Fun, Food and Festivities

Another month has quickly gotten away from us and we are headed into my favorite time of the whole year: Christmas time!! The month of November, however, is my 2nd favorite time of the year because of the celebrating that happens right around the 21st and continues on until the end leading into December. This month the celebration of my birthday and Thanksgiving were characterized by good friends and lots of yummy food, including a fair amount of chocolate.

We started off the celebration with a fantastic feast of seafood at the Olive Garden topped off by their chocolate strata cake. I highly reccommend both the seafood and the cake!

The next night, Eric invited friends over from church and we ate a yummy homemade chocolate cake as well as a checkerboard mousse cake from Trader Joe's. A week later, we are still enjoying both of those desserts! One of my friends also brought dark chocolate peanut butter cups from Trader Joe's--a must try for anyone who has not experienced them.

On my actual birthday we relaxed and enjoyed resting after a fun-filled weekend and being treated to In 'N' Out for lunch by some dear friends.

When it was discovered that Eric and I both got Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving, we jumped up and down for joy and then tried to figure out how we would spend the 4 days together. We received one invitation to spend Thanksgiving with some friends and their family but decided instead to cook our own little meal and hang out together. We finalized our cooking plans on Wednesday night and at 7 p.m. went to the grocery store to buy the ingredients we needed. Crazy? Yes, but we were up for the task. There were no turkeys left at the store (surprise, surprise) but we got a 6 lb. breast and everything else we needed for the next day.

Our menu consisted of turkey breast cooked in the crockpot, mashed potatos and gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing and cranberry sauce. I'd have to say that I missed eating rolls but probably don't need the carbs. Everything was a sucess except for the stuffing. I think the recipe wasn't a good one because it didn't turn out too well. Instead of pie, we finished off the meal with more chocolate cake and ice cream.

After dinner we took a walk and talked about all the things we are thankful for this year. On the list were things like our great jobs which God provided at the exact right time, our church, our friends, our family, and each other. We are thankful for you too and hope that this coming season is filled with joy, not from getting everything you want but from knowing that your greatest need has already been met in Jesus Christ making a way to God.