National S'mores Day Recipes and Ideas

Today is National S'mores Day. For national S'mores Day why not host a S'mores party with a S' mores bar. Our Raspberry Nutella and Chocolate S'more is so delicious and simple to make. Add it to the bar along with other toppings for your guests to choose from.

Nutella S'mores Recipe

• Original marshmallows

• Homemade or the best raspberry jam

• Hersey's chocolate bars

• Nutella hazelnut spread

• Graham crackers

First, toast your marshmallow to the perfect melting point. See our directions here: The Perfect toasted marshmallow. Next spread Nutella, and raspberry jam on a square of graham cracker. Next place chocolate square on the top. Finally, add the perfectly warm toasted marshmallow. Top with a second square of graham cracker and press together. Enjoy!

Sweet Tip:

Be sure to have your cracker ready for the marshmallow so you can place the marshmallow on top while it is still hot so your chocolate will melt for the perfect S'mores.

Winter Weather - Cozy Favorite Finds

Be sure to stay cozy and warm! Here are a few of my favorites.

♫ ♫ “I love the winter weather so the two of us can get together…” ♫ ♫

I love the changing seasons. I appreciate so many things about each season but I think winter is my favorite season of all. Even though winter is the coldest season it has my heart. I love the crisp cold air. I love the snow flurries and when everything is covered in a blanket of snow white. There is something magical about a walk on .a cold winter’s night in knee-deep freshly fallen snow. It’s like the whole world around you is dusted in white glitter and if you know me you know I’m a glitter kind of gal. Then there’s the glow of a warm fire in the fireplace with a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee and John Coltrane playing. It’s magic.

Here are some of my favorite finds for making the most of your winter weather.

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Warm Woolen Mittens

Women's Lined Winter Mittens - Several colors avaiable click here to see them all!

If you are driving or our for a walk in that knee deep snow thick mittens with a cuff to keep your wrists warm are a must. The colder the weather the more a mitten is preferred over gloves to keep those fingers toasty and warm.

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Warm Lined Winter Hat

Women's Winter Beanie Warm Fleece Lining - Several colors avaiable click here to see them all!

Cute, cozy and warm - winter beanie hats are a must have in several colors and the pom poms make them even cuter.

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The Perfect Fleece Throws

TASTHROW Large Flannel Fleece Throw Blanket - available in several colors click here to see them all!

These fleece throws are the perfect size and thickness for sitting fireside or cuddling up for popcorn and binge-watching your favorite show. We carry ours room to room. One for me and one for Harrison my little black chihuahua mix pup. I also have a basket of them rolled up ready for when my kids come to visit. Everyone loves to have one as we sit on the sofa and visit or play a game or two.

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Fuzzy Cotton Flannel Sheets

Great Bay Home 100% Turkish Cotton Flannel Sheet Set - They come in several prints and sizes! Click here to see them all!

Nothing is nicer in the wintertime than snuggling up in flannel sheets. I have all the prints above. These sheets from Great Bay Home a made of soft Turkish cotton. The deep corners have never pulled up on me. You will love them!

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How to Choose a Fresh Christmas Tree

Are you a real or fake Christmas tree family? I have always loved the smell and look of a real tree. When I was growing up we always had a real tree. Sometimes they were big and fluffy other times more sparse. When my mom was growing up during the fall my grandpa and uncles would go up to the family homestead on the mountain and choose a tree for their Christmas. On the day after Christmas, they would go up and cut down their perfect fresh tree. When I moved to Utah my uncle and grandpa would choose one for me too and I would go and pick it up after Thanksgiving. There was something really special about getting a tree from your own land.
Now that my grandma and grandpa have passed away we visit a local Christmas tree lot that carries the freshest prettiest trees.

We wandered around to look at all the varieties of trees. Do you know which variety is your favorite? I like a short needle with a strong branch to hold all my vintage glass ornaments. I have a lovely collection of Shiny Bright balls and assorted vintage German glass ornaments.

Gray Slope Arm Sofas - Restoration Hardware Inspired Home

One day last fall I walked into the SLC Restoration Hardware store and was struck with inspiration. This is the feel I want for my home redesign. I wanted it to feel light airy and full of well-designed pieces of furniture, tall palm trees, and plants, with a touch of a cozy relaxing home. A place my mind could rest and a place where my family could come and hang out. In addition to buying my beautiful Majestic Palm, I started to add one piece at a time. Although I LOVE the Restoration Hardware sofas they didn’t have a couple of things I wanted for my gathering space.

A few things on my checklist included both form and function. Anyone who knows me knows that if there is something in my home it must be deigned well as well as have a use. It’s not form verses function with my it’s form AND function.

• It must be aesthetically pleasing.

• it must be comfortable, the kind of comfortable where you can curl up and take a nap comfortably.

• It must be durable to withstand long hours of use and my cat Henri and my Taco Terrier Harrison (aka a chihuahua mini fox terrier mix)

• It must have a place to put my feet up, I debated back and forth over the chaise lounge end sofa and the reclining sofa.

The reclining sofa won out only because I finally after A LOT of searching found one that was in the perfect gray color and had a similar reverse slope arm as the restoration hardware sofa. I’m totally happy that I did choose these two because they come with USB portals and the loveseat has an outlet in the center storage area and 2 drink holders AND the headrest is adjustable too!

I’m not crazy about the pillow cover design of the pillows that came with it so I’m ordering these woven Baileywick Linen Pillow Covers in shell pink for some texture and these Maddie Textured Pillow Covers in mauve. I like that the colors are muted and soft pale colors that translate more as a neutral in the room. For the holidays and seasons, I will be adding a throw and lumbar pillows with a print.

My Mostly Natural Migraine Protocol

*I am in no way a doctor I am simply sharing what works for me. Please talk to your doctor and even get second and third opinions if you are suffering.

For me, migraines start very suddenly in my late 30’s. I literally didn’t know what was happening. My first migraine looked like a stroke. Half my face was numb, I was having a hard time talking and then came the kaleidoscope flashing lights and a blurry blind spot in my vision. Luckily my sister was nearby and she called my mom to tell her what was happening.

My mom calmly said I think you are having a migraine. Your aunt gets them.

I was never even much of a headache person up to that point so why did this suddenly happen to me? It took me 3 years of suffering, tons of major migraine drugs and days of suffering skull crushing mirgaines followed by my head pounding migraine hand over headaches before I figured out what was causing my migraines.

My migraines all started when I started drinking diet soda pop with artificial sweeteners and eating sugar-free treats with artificial sweeteners.

I had no idea that artifical sweeteners could do that to you! But for me I am very sensitive to them and haven’t eaten them before the migraines started so I had no idea. It took be 2 years after I stopped eating artifical sweeteners including aspartame and sucralose for them to completely leave my body and to stop having migraines!!

Robert H. Shmerling, MD Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing said in his article, Could artificial sweeteners be bad for your brain?, “ a study has raised the possibility that artificial sweeteners in diet beverages may increase the risk of dementia and stroke.” I am in no way surprised by these findings. I’ve had more than one CT scan that has shown progressive white matter damage from what they think is a result of my server migraines. I was also told my neurologist that because of my migraines I'm at a high risk of stroke.

Through trial research, I found a few things that are tried and true techniques to help minimize the pain and suffering during a migraine.

It’s my personal migraine protocol. I’ve only had one migraine in the past 2 years and the last one I had was very minimized and did not need heavy prescription medications to manage the pain.

Let call it my personal Sweet Life Migraine Protocal. It’s a mostly natural way I have found to help calm down a migraine.

This is what I do.

My *personal Sweet Life Migraine Mostly Natural Protocol

NOTE: I do these with the first onset of a migraine - when I start getting blurry vision even before the kaleidoscope lights.

• I eat a 1/2 teaspoon of salt - pink salt or another unrefined salt is best but if I don’t have immediate access to them I use table salt

• I chug one 16 oz bottle of room temperature water - purified filtered water is best

• I rub pure essential peppermint oil on my forehead, back of neck, ears, and bottom of my feet.

• I get a hot pad and hold it at the bottom of my neck ( I have a sock filled with uncooked rice that I microwave for 2 minutes)

• I take 600 mg of IBuprofen ( the non-natural part)

• I alternate sipping on a caffeinated beverage and another 16 oz bottle of water until the water is gone.

I have used these things to help alleviate some if not most of the pain from excruciating migraine pain and averted the nausea and vomiting that has inevitably followed.

For those who suffer, I am so sorry. I have been there and I hope you find relief very soon xo -April

SAVE IT FOR LATER - PINTEREST

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