Grapefruit Martini Ingredients: 3 1/2 ounces fresh pink grapefruit juice, plus grapefruit wedge for garnish 1/2 ounce Cointreau liqueur or orange liqueur 2 ounces grape fruit infused vodka Directions: Pour sugar onto a small plate. Wet the rim of a martini glass with cold water; dip rim in the sugar to coat. Fill cocktail shaker with ice; pour in grapefruit juice, vodka, and Cointreau liqueur . Cover shaker with lid and shake. Strain and pour mixture into prepared martini gl

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon cinnamon ½ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp ginger ¼ tsp cloves ¼ tsp allspice 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 ½ teaspoons salt 3 cups granulated sugar 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin or 16 oz. fresh pumpkin pureed 4 large eggs 1 cup vegetable oil ½ cup orange juice 1 can of cranberry sauce Directions: Preheat Oven to 350 degrees, grease 2 loaf pans or line 2 cupcake pans. Sift together all dry ingredients until well blended. Beat e

Loving Your Family As Christmas approaches, it’s always a good time to take stock of all of the gifts in our lives. We are fundamentally grateful for our children and the friends and family we have in our lives. Whatever paths we have taken, the holidays always remind us how strong our family bond is. We sincerely wish a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year to you and your families and thank you for being a part of our journey! #Christmas #Family #Tradition #FamilyTraditions

One of the things that was always important to me about Christmas was giving gifts. From the time I was little and still to this day, putting thought into a gift means everything. Some of my happiest memories were of the gifts I gave my mom as a child. They might have been things I made at school or inexpensive things I could buy, but I loved the look on my mom’s face when she would open my meager offerings. I wanted my children to have this experience, I wanted them to be go

The year that my third child was born was a year of big changes for me. We had bought a beautiful new house, my true “dream home,” I had taken on a promotion at work, my grandmother passed away and I discovered my husband had been unfaithful to me steadily for the last 5 years. It’s such a cliché but, of course, I had found out by listening to his cell phone messages one day as we were having “date night,” but that’s a story for a different day. Part and parcel of finding ou

Loving Yourself My favorite gift to myself is the Dyson Blow Dryer. You should add this to your holiday wish-list! I can’t even begin to explain how it actually works, but it does! It is pricey (at $399.99) but it makes drying your hair a breeze. It doesn't make the room or ME nearly as hot as other hair dryers (for me a huge plus) and with its high velocity focused airflow it dries my hair quickly. It feels lighter and leaves my hair really smooth. The heat shield technolog

New tradition??? The best part about this is that you can easily prep and cook it while working on your other Thanksgiving dishes or you can make it a few days ahead of time. Letting it settle in the fridge for a few days actually helps the flavors blend. This also makes it a great potluck side dish. Cranberry Orange Sauce Ingredients: 2 cups water 1 cup sugar 1-1b package of fresh cranberries ½ cup of other fruit or berry (for this recipe we used clementine tangerines) Direc

Quick & Easy Buttermilk Pie I love how easy this is! Especially when I am scrambling to finish up wrapping presents before my guests arrive. I think this tastes a lot like Crème Brule. Everyone always loves it! Ingredients: 1 ½ cups sugar 1 cup buttermilk (see buttermilk substitute recipe below) 1/2 cup Bisquick or biscuit mix 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) butter, melted 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3 eggs Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Grease a 9-inch pie

Loving Tradition When my kids were born, I started the tradition of having an Advent Calendar. The tradition continues on even though everyone is grown and it’s still a family favorite. I am currently looking for a second Advent calendar so that each of my children will be able to carry on the tradition when they have their own families! The kids would take turns and everyday a door of the advent calendar would be opened; each day there would be a different small gift inside

Loving: A New Favorite Find Being the organized freak that I am, I hate having to rummage through a drawer to find something... especially measuring spoons! These measuring spoons stack together with a magnet! They are double sided with two  different shapes for use with spice jars or liquids... I love them! These magnetic spoons stay organized in your drawer so they are always right where you need them. Made by Prep works/Progressive, these "Magnetic Measuring Spoons" are av