After the past year/ year and a half we all need an extra hand and a little extra love. This is especially true for our veterans, active members, and military families. In this post I’ll be looking non-profits and support networks that look to help those people, and how to join them. It’s so important to give back where you can.

There are many ways to help non-profits like these.

The three most helpful ways to do so are:

1. Donate. You can donate money directly, drop off a physical item by looking at needs lists or asking the organization what they’d benefit from at the time, plus you could also sponsor someone or donate to an event. You can also become a monthly or consistent donor.

• Volunteer Time. Offering your time, especially continuously over time is very helpful to most organizations. This helps you learn the true heart of the organization and be able to know the fine details of their work.

• Awareness/ Advocate. This is important for all non-profits, but definitely local organizations. More eyes, hands on deck, and donations are what keep these groups going. Anytime you find a cause you love that you know does good work – be vocal about it. It’s an easy way to make the world better. Just sharing their work, vision, and maybe why it matters to you or why you’d want others to join.

Here are some organizations I think are great:

• Wounded Warrior
• Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
• Children of Fallen Patriot’s Foundation
• Operation Gratitude
• Freedom Service Dogs of America
• AAAA Scholarship Foundation, Inc.
• Blinded American Veterans Foundation
• National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
• Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund
• Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Inc.

Places you can find great non-profits to support:

• https://militarybenefits.info/charities-support-veterans-and-military/
• https://www.veteransadvantage.com/giving-back/trusted-military-organizations-and-nonprofits
• https://www.military.com/spouse/military-life/military-resources/these-10-wounded-veteran-charities-big-impact.html
• https://militarylife.com/resources/charities
• https://www.defense.gov/Resources/Military-Support-Organizations/

I hope that this post helps to connect you to some organizations that do amazing work. Pass this on or share with a friend and consider helping your community together! To all our military men and women, thank you for your service.

More Memorial Day Ideas!

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something.” – Neil Gaiman

Let’s be honest. New Year’s resolutions are a joke to most people. This is not because it’s silly to set goals and improve your character or lifestyle – it’s not. But rather the issue is we make these lofty, vague goals with no staying power. We run for the first week of January, hate ourselves for most of February, and resolve to being a quitter come March.

To begin, when making your resolutions try to think about them for at least a week. That’s right. No quick, thoughtless goals for you. Sit down, light a candle, and brainstorm. Write down five things that have been hard for you in 2020. This could be anything. It does not have to be an obstacle – it can be something you want to do better at, or something new you want to be more acquainted with. From there consider your relationships, hobbies, and personal health. How can you combat your five difficulties?

Try making resolutions that respond directly to issues or pain points within your life. This will make them both specific, personal and therefore powerful. Make resolutions that directly correlate to your life by either improving or finding a solution for problems you face daily. Those are the type of resolutions you’ll be motivated to keep.

Sprinkle in some easy resolutions like drink more water, cook more, etc. These will boost your confidence and give you some easy wins.

Next, once you’ve finalized your resolutions (we recommend six tops), read them to a friend. Tell them your ideas and allow them to help you perfect and tweak your resolutions until they are the best they can be. Ask your friend to keep you accountable by texting you reminders or spending time with you every few weeks to talk about how you’re doing.

Be open to a break time. Some resolutions are hard to stick to. You might struggle or break your resolution for a day or a week. Get back up, don’t give in. Change takes time. You’re trying to break a cycle you may have been in your whole life. Give yourself some grace. If you drop off a little, accept it, learn from it and start again. That mistake or shortcoming may be the break that allows you stick with your resolution long term.

Tape up your resolution with a motivational word or quote. Put it on your desk at work, make it your phone background, or put a post-it note in your car. Keeping your goals in front of you – keeps it fresh on your mind.

Lastly, celebrate your progress. Kept with most of your resolutions after 4 months? Write it down, share it, make yourself a pie – whatever says, “I’ve got this!” to you is the perfect celebration. The discouragement we feel during change often leads us to quit because we forget to look at our growth. We only highlight our failure instead of being grateful for what we have learned.

2021 isn’t your year. It’s been your year all your life. Maybe you just haven’t seized it. Start today. Break the cycle. Change looks good on you.

Need some ideas for a resolution still? Give your pocket book a little love by paying off some debt.

There are times when I sit back and get the joy of taking in the moment while it is happening. When this occurs, I ask myself why this can’t always be the case. I know it’s a practice. I know there are things I can do to live in the moment, remember it well, and situations that can aid in both. Memories with family are so important, and I want you to be able to have them to hold on to and savor. Let’s jump in!

Ideas for making memories:

• Cooking – Make mealtime a process of love. Have each member of the family help. This encourages your family to learn together and work towards a common goal. Plus, it teaches your kids they can always pitch in.
• Reading/ story time – This timeless classic makes the list every time for a reason. It’s just a great way to get off screens, practice a skill, and let your imagination and listening get some time to run free. This is perfect for kids, but it’s not limited to them. You could read comics, history books, or interesting biographies to engage teenagers. Don’t skip on stories you like too!
• Help someone out – Random acts of kindness are a beautiful way to keep your family thinking of others. Look around for friends, family, or community efforts that could use your time, creativity, or resources and spend that time together.
• Learn a new skill together – Pick something obscure you’ve all never done, or something one person has done and work together to learn a new skill. Try to pick a skill that can have different level so the whole family can find interest in it. Try things like: indoor rock climbing, bread making, sewing, alcohol ink painting, household maintenance/projects, etc..
• Research/teach your family history – It’s important to know where you came from and the people that went before you. This will help you and your family appreciate your heritage and hopefully know a little more about the world. Research on your own, let kids interview grandparents, do a story night with extended family, try a DNA service, etc.
• Visit a national park – Getting outside and having the chance to learn something new is a great combo. Take a small trip and discover a place you didn’t know before.

All of these ideas focus on memory making ideas that force you to pay attention. They use steps, listening, learning, and new experiences to keep you on your toes. They make you proactive instead of just responding or going through the motions. Press into that and see what follows.

Ways to capture/remember those memories:

• Create traditions – Repetition will help you have a marker for memories, and it will give you something to look forward to. Plus, you can compare years and pass down the traditions.
• Instant cameras – I don’t like to take pictures. When I’m in the moment they can feel planned or arduous or just for social media. I got an instant camera and it helps me just capture the important times, and then I instantly have a photo I can physically keep. I recommend this for people who don’t do photos often.
• Scrap book/shared memory journal/photo book – If you love photos, scrap books are an old favorite. A memory journal can be fun for storytellers. You could make a family blog, or buy a big journal and let everyone record their memories as they see fit. You could even have a photo printed on a puzzle and give to a member of the family.
• Collect maps/ map journaling – For those of us that love a location – maps can be a great memory marker! You can write the date on them and what you did in the area. You can even organize them like a journal or in a journal and keep all the places with you!
• Postcards – This is similar to the previous ideas. You can send them to others, send them to yourself, or just keep them in an album.
• Encourage the sensory – I love this idea! Whenever you’re making memories take mental notes on the senses. With kids, help them focus on as many senses as possible. Note smells or make something with a great scent. Focus on touch through textures – feel sand, grass, water, etc. Try a unique treat from wherever you are. Play a song and dance. Listen hard to the rhythm of the day around you. Sight is pretty simple, but share what you notice.

Make a Holiday Memory!

I hope this post inspires you to be strategic about how you spend time and encourages you to try something new. Plus, I hope that it helps you really see the beauty of the moments as you’re in them.

Nothing says fall quite like pumpkins and apples. There are so many wonderful recipes that create great Autumn smells in your kitchen! One of my favorite things is caramel apples. Usually people will find them at fairs or if you are lucky, a good one in the grocery store.   You might not realize this is an easy thing to make right in your own home!

What you need:

• Caramel
• Apples
• Sticks
• Double Boiler/sauce pan/microwaveable bowl
• Big Spoon
• Cookie Tray
• Parchment paper/Tin foil
• Cooking spray/Butter
• Crushed nuts or other toppings (optional)

1. Prepare the apples:

Before you start anything, you will want to make sure your apples are ready to go.

Wash your apples thoroughly to make sure all the wax and dirt is removed. Once done, fully dry the apples. Any moisture will prevent the caramel from sticking properly.

The next thing you’ll want to do is destem the apples and add sticks to them. You can use which ever kind of sticks you like. Pointed sticks do make it easier to add the stick to the apple rather than a duller stick.

After your caramel is ready, you won’t want to worry about it hardening or burning depending on how you are warming your caramel.

2. Prepare your station:

After you prepare your apples to be dunked, you will want to make sure you have a place to put them once you are done covering them. Take a cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper or tin foil. Since caramel can be so sticky, you will also want to grease the surface. You can spray it with a cooking spray or use butter. You can grease your cookie sheet directly, but cleaning up will be easier if you use some kind of liner in case any caramel does get left behind.

3. Warm up your caramel:

You can always make your caramel from scratch or you can use store-bought candies. This time, I used the store-bought candies. If you use them, you will want to follow the directions to add about 2TBS of milk, heavy whipping cream, or water (whatever the candy recommends) to the caramel and stir. If you are warming this on the stove top, make sure to stand by it and keep the heat low to medium to prevent burning.

When your caramel is melted, it should still be thick and gooey. If it is too runny, your apples won’t cover well. You will want to make sure that the caramel is smooth when stirring. If your caramel is still too thick after adding the 2TBS, you can add 1TBS at a time to have it get to the right consistency.

4. Ready to dip!

Once your caramel is ready, start dipping your apples! Submerge your apple as much as possible to allow for the best coverage. I like to use a big cooking spoonto add caramel to the top and then spin the bottom of the apple on the spoon to remove the excess caramel while keeping it coated. When dipping the apple, turn the apple in the caramel, this will allow for even coating.

5. Add toppings:

I prefer to add crushed nuts to my apples, but you can add anything you like. You can even drizzle them with chocolate. Whichever topping you decide to use, make sure they are small.

Immediately after coating your caramel apple, twirl the apple around in your topping and then place on your tray for the caramel to set.

6. Repeat:

Keep repeating this process until all your caramel is gone or until you have made enough caramel apples. Work quickly, but don’t worry, you can always warm your caramel back up if it starts hardening before you are done dipping.

Keep the apples refrigerated if you don’t plan on eating them right away. If you do keep them at room temperature, don’t place them in direct sunlight so the caramel won’t start melting.

7. Enjoy and share!

Once you are done and the mess is cleaned up, enjoy your fresh caramel apple and share with your family and friends (or don’t because they are just that good)!

Keep Celebrating!