An Apron Swap

My friend Missy and I decided to join in on the fun with the big apron swap. Missy doesn't have a blog (I have been encouraging her to get one, and I really hope she does!). She has the sweetest spirit and is so beautiful inside and out. We have known each other since we were both very young. We were acquaintances, she was about to be a new bride and I was a young teanager. She was someone I wanted to be just like and still do. I am so blessed by our friendship that has sprouted and grown through facebook. I can't wait for the day when we can actually see each other in person!

She sent me the loveliest apron for our apron swap. Its double sided, so it has a pattern on one side and then a sightly different pattern on the other side.

She also included in her box some homemade foot lotion that smells heavenly! I put it on my feet before I go to bed and it has really been nourishing my feet.

I didn't take a picture of the apron I sent to her, which I hope is as nice as the one she gave me! Hopefully one day soon I can let you all know that Missy has started a blog ;)

Thank you again Missy!!!

A very blessed Monday to all

:)

A Happy Thanksgiving

Some pretty Thanksgiving napkins my Mom brought for me. 

Such a nice treat and touch to our table!

Benjamin decided to start a new tradition by having BBQ brisket with our Thanksgiving meal. Not exactly sure that Turkey and BBQ go together. Turkey is a must in my opinion ;) So we both decided that I would cook my turkey and him his brisket. And it turned out really well. 

We had his brisket in the morning (he had it cooking all night last night) with breakfast and then again for lunch and then when it was time for our main meal we had Mr. Turkey! 

Yes, I am very full ;D!!!

He is so pleased with the way it turned out and me too! 

It looks like we will be having brisket for many future Thanksgivings to come lol.

I made my favorite Frog Eyed Salad yesterday. I posted a little about it last year here. I couldn't find the Acini Di Pepe macaroni though. These ones are a little too big, but they were better then nothing! It came out pretty tasty, not as tasty as my mom's, but still very yummy! 

Perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning!

Okay, my first attempt at baking a pie and crust. I have never made a pie-crust before. My sister Marie and my Mom make such perfect pie-crusts, melt in your mouth pie-crusts that I have felt a little scared to attempt it lol! This year I was forced to. It came out pretty well, but I need some major practice! Not as light and flakey as I would have liked.

I gave away the prettier one of the two to our sweet Jewish neighbor Theresa and her son Joshua. I didn't want to be eating two whole pies between Benjamin and me!

This morning I made us some special coffee that Jon had sent us a couple of months back. Its so special it only comes out on extra special occasions like today!

;)

Thank you so much Jon!!

Winston waiting for his dad to come back from the garage where he was busy cooking his brisket.

I just sat down with a piece of pumpkin pie and a cup of tea and how lovely it is to leisurely post about our Happy Thanksgiving. Since this was Winston's first, he didn't want to miss much of it and only took one nap today and joyfully enjoyed the rest of the day lol. He went to bed not too long ago and I hope that will mean he will sleep in tomorrow morning ;P

Shhhhh, yes we did sneak our Christmas tree in our door a few days before we were supposed to. But I don't think any of the neighbors spotted us and we just turned on the lights tonight so technically its okay, right? 

Lol! 

~Thank you Lord for your goodness in our lives as well as the beautiful country that we are so blessed to live in. 

To enjoy the bounty that was served at our table tonight

 and every night is solely from you alone~

A very Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!

Blessed

My Mom's visit came and went and was so refreshing and uplifting. The six days we had felt like two days. As soon as she hopped into the car from the airport we didn't stop talking. The few hours of sleep we got were enough to recharge our batteries for the next day of delights.

That first morning waking up and jumping into her bed with Winston in tow, was one of the brightest of my memories. We had coffee in the mornings on the back porch feeling the cool breeze and looking at the lake water. I don't want to forget it!

On a walk to a little lake close to the house where there is baby ducks.
Winston was pretty delighted!

I took her to the base and showed her all the different special things and then we had a picnic lunch by the water in this cozy private area. The weather was perfect.

Since Benjamin isn't a fan of brownies, I took advantage of my Mom's love for them lol!

 

 Mom served us non-stop while she was here. I would go upstairs to put the baby down for his nap and come back down and the dishwasher would be unloaded and loaded again, our lunch would be cooking and the laundry started. She did this throughout the whole of her visit.

In the evenings Benjamin and baby would go to bed, and I would sneak off to her room where we enjoyed tea and some form of a  yummy sweet. We were pretty tired by the end of her visit lol!

 

This little cutie enjoyed Grammy so much! Her laughter was contagious and he couldn't resist it!

Our day at the beach went by too fast. I can still smell the ocean. We spent several hours there, but it felt like a few minuets. Benjamin had to work the whole week and weekend, so he missed out on a lot of our fun. The last day she was here, he took us to one of his favorite restaurants. 

It was soooo nice!

It was a little difficult getting myself back into the routine again. Today I think my spirits are up and I am ready to get to cooking our yummy Thanksgiving menu! 

Benjamin and I went shopping last night and it was so delightful. Its really fun to be with him when grocery shopping. He takes his time and gets way more then I would have, I love him! ;)

This time last year we were in two different states, wishing we could share this holiday together and now here we are a year later enjoying the joys around us and especially each other.

I am trying to cherish every second of these holidays, cause it looks as though we may not get to share them together again next year.

I received my apron from my sweet friend Missy. I can't wait to post it!

Happy cooking! :P

Meringue Cookies

I had a lot of leftover egg whites from cooking Creme Brulee not to long ago and decided to put them to tasty use! ;)

Meringue is so much fun to make. I love the fluffy silky white texture. I want to experiment further with these little cookies and use them for some yummy Christmas dishes.

Egg whites

Cream of Tartar that I bought at the local health food store. It is so much cheaper then buying from the regular grocery store. This was like thirty cents!

Mmmm so pretty!

I piped the meringue onto parchment paper.

 I am so out of practice!

While they were baking in the oven,

 I watched this little cutie ride around in his car. 

 I put them in a nice air tight bucket that had once been used for coconut oil. It came in very handy. Now I'll just save these little beauties for some yummy deserts to come!

Meringue Cookies

*This recipe originally called for lemon zest, but I left it out since I didn't have any lemons.*

4 Egg Whites

1 Pinch of Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar 

1 1/3 Sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large clean glass or metal bowl, whip the egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until they can hold a soft peak. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar while continuing to whip to stiff peaks. Drop by heaping  spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.

3. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until they peel off the sheet without resistance. Cool on wire racks, then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

~I need to practice with them a little more. I wanted them to be white once baked, so i'll have to work on that.

My Mom is coming in on Monday! She is in Ohio right now visiting with Marie, Jon and Zane. 

Benjamin helped me get her room all ready the other night. Our second bedroom is an office/library/guest bedroom and not very inviting. We moved around furniture and reorganized and today it is so cozy and warm! We both want to just hang out in it lol :)

My heart is bursting with excitement!

 Just two more days and she'll be here! 

I hope everyone has a nice weekend! 

Nine Months Already!

My baby is nine months! Eeek! Just a few months left and he will be 1!

We have loved every stage he has grown into. I thought I would be so sad, when he didn't have a gummy mouth anymore, but now when I see those gappy teeth, my heart melts. 

Here are a few pictures I captured of him this last month ;)

We had some gorgeous weather and baby and I had some fun outside.

The cats too! Bay loves eating all my dead plants.

Winston fell asleep holding his bird. He often does this :)

 

Tonia enjoying the open window :)

He's starting to get around!

And muscling up on his arms lol!

Look at those teeth!

 

 I received the beautiful tea cozy in the mail a few weeks ago from my Mom and I am in love ;) It keeps my tea piping hot and extends my tea time much longer ;)

And my beloved Mom is coming next week!!! 

I can't wait to post about our visit and all the things we do!

Like a picnik at the sea! A walk to the bakery, cuddling with Winnie, cooking and of course talking!

I cant wait!