Thankful

I'm sorry I've been slightly MIA from my blog lately. Things have been a little crazy around here getting ready for Thanksgiving, work, school etc. I'll try and be better at posting more reguarly :))

Thanksgiving is always a time for reflection and giving thanks, each year seems to role by so quickly! I LOVE this holiday (actually, I think it may be my favorite). It's the perfect balance of spending time with family, being around the table, having fun, watching football, without all the pressure of Christmas. In our families, food is the primary focus of the day. There is more food than would feed 5 families!! I'm still not sure why we cook/eat so much...but HEY...

This year I treid to stop and think of the TOP 5 things I am thankful for, but not just things...I tried to think of the reason WHY I am thankful for it. Obviously, I am thankful for family, friends, health, but I wanted to give more specifics to these items. Here's my list:

1- Our Home: Brian bought a townhouse when he graduated from college. It was a nice, new place, but it was not exactly where we wanted to live to raise a family. We began looking for houses about a year and a half before we bought this place. It was a long, stressful journey. We put in several offers on different houses, actually had a contract on another house and it all fell through. I wasn't sure what the reason was while it was happening, but now I know it was because THIS was meant to be our home. It is perfect for us! It was exactly what we were looking/hoping for and patience paid off. This home has aloud us to entertain more and be home more. I am SO thankful that God opened the door (literally) for us to move into our new HOME. (Christmas home tour coming soon!)

2- My Job: I know this one sounds cliche, but I am really sooo thankful to be in the place that I am working. Exactly one year ago, I was hired to teach 7th grade science at Twin Lakes Middle. I really wasn't so sure what I was getting myself into...and honestly, it was a challenge at first. This year has been the MOST rewarding years of my life. I feel like I get to impact the lives of 100 students each year. I get to invest in them and show them the love of Christ...something I view as an awesome privelege!!! My job has taught me patience, understanding, acceptance and compassion and I couldn't be more grateful for that!!

3-Family Healing: This is NOT something I prefer to blog about, but I am thankful this year for family healing. My family has been through quite a bit in the last 3 years....challenges I never thought I (we) would face. Within those 3 years, relationships have been made, broken, hurt, tarnished and now healed. The saying "Time heals all wounds" may be an appropriate saying, but I believe it is the power of God doing his work in each of our lives. My family is one of the most important things to me and I pray that God continues to work in our lives daily!!!

4- My hubs: Again...I know this one is cliche too, but I think it's important that the world know how thankful I am for Brian. He has the ability to balance me and ground me in a way that no one else can. He challenges me to be better, to love grater and to care more. I cannot wait to see where our lives take us together! I'm thankful for that summer on the boats o' so many years ago!

5- New and Old Friendships: This year has been filled with making new friendships and mending old friendships. I am not one that has a TON of close friends, but one the ones I have are treasures!!! I'm so grateful for the friendships I have that challenge me! I'm also grateful for those friendships and acquaintances that make you laugh and enjoy any moment spent together. I hope that God continues to place people in our lives, that love him and challenge B and I to work harder and be better people.

OK-enough with the seriously stuff...now to the materialistic small things that I am truly thanksful for : all things J.Crew, frasier fir, essy nail polish, sweet tea, rib shack, extra fine point pens, Auburn football (not the crappy season, but...), TB Revas, burlap, bare minerals lip gloss oh the list goes on and on and on....

I hope you had a FABLUOUS thanksgiving and a great time with family and friends. May you remain in the spirit of thanksgiving as we enter the holiday season and remember those that are less fortunate.

                                                                                   Happy Thanksgiving!
                                                                                                    ~G

Pumpkin Bread

This time of year, I can never get enough pumpkin in my life! Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll, you name it! A couple of weeks ago, we had a "pot luck" at work and a co-worker brought pumpkin bread. It was some of the BEST pumpkin bread, I'd ever put in my mouth...so moist, perfectly spiced and very light! I've made it a mission to figure out how to make delicious pumpkin bread like that! Pumpkin bread is perfect for thanksgiving, christmas or really anytime of year in my personal opinion. 

Below is a version of my pumpkin bread recipe. It is super easy and pretty yummy too! 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 1 can pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cup of sifted flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg
• 1 tsp. of baking soda 

**Note: I will add more cinnamon or clove next time** 

Directions: 

1. Blend the oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large bowl.

2. Stir in beaten eggs and canned pumpkin

3. Mix in all dry ingredients. 

4. Grease bread pan and pour in batter (~2/3 of the pan)

5. Put the loaf pan into a casserole or cake pan

6. Pour ~2 cups of water into the casserole dish (The water should be about .5 inches up the loaf pan).

7. Bake the bread on 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Use a toothpick to make sure the bread is finished.

8. Let the bread rest and cool for 10 minutes before slicing. 

I prefer Libby's for any pumpkin baking! 

The water in the casserole dish keeps the bread moist and from drying out during the baking process. 

I got these precious little loaf pans for a wedding gift. They are perfect size for gifting or just enough for 2 :)

Do you love pumpkin as much as I do? Try this recipe...let me know what you think! 

                       

                           ~G

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween (or day after)!  I think Halloween is such a FUN holiday! As much as I LOVE Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter etc, there is just something about the casual nature of Halloween that makes it so much fun!

This is our first Halloween in our new home and I was so thrilled to have everyone over for a relaxing night of trick-or-treat and dinner. I loved seeing all of our little neighbors dressed up, some so little they were in wagons ! My sweet little cousin, Annie, is the baby of all us grandkids. She's 8...and growing up WAYYYY to fast. It has become tradition to spend Halloween with her (we jokingly admit to be her personal entourage). Annie dressed up as a "nerd" this year...and boy was she the cutest/funniest thing! My favorite Annie moment of the whole night was as she was walking up to a house in the neighborhood, she saw that it had a Romney/Ryan sign in the front yard, she confidently said, "NOW THIS IS A HOUSE I CAN TRUST!" LOL....girl after my own heart! 

Cutest nerd I ever saw! 

"Are we promoting bullying?"-Allison

The guys stayed back to pass out candy and enjoy their "adult trick-or-treat" :) After some door to door "candy begging" as Brian puts it, we all came back to the house for a nice warm bowl of chili! It was my first time making homemade chili and I think it turned out pretty good. I love how cool its been outside and to me, chili is the perfect meal for a cool night. 

 I really enjoyed this Halloween and it makes me even more excited for having our own family someday to "trick-or-treat" on our little street! Hope you had a fun day and didn't eat too much candy!

                                                                                            Hootie-Hoo
                                                                                                         G