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Family

Family is huge to me! We have a sandwich family, with three kids, two at home and one Grandma Linda living with us due to dementia.

I write about all different family topics like dementia, adopting from foster care and other fun family "stuff".

Here are a few of my recent posts to get you started!

Table of Contents

    Dementia & Alzheimers Caregivers

    We are so fortunate to be able to care for my husband's Mom in our home. She fell last year and was hospitalized for two weeks, after which she moved in with us!

    Here are my best tips and ideas for being a caregiver!

    Easy Caramel Apple Bars Recipe - The Best Fall Dessert Idea for Cozy Apple Season

    Easy Caramel Apple Bars Recipe - The Best Fall Dessert Idea for Cozy Apple Season

    Tara Jacobsen
    July 13, 2026

    Growing up in Northwestern Pennsylvania, fall meant something! There was an actual chill in the air, the leaves put on a show, and caramel apples were basically a rite of passage every time we hit the orchard. Fast forward to my life in Florida, where "fall" shows up on the calendar and absolutely nowhere else.…

    Continue Reading Easy Caramel Apple Bars Recipe - The Best Fall Dessert Idea for Cozy Apple Season

    Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad with Dill (The Best Pasta Salad!)

    Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad with Dill (The Best Pasta Salad!)

    Tara Jacobsen
    July 9, 2026

    Getting my kids to eat a vegetable used to feel like a full-blown negotiation. Broccoli got the side-eye. Salad got pushed around the plate like a chess piece nobody wanted to move. But cucumbers? The second I started slicing them into this pasta salad, it was like I'd smuggled in some exotic delicacy instead of…

    Continue Reading Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad with Dill (The Best Pasta Salad!)

    12 Fancy Summer Appetizers That Are Secretly So Simple

    12 Fancy Looking Summer Appetizers That Are Secretly Simple

    Tara Jacobsen
    July 7, 2026

    My mom was a college professor. So was my dad. Which meant summers were supposed to be her time off - no lectures, no office hours, no stack of blue books waiting to be graded. Except my mom didn't really believe in time off. She believed in stocking the freezer! While other moms were poolside,…

    Continue Reading 12 Fancy Looking Summer Appetizers That Are Secretly Simple

    Pepperoni and Cheese Pasta Salad (Pizza in a Bowl!)

    Pepperoni and Cheese Pasta Salad (Pizza in a Bowl!)

    Tara Jacobsen
    July 7, 2026

    Growing up in northwestern Pennsylvania, pasta salad wasn't just a side dish - it was practically its own food group. Between the church potlucks, the backyard cookouts, and the neighborhood gatherings, there was always a giant bowl of something cold and noodle-based making the rounds. And if you were lucky, it was this one. Pepperoni.…

    Continue Reading Pepperoni and Cheese Pasta Salad (Pizza in a Bowl!)

    Yes, You Can Rent A House With A Big Dog - Here's Our Exact Strategy

    Yes, You Can Rent A House With A Big Dog - Here's Our Exact Strategy

    Tara Jacobsen
    July 6, 2026

    I was trying to figure out how long it had been since I rented a home and it was over 30 years! So when we decided to sell our big house and rent for a few years to save money, I thought it would be a breeze to find a new home… boy, was I…

    Continue Reading Yes, You Can Rent A House With A Big Dog - Here's Our Exact Strategy

    Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad (No Mayo!)

    Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad (No Mayo!)

    Tara Jacobsen
    July 5, 2026

    Our family dinners have never really been "dinners" - they're more like potlucks that happen to take place in one house. Between our three kids, their partners, the grandkids, and both grandpas, by the time everyone piles in the door it's a full-blown production. New folks who join us for the first time always look…

    Continue Reading Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad (No Mayo!)

    Read all my Caregiver Articles!

    Natural Living

    I am a tree hugging, pescatarian eating, allergy sufferer from way back! With that in mind, I am always looking for natural ways to keep my home clean and our family healthy!

    Here are my top posts about natural living:

    Easy Caramel Apple Bars Recipe - The Best Fall Dessert Idea for Cozy Apple Season

    Easy Caramel Apple Bars Recipe - The Best Fall Dessert Idea for Cozy Apple Season

    Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad with Dill (The Best Pasta Salad!)

    Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad with Dill (The Best Pasta Salad!)

    12 Fancy Summer Appetizers That Are Secretly So Simple

    12 Fancy Looking Summer Appetizers That Are Secretly Simple

    Read all my Natural Living articles!

    Adopting From Foster Care

    We adopted our kids from foster care! They are amazing and wonderful, and sometimes a handful to handle because of past trauma.

    Here are my best posts about what we learned about adopting from foster care:

    Easy Caramel Apple Bars Recipe - The Best Fall Dessert Idea for Cozy Apple Season

    Easy Caramel Apple Bars Recipe - The Best Fall Dessert Idea for Cozy Apple Season

    Tara Jacobsen
    July 13, 2026

    Growing up in Northwestern Pennsylvania, fall meant something! There was an actual chill in the air, the leaves put on a show, and caramel apples were basically a rite of passage every time we hit the orchard. Fast forward to my life in Florida, where "fall" shows up on the calendar and absolutely nowhere else.…

    Continue Reading Easy Caramel Apple Bars Recipe - The Best Fall Dessert Idea for Cozy Apple Season

    Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad with Dill (The Best Pasta Salad!)

    Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad with Dill (The Best Pasta Salad!)

    Tara Jacobsen
    July 9, 2026

    Getting my kids to eat a vegetable used to feel like a full-blown negotiation. Broccoli got the side-eye. Salad got pushed around the plate like a chess piece nobody wanted to move. But cucumbers? The second I started slicing them into this pasta salad, it was like I'd smuggled in some exotic delicacy instead of…

    Continue Reading Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad with Dill (The Best Pasta Salad!)

    12 Fancy Summer Appetizers That Are Secretly So Simple

    12 Fancy Looking Summer Appetizers That Are Secretly Simple

    Tara Jacobsen
    July 7, 2026

    My mom was a college professor. So was my dad. Which meant summers were supposed to be her time off - no lectures, no office hours, no stack of blue books waiting to be graded. Except my mom didn't really believe in time off. She believed in stocking the freezer! While other moms were poolside,…

    Continue Reading 12 Fancy Looking Summer Appetizers That Are Secretly Simple

    Pepperoni and Cheese Pasta Salad (Pizza in a Bowl!)

    Pepperoni and Cheese Pasta Salad (Pizza in a Bowl!)

    Tara Jacobsen
    July 7, 2026

    Growing up in northwestern Pennsylvania, pasta salad wasn't just a side dish - it was practically its own food group. Between the church potlucks, the backyard cookouts, and the neighborhood gatherings, there was always a giant bowl of something cold and noodle-based making the rounds. And if you were lucky, it was this one. Pepperoni.…

    Continue Reading Pepperoni and Cheese Pasta Salad (Pizza in a Bowl!)

    Yes, You Can Rent A House With A Big Dog - Here's Our Exact Strategy

    Yes, You Can Rent A House With A Big Dog - Here's Our Exact Strategy

    Tara Jacobsen
    July 6, 2026

    I was trying to figure out how long it had been since I rented a home and it was over 30 years! So when we decided to sell our big house and rent for a few years to save money, I thought it would be a breeze to find a new home… boy, was I…

    Continue Reading Yes, You Can Rent A House With A Big Dog - Here's Our Exact Strategy

    Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad (No Mayo!)

    Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad (No Mayo!)

    Tara Jacobsen
    July 5, 2026

    Our family dinners have never really been "dinners" - they're more like potlucks that happen to take place in one house. Between our three kids, their partners, the grandkids, and both grandpas, by the time everyone piles in the door it's a full-blown production. New folks who join us for the first time always look…

    Continue Reading Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad (No Mayo!)

    Jacobsen Family!

    Welcome!

    Here to show that being a "sandwich" Mom and caregiver doesn't have to be all doom and gloom… let's have some fun with the madness! Tips and ideas for how to care for your kids, parents and self! Let's share some laughs and just try to make it out alive!

    More about me

    Contact Me!

    Artsy Fartsy Life
    Tara L. Jacobsen, PA
    tara (at) marketingartfully.com
    (727) 415-9165 (text please)

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