Beautifully Poor

Suicide is a touchy subject. You have those that say it occurs due to mental health issues, then there are those who are angry about it and who say it is the most selfish thing a person can do. Then there are those who spew actual hate and say that the person who commits the act is going to hell etc. etc. We've all heard it. I hope we have not all lived it. Very recently, a couple who has impacted my life in a positive way experienced this firsthand. Their oldest son committed suicide. I do not know the extenuating circumstance. He was much younger than me, but I can tell you this. I remember when his mom was pregnant with him. I remember when he was just a toddler. I remember seeing him as a young teenager. And then this. You don't expect these things to happen. Even if the signs are there, we brush them off, we push them aside, we say we will pray and expect the darkness to disappear - if it is even apparent to us. The purpose of this post is to raise awareness. Do

Martha Stewart's Slow Cooker  cookbook is a beautiful compilation of recipes the whole family will love. Using my slow cooker is a life saver in the winter months (and sometimes the summer) especially when we are busy with school activities or karate. Having a hot meal ready to go when we get home is my favorite, so reviewing this book was a treat! The book has 8 sections: Meat Poultry Seafood Meatless Side Dishes Breakfast Sweets Stocks & Sauces Each section offers a wide array of dishes to make, one of my favorites being the Chicken with 20 Cloves of Garlic. The flavor created in the dish was just fabulous and it was extremely easy to make - even better. Of course the pictures in  Martha Stewart's Slow Cooker  are fabulous as well, showcasing the meal in a beautiful fashion, making them look even tastier than you thought they could. The recipes themselves go from simple, such as Brisket and Onions, to more unusual (for my family anyways) like

When I think of Fall, my first thought goes to Apples and Pumpkins. Luckily, we live right down the road from a beautiful little farm that has Apples AND pumpkins (also strawberries in the summer!!!).   Pleasant Valley Orchard   is a beautiful little place that offers a quaint little store with apple products as well as a small barn where they sell home goods (pictured below).               Pleasant Valley Orchard   offers hayrides to pick your own pumpkin and if you just want a hayride you can do that too! It was only $3.50 a ticket and you got to see the beautiful views of the farm along the way.  View on the hayride - look at those clouds! We were able to choose pumpkins from 3 different pumpkin patches and the driver was so kind to help load and unload our pumpkins. With two adults, one holding a baby, and a six year old, four pumpkins are slightly difficult to carry! For the pick your own pumpkin, they were $5 a piece and they were quite large, though the