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I am currently reading “Burn of the Everflame,” the final novel in “The Kindred’s Curse Saga” by Penn Cole, and I just read an interesting scene.

The female main character, Diem, is talking to someone about three things that bring her joy. The first two are silly things, but the third was her love, Luther.

As much as this character has bothered me in past books – I am reserving my final judgement of her until I am finished – I thought that would be a wonderful thing to do now in the month of Thanksgiving.

Instead of three things that give me joy, here are three things I am thankful for:

I am thankful that the weather is finally cooling down.

I am thankful that I will get an automatic 4-day weekend for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

And I am thankful for my husband and partner in life. He makes the hard days easier and the easy days a breeze. He is the Luther to my Diem – but hopefully I’m not as annoying as she is. 😀

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Our guest blogger,
Mrs. Swanky, posts
on ways to Feed Yourself
— in body, mind, and spirit.

[Enjoy this guest post from Mrs. Swanky]

Happy Thanksgiving month! With a whole month that gets seriously focused on food, it’s a good time to remember that feeding your body good things is an important goal.

I know we’re a few weeks away from turkey day, but it is November. Which means we are thinking about two things: Christmas and Thanksgiving for 3 days.

I have to say, as much as I love the Christmas Season – and yes, I am one of those who believes Christmas starts on November 1^st – I do love Thanksgiving dinner and Thanksgiving leftovers.

And I am really good at making a leftover casserole, but I’ll save that topic for later in the month.

* Obligatory disclaimer: We are not paid to promote these items. We just happen to like them.

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Our guest blogger,
Mrs. Swanky, posts
on ways to Feed Yourself
— in body, mind, and spirit.

[Enjoy this guest post from Mrs. Swanky]

With Halloween right around the corner, please enjoy this coloring page of an ancestor altar by Coloring Book of Shadows.

It’s a little spooky, a little fun, and maybe a little nice to think of our dearly departed watching over us.

I would like to put up an ancestor altar at some point to honor my family that has passed, but little hands are still curious and grabby. So for now, I color!

* Obligatory disclaimer: We are not paid to promote these items. We just happen to like them.

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Our guest blogger,
Mrs. Swanky, posts
on ways to Feed Yourself
— in body, mind, and spirit.

[Enjoy this guest post from Mrs. Swanky]

Lately while cooking dinner or washing dishes, I have been propping up my iPad and turning on a show to watch at the same time.

It reminds me of my childhood, when I would visit my grandparents and saw that they had a TV in their kitchen … that seemed to be on 24/7.

My grandmother used to watch soap operas all the time. In honor of her, I am rewatching a soap opera called Once Upon a Time. (I don’t think it’s technically classified as a soap opera, but watch one episode and you’ll see.)

While I watched, I cooked up a potsticker stir fry with a ton of veggies that the little ones only “kind of” liked.

But I thought it was good.

* Obligatory disclaimer: We are not paid to promote these items. We just happen to like them.

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Our guest blogger,
Mrs. Swanky, posts
on ways to Feed Yourself
— in body, mind, and spirit.

[Enjoy this guest post from Mrs. Swanky]

Ready for some spooky movies? Of course you are — it’s almost October!

In no particular order, mostly because the order changes with my mood, these are my top seven spooky/scary/Halloween movies:

1. Scream

2. The Craft

3. Hocus Pocus

4. Practical Magic

5. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

6. Trick r’ Treat

7. Beetlejuice Why seven? Well, I tried to mention just the Top Three or Fab Five, but there was no way to narrow it down. There are just too many good ones.

(p.s. As promised, here’s the finished painting that I mentioned in a previous post — against a backdrop of one of my favorite Halloween movies.)

* Obligatory disclaimer: We are not paid to promote these items. We just happen to like them.

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Our guest blogger,
Mrs. Swanky, posts
on ways to Feed Yourself
— in body, mind, and spirit.

[Enjoy this guest post from Mrs. Swanky]

It is now officially Autumn, and you know what that means.

Cozy scarves. Pumpkins. Leaves changing. Gathering your sisters under the full moon.

Haha, just kidding about that last one.

What I meant was: Painting you and your sisters gathering under the moon — whether the moon is full or half or new. Or even a Carolina moon, like it is in the photo.

The point is that a season change is a great time to tap into your creative side and make something awesome!

(p.s. I’ll show you the completed painting in a future post.)

* Obligatory disclaimer: We are not paid to promote these items. We just happen to like them.

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Our guest blogger,
Mrs. Swanky, posts
on ways to Feed Yourself
— in body, mind, and spirit.

[Enjoy this guest post from Mrs. Swanky]

My four-year-old is upset today that his big sister’s boyfriend wanted to sit down for a few minutes … after he had been playing and running in the house for 45 minutes.

I said, “Hey, sometimes big kids need to take a break.”

Four-year-old said, “But he’s not a big kid, he’s a dolt!” (He wasn’t insulting him. That’s four-year-old speak for “adult.”)

And you know what? He’s right. Big sister’s boyfriend is an adult, and sometimes the grownups need to take a little break. Have a sit. Meditate. 

Even as few as five minutes of meditation can help calm your system and settle nerves.

I like to light incense at the end of the day and “have a sit” after all the kids are in bed and the house is quiet.

It’s relaxing to know we made it through another day.

* Obligatory disclaimer: We are not paid to promote these items. We just happen to like them.

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Our guest blogger,
Mrs. Swanky, posts
on ways to Feed Yourself
— in body, mind, and spirit.

[Enjoy this guest post from Mrs. Swanky]

New Achievement! Bandwagon.

You’ve joined countless others who have delved into the World Dungeon. You are now committed to 10 books of absolute chaos. Lucky you!

Reward: You understand this reference.

(p.s. If not, here’s a clue.)

* Obligatory disclaimer: We are not paid to promote these items. We just happen to like them.

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Our guest blogger,
Mrs. Swanky, posts
on ways to Feed Yourself
— in body, mind, and spirit.

[Enjoy this guest post from Mrs. Swanky]

I am a little embarrassed to admit that my family has not taken a vacation in about eight years! We have had some long weekends here and there, along with some holidays off work, but a proper vacation? Too. Long.

I did not want to acknowledge the burnout you can feel from dealing with the day in/day out of work with no real rest.

We recently had the absolute privilege of sailing on the Disney Destiny with my parents.

My mind needed the break from the chaos of work, and we gladly welcomed the chaos of a Disney Cruise with two teenagers, a preschooler, and a toddler.

10/10 would recommend this cruise line and this ship.

I am already looking forward to booking our next cruise … and the one after that!

* Obligatory disclaimer: We are not paid to promote these items. We just happen to like them.

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Our guest blogger,
Mrs. Swanky, posts
on ways to Feed Yourself
— in body, mind, and spirit.