by admin | Feb 6, 2014 | From Our Contributors
Cumming Local’s Top Ten Chili Recipes Last week when the weather was cold, I craved a good old fashion chili recipe. So I made some! But it got me thinking. There are tons of great recipes out there for chili. So I have put together a TOP TEN of the recipes that are delicious. All types of ingredients were can be used! Anything from chicken, beef, turkey, pork, and more! I have linked to the recipes so you can make any of the chili’s as well. Enjoy! These are in no particular order: Old Fashioned Chili: This is my go-to recipe. It’s easy. And it’s delicious. What more can you ask for!? Pumpkin, Black Bean, and Chicken Chili: I know this sounds a littler strange but I promise it is good. The pumpkin gives it a nice earthy flare. White Chicken Chili: You can make this spicy or not. I love the flavor of this one. Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili: This chili is super filling with the chunks of butternut squash Jalapeno Popper Turkey Chili: I saw this and knew I had to try it. You can’t get any better than a delicious jalapeno popper! Wendy’s Copycat Chili: So I love Wendy’s chili. As I was eating it a year ago, I thought – I could make this. So I googled it and found this recipe. It taste just like Wendy’s! Chicken Taco Chili: Chicken + Taco flavor = Chili…that’s perfect in my book. Pineapple Chili: Pineapple in chili, what? Well, this is really good. It gives it a great sweet tangy flavor. Chicken and Corn...
by admin | Feb 3, 2014 | From Our Contributors
Tools for 2014 – Start a New Hobby What do you love to do? What’s something you are super passionate about? Here’s a tip – when you are doing this particular hobby you lose track of time. My particular hobby is writing. And exactly a year ago, I decided to pursue a career in it. I absolutely love what I do. My hobby has become my profession! Now it doesn’t also work like that – but I consider myself very blessed. The point of today’s post is to encourage you to start a new hobby. Figure out a new hobby and then do it Maybe even pursue something you’ve never tried before. Here are some examples in no particular order: Take a class and learn something new or develop a skill you already have! The Forsyth County Parks and Rec Dept has tons of options for classes. Dancing, photography, etc. You can click here to get more info and to see their spring catalog. Join a gym We talked a lot about this in the post about Getting Healthy with Fitness, click here to read that post. But seriously a gym offers yoga, cycling, and more! You may find you love just working out as a hobby. Paint I never knew how relaxing painting can be. I went to a Girls Night Out at Glazed & Fired and had a blast. It was soothing to paint and I discovered that I enjoyed it as well. You never know – you may be a natural. I’m not, but my panting did turn out pretty good thanks to Jeanne! You can...
by admin | Feb 3, 2014 | From Our Contributors
Best Places for Hand Stamped Jewelry Valentine’s Day is around the corner. Do you do gifts with your loved ones? If so, consider doing some sort of hand stamped jewelry. I got a necklace last year with my kids and husband’s intial stamped on silver circles. I absolutely love this necklace and wear it all the time! With so many options – how can you decide where the best places for hand stamped jewelery are? Well, we did a reader vote! You can see that vote by clicking here. Here is the list in no particular order: The Hand Stamped Heart – This was the most popular one! Lance’s Jewelry Allie Sutton Designs Wickedly Mod The Vintage Pearl Micah Jones Studio Florrie Salter Bumpers Anywhere else we are...
by admin | Jan 28, 2014 | From Our Contributors
Ideas for Fun on a Snowday or Inclement Weather Day in Forsyth County Forsyth County just announced that schools are closed due to inclement weather tomorrow. So…now what? Home with the kids for an inclement weather day in Forsyth County. Let the fun begin! I thought it would be great to put together a list of some fun things to do with the kids while you are home. These are in no particular order: Build a Fort: You can use chairs, the couch, blankets, sheets, and more! See how big you can make it. My kids absolutely love this! Have a Movie Day: I like this because we can all sit and relax together. Play out in the snow: Sledding, building a snowman, snowball fight, snow angels, and more! Stay in your PJs all day: This is my personal favorite! Have a picnic for lunch or dinner: You can make all kinds of finger foods and eat on the floor. Print a free activity for the kids: Here is a great website resource I found – click here Have a baking party: Who doesn’t love to make cookies!? Make Snow Paint: I love this idea because you can use the paint outside in the snow. You can find the recipe by clicking here. Have a coloring contest: You can either use coloring books or blank paper. Let the imaginations go! Make play dough: This recipe can be made to look like snow. Click here to see the recipe. Make Snow Ice Cream: Here is my favorite recipe, click here. If you don’t have those ingredients then try this recipe by clicking...
by admin | Jan 28, 2014 | From Our Contributors
Tools for 2014 – Finances Finances, budgeting, plans, savings, and more! When it comes to finances there is always something to be done. Personally, we made some changes to our finances and it has already made a huge difference! Here are some examples in no particular order: Use a budgeting app, website or system This is HUGE for me and my family! There are plenty of options for systems to help you with your finances. Mint.com, Quickbooks, and more. My favorite is YNAB (You Need a Budget). You can check it out by clicking here. Also, that link will give you a discount on the one time purchase of the software. I highly recommend it! Implement a cash system We made this change a few years ago. It does take some tweaking but using cash to pay for some items definitely makes you save money! Click here to see more details about this cash envelope system. Speak with a financial advisor Maybe you could save money on your insurance plan or possibly your mortgage/rent. Or what about retirement? Are you currently saving for retirement? Call your utility companies Probably about 8 months ago, I called each utlity company one by one to see if they had any deals coming up. I was so surprised. Because of my good payment history, I was able to lower almost every one of my bills. My motto is – it never hurts to ask! Any other ideas for helping with...
by admin | Jan 27, 2014 | From Our Contributors
Favorite Consignment Sales in Forsyth County It’s consignment season and the sales are moving along! We asked our readers last fall to tell us their favorite consignment sale and we got a great list. SO we thought we would share with you. Hopefully you find this helpful! And if you want to see the original post simply click here. These are in no particular order: Creekside (this sale received the most votes!) North Fulton Mothers of Multiples Cumming First United Methodist Green with Envy Midway UMC Kidsignments Also – we have a round-up of the consignment spring sales. You can see that round-up by clicking here. Did we miss your favorite consignment sale? If so, let us...
