my blessed life

0341. opportunities for my husband to travel and minister 0342. the blessing of having him back home again 0343. a fun unexpected lunch date with just me and my son 0344. the blessing of good friends for my children 0345. Christmas music 0346. the blessing that comes from giving 0347. finding an unexpected fun gift for someone you love 0348. flannel sheets 0349. a good book 0350. knowing that God has amazing plans for me and my family~Jeremiah 29:11

Well, I've started my Thanksgiving shopping already! How about you? Can you believe it's just over a week away?! We will have two big family dinners that weekend. Plus we have a big dinner at our church this Wednesday. I've had holiday meal planning on the brain for a while now. It's one of my fave things about the season. Weird, I know, but I'm like that. This week I hope to begin some preparations for those upcoming meals. Things like making up pie crusts and putting them in the freezer, making up a large batch of cream soup for casseroles, maybe baking up some cornbread and freezing it although I think I've got some in there already. Will you do anything ahead for the big holiday meals? Maybe you know some tricks that I need to know! Please share:) Here's what's on the plan for this week: Monday: It's M oms N ite O ut for our homeschool group and I'm hosting! I'll be making Breadpot Fondue with Spicy Saltines , Cream Chees...

In honor of this month of Thanksgiving we have created a *Blessing Bowl* . We've been busy cutting out construction paper shapes using cookie cutters as templates. The kiddos are enjoying this and having fun writing their blessings on the papers and adding them to the bowl. Then we all love reading them together at dinnertime. It's just a simple way to help us focus on what we're thankful for. In the past we've made a *thankful tree* which is fun, too. What are you doing this month to help you focus on thanksgiving ?

A few of you have mentioned wanting to know how I made the pumpkin spice lattes at home, so here you go. They were really quite good! I have not actually had one from Starbucks {gasp!}, but I keep hearing how wonderful they are. So the other night when I thought of that leftover pumpkin puree in the fridge, I thought to myself "why not?" Enjoy! Pumpkin Spice Lattes (from Kate at Cooking During Stolen Moments ) 1/4 cup pumpkin puree 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. nutmeg Pinch of allspice and ginger 1/2 cup milk (divided) 1 cup strong coffee or espresso (divided) whipped cream for topping ***** In a small bowl mix together pumpkin, sugar and spices. Add 1-2 tbsp. of pumpkin mixture to the bottom of a coffee mug. Add 1/4 cup milk and blend well. Here is where I popped the mug into the microwave for about 30 seconds so the cold milk wouldn't make the drink too cold. Top off the mug with the coffee or espresso; stir well. Garnish with whipped...

0331. homemade pumpkin spice latte 0332. an surprise gift 0333. the beauty of Autumn 0334. watching my dad be so silly with my kiddos 0335. my husband's thoughtfulness 0336. the pleasure of a good laugh 0337. exploring with my children 0338. my son's spontaneous excitement about the armor of God 0339. the quiet of an early morning alone 0340. the never-gets-old beauty of a sunset

Fall menus are so much more fun to make than summer ones! I much prefer making those hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of meals that are so good in the cooler weather. This past week we had a couple of really good soups that I'm sharing with you today. Chicken Enchilada Soup 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes 1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen corn 1/2 cups onion, chopped 1/2 cups red pepper, diced 1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce 1 can (10.75 oz.) cream of chicken soup 1 tsp. cumin 1/2 tsp. chili powder 1-1/2 cups milk 2 whole chicken breasts 1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded sour cream crushed tortilla chips ***** In a 3-1/2 -5 qt. slow cooker, combine beans, tomatoes, corn, onio n and bell pepper. Place chicken breasts on top of mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce, soup , cumin and chili powder. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 h...

Who would have thought? Elk in Arkansas! Apparently they introduced them some years back and my dad has been hearing all about it and just had to go see for himself. So we planned a field trip of sorts this past Thursday with my parents and took off to enjoy the gorgeous day. The elk are best seen in the early mornings or early evenings, so we planned our day to include drive time on Scenic AR Hwy 7 through the Ozark Mountains (although, frankly, it was beautiful everywhere we drove). We had fun stopping at several little antique/junk/souvenir shops along our way. Where my dad promptly lost his mind and bought the kiddos rubber band guns!!! Thankfully they weren't given any ammo while on the trip. Finally, late in the day, we arrived at Boxley Valley. I was quite surprised at how many people were out parked along the road waiting for the elk to appear. Lots of photographers, too. Our first drive through the valley only produced about three elk grazing amongst some cow...