Month: September 2016

“DIY Halloween Party Decor” – Free Printable!

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Free Halloween Printable

Fall is my favorite time of year! I love all of the vibrant colors of the changing leaves, and the fall decor – mums, hay bales, pumpkins, and gourds just ooze cozyiness!  During this time of year, our youngest gypsy gets so excited for Halloween. She loves everything related to this holiday – trick or treating, costumes, &  of course Halloween decor. We know many of you love this holiday too, so we have created a free Halloween printable!

Click Here To Download Printable

This is an 8×10 black & white jpeg image. You may print this at home on card stock or regular paper and cut to fit a 8×10 frame or print as a photo at your local photo lab. We would love to see how you use this printable in your Halloween decor. Please share your photos with us in the comments or on our Facebook page. Enjoy your freebie!

Where we party!

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Super Easy Beef Stew

 

super easy beef stew

For those days when you need an easy meal to prepare for the family, try this super easy beef stew recipe. This is the perfect recipe for anyone who has limited time and limited ingredients. I don’t keep many spices on hand, so I usually resort to buying pre-made seasoning packets. This time I used McCormick’s Beef Stew Seasoning but you may try any brand you like. Also, I limited my veggies to onions, potatoes, and carrots, because that is what I had available. You may add other vegetables, per your taste.

Finally, I served my stew with cornbread muffins and it was quite tasty!

Print Recipe
 Super Easy Beef Stew
Cuisine Soup
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
6
Ingredients
  • 1-2 lb Stew Meat
  • 1/4 c Flour
  • 4 T Cooking Oil
  • 4 medium Potatoes Cubed
  • 6 Carrots Sliced
  • 1 medium Onion Chopped
  • 3 c Water
  • 1 packet McCormick Beef Stew Seasoning Mix
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste
Cuisine Soup
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
6
Ingredients
  • 1-2 lb Stew Meat
  • 1/4 c Flour
  • 4 T Cooking Oil
  • 4 medium Potatoes Cubed
  • 6 Carrots Sliced
  • 1 medium Onion Chopped
  • 3 c Water
  • 1 packet McCormick Beef Stew Seasoning Mix
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in skillet on med-high heat. Coat stew meat in flour and cook in in oil until browned. Transfer stew meat to Dutch oven.
  2. Add water and McCormick's Stew Seasoning Packet. Stir well.
  3. Add cut-up vegetables and salt & pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
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3 Day No Fail Happiness Challenge

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happiness challenge

Happiness is the ultimate goal in life. Wouldn’t you agree?  It’s safe to say that everyone has their own ideas of how happiness is defined, but I have come up with a WHOPPING list of 3 ways to challenge yourself to be happy. After all, life is challenging enough without adding more challenges to our plates. For today, we will skip the idea of a 30 day challenge and be a bit more realistic. Who has the time for a 30 day challenge? Certainly, not me! For this challenge we will use the KISS principle, that is Keep It Simple Sister. Since I believe anyone can do anything for 3 days, I also call this my NO FAIL challenge. So here goes:

3 Day No Fail Happiness Challenge

DAY 1.  Ditch Social Media – Stay away from social media. There’s entirely too much negativity out there and you deserve a break for the day.

Day 2. Think Happy Thoughts – Life is what you make it, and if you dwell on the things that are making you unhappy, then you may overlook the finer things in life that bring you joy. Happiness is a mindset, so focus on counting your blessings today.

Day 3. Try A Random Act of Kindness – Make a kind gesture to someone else. Nothing lifts the spirit better than showing kindness to our fellow man. There are many ways to accomplish this task, e.g, bake some cookies for your neighbor, rub the hubby’s feet, or take the kids out for a treat. Always remember, it’s the little things that have the power to make our days happier.

Sound too simple? Try our happiness challenge and see how it affects your happy meter.

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