Flying With A Little Love

 Flyboy has flown away but takes a bit of romance with him. He'll be gone for two weeks but I've hidden fun little love notes in his bag. As he unpacks throughout his trip, he'll find them. 

I picked up a booklet from Cary Ann's Hallmark that has easy tear-out pages. They are small enough to fit in luggage or lunch boxes but big enough to not be lost. A great way to keep romance alive. 

The book with the tear-our love notes is featured in lower left corner.
Available at your local Hallmark shop.

Find Couple Time During Holidays

During the month of December, there will be many demands on your time. 

Stress levels may rise. At the end of the day, exhaustion sets in. 

Even Santa and Mrs. Claus make time for alone time.

Here a few tips to "keep it together" during the holiday season.

* Try not to schedule to many things to do right after each other. Give yourself time between each one.

* Take time to sit with your honey and make a list of things you enjoy the most about the holiday. This will not only give you quality time together, but also help keep you in the Christmas spirit.

*Schedule certain things from your list to do together. Yes... write it down! Make a date of it.

*Speak with family members in advance. Schedule family face time or Zoom gathering with those you won't be able to be with in person.

* Plan meals in advance. Do meal prep with your honey.

*  Fight gifting stress. Limit gift giving, promote thoughtful giving. Take a day for you and your honey to visit local shops. Grab an adult beverage or hot cocoa and sit together to do online shopping. 

*Help each other. Spending time together and taking care of a "chore" at the same time.

*As a couple, think of a new family tradition you can create this year.

Give Me Some Sexy Cinnamon

I love Cinnamon. 

Did you know it is not only warming, comforting and healthy, but also SEXY?

Cinnamon is a scent commonly known to seduce with it's aphrodisiac qualities.

It is said that the Queen of Sheba used cinnamon to mesmerize King Solomon. 

So it has power. 

Gram cooked with cinnamon often and would always say, "The way to a man's heart is through is stomach." Maybe that old saying holds more truth than we thought.

Bread Pudding is a popular item at my house.

However, this delightful treat can be a sexy food.

Try serving this as breakfast for your lover but expect to spend the day in bed.

Prepare this bread pudding ahead of time so that in the morning, 

all you have to do is turn on the oven. 

Cinnamon-Swirl Breakfast Bread Pudding

4 eggs
1½ cups milk
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ loaf day-old bread, cut into cubes
¼ cup pecans, chopped
Nonstick cooking spray
Maple syrup

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Add the brown sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon, and whisk until all the ingredients are completely incorporated. Stir the bread and pecans into the egg mixture. Coat an 8-inch-by-8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in the bread pudding, and cover with foil. Let sit in the refrigerator at least one hour and up to overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the bread pudding, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake an additional 10 minutes, until the pudding is browned. Serve hot with maple syrup.

 

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My favorite cinnamon is Vietnamese Cinnamon. It's a bit stronger with an amazing flavor. (Rumor is... it's the same cinnamon used in the famous Cinnabon rolls.) AKA Cassia Cinnamon. Quality cinnamons are available per ounce online. However, some health food or natural food stores will bottle it. I pick mine up from Those Nature People. I visit the Frankenmuth location of Those Nature People for my bottle. 

They also make a Cinnamon Roll Blend that is suburb!

Make that list, check it twice

Now that Thanksgiving is over and the turkey is gone, the focus is turned towards preparing for Christmas. You might feel a bit pressured as you organize, decorate, bake, and shop. After all this season may be a little more stressful than other years because it is sooooo different. 

 Here's a simple little holiday checklist for the first week of December that might help. 

 * Arrange for babysitters. 

* Compile holiday playlist 

* Stock up on frozen meals. Great for those times when you're too busy. 

* Buy toilet paper and not just because it's Covid, running out during the season is a real bummer. 

* Create guest baskets. Arrange sample sized beauty or body care items in a little basket.

* Bake goodies with a long shelf life or can be frozen. Take a variety of goodies, Box, bag or tin them and deliver to friends and family.

* Check all your electronics. Charge digital cameras, purchase batteries, find important cords, etc.

Small Business Saturday #SupporLocalBusiness

 

Today may be Small Business Saturday, but make every day of shopping a way to support your local and small business owners. My town doesn't have many businesses but I love my grocery store, Riverside Market, I order take out from our hometown restaurants and I buy jewelry, craft items, and such from local ladies. Check to see if your town has a Facebook Page promoting small businesses.

I love to go to the little towns next to us and support small businesses there. The owners are usually in the shops and over the years I've become friends with many. The warm feeling I get every time I enter is something you'd never get in a big box store.  

Today's list:  

Just Julies - I consider Julie a friend and a local artist makes alot of the jewelry. LOVE! Need to pick up a new Kunky's top that Julie makes.

Cary Ann's Hallmark - The owner is my age and has been ill, his daughter is running the store for him. Mom can spend up to 2 hours in this shop!

Rustic Seasons On Main - The owner, Cindy, is a friend. Our kids went to school together. Amazing shop!!!

If it wasn't for Covid, I'd be stopping in The Elbow Room for coffee. 

I need to run into the Flushing Candy Co for some treats. Oh, so many places to be and all within walking distance. 

Well, I have my step tracker on and I'm ready to shop!

Get out there and join me!

Oh, Sweet Ambrosia (Salad)

 I'm busy putting up Christmas decorations so I'm offering the gang turkey sandwiches and Ambrosia Salad for eats today. It's sweet and light. No Black Friday Shopping for me, I'm a shop local & Small Business kind of gal. This will be a great dish to nibble on after a day on my feet. If there are any leftovers that is. 

The salad is Mom's recipe. Like her, I share it often. 

Enjoy!

aMBROSIA SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped

topping, thawed

2 1/2 cups shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 (8 ounce) can fruit cocktail, drained

1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks,

drained

1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges,

drained

3 cups miniature marshmallows

1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries,

drained (optional)

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, stir together the whipped topping and yogurt. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold remaining ingredients into whipped topping. Chill before serving.

#Thursday13 – Have a Sexy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate with our friends and family; to be thankful for all the wonderful aspects of our every day lives.  Keep in mind, even in a house crowded with guests; you and your honey can still indulge in a little romantic pleasure.

1.     Wear a cute outfit and something sexy underneath.  Make sure your honey knows there is a surprise under wraps for him.

2.     Wear a spicy or vanilla fragrance.  It will work with the food odors instead of against them.  We all know how men love their food!

3.      Share a glass of wine while doing meal preparation.  I know white is supposed to be served with fowl, but one can bend the rules a bit for a little dose of red wine to spark the romance.  After all, red wine is tied into a strong sex drive.

4.       Make sure you use celery and fennel.  Most Thanksgiving recipes call for these ingredients.  Celery contains a male hormone that stimulates female sexual arousal.  Fennel boosts the libido and is also alleviate that after dinner bloating.

5.      Make some oyster stuffing.  Oysters are a natural aphrodisiac.  When you eat an oyster, make sure your honey is watching… put on a little performance.

6.      Try some innocent flirting across the table and try not to get caught by the other guests.  Kind of like a teenager’s game.

7.      Don’t forget the sweet potatoes!  These are high in potassium, vitamins A & C, as well as iron. Rumor has it that it also increases the female sex drive.

8.      Gotta have some pumpkin pie!  This olfactory sexual aphrodisiac also contains zinc and increases testosterone production and blood flow by 40%. 

9.      Make sure you resist that 2^nd or 3^rd helping.  This will prevent that miserable bloating.

10.   Go for a nice walk, alone with your honey after dinner.  Hold hands, kiss, and talk about what you want to do to each other when you get the moment to be alone.

11.   Cuddle on the couch together while watching the game.  Cover up with a throw and let your hands wander.

12.   Sneak off to the guest bedroom.  If that won’t work… slip into the bathroom together.

13.   Hide a can of whipping cream in your purse for later.

HAVE A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!