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It’s time to get a head start on your Christmas baking. You will love these Christmas cookies you can make now and freeze. What a great feeling to have that task done well before the holiday season! These Santa-special treats can be in the freezer for up to three months. Make sure you wrap the cookies in plastic, stack in an airtight container, seal and freeze. Thaw wrapped cookies at room temperature before serving. These cookies are also perfect for a Christmas Cookie Exchange event. Here is the bonus…these cookies are easy to make! Everyone will think you spent hours and hours making these unique, delicious holiday cookies!      Courtesy of BHG
******************************* Christmas Cookies to make now and freeze! How easy is that?
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So many of us look forward to Thanksgiving with anticipation of friends and family gathering around for a delicious meal as well as good, lively conversation. However, some people may actually dread the holiday, especially this year and see it as a lonely and disappointing time because they are going through a bad time in their life. Tough times don’t take a holiday! For them, Thanksgiving may be the beginning of a long string of “holiday blues” because Christmas is close behind. Here are ideas to shed a different light on the holiday season and calm the Thanksgiving blues for others and will make you feel good as well. Write a card or note of thanks. We all would love to hear words of thanks! Write a quick note, send an email, or make a phone call. Simply say “Thanks for being you!” or “Glad you’re in my life!” Thanksgiving is the perfect time to let them know! Share your Thanksgiving meal if you are comfortable during that this year. An invitation to Thanksgiving dinner is a great way to include others. Do check to see if they have food preferences or restrictions. Extend the invitation ASAP. Sometimes, just anticipating the fun is as enjoyable as the real event. Deliver a Thanksgiving meal. If a person is too sick or too sad to join you for Thanksgiving dinner, deliver the meal to them. This can be for one person or rally others to contribute to a Thanksgiving dinner with a side dish or dessert and deliver meals to several people. Deliver the meal with a caring note and heating instructions. If time doesn’t allow for this, just deliver a piece of your favorite pie.  Plan something fun to do over Thanksgiving weekend. Take some of the loneliness out of the weekend by going shopping, seeing a holiday blockbuster movie, or going skiing or ice skating. Each town has its own fun activities so check online or in the newspaper for ideas. Involve the kids. Help them create a Thanksgiving Day greeting card for a shut in. Provide craft supplies and let the kids create them and have them deliver their homemade cards or send them in the mail. Help with holiday decorations. Make someone’s home a bit cheerier by helping with Thanksgiving decorations. Don’t forget to help take them down at the end of the season. Illness and accidents don’t take a break just because it’s Thanksgiving. Think of visiting someone who is ill (not with COVID) and home bound with a noncommunicable illness, or a person who had an accident who is home bound. If appropriate (especially this year), provide something fun to do, or if time allows, watch a game, movie, or parade. A short visit will be appreciated as well. A little extra time and effort will bring a smile to someone going through a rough time. It might just help to ease their Thanksgiving blues. And, it will make you feel better, too! Source & Additional Info... Help to calm the Thanksgiving Blues during this COVID-19 year!  Veterans Day is an official United States holiday that celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans. It is observed each year on November 11. It was originally known as Armistice Day.
Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day which honors those who died while in military service. It is also not to be confused with Armed Forces Day which is celebrated in May and specifically honors those currently serving in the U.S. military. When Veterans Day falls on a Saturday then either Saturday or the preceding Friday may be designated as the holiday. If it falls on a Sunday, it is typically observed on the following Monday. This year we are observing the holiday on Wednesday, November 11. Source… Enjoy this quote and several more from well-known individuals about Veterans Day: “The veterans of our military services have put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. They have dedicated their lives to their country and deserve to be recognized for their commitment.” Judd Gregg Read more here: Quotes Please take the time to thank a vet on this Veterans Day and help out in any way you feel you can. A Thanksgiving tradition for some families and a soon-to-be tradition for others…a Thankful Tree! After all, the meaning of Thanksgiving is to give thanks for the many blessings in our lives. This is an activity that all ages can participate in and will be a topic of conversation for your Thanksgiving gathering. We have chosen three trees that are fairly easy DIY projects. You can get started on them this week and have them ready for Thanksgiving day. Thankful Tree #1 (Pinterest)  Start with some tall branches — either gather them from outside, or purchase a bunch of craft branches. For an even more festive look, consider lighted branches. Add them to a simple glass vase. You may have some of the supplies on hand… if not, they are reasonable in cost and can be used year after year! Before guests arrive, attach ribbon to paper leaves. Using a dark colored Sharpie, write what you are thankful for on a few of the leaves and hang them on the tree. Encourage your guests to do the same as they arrive. Thankful Tree #2 (Pinterest)  You will need the following supplies for this Thankful Tree: Glass Vase, Tree Branches, Pinecones, Autumn Leaves, Ribbon, Scrapbook Paper, and Leaf Pattern This is a low-cost Tree that can be used year after year. Thankful Tree #3  This Tree is nature themed. It uses unshelled nuts in the vase with autumn leaves decoration surrounding the vase. The medallions are wooden with chalk paint so they can be used again next Thanksgiving. Be creative and use supplies that you have on hand. If you need to purchase some of them, remember that you can use this Thankful Tree year after year! Can you believe it’s almost Thanksgiving? As you are planning your menu, crafting and decorating to prepare for the big feast, we have Thanksgiving Food Art dishes for your consideration. These three Thanksgiving Food Art projects are easy and fun for young and old to prepare (and eat). Turkey Cheese Ball This Turkey Cheese Ball is so easy to make. Start with your favorite cheese ball recipe and add pretzels for feathers, jerky stick for the neck, candy corn and candy eyes. Surround your turkey with an assortment of crackers.  Via Pinterest Turkey Veggie Tray This Turkey Veggie Tray will be the hit of your Thanksgiving feast. It is healthy as well as adding a pop of color to the table. You will need the following veggies: cucumbers; celery; carrots; asparagus; green, red and yellow peppers; cherry tomatoes; a small yellow summer squash, and lettuce. Arrange according to the photo and serve with your favorite dip.  Via Pinterest Turkey Fruit Plate What a fun turkey fruit plate made with a pear, grapes, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi and Clementines! Set a bowl of fruit dip (yogurt & whipped topping mixed together) nearby and you have a scrumptious appetizer or dinner side dish!   It goes without saying that we need to sleep in order to function at optimal levels. Sleeping well improves your appearance, brainpower, memory and other vital body functions. It also reduces your risk of gaining weight, feeling fatigued or developing chronic health conditions. Both adults and children need 6 or more hours of sleep every night for optimal health. However, just because you’re getting the recommended hours of sleep each day does not mean that your body is getting the rest that it needs. A lot of people toss and turn all night, don’t feel like getting out of bed in the morning and drink plenty of coffee to avoid drowsiness during the day. If you’re suffering from such sleep problems, then you need to improve the quality of your sleep. Here are a few top tips on how to boost your sleep quality. 1 – Sleep in a Cool, Dark & Quiet Room Sleeping with the lights on is one of the major causes of sleep deprivation. When your eyes are exposed to light, neurons are aroused and this disrupts your sleep. Research has also shown that light exposure before sleep suppresses the production of melatonin – the hormone that controls your sleep and wake cycles. A reduction in this hormone at night normally leads to varying levels of sleeplessness. To avoid sleep disruption due to nighttime exposure to light, always sleep with all the lights off. This includes the light emitted from electronic devices, so make sure your computer, phone, tablet and other light producing equipment are either turned off or stored outside the bedroom. Too much heat can also disrupt your sleep quality. To keep cool while you sleep, make sure you keep the window open and ensure the room is well ventilated. If you still find that you’re too warm after doing this, go to bed wearing lighter clothing and consider investing in a lighter duvet or even sleeping on top of the covers. Noise is yet another thing that can have a detrimental impact on the quality of your sleep. To minimize the amount of noise in your room, make sure there’s nothing in the bedroom that could potentially make noises while you sleep. If it’s noisy outside your bedroom, try sleeping with earplugs. 2 – Avoid Caffeine In The Evening As you probably know, coffee is a rich source of caffeine. This chemical changes the brain’s chemistry by binding with sleep inducing receptors known as adenosine in order to keep you awake. The stimulating effects of caffeine can wreak havoc on your sleep because they take hours to wear off. Therefore, if you are an avid coffee drinker, you might want to avoid your favorite beverage a few hours before going to bed. 3 – Get Comfortable Before You Sleep There are many ways to get comfortable before going to bed and these can improve the quality of your sleep. For instance, taking a hot shower raises your core body temperature and this helps to improve sleep. Alternatively, having a hot bath can relax your muscles and help you have a soothing night of sleep. 4 – Try Essential Oils Essential oils such as cedar wood, roman chamomile, sandalwood, valerian or lavender oil are all natural relaxants and can help you have an amazing night’s sleep. If you’re having a bath before bed, try putting a few drops of your favorite essential oils from the above list into the bath and then allow the aromas to work their magic. Alternatively, you can add a few drops of these essential oils to a diffuser, place it in your bedroom and let the relaxing scents slowly spread around the room while you sleep. 5 – Unwind Before Bed One final way to maximize your sleep quality is to start unwinding and getting ready for bed a few hours before you sleep. You can do this by disconnecting from the Internet, switching off the TV and your other electronic devices and then spending the last few hour of the day doing a relaxing activity. Then for the last 30 minutes of the day, stop everything, empty your mind and focus fully on getting ready for sleep. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) recently released the key indicators of good sleep quality, as established by a panel of experts. The key determinants of quality sleep are included in a report published in Sleep Health. They include:
Summary If you’ve been struggling to get a good night’s sleep, I hope the advice in this article helps to enhance your sleep quality. These 5 tips are very simple to implement but surprisingly effective. So give them a try today and start enjoying the best sleep of your life.  You may think it may be too late to save for retirement... think again, you can do it.
In order to get ready you must stay focused and be disciplined... stay the course. Make sure you first find a qualified Certified Financial Planner (CFP), check them out and then hire the right one for you. Next think about your budget and how you spend your income. It may seem an impossible task but do some homework and get going. With regard to finding a good CFP, find at least four to make comparisons. Look for track records of the company or investments they represent and make an objective decision. Take a look at the links below and get caught up on related terms you may want to discuss with your CFP. It sure helps to know investment options and basic financial terminology. Helpful Links for Retirement Options (source- LINK): Individual Retirement Account (IRA) An individual retirement account (IRA) is an investing tool individuals use to earn and earmark funds for retirement savings. Catch-Up Contribution Definition A catch-up contribution is a type of retirement savings contribution that allows people age 50 or older to make additional contributions to their 401(k) accounts and/or individual retirement accounts (IRAs). SBO-401(k) An SBO-401(k) is a tax-deferred, government-registered retirement savings plan for small business owners. Independent 401(k) An Independent 401(k) is a tax-advantaged retirement savings plan available to individual small business owners and their spouses. Spousal IRA Definition A spousal IRA is a strategy that allows a working spouse to contribute to an IRA in the name of a non-working spouse to circumvent income requirements. Retirement Planning Retirement planning is the process of determining retirement income goals, risk tolerance, and the actions and decisions necessary to achieve those goals. For more Retirement Advice, Click Here  Just so you know...we are not a dating site! However, we wanted to offer helpful suggestions for those baby boomers and seniors who want to reach out to others in the same age group. Do you know how to grab someone's attention and get more responses on an online dating site? To grab one’s attention, you should: 1 Complete your profile Make sure other members know more about you and what kind of partner you are looking for by writing more about yourself and your desired match. 2 Upload more profile photos This is an important part because some members would decide to make the contact or not based on profile photos. 3 Show some humor Keep it light...show them you are a fun person! Most people respond well to humor. 4 Try emailing more members Don’t be disappointed if someone doesn’t return an email to you. Not everyone is very responsive to emails. They may also be on vacation or they just don't login that often. 5 Sign in as often as possible Be an active member by signing in at different times to meet as many members as you can. 6 The most important thing is to be honest Remember to be honest, positive and patient in all uses of the site. Hopefully, the above tips will help you get more responses on online senior dating sites. Source... Here are reviews of the best online senior dating site: The Best Senior Dating Sites Reviews Also of interest: Retirement Adventures... You don’t want to miss our suggestions for Over 50 hobbies and activities that are fun and engaging. Baby boomers are unlike any prior generation because of their attitudes and lifestyles. As research shows, in terms of their hobbies and interests, baby boomers are not going to settle for your usual bingo night as they get older. They enjoy a wide variety of activities ranging from sports and workouts to enjoying their rock ‘n’ roll music. Even though many boomers care for aging parents as well as children, they still find time for their favorite activities. So what are popular baby boomer pastimes? Source… 1) Social and Spiritual Experiences 2) Exploring Tech 3) Home Improvement and DIY 4) Dating 5) Aqua Activities 6) Volunteering 7) Extreme Sports 8) Enjoying Music 9) Career Changes 10) Staying Fit  During retirement each day allows for the freedom of choice. It also allows the retiree to explore new things as a well-deserved reward for all of the hard work accomplished after years of employment. However, it can be quite a challenge to keep things interesting during those long periods of time every day. There are, of course, those occasional projects and tasks around the house. But, when you think about filling 20 to 30 years of significant and worthwhile things to do, the task may seem a bit overwhelming. An example of a specific activity is taking a trip to someplace you and your spouse/friend have never been before. The fun is actually in the planning. This is a great way to create memories that will be with you forever. Another example is to join a sporting group or team. You will not only get into shape, but you will also make new friends. Here is a list of fun and entertaining ideas to keep retirement anything but mundane: Fun in Retirement What would you add to this Over 50 Hobbies and Activities?
You’ve probably noticed it’s Winter Squash season! Your local grocery store most likely has a variety of squash on display in the produce section, but aside from “looking” seasonal and pretty, many people don’t know what the different varieties of squash are called, yet alone what they can be used for! Hint: they’re more than decoration! Here’s a handy, dandy crash course on Winter Squash, and their many uses. Carnival Squash This colorful variety is a hybrid of an acorn squash and a sweet dumpling squash. It’s perfect for soups and for roasting.  Delicata Squash This Winter squash is pale yellow with green stripes and has an edible skin. Try slicing it into half moons, tossing it in olive oil with salt and pepper and roasting it in the oven for a delicious Fall side dish!  Acorn Squash A smaller squash that varies in color from dark green to orange, with a ribbed rind and orange or yellow flesh. When halved for roasting, the acorn squash can act as a festive bowl for soups or fillings.  Here is the easiest way ever to cook Acorn Squash…in the crock pot! Harvest Acorn Squash Into the crock pot put cleaned, unpeeled squash. Add approximately 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook one hour on High, then change to Low for 6-8 hours. Split and scoop out seeds from cooked squash. Place melted butter, brown sugar, pepper and dash of cinnamon in cavity of squash. Yummy!! Butternut Squash It’s slim neck and round bottom gives this squash it’s distinctive shape. It has bright orange flesh and a fairly sweet and nutty flavor making it great roasted or as a soup. You can use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin.  Sugar Pumpkin It looks like a classic Halloween pumpkin, only a bit smaller. It actually has lots of flesh, and a great pumpkin flavor which makes it great for pie! Try using it instead of canned pumpkin the next time you make a pumpkin pie!  Spaghetti Squash Scraping a fork inside a roasted spaghetti squash will give you strings that closely resemble noodles! It’s mild flavor pairs well with a variety of sauces. It’s a great alternative to pasta! Jack Be Little This adorable little guy is actually best used for decorative purposes only. It has very little flesh, which doesn’t make it very practical to use in recipes, but they sure are cute and make great bowls for dip or soup!  Hubbard Squash Hubbard squash are a fairly large winter squash. They are slightly tear-shaped with dark green to pale grayish blue skins. Because of their size, they are often sold in pre-cut and seeded chunks which are more appealing to home cooks. Hubbards are sweet with a clear pumpkin flavor. Their extra-thick skins help them store through the winter (up to five months in a cool and dry place). A great way to prepare Hubbard squash is to roast them. They are good seasoned with rosemary and black pepper or roasted and then mashed with plenty of butter and warm spices like cumin or nutmeg.  Squash makes a great Fall or Winter meal or side dish. Pinterest is a great resource for recipes, so add squash to your shopping list soon and take advantage of the season!
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