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How to Make a Pine Cone Cheese Ball

How to Make a Pine Cone Cheese Ball

November 8, 2018 By Leslie 23 Comments

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Both festive and flavorful, this pine cone cheese ball is the perfect make ahead recipe for easy entertaining at holiday parties.     “Grandma and Grandpa really like cheese and crackers.” Kids say the craziest things, don’t they? It was during one of our visits to my in-laws house that our oldest daughter decided that […]

11 Downright Delicious Green Bean Recipes for Thanksgiving

11 Downright Delicious Green Bean Recipes for Thanksgiving

November 1, 2018 By Leslie 11 Comments

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Green bean recipes for Thanksgiving don’t require anything canned. Here are 11 recipes that are delicious, easy, creative, and perfect for your holiday table!     I could be wrong, but I’ve always considered green bean casserole to be a Southern thing. You see, although I grew up in Virginia, my family hails from the […]

25 Stunning Sweet Potato Dishes to Make This Thanksgiving

25 Stunning Sweet Potato Dishes to Make This Thanksgiving

October 18, 2018 By Leslie 23 Comments

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From easy casseroles to tender slices roasted in the oven, this is the ultimate list of sweet potato dishes to add to your Thanksgiving recipes this year.      Our family doesn’t play by all the rules for Thanksgiving. The turkey doesn’t see the inside of an oven, I’m not a fan of traditional green […]

Pumpkin Pie Bars with Nutella…It’s Like a Chocolatey Pumpkin Pie!

Pumpkin Pie Bars with Nutella…It’s Like a Chocolatey Pumpkin Pie!

September 6, 2018 By Leslie

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Pumpkin pie bars with Nutella create a terrifically tasty twist on the classic pumpkin pie. Perfect for parties, you and you guests are going to love them!     “Ummm….honey, did you know I already have canned pumpkin in the pantry? And sweetened condensed milk, too.” It’s always interesting when the Husband tries to bake. […]

17 Unique Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes You Have to Try

17 Unique Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipes You Have to Try

November 13, 2017 By Leslie 14 Comments

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Tired of turkey hash and pot pie? Change things up with these 17 unique Thanksgiving leftovers recipes that will make you fly through those leftovers!     This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for […]

15 Killer Fall Appetizers for Crowd | Recipes You Need to Make

15 Killer Fall Appetizers for Crowd | Recipes You Need to Make

November 6, 2017 By Leslie 16 Comments

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Whether you’re looking for easy make-ahead finger food or hearty choices for a crowd, these 15 killer fall appetizers need to be on your menu.   This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for this […]

Thanksgiving Tablescapes | Using Nature for Decor

Thanksgiving Tablescapes | Using Nature for Decor

October 30, 2017 By Leslie 26 Comments

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Budget friendly Thanksgiving tablescapes start with using nature for decor. Learn how to make a table setting using leaves & branches from your own backyard.   This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for this […]

10 Stress-Free Tips for Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

10 Stress-Free Tips for Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

October 16, 2017 By Leslie 17 Comments

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Follow these 10 stress-free tips for hosting Thanksgiving dinner so you can enjoy spending time with family and those who matter most!     I am always fascinated when people say Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. While I enjoy Thanksgiving, something about it just feels so stressful. You work the first day or two in […]

Your All-in-One Printable Thanksgiving Dinner Planner

Your All-in-One Printable Thanksgiving Dinner Planner

October 2, 2017 By Leslie 10 Comments

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Stress be gone! This printable Thanksgiving dinner planner keeps your checklist, menu, & notes all in one convenient place with a bonus day-of planner too!   This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for this […]

7 Stunning Ways to Decorate with Pine Cones this Year

7 Stunning Ways to Decorate with Pine Cones this Year

September 14, 2017 By Leslie 19 Comments

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Whether you like natural and classic or bright and modern, these 7 stunning ways to decorate with pine cones are perfect for fall and winter decor.   So you want to create beautiful seasonal decor, but have no room to store gobs of decorations for each holiday or season? Same here. We barely have room […]

45 Pumpkin Spice Recipes So Good You’ll Crave More

45 Pumpkin Spice Recipes So Good You’ll Crave More

September 4, 2017 By Leslie

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Do you crave pumpkin spice recipes once the temperature dips below 80? Then you’re going to love this list of 45 pumpkin spice recipes for every occasion!     I have a confession to make. Pumpkin spice flavoring has been making its way into my coffee since mid-August. I know, I know. It’s barely September! […]

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An Elegant Woodland Holiday Tablescape (You Can Actually Afford!)

An Elegant Woodland Holiday Tablescape (You Can Actually Afford!)

December 5, 2016 By Leslie 15 Comments

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Disclosure: I received free products in exchange for providing my unbiased review of Oriental Trading Company products. All opinions expressed are my own. Even though Christmas is my favorite holiday, we’ve only hosted one Christmas dinner. We have no plans to host dinner this year, yet I stll got an itch to pull together winter […]

Sweet Potato Bars with Maple Frosting

Sweet Potato Bars with Maple Frosting

December 2, 2016 By Leslie 43 Comments

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Make these sweet potato bars with maple frosting and everyone will ask for the recipe! Full of seasonal flavors, they’re the perfect fall or holiday dessert.     I love it when a baking experiment turns out better than you ever expected. But that’s exactly what happened when I decided one day to bake sweet […]

Cranberry Curd Bars with a Pistachio Crust

Cranberry Curd Bars with a Pistachio Crust

November 28, 2016 By Leslie 6 Comments

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Cranberry curd bars with a pistachio crust are the perfect holiday alternative for anyone who loves the sweet-tart combination of lemon bars.     This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for this site to […]

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

November 23, 2016 By Leslie 1 Comment

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I just want to take a time out to say thanks to every one of you that visits this blog. I don’t blog for the money or for fame (obviously), but because I love inspiring you as often as possible. It’s been one heck of a year. We’ve lost significant cultural figures and icons (Alan […]

54 Fantastic Free Thanksgiving Printables

54 Fantastic Free Thanksgiving Printables

November 18, 2016 By Leslie 15 Comments

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Take a look at the best free Thanksgiving printables, and have your Thanksgiving decorations and activities ready in a snap!     It feels like I wonder the same thing every year…how on earth did Thanksgiving get here so quickly? Wasn’t it just Halloween? Though I can’t say we don’t have any Thanksgiving decorations up […]

15 Pumpkin Recipes to Take you From Breakfast to Dessert

15 Pumpkin Recipes to Take you From Breakfast to Dessert

October 6, 2016 By Leslie 13 Comments

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It’s October and I haven’t made a single pumpkin recipe yet this fall. It’s not that I don’t love pumpkin. I do. We had exactly one Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie and I nearly felt scarred for life. (Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it didn’t feel right at all.) Life has just been a little […]

How to Preserve Pine Cones and Acorns for Decorating

How to Preserve Pine Cones and Acorns for Decorating

September 19, 2016 By Leslie 20 Comments

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Find out how to preserve pine cones and acorns that you find in your back yard so your fall decor stays bug and mold free for months.       Imagine creating a beautiful centerpiece by putting pine cones from your yard into a glass apothecary jar. You’re thrilled that you pulled together seasonal decor […]

Bless This Child: Baby Boy’s Fall Inspired Baptism

Bless This Child: Baby Boy’s Fall Inspired Baptism

September 15, 2016 By Leslie 17 Comments

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What do you do when you’ve got 20 people coming over for a baptism, and all your time is taken up with a baby and a 3-year-old? For us, the answer was to keep things simple and to find a way to combine kids activities with fall inspired baptism party preparations. You might say that […]

{12 Days of Holiday Candy} Pumpkin Gingerbread Truffles

{12 Days of Holiday Candy} Pumpkin Gingerbread Truffles

December 2, 2015 By Leslie 9 Comments

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Get your pumpkin spice fix with these two delicious pumpkin truffles recipes: pumpkin gingerbread truffles and pumpkin cream cheese truffles.   Are you tired of pumpkin yet? If you are, I’m sorry to say that this post just might put you over the top. Maybe I did a good job avoiding too much pumpkin spice […]

6 Fabulous Thanksgiving Ideas to Try this Year

6 Fabulous Thanksgiving Ideas to Try this Year

November 24, 2015 By Leslie

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It’s official.  The holiday season has started.  The free satellite radio preview started the other day, which means that the kids and I are now officially listening to Christmas music.  And this is our year off from hosting Thanksgiving…something for which I am very thankful right now. Though, I don’t want to stay out of […]

53 Free Thanksgiving Printables

53 Free Thanksgiving Printables

November 20, 2015 By Leslie

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I’ve been sitting at my computer trying to figure out how to start this post…or even if to hit publish. If it had gone out yesterday as scheduled, I never would have thought twice.  But this morning, I got up as usual, rushed the kids out of the house to school, and for the first […]

How to Grill a Turkey on a Charcoal Grill for Thanksgiving Dinner

How to Grill a Turkey on a Charcoal Grill for Thanksgiving Dinner

November 12, 2015 By Leslie 13 Comments

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Learn how to grill a turkey on a charcoal grill even if you have a big turkey! The smokey flavor is fantastic for your holiday dinner & amazing in leftovers. Yum!        This post was nearly titled “How I spent $200 on a Thanksgiving turkey”. Thankfully, it’s more like “How I avoided spending […]

Six Gorgeous Fall Wreaths to Make Today

Six Gorgeous Fall Wreaths to Make Today

October 12, 2015 By Leslie

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There’s something about the crisp fall air that makes me want to hang a wreath. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s because wreaths are so inviting, and fall is the earliest start to the holiday season, when we invite family and friends into our homes. A pretty wreath sets the tone for entering […]

5 Delicious Apple Recipes to Make this Fall

5 Delicious Apple Recipes to Make this Fall

October 5, 2015 By Leslie

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Did you know that September 26th was Johnny Appleseed Day?  I was clueless, until T’s school celebrated the occasion last week.  When she mentioned the festivities to me, I remembered the Johnny Appleseed stories from my youth. Talk about a walk down memory lane!   T’s school really made the day fun for the kids. […]

A Rustic & Gold Thanksgiving That Anyone Can Recreate

A Rustic & Gold Thanksgiving That Anyone Can Recreate

December 1, 2014 By Leslie

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We officially survived hosting another Thanksgiving dinner.  It’s almost hard to believe that seven years ago I swore off hosting Thanksgiving at our house. Two years ago, I broke that promise with a table covered with the colors of fall leaves. This year, I pulled together a gold Thanksgiving tablescape that has me looking forward to […]

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

November 27, 2014 By Leslie

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{Roundup} 48 Thanksgiving Printables

{Roundup} 48 Thanksgiving Printables

November 18, 2014 By Leslie

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It’s that time again!  Time to round up this year’s Thanksgiving Printables!  I bet few of you know that Thanksgiving was the very first holiday that I did a printables roundup.  It was way back when I first started blogging, and I was just so impressed with the time and effort that other bloggers would […]

Thankful

Thankful

November 28, 2013 By Leslie

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  **definition according to Merriam-Webster Today I am thankful for snuggles and kisses from little people who are half me and half the man I love.  I am thankful for having met someone who is willing to put up with everything I throw at him.  I am thankful for a home filled with love and […]

{Roundup} Thanksgiving Printables

{Roundup} Thanksgiving Printables

November 21, 2013 By Leslie

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Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just a week away?  Time just keeps going by faster and faster. That means it’s time again to roundup this year’s best printables to help you plan and decorate for your holiday.  Make sure your printer’s ink cartridges are full and you have plenty of cardstock and photo paper, […]

Confession…We Cheated for Thanskgiving

Confession…We Cheated for Thanskgiving

November 18, 2013 By Leslie

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Here’s a riddle for you…can you find the food on this table that’s store bought? Here’s a little hint: it used to gobble. That’s right.  We bought a pre-cooked Thanksgiving Turkey last year.  I’ll say it again: We bought a pre-cooked Thanksgiving turkey.  And I have absolutely no regrets about it. Typically when I take […]

{Looking Back} Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

{Looking Back} Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

November 4, 2013 By Leslie

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Last year we hosted our second-ever Thanksgiving dinner (check out pictures of the first!).  It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun as well.  We’re not hosting this year, but since we’re less than four weeks away from the big Turkey day, I thought it would be fun to take another look […]

{Friday Five} Entertaining Tips & Ideas

{Friday Five} Entertaining Tips & Ideas

December 7, 2012 By Leslie

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‘Tis the season for entertaining.  Over the last several weeks I’ve seen tons of great articles on how to simplify entertaining while still making your event memorable.  Check it out: 1. Chris over at Celebrations at Home shares her Top Ten Party Supplies.  I’ve heard her offer some of this advice before, and after throwing […]

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Looking for a little more creativity in your life? From Play Dates to Parties is the place for you!

Hi there, I'm Leslie! Join me as I find ways to fit creativity into everyday life while juggling a household and three kids. It all starts with the food you eat, the home you live in, and finding any reason to celebrate.  {Read More}

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