All About Thanksgiving

This year was our first to host Thanksgiving. It happened by default really.
After an incredibly busy summer and fall, we were determined to stay home and do nothing. Nothing can be done anywhere, but its done best when  in your own home, sleeping in your own bed, with the liberty of choosing whether or not you will live in your pajamas that day. Yep, that kind of nothing.

The past few years we've spent Thanksgiving away with Nick's parents and sisters, renting vacation homes in the snowy woods. We figured since we would be in town this year that meant Thanksgiving dinner would be at Mom and Dads. Well, as it turns out- Mom and Dad had tickets to visit our older sister (or should I say the grand-kids) in Tennessee... leaving us (my younger sister and brother-in-love, Nick, Hadley, and myself) to fend for ourselves!

We started with, "We're just going to keep it simple. Easy. Relaxed." To me this meant visions of Mexican food, hot cocoa, and staying in our pajamas all day... maybe combing our hair and brushing our teeth, I mean after all - we're not cave-people!

But nostalgia got hold of us as we began discussing menu options, and we agreed that a traditional Thanksgiving dinner would be best.

And then my OCOOC (obsessive-compulsive-out-of-control) personality got the best of me, and before I knew it was saying things like, "Wouldn't it be fun to make it all from scratch?" 

First, let me explain to you WHY that idea is crazy:

Fact One: I have never baked/roasted/smoked/deep-fried a turkey in my life.
Fact Two: I have never assisted someone in roasting a turkey.
Fact Three: I have never even helped in the preparation of said bird... no, I lazily watch from the couch in disgust and horror.
Fact Four: I don't stick my hands inside of animal carcasses. It creeps me out. In the eight years of our marriage Nick has had to remove the giblets and neck from every chicken I've roasted.
Fact Five: I have never made Stuffing, pie crust, or yeast rolls that didn't come from a box or the frozen food section.

Now, before you get all judge-y... I DO cook. Pretty well in fact, or so my family thinks. And every now and then my almost 3 yr-old tosses me a, "Good job, Mama!"
We just don't have holiday feasts at our house every week.

So for a job this big I went to the queen of the kitchen (and my favorite food blogger) the Pioneer Woman. She got me started in the right direction by sharing her Thanksgiving week schedule. It didn't seem so frightening once I realized you could prep and bake leading up to the day.

Monday-  Hadley and I made pumpkin puree from two small pumpkins. And that was about all we got done that day.
Tuesday- We cleaned the house and made the pie crusts.
Wednesday- We make the turkey brine, cleaned the bird (I did it. Nick held my hand but I did it. Gag) and began brining the turkey. Then Nick took Hadley to work with him (my hero) and I began prepping all the veggies for the stuffing, cubed the french bread, and bake the cornbread in the skillet (Also for the stuffing) and then onto the dough for the yeast rolls.  Then I started in the pies : Pumpkin, Pecan, and Chocolate. And then I spent the evening cleaning up the royal mess I had made. But it was delightful.

Thursday- Got up at 4:30, clean the turkey and stuck 'er in the oven. Then went back to bed. And guess what, our turkey was done by 9:30... since when, the in the history of ever, has that happened?? Over-achiever.  We turned the oven on warm, to keep our turkey cozy, and waited for Tara and Miko to arrive.
Somewhere in here I set the table.
Soon as Tara and Miko arrived, Tara started peeling, and dicing, and chopping, and boiling like a beast. She was responsible for the mashed potatoes and bacon green beans. I stuck the stuffing and rolls in the oven, then sat back and watch liked I was working hard. Nick jumped in and made the gravy.
Best.gravy. ever.

I must say it turned out to be the most unbelievably easy Thanksgiving dinner, which was not at all what I had anticipated. Usually the cooks come to the table crazed and exhausted, so I was very thankful to enjoy our holiday down time even leading up to dinner.
And the foods of our labor.... slurp.

Thank you Pioneer Woman for sharing your cooking wisdom.
Thank you, Tara, for those mouth-watering bacon beans and dreamy garlic mashed-potatoes.
Thank you, Nick, for standing by my side to make sure I didn't faint on the turkey, and that delicious gravy. You are my knight. And know that now I will probably never attempt gravy since I have you. ;)
Thank you, Miko, for capturing the day, enjoying the food, and being graciously vocal about it. And the laughs.
Thank you, Turkey, for not coming out of the oven looking like a burn victim.

-Kaylee

Thankful Thursday

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed today. Not about anything huge or significant,  just the to-do's that somehow have all landed in the "as soon as possible"pile all at the same time.

So, I'm taking a break. Time to breath slowly and count my blessings.

1) I have a wonderful husband and beautiful little girl who do not care if I get it all done. {This may be the most important one}

2) We scored some great deals at the JBF Sale last night, and that helps us to live more frugally.

3) The Lord has blessed us with one of the most beautiful Autumn seasons than I can remember.

4) I need to make a grocery list because we need to I get to go  grocery shopping. We have the money to do so. Not the case for everyone.

5) There's a mountain of clean laundry I need to fold... the Lord has kept us clothed.

6) Dinner is already in the crock-pot. No huge mess to clean up at the most weary time of the day.

7) From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. - Psalm 61:2

Peace that Passeth Freak-Out-/Pull-Your-Hair-Out/Meltdown Mode

You know those days?


We've been having them in sequence around here. 


When you would prefer to be in control, but the only answer you have is, "I don't know."


I should be stressed out. I should be nervous. I should be renting my clothes and putting on satcloth and ashes.


Every situation of those dear to us -even our own position- screams anxiety.


Yet, we're okay. Really. In fact... we even have joy. 


Why? How? 


We have been given the perfect remedy.

"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice."


We're rejoicing.



"Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful {stressed} for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."


We are choosing to give thanks. And in turn, its making us thankful. :)


"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."


We're accepting peace.


"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."


We're setting our minds on truth. His report. His promises. 


And we're holding on to this...


"Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." Philippians 4:4-9


Embracing His Peace,
Kaylee

The Little Things

Today is a lovely day. 

If you can't already tell, this is the sun... shining right into my window. And it's gorgeous.

My treat of the day. Almond Joy Creamer.

And my new Spring fabrics arrived for H's dresses, which means that today I have a hot date with my serger.  =)

The little things.

"This is the day which the Lord has brought about; we will rejoice and be glad in it." 

Psalm 118:24

Winter Thanks

This morning I woke up with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude.


We are by no means wealthy, but there are others who have less.


Our house is not very grand, but it is a warm roof over our heads.


We won't be having steak for dinner, but at least we know where our next meal is coming from.. right there in our fridge.


And though I may not be completely satisfied with this chubby reflection staring back in my mirror, I have a body that is healthy and whole.


Yes. I will be thankful.


" O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.

 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.

 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD."

Psalm 105

9 Months, Pumpkins, & Apple-Pie Sauce

My little girl is growing up too quickly. Way too quickly.

Technically she is still a baby;  in less than a week she will be 9 months old ... but how is this possible when it was just last week she was born? It's hard to believe she was once so small now that she is starting to look like a toddler in her big-girl pajamas.

These days are passing too quickly, so I am determined to savor every sweet moment. Event the moments such as now, when she is tearing apart the nursery behind me and talking to me in the little language only she understands. That's my little girl. 

Hadley and Me

First trip to the pumpkin patch... she wanted them all.

Favorite fall thing we've been doing this week..... making and canning applesauce. {Mmm.. Yum!}

Once you go homemade, there's no going back. It is just not the same. 

Here is my favorite recipe. It's simple, easy, and tastes jut like Apple Pie! Hence, I call it:

Apple-Pie Sauce

• 6-7 Apples {I like Honey Crisp Best}
• 1/4 Cup Water
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• 1/2 Cup Raw Sugar

Peel, core and chop apples. {I don't have a fancy apple peeler, so I just use a potato peeler and an apple cutter, then chop the slices into chunks}

Place apple chunks in a pot with 1/4 cup of water, then sprinkle Cinnamon across the top {I never measure here, I just go by look.. enough to almost cover the top} and add a few dashes of Nutmeg, then mix around. Heat on Med-High until you hear a bubbling boil, then turn the heat to Med-Low and cover. 

Let apples simmer until soft and mushy, then use a potato masher to smash to sauce. Add 1/2 Cup of Raw Sugar and mix and mash some more. 

Then eat at least one bowl while still warm. Delicious. 

I like it in my oatmeal, my husband likes it on toast with Peanut Butter, and we all like to heat it up and eat it as a dessert. Hadley likes the sugar-free version. {Mostly because that's the only one she's had.}

Give Thanks & Burlap Tutorials

Here we are, two days away from the first day of Fall; and although I appreciate the arrival of each new season, I LOVE Autumn and Winter best!


Ahhhh... how I love Fall!
Fall is full of the cozy's:  sweaters, apples, candles, baked goods, teas & lattes, roaring fires, crock-pots, books... my list goes on.

Oh, and I love to decorate for Fall! However, I do make myself wait  until October. If I do not wait until then I am tired of it all by Thanksgiving- which is when I want to appreciate it the most.

So, while I wait.... I decided to try my hand at some projects!

I loved {and so was then inspired by} Dear Lillie's "give thanks" pillow.

Here is how I went about it:

Give Thanks Ruffle Pillow Cover -


First- I grabbed one of my tired pillows off the couch, removed the pillow from the cover, and then used that cover as my "pattern" for cutting.

I folded the fabric {some type of canvas I found in the utility fabrics at Joann's} so that I would cut two equal pieces. Then I gave myself about 1/2 inch all the way around for the sewing, and just started cutting.

Then I cut a third piece, equally wide but half as tall.

This third piece will work folded on the back side of the cover, to insert the pillow.

Next, I grabbed some beige, jeweled wedding-veiling. Yup, I just so happened to have that lying around. Going to make a ruffle out of this. 

Since the veiling is so sheer, I folded it in half to double-up my ruffle. Then  I started cutting what I guess to be about 5 inches wide. {guessed being the key word}

Now here is where I forgot to keep taking pictures... {so I'll just give you a sneak peak as I explain}

I was distracted by the fact that my normal method for sewing ruffles using a high tension on my machine was  not working! Disastrous story short... the easiest way to ruffle veiling is to bunch/scrunch it and then pin it. 

So I scrunched, and bunched, and pinned it to my cover fabric as I went. 

Then I sewed a straight stitch down the center, attaching the ruffle to the cover.

{Sneak Peak}

After attaching the ruffle, I knew where to write. First, I used a pencil to freehand script "give thanks"... I followed Dear Lillies and then added some little curly-q's of my own. Then I went over the pencil writing with a Sharpie Paint marker.

Next, I took the two back pieces for the cover and folded the bottom of each to just about 3 inches; and ironed that fold.

Then I pinned the larger back piece to the front cover piece. Pin: Right sides together or it's wrong. {Thanks, Sue} And after that, pinned the small back piece {overlapping the larger back piece} to the front cover. Again: Right sides together or it's wrong.

Now, I sewed all the way around, using a 5/8 seam. 

Yay! Done!

So I folded the cover right-side open and stuffed it with the pillow. Pretty cute I think. 

Fall Burlap Candle Wrap-
I was inspired by my sister- Laurin- who is preparing for a burlap Christmas, and recently started wrapping her candles in burlap.
I cut a strip of burlap {long and short enough to wrap my favorite BBW candle- Leaves} and then used my Sharpie paint marker to write out "fall" in the center of the strip. Then I wrapped the candle, using a piece of Scotch tape to temporarily secure the wrap while I tied some twine around it. I double wrapped the twine on top to make a little bow, and once on the bottom to secure the wrap on the candle.
Done. Love it.

What do you think?

What are you working on for the Fall???