Company Memo: Donate Your Sweets, Inspiring Tablescapes, and Online Cooking Classes

Alright folks, the time has come for Halloween madness. I love watching all the Instagram feeds light up this week with clever Hallow’s Eve messages, and have been spending my evenings patching costumes together. For my large brood, Tuesday night will be a mad dash to every house on our street, then a slow crawl home with buckets full. I’ve always had a hard time post-Trick-or-Treat about what to do with all. that. candy. ‘Cause if it stays in the house, my kids will sneak it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until Thanksgiving. This year, Lorae’s candy donation suggestions are the answer to my dilemma. Maybe yours too. I can’t wait to box it up and send.

Be Sweet and Donate: Operation Gratitude

I think we have all seen the clips from Jimmy Kimmel that go viral the day after Halloween. As hilarious as they are, no one needs 30 lbs of candy! I have compiled a list of resources where you can “gift” your excess Halloween sweets. For a number of years we have donated to Operation Gratitude—I remember someone once scolding me saying our troops didn’t need the sweets but I remember very vivid stories from my brother about local children who would share their goodies with his unit and I always think of that when donating our candy.

These first two are my favorites:

Operation Gratitude – Deployed troops and first responders will be delighted to receive your treats while they are working away from home. Last year they received over 533,000 pounds of donations!

Ronald McDonald House Charities – call your local chapter and see if families with children who were unable to trick-or-treat would like goody bags to appreciate the taste of the holiday.

Here are a few more:

Treats for Troops run by Soldiers’ Angels – Allows you to send sweet treats to soldiers; kids can earn prizes for their donations and you get a tax deductible receipt for donating your candy.

Halloween Candy Buy Back – Partners with businesses and dentist offices to get EXTRA candy off our hands and exchange it for toothbrushes, hygiene kits or coupons.

Operation Shoe Box – This organizations receives your holiday items (Halloween, Christmas or Valentines Day) and disperses them to troops who are missing the festivities while they are deployed.

Operation Stars and Stripes – You can search for or sponsor a collection of Halloween Candy for our troops.

Kool Smiles – Every child who donates 25 pieces of candy may exchange for a toy of their choosing, while supplies last.

*Please remember that all of these organizations have requirements; read and make sure you are following their guidelines for donations.*

Simplify: Emily Ley

You all know I love a planner and need one to be inspired to get organized (maybe because Im a major paper hoarder!!!) I have mentioned Emily Ley’s Simplified Planner and I was excited that Molly chose it for her blogging planner in 2018. I love Emily Ley for many things: her “hey friends” welcome that makes you feel like you are talking to a girlfriend, her gorgeous red hair that I prayed my children would have inherited from my husband, her candid twin mom moments, and her love for all things pineapple. Now Emily has launched a Facebook Live series that’s just what you need in your life. It airs on Tuesdays at 10 am but you can watch it on YouTube at your leisure if it conflicts with your workday. This week I watched episode 4 with 100 days of Real Food, Lisa Leake and it was amazing. So amazing that I’ve had 5 days of recipe trying and a fridge packed with food for days. You can subscribe to her event or you can subscribe to Emily Ley’s YouTube channel so you don’t miss a thing. Each episode in the series focuses on a different component of life that we face as women, mothers, employees, and partners. Topics cover morning routines to lunchboxes and laundry. Each episode of the “simplified series” is leading up to the release of Emily Ley’s second book, A Simplified Life, on November 21. Join the ranks, feel inspired and simplify your life.

Inspiration: Upstanders

Starbucks may be the go-to for our caffeine kick or pumpkin spice indulgence but there are more reasons to seek them out. Just a few weeks ago I was convincing Molly that she needed the Starbucks mobile app in her back pocket—you can earn points for free beverages or treats, place mobile orders, and never have to take a wallet into a Starbucks again. You can also use the app to stream music selections that play in store or download music from new artists. Starbucks recently unveiled an independent video series called Upstanders – ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I spent some time watching these stories—all around 6 minutes—and they are so inspiring and will leave your heart open to what life has to offer. The Wave to Recovery hit me in my core; I had major heart swell with the good work being done by veterans, for veterans. These clips are video storytelling at its best and are riddled with incredible lessons of faith, humility, forgiveness, and resilience of the human spirit. It’s so nice to see one of the big companies of our time taking their power behind the lens and showing us what we are made of and how we can overcome.

Inspiration: Casa de Perrin

I know, I know, Halloween hasn’t even happened and I’m already moving onto Thanksgiving, but just this week I found the most lovely table top repurposing those teeny tiny baby pumpkins we are hoarding. It feels fresh and clean, and you could even let some little hands help in the process. Meet Casa De Perrin—their Instagram is awe inspiring, filled with tabletop ideas that could help you plan for every holiday as well as make you want to fill your cabinets with dishes for every occasion. You can shop, rent or just be inspired by their collection.

Get Educated: Craftsy

Have you met Craftsy? At first glance this is a site for those who love to create, but it is really for those who love to learn. Craftsy isn’t just for sewing and knitting, but its for baking, cooking, photography and so much more. A few years ago, I took a cooking class at Pippin Hill Farm with my best girlfriends and we loved walking away with recipes in our arsenal and food in our bellies. This time of year always reminds me of that meal because I want to recreate the acorn squash and shaved brussels sprouts dish we made. Craftsy is featuring an incredible pasta basics class right now with Scott Conant who is a familiar face on the Today Show Food. I am taking the class and will keep you posted on my progress and skills learned. You can get your first class for $14.99 and begin learning at your leisure. Take a look at their catalog and see how you can sharpen your skills.

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