Instead of thinking “resolution”, how about TRANSFORMATION? Developing and acquiring new skills and stepping out of our comfort zone to reach our full potential. Doesn’t that sound better? Working on DEVELOPING ourselves in a positive manner rather than proclaiming we are going to do something that we have no intention of doing.

Here we are, the beginning of a NEW year! Do you find that to ge encouraging or exhausting? For many people, January 1st each year is a time to start over. A FRESH start. It’s like we consider a calendar year as being broken down into 12 chapters and those 12 chapters become a book with the year as a title “Mama P 2023”. There is a beginning and an end to each book, but many STORIES occupy those pages. There is not just one beginning though, we have so MANY beginnings throughout the year.

This tortellini soup recipe has sweet Italian sausage, cheese tortellini, and leafy green spinach in a rich tomato broth. This is definitely not your ordinary, everyday tomato soup! This is a true crowd pleaser!

Doesn’t this ham look absolutely divine?!?! This recipe makes a tender and juicy spiral ham so easy to prepare in a crock pot! It’s a succulent and juicy spiral ham with a slightly crisp and caramelized skin accompanied by a deliciously sweet hint of root beer ~ a mouthwatering and unexpected twist on ham!

Dress Up the Holidays with a Simple Charcuterie! It seems like it’s always a time for a celebration of some kind, right? Let’s say you’re going to a party and need to bring a side-dish. It seems like everyone is either bringing a salad, a bag of chips, or a dessert. What can YOU do that will knock the socks off of everyone? A CHARCUTERIE of course. Now you may browse through Pinterest and see all kinds of AMAZING charcuterie boards and it won’t take long to get OVERWHELMED. There’s so much prep work to do. It’s going to cost a fortune to get all of those supplies. I’m not creative enough to pull off a charcuterie board! Well I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be difficult to look and taste INCREDIBLE! Trust me, you CAN do it!

You see it everywhere, on shirts, posters, billboard, etc. You know, the statement “Be Kind” or the one I as a beekeeper prefer “Bee Kind”. It seems that everywhere we go there it is, that statement, a REMINDER, to be kind. Why? Why do we need to be reminded to ACT with kindness? Why do we have to have something spark that character trait within us? Why can’t we just do it - just be kind?

This Honeycrisp Walnut Salad is full of flavor and texture, with fresh apple slices, crunchy toasted walnuts, chewy dried cranberries, rich feta cheese, and a tangy-sweet raspberry walnut vinaigrette. It's perfect as a side dish any time of the year!

This easy Vegetable Pizza is the perfect fresh treat anytime of the year. Packed with yummy fresh vegetables, and a cream cheese based spread, the flaky crescent roll crust pizza makes the best appetizer, or even week night meal for your family. The best vegetables to go on the pizza are really based on your personal taste so you can tailor it to be whatever flavors you love.

This cake is simply delicious! Poke cakes, no matter the flavor, are fun and simple dessesrts to make. They just never disappoint. This cake turns it up a notch, not only because it uses pudding instead of gelatin, but because it has Oreos!!!! This Oreo Cookie Poke Cake is a chocolate cake infused with pockets of vanilla pudding and Oreo crumbs, and topped with Cool Whip and more Oreo crumbs AND mini Oreos, resulting in the most delicious slice of poke cake EVER!

Do you get so caught up in the day-to-day routines that you forget to take TIME for yourself? Do you feel like taffy being pulled from one role you play in life to the next, and next, and next? Sometimes in that taffy-pulling process you can FORGET to take time to breathe. You forget about taking care of yourself because you are focused on taking care of others and trying to JUGGLE family and career.