He's Back in Town. . .

At least until Christmas Eve!

Last weekend, we had a little night visitor!  Frank, our Elf on the Shelf, stopped in to leave a little holiday cheer and remind The Reporter that he would soon be returning to reside with us and keep tabs on her behavior.  Since last weekend, she has woken up every morning with the same question, "Is he back?!"  Each morning, I told her that I had not yet seen Frank around the house, but I was sure that he would return soon enough.  Meanwhile, I was planning a BIG surprise for his return!

I was inspired by this blog a few weeks ago and started planning immediately.  This creative mom planned a "North Pole Breakfast" to welcome her elf back to their home.  Complete with Christmas socks and an elf puppet, she decked the halls and surprised her kids!  As usual, most of MY planning took place in my head, so the day before Frank's big return, I found myself making a mad dash to find Christmas goodies and elf food.  Nevertheless, I think it turned out just perfectly!

Frank supplied "An Elf's Breakfast" complete with more "snowballs" from Mrs. Claus!
 

The Table was set with care and included LOTS of notes for our budding reader!
Check out the Holiday water bottles in the centerpiece!

"Gift bags" included a doodle drawing board and play microphone to keep the Little Guy occupied and  a  seasonal stationary set, holiday tic tacs, and "velvet art" kit for The Reporter!
 (Hint: The dollar bin at many big box stores are full of great Advent and Elf trinkets!)

Frank wrote a letter!

Those smiles were worth all the planning and rushing around!

Frank also left a note for The Reporter telling her to get dressed and pack a "car-bag"--we were going Christmas Tree Hunting!

When I was a little girl, we did most of our Christmas Tree hunting in the Pasture (our backyard) and I can remember helping my daddy haul home the "perfect tree"--usually a cedar tree.  Since moving back "home", I must admit that we have purchased all of our Christmas Trees from a big box retailer.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that (I guess), but this year we decided to start a new tradition.  My parents visited Sunnyside Trees last year and encouraged us to go with them this year, and I am so thankful that we took them up on the offer!

There were multiple fields of trees to roam or run through. . .

The Reporter found the perfect tree for our dining room!

The Hubby Tackled the BIG tree for our living room!
 (We ended up cutting over 2 feet off the bottom--hello, greenery on the mantle!)

I believe we have found a new family tradition!
(Silly girl was COLD!!!)

The only problem with getting a tree this early?  It is sitting right beside my turkeys and pumpkins on the mantle in the living room. . . Oh well, there is always tomorrow, right? 

And speaking of tomorrow, I wonder what Frank will find to get into?

Thanksgiving Queen

My Grandmama Frances was the Thanksgiving Queen.  Everyone around our small town knew that Frances went all out for the big day.  She planned for weeks and cooked for days to prepare the perfect meal for the ones she loved the most, along with all the other people she invited in to share in her feast.  And what a feast it was!  She had a tendency to go, um, overboard, literally--there was so much food that I can vividly remember having an ironing board set up in the kitchen to hold a few extra casseroles one year!  There was food everywhere you turned and you could never eat enough to satisfy her!  Leftovers?  No problem!  You could eat for a week and still not deplete the supply of casseroles, turkey, ham, vegetables and gravy.  

Those memories are why I love Thanksgiving so very much.  It truly is my favorite holiday.  In 2002, my Grandfather Snooks (Frances' husband) passed away, and I knew that Thanksgiving would be particularly difficult that year.  I decided to take on the responsibility of hosting Thanksgiving for our family--we had a new house, hardly used wedding china and all the time in the world to plan, shop, cook and host a lovely Thanksgiving meal.  I (in my usual fashion) stressed over each and every detail to make it a perfect holiday for our family.  And it was.  Simply perfect.  The menu was delicious, the company fantastic and the prep and clean-up a breeze.  From that point on, I declared Thanksgiving "my holiday" to host. Although my menu was not nearly as extensive as Frances', I selected some family favorites, along with some new items to display on the table, and everyone agreed that I could take responsibility for the cooking for this gastronomic affair.

Since 2002, I have hosted Thanksgiving five times.  In the years that I did not host, we either traveled East to be with my other grandma, or I had a brand new baby, so my mom took over the plan (last year she cooked an entirely dairy-free meal for me!).  This year, as the holiday approached, we began to discuss who would cook the meal. I would like to say that every day is like a Norman Rockwell Painting around here and the children behave beautifully while I prepare meals.  But, alas, this is reality.  I was worried that taking on the entire meal, while the hubby worked a 10 hour shift, would be a little stressful.  Just a little.  So instead of doing the whole thing, my mom and I agreed to split the responsibilities this year.  She would handle the main dishes and I could do a few side items and dessert. 

 Although I was relieved to not have the stress of cooking while dodging Legos and Wooden pizza toppings strewn across the floor, I was also sad to give up some of the tradition of cooking the meal.  As a way to break from the old tradition, I decided to choose new desserts to grace the table.  As an homage to Frances, I chose a pear cake (featuring the pears from our own trees growing in what used to be Frances' yard) and a pecan pie (a staple in this old house when Frances lived here).  However, I knew my boys (Dad, brother and the hubby) would want a little something chocolate, so I thumbed through my old cookbook of clipped recipes and found the perfect answer--Bourbon Pecan Pie with Chocolate Chips.

Bourbon Pecan Pie with Chocolate Chips

(or Black-bottom Bourbon Pecan Pie)

*I wish I could give credit for this recipe where it is due, but I honestly have no idea where it originated.  I have it copied on an old slip of paper and pasted into my cookbook.  So, thank you, whoever you are--you are genius!)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used a whole cup, but I like chocolate!)

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup sugar

3 T firmly packed brown sugar

1 T all purpose flour

3/4 cup corn syrup (I used light)

1/4 cup butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)

3 T Bourbon (or more, if you like!  This doesn't count what you drink while you make it! )

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups pecans

1 pie crust (I used Whole Wheat because it is what I had.  Whatever you do, get deep dish!)

Sprinkle Chocolate chips into the bottom of the pie crust to cover.

Beat eggs and next seven ingredients at medium speed until blended.

Be sure to acknowledge your extra cute helpers along the way!

Pour batter into crust, over the chocolate chips until it is half filled and then cover with the pecan halves.  Drizzle with remaining filling being careful not to overflow, like I did!

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until set!

I had an extra pie crust that I had to use to repair cracks in the first one.  I used the extra crust to make pie-toppers!  (This was a first for me!)  The Reporter is not a fan of pie, but does love the crust, so I thought she might enjoy eating the "leaves"!

Serve with whipped cream (or whipped coconut milk, if you are me!) and a hot cup of coffee! 

Enjoy

To my Thanksgiving Queen, 

Thank you for teaching me to love this holiday of thankfulness and plenty.  I stood in your kitchen today and let the memories of Thanksgivings past wash over me.  

We are truly blessed and for that I am thankful.

Nighttime Visitor

Look what was waiting for The Reporter when she got up this morning. . .

A night time visitor stopped by with greetings. . . 

That sneaky Elf on the Shelf delivered a letter and SNOWBALLS!!! 

(And a gentle reminder that the Big Man is watching!)

Thanks, Frank!

Thirty Days of Thankful

Last Year, I decided to join the masses on Facebook and participate in "Thirty Days of Thankful".  Each day leading up to Thanksgiving I posted a little something I was thankful for whether it was big or small, personal or public.  This exercise helped me to refocus my thoughts to positives that surround me each and every day that often go unnoticed--my kids' giggles, a kind word from a coworker, a gesture of love from the hubby. . .things we enjoy in the moment, but move on from.  When I was forced to sit at the end of each day, reflect and choose one moment that touched my heart or one thing that impacted my day, I was required to shut out the negative of the day or to make lemonade out of an otherwise lemon of a day by finding the silver lining.

You see, as unattractive as it is, I tend to be a glass-half empty whiner when things get tough.  I envy those with the ability to have a sunny outlook in the middle of the darkest storm, yet I was hopeful that reflecting on my "thankfuls" each day would help to change that mindset--if only for thirty days.

About half-way through the month, a friend and mentor mentioned how much she was enjoying reading my thankful statement each day. (I am sure she was relieved to see a change from my usual ho-hum or snarky status updates.)  She then told me of a book that was written by a Godly woman who decided to take a similar challenge by "Daring to live fully, right where you are".  Ann Voskamp's beautiful book One Thousand Gifts soon found its way onto my nook reader and into my heart.  Her words touched my soul as she sought out moments each day that were gifts--the sheen of the soap bubbles, the rise of the moon.  Her words are a "celebration of Grace and a recognition of the power of gratitude" and a beautiful reminder of just how blessed we all are each day.

This year, as November rolled around I began to see Facebook Friends posting about the "30 days of Thankful Challenge" once again.  I began the month with gusto and loved the reminder to find a little positive each and everyday (a challenging task for a public school employee this time of year).  However, about a week into the challenge, I felt that something was missing and took a moment to reflect on what could make this challenge even better.  I realized that the people that I love most were missing out on my "Thankfuls".  Oftentimes, the hubby is too busy to catch up on Facebook during the week, so he was missing out on these moments of gratitude.  The Reporter and The Little Guy are too young for Facebook (obviously), so they too were missing out on Mommy's positives.  At that moment, I decided to make the "Thankfuls" personal this year.  I wanted them to understand how thankful I am for their presence in my life, but I also wanted to extend the challenge to my family--Could the Hubby and The Reporter find something meaningful to be thankful for each day?  Would they be able to look past the surface and find true grace in each moment?

I decided that each evening at dinner we would share our thankful thoughts for the day.  However, I wanted a way to document this challenge. I headed right out for the supplies.

I found beautiful Fall Scrapbook paper. . . .

Cut it into one inch strips. . . 

And waited until dinner. . .

That night at dinner, I pitched my idea to the family.  At the conclusion of the meal, I asked the Hubby and The Reporter to write down one thing that they were thankful for that day.  The first few days of "Thankfuls" were a struggle, but now that we are half-way through the month, the thoughts are becoming deeper and the thankfuls more sincere.  And our dining room is wrapped in gratitude. . . .

and our hearts are full of love.

Who knew that $1.50 purchase of scrapbook paper could have such an impact?

Hey There Little Red Riding Hood. . .

 Well, Hi there!  Long time, no blog!  I guess that's what happens when you are a full-time working mama to two crazy kiddos, the wife to a hubby that works shifts, and a girl trying to cling to some sort of me-time and identity, huh?

 Honestly, since going back to work, my free time has taken a huge nose dive.  During summer break, I found time to sip a hot cup of coffee and blog before the kids woke from their slumber.  Now, however, mornings are spent rushing around, packing lunches (that should have been packed the night before), choosing outfits (that should have been chosen the night before), and waking grumpy kiddos to dress them, feed them, and whisk them off to their destination of the day.  Then I'm off to work, meetings, and maybe a short workout before we rush back in the door to cook dinner, get baths, and read the "required 20 minutes" before tucking the little loves into bed.  Whew!  It makes me tired just thinking about it!!

Last weekend, we took a break from the craziness to enjoy every kids' favorite Fall holiday--Halloween!  Who doesn't enjoy the chance to play dress-up and eat junk?!  We decked out the house and joined in the fun!

The Reporter had fun with our newest obsession around here. . . .

Skulls and Spiderwebs!

Pumpkin Fun!

Light Garlands!!  The lights on the left were a Target dollar bin find spruced up the ribbons and bandannas!  The lights on the right belonged to my grandmother and are accented by fabric scraps from my sewing closet!  Such an easy project kids can help with that makes a big impact!


After lots of talk about costumes, The Reporter agreed on a "couple costume" for herself and The Little Guy.  Our original plan was Pebbles and Bam-Bam (oh, so appropriate).  However, the weather took a chilly turn and we had to return to the drawing board for something with a little more coverage!  In true procrastinator fashion, I was sitting at my sewing machine in the eleventh hour putting together costumes. . . and the results were fantastic, if I do say so myself!

Little Red requested a "twirly cape with a round hood, not a pointy one!"

For The Little Guy, we went with comfort and ease!  Who knew that an $8 hoodie would make such a cute wolf suit!  

Hey there Little Red Riding Hood!~!

Oh Grandmother, What big TEETH you have!!!!

The Better to EAT you with, My Dear!!!!