There’s Alot to be Thankful For At Al’s and Barney’s!

1) My Family

2) Books

3) I am thankful for the love that surrounds me on a daily basis.
4) I am thankful for my husband because believe me I am not an easy person to love. 

5) I am thankful for God gracing me with a beautiful grandson,and loving children. 

6) I am thankful for my career at Al’s and for the opportunity that they have given me.

7) I feel that I am truly blessed both in my personal life and business life.
I’m thankful for my computer

9) I’m thankful for my husband who has been taking care of me while I’ve been sick

10) I’m thankful for my son who is growing up to be a great young man

What are you thankful for?  Leave a comment and share with us!

Hump Day Humor- Happy Thanksgiving!

Everyone loves a parade!

Let’s Talk Turkey- Part 5

Today , we’re going to talk about ways to make this Thanksgiving extra special!  Not only is Thanksgiving a time to eat great meals, it’s also a time to spend with family and friends.  it’s a time to reflect on what is truly important, to stop and think about what we are really thankful for and to realize how blessed we really are! 

So, my first suggestion is a way to share with everyone around the table.  A Thanksgiving dinner isn’t complete without the rolls.  I absolutely love Pilsbury Crescent Rolls.  And, they are perfect for this idea.  Before dinner, ask everyone what they are thankful for.  Write it down on small pieces of paper, about the size of the paper inside a fortune cookie.  I use the edible markers made with food coloring to write with.  Then, as you are rolling the crescent rolls, stick one piece of paper in each one.  Then, as each guest gets a crescent roll, they can open it up and read what someone there is thankful for.  Feel free to let guests say more than one thing.  You can’t eat just one crescent roll so you’ll need extras!

Another way to make Thanksgiving special is to decorate with homemade decorations.  You can get large sheets of paper and have each guest decorate thier own or make them ahead of time.  This is a great activity to keep young kids occupied while you are busy in the kitchen!  After the paper is finished, use self-adhearing laminating sheets to protect the artwork and make the placemat last a lot longer!

You can also decorate your table with placecards for each guest.  Write thier name and then something you love about them and why you are thankful for them.

Are you going to mom’s for Thanksgiving?  Tell her how much you appreciate her by giving her a Thanksgiving apron of thanks!  Have all of the grandkids put a handprint on the apron and paint thier name and age on there.  Then, have them each tell something about grandma that they are thankful for.  This can become a tradition.  Each year a new “thankful for grandma because…” can be added!

Thanksgiving is a time to share with family.  Take a nice, long family walk after dinner.  You’ll enjoy the time together and feel much better after a little exercise and fresh air!  Take your camera with and capture the moment on film! 

Get out the board games!  There’s nothing like a good game of scrabble or trivial pursuit to bring a family together!  One game you might want to try is Apples to Apples.  It’s great for all ages to play together.

Let’s Talk Turkey- Part 4

Worried about adding up too many calories this holiday season?  Check out these healthy holiday eating ideas for ways to enjoy your Thanksgiving meal without the guilt!

Frugal Friday- Special Thanksgiving Edition

      

Everyone is coming to your house for Thanksgiving!  You have so much to do and so little time.  And, besides time, you might be a little short on money this holiday season.  So, here are a couple of ideas to keep within your budget this year.

First of all, the more you make, the less you spend.  Huh?  Does that make any sense?  It does if your other option is to get ready made or restaurant dinners!  The more things you make from scratch, the less you’ll spend.  And, it will probably taste much better than restaurant cooking!  Don’t worry if you aren’t sure how to make something, we’ll have everything you need to know right here.  And, we’ll include links to even more sites for you to find out more than you ever wanted to know!

And, for a huge time and money saver, share the joys of cooking with your guests!  Last year, my family all brought a part of the meal and we had such a great time because there wasn’t one person stuck in the kitchen and exhausted by dinner time!  Another great thing about it was the meal was fabulous!  Since everyone brought thier specialty, each part of the meal tasted great!  It made for a stress free Thanksgiving when we could enjoy time with family and friends rather than stressing about what might go wrong.  So, I highly recommend trying this with your Thanksgiving Dinner.  I’m sure you won’t be sorry!

Check Out What’s Going On at Al’s and Barney’s!

Let’s Talk Turkey- Part 3

Having everyone over for Thanksgiving and not sure where to start?  Watch this video!

Today, we’ll explore all of the extra’s!  Let’s start with the gravy.

Gluten free sweet potato casserole- yummy enough for everyone!

Thanksgiving dinner- we all know it’s really all about the pie!

And, finally, a few tips from the experts!

Hump Day Humor- Special Pre-Thanksgiving Edition!

Sue Spitler- Coming to a Store Near You!

Sue Spitler, author of the 1,001 Cookbook Series will be featured during the month of December, bringing her new book, 1,001 Best Slow Cooker Recipes.  This may be Sue Spitler’s most anticipated cookbook yet!  I already have people waiting for it’s arrival.  Yes, some of them are for me!  What better gift for the holiday season than 1,001 recipe’s all in one book!  And, to sweeten the deal, Sue will be at 3 stores during the month of December to sign the book for you or your loved one, talk to customers about her delicious and healthy recipes, and offer samples of some of her great tasting recipes for you to try! 

We’ll also have Spitler’s other books available, including

• 1,001 Delicious Desserts for People with Diabetes
• 1001 Delicious Soups and Stews
• 1001 Best Low Fat Recipes
• 1001 Delicious Recipes for People with Diabetes
• 1001 Low Fat Vegetarian Recipes

Want to know when she’ll be in your store? 

12pm- 2pm

December 6- Al’s Karwick (Michigan City)

December 13- Barney’s Market (New Buffalo)

December 20- Al’s East (Laporte)

Let’s Talk Turkey- Part 2

Now we’re cooking!