Christmas Decorations

After I got off work on Friday, I stopped by Lowe's to get some Christmas lights for the yard.  I was surprised at how little selection was left, but I did find some cute things.  When I got home, I took the Thanksgiving decorations down and boxed them up.  Saturday morning, while we were waiting for the Christmas tree lot to open, we started putting our outdoor lights up.  Then we went to get our tree. Here are a few pictures of our decorations.

In the kitchen

In the foyer.  I've been collecting this nativity set over the past eight years or so.  I've been given several of the pieces as Christmas gifts.  I like the simplicity of it.  Mary and Joseph were not rich, and couldn't have afforded the expensive clothing that they are sometimes depicted in.

On top on the china cabinet.

The dining room table.  While my family was here on Wed., we went to Old St. Charles, and did some shopping.  I got the tree and the large ornaments that day.

On our back door.  My mom made this for me a couple of years ago.  It makes me smile.

The mantle.  Yes, the dogs have their own stockings, and they do get little Christmas presents - mostly just doggie treats and toys.

Our tree.  It is an 8 foot Frazier Fur.  We had a Blue Spruce last year, and it made a huge mess.  We've had Frazier's before and they hold their needles well, and the needles are soft.  Some of the ornaments are old, some new.  We have a lot of Hallmark ornaments that were a gift from James' parents, but we didn't use those this year.  We used them last year, and I like for the tree to be a little different each year.

Thanksgiving 2009

We had a nice Thanksgiving. We had 13 people over for dinner.  My parents and my grandmother came, and we had a family from church and 2 international student from a local university.  James cooked the turkey and dressing, and he made sweet tea.  My mom and I took care of the rest.

The table after it was set.

The mantle

The foyer 

 

Time to fry the turkey.  The Cajun injection goes in first.

 

 

Into the pot!

James with some of our guests

We all helped with the clean up - even the dogs.  Lily is at James' feet licking a pot that had soup in it.  It was thoroughly washed after she got finished.

Daisy helped lick up the soup too, and she got some on her!

Happy Thanksgiving

As is the case every year, we have so much to be thankful for this year.  Here are a few of things I am thankful for this year.

• God provided the resources that we needed to start the adoption process and He gave both of us a heart for it.  There has never been a question between the two of us as to whether or not we should adopt.
• We have been blessed with overwhelming support from our families, friends, neighbors, & coworkers. 
  
• We have a wonderful social worker who is helping us sort through all our adoption paperwork, and I am thankful that we are almost finished with it!
  
• I'm thankful for my husband and the relationship that we share.
  
• We're both still employed, which is not a given these days.
• I'm thankful for God's mercy, grace, forgiveness, and love.
  
• I'm thankful for the families we have met who are also going down the same path (adopting from Ethiopia) we are walking down.  It is helpful to talk to some else who is right where you are in life.
  
• I'm thankful for our church and the wonderful teaching that we have received there.
• I'm thankful that our new house feels like our home now.
  
• We have good relationships with our extended families, and we do our best to keep in touch even though we don't live nearby.
  
• I'm thankful for our dogs.  They are so much fun.
  

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. I Chronicles 16:34

Thanksgiving Recipe #4

Cranberry Spritzer

3 cups water
2 cups cranberry juice
1 can (6 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 can (6 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup Equal® Spoonful (May substitute 12 packets Equal sweetener)
1-1/2 liters diet lemon-lime soda, chilled
Lemon and/or orange slices (optional)

Combine water, cranberry juice, orange juice and lemonade concentrates. Stir in Equal® until dissolved. Chill 1 to 2 hours. Stir in soda just before serving. Garnish each glass with a lemon or orange slice, if desired.

Thanksgiving Recipe #3

This recipe is from James' grandmother.  She said she got it from a Methodist Church cookbook from 1982.

Pecan Pie

1 deep nine inch Pet Ritz brand pie crust
3 eggs
1 tbsp melted butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light Karo corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
1.5 to 2 cups pecans (corsely chopped)

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake empty pie crust for a couple of minutes to dry out.  Beat eggs, add rest of ingredients.  Pour into pie crust.  Bake pie for about 45 min on top of cookie sheet.

Thanksgiving Recipe #2

Butternut Squash Soup

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large)
• 2 tablespoons mild curry powder
• 5 pounds butternut squash (2 large)
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet apples, such as McIntosh (4 apples)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth 
  
• 2 cups apple cider or juice

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Process the soup through a food mill fitted with a large blade, or puree it coarsely in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot. 

Thanksgiving Recipes

We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, so I thought over the next few days I'd share a few of the recipes that we will be making.  This first recipe came from one of my Sunday school teachers at Temple (where I attended in college).  Thanks, Denise!

Carrot Souffle
Servings: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 45 min

1 (15 oz) can carrots (drain about ½ the water off)
1 stick margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
3 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350°. In a blender or food processor, puree carrots. Add margarine, sugar, & eggs, and blend well. Combine remaining ingredients and put in a greased 9x9 casserole or soufflé dish. Bake for 45 minutes at 350°. Rotate pan midway through cooking.


NOTE: If doubling recipe, bake in a 9 X 13 pan, and decrease the temp to 325 degrees. If you bake the larger amount at 350, the corners will burn before the middle is done.