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It’s Black Friday!! I wanted to announce the sales for Black Friday – but this actually last from today (Fri Nov. 28) through Cyber Monday (Dec. 1)! So, in my shop of graphic art prints, you can get 60% off everything! Just use the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY My shop is here: FlourishCafe.etsy.com Also, Usborne is currently having Black Friday through Cyber Monday sales as well! There a lots of books at up to 60% off – including one of my favorite books, Survival. You can see all the selections here: Usborne Books and More Sale There are limited quantities, and … Read more

Welcome to The Flourishing Abode! I’ve been blogging here for a couple months now so wouldn’t you agree that it is high time for the official grand-opening-kick-off post? Yeah, I agree, a little overdue! Pin It Ever since deciding to shut down my “FlourishandDebonair” shop and blog (though you’ll still find some older posts from that blog, which I transferred over to here), I’ve been very excited making plans for TheFlourishingAbode, and I wanted to share those plans with you, and let you know what you can expect here on my blog – as well as an illustrated blog planner … Read more

So, we’re back on an every-other-week schedule for the Truth & Evidences series, currently looking at some various things that in existence, and discussing their origin – such as the origin of life, the origin of the physical universe … and next, the origin of morality. My sister-in-law made an interesting point the other day. Some things are things that we decide or choose – for instance, whether I feel like vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Some things, on the other hand, are not decided, but rather they are discovered – for instance, that 1+1=2. No one decided that, it … Read more

Wow, I can’t believe we’re already more than half way done with the adventure challenge! There are only a few weeks left – it’s really been flying by quickly! But we’ve definitely been loving it. Soon it will be time to start dreaming up a new challenge … but that’s another post. Stay tuned! 🙂 Anyway, not to get ahead of myself, I still have four adventure posts, including this one! Actually, though, I had this week off for the adventure. Because this week was a Daddy-Daughter adventure! Little one absolutely loves her special times with Daddy, and was super … Read more

Some things just go together. Salt and pepper, Fred and Ginger, movies and popcorn, ninjas and pirates. Ok, maybe that last one is more of a feud than a pairing. But recently we discovered a food pairing so delicious, I don’t know why these two aren’t as inseparable as salt and pepper—- Steak and grilled onion. Meet Tim: resident grilling expert and husband Ohhhhhh, its SO good. I mean, at restaurants steak sauce is generally offered, but I really think there should always be grilled onion. Try it the next time you grill, and I think you’ll be hooked. Choose … Read more

The interesting thing about blogging is that as a blogger, people only know you as much as you reveal. The temptation, then, is to only reveal all the things about yourself that are flattering.  You know, posting pictures of the house right before guests came over and everything is looking pristine … not pictures of the house on a regular weekday.  Not that there is anything wrong with sharing those high, shining and lovely moments (and yes, a clean house would be a shining moment around here!), in fact, it can help and inspire others.  But none of us have … Read more

I love to cook and experiment with new flavors in the kitchen- particularly when I get to try my hand at new flavors from another country. However, the flair of their local fare often comes from ingredients that are easier to obtain there than here. I’m hesitant to shell out a lot of money for some unusual foreign ingredient if I don’t know how to use it very well or even if I will like it! Such was the case, as some of you may know, when I tried to make Hot and Sour Soup. If not, let’s just say … Read more

Have you ever gone geocaching? It is the perfect activity for week 8 of our adventure-a-week challenge! Once you have a GPS, it is something you can do for free, and is a great way to explore a new area – or even to see a familiar area is a whole new light. As it is described on their website, Geocaching.com, it is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online. The fun is in the hunt – to find these hidden caches, more than … Read more

Hi all! Today I’m excited to share a guest post from my good friend, Debbie Sutherland. My husband and I have known her and her family for quite some time, and always enjoy getting to see their lovely family when we visit New England. Debbie runs a blog on fun and frugal living, and today’s post that she is sharing with us is all about frugal nature-themed date ideas. Love it. I’m married to my guy, but I still want to date him! Thanks for the ideas, Debbie! -April Going out on a date with a loved one does not … Read more

I just love to experiment in the kitchen, try new foods, and explore different flavors! I’m planning once a week to share a food tip here on my blog from my culinary adventures. 🙂 Today’s ideas are simple to prepare, elegant and delicious! The key is excellent quality ingredients. And in particular, Westphalian Ham. This photo is from a special tapas meal I made for my family. It is so simple to prepare and yet SO delicious! I was going to use Serrano ham until I found out how expensive it was (To give you an idea, a whole ham … Read more