Recent Blog Posts

Hello, everyone and welcome back! The air is crisp and cool and our days are sunny, welcome October!! My kids have been bugging for weeks to go get pumpkins and cornstalks to decorate our porch but I just couldn't muster up the ability to take them, not when the temps were still in the 70's and we s...
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If you wear your winter coat over your Halloween costume to go trick-or-treating, you’re probably from Michigan. By the time October 31st rolls around in the Mitten State fall colors are long past. It gets dark by 6:30pm, and the average high temperatures are in the 40s and 50s, depending on how ...
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Fall weather arrived all over Michigan this week after we had an unusually warm September. Now that cooler temperatures are here, it's time to turn on the ovens and do some fall baking. What better way to start than with an apple pie made from fresh Michigan apples? First, go to your local orch...
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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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