Happy Thanksgiving

Don’t worry; I didn’t forget about Thanksgiving. It’s just that when the weather turns cold, white lights start going up around the neighborhood, and stores begin softly playing “Baby it’s cold outside,” I can’t help but get excited about the December Holiday, that I’m not mentioning today.

Why? Because it’s Thanksgiving! And I have SO much to be thankful for, including these two loves of my life!

I can’t even begin to list the blessings that surround my family. I try to talk a lot about gratitude around here. When we stop to notice our blessings (something my dad taught me to do) we become so full of JOY that we are able to regain perspective and not “sweat the small stuff.”

This Thanksgiving week, I am especially thankful for her.

Welcome to the world, Madelyn Davis. I am beyond excited to be your Aunt Evie, and I couldn’t be prouder of your mom and dad. We have so much to do together, sweet girl. I can’t wait to have sleepovers and bake cookies, watch your ballet recitals, read Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie together, tell secrets about boys, play dress up in sparkles and high heels, watch Little Mermaid, write letters back and forth as pen-pals, and be the very best of friends.

But for now, I just want to hold you and stare at you and thank God for this new life and blessing to our family. We have plenty of time to get to know each other, Maddi. Happy Thanksgiving.

White Chicken Chili

It's cold outside!  We've been busy welcoming Maddi into our family, so this white chicken chili was the perfect dinner to throw in the crock-pot.

Here's what I used, plus boneless chicken that I sauteed in a little olive oil.  (1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 2 cups of chicken broth, and a teaspoon of garlic powder)

All of it went into the crock-pot at once and cooked on low for 4-5 hours.

We topped it with light sour cream, jalapeno and a little shredded Monterrey Jack cheese.  Yum!

Data Overload

I've had my nose stuck in student data, study island scores, and virtual grade books for the last three days.  Needless to say, my eyes are crossing and my shoulders are sore from sitting in front of the computer.  Time for yoga!

The good news...I have a week off!  After tying up a few loose ends today, I'm not touching my work computer for an entire week.  I can't wait.

Pardon the randomness that is today's post.  This little peanut woke up at 5:30 coughing yet ready to play.  He is finally settled watching Mickey Mouse, so I thought I would check in with the blog.

Here's what we've been eating around here...

Green Monsters.

Hummus, avocado, and spinach sandwiches on pita bread and a lot of clementines.

Taco salads.

Pumpkin shakeology.

His and hers. ;)

This soup.  Delicious with a crusty grilled avocado, cheese and tomato sandwich.

Breakfast on the go.

One man band. (The girl guitar was inherited from our sweet neighbors and their granddaughters.)

Red wine, cozy pjs, two handsome boys, and Love Actually make for the perfect rainy Friday night.

Santa, if you're reading from the North Pole, I would REALLY LOVE this for Christmas.

Lastly, I have to share a story from Mother's Day Out this week.  Wills and I were running late Thursday morning, and I dropped him off around 9:15.  We hurried in alongside a disheveled looking dad and his little girl, who happens to be in Wills' class.  Here's the brief conversation that happened between her dad and the teacher before he quickly turned to walk away:

"For some reason Savannah Anne has a bathing suit top on, and she wouldn't take it off.  It's been a long week, so I just gave up and left it."

I couldn't help but laugh.  There she was, legging, boots, a sweet skirt, and a pink polka-dot bathing suit top.  Bless his heart.

Veggie Loaded Appetizer

This recipe is so versatile; I just love it!

Try it as a festive holiday appetizer, a fun kid friendly dinner, or a relaxing vegetarian and wine kind of night for one (which is what I chose last week while William was traveling.)

The recipe came from Celebrate Magazine's Christmas edition.  I tweaked it a little based on the ingredients I had.

Here's what I used.

I sauteed all of the veggies in garlic and olive oil.

Mixed together pesto and hummus - the recipe calls for garlic hummus, but roasted red pepper worked just fine.  I spread it over the rolled out crescent rolls.

Topped with veggies and rolled up.  Here's a tip...after rolling up, place the cookie sheet in the freezer for a few minutes.  This makes it easier to slice and stay together.

I added extra veggies, making them harder to roll and not the prettiest.  I wasn't really going for looks here. :)

Baked on 350 degrees for about 18 to 20 minutes.

So delicious!  And great as left overs, too.

10 days until...

Can you believe we are 10 days from Thanksgiving?  Things will be a little different this year with the arrival of sweet Maddi, and although we don't have any definite plans yet, I do know there will be eating.  A lot of it!

My friend, Amber, and I share a love of health and nutrition and decided to eat as clean as possible, adding in one Shakeology a day, for the 10 days leading up to Thanksgiving.  I made out our meal plan, and she and her husband rocked the first day!  I'm so proud of them. 

Breakfast was a chocolate shakeology with 3/4 cup of almond milk, 1/2 cup of coffee, and a banana.

All of this nutrition in one shake!

Lunch was an open faced turkey sandwich with tomato, avocado, and a melted laughing cow cheese.  We also had blue corn chips and fresh salsa.

Snack was an apple and peanut butter.

We ended the day with a delicious dinner of roasted veggies (I chose asparagus,) sweet potato (sliced mine into fries,) and grilled chicken.  After William grilled the chicken, I added a spread of pesto, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese and placed it under the broiler for 3 minutes.  It added an extra and healthy flare to plain chicken.  We will definitely be making this again.

Making a commitment to healthy eating isn't always the easiest, but having someone along for the journey helps with accountability and makes it much more fun.  Want to join us? 

A New Week

Simply put, I'm sitting in the quiet of the yoga studio feeling thankful.  As I prepare for my morning class, my mind is inundated with gratitude for the little things.  Maybe it's the coffee...or more like the red Christmas cup that makes me giddy?  Maybe the moment to myself, or the gorgeous lure of the morning that has my mind calmed?  

This article from Elephant Journal is still on my mind and seems to disclose my heart, exactly.

At the beginning of the week, she thinks it is a long time before the next weekend, then all of a sudden it is Wednesday and then it is Friday and five minutes ago she was in high school. There are friends and there is yoga, a family dinner—a week passes, then one more and this is a life, she thinks.

This is her life.

There is the novel that she still wants to write: she scribbles down ideas and character notes, but she can’t seem to sit still long enough. There is the wandering she would do, except that wandering costs more money than she has. But she has postcards and dreams and she is happy.

~Bronwyn Petry

She is happy.  Because it's not about grandeur or monumental moments or life-changing experiences.  It's these things that make her smile...

Love letters
Smiling at strangers
Hallmark movies and hot chocolate
Going home
The charm of an old bookstore
Curiosity
Beautiful new life in Lucy, Griggs, Maris,and Maddi on the way
White Christmas lights
John Mayer's voice
The smell of salt air
Yoga pants
Life chats
A spontaneous slow dance while dinner cooks.
This boy and his best friend.

Enjoy your Monday.  Listen to the leaves crunch under your feet.  Be still.  And then find something simple to love.

Lately...

I know I'm so far behind...thanks for hanging with me (especially Caroline and your daily requests demands to update the blog.)  :)

Here's what we've been up to.

A busted lip at school that grew with each passing day.

Kids yoga.

I've never been happier to work from home.  I was able to be at Wills' Halloween party at Mother's Day Out.

And help the other moms set up for their festive lunch. 

A great Halloween night trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.

Celebrating 5 years of marriage!  We spent our actual anniversary night at the fair with our little boy.  Romantic, I know.  But, I wouldn't have traded it for the world.  Wills was all smiles, brave as can be, and had the time of his life.

We headed out the next morning for a night on Lake Oconee.  We started with hoppy beers and the Georgia game.

And ended with a dinner for two at the Silver Moon.  It was romantic, rustic, and lit with white lights and lanterns.  Loved it.

Endless entertainment on the train table.  Thanks, Uncle Tone.

Planning and daydreaming about Christmas parties!

Waiting on baby Maddi....only a week to go.  I can hardly stand it.

Still trying new veggies.  Eggplant on the right.

Grilled cabbage with olive oil, Worcestershire, sea salt, and bacon bits.

And of course lots of cozy fires with my boys.

In a rut...

We've been in a vegetable rut around here.  I rotate spinach and romaine salads, sauteed or grilled asparagus and zucchini, and steamed broccoli.

This week I'm changing it up!  It's all about variety.

I started with Brussels Sprouts.  Go big or go home, right?  William immediately turned his nose up.

I wasn't sure exactly what to do with them.  But, I chopped the little stem off the end, cut them in half, and placed them on a roasting pan.  Topped with olive oil, sea salt, and aged balsamic vinegar. 

I roasted them on 425 degrees for 15 minutes. 

I was surprised with how good they were!  Crispy and caramelized. Excited to have a new vegetable in the rotation.  

Up next....eggplant, butternut squash, and cabbage.  Yum!