Ringing in the New Year

 We are getting ready to say goodbye (and maybe for some of us it’s good riddance) to 2018 and we are ready to ring in the New Year and welcome the year 2019!!! Can you believe it?! Another year gone, and for some of us, we are wondering where the year went. When I was younger I swear time went so slow, but as an adult, I feel like the hours and days just fly right by.

I am a New Year’s baby so I get to start the new year out a year older, and if I am lucky, a little wiser from my experiences from the previous year.  At the start of every new year, I transfer birthdays, anniversaries and other important dates from my old calendar to my new one so that I don’t miss out or forget anything.

This year, I am doing something a bit different and it’s my birthday wish that you will join me. This year, I am adding to my calendar, once a month, to do something special for someone I love. Often times, when we lose someone, we wish we had spent more time with them or we wish we would have told them how much they meant to us. This year, let’s change that together.

This year, it’s going on my calendar for the first week of each month, and I am going to pick one person that I love and tell them how much they mean to me and do something special for them. This can be a parent, grandparent, best friend, or anyone that is special to you. Some ideas of things you can do for them is to write them a letter, pick fresh flowers for them, send them a box of chocolates (who doesn’t want that!) or even simply take the time to call them and catch up and let them know what they mean to you.

This idea is special to me because a few years ago I was able to tell someone how much they meant to me, and within days, they were gone. I had no idea that the visit with my good friend, Jennifer, was going to be my last. I remember that day like it was yesterday. The last words I said to her before I left her house were “I love you” and I am so glad I let her know how I felt. These days, you just never know. One day your loved one is here and the next day they could be gone.  

So, together, let’s start this year out right and fill up our calendar intentionally with acts of love every month. I know I won’t regret it. I hope you won’t, too.  

Happy New Year friends!

xoxo,

Brenda

Secret Santa....

Don’t you just love surprises? 

I don’t mean the kind where someone is hiding around the corner and jumps out to scare the crap out of you. I mean the kind of surprise that puts a huge smile on your face and that just makes your heart happy! I love happy little surprises. It could be a card in the mail from a friend, a surprise lunch with my mom, or something little like my husband surprising me with candy (I can be bought for a Twix candy bar).

I have a great story about a different type of happy surprise that impacted one of our delivery couriers last year. I ran an outreach program and for Christmas last year, we sponsored 4 classrooms of kids at a school in Ypsilanti that were in need. Some of the kids that attended this school are in transitional housing, living in shelters, or in foster care. Some of these kiddos are in need of clothing, help with school supplies and are in desperate need of shoes. Some wear snow boots in gym class because those are the only shoes they have.  Have you ever tried to play basketball wearing heavy snow boots? 

So, the program I was running collected 12,000 pop cans which enabled us to purchase 100 pairs of brand new sneakers for kids at this school and it was just in time for Christmas!

This project was near and dear to my heart, as it was a huge under taking and it was 8 months of planning and organizing and finally…. The shoes were here! The delivery courier was pulling up our driveway so Colin and I ran outside to help unload them and right away it was clear to us that our delivery man was not having a great day. 

When he opened up the doors to his truck, it was full. I am talking “I stuffed myself with so much food at Thanksgiving dinner that the buttons on my shirt are about to pop and the seam on my pants just ripped open” kind of full. There were boxes everywhere and his truck was busting at the seams.

Our driver started grumbling, “Why do people wait until Christmas to show their loved ones how much they care” and “Why do people do this!? They wait all year to spend all their money in one month, blah blah blah blah blah”. He clearly was not happy. We had 8 gigantic boxes that he had to try and maneuver off his truck and boxes were falling everywhere and you could just tell he had been working very hard, with long hours, long days, and he needed some encouragement. After all, these men and women work super hard, especially this time of year.

Seeing that he needed a little lift in spirits, I said, “You know…. You are helping to make a difference in the lives of 100-1^st grade kids. These boxes are full of shoes that we are giving to homeless kids and children that are in need and because of you, they will get them just in time for Christmas.” 

There was a long pause. 

He just stood there staring at me. 

And then it happened.

Tears filled his eyes and he came at me like a mama bear that had lost her cub and he threw his arms around me and hugged me so tight. 

We were standing there in my driveway just embracing. 

He said that his entire outlook about the packages he was delivering just changed. He said that this experience changed him because he doesn’t know what and who these packages are really for. It was a very moving moment for us all. 

I will never forget the happy surprise he got that day. It changed him and it changed me.

We all hold the power within ourselves to change someone’s day. We have the power within us to surprise someone and to be a Secret Santa, not just during the holiday season, but every day. Do something this week to give someone a happy surprise. It can be in the form of a compliment, a little gift, a jar full of flowers or a warm embrace. 

You never truly know the change it could make in someone else’s life. Your happy surprise could make all the difference in the world.  I hope, this week, there are many Secret Santa happy surprises in your life.

xoxo,

Brenda

Paying it Forward This Holiday Season

Santa is coming!!

Santa is coming!!

Over the next few weeks we will all be shopping for gifts under the tree, attending work Christmas parties and getting ready for round 2 of family visits!  

For some, this time of year can be especially hard. If you’ve lost a loved one during the holiday season, have bad memories from your childhood around Christmas or have struggled with loneliness, this time of year can be very difficult. Instead of excitedly counting down the days until Christmas, some people are counting down the days until it’s over.

For me, I am a Christmas fanatic. I absolutely love the holiday season! I love it so much that our yearly tradition for the past decade has been to put up and decorate our Christmas tree on Halloween. Yep. That’s right. I said Halloween (my husband clearly loves me!). I love the ambiance of the tree in the house, the twinkling lights, the ornaments that hold cherished memories of special places and times. I enjoy the hustle & bustle of the holiday season, the Christmas music, the shopping, and just the overall feel that the season brings.

Although I have a deep love for everything Christmas, it doesn’t mean that I haven’t experienced heartache and tough times during this time of year. I have had deep loss during the holiday season. I have grieved the loss of one of my best friends from cancer during this time of year. I helped to bury one of my friend’s children after a tragic death, and I myself lost a baby just before Christmas a few years ago. The holidays can be very difficult for people that have experienced such great pain.

During the holiday season, although I’ve experienced deep loss and I’ve wrestled with grief, I choose to focus on the reason for the season….. I choose to focus on what the Christmas holiday is all about, which, to me, is the birth of Jesus. It’s really easy to focus on our circumstance and our situation and, when we do that, it can make life very overwhelming but when we take our eyes off our problems and focus on the one true person that can give us hope, it can make an unbearable holiday season one to remember.

What if, this Christmas season, you pay it forward to someone that needs some of that hope and encouragement in their life? What if, this Christmas, instead of anticipating the dread of a busy schedule or the stress of credit card debt, what if we took the time to encourage someone that is struggling and share the hope of Christmas with them. 

This pay it forward project doesn’t cost any money. It doesn’t involve scissors and paper or crafts and confetti. This pay it forward project is as easy as being a listening ear and encouraging someone that may be struggling. 

To me, the hope that lies in a manger at Christmas is the hope that gets me through tough times. To you, your hope may look different. This week, let’s share our hope with others and make this Christmas season a brighter, more cheerful one for someone in need. 

Happy paying it forward friends & Merry Christmas!

xoxo,

Brenda

Kindness & Coffee Matter!

Gobble! Gobble! Gobble! I know as you read that you could hear the sound of a turkey gobbling, couldn’t you?! I haven’t even eaten yet and my pants already feel tight so you know what that means….. only 2 pieces of pie for me and the diet officially begins after all the Thanksgiving leftovers are out of the fridge.

It’s Thanksgiving! A time where we see family that we haven’t seen in a while, a time to visit and catch up and talk about funny stories from the past and a time to over indulge in comfort foods and desserts! From my Aunt Michelle’s delicious 7 layer jello to grandma Pollick’s famous double crusted apple pie; we make time to gather and give thanks for all we have.

Of course, the Thanksgiving season is the perfect time to be grateful for what and who we have in our lives and it’s the perfect opportunity to give back to others through showing kindness. I mean, if we can’t pay it forward during the holiday season what kind of cotton headed ninny muggins are we (if you haven’t seen the movie ELF you won’t get that last line AND we can’t be friends).

This week I have an idea to scatter kindness in your community by paying it forward to someone! I have a super simple idea that is a great way to spread holiday cheer! I am sure in your town you have a great coffee shop or at least a Starbucks close by! I would like to encourage you to stop in and get a cup of coffee or hot cocoa and pay for the person behind you in line! It’s that simple. If you run through the Starbucks drive thru on your way to work, pay for the car behind you! Can you imagine walking in to buy a caramel apple cider and hearing the clerk tell you someone else paid for your drink already?! I don’t know about you but that would make my day!

The holidays can sometimes be stressful with trying to get everything checked off your list like finishing up the last minute home projects before you have a house full of company or trying to keep your schedule straight with all the kid’s holiday performances, plays and cookie exchanges. This pay it forward idea is a fun, cheap and easy way to do something good for others, to put a smile on someone’s face, and, let’s be honest, you were going to stop in to load up on that caffeine anyway to help you get your list done!

The ripple effect your kind gesture can make is actually truly astounding. I heard a story about a McDonald’s drive thru in Indiana where 167 customers paid it forward in one day. It all started with one customer paying for the car behind them and then each car after that paid it forward for the vehicle behind them, and so on. There was only one customer among the 167 cars that was about to break the streak and all of the McDonald’s employees pulled their money together so the streak didn’t stop.  It started with one. One person that decided to be kind and pay for the car behind them and it ended at 167. Talk about a ripple effect and what one kind gesture can do for the community; for the world! 

I’ll be that one this week. Will you join me? Let’s pay it forward together and make our world a better, more caffeinated place…. One cup of coffee at a time.

xoxo,
Brenda

Upside Down Pumpkin Pie

If you love Pumpkin Pie you are going to LOVE this delicious recipe!! It's perfect for the fall, for Thanksgiving and for the Christmas holiday! Plus, it is super easy to make which makes it a true winner in my book!

Check out the recipe below:

Recipe:

2 sticks of butter
1 large can pumpkin (29oz)
3 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 box yellow cake mix
3/4 cup chopped pecans

To prepare:

Melt the 2 sticks of butter and set it aside along with the box of cake mix.

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, eggs, evaporated milk, and sugar and mix together.

Next, add the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix everything together.

Now, pour the pumpkin mixture into a pan and pour the cake mix evenly over the top of the pumpkin, completely covering the pumpkin mixture.

Next, scatter the chopped pecans evenly over top of the cake mix (I only put pecans on half since we have a picky eater in our family. Can anyone relate? ;)

Now, drizzle the melted butter over the top of the cake mix/pecans (you may need to warm up the butter again if it hardened to get it to pour nicely).

DO NOT mix the butter and cake mix together. The butter should just sit on top of the cake mix.

Place your dish into a 350 degree oven and bake for 1 hour.

Tip: serve with cool whip on top

Tip: this is great served warm or cold

I hope you enjoy this upside down pumpkin pie as much as my family does!

Enjoy!
xoxo,
Brenda

Thanksgiving Day Stuffing Recipe

Stop what you are doing and make this stuffing recipe RIGHT NOW! I am not even kidding. This is by far the BEST stuffing recipe I have ever made and my family requests it for the holidays! I think the best thing about this recipe is it is moist (I know most people hate that word) and it has great flavor. It is delicious with our without gravy and your whole family will love it!

Are you ready?

Here we go!

Stuffing Recipe

14 oz. herb stuffing bag
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cups chopped sweet onions (you can go less if you want but we love onion)
1 lb sage pork sausage
2 chopped cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 eggs beaten
1/2 pint sour cream
1/4 cup red wine
2 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

To prepare:

In a large bowl, soak stuffing cubes in chicken broth.

While your cubes are soaking, brown your sausage in a pan.

Once sausage is cooked, remove from pan and set aside, and using the same pan, saute the onions, celery, garlic and butter. 

Once the onions and celery are translucent, toss them in the bowl with the stuffing that has been soaking and add the sausage.

Mix everything together.

Now, onto the wet ingredients.

In a separate bowl, combine the beaten eggs, sour cream, wine, parsley and thyme and salt & pepper.

Once all of the wet ingredients and herbs are mixed, combine it all in to your bowl of stuffing.

Mix well.

Pour this yummy concoction into a baking dish and bake for 45 minutes at 350.

I hope your family loves this stuffing recipe as much as my family does!

Happy Thanksgiving!
xoxo,
Brenda

Pen & Paper

Things are so different today than what they were like when I was a kid. Instead of texting friends, I would pass them notes in class (I ended up with a few detentions that way). Instead of sending e-invites to my birthday party, we went to the store and picked out 3x5 cards and I would hand write invitations for my party. 

Fast forward to today, at our fingertips by use of social media, we can virtually communicate with others and put anything out in the universe within seconds (literally) rather than how we had to do it in the “olden days” by writing letters, affixing a stamp and dropping it off at the post office.  Sometimes we’d wait a week or more before hearing back! Kids today would absolutely freak.

When was the last time you set aside the phone and laptop and traded in the text for a handwritten letter? Our forefathers did it and they didn’t have the luxury of ball point awesomeness. Writing letters back in the early days was a lot more work than it is today. Documents that changed the course of our history were first written with a Quill pen. Next, came the dip pen, then the metal-nibbed pen, then the fountain pen and now, the any color you’d like, ball point pen.

I literally couldn’t tell you the last time I wrote a letter to someone using paper and pen. I mean I have given out hundreds of cards and I use post it notes on a daily basis, but to actually sit down and put some thought into writing someone a letter….. Wow.  Sadly, it’s been years for me.

So, as you have probably guessed it by now, this week’s pay it forward project is going to be to sit down and write someone a letter. This project was inspired by my friend, Linda, who just last week, sent me a 5 page hand written letter. It was one of those “happy mail moments” and I was truly impacted by the fact that she took the time to put down her thoughts on paper and send it. It was a joy when I opened that envelope to see cursive writing…. CURSIVE! Kids today don’t even know what that is! 

I snuggled in with a blanket and read as each letter was transformed into a word and each word formed a sentence and each sentence was written by a hand that was thinking of me.

This pay it forward project is simple and yet it means so very much. To the person who receives it, it will speak volumes that you took time out of your hectic schedule to make an effort for them. Your letter doesn’t have to be 5 pages long like Linda’s, because let’s be honest, anything longer than “brb, lmk, or ttyl” will be better. The impact your letter will have will not just be for the person receiving it, but it will impact you, too. 

How often do we set aside time in our busy schedule to decompress and do something therapeutic? When you write your letter, pick someone you want to encourage or pick that one person that you haven’t talked to in a while or maybe someone that means so much to you, and let your hands tell the story. Make an effort for them and for you. Pick a quiet spot, make yourself a cozy cup of hot cocoa, and write.  All it will cost you is your time and maybe a stamp but the ripple effect the letter can have can truly make a difference for them and for you.

I wonder how many handwritten letters will be going out to people in the next week? I’d like to think there may be dozens of “happy mail moments” to come. Happy letter writing, my friends. Happy paying it forward this week.

xoxo,

Brenda

A Pay it Forward Project for all that Halloween Loot!

Halloween is over and all of the ghosts and goblins are gone until next year (well except those lurking under the bed). Now you are left with buckets full of tooth decaying, denture sticking, sucker stuck in your hair, candy. You have all sorts; the good stuff, the cheap stuff, the stuff even your dog won’t eat. The kiddos are excited for their after school treat while moms just want to figure out the best place to hide it all so it can be rationed out appropriately. I remember those days all too fondly. 

Well, worry no more parents! I have an idea to help empty out that sugar coma bowl of despair and do something positive with it and it’s a great way to involve your littles in the process, too!

As parents, you try to raise your kids to be upstanding citizens and you pray that you don’t screw them up and that they turn out right (can I get an amen?). The lesson of sharing starts early when kids are toddlers and as they get older, the lesson of sharing turns into more of the concept of being kind, giving back and paying it forward to others.

After Halloween is a perfect time to take these life lessons and to involve kids in paying it forward with some of the chocolaty loot they’ve collected over Halloween! The idea is simple:  Grab a few baggies from your kitchen drawer and have your kiddo pick out a few pieces (and not just the ones they don’t like either) and then have them hand write a note to someone they want to pay it forward to. It can be their school bus driver, their teacher, the person that cuts their hair, their favorite bank teller that always gives them candy, or their mail person.

Now I know what you are thinking. These folks probably already have enough candy in their house to fill a piñata, but, isn’t it the thought that truly counts? It’s the act of doing something kind for another person. It’s the smile that their bank teller gets after she’s had a really bad day or the warm & fuzzy feeling that their favorite cashier at Franks will have after she just lost her mother. You see, we are all people, that deep down inside, want to feel loved and accepted and all of us have times in our lives when we could use a little kind heartedness. 

If there is anything I have learned over the past 4 decades on this earth, it’s that you never truly know what someone else is going through. We may not know of the recent diagnosis someone has just had or the fact that they just put down their favorite dog, or that they are about to lose their house. Those are things we may never know about people. The one thing we all have in common and the one thing we all have to give is a little piece of ourselves; a little kindness and generosity that can go a long way in someone else’s life.

This simple & easy pay it forward project isn’t just a great way to get the sugar out of your home….. it’s a great way to spread kindness in the community we live in. In our charming and little town called Grass Lake. You, my friends, have the power to change and impact someone else’s day and the fact you can teach your child to be a part of this, too, is the extra snickers miniature on top. Let’s connect as a community. Let’s pay it forward to one another, one random act of kindness and one kit kat at a time.

Happy Halloween!

xoxo,

Brenda 

Oatmeal Breakfast Bake

This is a fantastic breakfast if you are having company or hosting a breakfast or brunch! It's easy to make and it keeps well for leftovers, too!!!

 Check out the easy recipe below:


Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/3 cup sugar or maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups milk
1 large egg
3 tblspn unsalted butter, melted (and divided in half)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, sliced into pieces
1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries (you can use other berries as well)

To prepare:
Preheat oven to 375 with rack in top 1/3 of oven. Butter or spray an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.

Then, in a bowl, mix together your oats, half the walnuts (if using nuts), sugar (or maple syrup), baking powder, and cinnamon.

 In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg, half of the melted butter, and vanilla.

Now, arrange your sliced bananas on the bottom of your pan, covering the entire bottom with sliced bananas. Sprinkle 2/3 of your berries over the bananas now. Cover your fruit with the oat mixture.

Then, slowly drizzle your milk mixture over your oats. Gently shake your pan and give it a few soft whacks (yes I said whacks) on your countertop, so the milk mixture spreads throughout your oats.

Now, scatter your remaining berries and nuts on top.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden and the oats have set.

Remove from oven and drizzle remaining melted butter on the top.

This is DELICIOUS if you serve it with warm syrup to pour over the top of each piece! It's great without the extra syrup but we love it that way, too!!

Hope you enjoy this and let me know if you try it and let me know if you use other fruit besides bananas & blueberries! Those are the only two we've used and I would love to hear what you do with this!

Enjoy!
Brenda