 □by: Alexandr Podvalny As we all feel the pressure of the Holiday’s barreling on towards us, we need to find tools that will help us thrive, survive and actually ENJOY the season. As with any problem, if we don’t fill out toolboxes with helpful tools we will not be successful. Here are some tips and tricks to try this holiday season.
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If you are anything like me, I'm always looking for gift ideas. Because you know someone might have a cooler or better idea than me. Or maybe I'm plumb out of ideas. At any rate I always love a good gift guide. I hope you enjoy the one I put together for you. 
 Do your kids or grandkids need a break from the screens? Give them the opportunity to learn about themselves as an artist while they explore art in the safety of their home. When my daughter was young she loved going to Art with the MJ's Art Camp. She did their summer program and their holiday edition program. I still have several projects she created during that time. My daughter loved their projects. I bet your favorite young person will love the projects in this carefully curated 12 Days of Art box. Check it out and download the below file to learn more. 
As the year is barreling towards the holiday season, many of us are trying to make decisions on the holiday gifting season. What items should I get for my spouse, family, friends or teacher. Will they arrive in time? Shouldn't I support local? What does supporting local mean to me? Does that mean I only buy items from a local business that makes and creates items here locally? Or does that mean I purchase an item(s) from a friend who reps a product(s) from a larger organization. I feel any and all the above our important questions to ask. I will try to make my purchases where it will have the most effect on my local economy. I will purchase items from local artisans or markets. I will purchase items from friends who rep a product line that I value, knowing the money they earn from my purchase will be put back into the local economy. Especially during these new times, we need to be supportive of each other and of our local businesses. Only together can we all thrive. In the vein, here are a few gift items for the holiday.
 That's right -- save 15% site wide during Beautycounter's Back to School sale!Shop the sale here!
This sale makes it the perfect time to stock up on a few faves you might be running low on as well as a great time to try something you've been eyeing (maybe a fun new lip color (my fave is sheer genius) or our luxurious body polish, for example!). As a heads up, brand new products (like our new Think Big All-In-One Mascara and Lid Glow Cream Shadow) are excluded from the sale (although they're both amazing, so you might want to add them to your cart anyway...). Sets, collections, and bundles, as well as last chance items, are also not eligible for the 15% discount. The sale runs today through Monday, August 16. Oh, and if you're a Band of Beauty member you just might have a credit to apply to your order as well. Remember your credit will show up as a payment option at checkout, or you can always reach out to me to check in on your credit amount. As a member, you'll get free shipping if your order totals $100 or more, too (saving you an additional $6.95). Yay!! And if you are not a Band of Beauty member check out the benefits here. I love to save money, who doesn't. When I first started as a client of Beautycounter, my consultant presented me with the option of signing up for Band of Beauty. Just hearing the benefits over the phone and doing some rough math in my head, I knew the benefits and savings were worth it.  Program Details and Benefits
Let's do the Math Ignoring the complimentary gift for a moment, let’s take a look at the product credit and free shipping. Band of Beauty works well if you are a consistent user of the products. This is not hard to do if you commit to either a skincare, bath and body, or makeup regimen, let alone if you do them all. Let’s say you join Band of Beauty and your first purchase is $100. You save $6.95 shipping on your first order. When you place your second order of at least $100, you save $10 (10% product credit on your original $100 purchase) plus the $6.95 shipping. Right there, you’re a little over $5 away from completely neutralizing the expense of the membership fee. By purchase #3, you’re “in the money” meaning you have recovered your initial $29 investment and are now consistently receiving a 10% product credit on all future purchases. My brain works better with an example (taxes not included):
 Earth Day's 51st Anniversary is this Thursday April 21st. I still remember being in Kindergarten when we celebrated our first Earth Day. Do you remember what you were doing? I would love to hear about it. For this anniversary I made Earth Day sugar cookies. I used a basic sugar cookie recipe, one from Gluten Free on a Shoestring and the other from Whole Kitchen Sink. Make the cookie dough recipe. Then divide it in half. Color one half with matcha and the other half with blueberry powder. ( I dumped a bag of Trader Joe's Freeze Dried Blueberry's in a blender and hit blend.) You could also use spirulina or Butterfly Pea Flower. I put in about 1-2 tsp of match or blueberry powder into the dough, then mix well.  To make the cookies, take a small scoop of blue color dough and a small scoop of green color dough. Roll together and push ever so lightly on a cookie sheet. Ta Da, you have small earth snacks to celebrate Earth Day!!
Bake according to the recipe. Then enjoy with a glass of mylk, coffee or tea.  We LOVE this grain free and vegan chocolate cream pie. Many times we will bring it out for special celebrations like Pi Day, 3.14 aka at March 14. You can has this quick & easy pie to made in a few hours. You’ll need a bag of Momma’s Mammoth Munch, flavor of your choice. Plus additional nuts (almonds, pecans or walnuts). Dates, full fat coconut milk, maple syrup, cocoa powder, arrowroot flour, whip cream, chocolate bar, sea salt & vanilla. Crust:
Plus in nuts in food processor or high speed blender until you have a coarse mixture. Slowly blend in dates until it becomes a sticky mixture. If it’s too dry add a few more dates, one at a time until you reach the right texture. Pat down in a pie pan. Set aside. Filling:
Use only cream from the can of coconut milk. To get cream from a can of coconut milk put it in the refrigerator for a 2-4 hours until is separates. Take the top the creamy top part of the coconut milk to use for this recipe. Save the watery portion for smoothies. Whisk the milk to break up the clumps. Then whisk the powdered cocoa, maple syrup, salt and vanilla extract. Pour into the crust, spread evenly, refrigerate for 2 hours or more until serving. Top with whipped coconut cream (homemade or from the store) Coconut Whip Cream
Place can in refrigerator for up to 2 days. I've even done this over night and it work. Chill your bowl and beaters for about 30 minutes before, however if you forget it will still work. Scoop out just the creamy top of the coconut milk. Beat this on high speed until peaks form. Now add the maple syrup beat well. Keep refrigerated until serving time. Whip again is needed. To serve drop a dollop of coconut cream onto a slice of pie with shavings from a dark chocolate bar. It'll have your friends and family swooning for more.   This past Saturday, my husband Dave & I had one of our first outside dates since the pandemic started. It was wonderful. We choose to visit Bull City Ciderworks for their soft opening, which turned out not to be a soft opening. Apparently a lot of other people were looking for things to do or waiting for our first cidery to open in Greensboro. YAY!! Finally we have a place to hang and have a few adult beverages.
Dave enjoyed the Smooth Hoppenator, dry with a bit of hoppiness. Reminiscent of a beer, which he really misses since being diagnosed as celiac. Shopping with SNAP benefits has gotten a bit easier at The Corner Market located on the corner of Walker Ave and Elam Ave in Greensboro NC. Get fresh local good for you foods from your farmer and favorite prepared food vendor.  If you receive SNAP benefits, The Corner Farmers Market will double them, up to $50 each week. So $50 in SNAP benefits becomes $100 in market dollars. When you come to the market, stop by the yellow and white market tent at the Walker Ave entrance. Our staff will swipe your card and give you double that amount in tokens to spend. As always, your tokens never expire and are good for all SNAP-eligible purchases, including food plants. P-EBT SNAP benefits work the same way.
The Corner Pick Up service is also available for SNAP customers. When pre-ordering, just indicate in the WhatsGood App that you will pay on-site - Here's how:
SNAP-eligible products include all edible products including fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, eggs, bakery goods, preserved goods (like jams, salsas), and plants that bear edible items. Non-SNAP eligilble items include cut flowers, soaps, hemp products, and yarn. You must pay for these items with another payment via WhatsGood. |
Mary Bryan-StewartMary, is the creator and founder of PaleoLove Company, Mom, wife, friend, partner in crime, and entrepreneur. She has been a lover of art, food and traveling since she was very young. She began her paleo journey just out of curiosity, then her oldest daughter developed health problems where she needed to consume a low carb low sugar diet. It is here where she developed her skills in creating and making low sugar low carb treats and eats. 
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