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Free Download: Thanksgiving Menus and Dish Labels/Place Cards

This year Thanksgiving will be at my house and I’m expecting a big group of family and friends. I’ve been having so much fun planning the decorations and appetizers (that’s what I’m in charge of…I wonder why they didn’t put the vegetarian in charge of the main course??) that I wanted to share the fun with all of you! I created a few menu cards and place cards that double as dish labels for potluck-style dinners. You can download any of the designs below in the Download Gallery for free.

Each file is blank so you can add your own information. The full-size menu display and the individual menu cards are available in a dark chocolate brown color. The place cards/dish labels are available in your choice of coordinating colors: dark chocolate brown, forest green, mustard, burnt orange, rust, and teal. You can go with all of the same color or mix and match, just have fun with it.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

katie: normal girl

Fan of acorns? Checkout these matching acorn notecards.

Mulling Spices for Apple Cider

This is a great last-minute Thanksgiving idea and a fantastic way to naturally scent your home with the smell of Fall. You can buy pre-made mulling spice mixes but they can be a bit pricy, so I just make my own and save it in a mason jar.

Autumn. Lovely, lovely Autumn.

It’s mid-November and you’d never know it down here in Florida. The approaching cold snap is expected to lower temperatures down to 60°F …for one night. Many of our trees are still flush with green and the orange and yellows of Fall never quite make it down this way. So when the weather outside doesn’t quite say “Autumn” (in the same way that it does up north), I need a little inspiration. This week’s Pin-Picks are all about my favorite season, Autumn. Join me over on Pinterest, I’d love to see your Fall picks!

katie: normal girl

P.S. Poll: Do you refer to the season as Fall, Autumn, or do you use the terms interchangeably, like me? Let me know in the comments!

Candy-Dipped Apple Sundae Bar

This is my favorite new Fall dessert! It’s the perfect communal dessert for parties, with or without kiddos. And, oh the varieties of yummy-ness that you and your guests can create!

I provided chocolate fudge and caramel sauce to dip the apples into, then I provided a variety of sweet and salty topping choices. For a final bit of yummy, I also set provided small containers of sea salt, pumpkin spice, and dried orange peel. If you’d prefer to serve something with less sugar, you can go healthy and provide warm peanut butter or honey for dipping instead of caramel and chocolate and swap the candy for dried fruit and granola. The possibilities are endless!

Here’s a list of what I provided:

Gratitude Notecards: November Acorns

I decided that after a year of using scrap paper bits to fill my gratitude jar, I’d like some special little notecards. I’ve been designing some table place cards for Thanksgiving and thought the acorn picture would be a perfect fit for these little cards. I finished the design by putting my favorite gratitude prompt at the top in a rich chocolate-brown color. Now that I’m looking at them, I bet these could also double as little thank-you cards – bonus!

I printed the cards above on a medium-weight textured card stock. If you’d like to print your own, you can download an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of these notecards from the Download Gallery for free. If you would prefer to order the cards, you can get a set of 31 cards, printed on the textured cardstock shown above, for $6 (includes shipping) in The Normal Girl Shop.

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Freebie Download: November 2013 Calendars

While out on a walk this past weekend, I saw this little, fallen leaf on the sidewalk and snapped a picture. I know that for many of my readers, Autumn is in full swing and fallen leaves are a normal sight by now but this is the first fallen leaf of the season for me. You see, in Florida we get started on the Fall season a bit late around here…most of our trees are still lush with green even though Halloween is just days away and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. So in the spirit of the cold front that has rolled in and lowered our afternoon temperatures to a “chilly” 75°F, here’s a freebie download for November featuring the first fallen leaf of the season. Happy Autumn!

Continue to the Download Gallery.

Halloween Town Collection

October has begun and Halloween fast approaches! I’m raising the spirit of the holiday and putting together my party plans and decor ideas. How about you? Any Halloween plans in the works? If you find a good idea, send it to me on Pinterest, I’d love to see it!

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Burger Swap: Grilled Portabella Sandwiches

This summer switch up the classic burger for a grilled portabella mushroom sandwich. It’s a great alternative to beef that will satisfy the meat-eaters and the veggies at your next backyard cookout. Even grilling newbies can cook one of these little guys!

Pucker Power: 5 Clever Uses For Lemons

Life is always giving me lemons (mostly because I keep buying them) and I couldn’t be happier about it. I love the way lemons look sitting in a bowl on my counter, I love the way they smell and I love the way they taste. From time to time, I’ll end up with a bit of leftover lemon that ends up just beyond its prime, and since I hate to waste food, I’ve got a few great uses for these leftover bits. Give one (or two…or three) of these a try and let me know what you think!

Weekend Gardening Project: Plant a Mint Bowl

In the comments of a recent post, one of my readers mentioned the mint that was exploding out of her garden. It reminded me of this post and what fun it was!