A Little Bit of Fall is in the Air ...

Happy Halloween! 

May you be careful, eat lots of candies, avoid cavities, and be prepared to face goblins and ghosts! 

If you come by our house, we are pretending no one is home. :)

I will take happies to the neighbor kids and then turn our lights off and devour the rest of the candy that we saved for ourselves. 

I heard that if you eat candy in the dark, there are no calories. 

I thought we will at least try it out and let you know.

Any hoos ...

Back in September, I told Ken that I was not decorating for fall. It was in a fit of exhaustion, and I was determined. 

Then October happened, the air turned cool and crisp, and I had energy. 

I am also woman, and I can change my mind anytime I want. 

So here it goes ...

I love that my fall decor is simple with a flair of whimsical. I love the blue with the orange, that I used everything that I already had, and that I made it fit in with my current decor.  

Now all I need to do is put some soup in that tureen and a sweet pie in that pie plate. 

Who is ready to come over?

What I am Thankful For ...

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I am thankful for many things like most people - GOD, family, friends, home, job, and food on the table.

These are very important things that we too often forget that we are wealthier than most of the rest of the world.

I am thankful that I am reminded of this especially during the holidays.

It is far better to give than to receive.

I am thankful that my parents instilled in us to have a desire to help others in need.

I am thankful that my little family is continuing in this tradition.

I am thankful for the little things in life even if they last but for a moment - a rainy afternoon causing me to slow down and enjoy myself, flowers that need planting, an empty laundry basket, a students who finally "gets it," a husband who loves me, a husband that does the floors, a sweet Tootsie that nudges me when she needs some loving, a family where there is never a dull moment, a great church, friends who you can share secrets with, and being loved even when you fill you least deserve it.

There is so much to be thankful for! I need to count my blessing every day and show gratitude for what I do have.

I believe that when we realize our blessings it not only gives us hope for future blessings but also refreshes us.

What are some of the little things in life that you are thankful for?

What I will be fixing today.

I shared this with you last year, but thought you might enjoy an oldie but a goodie

Squash Dressing from Patty Roper

- 2 (6-oz) Mexican Cornbread Mix (or you can get plain cornbread and mix it with Mexican corn)

- 2 lbs yellow squash, sliced

- 2 cups water

- 1/2 cup butter

- 1 cup onion, chopped

- 1 cup celery, chopped

- 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped

- 1/2 cup green onion, sliced

- 1 can cream of chicken soup undiluted

- 2 cups milk

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Bake cornbread according to package directions. Cool, then crumble; set aside. Combine squash and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 8 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in a skillet; add onion, celery, green pepper, and green onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Combine cornbread, squash, onion mixture, and remaining ingredients; spoon into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees and 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Pumpkin Crisp from Southern Living

- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

- 1 cup evaporated milk

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1 (18.25 ounce) package butter flavored yellow cake mix

- 1 cup chopped pecans

- 1 cup butter, melted

- Whipped cream (optional)

- Ground nutmeg (optional)

Stir together first 5 ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture; sprinkle evenly with pecans. Drizzle butter evenly over pecans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from over, and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream, if desired. Sprinkle with nutmeg, if desired. Makes 8-10 servings

So yummy and delicious! I will probably divide both of these recipes into two smaller dishes due to all the Thanksgivings that we have to go to!

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your Thanksgiving be full of good food, fun, and fellowship!

If I was Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

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I would hope that it would look like this:

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My guests would be encouraged to:

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By putting their gratitude on the

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My table would look like this ...

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Filled with delicious food like this ...

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I would be sure to set a plate for my Woman of Hope.

Afterwards, my guests would sit around the living room drinking coffee and having desserts while we read what we wrote earlier on the Thankful Tree.

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Once everyone was full of thankfulness and food, we would start a congo line as we cleaned up the kitchen!  

Doesn't this sound like fun! However we will not be hosting Thanksgiving but rather, we will be going to Mississippi to celebrate with family for Thanksgiving. Something I look forward to!