Thanksgiving Thoughts

As I sit here on this morning before Thanksgiving listening to the rain, I am filled with thoughts of what it means to be truly thankful.  It sounds so simple to be thankful for our blessings, thankful for family and friends that are about to surround us for this holiday, thankful for the abundance of food that will certainly dress our table, thankful for time together, thankful for the laughter of children in the mix. I know, though, that my tendency to strive for perfection has all too often gotten in the way of my "thankfulness."

This year, I am hoping that I take a different approach to Thanksgiving and to the holiday season in general. I have hosted Thanksgiving enough times to know my limits and to manage my expections. That doesn't mean that I breeze through holidays with a happy heart and perfect grace...it means that I KNOW in my head what I need to do or not do to make myself and everyone around me more joyful, but I'm still working on the practice.

I want to make a place in my home for everyone to feel at home. I want to spend more time talking and listening to the people who are filling my home rather than spending all of my time in the kitchen. I want to enjoy my children rather than shooing them away so that I can finish all of my Thanksgiving preparations. I want to observe the wonder that is family. I want to be able to reflect back on the weekend and know that I was present.

There are a few practical things that I am doing this year to help with this process:
First, we are going OUT TO EAT for Thanksgiving!!! I know, I can hardly believe it myself. I was honestly horrified when my husband first suggested my not cooking for Thanksgiving, but after about three minutes of thinking about cooking this year with my three young children running around, the chance for rainy/cold weather while the men try to fry the turkey (and keep the children away from the fryer), the fact that my sous chef will be with her in-laws...tear...and the fact that I had already started thinking about how to destress the holiday, I got on board! Don't get me wrong, there WILL be cooking this weekend...it's just going to be taken down a notch.

Second, I have asked that everyone that is coming to plan to help with a night of cooking...my brother got us Mexican take out last night (I am sure you are all shocked!), my parents/grandmother are picking up barbeque today on their way, my mom has made and frozen a lasagna, I am in charge of lunches, and my aunt/uncle/brother/myself/my husband will bring up the rear and cook out on Saturday. This was hard for me to let go of because I have a pretty strong opinion about what being a host should look like, but I'm just letting it go after much encouragement from my parents and my husband!

Third, we have some really fun activities planned...this is more for me than anyone else as I tend to get a little stir crazy. We are going out to a fun dinner Friday night, my brother and I are running in a Turkey Strut on Thanksgiving morning, my husband, brother, & I are maybe planning in a paddle tennis tournament, all the men will likely play golf, I'm taking the boys to pack lunches for H.O.P.E; there will be some shopping I am certain, and there are lots of options for football watching...don't worry mama, there will be plenty of opportunities for naps as well. ;)

Fourth, my house is set up a bit like a hotel right now. I set up a table in the living room with coffee, creamer, sugar, pastries, and fruit...thanks to my Bible study women for leaving me with all of the coffee goodies!!! In the evening, this set up will change over to a beverage station with water, beer, wine, and snacks. This may sound crazy to you, but I just want everyone to be comfortable and eat & drink at their own pace. Plus, this room is in the middle of my house where we will all congregate, so there is no risk of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)!!

I'm certain that there will be some craziness that happens in the midst of my well laid plans, but I am happy to be starting off with a heart full of thankfulness. I am thankful that everyone is willing to shake up tradition for Thanksgiving this year; I am thankful that I will get to linger a little longer at the table rather than scurrying around like a mad woman while everyone else eats; I am thankful that I will get to come home after dinner and rest rather than racing to cleaning up; I am thankful that even though my sister can't be here that she is with a wonderful family that she married into creating memories with her husband and her daughter (the newest member of our clan); I am thankful for the sound of the rain this morning despite that worry it gives me for those driving; I am thankful for the quiet in my house so that I can reflect and write a little before the weekend begins; I am thankful for the Proverbs 31 devotion that started my morning on the right foot and started this reflection of thanksgiving; I am thankful that my children get to spend the holiday with their great-grandmother; I am thankful for the coffee and wine that will at various times be necessary over the weekend; I am thankful that everyone is staying together at my house; I am thankful that my husband loves my family (who is all staying at my house)...A LOT; and I am incredibly thankful that I have family that is willing to travel from all over to come spend the weekend with us.

I could go on and on, and I hope that I can continue to focus on the many blessings and wonderful moments surrounding me this weekend. Say a little prayer that I don't fall into old habits. ;)

Happy Happy Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! And, of course, Happy Cooking!

When Yeses Disguise Themselves as Nos

As I sit here on this cold rainy morning reflecting on this past week, I have a big smile on my face. My smile doesn't stem from a perfect week (far from it...I have wiped more runny noses and cleaned up more blow outs in the past two days than I care to admit), but from a week that was not scheduled, not planned, and that brought a lot of surprising blessings.

This is the first week since school started that we haven't had any activities leading our afternoons. We weren't racing from one place to the next, I wasn't running around my house getting snacks, drinks, toys to entertain my two year old for an hour plus at the baseball field, we weren't scarfing down meals to get to the next activity or hurrying through a meal when we got home to get to bed on time.

I am a planner by nature, and I like to know what's coming down the pike at the beginning of each week so that I can organize meals, make sure all of my "chores" are done on the days they need to get done, and plan some "Amy time" in the midst of it all so as not to go crazy with minimal adult interaction. Most of our weeks are jam packed with "stuff," but this past week was not one of them.

We had a vacation day from school in the middle of the week that we spent quietly at home. This was not an easy decision because my personality tends to say, "what adventure can we go on today that is going to be fantastic???." I honestly didn't have the energy or the creativity to pull off a Lawson Day O' Fun, so we decided to spend it at home. My boys (16 months apart) rarely get more than an hour or so of pure playtime during the week, and their interests are SO different, which leads to arguing/complaining/not being kind. This breaks my heart because before they were on different school schedules they were truly best friends...they fought but it was mostly happy times. Because of the limitless playtime on our day off, they both got to play what they wanted, and it was so nice to see them compromise and enjoy each other again! At the end of that day, I had impromptu drinks with friends; later in the week, we had a spur of the moment pizza dinner/playdate with friends; and this past weekend, we had dinner with family friends that we had been trying to pull together forever...and we planned it just that morning.

I know we have all read the articles about not overscheduling, about saying "no," and about slowing down. Let's be honest, though, how often do we take those articles to heart? Or, better question, how often do we WANT to take those articles to heart? I admit that in theory slowing down sounds great, but in actuality it sometimes scares me to death. Being in my house with three children six and under for hours on end everyday is overwhelming to me, but sometimes that's what we all need -  a little down time.

We all go through seasons. There are weeks and months where we feel like we are "on it." We have energy, our kids are in good stages, we feel in sync with our families and our friends. Then there are times when things just don't seem to jive. Sometimes there are reasons behind our struggles, but sometimes it's just life. The demands of the day in day out can wear us down, and sometimes we need to take a step back to see what it is we need to get us back on track. Many times, I find that it's to ditch the schedule and to rest in the quiet moments at home. It's spending more time reading books with my kids, it's a little more TV time for the kids so that I can get myself back in order, it's ordering dinners out rather than cooking every night, it's saying "no" to activities and commitments...even the good and fun ones.

It's during those seasons when I feel like I am slowing down that I often find that I am leaving room for more unanticipated moments of fun and blessings. I have more time to commit to my quiet time, I have more time to go do something that is just for me (for me, that mostly looks like taking an hour and a half to play tennis with friends), and I have end up having more time to give to my family and to my friends. I find that rather than trying to overplan dinner, we order pizza. Rather than planning a girls night out weeks in advance only to have it fall apart at the last minute, we show up after the kids' bed time and enjoy a couple of hours of chatter and laughter. Rather than making my house perfect for house guests, we say come on over and excuse the mess!

I definitely say my fair share of yeses, don't get me wrong. My plate is pretty full between my children, my husband, my volunteer commitments, my church, my Bible studies, my friends. But I need to make sure that it is just full enough and that things aren't falling off of the edges of my plate. I have learned that my time needs to be spent on things that are important to my heart. Before I say yes to something (even if it sounds fantastic) I have to give myself a gut check...why am I doing this? Is this something I believe in?  Is it going to take time away from my little people who count on me? Am I doing this to help the cause or because I feel guilty not helping the cause? Is it going to bring me joy or angst?

I think that joy vs angst question is one that we can all relate to. There are plenty of obligations that are not going to have us shouting from the rooftops with joy (laundry, cooking dinner for some, cleaning bathrooms, changing diapers, preparing for a stressful meeting, traveling for work, etc). Those are the things that happen that make our little worlds keep spinning, but then there are the things that we CHOOSE to spend our time doing. I have learned to give myself permission to say yes to things that are only for me like tennis & blogging because those are the things that make me tick and at the end of the day make me a better mama and wife...and I have learned to give myself permission to say no to things out of self preservation, even really GOOD things so that I can continue to work on making myself the best "me" for my family.

I truly believe that it's important to get out of our routine and out of our comfort zones at times and say an emphatic YES! to whatever comes your way, but I've realized over the years that sometimes things that I want to say yes to just aren't in my (or my family's) best interest. I've also realized that sometimes we need to look for our yeses in our nos. Clear as mud? Here's what I mean: Saying no to chairing an event is saying yes to giving time to several others. Saying no to being on a board where there are various meetings all of the time is saying yes to more time for myself to workout, to go to the grocery store by myself, to play that game of tennis. Saying no a pinterest perfect holiday is saying yes to spending more time enjoying the actual holiday with family and friends. Saying no to a spotless house is saying yes to playdough and markers and cooking with kids and impromptu dinners with friends. Saying no to preparing Thanksgiving dinner for 11 people with three little ones under foot (I know, I was horrified myself making this decision) is saying yes to spending quality time with those 11 people, saying yes to being more rested and peaceful when they arrive, saying yes to saving my sanity!!

It's a crazy world we live in with endless demands and options of activities to spend our time on. If we are not able to find and name the joys in our days...and this is not what SHOULD bring us joy but what ACTUALLY has brought us joy that particular day...then something is off kilter. We need to take a deep breath, take a step back, and try to view our lives from the front porch looking in. We have all been there...when nothing is necessarily "wrong," but we certainly don't feel like we're doing things "right." Those are the times when need to take a moment to reflect on what makes us tick, what makes our families run well, where we derive our joy, where we can make some changes to get ourselves back on track. Because at the end of the day, it's up to us to make our own happiness...we can't rely on other people or circumstances to do that for us...those things can change all too quickly. Sometimes it's as easy as flipping a switch and other times we have to dig deep, be honest with ourselves, and to look for the right yeses even when they may be in our nos so that we can be our best selves for those that rely on us but most importantly for ourselves!

PS - I think I'll put a reminder on my calendar to come back and read this post the week before Christmas when I will undoubtedly be running around like a mad woman and certainly not be my "best"! ;)

This week on the menu are:
Cream Cheese Chicken Taquitos
Sausage & Tortellini Soup
Kofte (Turkish Meatball Pitas)
Penne w/ Creamy Sausage & Tomato Ragu
Ribeyes w/ Kale Salad (recipe to come)

Happy Cooking!

Sausage & Tortellini Soup

This was so easy and such a hearty, wintertime soup.  I made this for me and my husband and took half to a friend as I wasn't certain that the textures of this soup would work for my kiddos...and honestly, I didn't feel like testing those waters that night ;)  They had leftover pizza!

Recipe from Doggone Good! submitted by my friend, Kristen Zaks




Ingredients:
2 14.5oz cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes
3 c water
2 c frozen cut green beans or Italian green beans
1 10.5oz can condensed French onion soup
8oz smoked turkey sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 c packaged coleslaw mix
1 9oz packaged refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
Shaved Parmesan

Method:
In a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker, combined undrained tomatoes, water, frozen green beans, onion soup, and turkey sausage.  Cover and cook on low-heat for 8-10 hours or high-heat for 4-5 hours.  If using low-heat, turn to high-heat.  Stir in cole slaw and tortellini.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes more.  Top each serving with Parmesan cheese as desired.  Makes 10-12 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Pan Roasted Chicken Squash & Chard Salad w/ Bacon Vinaigrette

This recipe combines many of my favorite Fall ingredients...butternut squash, apples, pumpkin seeds (I subbed these for the walnuts), and bacon...okay, that's not a "Fall ingredient," but it's BACON! This meal was a little time consuming to make because of all of the steps and ingredients, BUT I was thinking that this salad would be fabulous to do with left over turkey & turkey drippings after Thanksgiving. If you did that, the longest part of this would be chopping the apples & butternut squash...you can always get Lowes Foods to do the porep for you through their lovely "Pick & Prep" department. This service is available in the store or when you order online through Lowes Foods to Go. Either way, try it sometime soon. It's worth the work.

Ingredients:

Chicken:
2 bone-in chicken breast halves
2 chicken leg quarters
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp canola oil

Salad
1 2/3 cups sliced Fuji apple
1 T fresh lemon juice
8 oz Swiss chard leaves, thinly sliced
1 T butter
4 1/4 cubed peeled butternut squash
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 freshly ground black pepper, divided
3 T maple syrup
3 T toasted walnuts, chopped

Vinaigrette:
2 bacon slices cut into 1/2 in pieces
8 oz wild mushrooms, halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 T apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chicken broth

Method:
Complete recipe from Cooking Light found on myrecipes.com,  HERE.

Happy Cooking!

Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Apples

This pork tenderloin had all the flavors of Fall. Apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, cider, etc. My kitchen smelled delicious while this was cooking and the pork itself did not disappoint. My boys were not big fans of the cooked apples, so sliced apples with peanut butter later in the evening was the answer...next time I'll slice some up to go along with the pork while they have dinner. This is a really quick dinner to pull together on a busy night. I served it with a Winter Salad tonight, but they suggest serving it with a spinach salad which sounds perfect.

Ingredients:
3/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 12 slices
Cooking spray
2 T butter
2 cups thinly sliced apples (I used Gala)
1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup apple cider
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Method:
Complete recipe from Cooking Light found on myrecipes.com, HERE.

Happy Cooking!

Winter Salad

My sister and I made this yummy salad for my brother's birthday. We served it with pork tenderloin, and it was a fantastic, satisfying winter meal that wasn't too heavy but that was filling and comforting. You can substitute any dried fruit for the dried cranberries, any kinds of seeds or nuts for the pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and many kinds of cheese for the burrata (Parmesan, goat cheese, mozzarella, etc). Try it! I think you'll like it!!

Ingredients:
1 box Isreali (pearlized) couscous (cooked according to package directions)
1/2 butternut squash cubed and roasted (about 40 min at 350 tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pepitas
I round of burrata cheese, cubed (this is similar to fresh mozzarella)
1 cup arugula
Stetson Salad Dressing

Method:
Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl and drizzle dressing over top.

Happy Cooking!