Last year, at this time, we were getting ready for a virtual holiday boutique, holding a contest for Fall Favorite Flavors for Hot Cocoa Bombs, publishing a new Fall Favorite Hot Cocoa Bomb Book and making Hot Cocoa Bombs like crazy because we were doing our 1 time holiday sale of actual Hot Cocoa Bombs! This year does not look like last year.  This year we are blogging a couple of times a week and I'm hoping to get some Cocoa Bombs made for my family to enjoy during the holidays.  I am spending most of my time at medical facilities where my husband is still recuperating from the long term effects of Covid-19.  
     Although life seems pretty difficult lately, I know that I have so much to be grateful for.  My husband is getting well, when so many have not.  I have learned that it is possible to be sad and thankful at the same time.  I am so thankful for my supportive and loving children and extended family.  They are one reason I haven't thrown my hands up and decided to totally forget blogging!  My daughters and I have a connection through this work that I am so reluctant to give up.  And writing to you about my family and life is comforting and a great way for me to think through how I actually feel.  I appreciate our readers who stick with us! 

    So, this year we simply want to remind you that Hot Cocoa Bombs are something that we are really proud of! We created them 7 years ago and last year they became such a huge trend!  We did not become rich from them, but we love that an idea that we had became so popular! I don't know what the new trend will be this year, but after 7 years, we still love Hot Cocoa Bombs!  If you haven't tried your hand at making them, we have published 2 booklets to help you out!  One is our original Hot Cocoa Bomb Idea Book, available on Etsy as a downloadable booklet.

     Our Fall Favorites Book is available on Etsy, also as a downloadable book.  It is also available on Amazon in a Kindle format. 
     

     If you just want a few tips to help you along, you can always check out these blog posts from the past: 
*Make Hot Cocoa Bombs the 3 Winks Way
​*12 Days of Hot Cocoa Bombs
​*Our Original Cocoa Bomb Post from 2014
*Chocolate Covered Cherry Bombs with Video!

    While you are in our Etsy Shop, don't forget to check out our For The Love of Pie Book,  because it is also getting to be that pie baking time of year! 
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Finally!
I sat at my sewing machine and finished my denim projects!  

First of all, I decided that I wanted to make a zippered pouch that can be used for holding school supplies or as a make-up bag, or whatever you would like to use a zippered pouch for.  I have never made one and didn't have a pattern, so I just thought about it and figured out in my head how to make it work.  Then, I decided to add some color to it and line it with vinyl to make it easy to clean. 
​ Click on the pictures to get the directions. 

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a Peach Mango Salsa Recipe with you.  It was so good because it also had creamy avocado in it!  If you haven't seen that recipe, you can check it out here.  Well, I had quite a few more peaches and mangoes to deal with after that.  Of course, I canned a bunch of quarts of peaches, and then I had just enough left to make this awesome peach-mango jam!  It is my current favorite flavor to have on toast or English Muffins! 
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I just have to say that I had the best mangoes that I have ever eaten from this batch that I purchased from our wholesale produce place.  They were huge and oh so sweet!  If you can find mangoes like that, then this jam will become your favorite as well.  The peaches were also at the peak of their ripeness.  I left this jam pretty chunky because I adore those sweet bites of fruit in my jam. 

If you don't want your jam this chunky, you can chop it up in a food processor.  I simply used a potato masher.  
​Here is the recipe, trust me, you will love it! 
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*Blackberry-Lemon Marmalade