Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is a time for fellowship, friendship, family, food, and gratitude. It also doesn't include the stress of gifts and the expectations that can come with giving and receiving something tangible. Thanksgiving affords me the opportunity to refocus on what is truly important.

Of course, the food is an important part of the day! :) Josh and I don't have the kids this year for Thanksgiving, so we decided to spend a quiet day together. I still wanted to cook a big meal, so we're having some friends over Saturday and I'll prepare the full meal... today is a smaller version of our favorite fall foods; cornish game hens, stuffed squash, and pumpkin pie. :)

The wonderful part of it all is that there is no schedule, and no rush, so we get to eat whenever we want; I made us breakfast around 11, and have some yummy snack and appetizers for us when we're hungry again in a few hours. Dinner will be whenever we are ready to eat it; I'll probably get everything in the over around 5, but don't feel the pressure of watching the clock and timing everything just right. Today is shaping up to be a perfect day!

Olive Garden

Yesterday was a pretty busy day for me; work, a baby shower (that I provided the food for), a housewarming party, homework, housework, and family time. I had planned for us to make pizza's for dinner, but decided that a dinner out sounded like a better idea.

We debated ideas, from fast-food burgers followed by bowling or the $2 theater, but decided a nicer meal would be perfect; we rarely eat out, and the kids are not used to going anywhere with cloth napkins. :) SO - to Olive Garden we went.

It was a wonderful meal; Josh and Donovan had the seafood alfredo while Audri had the chicken alfredo. I branched into the rosemary crusted steak toscano... all preceded by the wonderful salad (refilled for us once) and the breadsticks. The kids practiced their manners, and we all left feeling happy and full.

I think nice family dinners may have to happen more often! We didn't end up eating until 7, which was a bit later for us, but we enjoyed the ambiance, food, and company so much we didn't leave until 9! We had a wonderful server (who was well tipped!) who was generous with his time and his beverage refills. It's nice to enjoy an evening with one's family...

Pumpkin Pancakes

A friend of mine mentioned that she made pumpkin pancakes last weekend, and all week I have been wanting to make them! We ended up swapping weekends with the kids, so they won't be here until next week, but I didn't want to wait that long to make and eat pumpkin pancakes. So, I made them this morning anyway! I'm sharing the recipe because they are so scrumptious!

Whisk:
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

In a separate bowl, whisk together:
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Fold mixture into dry ingredients. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side and serve with butter and syrup.

SO - since I didn't use all of my canned pumpkin for these delicious pancakes, I think I'll make some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies this afternoon!

Kuspuk

When I lived in Barrow, a wonderful friend made me a kuspuk. I don't often have the opportunity to wear it, but today it seemed perfect!

I figured I should share... when I wear it, I seem to find myself smiling extra wide and dancing around, just because it reminds me of home. :) I love being an Alaskan!

Jewelry

I went to a jewelry party this afternoon... I have never been a jewelry girl, but there were some really pretty items that made me think about becoming one! Of course, it's a bit on the spendy side, so nothing was purchased today, but I did bring home a catalog. My first step may have to be piercing my ears... again. Unfortunately, the last time I pierced my ears was unsuccessful due to some sort of allergic reaction, but it's worth reconsidering using a higher-quality product.

My mom will be so proud that I want to wear jewelry. For the record, I still don't want to wear make-up, though!

Success?

I was just asked if I would put together a presentation for our next training at work on how to be successful. While I'm honored, it does leave me with a few questions... what is success? As defined by work, is it simply starting the most students? Or is it more specifically starting the most students while working effectively, managing time and resources? I do reach my goals, but I also work more hours than anyone else on the team, and certainly more than the 40 or so I'm paid for each week... does that really mean I'm successful? Or simply a workaholic? Or so driven by goals and numbers that I forget to take time for me? It's hard to separate the two, honestly... but I think I'll have to do so before I can really present at training what it takes to be successful! It's a good thing I have a month or so to prepare... :)

Chess

We are a chess family. I was taught to play as a little girl, and have always enjoyed the game. I taught Josh to play earlier this year, who in turn taught Donovan to play, who in turn taught Audri to play. :) Donovan has discovered a real talent for the strategy and thoughtfulness of the game, playing at school during breaks with some of his friends. He beats Josh more times than not in their matches! We have also realized that we enjoy watching one another play, figuring out our individual strategies and thought processes as we move our pieces around the board.

We spent a couple of hours this afternoon in chess matches, refilling our hot cocoa and sitting back around the table to watch whoever was currently playing. :) I love that we all are interested in playing such a wonderful game!