Happy Fall Y'all!

image via Google

Happy first day of fall! Now I know, it's 875 degrees outside so it certainly doesn't feel like fall, but I want to talk about it anyway.  With fall comes chilly weather, soups, s'mores, and football. If Christmas was during fall it would definitely be my favorite season.  To kick off this great season, I wanted to give you a variety of fun fall things!

These are my favorite soups that I will make a couple times before it gets warm again (some I've already made this month)!

Crockpot Potato Soup

Chicken and Dumplings

White Chicken Chili

Taco Chili

You're also going to need some go-to desserts. S'mores is a great option and I love mixing it up by using Reese's instead of regular chocolate bars, but sometimes you need a few others. Here are some of my favorites!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Apple Strudel

Pecan Pie

And finally, some of my fall bucket list items for the year:

Go to a pumpkin patch

Carve those pumpkins

Sit around a bonfire

Eat s'mores around that bonfire

Drink apple cider

Play in the leaves

Sit outside and enjoy the crisp air (whenever it finally shows up)

Unplug for a weekend at a cabin in the woods (no TV/cell phones, just beautiful leaves and relaxation).

Attend a couple of fall festivals!

Do you have anything you would add to any of these lists? I'll love to know.

xo Courtney

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SHE's VOTE!!

(Picture via Google)

    

Now don't freak!  I am not about to talk politics!  But, Lisa, the title is SHE's VOTE?  You know you are going to throw your views in this article somewhere.  I am not.  The only point of this article is to ask you to vote.  

Women worked hard to get the right to vote.  Women staged marches, picketed the White House, demonstrated and some went to jail.  There are women whose names we should remember.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. They are the women who proposed the vote for women at the Seneca Falls Woman's Rights Convention.  This was in July of 1848.  

It took 72 years from the first time it was proposed in 1848 until August 26,1920.  The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution became law and women finally had the right to vote.     If you do the math, women have only been allowed to vote for 96 years.  I am saying if you are a woman you should vote!  Every. Single. Time!  

Please don't sit home.  Please don't think your vote doesn't matter.  Please vote!!  We SHE's owe it to all the women who wanted to vote and were not allowed to vote. We owe it to the women who started the process but we're not alive 72 years later to vote.  

By the way...there is still time to register to vote if you live in Tennessee. You can click here to find the registration form.

Even if you are not crazy about your choices, always vote.  Vote because we finally have a voice. Vote because there were women who died wanting to vote and were never allowed.  Vote in every election!  I love early voting.  They have a place near my local mall.  I can go in there and vote during the day and there is usually little to no wait.  

As always, thank you for being awesome SHE's!  See you at the polls!!

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SHE Lives in the Moment

Happy Friday!! I don’t know about you, but it’s been a long week.  Earlier this week Amy talked to us about kindness and challenged us to live by the golden rule this week. If you didn’t catch it, you can find it here.

I’m going to roll off that and challenge us to not sweat the small stuff and to love a little harder. Now I know, easier said than done. I also know that saying “don’t sweat the small stuff” is extremely cliché. But hear me out… I promise I have a point.  To start, I’m going to mention two reasons this challenge has been weighing on my mind.

First… If you follow us on Facebook, you saw our post last week about how we were quiet because we were mourning the unexpected loss of one of our dear friends. Katie Beth was my sister’s best friend. Anyone that has had a best friend knows that BFF’s quickly become apart of your family and the loss of one of them can affect the whole family, and boy did it. Katie Beth was 18 years old returning to school after visiting home for the weekend when she was involved in a crash with a tractor trailer. As is obvious from the start of this story, she didn’t make it. 18 years is far too short of a life.

Second… I was at a work conference this week and our keynote speaker was one of the surviving passengers from the Miracle on the Hudson. If you missed the story, I’ll give you a quick recap. The flight left the runway, hit a flock of birds, and having no other option, the captain landed the plane in the Hudson. It was ruled that there is a one in an eight-BILLION chance that birds would take out both engines. But they did and thanks to the captain’s calm demeanor not a single one of the 155 people on board lost their lives that day. The speaker went on to say that she knew she was dying that day and then didn’t, and now she truly lives life not sweating the small stuff.

After Katie Beth’s passing I started hugging my husband a little harder in the morning before leaving for work, and making sure that “I love you” and “be safe” came out of my mouth. I was also inspired to start living in the moment (trying to at least). After hearing the keynote speaker this week her words of “don’t sweat the small stuff” really stuck with me and so I wanted to challenge you. LIVE IN THE MOMENT and DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF.

If your children want to play or show you something – don’t follow up with talks about laundry or dishes. Those will be there tomorrow, but you don’t know about you.

If a car cuts you off on the freeway, don’t sweat it. You’ll be there two or three cars behind him and it’s fine.

Leave every conversation/moment on a good note, because what if it is your last, or their last? Do you want them remembering you based off that last conversation?

You get the idea here. I know life gets in the way and it’s hard to live by this longer than a few days, but I’m challenging you to try. You don’t know what tomorrow holds, and when your life flashes before your eyes I’m pretty sure you’d rather it be full of happiness and peace instead of what-ifs and should haves.

xo Courtney

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SHE: Practicing Kindness

Hey Y'all,

Happy Monday. 

Let's get this week off to a great start.  We have all been taught the Golden Rule right? 

Treat others like you would want to be treated. While it seems pretty basic I think we can become a little too self involved/ busy to really take the time to show others how much we care, love or respect them.  I try to do the right thing, but do I go out of my way to do so? 

 I think I can do better.  I want to challenge you this week to intentionally try live by the Golden Rule.  Try to keep up with how you do.

Practice simple acts of kindness each day and see how much YOU actually

benefit. Doing good for others is good for the soul. 

We would love to hear about your week, whether it is holding the door for the next person, paying it forward, or an elaborate plan to bring joy to another. There is no gesture too small.  

Let's practice kindness  ~

xoxo,

Amy

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SHE: Eats Dessert

Hey Y'all! Recently I've attempted to make healthier choices when it comes to eating. Watching my portions, incorporating more fruits and veggies, and slowly eating fewer processed foods is the route I've taken. But there are times when a girl just wants dessert! To that I say - EAT IT! As I was browsing Pinterest, I came across this 3 ingredient recipe that was, honestly, delicious! Here's how it goes.

To start, grab two boxes of cake mix. As I mentioned before - slowly, cutting out processed foods. It's important that one of the cake mixes be Angel Food cake, and the other can be your choice. I grabbed these two:

Image via Google

Image via Google

Next, combine both cake mixes in a mixing bowl and whisk together until evenly combined. Once mixed, pour in to an airtight container or a gallon resealable bag. I used a bag, for easier storage.

In a microwave safe mug, add 3 Tablespoons of the dry cake mixture and 2 Tablespoons of water. Mix until blended. At this point, I added a bite-size Hershey original bar to make it more of a molten cake, but that's optional.

Heat in the microwave for 1 minute, and enjoy! Depending on what flavor cake mix you use, you can get creative with the toppings and variations of your mug cake. 

The texture is airy like Angle Food cake, but cures the chocolate cake craving 100%. Making a single serving of the cake won't leave you tempted with an entire cake, and only takes 1 minute!

Enjoy!

xo ~ Brittney

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SHE: Takes A Time Out

Hey Y'all,

Hope you have enjoyed the Labor Day Holiday.  A long weekend is so nice. I started mine with lots of grand ideas on all the things I could accomplish, cook, clean, decorate, reorganize, and of course fun with my family.  I accomplished a new recipe, went to my first fall craft fair event of the season and some normal house details. Things were going great and then I remembered... I have fall allergies ~ and they have ruled (attempted to ruin) my lovely weekend.  So while I am not feeling up to my fun ideas, I hope you are enjoying your holiday.

Here are a few tips to help manage the fall allergy season if you suffer~

image via google

Prepare: If you are an allergy sufferer (is that a real word?) Start taking your daily Zrytec or Claritin -I find that these work best if taken before my symptoms start, be sure to have your allergy medicine of choice on hand (Tylenol Sinus is my go to during the day), along with tissues & hand sanitizers and cough drops if your throat gets sore


Hydrate: drink plenty of liquids, the medicines tend to dehydrate you and that will lead to the aches and pains your might feel. Best to avoid "milk" products, but slushies might be a good choice.

Eat: Nothing slows me down here, but if you can't "taste" your food, it won't really be that appealing. Try soups, crackers, fruits... whatever you want, just eat to regain your strength.

Rest: It is okay to take a day for yourself to re-energize. Binge watching those shows on your DVR that you haven't had a chance to watch is a great idea and a nap won't hurt you either. 

Happy Labor Day friends ~ Even though I am hanging out on my couch today, I am so very thankful for the extra day to recoup. Next weekend... I will definitely be bringing out all our Fall decorations!

I found some fun ideas on Pinterest I can't wait to try and share with you. Amy

  

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SHE's Fine!

This is a picture of my Mom on a trip we took just two months before she past away.  She was with all her children and grandchildren at a family wedding and we were having a blast.  Life was great!  We were making plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas, you know what all families do.  This year right after our girls shopping trip she was having knee surgery so we were working on those details.  She needed to coordinate who would help her wrap her presents and who would help her bake.

We didn't know she was very sick.  She didn't know either.  The pain from her knee was masking the pain from the tumors in her stomach.  It was all so quick. So unexpected!  She died 17 days after she went in for knee surgery.  

Now, I am telling you all this because I learned so much from my friends during this time.  Things I think you need to know!  I see on Facebook all the time someone say my (fill in the blank) is in the hospital.  And their close friends all seem to say the same things, "praying".  Or "if there is anything I can do".  

Well, here is what you can do.  Don't ask!   They honestly don't know what they need.  They want the nightmare to be over.  Honestly, I was in a state of denial. I am the most take charge person you will ever meet and I could not tell you one thing I needed. And yet, looking back I can tell you 40 things I needed!!  

1. Don't ask!

If you know other friends contact them and coordinate on their behalf. First,  They need a hospital goodie bag.  What is a hospital goodie bag?  Well, a friend brought me one! It had everything I needed in it while I was sitting there with my mom.  

Hospital Goodie Bag

Water

Crackers

Gum

Lip balm

Hand cream

Candy bars

Tea

Granola bars

Snack packs of cookies

Pretezels

Notepad/pen (so you can write down what the doctor says or questions)

Crossword puzzles

I like to take a sweater or shawl to people in the summer or spring.  (Hospital rooms are cold and the people staying with them are usually freezing!)

Do they have pets at home?  Just ask where a key is so you can feed them or is a neighbor taking care of them.  

Do they have children??  I had 4 at home.  I had a college age daughter at the time.  So she could babysit her siblings. My sister who lives out of town, her friends were very helpful!  They bought gift cards and sent them to my daughter so she could buy dinner while we were at the hopital.  They didn't even live in our city and were taking care of our needs!  Needs I could not.  

Y'all those gift cards feed my kids for 2 weeks!  There are meal trains you can set up, those are easy.  

I guess my husband did the laundry?  I know I didn't!  But, I have often thought you just need to show up and do laundry, clean the house or hire some one to do it.  Those are things that have to be done and when you are going through such a hard time you can not do it.  

My mom died at Christmas time.  We buried her on the 20 th.  My brothers and sisters decided to do Christmas at her house one last time.  So, I went on up with my 4 kids to her house which was an hour and a half from my house.  I had nothing baked, nothing wrapped and of course no Christmas spirit.  But 3 of the ladies Mom worked with and were her friends met us at the house.  They brought dinner and wrapped every single present.  That was my extra gift  that year from my Mother!  The gift of friendship!! 

I remember Susan saying she wished she could do more to help me.  She felt bad because all she did was wrap presents.  My children wouldn't have had anything to unwrap if she hadn't been here!  I needed her!!  I didn't or would never have asked anyone to wrap my gifts.  She just showed up with scissors, tape and help!  Oh!  And dinner!!!  

The personal experience with my Mom made me realize.  You won't ever ask for help.  Not because your too proud. You just can't.  You don't know you need it.  It is honestly like you are walking in a fog.  

We will all go through things every now and then...it is just part of life.  So, this is how I look at it with my friends.  When I am in the fog of a tragic situation.  Just love me.  Don't judge me.  Don't judge how I act.  If you show up and do my laundry don't judge my mess!  And when you are in the fog of a tragic situation I will give you the same respect.  Nothing that is said or done will be held against you.  Because I know you are not yourself.  

May you never need me!  And may I never need you!!

-LisaB

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