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Thanksgiving food on a table.

The holiday season is a time for social gatherings and sharing meals together! If you’re like me, you enjoy hosting events at your home. I host an annual Thanksgiving dinner for my friends, and it’s always one of the highlights of my year! 


A bowl of Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup.

The Food Factor: Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup

January 9, 2024

Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup is the perfect cozy soup thanks to the protein-rich beef and abundance of nutritious vegetables.

Annual bluegrass weed.

Winter Lawn Guide

January 5, 2024

The new year is a great time to start learning about topics you don’t know much about.

A pile of gifts wrapped in various papers and ribbons.

6 Holiday Recycling Tips

December 15, 2023

When you think about the holidays, all the food, gifts, holiday décor, and gatherings with friends and family likely come to mind. What you may not think about is how much garbage we create during this season. Check out these tips that can help you recycle this holiday season.

A woman stands in a kitchen

7 Holiday Tips to Maintain Healthy Diet Habits

December 12, 2023

The holidays don't have to sabotage your healthy diet habits. Check out these tips that can help you stay focused during this festive season.

Pink holiday cactus

How to Care for Holiday Cacti

December 8, 2023

Holiday cacti are popular this time of year. They are a great addition to holiday décor and are even a great gift! If you’re like me, I’m running out of gift ideas for my loved ones.

Hands hold a plate with a slice of sweet potato cheese pie

The Food Factor: Sweet Potato Cheese Pie

December 5, 2023

Love cheesecake, but don’t want all the fat and calories that come with it? Sweet Potato Cheese Pie has all the flavor of cheesecake without all the guilt.

Eurasian Collared Dove

Bird of the Month: Eurasian Collared Dove

December 4, 2023

We’ve reached the end of our yearlong series that introduced you to some of Mississippi’s birds! We hope these blog posts have helped you identify and learn more about our feathered friends.

A woman stands in a kitchen with a bowl of rice pilaf posing for the camera.

The Food Factor: Brown Rice Pilaf with Sage, Walnuts and Dried Fruit

November 21, 2023

Savor the flavors of fall in this rice pilaf dish, made with dried fruit and sage.

Red and Yellow Poinsettias

Plants Perfect for the Holidays

November 17, 2023

If you’re like me, you’re starting to think about your holiday plans. How will I decorate for Thanksgiving and Christmas? What will I gift my friends and family during this festive season? Plants make perfect gifts and add a nice touch to your holiday decor.

A woman standing at a kitchen counter smiles at the camera.

Dining with Diabetes: Can It Help You?

November 14, 2023

Have you have been diagnosed with diabetes? Do you live with or care for someone with diabetes? Or do you just want to learn how to eat healthier? If you answered yes to any of these questions, MSU Extension’s Dining with Diabetes program is for you.

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About Extension for Real Life

Extension for Real Life is a product of the MSU Extension Service’s Office of Agricultural Communications.

That’s a long way of saying we are professional communicators who get to talk about food, families, 4-H, flowers, and farming for a living.

Blog content is created by a core team of communicators, including Susan Collins-Smith, Ellen Graves, Natasha Haynes, Qula Madkin, Michaela Parker, and Jonathan Parrish. But we get by with a lot of help from our friends in Ag Comm and Extension!

You can reach us at 662-325-2262 or extreallife@msstate.edu