Thankfulness and yummy eats...otherwise known as Thanksgiving ramblings

Two days until turkey day and the cooking has begun. The cornbread dressing and shoepeg corn are waiting patiently in the fridge for their turn in the oven on Thursday. I'll make the Bananas Foster cake with rum sauce and cream cheese frosting tomorrow. Thursday I'll just have to cook the turkey and saute the green beans with garlic and roasted pecans. Everything else was delegated and will show up hot and fresh on my doorstep. I love that!

What's on your menu this Thanksgiving? Whatever it is, I pray you'll be enjoying it with family and friends. Whether your family consists of two people or 22 people, fill each moment with as much love and as many memories as possible. Take time to give thanks. Maybe things in your life aren't what you'd like them to be right now, but there are always things to be thankful for...sometimes you just have to dig a little deeper to find them.

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4

These are a few of my favorite things...

Are you singing yet? I am...I just can't help it. I don't sound a thing like the legendary Dame Andrews, but I sing nonetheless.

While I hum, I thought I'd share a few of my new found fall favorites.

Litehouse Fresh Squeezed Apple Cider - Oh my! This stuff tastes like you're eating an apple right off the tree. Being so far from a fresh apple orchard, this is a close second. Our whole family can't get enough of it, so we're buying it this season in large quantities. You can find it at Wal-Mart ($3.98 a gallon) or Super Target ($5.99 a gallon).

Our friendly neighborhood Target has a Starbucks inside. Imagine...two of my favorite things in one convenient location! They often have samples to sip while I shop. How nice of them. Today's tasty treat was a caramel brulee latte. Hold the phones people! This drink is AMAZING! Like warm creme brulee in a cup.


The best part is you can try one this weekend for a steal of a deal. Mosey on in to your local Starbucks from 2:00-5:00 p.m today through Sunday and enjoy any of their holiday drinks BOGOF (that's buy one, get one free for you non-shoppers). You can share with a friend, or just drink two!

On a recent trip to Wally World, I picked up a Better Homes and Gardens wax warmer with new holiday scents. Right now my house smells like warm gingerbread right out of the oven. Can you smell it? Mmmm. The best part is it was only $15 and the wax cubes are only $2 a box. So what are some of your favorite fall finds? Don't be shy - share!

Random Christmas thoughts

Thanksgiving is still a week and a half away, but for some reason the Christmas spirit has hit our home full force. We've already got the Christmas music playing for pity's sake! I've even bought a few gifts. Gasp! This is very unlike me. Most years it hits me around December 15th and I frantically start shopping, wrapping and pulling my hair out, but not necessarily in that order. Here's hoping this year will be different.

Since the Christmas CDs are still packed away in the attic, we found a channel on our Verizon Fios that's playing holiday tunes 24/7. My kids are having a hard time concentrating on their school work while singing along with Bing Crosby and Alvin. They've spent the morning reminiscing about their favorite memories and traditions. They love the magic, the feeling and the traditions of Christmas more than the gifts...their words, not mine. Contented mommy sigh...

I'm trying to hold off on the decorations. They'll have to wait until the day after Thanksgiving. It's our tradition. We use to traipse up to the Christmas tree farm the weekend after and cut our own tree. Oh, I LOVE the smell of fresh pine. Now we just traipse up to the attic and pull down the giant box that holds our fake tree already covered in lights. I wondered if there was a way to leave all the ornaments on and just put it in the attic, but Mike frowned on that idea. I'll just buy some pine scented candles to compensate for the "fresh tree" smell. It works. Last year I bought our annual fresh wreath from Costco...at least it was fresh when it left Washington two months before. Let's just say it had lost most of its "fresh tree" smell. Guess there's something to be said for living closer to the source.

OK, enough random Christmas thoughts. I think I need a peppermint mocha...but that has to wait until December 1st...it's tradition you know.

Sunday Morning Praise - Psalm 40

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. The will put their trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:1-3

Saturday morning blog hopping

It's a quiet Saturday morning. The whole house is still sleeping (insert silent cheer) and I am sitting here with my hot cuppa joe catching up on my favorite blogs. The busyness of life seems to leave me little time for blog reading lately, so when I can steal a few minutes I enjoy them even more. Here are a few of my favs for the week.

Kimba at A Soft Place to Land paints an amazing picture of grace that every mom can relate to. It's one of those posts that leaves you wanting to try harder...to do more to be a better mom. Yeah, it's that good.

Jamie at Creating Home reminds us of the beauty of God in a fallen world.

The Nester (you knew she would show up on my list) did an awesome series in October entitled 31 Days: A Beautiful Mess on ways to declutter and "demess" your home, room by room, messy surface by messy surface. See what great things I've been missing around the blogosphere? Thank goodness for archives.

Coffee's done. Time to get back to reality. Hope you'll stop by and say hello to these lovely ladies.

52 days until Christmas!

Greyson just informed me it's 52 days until Christmas. I.will.not.PANIC! Guess it's time to get out that Christmas planning notebook and get organized.

I downloaded my first planner ten years ago from organizedchristmas.com and it has been a holiday sanity saver. All my lists are kept in one location so when it's time to check it twice, I know right where to find it. The site is very user friendly and with over 100 free printables, it's simple to customize a planner that fits your needs.

So what's your best tip for keeping your Christmas organized?

What's cookin'?

Well, it looks like fall has finally arrived in Texas...at least for a few days anyway. The cool, rainy weather has put me in a baking mood. Although last week it was warm and sunny and I was also in a baking mood. Hmmm...that could be a problem.

My baking bug sent me recipe hunting on my favorite site - AllRecipes.com. Mmmm! They have pictures. I like pictures.

Here's what's cooking in my kitchen this morning.

Iced pumpkin cookies Oh boy! Can't wait to try these little beauties.

Herb biscuits OK, technically this isn't baking (it uses canned biscuits), but I couldn't resist making a batch of these to go with the Cheese "Bear" soup we're having for dinner.

So, what's cookin' at your house today?

UPDATE: The iced pumpkin cookies are delish! They taste like little muffin tops and everyone knows the tops are the best. I didn't care for the powdered sugar frosting, so I used some thinned down butter cream and drizzled it on the top. Oh my.

The herb biscuits are also scrumptious and super easy. They taste like something from an Italian restaurant. Big hit at our house. Will probably double the recipe next time.

Monday morning musings

Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Romans 12:9-13