Ellie@Home by Nicole Kapise-Perkins

Nicole,      Thank you for sending us "A Cookie Jar Full of Seashells, and Other Poems".  The staff and I have accepted this piece for FIVE Poetry. Congratulations!      You may spread the word far and wide that you will be published in this issue. We encourage you to promote your issue alongside your fellow authors to generate sales and gain readers. Reach out to a small blog you follow, get them to interview you, and send the interview to bigger blog; post to Twitter, Facebook, and Google+; share with a forum like AbsoluteWrite.com, reddit.com, or wherever you hang out; and email your fans, friends, and family.       Please reply with any comments or questions you may have about the publishing process. Your editor, Doug Editor-in-Chief http://www.fictionmagazines.com OH MY GODS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've done it!!!!! SQUEE!!!!! (Ahem.) Thank you, readers and friends, for all your support and encouragement. I am now going to resume dancing around my kitchen with t

More DIY gifts, these ones from http://andreasnotebook.com  . Take a look at Andrea's Notebook, and these fun DIY gift tutorials! Kitchen tablet holder Lemon Sugar Scrub Cute little candy box Letter magazine or paperback book holder Fancy cork board Wine cork mini succulent magnets Tile coasters Patchwork pouches Leather tablet cover Commuter Cowl  infinity scarf Gathered case for sunglasses Easy cloth napkins       20 DIY gifts to make her for under $10!

I'm not going to post each one of these...there's 101!! But check out these great ideas that the crew at Hello Natural shared! 101 Homemade Holiday Gifts November 15, 2014 by Daria Patrunjel Not sure where to start your Christmas shopping? Look no further than your own home – you probably have at hand most of the supplies you need to make all sorts of thoughtful homemade holiday gifts. From delicious treats in a jar to jewelry and kid-friendly gifts, we have it pretty much worked out: Food 1.  Winter trail mix by Cafe Johnsonia. A little bit of snacking never hurt anyone, especially when they’re as healthy as these mixed nuts. Perfect for co-workers! 2.  Cranberry marshmallow swirl brownies by Beard and Bonnet. These are not only delicious and Christmas-looking, but also gluten-free! 3.  Caramel apples by Modern Wife Style. If there are kids in the household, they’re gonna want these caramel apples. That’s a fact. 4.  Homemade mulling spice by Hel

by Brandee James | June 5th, 2014    http://thechicsite.com/2014/06/05/last-minute-fathers-day-gift/       If you’re still on the hunt for a fun idea for Father’s Day, trying whipping up our DIY Shaving Cream for dad. This is an awesome last minute Father’s Day gift that is so easy to make all the kids can help! The Shea butter, coconut oil and jojoba oil are great skin softeners to prep the skin for a close shave, and the bergamot essential oil leaves a clean, fresh scent. If you have a little extra time to spare, pair it with a fancy customized shave set like one of my favorites from  Art of Shaving . ~Brandee DIY Shaving Cream For Dad  Ingredients  1 cup Shea Butter 1/2 cup Coconut Oil 1/2 teaspoon Jojoba Oil 25 drops of Bergamot Essential Oil Instructions First, soften Shea Butter (it is very hard in natural form) Add Shea Butter and Coconut Oil to large mixing bowl. Add Jojoba and Bergamot oils to bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix all ingredients for 10 minutes. (

     How many of you keep a journal? I am on my eleventh volume, if you want to call it that. The other ten are a variety of styles, from whimsical blank books picked up at Target to large 11x14 artists' sketch books. What do you write about? (That's a rhetorical question, I'm not trying to be nosy.) Are you satisfied with what you write? I'm not. That sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? It's a journal . In any bookstore or library we find piles of journals written by people whose innermost thoughts turned out to be something that our world needed to hear. Their words are moving, appalling, thought-provoking, enchanting, horrifying. My journals, as much as I wish they were of such caliber are more of a daily brain-dump. I complain about housework, finances, my husband, my children and my cat. I write tarot card readings, dinner menus, half-formed poem ideas, first lines of stories that I might try to write sooner or later. When I read older volumes, I can't help

   Which in my reality includes my husband, my seventeen year old son, my fifteen year old daughter, my five year old son, my nineteen year old stepson, my dad, my father, my mother's husband (yes, those are three separate entities...don't ask) and my best friend. My father in law, brothers in law,  and both of my husband's grandfathers are probably on that list as well. I think I'd better buy stock in bacon. This comes from the very kool new-to-me blog, Snixy Kitchen. Thanks Sarah! http://www.snixykitchen.com/2014/04/13/diy-bacon-gifts-bacon-jam-bacon-salt-and-bacon-candy/ Print Bacon Jam Author:  Sarah Menanix (Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart ) Yields:  12 ounces. Fills one 8-ounce jam jar and one 4-ounce jam jar.   Ingredients ¾ pounds sliced bacon 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced ¼ cup apple cider vinegar ¼ cup packed dark-brown sugar 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup Scant ½ cup brewed coffee ¼

     If like everyone else I know, your holiday budget is looking a little lackluster, may I suggest homemade gifts this holiday season? Here's the first of a number of shares I'll post, as now is the time you're going to want to start making gifts. (Really, if you're smarter than me, you've already begun.) First up: Homemade Herb and Spice Glycerin Soaps from Hello Natural ( http://hellonatural.co/diy-herb-spice-homemade-glycerin-soap/  ) DIY: Herb + Spice Homemade Glycerin Soap for the Holidays November 13, 2014 by Lindsey Johnson 1 Comment My favorite gifts to receive are those made by hand, and they are also my favorite to give to others. Pretty homemade soap is the perfect little gift to give to a friend, co-worker or anyone, really. They look stunning in a soap dish by the side of the bathroom sink or stored in a decorative jar on a shelf. If you’ve ever wanted to try homemade glycerin soap, take note! It’s easier than you ever imagined it c

As I've been working on a nonfiction book I've named for her, my much-missed grandmother has been on my mind quite a bit lately. While taking a break from writing and editing, I made a mug of tea (how apropos) and read some poetry from a new treasure picked up from my library's semi-annual book sale. Here, Autumn Leaves by Janie Screven Heyward found in The Home Book of Modern Verse:                                                      Autumn Leaves                                        The dear old ladies whose cheeks are pink                                         In spite of the years of Winter's chill,                                          Are like the Autumn leaves, I think,                                           A little crumpled, but lovely still.

     As promised, a review of one of the recipes from Laurie David's The Family Cooks. Tonight's dinner was her Saucy Eggs: eggs poached in tomato sauce. Not bad, all things considered. Both teenagers liked it enough to clear their plates and ask for the recipe in their cookbooks, and my husband gave it two thumbs up. I don't think it needed quite four cups of tomato sauce, and when I make it again I'll probably add some veggies like zucchini and mushrooms to the sauce before dropping the eggs in.      Anyway, here's the recipe for those of you who might want to give it a go: Olive oil, for the pan 1 medium onion, chopped 3 cloves of garlic diced 4 cups of your favorite tomato sauce 6 eggs garlic bread Salt and pepper Shredded mozzarella cheese 1. Heat up a  medium skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle in enough oil to cover the bottom; once the oil is hot, add onions and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Carefully, but quickly,

 from Once a Month Meals! I've only shown 30 here, because the other 71 are lunches, side dishes, breakfasts and desserts. I've included the link: http://onceamonthmeals.com/101-fall-freezer-meals/  so you can go check out the rest of the posts, and maybe follow the links for 101 Spring Freezer Meals or 101 Summer Freezer Meals! Dinners Paprika Chicken & Rice Bake ** Slow Cooker Carnitas + Pork & Apples (GFDF)  ** Apple Pie Pork Chops  + ** Vegan Spinach Meatballs Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Cream Sauce Pumpkin Black Bean Tamale Bake ** Butternut Squash Lasagna ** Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash ** Beef and Butternut Squash Stew  (GFDF)** + Chicken, Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash ** + Thai Curry with Beef Brisket ** + Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers ** Sweet Potato Chicken Casserole  (GFDF)** Slow Cooker Rosemary Pot Roast Sweet Potato and Ham Burgers ** Sweet Potato Chili ** + Mexican Pork and Sweet Potato Stew ** + Cranberry Chic

     As promised, having taken a stack of cookbooks from the library (the lovely library ladies and the lone library guy are no doubt wondering what kind of shindig I'm planning and where their invitations are) I have some results from playing around with Week in a Day. While there are some recipes I won't do (veal, lamb, mussels) they are easily tweaked for picky people like me.      My only real issue is that this book isn't very vegetarian friendly. I am the only (mostly) vegetarian person in my household, and I still eat poultry and fish on occasion (case in point, my mango shrimp curry); however, my husband and the minions are perfectly happy with eating meat only two or three times a week. Better for them, better for the environment, everyone is happy, especially the innocent piggy lives saved by us not scarfing down cider- and honey-glazed pork roast with pears, parsnips and potatoes every couple of days. (Josh would if I let him. Seriously.)      I ended up