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This post is sponsored by Lone Star Eggs, however all opinions are my own.
I have always loved fall, but the most “fall” that I got to see growing up was on TV. Living here in Texas your fall is really different from what most people (including myself) picture fall to be. It doesn’t really get cooler until Nov or Dec, the leaves fall, but only off certain trees, so a lot of the trees around here are still green. But growing up we always found ways to make it feel more like fall…like the food!
Pumpkin, Apple, Pecan…all remind me of fall. I love when the warming smells of cinnamon and nutmeg fill the house. I loved when my grandmother bakes…just the memories bring a warm cozy feeling…one of my favorites were her Apple Muffins…but I’ve taken them and made them my own and something my boys look forward to every year..Corner Bakery Apple Pie Muffins.
Corner Bakery Apple Pie Muffins Warm delicious apple pie muffins with a brown sugar crumble crust!
3 Apples Peeled, Cored & Diced into Cubes
2 Lonestar Eggs
3 Cups Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1 Cup Oil
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Pack Crisp Topping (found on baking isle)
5 Tbsp butter softened
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with liners
Mix together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in medium bowl, set asside
Mix together sugar, Lonestar eggs, oil and vanilla in large bowl
Slowly blend dry ingredients into your wet mixture (will be very thick)
Add diced apples (this is easier to do with you hands)
Fill liners about 3/4 full
With fork mix together crisp topping & butter until moist
Top muffin mixture with about a teaspoon of crisp topping & sprinkle with brown sugar
Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes depending on your oven
You can substitute apple sauce for oil or do half oil, half apple sauce if you want less oil in your recipe.
My Sparkling Life https://mysparklinglife.com/
Texas has always been home to me and my family, and we like to buy local whenever possible. Recently I found a product found exclusively at Walmart, that’s just 2 blocks from out new house! Lone Star Eggs produced by CCF Brands just for Texans! They were a great discovery because we eat a lot of eggs at our house. They are a great source of protein and you can use them to make so many things.
There will be an FSI (free standing insert) that will be available October 18th. It will be in all the newspapers in the Dallas/Ft Worth, Houston and San Antonio areas. And it will be $0.75 off a carton of Lone Star Eggs!
To learn more about Lone Star Eggs, visit the Lone Star Eggs Facebook page!
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
If you’re anticipating the opening of Disney’s THE JUNGLE BOOK this spring (April 15th), you’ll love to keep busy with these fun activity sheets (link below)!
“The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli, a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan, who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera, and the free-spirited bear Baloo. Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa, a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie, who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire. The all-star cast also includes Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of the fiercely protective mother wolf Raksha, and Giancarlo Esposito as the voice of wolf pack’s alpha male Akela.
Follow THE JUNGLE BOOK on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Google+
DOWNLOAD THE JUNGLE BOOK ACTIVITY SHEETS
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There’s not much more frustrating than a sleepless night, tossing and turning, mind racing, and feeling run down the next day. We all have those nights now and again, but for some of us, it starts to be more of a persistent problem. If you’re suffering from the effects of insomnia, whether occasionally or ongoing, there are many different ways that you can try to ease your predicament.
Supplements, Oils & Herbs
There are plenty of supplements, oils, and herbs out there which can help you to improve your quality of sleep. When you’re next doing some online shopping, make sure that you lookout for some of these life-saving sleep aids:
Chamomile
Chamomile is an herb that is made from a flowering plant. The flowers are often dried out and then added to hot water to make chamomile tea. Chamomile contains apigenin; this is a type of antioxidant which binds itself to receptors in your brain. The process helps to lessen the effects of insomnia. You can buy chamomile tablets or consume chamomile in the form of a tea before you go to sleep.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral that is involved in many different reactions in the human body, from muscle movements to protein formation. Magnesium has been linked to reducing the effects of depression, helping to ease the symptoms of diabetes and to promote a better night’s sleep. Magnesium is available to purchase in a supplement form or for an amazing magnesium body lotion try 8 Sheep Organics.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone produced by your body which encourages your brain to sleep. Melatonin levels in your body will be low in the morning and high at night. If your sleep cycle has become a little out of sync, taking a melatonin supplement could help you to go get your sleeping patterns back on track.
Meditation
Meditation is the practice of calming the mind and helping us to be more aware of the present moment. Exercises to clear the mind of thoughts can help us to become more relaxed, at peace, and thus- to sleep better. It can be a good idea to meditate just before going to bed. If you’re not sure where to begin, there are plenty of tutorials online about the different types of meditation. Calming meditation, for example, focuses on one thing; it could be a visualization or your breath, for example. When your mind drifts away from the object, the idea is to focus it back.
I’m not much of a coffee drinker, although I do love stopping and grabbing a frappuccino from the local coffee shop. I just don’t do well with hot beverages…I can’t even drink hot cocoa..its more like warm cocoa for me. My husband however loves his coffee. He doesn’t make it at home often though because he’s usually running out the door and doesn’t want to mess with it.
We’ve had a few Ninja products in our kitchen that we love, so when I heard they were coming out with a Coffee Bar I just had to check it out! Ninja is transforming the way we brew coffee with the Ninja Coffee Bar. Ninja completely reinvented traditional drip coffee makers by designing a machine to unlock coffee’s full flavor potential and provide smooth, rich and well-balanced coffee in the size and style that you want. We both like that you can choose just a cup, a travel mug, a half or whole carafe, & a variety of brew styles.
Choose from:
Classic or Rich Hot Coffee – Our Classic Brew delivers smooth rich, balanced flavor from your favorite coffee. Want to take it up a notch? Rich Brew is richer than Classic for a more intense flavor that really stands up to extra milk and flavorings.
Refreshing Over Ice Brew – Over Ice Brew dials up the richness even further by increasing the coffee concentration to compensate for melting ice, so it won’t taste watered down. Refreshing, huh?
Specialty Brew – Specialty Brew creates our highest concentration of coffee. It’s a coffee extract that, like espresso, you can use to create coffeehouse-style hot and cold layered beverages—right in your own home. You’ll impress even yourself!
The Ninja Coffee Bar is simple for everyday consumer use…no barista needed! It’s Thermal Flavor Extraction technology uses automated controls for Temperature Calibration, Pre-Infusion, and Even Coffee Saturation which unlocks your coffee’s full flavor potential with every brew! The Auto-iQ One Touch Intelligence lets you select the size of your cup, your brew type, and then the Ninja Coffee Bar automatically adjusts for the correct amount of water use.
Features of the Ninja Coffee Bar include:
Easy-Fill Brew Basket – Slide out to quickly and easily fill with your favorite coffee grounds or fully remove for effortless cleaning.
Removable Water Reservoir with Auto-Metering – No need to measure or constantly refill.
Drip Stop – Stops the flow of coffee from the brew basket, allowing you to pour a cup mid-brew.
Multi-Serve Cup Platform – Easily pulls down so you can brew directly into your favorite mug or cup.
Programmable Delay Brew – Pre-set to brew automatically up to 24 hours in advance in any size.
Intelligent Clean Cycle Indicator – Alerts you when your brewer senses that it needs to be cleaned.
Ninja Easy Frother™ – Transform milk into rich creamy foam for your favorite indulgent specialty beverage.
Various models:
Glass Carafe – 43 oz. glass carafe with no drip ergonomics; included with Precise Temp Warming Plate.
Stainless Carafe – Double Wall Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Carafe keeps your coffee hot for hours, ideal for entertaining; not including Intelligent Warming Plate.
The box also contained a recipe book with 100 tempting coffeehouse-style recipes. We tried Rich, Classic & Cold brews so far…we both love! He’s set the timer for the travel mug so he can just grab and go. I love the option to cold brew! I don’t get to go to the coffee house often, so to be able to have a cold cup whenever I crave has been nice. The only thing I haven’t tried is the specialty…This Marshmallow Mint Latte is on my Holiday to-try list!
Marshmallow Mint Latte
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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As you may already know McFarland, USA is based on a true story…It’s not everyday, you get to meet the people behind the inspiration. It was so awesome to get to meet and talk to Coach Jim White & the Diaz brothers.
When it came to portraying the life, the picking life that the Diaz brothers grew up in the movie did a good job at highlighting the way it really is.
We were about seven or eight years old when all that began. Um, and so for us, it was a way of life. Even some of us, after graduating college, like Danny, the day after he graduated from the university with the diploma, he was in the fields working, because that was, in our family, what was expected. Until he got hired and, and got his job. So, for us it was normal.
– DAMACIO DIAZ
So far not much has changed in McFarland since the movie was filmed…It’s grown a little in the last few years, but not much has changed. There’s just not much to do, so without sports their kids would be lost, because it’s either education & sports or the streets.
Right now our community is, uh, excited, uh, obviously with the movie and rightfully so. Uh, the — all the notoriety that they’re getting and, and what this, uh, man over here, Mr. White, our coach, has, has brought to not just, uh, our, our program but to our community. – DANNY DIAZ
While they see not much change in this busy little town, Jim White states that there has been a major change…The town is no longer the “Heartbeat of Agriculture”… Now they are a runner running through the field, a figure — silhouette of a runner.
And underneath — and this was given out to the high school and a high school girl came up with this logo — Tradition, Unity, and Excellence. So, that’s a big change. – JIM WHITE
While the boys don’t “train” anymore, David Diaz still runs competitively, and coaches while his brothers still run with their kids to keep in shape. The hills you see them train on in the movie don’t really do them justice, they were much worse…they are not rolling hills, they are steep.
You might be surprised the coming to life of the story of McFarland has taken about 15 years…They signed with several companies before Disney picked it up. Jim was excited because he didn’t want it to have sex, cursing or cigarretts..so they were very happy that Disney was taking it on. Even after the initial excitement, they had to nix the first script and higher a better writer, who wrote the one you will see on Friday.
When it came to making the movie, the Diaz brothers didn’t have much say in how it was portrayed, they were interviewed and told their stories, but that was pretty much it. But as you know from my interview with Kevin Costner, Jim White had much more influence on the story.
Q: I notice a lot of you became teachers. Did Coach White encourage you in being to like you use any of his style when you’re teaching or coaching?
He was a, a very inspirational part. You know, we, we are a God-fearing folks, so we were, we were teaching in Sunday school, you know, u– on Sundays. And we, we were part of the Royal Rangers. He wasn’t the only reason why we got into the education, but he was one of the two or three maybe. My parents definitely, pushed us to go to education, you know, go that route and not the route that, the wide road most people go to is other than college. Now college is very, very encouraged, but back in the day I wouldn’t say that a fifth of the folks in high school ended up, especially, uh, folks of our color and our culture, maybe started school, but hardly any of us finished. So, it was a big, big deal for us. – David Diaz
Playing sports in school was encouraged by their oldest brother David Diaz, it helped to teach them discipline and build character as well as teaching them the aspect of winning and losing. It was something to get them out of their environment and for some of them see the country and even the world competing. They all went to college and competed, and earned their degrees.
Listening to the Diaz brothers still can Jim White, Coach White, just shows how much respect they still have for him. I was thrilled to be able to hear them talk about their lives growing up and the portrayal of it on the big screen.
Follow McFARLAND, USA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mcfarlandusa
Follow Disney Pictures on Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneypictures
McFARLAND, USA is rated PG and opens in theaters everywhere on February 20th!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
There will be no soothing hot shower this winter
You might enjoy your hot and relaxing shower in the evening, but in reality, the hot water is doing nothing for you! In fact, it could even damage and dry out your skin as it’s been fragilized by the weather. The best thing you can do for your body is to take a cold shower. Indeed, as your metabolism tends to slow down in winter, a cold shower can help to improve blood circulation and clear blockages. Besides, as it tightens your pores and cuticles, it ensures that your skin and scalp can stay clean and healthy.
Does your hair get greasy when it’s cold?
Beanie hat, warm gloves, and you’re ready to go out. Except that after a few days with these warming accessories, you notice that your hair is looking greasy. The main reason is that wrapping up makes you sweat, transporting the oil that protects your scalp further down the hair. The result: Your scalp can dry out while your hair looks greasy. Your winter shampoo, consequently, needs to tackle both dry scalp and oily hair! Failure to use the appropriate product can aggravate the situation.
Spend as much time outdoors as possible
The winter blues, as mentioned earlier, is a seasonal affective disorder that affects people when their intake of vitamin D drops. Vitamin D can be found in dairy products, for instance, but it also comes directly from sun exposure. In winter, the short days, cold temperatures and cloudy skies make it tricky to recharge your batteries. In reality, if you want to keep the seasonal depression at bay, you need to spend your free time outside. Natural light exposure can help you to prevent mood swings and other symptoms. Besides, fresh air is good for your immune system!
Winter might not be your favorite season. But with these tips, you can finally make the most of it without worrying about your health.