Suzanne Schaffer

My sparkly silver tree makes me so unbelievably giddy.

What was on your menu for Thanksgiving this year? I made a turkey breast, I've done all sorts of different things including duck, chicken, roast, and last year we went to a restaurant. I kept it simple with the turkey breast and it was very good. I also made some garlic green beans, corn, gravy, cranberries (my favorite part of the meal since I was a little girl!),roasted sweet potatoes, and roasted parsnips, fingerling potatoes, carrots, and red onion. Some mashed potatoes leftover from a church dinner also made their way onto the table. For dessert I made an apple pie and a blueberry pie since we don't like pumpkin pie. I also made Grammy's Marshmallow Puffs (recipe here ). I found some vegan marshmallows at the grocery store and thought it would be a nice addition, they were very well received. Thought you'd like to see a picture of our table.

On a cold morning like today I find so much comfort in a cup of tea. The Trader Joe's seasonal Vanilla & Cinnamon Black Tea is one that I anticipate every winter.  What is one of your favorite small comforts?

I am all about oatmeal, I eat it often with blueberries, some cinnamon, and a spoonful of chia seeds. I'm not sure Thick & Rough is appealing though. Really? You couldn't come up with a better description? That just sounds like it's going to end painfully. Poopsy Pets. While doing a merchandising job I stumbled on this at Target. I have no words for this. None.

Winter weather is upon us and I thought I'd share the best hand cream that I've ever found. My hands get very dry and cracked in the cold weather. I've found that wearing rubber gloves when I clean (I do this all year long, not just when it's cold) and wearing gloves when it's cold outside helps a lot.  I've tried many lotions over the years and used to swear by Neutrogena but I quit using that when I switched to all-natural products. Because you shouldn't put anything onto your body that you wouldn't put into your body. On the search for natural hand cream I came across the Bee Bar by Honey House Naturals . While they have a nice assortment of products, the Bee Bar is the only one I've tried yet (mostly because I love the Lemongrass Spa products that I sell. If you're interested in trying any please contact me for a one-time special offer). The Bee Bar is the only thing I've found that is long lasting and truly stays on after washin

Have you ever seen anything so lovely? Brewed cocoa. Yes, you read that right.  Roasted and ground cocoa beans. Why has no one ever done this before? They have a bunch of different flavors too. Check out their website . Last night I made some in my French press. Just the cocoa. I added some coconut milk creamer and a splash of vanilla stevia. It was perfect. This morning I made my favorite cup of tea and added a t-sac filled with this brewed cocoa. Steeped them both together for a few minutes. Chocolate chai. It's going to be a good day.