Last year, to save time, I just put a clementine in each bag. This year, I bought oranges and dried them. If you want to make these pretty orange slices, here’s how to do it.
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How to Make Oven-Dried Orange Slices:
Preheat oven to 175° F.
Slice oranges about ⅛-inch thick.
Set slices in a single layer on baking sheets with wire racks (this will allow oranges to dry on both sides).
Cook for 4-6 hours, until dry to the touch. You may want to rotate halfway through for even cooking.
Ted and I escaped to Arizona for our 20th anniversary – and what a place to celebrate!
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The weather was gorgeous and we spent nearly every waking hour outdoors.
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Here’s a peek into our trip:
Wednesday:
We arrived at the Phoenix airport, rented a Jeep, met up with some of our best friends (Mark and Stacey), and had lunch at The Mission in Old Town Scottsdale. My heart was happy as we sat outside in the warm sun, surrounded by palm trees, filling up on tacos, chips and salsa!
After lunch we window-shopped in Old Town Scottsdale. This unique shopping area is filled with western style art, clothing, and jewelry.
Though there are many beautiful hotels in the area to choose from (Faimont Princess and The Sanctuary are two of my favs), we found the perfect AirBnB right in the middle of town. After dropping our bags inside the condo, we went straight to the rooftop deck to watch the sunset (and moonrise).
This rooftop would be our favorite spot to end every day.
That night, we had a phenomenal anniversary dinner at Dominick’s steakhouse. When we arrived, the host handed us a handwritten card, wishing us a happy anniversary. The food and service were outstanding. Our dinner ended with complimentary dessert – beignets, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and melted chocolate on the side. Yum! I’m still dreaming about that dinner. That was a delicious and memorable way to end our anniversary.
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Thursday
We conquered Camelback Mountain. When we arrived at the mountain, I read signs saying, “Beware: EXTREMELY challenging.”
‘How hard can this be?’ I thought, as I saw a smooth trail ahead of me. Well, that trail soon ended and was replaced by nothing but huge boulders. We climbed rock after rock and felt like we’d never make it to the top. I kept thinking about the relaxing afternoon that awaited us, and that kept me going one step at a time. I wrongly assumed going down would be much easier, but that was a different kind of challenge. It felt SO good to have conquered that mountain.
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We spent a luxurious afternoon at the Fairmont Princess spa! We got a couples massage, used their eucalyptus steam room, sauna, hot tub, waterfall pool, and adults only pool.
We woke up early on Friday and drove 60 miles north to Sedona.
I’m not sure how I’ve lived my whole life without knowing how spectacular Sedona would be. There aren’t even words to describe the beauty.
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We started the day with a hike up Soldiers Pass, which led to a unique cave to explore. We brought sandwiches and had lunch with a view.
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We hiked back down, drove through town, got coffee, then hiked Cathedral Rock. Because the landscape in Sedona is so incredible, you barely notice that you putting in effort into those challenging climbs. The hikes were phenomenal.
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We met some new friends for dinner, then drove back to our condo to sleep.
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Saturday
Saturday morning we met old friends for coffee, then went to Hash kitchen for brunch. Hash kitchen is an experience. It’s a breakfast party with a live DJ! Unfortunately (fortunately?), I forgot my tube top or any other sort of club wear that we saw other patrons wearing. The music inside was LOUD (did I mention the live DJ?), so thankfully, we found a table outside and enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the warm sun.
After breakfast we spent the day exploring Scottsdale and a quaint little town called Cave Creek.
We went back to our place to watch another sunset, and spend time with friends.
For dinner, we went to a cool spot called Sorsa Wine Room, and sat on their patio that overlooks a beautiful shopping area.
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Sunday
Our last day. We packed up, then went to a friend’s church (you must visit Gateway if you are in town), before heading to their airport to fly home.
We packed a lot into that long weekend, and had such a great time!
A couple things we didn’t do that I’d like to include next time:
There was an article about this author in the Sunday paper that piqued my interest, so I found her book at our local library.
This author’s life story is phenomenal! She was a Jewish girl living in Poland during WW2. Just before Hitler liquidated her Ghetto, she snuck out with her sister. Using fake papers, they “hid” by working in Germany through the war.
The author went on to become a doctor, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. She got married, raised a family, and worked in the medical field. The book is way better than my short synopsis. I recommend it to anyone interested in stories from WW2.
I started reading this with one of my sons and he wasn’t really into it. I finished on my own. There were some fun little facts about life in the White House, but most of the stuff written in this book is already well known. I would recommend it to someone in in middle or high school who may be interested in the life of a president or what happens in the White House.
I usually love memoirs, but not this one. The author is a great writer, but the book is filled with SO. MUCH. (partially self-induced) DRAMA and struggle. I’ve read plenty of books with struggle, and those are usually the best ones (see the first book I mentioned above). However, many books share lessons learned, a redemptive twist, or some sort of triumph in the end. Not in this book. I kind of just felt sad and icky when I finished this story. I wished the author would have waited a few years to publish this book, to allow herself time to heal first. I don’t recommend this book.
Review: The only way to ‘read’ this book is to ‘listen’ to the audiobook. It’s read by Matthew McConaughey and he is an entertaining storyteller, but there’s nothing profound in this book. If you want a book with nothing more than some amusing stories, check out the audiobook.
Review: I respect this author, follow her on Instagram, and enjoy listening to her podcasts on parenting. Dr. Meg Meeker really understands the struggles mothers face, and writes to help us enjoy the journey. This book has some good nuggets, but I recommend her Strong Mothers, Strong Sons over this one.
Fall feels like winter in Minnesota and this little heater makes my bathroom toasty while I get ready in the morning. This also works well at keeping your feet warm by placing it under the desk in your office.
Do you remember Vicks Vaporub? This is the upgraded version. It’s a menthol rub for aches, pains, congestion, and more. We use this for everything – sore throat, sore muscles, and cough/congestion.
Buy this now, then when you get sore muscle, you’ll be so glad you have it in your cabinet.
Allow me to introduce you to the vegetable you never knew you loved. Crisp, fresh, and crunchy kohlrabi is a turnip-like cabbage rich in fiber, vitamin C, B vitamins, and potassium.
Ted and I call it our favorite “pasta.” It’s a vegetable full of flavor and makes a delicious spaghetti substitute. We sauté it with a little olive oil, add sauce and its oh. so. good.
I’ve never been very athletic, and didn’t grow up playing or watching sports, but seeing my boys work hard and compete is pure joy.
We just finished the football season for Clark and Luke, the soccer season for George and Paul, and now all four boys are playing basketball. I love basketball because (1) it’s inside and you don’t have to worry about weather and (2) it’s so active and up close!
I’ve been subbing in our school district a couple of days each week. I teach grades Kindergarten and all the way up to twelfth grade. Each day is a new adventure – but what a joy to get to love on, invest in, and encourage kids each week.
My current favorite is teaching middle school – specifically if my kids are in one of my classes.
When I was teaching 6th grade this week, a student saw “Mrs. Egly” written on the board and said:
“Are you Clark’s sister?”
That, right there, is why I LOVE teaching 6th graders, and how you earn “teacher’s pet status!”
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7. Target’s Good and Gather brand
There are so many delicious Good and Gather Products, but my two current favorites are:
Jalapeño Avacado hummus and Cranberry Jalapeño dip.
This website is a great resource for parents. When my boys ask to watch a movie and I don’t know much about it, I look it up on PluggedIn. They write comprehensive reviews of movies, TV shows, and music.
We put ours up over the weekend, and as we hung the ornaments, the ones that made us smile and brought back the sweetest memories were the ones we made together.
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Hanging new ornaments they received for Christmas
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Here are five fun holiday ornaments my boys enjoyed making, and I think your family will have fun with it too.
You can keep them for your own tree, or gift them to loved ones.
Which one of those I listed is your favorite? Leave me a comment.
Send me a picture of your family’s favorite homemade ornament.
Enjoy the holiday season!
Love,
Kathryn
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Disclaimer: The items I recommended from Amazon are affiliate links. If you purchase an item I recommend, I may earn a commission. Thanks for your support!
I read this book about five years ago and loved it SO much. I saw it on my free Hoopla app and decided to listen to it this time. Bob Goff reads the book and it’s fun to listen to him tell such fascinating stories about growing up, his teenage and college years, meeting his wife, adventures with his kids, and interesting stories with friends. Each chapter has a little life lesson as well – all about living a life of LOVE.
I’d heard of Clara Barton in connection with the Red Cross, but never knew much about her. Wow, what a fascinating life!
She was a SUPER SHY young girl, so her parents encouraged her to become a teacher. Though she was INCREDIBLY nervous at first, she learned that she was really good at it! She quickly learned how to connect with her students, and they loved and respected her. Clara taught for many years, and even helped get free public education started in states that didn’t have it yet.
Reading (or listening to) stories like this gives me hope for each human. Clara was a simple girl that noticed a gap/problem, then filled the gap and helped solved the problem. We can do great things by starting small.
I’m thankful for women like Clara. She carved the way for a woman like me! She was a leader before women were allowed to lead. She was hard-working, creative, respectful, but bold.
I listened to this book on my free Hoopla app and recommend it for moms and their daughters. Listen to it together.
As I closed this book, I held it in my hands with deep appreciation. I am so grateful for this author and her words. Oh, how I needed to hear them. I wish I would have read this book 3 years ago when I moved to Minnesota and felt completely…anonymous.
Jesus lived 90 percent of his life anonymously! And yet, look at the impact He made in the world and for eternity.
Don’t despise anonymity. Learn during that season, grow in that season. God has not forgotten you.
I underlined almost half of this book. It was so incredibly powerful. I was in tears many times.
This is one of the best books I’ve read all year. I read it slowly to savor the words. It’s a book I’ll go back to because the message is so important and so beautiful.
Read this if you feel anonymous, if your dreams haven’t been realized, or if you are in a new town and feel unknown.
Here are a few points that I loved from this book:
Why would Jesus announce the birth of his precious son with a full angelic choir, then hide this priceless gift for three decades? Because what is hidden is not unimportant.
God’s first public words to Jesus were not directional (go there) or instructional (do this) it was relational: THIS IS MY SON! And He spoke affirmation before Jesus had ever done any good works.
Every day, we invest in a future we cannot see. Time is not really spent. Instead, it is invested in a future we cannot see.
Choosing what is right not only makes a difference today, it makes a difference that compounds exponentially to bless our future.
Jesus could stand strong in public because he stood still in private. He intentionally pursued quiet places.There is healing in stillness.
Strength is not given, it is grown.
Savor the anonymous season. Respect it’s potential.
WOW! What a funny, yet powerful book! I couldn’t put it down. Michael is such a great performer and storyteller. Each chapter tells a (usually funny) story from his life with a POWERFUL life lesson or action step for the reader.
Micheal Jr. included great quotes throughout the book:
Sometimes, would tell a story, then say, “Scan this to watch it.”
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Thanks for reading the reviews of these great books! Have you read any of these or another good one? Leave a comment and let me know what to read next!
Anyone else staying home for weeks on end, staring at their walls and wanting to make changes?
We decided we needed wallpaper.
For the last twenty years, the only thing I wanted to do with wallpaper was TEAR IT DOWN! Evidently quarantine messed me up enough to want to put it up – in more than one room!
I’ve never picked out wallpaper. I didn’t know what a big and overwhelming job this could be.
I walked into a wallpaper store that was almost as big as my house. Every wall had bookshelves. On every bookshelf were wallpaper books. In every wallpaper book were a hundred different option.
The first day I just walked in … then just walked right back out. I wasn’t prepared.
My second visit involved pulling random books off the shelf and scanning through them.
Thankfully, a sweet lady who worked there sensed that I was a bit over my head. She asked me to describe what I envisioned for my home, then pulled about six different books for me to look through.
Amazingly, several of those books had something I liked, so I brought them home to get Ted’s input, and see how it looked inside our home, with our stuff.
We finally chose one! …And then found out it was out of print.
Back to the books.
We chose another one. This time it was available! We ordered it and (for the sake of our marriage and sanity) found a man to hang it for us.
Our second choice.
Here’s our new dining room wall:
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We also added a grasscloth wallpaper to our family room and found artwork from the PosterStore.com.
Have you made any home modifications since quarantine? Leave a comment and let me know!
If you live in the Twin Cities and are looking for something fun to do with your family, or perhaps, needing a birthday party idea – you should check out Tactical Urban Combat.
It’s a huge, super fun, indoor nerf gun arena!
The boys, ranging from age 10 to 14, battled it out for a birthday party and had so much fun (and burned so much energy).
You can come with just yourself – and join other players – or bring a group of up to 20 people!
When you arrive:
Sign in
Go to your designated battle ground
Pick your nerf gun from a large display on the wall
Get your ammo and safety gear
Break into teams
A staff person will go over rules and instructions…. then …
Going over the rules and instructions.
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The Battle Begins!
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Ready for war
They had an amazing time running around, hiding together, ducking behind and peeking out from the obstacles placed strategically around the arena.
They could switch out nerf guns if the one they were using wasn’t ‘accurate’ or ‘powerful’ enough!
The kids had an hour to play – during that time the party host lead them in several games and battles – including Team Elimination and Capture the Flag.
It’s a great place for kids, or for adults that want to feel like a kid again. It’s also a unique way for parents to engage and make memories with their kids.
We went as a family on a separate day and had SO much fun. Here’s a peek:
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Check out one of their two locations:
Mall of America: 340 West Market, Bloomington, MN 55425 – or –
Eden Prairie: 8251 Flying Cloud Dr. #1020, Eden Prairie, MN 55344, USA
Would you like more ideas for fun things to do around town?
Review: A beautiful, yet heart breaking story that follows generations of African Americans from Africa to the United States. You follow generations of families as they endure (and sometimes conquer) the tragedies of war, slavery, drug abuse, and discrimination.
I listened to the audiobook and because the book shares the stories of so many characters over so many generations, it was a little hard to follow. If you are listening, I recommend you have a pen and paper nearby to help you keep it all straight.
Review: This is one of the best marriage books I’ve ever read. I picked it up, not because I was ready to ‘split,’ but simply curious on the advice she’d give from the perspective of a divorce attorney, why NOT to split!!!
I had no idea how truly insightful and helpful this book would be to EVERY SINGLE MARRIED PERSON!
Do yourself and your marriage a favor and read this book!
I took SIX PAGES OF NOTES!!! Here are some highlights:
Your marriage can go from that bad to this good. No matter how troubled or even chaotic your marriage may seem, you have more control over its future than you think.
Ask yourself and people you trust: “What is it like to be on the other side of me?“
Your spouse can’t make you happy. Happiness is something you bring to a relationship, not something you get from it.
There’s danger in allowing the emotions you’re experiencing right now to lead you to make long-term decisions. Yes, your emotions are real. Examine them. Learn from them. But don’t give them the lead role.
Marriage is two broken but loveable people.
Find friends who will help you WIN in your marriage. Surround yourself with WISE, trustworthy, and objective friends who help you make better decisions. Your friends help you lean into or away from your marriage.
Review: I’m so fascinated by the life of Andrew Van Der Bijl – just a regular man who wanted to make a difference in the world! He decided to smuggle Bibles into countries where people could not get them. Some churches were without any Bible, other churches were sharing just one single copy. The things Andrew saw and other things that happened are beyond explanation – a truly fascinating story!
Because “God Smuggler” by Brother Andrew is one of my favorite autobiographies, I decided to read this biography about him. I really enjoyed it because it shares stories I had not read in his book, as well as a different perspective on the stories I already knew.
Review: This short chapter book gives kids a glimpse into what it must have been like to survive the terrorist attack on 9/11. It’s a fiction story that felt so real I thought it was non-fiction. The ‘I survived’ books are a little ‘harrowing’ with heavy topics, so I would only recommend them for kids ages 10 and up. Overall, it was an excellent story.
Review: My son and I couldn’t get enough of Book 1 (Front Desk), but we had to force ourselves to finish Book 2. This one felt like the author was trying to lecture the reader and push an agenda with a topic that is above the heads of kids reading it. Unfortunately, I don’t recommend it.
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Thanks for reading this post! Have you read a good book recently? Leave a comment and let us know!
Each of these books are affiliate links which means if you purchase on, I may get a small commission. TIA!
Most of our kids are back in school, sitting 8 hours a day, often times wearing a mask. Getting out in the backyard, enjoying fresh air and family time is perfect for fall.
The temps are more mild and kids are ready to burn some energy after a long school day. Playing together not only helps you and your children ‘de-stress,’ but also strengthens the bond with your kids!
Here are FIVE free games to play with your family!
1. Dog tail:
Pull out the longest socks you own.
Everyone tucks one sock into the back of their shorts, like a dog tail.
The object is to grab everyone else’s “tail” (or sock) while keeping your own.
Say GO and the last one wearing a sock wins!
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2. Mr. Fox, what time is it?
Select one person to be Mr. or Mrs. Fox. This person will stand with his or her back to the rest of the players.
All other players line up on the other side of the yard/field. The players take turns asking Mr. Fox what time it is. (“Mr. Fox, what time is it?)
The fox will then respond with a time, such as 3 o’clock. The players must then take the same number of steps forward (in this case, 3 steps). These steps may be as large or small as the players wish, no matter how close they get to the fox.
When Mr. Fox is ready, he will respond to “What time is it?” with “LUNCHTIME!”
When the kids hear ‘lunchtime,’ they will run back to the starting line and try not to get “tagged” by Mr. Fox.
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3. Create an Obstacle Course
Work with your kids to design an obstacle course in the backyard and time each other to complete the course.
4. “Vote with your Feet!”
This is a take on the “Would you rather?” game, except your kids have to run to one or the other side of the yard.
If they “vote” for the first one, run to the right. If they vote for second, run to the left.
Would you rather….
Be Superman or Batman?
Eat Pizza or Hotdogs?
Ride a roller coaster or a water slide?
Go to Target or Walmart?
Laugh or cry?
Jump high or run fast?
Have summer all year or winter all year?
Be really smart or really funny?
Drive a truck or a sports car?
Go back in time or go to the future?
Be able to fly or be invisible?
Have ONE great friend or 20 pretty good friends?
Be in the Mountains or at the Beach?
Take a ride in a speed boat or helicopter?
Go Skydiving or Swim with Sharks?
Build a Sand Castle or Play in the Waves?
Go Skiing or Ride a bike?
Watch a Movie or Read a Book?
Go Rock climbing or Swimming?
Own a Cat or a Dog?
Write a Story or a Draw picture?
Clean the Bathroom or Vacuum the carpet?
Ice Skate or Roller Skate?
Drink Pop or Water?
Play Inside or Outside?
Take a Shower or Bath?
Take a trip to Australia or Italy?
Go Fishing or Make slime?
Play a Video game or Board game?
Have more time or more money?
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5. Be creative with sidewalk chalk:
Lay down and trace each other – then decorate with clothes, faces, etc.
Write a word of encouragement for passers-by
Use tape and color in the spaces like stained glass
Clark’s artwork
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What game will YOU play outside this fall? Leave me comment!
