Recent Blog Posts

There are so many sweets consumed on and around Halloween it is always fun to make a healthy festive snack. This one is perfect to bring into a classroom or take to a party - it is super easy too!  I found this recipe last year in the 'Family Fun' magazine. Banana Ghosts - BOO! In...
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Have you ever found a unique item and wondered to yourself the history behind it? Or, remarked how unique and different it is and thought 'I must have that right now!' Today on the blog I'm talking about a unique gift item carried by Grandpa Shorter's. Popular and unique by nature but often questio...
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Hi, everyone and welcome back! With football season in full swing (I'm listening to a game in the background as I type up this blog post), I thought I'd share a fun and easy recipe for homemade touchdown brownies. They are perfect for a crowd or just to make and have with family during a weekend foo...
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Michigan has been trending on social media all week thanks to a story about a rock hunter from Copemish who found a 93-pound Petoskey stone in Lake Michigan near Northport. The man says he saw the stone buried in several feet of sand off shore. He made three trips to the stone’s location b...
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One of the best ways to enjoy the fall season in Michigan is to visit a local farm market or orchard where you can fill up your basket with fresh picked apples, straight-from-the-tree cider and homemade donuts that are still warm. So put on your sweater, grab a pumpkin spice latte and take a drive t...
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The title of this blog comes from a dear friend of Ryan and mine, AJ Cronk, who loves to throw a party.  He was known in college for his wild costume theme parties where the guest list was envied by all. For many people parties cause stress and it disables them from entertaining often or at all. �...
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Hello, again and welcome back! Fall is in the air here in Northern Michigan. This past week we were still seeing temperatures in the high 70's. We even took the boat out one last time after school last week trying to savor the last of the hot weather. Over the weekend the temps starting dropping, es...
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Hello, friends and welcome back! This week on the blog I'm talking about science experiments for kids. Did you know that Grandpa Shorter's has a fantastic science kits selection for kids? Neither did I! I stopped in over the weekend and spoke with Jennifer Shorter about some of the new and exciti...
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Like anywhere else, Michigan has its own set of colloquialisms. If you want to understand the Michigan vernacular, start with this list of vocabulary words. Don't worry, there won't be a test! The Mitten - A nickname for Michigan, because the lower peninsula is shaped like a mitten. Michigander ...
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Michigan is one of the top producers of craft beer in the country. With over 200 breweries, that number has doubled since 2010. It's consistently ranked as one of the top four beer states in the nation. Many of the breweries incorporate Michigan's abundant fruit crops into their brews, leading to i...
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