Behind Already

According to this Christmas Countdown site, with only 55 days left until Christmas, I am already behind in my organization! I should have started October 21st with my getting organized week for the Christmas season and I am already half-way through "reality check week".

In all seriousness it is nice to have the holiday season approaching, and I look forward to searching this site a little more for some ideas to perhaps make it less hectic. I am already ahead in my Christmas buying though! I only have a few small items to purchase and my shopping is complete. I am one of those people who shops all year long and is constantly at the clearance racks in the stores looking for my loved ones' gifts. (Sorry if that is a revelation to any of my family members....no I don't pay full price for your gifts!)

This is my favorite time of year. Not because I will possibly get a few gifts, but because I get to GIVE gifts. Gifts of time, donations, prayers, food, and treasures to family, friends, and most importantly, those who are less fortunate than I am. Not that I need a reason or a season to give to the homeless, nursing homes, orphanages, etc., but it always seems that my heart is gladdened more by giving at Christmas. My favorite thing to do is to gather angels and tags from the various "trees" around town and give to people that I will never see. It makes me happy to think about how I might make someone smile on Christmas day, just by doing something that has made me smile. That's the best way to give a gift.

The holiday season is always rushed and busy, but I am going to try and focus this year on what the season is about...the birth of my Saviour. The gifts of giving of myself. And the time to spend with family. Truly it is a blessed time of year.

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at Rich's Farm in Smithfield, PA picking pumpkins and petting farm animals. Morgan had a fantastic time picking out her pumpkin. She walked with her Daddy through the corn maze, watched the pig, lamb, chickens, cow, and horse in the petting "zoo", climbed the hay bale mountains, and went for a tractor/wagon ride. She also pet the cow and the horse, but she didn't really like the horse. She liked to listen to the pigs snort around in their pen and wasn't sure what to make of the lamb. It was a cold, crisp fall day and I think the beginning of an annual family tradition!

I have been trying for a couple of days to get some pictures uploaded to this post, but for some reason blogspot won't upload them. You'll have to visit Morgan's site to see the pictures, and if I can get them to work, I'll post them here!

Pumpkin Art

How do you dress up your pumpkin?

West Virginia Fall

It's been a late fall season and there have still been a few hot days (over 80) in October, so the leaves have just started to change here in Appalachia. I snapped a few pictures along the ridge close to my in-laws house as I was driving home from there the other day.

The pretty progression of color in one tree

View from Sunrise Ridge

This reminds me of a picture that would be paired with a Robert Frost poem

Beautiful rainbow on the drive home

Two Fantastic Recipes

Here are two recipes I have had lately that are just delicious!

White chocolate, cranberry, and macadamia nut cookies

Servings: Makes 36 (large) or 72 (small) cookies.

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (about 8 1/2 ounces)
1 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted macadamia nuts (about 4 1/2 ounces)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat just until blended. Using spatula, stir in cranberries, white chocolate chips, and nuts.For large cookies, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 21/2 inches apart. For small cookies, drop dough by level tablespoonfuls onto sheets, spacing 11/2 inches apart.Bake cookies until just golden, about 18 minutes for large cookies and about 15 minutes for small cookies. Cool on sheets.

Do ahead: Can be made ahead. Store airtight at room temperature up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.


Fabulous Pumpkin Mousse

2 small packages sugar free vanilla pudding (instant)
2 cups milk (skim preferably)
1 can Pumpkin (depending on your taste)
½ tsp Pumpkin pie spices (or cinnamon & nutmeg)
1 cup Sugarfree Cool Whip

Beat pudding, milk, pumpkin and spices with a whisk. Fold in Cool Whip. Refrigerate for at least two hours (longer if possible).

Keeps 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator. Yields 4 servings of 2 Weight Watchers points each. (Very big servings). Can also be used to make pies. Use a baked pie crust or graham cracker crust. Makes 2 pies for 2 points at 1/6 pie.

Hiatus

I hated to realize today that I haven't posted on this blog for almost a month. Things have been so busy at home and at work that I just haven't had the time. Add to that the fact that Morgan and I have both been sick for well over a week and that leads to one very tired Mama.

While it's been super busy, there really hasn't been much going on to report. Patrick has been working and on the road a lot with his new job as the Suicide Prevention Coordinator for WV. On Saturday the 6th we participated in a 5K walk for suicide prevention in Huntington. That was a lot of fun. It was a gorgeous day and the park was really nice. Patrick's sister Amy and our niece Julia joined us and we had a good time.

Last weekend Morgan and I were in Buckhannon with my aunt while Patrick was out of town. We wrapped Christmas gifts, played Scrabble, and did a little shopping. It was nice to have some help with Morgan since I have strep throat and have been running a fever for a few days.

This weekend is WVU football and the Red Ribbon Race (we're not running in this one, just working the tables). Fall has certainly arrived in WV. I am not a big fan of fall because it is the beginning of winter, my least favorite of the seasons. But this year I am glad to see it come. Frankly I am tired of my summer clothes and it's been refreshing to have a little crispness in the air. Fall is a time to remind us there is beauty in dying and that life is renewed every year. While winter is always so long for me, I look forward to life renewed in the spring.