Who doesn’t love a loaf of fresh baked bread!?  Today’s recipe is an easy way to add a fresh baked loaf to your meal anytime you get a craving for it.  After you make it those cravings may become more frequent!
Come check out the recipe over at 30 Handmade Days!

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One of my favorite gifts to give a girl graduate is a personalized piece of jewelry that has a special meaning or symbolism.

When Cali graduated from high school, I gave her and her best friend Hannah necklaces.  I purchased them online through Charming Gifts.They each got an initial charm and their birthstone charm.   I then selected a charm that had a particular message that I thought applied to each of the girls individually.  Cali got a butterfly which symbolized a new beginning; “If there was no change, there would be no butterflies.”

For Tessa’s graduation I purchased a necklace from White Lillie Designs a wonderful etsy shop that has lots of beautiful jewelry that is perfect for the graduate.

White Lillie has offered a special discount coupon for readers of my blog.  If it 15% off the entire site, with coupon code Homebased15.  She has so many beautiful things so be sure and head over and do a little shopping for yourself or for a graduate you may know.  I love the piece she has with the Dr. Seuss quote on it!

To go along with the necklace I also created a poster with lots of motivational “key” quotes.

You can download a copy of the poster by going here.

I love motivational art/posters.  It is a perfect thing for them to decorate their dorm room with.  A piece I gave to Cali is this fun piece from Brian Andreas at Storypeople.  They also have a version for a son as well as lots of other great motivational pieces.

Etsy is a great source for lots of fun motivational art.  I purchased this print for Tessa before she left for college and framed it for her to hang in her dorm room.  Didn’t want her to forget her family!  Purchased from this etsy shop.

Another favorite gift, especially for boys since they don’t like the jewelry thing too much is a good motivational book. One of my very favorites to give and a book I recommended before is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.  Every graduate should read this book – everyone should read this book.

Another favorite book to give to graduates is Just Who Will You Be by Maria Shriver.

Another gift I have given my children, one that takes a little more work and planning is a Graduation Quilt.  When my girls graduated from high school our church held a Senior Quilt Night.  The mother’s of the graduating senior girls put a quilt top together for their daughter and then all the women of our congregation gathered together and they help quilt it.

I love the tradition and it is a wonderful way to wrap the girls in love as they head off to college.

Cali’s quilt

Tessa’s Quilt

I have also started the tradition  of making my children a quilt when they graduate from college.  Each of the boys have received their quilts and I have another year to get Cali’s done!

Logan’s College Quilt Clark’s college quilt

 I have also created a special memory book for each of my girls (got the idea too late to do it for my boys.)  I used the poem  “Did I Tell You?” by Elizabeth Knapp and found pictures to go along with the words to the poem.  It’s a tear jerker!  I created it in a digital book and then had it printed.  If you’d like to see Tessa’s complete book you can go here to view it.  You will need to create a log in to view it.

And of course, like I mentioned yesterday, cash is always a great gift for the graduate.  I don’t know a graduate who wouldn’t love it but sometimes I enjoy giving a little more personalized gift.  Hope you enjoyed some of today’s suggestions.  Do you have a favorite graduation gift to give?

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The first part of the week we will talk graduation gift ideas and then the second half of the week it will be graduation party ideas.

I know a popular graduation gift to give is cash.  Everyone loves cash.  Everyone can use a little cash so that is always a good choice. It’s fun to be able to present that cash in a creative way.  When we attended my son’s college graduation a few years ago I loved the idea of this cash lei as a graduation gift.  The graduate kindly posed for a few pictures for me.

He was actually wearing three leis! A traditional flower lei but then he also had a candy lei and a money lei.

The candy lei was made out of plastic wrap and candy bars and tied in between each candy bar with ribbon – so cute.

But the lei I liked the most was the money lei – what graduate wouldn’t love a money lei!!

Dollar bills were gathered up with a piece of ribbon and tied in the middle and then attached to another piece of ribbon.  Curling ribbon works great.

There were also little bags of Hershey Hugs and Kisses tied in between the dollar bills. So fun!!

What a fun way to give a graduate a gift of cash.  Who wouldn’t love a cash lei!?

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I woke up this morning to this fun sign outside my bedroom door and to the Rocky theme blasting thanks to my thoughtful husband and cheerleader.

I am moving a little bit slower today and taking a few Motrin but I did it, rather I need to say WE did it.

Our friends Anne and Lynette are a bit faster than we are so they took off ahead but my friend Marsha and I hung together the whole race.

It was fun and exciting to be a part of a group of 3,500 women all with the same goal – to finish.  O.K., some of them probably had a goal to finish in a certain time but ours was definitely to finish.

We started out under the big balloon arch – can you see us there?

Our husbands and Tessa were there to cheer us as we started off.

And Jim even showed up along the route to snap a few pictures.  He brought a sign to cheer us on!

Marsha had only planned on running the 1/4 marathon and then walking the rest of the way but she hung in there with me and we did it together.  I was so proud of her and so grateful to cross the finish line with her.  Along with Jim, she has been my cheerleader through this whole experience and I loved being able to share it with her.

I work hard in life to enjoy the journey and I did enjoy the race – it was a perfect weather day.  Sun, not too warm, a nice gentle breeze, beautiful countryside to run through, and a good friend to do it with.  But I have to admit that I really enjoyed the thrill of finishing.  As we entered the stadium where the race ended, I heard them announce my name and as I ran through the finish arch it felt great to finish!  The satisfaction that comes with finishing something you started, finishing something you weren’t sure you could really do is pretty amazing.

It’s not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.

John Wooden

Rounding the bend of the finish line!  I think my favorite part of the whole race was as we were about to enter the stadium Marsha yelled to a man standing on the side cheering the runners on – “104 years here!! “  Our ages combined!  Loved it.

Not such a lovely picture but hey – we did it!

And then our sweet husbands and Tessa were there to meet us at the finish line.  Tessa even brought me flowers!!

We did it and it was even more fun and fulfilling to do it with my friend. Thanks Marsha!!

We can do hard things has been our mantra through this whole journey.  And we can!

On the way home in the car I asked Jim – so what’s my next goal?  Need to think about that one.

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Today I will finish a half marathon.

Something I have never done before.

In fact, before this last year I had never run.

But you see now I am a runner.

There has been a mixture of excitement, anxiety, nervousness etc. this week.  I have done the work, I have put in the miles and now I just need to have confidence in myself and enjoy the journey!  As my friend and running mentor Heidi says, “At this point it is 95% mental!”

I am also taking Heidi’s suggestion and I am dedicating each mile that I run to someone I know.  Someone I know that has done hard things.

They are friends and family that have overcome obstacles, challenges in life and been a wonderful example to me of fortitude, endurance and strength.

Mile One:  My husband, Jim. 

After all he has been married to me for 30 years.  That can’t have been easy!  He’s also started over a career late in his working life.  He did what he needed to do to support his family.

He has also been my biggest cheerleader on this running  journey.

Mile Two:  My father, Barrie

He fought back Stage Four Bladder Cancer and won!

Mile Three:  My mother, Mary Anne

Now after having raised four children of my own I have so much more respect and admiration for my mother who raised three of her own.  Raising children is hard work!

Mile Four:   Jeannena M.

She nutured and loved a special needs child.  Jeannena has shown me how to love and to serve.  The amazing part is she would never think that what she did was hard.

Mile Five:  Cathy S.

A dear friend of 20 years that has fought back cancer twice now.  She is such an example of strength and positive thinking.  She is also a marathon runner!

Mile Six:  Carol R.

Another dear friend who has always been such a support to me.  She is one of the smartest, wisest and hardest working women I know. She has never been afraid to do the right thing even when it is hard.

Mile Seven:  Heidi V.

I met Heidi through the world of blogging.  She has also mentored me along this running journey.  Heidi has suffered the loss of a child but has turned that “hard thing” into a beautiful thing as she blesses the lives of other families in the same situation on a weekly and almost daily basis.

Mile Eight:  William & Julie W.

Julie is one of my precious Beach Babe friends.  She and her sweet William are now fighting the fight of their lifetime.  My thoughts and prayers are with them.

Mile Nine, Ten & Eleven:  My other Beach Babe friends.  April N., Patrice B. and Shauna W.

These three women have done many hard things and continue to do so.  They are amazing examples to me and I am so grateful for their friendship.

(They know what hard things they have done!)

Mile Twelve: My Children

How grateful I am for their examples.  My boys gave up two years of their life to serve their Heavenly Father in a foreign country.  I can’t imagine how hard that must have been.  I have watched Cali work so hard to overcome learning disabilities and not only succeed but thrive in school and life.  I am so proud of my sweet baby, Tessa,  who not only survived her first year of college but thrived and grew so much.  Many times it was hard and things didn’t go according to what she had planned but she did it and she did it well!  She was not afraid of hard things.

 Mile Thirteen: Marsha J

Marsha has been my running partner through this whole journey.  We have been there for each other to give support and be each others cheerleader and freak out a bit together.  She has done this hard thing right along with me and we will run together today!

I can think of so many other people I know that have done hard things but I guess I will have to save those for another race!

13.1!!!!

Quote Inspired by Kiki & Company

5 x 7 Downloadable Printable

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