Happy Thanksgiving

"Be present in all things and thankful for all things."

~ Maya Angelou

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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Side Dish Only Thanksgiving

Could you do a without a turkey on Thanksgiving?  I read a family's story of their side-dish-only Thanksgiving and I was intrigued.  Honestly, while I do enjoy a good turkey on T-Day, it is definitely not my favorite thing on the menu.  I don't know if I could ever convince my family to jump on this bandwagon, but I thought it was an interesting concept.  Cheers to more mashed potatoes, cranberries, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and beyond!  Oh, and don't forget a few heaping helpings of apple pie…

Would you do a side-dish only Thanksgiving?  Do tell...

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Thankful

I'm feeling especially thankful this Thanksgiving, just to name a few...

+ I am thankful for my beautiful, healthy daughter.   I am thankful for my healthy pregnancy. I am thankful that I carried my baby to term, and for our smooth delivery.  I am thankful for the gift of motherhood.

+ I am ever thankful for my husband, who embraced fatherhood without the slightest hesitation, and is equally smitten with our little bug.  I am thankful to have him as my partner, and know we are on the same team in this parenting journey together.

+ I am thankful for my parents, to my mom who clears her schedule often to be available to help us out.  I am more thankful for my parents now more than ever, as I can now clearly appreciate and recognize what they went through to raise sisters and I.  It's very humbling.

+ I am thankful for gainful employment. Even though I'm reluctant to head back to work after the blessing that is maternity leave, I am thankful to have a job that has security.

+ I am thankful for my family.  My extended family is loud, boisterous, sarcastic, and full of life. Even though they're scattered across a handful of states, and we don't all come together nearly as often as I'd like, it is comforting to know they're just a phone call, or plane ride away.

+ I am thankful for my friends.  My girlfriends are a close knit group.  I know I can lean on any of them if need be, which in itself is a comforting thought.  We celebrate together, cry together, laugh together, and share a bond that has only strengthened through the years.

+ I am thankful for my life.  It has been a year of blessings and I feel especially grateful and happy this year.

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you a holiday full of family, friends, and thankfulness.

Eat up!

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Black Friday Link Love

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Here are some shopping links for Black Friday...

+ Beautiful lace necklace.

+ A new Thanksgiving tradition - gratitude rolls

+ Octopus inspired to-do list.

+ Delectable desserts 101.

+ Loving easy DIY yarn pumpkins!

+ A modern home-sweet-home print.

+ Tres chic eye mask.

+ Chunky necklaces, here, here, and here.

+ At home DIY cheese making kit!

+ Custom address stamper

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Happy Thanksgiving

Our first Thanksgiving as newlyweds.

So much to be thankful for.

Hope you and your loved ones enjoy feasting and merriment together!

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Friends Thanksgiving

For the past 5+ years, my close group of friends has thrown a "Friends Thanksgiving" party every year. Our group of friends is a hodgepodge of native Seattleites and transplants from other parts of the U.S., Canada, and England. Together we are kind of like our own little family. We celebrate birthdays, graduations, celebrations of all kinds together.

But Friends Thanksgiving is one event we plan and especially look forward to every year. This year we had a new location - our friends Vanessa & Nick bought a vacation cabin just outside of the Bavarian-inspired town Leavenworth - a 2-hour drive from Seattle, and generously offered it up to host Friends Thanksgiving, making it a weekend event. The 12 of us caravaned through the snowy pass to enjoy a cozy cabin weekend and feast together.

Our feast was monumental; everything from traditional turkey to jalapeno-corn casserole to my husband's famous "bacon explosion," and every Thanksgiving food you can think of in-between. Besides feasting, our weekend was peppered with snowy walks, cozying up in front of the fire, and plenty of games.

It was a blast! I love celebrating traditions with friends.

Do you have any traditions or events you celebrate with your friends every year?

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm very thankful for so many things on this Thanksgiving, my FIANCE!, my family, my friends, my job...the list goes on. The FIANCE and I are headed back to the Midwest late tonight to celebrate the holiday with his family (my future in-laws!).

Wishing you have a warm and cozy turkey day! Hope you get to enjoy good food and festivities and celebrate all you are thankful for with family and friends. I'm kind of excited I just get to enjoy the eating portion of this holiday, but for all those of you cooking tomorrow, what are you bringing to Thanksgiving dinner?

P.S. Since I'll be out of town, I'll be on a little blog hiatus until Monday - enjoy the long weekend!!

image/ladies, say what you say!

Thankful For...

With the business of this holiday weekend, I'm a little behind on my Thanksgiving post, but better late than never right?

This year, I'm thankful for...
* my wonderful, amazing family...that they're happy, healthy, and mostly close by
* my kind, generous, thoughtful boyfriend who has always makes me feel special
* my job, I feel very lucky to be employed in this economy
* my class, 24 little 7 & 8-year olds that keep me excited and wanting to go to work everyday
* my new home, the fact that I have a home of my own
* my friends...who keep my life full of laughter and good times

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

Dessert Last Night

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I treated myself to a batch of these pumpkin cupcakes yesterday (albeit mine had store bought cream cheese frosting). Delicious, a perfect holiday treat!

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Wine Your Turkey

Ever heard of marinating a turkey in wine? Ever a fan of the sweet wine Riesling, I was surprised to hear it could be used on a turkey! This year Martha's mixing it up with Maple Roasted Turkey with Riesling Gravy. What do you think? Would you make this for your Thanksgiving? What is your fave Thanksgiving dish?

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Friends Thanksgiving

Our 3rd annual Friends Thanksgiving was a roaring success. This year we even had 28 people in attendance! This holiday party started 3 years ago, stemming from the fact that a good percentage of my friends are not from the Seattle area. With a few from Canada, one from England, and the rest scattered around the US, many of our friends are "transplants" to the Seattle area.

This potluck-style party brings everyone together to celebrate our friend "family." It's such a fun tradition, everyone brings something to the table, we had everything from ham to turkey to mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, gingerbread, all the fixings! I'm very thankful for my friends!

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I'm Thankful For...

...So many things! Hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!!

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Honey Will You Set The Table?

A little inspiration for your Thanksgiving table...