Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is....

---

Thanksgiving is a
time of gratitude to God,
our Creator and Provider,
whose guidance and care
go before us...
and whose love
is with us forever.

Thanksgiving is a time
to reflect on the changes,
to remember that we, too,
grow and change
from one season of life to another.

Thanksgiving is a time
of changing seasons,
when leaves turn golden
in Autumn's wake
and apples are crisp
in the first chill breezes of fall.

Let us remember the true meaning
of Thanksgiving.
As we see the beauty
of Autumn, let us acknowledge
the many blessings
which are ours...
let us think of our families
and friends..
and let us give thanks in our hearts.

~~Author Unknown~

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Time to Talk Turkey

Thanksgiving is almost here!! Yay, yay, yay!! I love Thanksgiving!!! I love that the holiday is about being grateful, giving thanks, spending time with friends and family....love all of it!!

Ok, on to the menu!! Yes, the turkey is the star of the menu but I'm more of a "sides" kind of a girl. Don't get me wrong, I love turkey but, Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same without all the delicious sides!!

I think I finally have our menu planned out! Which is good since I've got to do my grocery shopping today...yes, I'm going grocery shopping 2 days before Thanksgiving - I'm kinda scared. Wish me luck, I'm - eeeekk!

Our 2010 Thanksgiving Menu

Smoked Turkey

White Wine Sage Gravy

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

Baked Brie en Croute with Apple Compote

Bacon Leek Stuffing

Garlic & Herb Mashed Potatoes

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta

Maple Glazed Petite Carrots

Pioneer Woman's Dinner Rolls

Desserts:

Nantucket Cranberry Pie

Autumn Apple Pie

Maple Pumpkin Pie

Now it's time to set my Thanksgiving Day Game Plan!! By-the-way, if you're looking for a Thanksgiving day game plan inspiration, be sure to visit Annie. She has some awesome ideas!!!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

I love, LOVE going to the theater so, when I saw How the Grinch Stole Christmas was coming to our theater I knew I'd have to put it on our "must see" list.

We decided to go Friday night...which also happened to be when we had the first snow fall of the season!! It was sooo perfect!! It definitely put us in the Christmas spirit and went perfectly with the play!! But, since it was super chilly outside and since we were running a little late due to the surprise snow storm (and since I was wearing a dress) we didn't have the chance to take any pictures at the Orpheum Theater. :(

We did get this picture before heading out....

I wasn't planning on wearing tights but, I had my heart set on wearing this dress so, when it started snowing, I thought it would probably be a good idea to wear them.

It was such a great show!! The costumes, sets, and props were a-mazing!! The actors and actresses were just phenomenal - especially the adorable kiddos!!! If you are a fan of the original book (or cartoon), I highly recommend the play.

Here's a couple of pictures I found on their website....

....how amazing are the costumes/make up?!?! Love it!!

Yeah....sorry this one is so small

Such an awesome cast!!

Happy week before Thanksgiving!!!

PS.....planning our Thanksgiving menu is on the TOP of my to do list today ;)

Happy Black Friday!

Have fun, get some great deals and go home and eat some yummy leftovers!!

Our Thanksgiving

What a wonderful day! It was just Kevin and I and while we both missed our families, we had an absolute blast!

In the morning we cooked while watching the parade - gotta love the Macy's Day Parade!

My sous chef/amazing husband was a HUGE help in the kitchen!! :) Even all of my baking/cooking stuff (with the majority of the rest of my stuff, including shoes - eek!) is in storage while we are here in our little furnished corporate apartment, I still had big plans for this Thanksgiving....which meant that we had to get pretty creative with what we had - it's times like these that I'm glad I'm married to an engineer, he's super creative when it comes to stuff like that! ;)

Even with the lack supplies, we were still able to have an amazing Thanksgiving dinner that we both prepared together (- which was by far the BEST part).....I am so thankful for such an wonderful husband & sous chef. ;)

.....that all being said, I may have worked him a bit to hard - because, when I turned around here's how I found him.....don't worry though we totally took a lllloooonnnngggg nap after we ate! Ha!

After our nap, during our James Bond Marathon (which has become quite the tradition of ours) we decided it was the perfect time to put up our little tree......

Even though it's small, I think it still provides the room with that great Christmas ambiance. :)

I hope everyone had an absolutely lovely Thanksgiving!!

I'm off to get some sleep before tomorrow morning...because it's BLACK FRIDAY!!! YAY!!

A Thankful Time

I love Thanksgiving for soooo many reason but one main reason is that I truly feel that it's one holiday that hasn't been completely commercialized - it really is about giving thanks. What a wonderful idea this is! I was thinking about this concept earlier and came across this verse that I thought fit this idea perfectly -

"....do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." —Philippians 4:6

There are soooo many things I'm thankful for...here's a few

- Our Amazing God - His grace is beyond my understanding. ....definitely one HUGE part of the faith I've been learning about this year.

- My beyond words wonderful husband - his patience, constant love & positive attitude have been the biggest and best blessings of my life.

- My family....I love them more than words can describe. I don't know what I would do without them.

- The best friends a girl could ever ask for!! Girlfriends are soooo important - LOVE my girls!!

- Our new home we are building, such a blessing! God's timing is so perfect! I can't wait to open it to my friends & family and fill it with lots of wonderful memories.

- Great co-workers....so my current job isn't exactly what I went to school for but I have the best co-workers and I just know that God has placed me there....there is such a peace that comes with knowing you are exactly where God wants you.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

I hope you have a day filled with lots of yummy foods and blessings!!

I can't wait to read about how everyone's holiday went! :)

Let's Talk Turkey

....but, everyone knows that Thanksgiving food is soooo much more than just the turkey. Don't get me wrong, I love turkey (especially leftover turkey sandwiches - yum!) but, I think I might be more of a "sides" kind of a girl. ;)

I think we finally have our menu planned out - which is probably a good thing since Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Ha Ha!!

Our 2009 Thanksgiving Menu

Beer Brined Turkey

White Wine Sage Gravy

Cranberry-Lemon Sauce

Bacon Leek Stuffing

Garlic & Herb Mashed Potatoes

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta

Maple Glazed Carrots

Pioneer Woman's Dinner Rolls

Desserts:

- Autumn Apple Pie

- Bourbon Balls

- Mini Pumpkin Pies

Can't wait to start cooking!! Yay!! And, of course, to start eating!! Ha!