Thanksgiving and Tree Pickin' {2012}

I was far too busy cooking and eating and eating again to chronicle Thanksgiving Day on my phone.
I did however take advantage of the 70 degree weather we were having.
Rounded the kids up in the yard for a long overdue photo shoot with my real camera.
Yes I still own one.

I'm glad I had my phone nearby though...otherwise I may have missed this shot.
Maggie and Bo.
His sweet face.
Her beautiful face.
I melt.



Guesstures with the family {extended included}
A Thanksgiving tradition.
Boys vs. Girls.
Lots of smack talk goes on here.
I'm talkin' someone from each team has to keep score.
No worries.
Girls remain victorious.
Every. Single. Time.
Boom.



The hubby obliged to head out on Black Friday with me.
He's not a sore loser.
We didn't do crazy people hours.
Got out around 8am....got everything we were looking for.
Take that sleep deprived crazy people.



Day after Thanksgiving is Tree Pickin' Day at our house.
We visit the same farm every year.
Tradition.



The kids picked the most beautiful tree I think we've ever had.



Before.



After.
Not one decorative ball on my tree.
Nothing but handmade ornaments from the kiddos and souvenir ornaments from our travels as a family.
Even the star is made from a cone-shaped water cooler cup and a coffee filter.
My sixteen year old made it when he was five.
Wouldn't take a million dollars for it.
Take your magazine cover worthy tree.
I'll keep my tree of memories.



No tree trimming party would be complete without some Holiday tunage.
Possibly my favorite Christmas song.
I dare you not to cry.



And on a less serious more heathen note, if you don't have some JB on your Christmas playlist... you are missing out.
We were jamming to this song tonight on the way home and Aidan said, "Mom, who is Shawty anyway??"
He was dead serious.
I didn't know whether to laugh or repent.



Have I told you lately how much joy this boy brings to my life?
Or how big he is getting?
Or how much I don't like it?
Or that I plan to keep him little forever?



This is my world right now.
Boo hiss.
I'm pretty much miserable and whiny.
But I ain't gonna lie...I get a little too excited when it's time to take those gloriously green horse pills up there.
Nothing like Nyquil sleep.
Nope.



"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

How to Decorate With Seasonal Kids Art

We are on fall break this week which leaves me with a little time on my hands to decorate the house for fall.

I big puffy heart love fall ya'll.

I keep a tote or two or five for each season and the decorations that go with it.

When the kids make any type of artwork that goes with that particular season...I usually keep it in that box.

Yesterday while pilfering through fall boxes, I found Fall/Thanksgiving artwork I have saved over the past years.

I never know what to do with it.

I used to stick it all on my kitchen cabinets but now that my cabinets are painted, I'm afraid to adhere anything onto them.

So I had the genius idea..and by genius I mean people have probably been doing this forever and I just now thought of it...of putting them up on a small wall in my kitchen...gallery style.

No measuring required.

No stressing over what goes where.

Just grab the Scotch tape and slap it up.

It's my way.



Turkeys made from hands...that still had fat dimpled fingers.

Paper chains of "gratitude".

Construction paper pilgrims.

This wall makes me happy.

I cannot wait to do the same thing for Christmas.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I keep everything my kids make.

It's bad.

I just can't seem to throw it into a garbage can when their little hands made it.

I may be on hoarders one day...making a walking path through piles of construction paper.

How about you?

Do you save your kid's art?

Pick through and keep your favorites?

Have a system for saving that you could share?

"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

Orange Salad {Easy Thanksgiving Side Dish}

"This was originally posted in 2010. I had planned to make it again and get better pictures with better lighting this time. But the weather here this week is rainy and dreadful so I think I have missed my chance. It's probably all for the best anyway because I would have eaten the whole thing by myself before Thursday. I've never re-posted an old post here on my blog but this recipe is so stinkin easy...and so stinkin good...that I simply had to share again.

Need an easy last minute side dish to take to your Great Aunt Sally's house? This is your dish."

Click here for the recipe. Easy, cheap, delicious. You can thank me later.




I probably won't be posting again before Thanksgiving.

I will be busy preparing for my first Thanksgiving dinner with my mom in years.

I'm so grateful.

I'm also grateful for each and every one of you that leave pieces of yourself here with me. You bless and enrich my life.

Enjoy your families and may the food you eat produce no fat. ;-)



"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

Thanksgiving 2010

How was your Turkey Day?

Did you eat too much?

Are you still working on leftovers?

Do you wish adult pants came in adjustable waist?

I do.


We had a fabulous Thanksgiving.

Even though I could have lived without the two hour drive in the rain. Each way.

I like road trips and all.

But my ADD gets the best of me and I have to keep myself busy.





We had the standard Southern Thanksgiving spread.

Turkey.
Cornbread Dressing.
Cranberry Sauce
Chicken and Dumplings.
Green Beans.
Sweet potato casserole.
Pumpkin pie.
Coffee.
Repeat.

I gained at least 5 pounds just by walking in the door.

So grateful for another year with my Grandpa Fisher.

The man that used to rock me to sleep on his chest.



I am his oldest grandchild and he is the only grandparent I have left.

He is a pistol I tell you.

Cancer survivor.

Frequent flyer.

Preacher of the Gospel.

Living life to the fullest.

He has even written and published an autobiography of his life.

An amazing story.

Thankfully he left out the time he pinched my leg in church to shush me up and I yelled out "Grandpa you pinched me!" for the entire congregation to hear.

Poor guy...he was the preacher...and we were on the front row.

No need to include it I suppose.

As many times and my grandma told it I am sure no one could ever forget.

My children do not have a huge memory of their other great-grandparents so I feel especially blessed to know that they have a deep rooted understanding of this man and his life.

And his legacy.



I have so much respect and admiration for both he and my dad and treasure each time I get to see them.

Good food.

Family.

Four generations under one roof.

Truly something to be thankful for.

The new jiggle in my thighs?

Not so much.



****************************************************

On our way back home we stopped in to see my best friend Stephanie.

We have been friends since Jr. High.

But became much closer as we went through High School.


















That's us on the right our Senior year.




And us on Thanksgiving 16 years later.

We still look good Steph. Even after 3 kids :-)

We have shared more laughs, inside jokes, and shopping bags than two people ever should.

There is something very special to me about this friend that goes far beyond sleepovers and trips to the mall.

Stephanie was the one holding my hand when I accepted Christ.

She cared about my soul enough to ask me to go to church with her.

Her entire family did in fact.

They invited me in to their home and loved on me as one of their own.

They somehow looked over the mess that I was as a teenager and saw me through the eyes of Christ.

And it made all the difference.

Only 3 little miles separated us back then.

I wish that were true today.

Thank you Steph for loving me and my small shoulders all this time.

I love you.



"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

Grandma Margaret's Orange Salad {The post I never set out to write...but needed to more than I knew}

Ambrosia.

Orange Delight.

Hawaiian Delight.

I've heard it called many different things.

And I have tried different variations.

With coconut.

Without.

With mini-marshmallows.

Without.

But there is only one Orange Salad in my world.

And it came straight from my Grandma Margaret's kitchen.

My favorite place to be from childhood on into adulthood.





I apologize for not having better pictures.

And of course for the poor lighting that comes with my strange need to cook at night.

You see, I had it all put together before I thought to grab my camera and I CANNOT make it again before Thanksgiving because I will eat it all.

Just like I did with this bowl you see here.

You are just gonna have to trust me when I say that it is heavenly to the palette.



This dish is perfect for Thanksgiving.

Although I have yet to decide if it is a side dish or a dessert.

It's both I suppose because I always make room for it on my savory main course plate...yet somehow it always ends up on my dessert plate next to the pecan pie as well.

Let's pretend that I didn't just confess to having multiple desserts on a plate at one time.

Okie dokie?

Did I mention how easy it is to make?!?!

You will not regret making this I promise.

Unless you eat the whole bowl yourself.

In that case, I cannot be held responsible.

It is a risk that comes with this dish.

**I did not bother with Weight Watchers points while making this...although they could easily be calculated. I have no plans to count points on Thanksgiving Day. Gonna make it all about healthy choices and portion control but also going to enjoy this special day with my family.**

16 oz. Lite Cool Whip (or regular..depends on if you are watching your figure)
1 package of orange jello powder (you can use sugar free if you like)
1 container Cottage Cheese (I use a large tub because I like a lot..you can use less)
1 Large can Crushed Pineapple (Drained well)
2 Cans Mandarin Oranges (more or less depending on your taste..I like a lot so I use 2 cans)
Mix all ingredients together in large bowl and store in refrigerator to chill for a while.

**************************************************
While writing this post I found myself flooded with emotions and had to stop and regroup.

And decide if I would keep writing.

Emotions I had not allowed myself to feel in a long time.

That old familiar sting of memory and grief.

Why did I think I could just mention her in some generic recipe post and move on?

It is never that simple when it comes to her.

You see this lady has a place in my heart that no one will ever hold.

She was more to me than just a grandma.

She was a provider.

A nurturer.

Constant.

Unconditional.

She was my safe refuge in the midst of a childhood that was at times very stormy.

My parents were just kids themselves.

Teenagers thrust into a world they did not know how to navigate.

God has graciously healed and restored those relationships and I am at a very good place with both of my parents today.

In fact it is just another example of His faithfulness in my life and I give Him all the glory for it.

Both my mother and my father are very aware of this bond that existed between she and I.

And I know they would both understand and respect my need to honor her for all she gave to me.

She helped shape who I am today.

Her faith helped me to believe.

The blessings she repeatedly spoke over my life gave me a glimpse of a plan for my life greater than I could imagine.

Her faithfulness to hit her knees and intercede on my behalf saved me I know.

"God is going to use you in a mighty way one day Talysa"

I can still hear it.

I miss her everyday.

For so many different reasons.

But this is the time of year I miss her most.

This was her time to shine. :-)

So I do what my mom, my aunt, and everyone else in my family does this time of year.

I honor her legacy of being "The Best Cook Ever" by attempting to recreate the dishes she made famous.

Food is just food.

Unless it is an integral part of a specific moment in time.

Then it becomes so much more.

Essential even.

It is why we make the same things every single holiday.

We all have our "orange salad".

That one dish that serves as a bridge to close the gap from the here and now to days gone by.

My senses rally.

The memories come.

Like flood waters without mercy.

And it is almost as though I am there again.

Watching her small, fragile, yet strong hands busily at work around the oven.

Laughing as the steam fogs her glasses.

Listening as she quietly sings her favorite hymn "What a Day That Will Be" to herself.

Wishing dessert, just once, came first so I could have a piece of her to die for coconut cake.

Reliving memories with family I may not see again until this time next year.

Standing at the sink after dinner washing ridiculous amounts of dishes.

Praying that by next Thanksgiving someone will have installed a dishwasher.

Painfully full but somehow left wanting more.

More of her food.

More of her.

More time.


Today, as I weep for a grandma that I miss immensely, I am thankful for the hope and promise I have in Christ.

That because of the faith and trust I have placed in Him, I can take comfort in knowing that I will one day be with her again.

She will be more than a memory.

She will be whole.

She will know exactly who I am.

No more of the horrible disease that robbed her of her memory of me.

Of all of us.

She will wipe those precious little hands off on her apron and I will once again hear that fiery voice say "Land sakes! Talysa Dawn, where have you been? Well next time you don't need to stay gone so long you hear? You're hungry I'll bet. Well, come on in here and I'll fix you something to eat."

And when we have stuffed ourselves full of her coconut cake...

We will load the dishwasher. :-)

What a day...glorious day...that will be.




This was one of her favorite songs. The one I most remember hearing her sing around the house. Only now that I am older and have had my mistakes covered by His grace can I read these lyrics and completely understand why they meant so much to her. She wasn't perfect...even though as I child I thought she was. None of us are. We are all just sinners in desperate need of a Savior. Extended more grace than we will ever be worthy of.

I wanted to add this video because it is exactly the way she would have enjoyed hearing it. She was a sucker for Southern Gospel. :-)



WHAT A DAY THAT WILL BE
by Jim Hill
There is coming a day,
When no heart aches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky,
No more tears to dim the eye,
All is peace forever more,
On that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

There’ll be no sorrow there,
No more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain,
No more parting over there;
And forever I will be,
With the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.






"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"