How to Have a Happy Gluten-Free Thanksgiving

For the past year, I've eaten (mostly) gluten-free. I feel much better, and I've discovered that it's not nearly as difficult as I feared it would be. Not only are quite a few companies making gluten-free products, most restaurants have menus that I can order from.

Photo courtesy of Sideshowmom/Morguefile.com

If you are trying to eliminate gluten from your diet, or you're hosting dinner for someone who is, take a peek at some of these recipes. You might even discover that you like them as much as the traditional offerings.

Here are some recipes you might want to try:

• 10 Homemade Gluten-Free Salad Dressing Recipes
• Gluten-Free Holiday Stuffing Recipes
• Poached Pears
• Maple Baked Apples

Remember that vegetables, fruits, and meat are gluten free, unless it is processed. If you aren't sure, read the label and look for wheat, barley, or rye in the list of ingredients. If they're not listed, you're probably fine.

Some of My Favorite Videos

Starting today, I'll be posting once a week, on Mondays, rather than twice a week.

Something that brings me joy most days is to watch videos about cute kids and animals.

Here are some of my recent favorites:

Friendly little girl at the mall:




Baby's emotional reaction to his mother's singing:




Little girl's birthday wish to her mother:




Slideshow of cute babies and animals:

New Etiquette Articles on About.com

I generally post a batch of new articles on my About.com Etiquette site at the beginning of every month. Here are the ones for November:

• Carpool Etiquette - Save money by carpooling, but remember to be considerate of others.
• Speech Filters - Don't blurt everything that comes to mind.
• Think Before You Tell a Joke - Never tell a joke that is racist, sexist, or might be considered offensive to your audience.
• Is Etiquette Old Fashioned? - Do the etiquette rules from 30 or 40 years ago still apply?
• Etiquette in the Office Kitchen - Respect your coworkers by showing good manners in the shared kitchen at work.
• How to Address an Envelope - Yes, snail mail is still alive. 
• Fashion Etiquette for Women - Avoid fashion faux pas.
• Holiday Etiquette Tips - Don't get left off the guest list. Know what to do and how to act this holiday season.

What Motivates Me

People often tell me they wish they were self-motivated, and they ask what motivates me. That's such an easy question, but not everyone can relate to my answers. I have a list of things that keep me going, whether I'm praying, writing, cooking dinner, cleaning the house, or doing a craft.

My personal motivators: 

• Faith. First of all, my faith in God and the fact that He gave up His only Son for my sins shows me how important I am to Him. I don't want to let Him down, so I do things to the best of my ability because that's what He would want me to do.
• Family. Anyone who knows me understands that my family will always come before anything else on this earth. They are not only blessings from God, they are the light of my life, and they keep me going. My husband Wally, daughters Alison and Lauren, sons-in-law Jason and Ryan, and granddaughters Emma and Sophia bless me immensely simply by their existence.
• Friends. The Lord has placed certain people in my life - friends that I can't imagine being without.
• Work. I am very happy to have the blessing of being able to write stories and articles that people actually want to read. I appreciate all of my publishers and editors who help me become the best writer I can be.

There are smaller, less significant things that motivate me, but they all point back to the top four. I like to eat healthy food and work out, and the motivators are to keep my body healthy so I can do the Lord's work, be available for my family, enjoy my wonderful friendships, and have the ability to meet the responsibilities of my writing career.

Decorate for Fall

I love seeing simple ways to decorate the home and yard for all occasions, and I'd like to share what I found with you.

Decorating with pumpkins:

Tips for fall centerpieces: