Friday Favorites from Damn Delicious, Grandbaby Cakes, Julie Blanner and More

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Good morning! I hope that you had a great week. I don’t know about you but I am ready for some turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie. It seems strange to have Thanksgiving so late. In the meantime I am enjoying all the Christmas and Thanksgiving posts as well as the pre-Black Friday sales and gift ideas.

I hope that you enjoy my finds this week.

Food

Damn Delicious

One Pot French Onion Soup! What a great idea from Damn Delicious.

Chicken Stuffed Shells from Grandbaby Cakes looks like a delicious and comforting meal.

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I had beef stew before but I have never had a One Pot Chicken Stew. This one from Little Broken looks delicious and is now on my list of soups to make this winter.

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Isn’t this Snowman Dessert Cheese Ball from Julie Blanner cute? I think it would make a great addition to your Thanksgiving and Christmas table.

Articles

Private Equity Is Trying to Sell Medical Residencies for Profit

Here’s Why Milk Giant Dean’s Went Bankrupt

9 Year Old Told Not To Doodle in Class Gets a Job Decorating Restaurant Walls

With the holidays coming I found this article, Candle and Centerpiece Etiquette interesting. But at the end of the day I say, life is short, do what makes you happy.

The ‘doomsday’ vault that protects the world’s biodiversity is expanding.

The impeachment hearings are costing American businesses $2.1B an hour in lost productivity.

Police Foil A Brazen Thief Who Tries to Steal two Rembrandt’s.

Books

Joyful

Have you ever wondered why we stop to watch the orange glow that arrives before sunset, or why we flock to see cherry blossoms bloom in spring? Is there a reason that people — regardless of gender, age, culture, or ethnicity — are mesmerized by baby animals, and can’t help but smile when they see a burst of confetti or a cluster of colorful balloons.

We are often made to feel that the physical world has little or no impact on our inner joy. Increasingly, experts urge us to find balance and calm by looking inward — through mindfulness or meditation — and muting the outside world. But what if the natural vibrancy of our surroundings is actually our most renewable and easily accessible source of joy?

In Joyful, designer Ingrid Fetell Lee explores how the seemingly mundane spaces and objects we interact with every day have surprising and powerful effects on our mood. Drawing on insights from neuroscience and psychology, she explains why one setting makes us feel anxious or competitive, while another fosters acceptance and delight — and, most importantly, she reveals how we can harness the power of our surroundings to live fuller, healthier, and truly joyful lives.

The Stories Behind Christmas Traditions ($2.99 on Kindle)

he cheer of a crackling hearth fire. Colorful cards from friends and loved ones. An evergreen tree festooned with ornaments.The golden traditions of Christmas—gifts, wreaths, stockings, carols, mistletoe, and more—infuse our celebration of the season with meaning and glowing memories. And, in ways you may not realize, they point us to the birth of Christ.Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas reveals the people, places, and events that shaped the best-loved customs of this merriest of holidays. Here are spiritual insights, true-life tales, and captivating legends to intrigue you and your family and bring new luster and depth to your celebration of Jesus’ birth. Discover how• after eighteen centuries of all but ignoring the event, churches began to open the door for believers to commemorate Jesus’ incarnation.• the evergreen tree, once a central theme in the worship practices of pagan cultures, came to represent the everlasting love of God.• the magi’s three gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—are filled with spiritual symbolism.The traditions of Christmas lend beauty, awe, and hope to the holiday, causing people all over the world to anticipate it with joy. The stories in this book will warm your heart as you rediscover the true and eternal significance of Christmas.

A Vintage Christmas

This beautiful, giftable Christmas collection features old-fashioned works from classic authors who invite you to a feast of holiday nostalgia.

Stories and poetry have been part of the Christmas season for generations, reminding us that the heart of the holiday never changes. A Vintage Christmas is a unique collection of lesser-known Christmas tales, reflections, and poems from beloved authors across the centuries and makes the perfect gift for the reader in your life.

Discover the charming story from L. M. Montgomery about love and sacrifice in a little log house. See Christmas through the eyes of a child in a New England colonial village with Harriet Beecher Stowe. Remember the reason Christ came to earth in the poetry of Anne Brontë. Share with your family the delightful letter Mark Twain wrote as Santa Claus to his three-year-old daughter.

This beautiful treasury takes us back to the firesides, simple gifts, and warm family moments of Christmases past as we cherish the timeless truths and joys of the season.

A Vintage Christmas includes stories from Louisa May Alcott, Charles Dickens, Ralph Henry Barbour, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, L. M. Montgomery, and William Dean Howells, as well as poems from Eliza Cook, Christina Rossetti, William Makepeace Thackeray, Joyce Kilmer, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

L. Frank Baum’s The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus was first published in 1902, two years after his Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Drawing on the attributes of Santa Claus from Clement Moore’s 1822 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (“The Night Before Christmas”), Baum chronicles Santa’s life from his childhood in an enchanted forest—the same forest that is the source of all magic in the land of Oz—to his destiny of sharing gifts and spreading love to his fellow man. Along the way we witness him making his first toys, learn the origins of the Christmas tree and Christmas stockings, and discover the stories behind many Christmas secrets, like why Santa slides down chimneys, how he picks his reindeer, and how he delivers all his toys in one night. Later adapted into multiple animated films, and published here with the original illustrations from the first edition, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus evinces the charm, warmth, and fantasy that made L. Frank Baum’s Oz stories American classics.

Finds

On sale $45.00

I love velvet at Christmas and these pants from the Gap are perfect for parties, and outings.

Gap

Plaid dress for kids. Perfect for holiday photos. If you are mad for plaid like me the Gap has tons of plaid dress, shirts, lined jean and more for kids.