitchen injury (I burned my finger from accidentally touching an incredibly hot cupcake pan), and we made out pretty darn well, had a blast, and ended up very proud of our artistic baked creations.

I of course, was overly ambitious in my plans to make lots of cool, culinary creations and discovered that baking – especially baking with children – takes more time than you ever plan for. So we ended up accomplishing only two of the many recipes we’d chosen, but that’s ok! As you’ll see, our edible art did not come out quite as professional and fancy as the pictures in the book, but we learned several lessons and discovered the importance of specific ingredients and baking tools! And for a first go at it, I’d say our artistic sweet treats turned out pretty darn cool lookin’!

Saint Valentine

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Kate Rudy

By: Katie Austin

It’s that time of year when heart-shaped candy boxes and the color red are all over the place. Originally, I was going to write about Valentine’s Day gift options, since there are so many to choose from; whether it’s an object you can find in a store or a token that you make at home! However, I found myself wondering how and when this holiday began? I just had to know and I thought some of you might be interested too.

Before I started my research, I thought that there was only one saint associated with Valentine’s Day. However, I was wrong! The Catholic Church recognizes at least THREE different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. He defied Emperor Caludius II by performing marriages for young lovers in secret. According to another legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him while he was in jail for helping Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. Before his death, he is said to have written her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today.

Do you know how the tradition of passing out valentines started? The first known written Valentine appeared sometime in the 15th Century. In Britain, by the middle of the 18th Century, it was common for friends and lovers to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. As technology advanced, printed cards began to replace written letters by the turn of the 20th Century. I had no idea that printed cards dated back to 1900! Fascinating!

For more Valentine’s Day information, visit Wikipedia (I love this site!) and history.com.

As always, I will leave you with a related quote. Nothing like a little Shakespeare on Valentine’s Day!

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” – William Shakespeare

Wishing my Every Woman Blog family a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

~ Katie

The Great Santa Debate

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Kate Rudy

By: Crissie Miller Kirby

Yes, you guessed it, I have uncovered yet another article that has led me to a blog posting that I really think almost any of my Every Woman blogger cohorts could write. Even if you don’t have kids, you have an opinion about whether little kids should believe in Santa Claus or not.

I’ll be honest with you, I don’t even remember how old I was when I realized that Santa Claus’ boots were really filled by my mom and dad. There was the year that I got a bicycle: I remember sneaking to the den only to find the doors closed and voices coming from behind. I think that “Santa” was probably saying some choice words over that Strawberry Shortcake bicycle that night! As we got older, my brother and I would actually go on hunts to find our Christmas gifts after we knew our parents had gone shopping. Instead of disappointment, it almost became a game; to see if we could find them, and to (secretly) make fun of their lame hiding places. The big, huge, flat box under my parent’s bed was a dead giveaway that a ping pong table would be standing beside the Christmas tree. There were the oddly shaped items covered with quilts in my parent’s closet. Surely, they didn’t think that we honestly believed that the quilts and afghans stood up by themselves. Then there was the year I asked for a telephone for my bedroom. Ah, yes, then came the day my mom asked me to clean up the living room where she had been wrapping Christmas gifts. And there, on the floor, was the receipt for a telephone, and we certainly didn’t have any new ones in the house at that point. The gig was definitely up at that point. When questioned, my mama said I shouldn’t have been so nosey. Really? She left the receipt on the floor!

Those are actually fond, fun memories for me- not earth shattering news that has me in therapy in my mid-thirties! It actually meant the world to me that my parents always paid attention to what I truly wanted and that most of the time it was there, under the tree. Although, I’m still a little scarred over never having gotten that pony. In all seriousness, I learned some valuable lessons watching my parents on those Christmas mornings of my childhood. My dad, who is the least outright affectionate man on the earth, always, gave my mom some beautiful piece of jewelry or beautiful outfits that he knew she would love. And it went beyond just the gift itself; often the fun part was watching her receive the gift. There was the year he wrapped a ring in a microwave box (please remember this was the 80’s, so this box was enormous), and there were magazines and even a brick or two inside the box. There were multiple wrapped boxes inside each other until she got down to the tiny ring box. From those early Christmas mornings, I learned to pay attention to what people liked and disliked and I learned how special it made them feel to receive something that so much careful consideration had been given to.

My point in writing this is that there are so many who think that allowing children to believe in Santa Claus is harmful, in some way, to them. I wholeheartedly disagree. I will not take the credit for the following, as it was something I found on Pinterest, that fully echoes the sentiment of those of us who truly believe that children can learn valuable lessons from Santa, not just selfishness and greed.

“Dear Ryan, You asked a really good question, “Are Mom and Dad really Santa?” We know that you want to know the answer, and we had to give it careful thought to know just what to say. The answer is No. We are not Santa. There is no single Santa. We are the people who fill you stocking and choose and wrap the presents under the tree – just as our parents did for us, their parents did for them, and you will do for your kids someday. This could never make any of us Santa, though. Santa is lots and lots of people who keep the Spirit of Christmas alive. He lives in our hearts – not at the North Pole. Santa is the magic and love and spirit of giving to others. What he does is teach children to believe in something they cannot see or touch. Throughout your life you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your family, in your friends, and in God.”

This explains perfectly why the belief in Santa is not necessarily bad and why my children will continue to believe for a while yet, I do hope anyway. I am not ready to see an end to the magic.

The New Year Is Soon Upon Us

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Kate Rudy

By: Elizabeth Webber Akre

I hope this post finds everyone fat, happy and still experiencing the spirit of this holiday season. The ornaments and lights have twinkled and lit up our homes. The stockings were hung and delightfully filled. Church services have been attended and filled up our hearts. And then of course, there’s the food…

All of the baking is done, given to friends and probably all eaten. The hams and turkeys have been baked, feasted on and made into sandwiches yesterday. Many sweet potatoes, green beans, biscuits, butter beans, various casseroles, cakes and pies have been happily consumed. Families gathered around tables to share a meal, share their time, and make memories with each other.

And then there’s the New Year. I think New Year’s Eve kind of gets ripped off. I love wine as much as the next gourmand, but I feel sorry for New Year’s Eve. All anyone (in America, at least) seems to focus on in celebration of the New Year’s arrival is alcohol. Nobody plans a New Year’s Eve dinner party. There’s not an “official” New Year’s Eve food (Thanksgiving corners the market on turkey, Christmas and Easter get ham, Hanukkah is filled with challah and latkes, July 4th is busting at the seams with barbeque and Halloween has a monopoly on candy.) But, poor old New Year’s Eve has nothing (food-wise). Champagne, martinis, fine wine and craft beers are great, but without good food, well, you know what can happen.

Personally, I am not a New Year’s Eve fan. What I mean is that I have no desire to go out on this night. Being crammed into a bar with a zillion strangers pressed up against me, spilling stuff, yelling in my ears and then toasting with a plastic glass of Asti Spumante is not at all my idea of a good time. I’d much rather celebrate in my home with good friends, good drink and good food. In fact, what I’d like is a true, authentic reveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre.

I spent the fall semester of 1988 living with a French family in a suburb of Rennes, France. One of the coolest things I experienced was the reveillon. This is a New Year’s Eve festivity to welcome and celebrate the “reawakening,” a new year with a Midnight repast. This was one awesome party/celebration/meal. Probably the best one ever. My sister had flown over to spend Christmas with me and my French family. My host family’s friends down the street planned this reveillon, which was an event that my French teachers never really talked about.

Here’s how it went: We all got together around dusk. We gathered at the table and had aperitifs (kir, Pastis & water, wine) and cheese with fruit. Then, we got up, some of us worked in the kitchen preparing for the next course, drank, danced, listened to music, drank. Then, we all sat down again for the next course, which this night was raclette. I’m sure somewhere in America you can find this appliance, but I’ve never seen one. It’s basically like a table-top salamander. Each person has their own individual, shallow tray on which you place a slab of your favorite cheese.

You place it in the salamander (broiler) until the cheese melts and bubbles. Then, you pour this melty deliciousness over cold boiled potatoes, carrot sticks, bread, crackers, whatever you like. At this juncture, we opened the first bottle of champagne. The first of about 4 cases of champagne. After the raclette, we all got up, moved around, stretched, danced some more, etc. I was finally catching on. We drink, drink, toast, drink, toast, sit, eat, toast and drink, take a break and then we come back to the table and do it again. Now that all the champagne is flowing, I may mix up the order of some of the dishes, but you’ll get the idea.

Over the course of the evening, we had Coquilles St. Jacques (scallops), giant langoustines, filet mignon, a myriad of cheeses (which, in France, is truly a culinary journey). Then, midnight came. This is when it really got going. More champagne corks flew, and then we were on the move. That’s right…down the street we all went. We went to everyone’s house on the cul-de-sac and marched on in to wish everyone a Bonne Année. It was like a New Year’s Eve congo line. We literally filed through all these houses giving everyone the good ol’ French double cheek air kiss, wishing each other “bonne année.” After all of this, we returned to our homebase and popped more champagne. Now, at this point, I can’t even remember what we ate next, but we continued to snack, drink, snack, drink until the sun came up.

Eventually, my French family, my sister and I made our way back down the road to our home. It’s funny when you wake up in the morning, eat, drink and party all night and then don’t go to bed again until the next morning. Takes a couple days to get your circadian rhythms back in order. The reveillon is something that my sister and I have talked about every year since we experienced it. It was a fun, festive evening unlike any we’d had here at home and we both loved it. We’ve often discussed why people here don’t celebrate this way. And, we’ve talked about hosting our own, of course. What we learned is that if you stretch good food and good wine throughout the evening, everyone can maintain his/her composure, keep up the stamina and have one heck of a New Year’s Eve!

Oh yeah, I learned one other valuable little tidbit. If you have a bottle of champagne that you can’t finish (I know, this rarely happens!) there’s no way to recork it, as you know. However, there IS a way to keep it in the fridge without losing the bubbles. You probably think I’ve lost my mind, but I’ve been doing this since 1988 when Nicole and Agnes taught me this trick: place a spoon, stem end down into the bottle. The spoon part will keep it from falling into the bottle. Put it in the fridge and tomorrow, you will still have bubbles. I have no idea how or why it works. I only know that it works. Try it.

Elizabeth writes the blog, Gastronomy (by a Wanna-be Chef). Please follow it and “like” it. And comment. She loves comments!

Gingerbread Cake

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Kate Rudy

By: Brady Evans

This past weekend my husband and I attended a wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony, but I think we both had the most fun the following night at a karaoke bar with the bride and groom, the rest of the bridal party and close family and friends.

Now, my husband is nothing like me when it comes to singing. I’m an embarrassment to mankind while he’s quite a pleasure to listen to. He’s played music professionally for years now, writes original music, has copyrights in the Library of Congress, and has opened for the Indigo Girls (remember them?). You would think he’d be thrilled to do karaoke.

He was hiding his talent like I hid the deliciousness of this gingerbread cake on Thanksgiving Day. It was a new recipe and a foreign concept to me – gingerbread CAKE (not cookies). I wasted more than a few breaths making excuses: I might have overbaked it; it’s a new recipe; I messed with the original ingredients.
By the time we all took our first bite, however, it was obvious that no excuse needed to be made; it was a darn good cake.

I’ll make it again very soon- possibly for Christmas morning because the leftovers were especially delicious with coffee. Oh, and by the way, my husband finally braved the stage and did exceptional (as expected) renditions of “No Woman, No Cry,” “Thunderroad,” and “Rocketman.”

Gingerbread Cake (adapted from So Tasty, So Yummy)

Ingredients

½ cup white sugar
½ cup butter
1 egg
½ cup molasses
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water

Orange Glaze

powdered sugar
juice from one orange
1 tsp orange zest

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch round pan.
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture molasses mixture. Stir in the hot water completely. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake 30-33 minutes in the preheated oven or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.
Make orange glaze by combining enough powdered sugar (2-3 cups) with the juice from one orange to make a pourable glaze. Sprinkle in orange zest and pour over cake.

Six Ways to De-Stress During the Holiday Mess

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Kate Rudy

By: Mary Pat Baldauf

The decorations have been in the stores for weeks – in some cases, even months- but now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, the holiday season is here!

This season already seems different for me, probably because we are closing in on the first year without Dad. It’s not that I don’t want to celebrate and enjoy the season, but my priorities have shifted. Spending time with family and friends seems so much more important than decorating the house or searching for the elusive “perfect gift.”

That being said, the holidays bring their own set of stresses, no matter how you celebrate. When I saw a teaser for Six Steps to a More Stressless Holiday Season in my 5 a.m. Twitter feed, I clicked the link, and I’m glad I did. These tips will help anyone manage the holidays better, but two of them resonated with the way I’m feeling this year: “Keep Your Side of the Street Clean” and “NO is Not a Four-Letter Word.”

Number 3: “Keep Your Side of the Street Clean,” is all about owning your behavior and reaction, not letting someone else hijack your happiness. That’s a good rule all year long, but especially during the holiday season.

Number 4: “No is Not a Four-Letter Word,” reminds us that we have the right to say no to anything that will take the joy out of the season for us. As women, we have a tendency to worry more about others than ourselves, but I’m learning that it’s not necessarily bad to be selfish. The cookies for your work party don’t have to be homemade. Everyone appreciates gift cards. And no one will notice if you wear the same festive sweater to more than one party.

If all else fails, try one of these great “on the spot” time-tested meditation techniques from David Magone, founder of PranaVayu Yoga. Whether you’re stuck in maddening traffic, behind a full cart in the express check out lane or have just run out of holiday cheer, these will help you de-stress and reconnect.

Happy Holidays, Y’all!

Good Grief

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Kate Rudy

By: Crissie Miller Kirby

As you will see from my late night ramblings about Christmas being shoved down our throats before Halloween, I tend to unearth some interesting articles. I have found yet another interesting article to share with you – “Are Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang too mean for today’s kids?” Seriously? The article goes on to talk about the “stupid,” “dumb,” “blockhead,” monikers bestowed on some of the characters, mostly Charlie, and how that may be setting a bad example for the children of today.

First of all, let’s face the facts here: it is a CARTOON people. Getting worked up over a time-honored classic basically says that we are out of focus in today’s society. Instead of using the television as a teacher or a babysitter, we could use it as a jumping off point. Why not use those words in that cartoon to teach a lesson about how hurtful those words can be?

Also, think about what Charlie Brown does in his cartoons. He gets a little down, a little crestfallen, but he ultimately perseveres. He doesn’t let those words make him lash out in anger or pull an oozie on someone. He is who he is, and he doesn’t let the ridicule slow him down or define him.

Another great example is found in Finding Nemo. As you all know, I have two boys under the age of 7, and this was Pierce’s favorite movie before he turned 2 years old. Our copy of Nemo often goes missing because I WANT it to go missing. Why? Anyone recall the moment right after Marlin tells Nemo that he can’t swim out to sea?? What is Nemo’s response? “I hate you!”

Ouch!

So how did I handle that? Did I banish my children from watching it? Umm, NO. What did I do? Yep, you guessed it. This mom took those three words and used them as a chance to have talks with my boys about how mean and disrespectful it is to say that to someone, especially to a parent.

Honestly, I have more heart palpitations over the fact that Max and Ruby appear to have no parents yet appear to live alone, ride on the bus alone, and go shopping alone. Anyone else think about the absurdities of Dora and Diego? Diego is eight, yet, he drives? What about Spongebob and Patrick and all of the real weirdness that resides in Bikini Bottom?

The article also goes on to say that there is nothing good in the Charlie Brown cartoons for today’s children. Again, seriously?

First of all, as a believer in Christ, I LOVE the fact that my children can still watch a cartoon that was aired on television that references what the true meaning of Christmas is and delivers quotations from the Bible. I still get goosebumps every time I hear the innocent, sweet voice of Linus deliver his monologue of the Birth of Christ. Secondly, Charlie picks out what we all deem to be the ugliest tree on the lot. However, after all of the children come together to work on it, it turns into a beautiful tree and Charlie, himself, is wished a “Merry Christmas” by all of the other children who typically torment him. How does that fit in to your head about giving people a chance and changing attitudes and perceptions?

Thanks, I think I’ll keep letting the boys watch, and learn, from good ole Charlie Brown.

10 Things I’m Thankful For This Thanksgiving

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Kate Rudy

By: Katie Austin

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and sadly, I think most of us are focused on Black Friday deals and the materialistic side of the holiday season. Thanksgiving is a time to gather with family and friends, taking time out from our busy lives to show our gratitude and reflect on all that we have been blessed with.

Recently, I took a few minutes and jotted down ten things that I am thankful for. It only took a few minutes and when I read what I wrote down, I had a different perspective. My list is below and I think you will find a few that might be on your list, too.

Be thankful you woke up to see a new day. Not everyone gets this opportunity.
Be thankful for family and friends who love you. My family and friends have been there with me through thick and thin. Without a doubt, I wouldn’t be where I am today without their support.
When your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend is in a bad mood or giving you a hard time, be thankful for having love in your life. There are many people who will spend this holiday season alone.
Be thankful for the ability to pay your bills and have a roof over your head. People will spend this holiday season sleeping in homeless shelters, not knowing where they will stay next.
Parents who raised us, changed our diapers, and put up with us as we found our way through our teenage years. If they are no longer with you, take a moment to be thankful for the time you had with them.
When you’re stuck in traffic, be thankful you have a car to get where you need to go and money to buy gas. When I think about this one, it reminds me of how I used to have take the bus. There is nothing like standing out in the rain, watching others drive by in the comfort of their car.
Be thankful that you have children to love and who love you, and remember that at least some of the time, they do get along. If you do not have children, be thankful for the children in your life and the positive role model you can be for them.
The ability to see the beautiful world around us. If you get a free day, drive up to the Asheville/Greenville area and you will see the most wonderful colors of the season!
Be thankful that you can read these words. So many are unable to read and we take literacy for granted.
Be thankful we live in a country where we have opportunities and the freedom to make choices. It could be far worse and I feel that better days lie ahead.

When you sit down with your loved ones for your Thanksgiving dinner, be thankful for everyone and everything that has made it possible. Cherish the time spent together and soak up all the day has to offer.

What are you thankful for? Please post it here in the comment section so that we can grow our list of things to be thankful for together.

Wishing everyone a blessed Thanksgiving holiday filled with many wonderful memories!

Every Woman Blog

Category Archives: Holidays