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2020 Word of the Year: Flourish

By Christy 3 Comments

What’s your 2020 word of the year? 2019 was harsh and unkind in our world. In 2020, we choose to FLOURISH! Flourish by definition means to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.

What's your 2020 word of the year? 2019 was harsh and unkind in our world and this year, we choose to FLOURISH! Flourish by definition means to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.

How did 2019 treat you?

In 2019, I had a year of struggles. I went through a divorce after 16 years of marriage (18 years together), lost touch with loved ones because of the split, had to give up my home, moved miles away, dealt with a teen who wasn’t ready for hormones, let alone a change to her entire life. I even made a huge personal mistake that has been plaguing me (financially and emotionally) throughout the year.

Although I held my ground, I kept my job, I paid the bills (and his), I didn’t flourish…at all. I made some new friends, lost some more, but I made it through…because there’s no other option. It was a bad year. A year of trials, a year of tears, a year of pitfalls, life lessons, and independence.

I survived and rid myself of decades of toxins and abuse, and I raised my daughter in the best way I knew how…with love and as much understanding and empathy as I could muster. I wasn’t necessarily strong though any of this, but there’s something to be said about survival during times of loss and depression, rebirth and growth.

How will you make 2020 great?

For me, 2020 (the year and this new decade) will be a time of promises to myself. If I can’t accept myself, be proud of myself, love myself and what I do, I cannot make others happy, and I cannot flourish. In an effort to stand my ground and follow through with my promises, I’m putting them down here to hold myself accountable. There’s also something to be said about accountability when things don’t seem as “easy” as you’d hoped.

  1. Let my creativity flow for a happier heart! I’ve all but given up on this little speck on the internet. It was a passion project I started years ago as a way to grow, share my knowledge and failures with other parents so that they could hopefully learn from my parental milestones and mistakes (there are many of both). I still feel I have a lot to offer and although this may not be the money maker it once was, it holds so much of my heart so I owe it my time, my love, and I long to share our highs and lows again. I’ve written about 20 posts this year, published maybe one. Time for a change in my strategy again!
  2. Be proud and love myself! Boasting isn’t OK, but neither is allowing yourself to be a doormat, failing to tout your own accomplishments, or letting people know your worth. In 2020, I’m making a promise to be kinder to myself and learn that it’s OK to be proud of all that I’ve accomplished in my life and all that I continue to excel at.
  3. Be a better mother! I’m a good mom, I really am, but in light of the circumstances created by the events of 2019, I’ve leaned more toward friendship and less toward mom. I’ve let things slide that I would have never in the past in an effort to make everyone happy. In doing this, I’ve not encouraged Kylee to flourish in a way that I know she can. She has a new lease on life, a great life without abuse now. I need to encourage her to succeed and sometimes that takes more tough love than I’ve been willing to dole out. I’ll continue to be her friend and show her empathy, however, I promise that I will be a mom again first!
  4. Flourish! I don’t merely have to survive anymore. I need to live again, flourish, and enjoy this new lease on life. A flourish is an extra touch — a trumpet’s ta-ta-da! announcing a king’s entrance, a fancy carving atop an otherwise utilitarian pillar, a wave of a flag, or a cheerleader’s pompom. I have always been – and will continue to be – everyone else’s cheerleader. It’s time I do the same for myself since no one else will and I deserve it!
  5. Live by my own mantra! Throughout 2019, actually throughout the past decade, I’ve been asking myself if I have enough strength to make it through. I’ve let my health decline, both mentally and physically, and sleepless nights and anxiety are a way of life. The truth of the matter is, financially, I’m doing fine; professionally, I’m doing quite well; and personally, I have friends and family in my corner. For just those three factors, I need to remind myself daily that insanity is not an option and I’m not only going to be “just OK”, but rather I will flourish, be content, and finally be happy again!

What is your 2020 word of the year?

So, on this 1st day of January, 2020, these are my promises to me. Happy New Year to one and all! May your year, and decade, be blessed with love, light, and prosperity. This is the year to flourish; seize the opportunity.

Filed Under: Aging with Grace, Blogging, Disappointments, Family, Holidays, Life, Moms, Parenting Tagged With: flourish, motivation, New Years Resolutions, parental problems, parenting, self help for moms, word of the year

New Beginnings + Package from Santa

By Christy Leave a Comment

Thank you to US Family Guide and Package from Santa for facilitating this post. All opinions are my own.

If you need to spark the magic of Christmas for a child this year, Package From Santa is the personalized gift you need! The holidays can be rough on the psyche, especially for those struggling, gift the magic of Christmas to help them believe again!

If you need to spark the magic of Christmas for a child this year, Package From Santa is the personalized gift you need! The holidays can be rough on the psyche, especially for those struggling, gift the magic of Christmas to help them believe again!

Do they know it’s Christmas time?

The holidays can be difficult for many. In some ways, I think it’s hard on all of us (even those of us who love Christmas). We hold ourselves to some sort of standard where we feel we have to buy the best gifts, hang up the most lights in the neighborhood, have the most festive wardrobe. Whatever those standards are, I believe we all (myself so totally included!) set the bar a little too high. Sure, we have good reason. Everyone should feel the magic of Christmas. Every little (and big) face should light up Christmas morning. Everything should be PERFECT! 

But for some, like my oldest daughter, there are more worries and stressors than there are for others and all I want this year for Christmas is for my daughter and my grandson to truly feel the magic of Christmas. This year, as in years past, Package from Santa is helping me do just that affordably (especially with a 25% discount for entering FAM2060 at checkout).

If you need to spark the magic of Christmas for a child this year, Package From Santa is the personalized gift you need! The holidays can be rough on the psyche, especially for those struggling, gift the magic of Christmas to help them believe again!

New beginnings are magical!

Let me back up a bit to explain the importance of this year’s Package from Santa to you. A little over a year ago, my oldest daughter became a mom. The birth of baby Wyatt, her first and only child, was magical. I know because I was in the room. But life on the inside isn’t always as magical behind closed doors. My baby, who had moved to Texas from Georgia with her then boyfriend (I never liked him!), were going to get jobs and settle in before the baby was born. Life had other plans for Bryana and Wyatt and they embarked on this journey alone, much for the better! But when the baby was born, she had no job, no real home (of course she’s ALWAYS welcome in my home!), and really no direction other than to try to make it and be happy.

If you need to spark the magic of Christmas for a child this year, Package From Santa is the personalized gift you need! The holidays can be rough on the psyche, especially for those struggling, gift the magic of Christmas to help them believe again!

New beginnings mean new traditions!

Fast forward to present day. Bry and Wyatt have their own cute apartment, she works a full time (and more often than not, overtime) job, and she goes to school on the weekends. They’re making ends meet, they have a roof over their heads, they eat well, they have us when they need support, and they’re happy. But funds for extras, like holidays, are limited so we, as a collective family, do all that we can to make sure that Wyatt feels all of the magic of Christmas that a good (OK, he’s mischievous and into everything, but…) boy should. We do whatever we can for every other holiday, but Christmas – my very favorite holiday – should be the most magical of all and there’s nothing like a personalized Package from Santa to spark that magic!

If you need to spark the magic of Christmas for a child this year, Package From Santa is the personalized gift you need! The holidays can be rough on the psyche, especially for those struggling, gift the magic of Christmas to help them believe again!

What do you get when you order?

Joy! You get so much joy, wonder, laughter, and magic! For just $24.95 (if you act NOW – by 12/14/18 – you can get an additional 25% off with code FAM2060), you can order the Silver Package and get:

  • Letter from Santa Claus, personalized just for your child
  • Personalized Nice List Certificate – 8 1/2 X 11 photo of Santa Claus
  • Santa Flight Plan with your child’s picture and personalized based on their region
  • Special North Pole Shipping Label addressed to your child
  • Genuine North Pole Stamp
  • A bonus personalized Video Greeting from Santa!
  • Added bonus! Personalized Call from Santa
  • But wait…there’s more! Personalized Printable Nice List Guide

If you need to spark the magic of Christmas for a child this year, Package From Santa is the personalized gift you need! The holidays can be rough on the psyche, especially for those struggling, gift the magic of Christmas to help them believe again!

Smiles are priceless, magic is golden!

Not only is the online ordering process easy, it lets you customize your letter, your nice list certificate, your flight plan, and your video with pictures you send of your own little one.

If you need to spark the magic of Christmas for a child this year, Package From Santa is the personalized gift you need! The holidays can be rough on the psyche, especially for those struggling, gift the magic of Christmas to help them believe again!

So what are you waiting for?

Do you have someone on your nice list this year that could use a little magic in their lives? Head over to Package for Santa, customize your order, enter code FAM2060 at check out for 25% off, and your video will be delivered to your email probably on the same day. Then you’ll get your package – straight from the big guy at the North Pole himself – quicker than you can say cotton headed ninny muggins 10 times fast (OK, I exaggerate, but it’s super quick!).

Give the gift of magic, my friends, at Christmas and all throughout the year. You never know what someone else might be going through just by looking at them and just a little bit of magic can go a very long way! Merry Christmas, y’all! I hope it’s your best one ever!

Filed Under: Family, Family Traditions, Holidays, Life, Moms, my sparkles, Parenting Tagged With: christmas, christmas gifts, holiday gifting, package from santa, toddler, toddler gift

Stuffed Pizza Skulls | Pizza Pockets

By Christy 2 Comments

Let these Stuffed Pizza Skulls be the star of the Halloween party this year. Simple to make and frightfully delicious, these pizza pockets will impress any ghoulish crowd.

Let these Stuffed Pizza Skulls be the star of the Halloween party this year. Simple to make and frightfully delicious, these pizza pockets will impress any ghoulish crowd.

Hosting a Halloween dinner party?

My family loves Halloween. Although insanity is not an option, during the Halloween season (you know…from September 1st through October 31st), I kind of walk the line. I go a little totally overboard with decorations. I buy new things each year, online and in stores. I come up with new Halloween crafts to try. I make costumes and I buy costumes. And I plan Halloween menus, as every mother should! This year is a little more overboard than most (I know *gasp*) because it’s Bubby’s 10th birthday and he’s going to have a spooktacular costume party birthday bash…at my house…with like 10 to 12, 9 and 10 year old boys. Hold me. Making sure there’s plenty of good and ghoulish food on hand is going to be key to keeping these monsters at bay. These Stuffed Pizza Skulls are most assuredly on the menu!

Let these Stuffed Pizza Skulls be the star of the Halloween party this year. Simple to make and frightfully delicious, these pizza pockets will impress any ghoulish crowd.

A skull cakelet everyone needs!

It all started with a Facebook post. A friend posted a video of some super easy stuffed pizza skulls and I went on a mission to find a pan to make this happen. The damned thing was $45 on Amazon. Holy high dollar cakelet, skull man! So I did some more searching and found this beauty (and might I say it’s a super high-quality beauty) on Perigold for just $27. SOLD! Let me just say, this is not a sponsored post and I paid for this out of my pocket. I’d never even heard of Perigold before, but you can bet your witch’s ass I’ll be shopping there again. Super quick shipping, great discounts, high quality, and they have so. much. stuff! Note: You do have to pay shipping, but it was still WAY cheaper than Amazon (I know, I’m shocked too!).

Let these Stuffed Pizza Skulls be the star of the Halloween party this year. Simple to make and frightfully delicious, these pizza pockets will impress any ghoulish crowd.

Tips for making perfect stuffed pizza skulls!

Knowing I couldn’t let down a group of 9 to 10 year old boys (kids are mean, y’all), we decided to do a test run. They came out pretty good for a first shot, but here are some tips I wasn’t smart enough to figure out the first time.

  • Don’t overstuff. Look, I’m an over stuffer. We’re talking pizza and you can never have enough sauce or cheese. Never. Except with these Halloween pizza pockets. If you use more than the quantities listed in the recipe, you’ll have blowouts (see above photo on the left – those are the just cheese pizza skulls that I overstuffed).
  • Lay the pizza dough into all 6 cavities as soon as you cut it. If you try to do these one at a time, the dough gets pretty hard to work with and stretch.
  • If you’re making multiple varieties of these pizza pockets – we made 2 cheese, 2 ham and cheese, 2 pepperoni and cheese, place the pizza pockets with the meat in them in the outside slots. They cook better that way and the ones in the middle, with just cheese, won’t burn up.

Let these Stuffed Pizza Skulls be the star of the Halloween party this year. Simple to make and frightfully delicious, these pizza pockets will impress any ghoulish crowd.

Let these Stuffed Pizza Skulls be the star of the Halloween party this year. Simple to make and frightfully delicious, these pizza pockets will impress any ghoulish crowd.
4 from 1 vote
Print

Stuffed Pizza Skulls

Course Appetizer
Keyword stuffed pizza skulls
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6
Author Christy

Ingredients

  • 1 can prepared rolled pizza dough
  • 1.5 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 6 tsp Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 cup pizza sauce
  • 18 slices pepperoni
  • 1-2 tbsp Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray skull mold with nonstick spray. Set aside. 

  2. Unroll pizza dough and stretch or roll into a 21x 8-inch rectangle with the long edge closest to you. Cut into six even strips.

  3. Lay dough into skull cavities, press down lightly, and leave flaps over pan for closing the pizza pockets. 

  4. Into each cavity, layer 1 tablespoon shredded mozzarella, 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan, 1 tablespoon pizza sauce, 3 pepperoni, another tablespoon sauce, 1 more tablespoon mozzarella, and a sprinkle of seasoning.

  5. Fold dough over fillings and pinch dough together to seal, making sure edges are sealed tightly. Repeat for the five remaining pizza pockets.

  6. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and let cool slightly, flip plan onto serving platter.

  7. Serve with warmed pizza sauce and additional Parmesan cheese for topping.

Recipe Notes

You can use any topping you like instead of the pepperoni. Try chunked ham, diced veggies, or just add a little shredded cheddar in for a 3-cheese pizza pocket.

More freakishly fun food ideas:

We can’t wait to make these Stuffed Pizza Skulls again and I’m sure your little goblins will love them as much as mine do! We’ll also be serving up bloody witch fingers (mini sausages in BBQ sauce), Pizza Dough Spider Dip Bowls, Bloody Shirley Temples, and Eyeball Chili. What’s on your Halloween dinner party menu? I’d love to hear in the comments below. Recipe links are more than welcome!

Filed Under: Family Meals, Family Traditions, Holidays, My Happy Life, Parenting, Recipes Tagged With: easy halloween recipes, halloween, halloween party foods, Pizza

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Welcome to the asylum!

Hey y'all! I'm Christy and I'm glad you could stop by. Have a seat, grab a drink or a straight jacket, and join me as I share heart-healthy recipes, stories and life lessons about my insanely large family, and whatever else pops into my hot mess of a mind! Read More…

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