Worth Noting

A Favorite Tradition To Gift

Giving the gift of Godiva each and every year
November 26, 2018
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Desserts

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Growing up there were few things as symbolic of a holiday or special occasion than a gold GODIVA box.  Out of everything, and anything, it was probably my mother’s favorite gift to give and get.  

We’d open the box together, carefully choosing our favorite flavor, savoring each and every piece, never able to pick an actual favorite.

And to this day, that golden box still holds that same excitement and love for our family.  As I’ve grown I’ve extended the love of GODIVA well past that of our family.  Yes, mom still always gets her gold box, but GODIVA has easily become my gift of choice for all of those people I want to make feel extra special during the holiday season.  Co-workers, neighbors, and my personal favorite all of my UPS, FedEx, and USPS delivery men and women.

As you know I own a small retail shop, and I would be absolutely lost without the delivery men and women in my life.  So each year, my small metal sleigh sits by our door with plenty of my favorite holiday GODIVA boxes stacked up and ready to gift to all of those amazing individuals. This simple, and delicious gesture is so appreciated and each year it’s fun to see what the GODIVA Holiday Collection will entail.

This year GODIVA’S Holiday Desserts Collection gift box is like no other.  Truly, capturing the flavors of the season inspired by all of the most decadent holiday desserts such as Dark Chocolate Pecan, Dark Pear Vanilla, Chocolate Ganache, and Milk Chocolate Almond Cookie.

I of course had to sneak a few pieces for myself while preparing Santa’s Sleigh and I’ve got to say, this might be the best holiday box I’ve tasted in years.  Not to mention the most gorgeous. That’s one of the other brilliant things about GODIVA, the boxes are beyond gorgeous so you don’t need to worry about wrapping. And this year GODIVA even came out with Peppermint Bark and the most adorable Hot Cocoa Toppers. Seriously, just when I think it couldn’t get better than the classic gold box, it does.  

Hope you’ll be making someone’s season this year with the gift of GODIVA.  I know I will! Truly, MKR

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Pet Hair, Don’t Care

Cleaning up after your furry friend just got a whole lot easier thanks to the Bissell Crosswave
May 20, 2018
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Everyday

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No this is not another vacuum.  A vacuum is way too limited of a description for what this beautiful, purple machine is.  This my friends is BISSELL’s Crosswave Pet Pro.  Vacuum, mop, magical-pet-hair-removing-machine all in one.

When BISSELL reached out about working together they asked me one simple question. “Do you find it easy to clean up after Addison?” I answered honestly, “No.” To which they replied, “well you will now.” I was intrigued.

As I alluded to above CrossWave Pet Pro is not just a vacuum. It’s a multi-faceted, multi-service machine designed to tackle a variety of pet and non-pet messes on sealed hard surfaces and area rugs, which is what I have in my home. The Multi-Surface Pet Brush Roll makes pet hair cleanup fast and easy, while the solution inside freshens and removes pet odors as it cleans.

When I began using my CrossWave Pet Pro I was shocked at how light it was, and easy to use. Plus its self cleaning mode was a game changer.  After I had to clean up a rather large mess all I had to do was place the CrossWave in its tray and let it clean itself. Yes, it can clean itself.  I mean does it get any easier than that?

And before you ask, yes the solution is safe for BOTH pets and kids alike. The cleaning solution is Earth Friendly, contains no heavy metals, phosphates or dyes, and only uses biodegradable detergents. Which means we can clean with a clear conscience.

Speaking of clear conscience.  Something I didn’t know about and fell in love with is BISSELL is committed to not only cleaning up after our furry friends but also helping pets in need.  That’s why they created BISSELL Pet Foundation, which works with animal welfare organizations all over the country, helping to reduce the number of animals in shelters and rescues, and finding permanent homes for pets. The foundation promotes adoption, spaying/neutering, microchipping, foster care, educational training programs and more. For each BISSELL pet product purchased, and then activated on Bissell.com, they’ll make a donation (up to $1,000,000 per year) to help pets in need. I love a company that gives back, don’t you?

All I can say is since BISSELL’s Crosswave Pet Pro has come into our life, cleaning up after my favorite human…I mean dog…has become 100% easier.  So much so I’m thinking of adding another cavalier to the mix.  I mean cleaning up after two dogs can’t be much more work than one. Right? Truly, MKR

Photography, Kathryn McCrary. This post is sponsored by Bissell, a brand I love and adore. All opinions and images are 100% my own.

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What I’m Reading: Vegetarian & Vegan Cookbooks

7 Vegetarian Cookbooks to consider adding to your collection...even if you're not a vegetarian
March 14, 2018
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Everyday

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The best vegetarian and vegan cookbooks

The Vegan Pantry, The Better Bean Cookbook, Superfood Soups, Vegetarian Tagines & Couscous, Deliciously Dairy Free, The Oh She Glows Cookbook, The Vegetable Literacy

8 years ago, I embarked on the journey of becoming a full-time vegetarian, part-time vegan.  And that journey all started with a book, The Kind Diet, and a movie, Food, Inc. 

During my 7 years of being vegetarian the number one question I received was, “what do you eat?” This always baffled me, because I NEVER felt like I didn’t have options at restaurants or recipes to make at home.  And to answer the question you’re probably thinking…no I did not eat a lot of salads.  In fact I’d say I only ate 1 or 2 salads a week.  Sure, I had to sometimes get creative with my meal planning, and I also invested in vegetarian cookbooks. Vegetarian and vegan cookbooks was the easiest way to stretch outside my cooking comfort zone.

Educating myself on our food system and how food fuels and functions in our bodies was one of the most important, and best decisions of my life.  And I urge you to do the same.  This post is not about guilting, or standing on a soap box of any sort. But I truly believe we are at our best when we stretch our boundaries and learn new things. 

Those boundaries can be as simple as eating one more vegetarian or vegan meal a week. That’s why Meatless Monday became a thing. Did you know that an estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. A single pound! Think about that. Anyway, I could talk about this all day, but my intention when I sat down to write this was simply to share the vegetarian and vegan cookbooks I’m loving now.

Today, while I’m no longer a full-time vegetarian (read about that here), I am still very invested in vegetarian cooking. In fact, I’d say I eat vegetarian/vegan about 60% of the time. So that’s why I still love picking up vegetarian and vegan cookbooks.  Especially now when it seems there’s a new cookbook on the shelf every week.

I’ve listed the vegetarian and vegan cookbooks I’m currently reading above and below. And if you need some other vegetarian recipes check out our vegetarian and vegan section in my recipe index. Some of my favorite recipes would be my breakfast nachos, stuffed sweet potatoes, and best every veggie burger.

I’d love if you’d share if you have a current favorite vegetarian recipe?  Truly, MKR


 

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