Give Thanks

I don't know about you but the holidays have snuck up on me this year. I am just now trying to get my self and my family prepared for all the busyness and celebrations that are ahead of us. I really want to focus on not getting stressed out and really enjoying this time of year by spending time with my family and friends. November is such a great time to give thanks for all that we have. No matter what we have going on in our lives there is always, ALWAYS something to thank our amazing Heavenly Father for!!

I love the traditions that each family has during the holidays. They are so personal and every family has something different that they do. I love this idea from Danae. She puts up her Christmas tree on November 3rd, her mothers birthday, and decorates it with burlap ribbon and thanksgiving leaves. She uses that time to remember her mother and honor her memory and legacy. After Thanksgiving she takes down the ribbon and leaves and makes it a "Christmas tree". 

                                                            

We put up a thanksgiving tree as well. A couple of years ago I made the leaves and wrote the names of all our family and added things like church, friends, etc. Each year we have new names and things to add and now that my oldest can add things he is thankful for that makes it really special too.

I love decorating for the holidays. Here are a few of my favorite Thanksgiving decorations.

A burlap runner for my table with Thankful stenciled on with brown paint. 

I wrote the letters G.I.V.E on the white pumpkins and stenciled the letters T.H.A.N.K.S with brown paint onto the ready made bunting. 

This was my favorite project this year. I made the "Happy Fall Y'all" sign with materials that I already had and I love the way it turned out. 

Another great way to focus on being thankful this month is to write something everyday that you are thankful for publicly. Lets saturate social media with positive messages of what and who we are thankful for. It's not to late to start!! 

During our You Pick Two meeting, Robin, shared lots of really great healthy holiday recipes. For all of her recipes and tips click here.

Here are a couple recipes I'm excited to try... 

Roasted sweet potatoes with Dijon mustard and Rosemary

2 medium sweet potatoes(about 1 1/2 lbs)

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp honey

1 tsp minced fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper 

Preheat oven to 400. Peel and cut each sweet potato lengthwise into 1/2 in thick wedges; place in a large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients; drizzle over potatoes and toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 15X10X1in baking pan. Roast 25-30 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. 

Creamed spinach and pearl onions 

1/4 cup butter, cubbed

1 pkg (14.4 oz) frozen pearl onions, thawed and drained

2 cups heavy whipping cream 

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

10 oz fresh baby spinach (about 13 cups) 

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add pearl onions; cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until tender. Stir in heavy whipping cream. Bring to a boil; cook 6-8 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Add baby spinach; cook, covered, for 3-5 minutes or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. 

We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!!