A Life of Simple JoyReducing stress, increasing joy one post at a time!

HOPE: Even when things are extremely difficult, you must maintain hope. This is not a Pollyanna attitude or even Annie singing about tomorrow. Too often, we only focus on today and how bad things are. We only focus on the bad causing us to become more depressed. Depression leads to inaction which only makes the situation worse. Soon, it becomes an out of control cycle that is almost impossible to escape.

No matter how bad your situation is, you must spend time each and every day envisioning a better future. You must work to maintain hope for yourself and your family. You must make the vision strong. You must find ways to make it real. Mr Diva and I have photos taped to the side of our frig to remind us of the things we are working for today. Some days, the vision is the only thing that keeps you pressing forward. But you must ALWAYS be moving forward. Even if it is only baby steps, make them steps forward. If you slip backward, then make up the lost ground and press farther ahead. Keep the vision in front of you, maintain the hope in your heart and mind and soon the vision becomes a reality. Remember, most people quit immediately before they achieve success. Hang on, press through and see the incredible things that happen in your life and the life of your family.

Maintain F*A*I*T*H when life is difficult and you find a strength, peace and determination you never knew existed within you.

As you may have noticed, I like to keep things simple. Rather than working harder, I work smarter. I recognize the things my guest appreciate and offer them dishes and techniques that honor them. I have found my guests appreciate clever more than they do complicated.

For Thanksgiving, I either use frozen pumpkin pie I bake or I buy pumpkin pies that are ready to go. To these easy pies, I add 2 touches my guests seem to enjoy.

1. Fresh Whipped Cream: Few people whip their own cream for a fresh topping anymore. It is so easy to do and, surprisingly, it seems to impress people. Most of us use frozen topping or the stuff in the squirt can. It takes little time to whip the cream, giving others the chance to clear the table. See, there is a method to my madness. Make fresh whipped cream for your pie topping this season.
2. Pastry leaves: Again, these are easy to do since you begin with the pre-made refrigerated pie dough. I found this recipe to be very easy: Pastry Leaves Decorate your pies with the leaves to add a professional touch without the hassle. Once again, very simple.

So there you have it. Two easy things to make your pies special. The perfect end to your Thanksgiving of Simple Joy.

This Rival Roaster is perfect for Thanksgiving dinner preparations or any large event. Not only is it able to roast your turkey, keeping the oven free for other dishes but it comes with a buffet insert. Once you roast your turkey, the roaster can be cleaned out and prepared to hold your potatoes and two veggies. If you are hosting a crowd, it works well to set up a buffet and allow guests to serve themselves before sitting at the table. This roaster/buffet server combo makes the whole process so simple, you will be more than thankful.

This product is one of the most versatile items you can have in your pantry. On Thanksgiving, I use Swansons Chicken Broth in my dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy. During the year, I like the broth in the box. I don’t use all of it at once and it stores beautifully for a week or two. Swansons now has a smaller box of broth that is the perfect size for our family.

For Thanksgiving, I buy a case of broth in cans. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I use the entire case. Not only do I use a lot of it on both these holidays, I also use it for other meals. I make chicken soup with it, use it with chicken and rice and make quick gravy in small batches.

Swanson’s Chicken Broth is a staple for your pantry during Thanksgiving, Christmas and throughout the year. A Simple Joy that make meal prep easy every day.

I remember my mother and grandmother getting up at the crack of dawn to get the turkey in the oven. Then, every hour, they had to baste the turkey. It took hours and hours for the turkey to cook.

I have been using these bags for years. They make my Thanksgiving so easy. I am able to fix breakfast first and then prepare the turkey. I roast my turkey unstuffed (more on this later in the week) so between the bag and no stuffing, my turkey roasts in 3-4 hours. I always roast a huge turkey, in fact, I usually roast 2 so we have plenty of leftovers to last through the week-end.

I don’t have to baste my turkey so I am able to put it into the oven and watch football until the turkey is done. The turkey needs to cool for an hour before I carve it. This gives me time to prepare my potatoes and vegetables. I am even able to use to oven to bake items while the turkey cools.

Reynolds Oven Bags help you to enjoy Thanksgiving with your family and guests without spending hours in the kitchen. Definitely a Simple Joy!

Vinegar

If you aren’t using vinegar as part of your house cleaning regiment, then you need to begin RIGHT NOW! There are so many things you can do with vinegar that I can’t even begin to list them all. I use vinegar in my kitchen all the time. After I clean my counters, I spray on vinegar to clean up the last of the cleaner. I use it on my stove to take away the last of the degreaser and any dirt on my stove. I use it to keep my floor nice between scrubbings. I use it in my laundry when I am doing a heavy duty load and want to rinse out all the detergent. After I do dishes, I use vinegar in the sink to clear out the soap. Then I spray my dish cloth with vinegar and rinse to take out the soap. Keeps my cloth smelling fresh. I use it to clean the frig. Do you get the idea? So many things you can use vinegar for around the house. It is a natural product that is safe to use around food, kids and animals. I keep a spray bottle full of vinegar handy all the time. Need more tips? Here is a site that offers lots of ways to use vinegar: Vinegar Tips Vinegar is not just for salads any more. It is an economical way to keep your home clean and fresh. That’s a simple joy any time of the year.

Clorox Clean Up Cleaner with Bleach

As I mentioned before, I don’t like having dozens of different products on hand to clean my home. I know some are for a specific chore, like silver polish or oven cleaner, but many products today overlap one another. I like to find products that do a variety of chores and do them quickly and easily. Clorox Clean Up Cleaner with Bleach is just such a product. I like cleaning with bleach. When I was a kid, bleach was one of the primary cleaners moms used in the home. to me, bleach smells like clean. I have a ceramic kitchen sink. It is older and tends to stain easily. This cleaner takes the stains right up with no effort on my part except to spray the bottle. I use it on my counters to clean and disinfect. I use it in the bathroom. It takes care of most of my surface cleaning in the kitchen and bathroom. WOW! This is a fabulous product that saves you time and money by doing the work of many cleaning products. A keeper for me in my home cleaning arsenal.

Pledge Multi Surface Spray and Wipes

We bought a coffee table made of wood and glass. I had a terrible time cleaning it. Couldn’t use glass cleaner for the top because it might damage the wood. When I used furniture polish for the wood, it smeared the glass. Then I found this fabulous product. I am able to spray the top of my coffee table and clean both the glass and the wood. I use it on our desks and wipe down the computers. I wipe off all the electronic equipment with a cloth that I spray with the cleaner. I have found so many uses for this product. I hate having so many cleaning products on hand. When I am able to find something that does a multitude of tasks for me, I hang on to it. Thanks, Pledge!

A Life of Simple Joy offers women tips, information, advice and products to help them simplify their lives, helping them to reduce stress and increase joy. We are offering a fabulous Life of Simple Joy gift set for one winner. All other entries receive a copy of Beginning a Life of Simple Joy e-book.

Gift items include:

Tote

Journal

Tee Shirt

Hat

Note Pad

GIVEAWAY

Here’s your opportunity to win this gift set. To enter, leave a comment (200 words or less) offering your best tip to help other women simplify life and reduce stress. It might be an easier way to do a common task, techniques for getting others to help you around the house, stress busters, easy ideas for socializing (in person) with friends or ways you pamper yourself. You might even share a favorite recipe that makes meals quick, easy and nutritious. Select submissions will be featured in an article in the Winter (January/February) issue of Simple Joy online magazine.
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One winner will be randomly selected from the qualified comments received by Friday, October 30, 2009, at 11:59 ET and notified Saturday, October 31, 2009. Please leave an email address on one of your comments. Winners must respond within 72 hours or another winner will be drawn. U.S. residents only.