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Floradise

A lifestyle blog by Marette Flora

Easy Thanksgiving Recipes I’ve Tried

Is it too early to talk about Thanksgiving? I sure hope not! I wanted to share Thanksgiving recipes I have found on Pinterest and tried, and what I thought about them. I tend to look for easy recipes that don’t take a lot of time, because who wants to spend all day in the kitchen? Not me! Last year I made Thanksgiving dinner for Graham, Victoria and me all by myself, the first time I have ever done it. It was the only Thanksgiving holiday we have celebrated just as an immediate family instead of visiting Phoenix or Louisville, where we are from.

These are the recipes I tried (with links to the pin I saved and tried):

  • Green Bean Casserole:  I had never made this before, but I was obsessed. I think the fried onions make the dish.

  • Apple Pie by Grandma Ople (AllRecipes.com): I have made this several times for Thanksgiving, and it is amazing! I highly suggest this recipe. The Granny Smith apples make a huge difference. When I used organic the pie was even better!

Have you started to think about what to make for Thanksgiving dinner? What is your favorite dish to eat? Let me know in the comments!

Related post:

Thanksgiving in Louisville

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Holiday Season Check List

It may seem like I want to skip Thanksgiving and get to Christmas, but it’s not true. I am, however, slightly over fall decor and ready to make that switch. I love this time of year because there’s so much to look forward to and lots of fun activities to do. I compiled a holiday season check list to motivate me during the best time of the year.

Here’s what I plan to do in November and December:

  • Go to a tree lighting.
  • Send Christmas cards.
  • Participate in a Secret Santa exchange.
  • Give back. We like to pick an Angel tag (or a similar program) and buy gifts for children.
  • Bake cookies. (And other treats!)
  • Watch NYE fireworks.
  • Sip hot chocolate and see holiday lights.
  • Watch a Thanksgiving parade.
  • Go to a Christmas market. (Christkindlmarket is expanding to the Park at Wrigley (Field) in Chicago and I can’t wait to visit!)
  • Ice skating. (Not sure I will be able to, but Graham and Victoria can!)
  • Catch a holiday show at the theater.
Also: Take V to see Santa and catch the CTA holiday train (in Chicago).

What would you add to this list? What’s your favorite thing to do?

Related post:

CTA Holiday Train

Gratitude + Ways to Show Gratitude

Photo by Square Mouth Studios

This year, family is at the top of my gratitude list. When Graham and I set our intention for the year as growth, we had no idea that we would be growing our family as well. Yes, we had offered to take care of her if needed,  but it wasn’t until 10 months later that we received word she would be arriving (in one week!). Caring for Victoria has reminded me I have much to be grateful for. I should always be aware of my blessings, but sometimes life causes me to lose sight of them.

What I’m grateful for this year:
  • Having a fun, sweet, smart, loving and challenging addition to our family.
  • Being able to work from home to care for her.
  • The experiences I had cheering for the Cubs, especially the World Series festivities I was lucky enough to attend.
  • The resources and support that helped me train for and complete the Chicago Marathon.
  • Wonderful family and friends who checked in on us, offered to babysit and sent gifts for Victoria.
  • Being able to pursue my interests and the activities that make me happy.
  • Meeting new people through this blog and through running.
  • The fact that we are on our way to achieve our dream of being business owners in the future.


What are you grateful for this year? Share in the comments!


Photo by Square Mouth Studios

Along with listing what you’re grateful for, I think it’s key to also show your gratitude through action. It doesn’t have to be some grand gesture; any small act of kindness does the trick. Switching the focus to others helps illuminate what we have in our own lives, if you have forgotten. 

Simple ways to give back and show gratitude this week (and always)

  • Participate in a canned food drive or toy drive. (Or organize one in your office or among friends and family.)
  • Give money to local charities or volunteer in your community. Donate to non-profits. Declutter your home and donate the goods to a charity.
  • Write letters to your elected officials on behalf of a cause you care about. Remind them of the needs of the community. 
  • Give up your seat on public transit to someone who needs it. Buy a meal or coffee for a stranger.
  • Buy a gift or bake treats for a neighbor who may not have family around.
  • Invite someone to holiday festivities who may not have lots of family or friends around.
  • Write a thank you note to people in your life for the small and big ways they have impacted you.
In what ways do you give to others?

Fall Bucket List

Fall Check List
I sat down to write my 2016 fall bucket list and quickly realized I wrote almost the exact same activities as I did in 2015, so why reinvent the wheel? I’ll be customizing the above activities for the Chicago area, of course, like I did last year.
For the stroll at a garden or park, I’ll most likely visit Morton Arboretum.
For apple picking, hot apple cider, corn maze and pumpkins I can visit All Seasons Orchard. I’ll definitely also be eating apple-cider doughnuts. Actually, to be honest, I didn’t really like the cider all that much, so let’s make that local apple ale. Why not?
Last year I made a pie with Granny Smith apples for Thanksgiving, and I’ll likely make that again. Not to toot my own horn but it was pretty good.
I’d also love to go on a fall foliage drive to Wisconsin, but if that doesn’t fit into our schedule I know I will see some fall colors in Chicago as well.
I plan to reprise my gratitude list from last year and find any way I can to give back, whether it’s donating canned food, volunteering or giving to a cause.
Last but not least, I will be watching “Hocus Pocus” many times. “Casper” is another Halloween movie that I absolutely adore.
Bonus: Run a turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning.
What’s on your fall check list? Share your must-dos in the comments!

Related posts:

“Hocus Pocus” Lines I Quote All Year Long
Night of 1,000 Jack-o-Lanterns

Life Via GoPro: Our Louisville Trip

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. We’ve seen and done so much, and it’s been both exhausting and exhilarating. It all began with a trip to Louisville, Kentucky, for Thanksgiving weekend to visit friends and family. I finally got around to creating a video of our GoPro footage. Now it’s time to get back on track with my fitness and life goals to close out 2015 on a positive note. Check out our weekend in Louisville and let me know what you think! To those who have been to Louisville, what’s your favorite thing to do there?

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Thanksgiving in Louisville, Kentucky

My weekend in Kentucky in (mostly) photos:I finished one of the last items on my fall bucket list when I baked an apple pie for Thanksgiving. I used a recipe for Grandma Ople’s apple pie that I found on AllRecipes.com. It’s published with a video, which is a tremendous help. The pie received rave reviews at Thanksgiving dinner. I highly recommend it!

Grandma Ople’s appie pie from Allrecipes.com

I admired the landscape as we drove around from family member house to family member house. We spotted deer on our drives, too!

Kentucky sunset
Kentucky

deer

After our Thanksgiving feast at my brother-in-law’s house, I fit in a class at the OrangeTheory location in Middletown, Kentucky. At least five students were from out of town that day, and the instructor asked us all to introduce ourselves to make us feel more welcome. I thought that was a nice touch. The hill workout was perfect for burning off some of that Thanksgiving overindulgence!

orangetheory middletown kentucky

One of our stops was another brother-in-law’s house, where we checked out our nephew’s tree house and the family’s chicken coup. I would love to someday have a setup like theirs, though it’d be challenging to keep our dogs away from the chickens.

Graham also had the chance to ride the go-kart he and his brothers had as kids. I loved seeing how much fun he was having.

We broke in our new Jeep Renegade as we drove around the Louisville area all weekend to see our friends and family. 

Jeep Renegade

We were so thankful to our family and friends for feeding us such delicious meals during our trip and hosting us and our dogs.

I almost wanted to move in! The rainy weather made me want to curl up on the couch and watch movies.

It was a blast spending time with everyone while eating, drinking and hanging out, but it was such a relief to drive back into Chicago. The holiday lights greeted us when we returned to the city.

Chicago holiday lights

And now it’s on to the next adventure! Stay tuned for a video of our trip! post signature

What I’m Grateful For

I keep a journal in which I often write about gratitude. On bad days, when you think life sucks, it helps, even just a little bit, to write down something that is going right or something that brings you happiness. Thanksgiving week is the perfect time to share some of the things that make me happy. What’s on my list?

  • Graham.
  • A family that helps each other out, even if we don’t always get along. My cute nieces and nephews.
  • The ability to work from home.
  • Time for myself via yoga, running, fitness classes and writing. The opportunity to work on myself.
  • Friends who make an effort to maintain the friendship despite the long distance. (Especially Charlsy, in the lower left circle above.)
  • The ability to travel.
  • My dogs. They can  be a pain sometimes, but they are also adorable. I love how happy they are when they can play at the beach or when we take them camping.
  • A creative outlet via this blog and writing.
  • Music. Especially my current favorite, Johnnyswim.
  • Being able to enjoy quality, delicious food regularly.

What are you thankful for? What brings joy into your life? post signature

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m thankful for friends and family, our dogs, yoga, running, my health and our adventures. What about you?

Photo by Jana Morgan Photography.

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