HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

        Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and it’s just around the corner. I’m super excited! For the past few years, my family has been following the same tradition for the Thanksgiving Weekend.

         First, my family serves the homeless and less fortunate at the Knights of Columbus on Thanksgiving Day. Each year, the Knights serve more than 1,500 meals. I really enjoy being able to participate in that. Just seeing the happiness they get from getting to have a nice, big Thanksgiving Dinner makes me so happy. That lasts from about 2 – 5 PM. After we serve, we also get to have Thanksgiving Dinner there.

         Then, we drive up to Connecticut on Thanksgiving Night. We get to spend the weekend with our family up there. It’s really nice to be able to travel there, even though it’s just for the weekend. I love being able to see the whole family because, since they live far away, it doesn’t happen as often as I’d like it to, mostly just for the holidays. So I'll soak up every minute of it!! :) 

I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving and safe travels!!

Kendra <3

How To Make Puppy Chow

Puppy Chow is a delicious little snack! It's easy to make and doesn't involve a lot of work, and today I'm going to teach you how to make it.

What you'll need:
Chocolate Chips
Peanut Butter
Rice Chex Cereal
Powdered Sugar
Spoon
Bowl
Zip-Lock Bag
Measuring Cup

1) For ease, first gather everything you will need in order to make this snack.

2) Measure 1/2 cup of chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. 

Heat for thirty seconds at a time (stirring after each heating) or until melted completely.

3) Measure 1/4 cup of peanut butter and mix it into the now melted chocolate chips until thoroughly blended.

4) Pour 4 1/2 cups of Chex Cereal into a bowl. 

Add the peanut butter chocolate mix and stir with either a spoon or your hands until the cereal is fully coated.

5) Put 3/4 cups of powdered sugar and the coated cereal into a zip lock bag, close it, and shake until the cereal is covered in powdered sugar.

6. Once it's all coated in powdered sugar, you're done. You can keep it stored in the zip lock bag and serve in a small bowl, if you wish. Enjoy!

I hope you guys like this recipe, I LOVE IT! Let me know what you think.

Check back soon,

Kendra <3

Hair Growth Tips

Today, I'm going to talk about hair....
At least for girls, I know hair can be a pretty valuable thing. I sure think of mine that way! One thing that many girls want is for their hair to be long. Unfortunately, this process can take a while. For those of us that are impatient, there are a few things that have been studied and are supposedly able to help your hair grow healthier and faster. Below are some of the tips I've learned...

1. Stay Hydrated -- When you are hydrated, your body regulates it's circulatory system, which then feeds your follicles, which then helps your hair grow. Without enough water, your roots can become harsh and sometimes stop hair growth all together. So, by all means, drink water! It's cheap, it's easy, and it's healthy.

2. Avoid Everyday Washing -- Washing your hair everyday takes the natural oils out of your hair. Also, the chemicals in shampoo and conditioner can hurt your hair. Instead, try washing it every other day, or every three days. On days when you aren't washing your hair, try wearing a shower cap or keeping your hair out of the water during your showers, as to not rinse out your natural oils. You can also try some sort of "no-poo". So, give your hair a little break by not washing it everyday.

3. Avoid Heat -- This one is definitely a hard one. If you style your hair, it's likely that you use some heat products. Whether you're using your hair dryer, a straightener, curling iron, flat iron, etc. there can be a lot of heat involved. But, heat is very damaging to your hair. You can always try looking up some no heat tutorials for hairstyles you'd regularly achieve with heat. If you do decide to use heat, try using a heat protector on your hair first

4. Food -- Some foods have been said to help hair growth. Some of the more well-known foods are: eggs, avocado, nuts, fish, meat, and oysters.

The internet is crawling with many different tips to help you with your hair growth issues. What I've listed is just a handful of things that I do to try to keep my hair healthy and help it to grow faster.
I hope this was helpful!
Check back soon,
Kendra <3

How To Make The Best Chicken Salad

Today, because we are out of grapes at my house, right when I was craving my mom's chicken salad, I'm going to teach you how to make The Best Chicken Salad! Just follow these steps...

1. Gather all your ingredients so you don't have to search for anything while you're trying to make your chicken salad. 

2. Take your can of chicken, open it, and dump it into your bowl. Then use a fork to shred the chicken.

3. Cut your grapes and celery. You want to aim for bite sized pieces of celery, and I normally cut the grapes into quarters.

4. Mix a table spoon of mayonnaise, a handful of cheese, a few handfuls of grapes, a few handfuls of celery, a few pinches of salt, and a few pinches of pepper into your shredded chicken. 

5. Once you've stirred your chicken salad, taste it. If it takes like a bite of heaven, then you're done. If it's not quite there yet, it probably needs more grapes - grapes are key ;)  Enjoy!

What you'll need:

Canned Chicken

Mayonnaise

Celery

Salt

Pepper

Grapes

Cheese

Bowl

Fork

Spoon

I hope you enjoy your chicken salad!

Check back soon,

Kendra <3

Fishtail Braid Pictorial

Today's pictorial is for a Fishtail Braid. While it's easy with some practice, it does take a bit of time if you want it to look neat and "finished". 

1. Brush your hair so it's easy to work with.

 

2. This step is optional -- If this is your first time attempting this hair style it can be a bit hard to hold all the hair together. If this is the case for you, use a small rubber band to loosely hold your hair together at the base. We will cut it out when we're finished to give it a more sleek look.

 3. Hair tie or no hair tie, separate your hair into two equal sections.

 4. Separate a very small piece of hair from the outermost part of your right section (keep in mind - the smaller pieces you use for this step, the neater and more detailed your fishtail will look).

 Cross that small piece of hair over the right section and join it with the left section (As show below).

 5. As we did before, separate a very small piece of hair from the outermost part of your left section

and cross that small piece of hair over the left section and into the right section (As shown below).

 6. Continue to do the same thing until you reach the ends of your hair. (DO NOT restart if you think your fishtail braid is not looking neat. Even though it may seem that way, once you secure your braid, it will loosen up and all fall into place)

 7. Once you reach your ends, the sections will become small enough that you'll end it with a regular braid.

8. Tie your braid off with a little elastic band.

9. Go back to the top of your braid and carefully cut out that small rubber band we used at the beginning. Then, lightly pull on your braid to loosen it up.

10. Once you've cut out the rubber band and loosened your braid, you're done. Enjoy!

Kendra <3

Operation Christmas Child

This year, my family participated in something called Operation Christmas Child. Run by Samaritan's Purse, Operation Christmas Child collects millions of shoe boxes full of Christmas gifts and gives them to the less fortunate. Since 1993, when the operation started, they have filled and shipped over 100 million shoe boxes.
Although you do not know where you're sending your shoe box, you can decide whether you buy for a girl or a boy. You can also pick an age category for your donation.
This year my family filled a shoe box for a girl from the ages 5 - 9. We went to Five Below and bought as much stuff as we could stuff into our shoe box. Some of those items include: School supplies, stuffed animals, toys, jewelry, note pads, coloring books, and hair accessories. We also put a little note including a picture of our family.
Another thing you have the option of doing is putting a label on your shoe box so when it gets shipped out, you know where it's going to end up. We did that as well.
I think that Operation Christmas Child is a remarkable program. The fact that enough people donate shoe boxes that the company sends to 150 countries is amazing. I hope that we continue to donate each year and find even more ways we can help out.

We Are Family

Something that has shaped my life in a huge way is my swim team. We are called the “Holy Mackerels.” We aren’t one of those super competitive swim teams and that’s one of the best parts.

            We are all very close. We are actually quite close to family during the summer. By family, I’m not implying that we are all kind to each other and we love each other. I’m implying, we tease each other; we fool around; sometimes we fight; but we always fix it. We act like a real family. Everyone on the team, new or old, is welcomed into our family.

            The younger kids on the team “look-up” to us older kids. We have to be there for them. Whether it’s putting their cap on, or teaching them a stroke, they need us, and we are there.

             Swimmers can participate on the team from ages five to eighteen. Once they are nineteen, they have officially graduated. My two older sisters have graduated from the swim team already. One of them is now a coach. 

            One of the elements that bring our team together even more is that we have shared many kinds of experiences. We have lost people together, we have found new people together, we have achieved many goals, and so much more. Knowing that, when you need a shoulder to cry on or a helping-hand, you will have 250 options is an amazing feeling. We are always there for each other. We are family.