Thankful this November

It has been a super hectic end of October and all of November!  So I am going to do a quick recap of the last month or so, centered on things I am thankful for.

1. I am thankful for my brother and his new wife Patti who were married October 23, 2014 !  It was such a pleasure to be a part of their wedding and see them start their lives together.

 2.  I am thankful that I have my faith and that I know there is more to life than our time here on Earth.  I am thankful that I know God is watching over me and that I will see my mom again someday.

3.  I am thankful for my family, which includes both my side and Tom's side.  I don't even feel like there are sides anymore because I feel so loved by both parts of my family and they make me feel loved too.  I am thankful for my nephews.  Those two boys are the sweetest and I genuinely enjoyed being with them this Thanksgiving.  From having them fight about getting to sit near Tom and I every time we eat with them, to teaching my older nephew how to make paper fortune tellers, or snuggling with my younger nephew on the couch while watching a Dean Martin Christmas special, I know holidays are special, especially when they are around.

Visiting with my Aunt Annette & Steven who were visiting from Florida

4.  I am thankful for my sister-friend Stevi.  I am thankful that I get to watch her be an awesome wife to Joe and mother to Leo and Juliet.  I am thankful that these 2 little ones can be a part of my life and that I have been friends with Stevi for almost 10 years now.

Tom & Juliet

Leo's 4th Birthday party

At the park with the kids on Veteran's Day.  What better way to spend my day off from school?

Of course I'll push you while we count by 2's, 5's, & 10's to 100 Leo!

5.  I am thankful I am a kindergarten teacher.  I am thankful that I spend my days chasing after and teaching 28 kids, who make me laugh, even when they make me want to jump out a window some days.  I am thankful I have a super helpful and loving aide to help me each day, and wonderful teacher friends as co-workers.

Turkey flower from one of my students

6.  I am thankful for crafting and cooking.  I absolutely love trying new recipes and crafting new things.  I am currently trying to make pine-cone ornaments and crocheted snowflakes.  I also made some delicious food for Thanksgiving.  I am thankful I live in the USA and that I have access to delicious food whenever I want it, especially from the local farm stands.

Cornbread Casserole for Thanksgiving

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Fried ravioli (Check out Giada's recipe)

The football cake I made my brother-in-law for his birthday

Pioneer Woman Bread Salad

Egg in a Hole PW style Breakfast for Dinner

7.  I am thankful to be married to Tom.  I am thankful that I am able to spend my days and my life loving my best friend.  I am thankful for our beautiful house that we share.  I am thankful we both love the holidays and really enjoy decorating our home together for every season. I am thankful we enjoy everything in and around our new neighborhood.

Me & my Tom on Thanksgiving: He is what I'm most thankful for every year!

We work on our home together all the time.  Here we are trimming the trees and clearing out our land!

My new favorite toy, my new vacuum!

One of our favorite out east restaurants!

South hold Candlelight Tour

Happy Fall Y'All

Tom and I had a "Happy Fall Y'All" party this weekend!  We had a great time filled with fall festivities.  We decorated the front and back of our house with hay bales, scarecrows, and mums.  We also ripped out the bushes from the front of our house and it made such a difference.  We still have to remove the stumps and eventually plant some nicer shrubs, but is is so nice to have controlled the jungle that used to be the front of our house.  At Fall Y'All, we had fall themed foods with hero sandwiches, homemade soups (I made the Pioneer Woman's Broccoli Cheddar Soup and my sister-in-law made chicken noodle).  I also made an Amish apple pie and scarecrow cupcakes.  We also roasted farm fresh corn on the BBQ grill.  If you've never made corn on the grill, it is so easy and so delicious!  First, pull back the husk leaves but don't pull them all the way off.  Just peel them back so you can rip out the corn hair, then fold the leaves back over the corn.  Next, soak the corn in water with a tablespoon of salt for ten minutes.  Then put it on the grill and turn in occasionally.  Don't be alarmed if the husks burn up and even go on fire a bit, they will be tasty!  After they were cooked, we used our "butter boy"( if you don't have one you should)!  He is so cute and fun to butter with and then we used a little salt and pepper.  Our bushel of roasted corn was a huge hit!

Sunflower from our garden

Amish apple pie

Roasted pumpkin seeds

Our Jack O Lantern

Happy Fall Y'All Juliet!

Scarecrow cupcakes

So glad those bushes are gone!

We also planned  fun games for the kids who attended our party.  We did a pin the smile on the skeleton, let the kids pick and decorate pumpkins from our "patch", played Halloween Bingo, had a pumpkin pinata, and had some other Halloween crafts.  Plus the kids just love running around our yard.  We also played Left, Right, Center with the adults.  It is a dice game where everyone needs $3 singles to play.  Tom's aunt was the big winner!

The weather was absolutely perfect for Fall Y'All and I think it might become a Tom & Jamie tradition,  We enjoyed sharing our little piece of the country with our families.

I've also been using the Cooking for a Cure Cookbook to try out some of the recipes from my family and friends who contributed to the book.  I made Linda Mitchell's Balsamic Glazed Chicken with Pearl Onions (Tom loves pearl onions, it is a Thanksgiving necessity for him) and Stevi's Slow Cooker Beef Stew.  Both were delicious and I am so appreciative of everyone who helped make my cookbook dreams come true.  I also made Zucchini Pancakes, so delicious.   You can find Ina's Garten's recipe here!  Whether you gave me a recipe, bought a cookbook, or both I am so thankful that I was able to create this special collection in memory of my mom.  Plus I am thrilled about the baskets Stevi and I created for our two families affected by cancer.  I hope they enjoy their "Ultimate Days of Fun" that we were able to put together from Crocheting, Crafting, and Cooking for a Cure this year.

Balsamic Glazed Chicken with Pearl Onions

Zucchini Pancakes

Stevi's Slow Cooker beef stew

Happy Fall Y'All!