Candace Ott
To mix things up a bit, the following is a guest post by a mom who has three young boys, and her experience with raising them up to be gentlemen for their future wives. Enjoy!
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As a mother to three active and energetic little boys, I strive to instill on a daily basis values and morals that I find most important when raising young men. With a majority of research claiming that boys learn from their father on how to be a man, and how to treat women, I come to you with this question: "why can’t mothers do just the same"?  After all, who knows more about how a woman wants to be treated than a woman herself, right?  This is not to discount that dad’s play a very important role in raising young gentlemen as well, because let's face it ladies, our boys will eventually turn out like their dads in certain respects (isn’t that one of the reasons we married them?).  ;) Now bear in mind that I am teaching my boys far more than what I could possibly write here, but this will be just a glimpse of the greatest job I have been given - raising gentlemen.

It is never too early to teach our boys the importance of being a gentleman.  If anything, it just gives them more time to get accustomed to it and make it a daily mindset rather than a “for dates only” mindset. While our youngest boy (only 18 months old) is too young to understand most of the values and morals I'm trying to instill, it does not deter me from including him in my daily routines to help raise these young men of mine. Even with the smallest of gestures to include the boys in my personal daily routine, I have seen the boys blossom into young gentlemen.

My oldest son loves to complement me on my hair after it's been blow-dried in the morning.  He loves to run his fingers through it during a cuddly family movie night. He is also the first one to notice a new haircut or style/color change.   I love this about my oldest, and encourage this behavior. Noticing simple changes and complementing are values that will take him far in his relationship with his future wife.  As a result, he will make her feel beautiful on a daily basis (what woman wouldn't want that?). 

Our middle son adores complementing my nails. Every time I come back from getting a pedicure, he is the first to notice and say how pretty my toes look. He also gives me his input by telling me what color or design I should get next time.  I love that he not only complements me on something that's usually overlooked, but he also strives to be involved in the process. While it may not mean much to a 4-year old boy that his mommy’s toes look nice, the value I hope to instill by encouraging this behavior is monumental.  This will benefit his future marriage when he takes a sincere interest in his wife’s hobbies, or supports her even if he has no direct enjoyment/connection to them. By encouraging this, I hope to instill the desire to make his future wife happy, and share in the joy with her.

To go beyond the daily routine and instill values on another level, our family started a new tradition: Mother/Son date nights. Not only do these dates offer a great way to teach gentleman-like values, but they also allow for quality one-on-one mother/son time (something quite rare in a typical busy family of 5). I use these date nights to teach the boys specific gentlemen values such as: opening doors for others, and proper restaurant manners.  However, it goes beyond simple etiquette.  These times are also for letting the boys explore their creativity, and practice their planning skills. There is no denying the joy and excitement that comes from our spouse, fiancĂ©, or significant other planning an entire date based on our own personal likes. Knowing that they took the time to create a night devoted to our enjoyment makes us feel loved beyond belief, and keeps the cycle continuing, as we in turn want to do something special just for them. So, by allowing my boys to create/plan the date night and letting their imaginations work, I hope to instill the foundations for their future dates - my goal being to encourage spontaneity and the creative desire to try new things (even if it's something they don't particularly like). After all, their future wife may have different likes, and it’s important for my boys to encourage those likes and participate in them as well.

I will continue to share these moments with my boys for as long as I can. I admire their ability to grasp and learn at such a young age, and I hope that they will one day thank me for these memories. Maybe, if I’m really lucky, I’ll even get a thank you from my future daughter-in-laws as well. ;) For now though, I’m just soaking up these precious moments with my 3 little guys, and holding on to the childhood within them. For all too soon they will be off in the dating world all on their own, and I will only be able to hold my breathe and pray that what I taught them now will carry into their adult lives.
Candace Ott
I find myself compelled to dedicate a post to my husband, who without, I would not be where I am today.

Marriage is a lot like a roller coaster.  From a distance, it looks exciting, intimidating, fun, and even scary for some.  The anticipation standing in line (like dating) can have your head spinning in a multitude of emotions: excitement, curiosity, and thrills of the unknown.  When you finally get on the ride (engagement), you are committed.  There's only a limited amount of time to change your mind, and once you're going it can set your heart racing, and your stomach butterflies to swarming.  The very first plunge (getting married) can take your breath away, and the remainder of the ride is the marriage journey.

A roller coaster has many ups, downs, and tricks.  It cannot continue to go straight up, it's impossible.  As is marriage without problems.  Marriages will always have their bumps along the way, there's no way around it.  However, if a roller coaster were to go straight down, it would eventually crash into the ground, ending the ride (this can represent divorce).

If you continue to ride the roller coaster though, you start to realize that it's due to the combination of "ups" and "downs" that make the ride worth it - a ride without any change would hardly be a ride at all (like two people growing apart, and no longer in the marriage mentally).  It's when a marriage experiences the "downs", that it can truly begin to appreciate the "ups".

By the end of a ride, there is a sense of accomplishment, pride, and thrill that you did it.  And what's more, the fear and anxiety was worth it, and you had fun overall.

Of course, this is a rough simile, as not everyone enjoys roller coasters like I do - some even get sick. But that aside, my point is, marriage is never perfect.  I'm glad for the trials, because it helps make me a better wife and partner to my husband.  It allows us to grow together and learn as a team.

The biggest gift I can give to my husband, is the promise that my vows will remain intact, and that I'm on this ride with him until the end!

I love you Babe!


Candace Ott
I love finding great recipes simply because you have items that have to get cooked before they go bad.  In my case, it was half a bag of large carrots from Costco (they were intended to go in crockpot recipes, but I just didn't end up needing too many).

Anyway, so in my search online, I happened to stumble across a recipe for an Autumn Carrot Bisque.  I had most of the ingredients, so I went ahead with it.  The result was better than I could have anticipated - and even my 10 month old daughter loved the taste of it.  I will definitely be making this dish again.


Ingredients:
  • 3 lb. carrots - chopped (I'm not sure how many I had, maybe 15-20 large carrots)
  • 1 onion - chopped (I used 1/2 c. dried chopped onion since I didn't have a fresh onion)
  • 3-4 garlic cloves - chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. ginger
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 2 Tbsp. peanut oil (I used sesame oil - olive oil is fine too)
  • 1 Tbsp. maple syrup (I used 100% real maple syrup)
  • 1-1/2 c. chicken broth
  • 1-1/2 c. water
Directions:
  1. Pour oil into a pot with the onion and carrots.  Saute until onions start to cook or brown slightly (I used the dried onion, and simply sauteed for 5 minutes or so).
  2. Pour the chicken broth, water, pepper, salt, ginger, curry, maple syrup and garlic into the pot with the carrots.
  3. Cook until it's boiling, then reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes (or until carrots are fork tender).
  4. Once cooked, allow to cool enough to puree in a blender/food processor until smooth.
  5. Return the mixture to the pot, and add the can of coconut milk.
  6. For a smoother consistency, add more coconut milk.
  7. Enjoy!
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Candace Ott
I found this recipe in a book, and had to try it.  I'm usually not a big pork fan, since there's a common tendency for it to be dry, but this comes out moist, tastes amazing, and my guests loved it!

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup risotto (Arborio rice)
  • 1 boneless pork loin - about 3 lbs. (I had two small ones that came together in a package from Costco)
  • 3 fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 cup fruity red wine
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 1/2 finely chopped onion
  • 3-5 minced garlic cloves
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • salt/pepper
Directions:
The risotto will absorb the juices as it cooks
  1. Chop and mince your onion/garlic - set aside.
  2. Season the pork loin with salt and pepper.
  3. Pour olive oil into a pan, lay the sprigs of rosemary in the pan, and place the pork loin on top.  Sear all sides until it shows a little browning - the book suggested 5-7 minutes per side. (the oil made it splatter everywhere, so either have a screen cover over it, or use less oil - this is something I'll need to perfect the next time).
  4. Once the pork is seared, place it in the crockpot with the rosemary.  Save what's left in the pan.
  5. Pour 1/2 cup of the chicken broth into the pan, cook and loosen all the leftover juices from the pork.  Add in 1 tbsp. of butter, the onion and garlic - stir/cook until onions begin to look translucent.
  6. Add the risotto and cook until it starts to brown (I didn't notice any browning - but the book suggested 2 minutes).
  7. Stir in wine and remaining chicken broth.
  8. Pour the risotto mixture into the crockpot with the pork.  Cover, and cook on High for 3-4 hours (if you're not sure it's done, check that it reaches 160 degrees on a meat thermometer).
  9. Once it's done, remove the pork and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing it up.
  10. Add the remaining 1 tbsp. of butter, and the parmesan cheese to the risotto and mix (I didn't add the cheese, I had it on the side for anyone that wanted to sprinkle it on top - and it tasted great with or without).
  11. This meal was great served with cooked brussel sprouts.
Enjoy!
Candace Ott
I'm finally getting around to posting a new project on here!  This one is fairly easy, and minimal tools are required.

Here are the items you need for this project (most of which can be found at Michael's):

Baking clay
- Hoop earrings
Baking glitter
- Small pliers
- Baking dish
- Glaze/Clear nail polish
- Needle



Directions:
1.) Choose a green clay, and roll out small coils (these will be the vine loops that link to the earring hoop). Also, mold flat teardrop shapes (these will be the leaves).  Use the needle to create any kind of leaf pattern in the teardrop that you want.

2.) Choose a clay color for the grapes.  Roll out multiple small balls, and cluster together to create a bunch of grapes in the shape you like.  Choose a glitter to go with your grapes.

3.) Roll the grape bunch in the glitter, coating every surface.  Pat the glitter into the clay to make sure it's sticking well.  

4.) Stick the leaf, followed by the vine, onto the top of the grapes.

5.) Place the finished charm into an oven safe baking dish, and continue this process for all of your charms.

6.) Bake your charms at 275 degrees, for 15 minutes, then let cool.  Once cool, use a clay glaze (clear nail polish works too), and coat half of the charm, allow to dry, then turn over and coat the remaining half.  

 7.) Once your charms are glazed and dry, use pliers to form your earring hoops into rings that will hook around a wine glass stem.

8.) You now have cute homemade wine charms!  Do not soak them in water.  If they get spilled on, take a damp cloth or paper towel and gently wipe them clean.  Try not to bang the charm, as the vine could break with enough force.