with a thankful heart

table is set

turkey's in the oven

I've reached that moment

where I can relax

because I know it will all be ready

by 2 p.m. as planned

and now my heart can swell

with all that I am thankful for

simple things like

waking to a snow flaked world

holiday music filling the house

nibbling on the most delicious

chocolate chip cookie

that a friend recently shared with me

there was something different 

about that cookie

I insisted

and she shared

willing to tell me her secret

(thanks friend)

milk chocolate chips

and oh what a wonderful dance

it does play on the tongue

thank you, Jennifer!

remembering my yesterday

James helping with the cleaning

 mom helping in the kitchen

chopping and laughing and storytelling

together

what fun the preparations can be

when there is someone there to talk to

she washed as we went along

we taste-tested

and shared a coffee

at the pauses

with those warm buttery cookies 

sister Sue joined us

and stayed for a pizza dinner

that Joey drove to get

love those young...eager...I'll do it drivers

had some holiday cheer

Rudy and James willingly went to get

the necessary ingredients

Crown Royal and Vernor's high ball

 more talking 

more laughing

Hallmark watching

first thing this morning

I got a phone call from my baby sister, Mary

asking for the turkey hot-line

with a turkey too big for the roasting pan

together we came up with solutions

look for another pan

un-tuck the wings and make that bird fit

just cut those dang things off

shared a good laugh

across the miles

commiserated

like only sisters can

and once again

with each passing year

I clearly see

it truly is the simple things

that make my heart 

sing.

Enjoy the symphony!

Happy Thanksgiving.

grateful

sometimes...

words just get in the way.

:)

November Soup

I know...
I had you at soup!

With a kitchen full of 

fresh vegetables

after a recent visit to 

Toledo's Farmer's Market
it was

time to get busy.

Creamy Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup

fresh

broccoli

cauliflower

carrots

it's all in there

but wait!

to make it extra special

whipped up some biscuits 

that had my boys

thinking I stopped at

Kentucky Fried...

psych!

it's all vegan.

it's all so good.

biscuits 

warm from the oven

that you tear in half

sniff the wafting steam

dollop on the Earth Balance

 drizzle a little honey

yummy

plated for the photo op

and for easy transport 

to the living room

where I'll sit by the fire

watch tv

enjoy

with lots of

  mmm's

two of the major players

What?

Does that say chicken seasoning?!

Yes. 

but wait...

a quick look and I found

chicken "style" seasonings...

no chicken.

All the flavor...no meat...

perfect.

All my family-favorite recipes

gathered

altered

made into vegan goodness.

Share worthy stuff.

(click to enlarge and read)

the flip side

for directions.

serve 

AND

enjoy.

almost forgot the biscuits

which trust me

will make any meal better.

6-Ingredient Vegan Biscuits

1) 2 cups unbleached flour

2) 4 teaspoons baking powder

3) 1 tablespoon sugar

4) 3/4 teaspoon salt

5) 1/4 cup coconut oil (room temp)

6) 1 cup almond milk

Preheat oven to 450.

Whisk dry ingredients.

Cut in coconut oil.

Stir in almond milk.

Knead gently on floured surface, 8-10 times.

Pat dough into 3/4 inch thickness.

Cut into circles with top of drinking glass.

Arrange on baking sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes.

seriously.

 good. 

stuff.

Now go to your local market

and get your soup on.

(you can thank me later)

these full fall days

October 

came and went

with such ferocious pace

I feel dizzy from the aftermath

day to day 

happenings like

meals

homeschool

cleaning and shopping

laundry

pet care

more cleaning

we have 3 bathrooms...eew

fun

 because we all need more of that

mix in

part-time work

just to put a cherry on top of it all

you get it...

day to day

all year long

this post is about 

those extras in life that need attending

some joyous

some not so much

a wedding fits in the first category

Jacob 

our oldest

eloped with his bride

and they had a beautiful party

to celebrate

Angela is a vegetarian chef

how perfect is that?

it goes

almost without saying

that the food was made and catered

by jake and angela

with a little help from our gang

and grandma of course!

not one picture of the 

happy couple

oh yes i do!

i hope you appreciate

that i stopped what i was doing

(blogging mid-week!)

to take that pic

upload

and post

just for you.

but wasn't it so worth it?

they have a friend who is a graphic artist

and they made these magnets

as a gift to guests

so sweet

onto the not so fun category

but so glad to have it

d-o-n-e.

painting

one of those fast-paced weekends

were tagged to paint the porch

rain out

joe decided he wanted his room

painted so we pointed

our brushes in his direction

with

elephant skin

just enough gray

without being dingy

mixed with 

mud

goes great with what he

already has

the only extra expense

the curtains

since his roman shades were

literally falling apart

i need to footnote here

that we are not the kind to

change paint colors

in our bedrooms

on a regular basis

in fact

joe's room hadn't been painted since it 

was added to our home

15 years ago!

yikes!

how time does fly.

boy did it need it.

these pictures are obviously

not propped

he still wants to hang some posters

which i will let him.

the rest is his gig.

one last view

taken in the middle of the afternoon

blackout curtains

for the gamer

where glare is the enemy

they were from target

cheap and energy efficient

and

my boy is happy

score!

on a sunny weekday

because you can't wait for

a nice weekend

once mid-autumn approaches

painted that porch

railings and framing

and...

the floor!

going for the moss green

that i loved on this

gooseberry patch cover

came close

although in this lighting

it looks more gray

which i'm good with

because

it too is

d-o-n-e!

went for another angle.

still seeing gray.

i'm thinking a touch-up in the spring

will make it 

greener.

:)

outdoor furniture put away

garden put to rest

(almost...still have some cabbage and jalapenos!)

brought plants in

that couldn't survive

being left out

more family gatherings

a halloween that wasn't

we just went out for dinner

kinda sad

leaves still need raking

winterizing

 planning for upcoming holidays

that will be here

 before we know it

since november is the 

second fastest month of the year

and then

 the brakes hit.

otherwise known as

january.

now i'm off to write my novel 

in a month.

that's nanowrimo

check it out!

things that make you go....hmmm

free writing

that's what i'm tagging this.

looked it up

and guess what?

it's out there

but my spin is unique

in that i am "prompt-less"

in other words

devising a post without a clear theme

in mind.

rambling about.

wandering aimlessly.

there's a freedom in removing

clear-cut objectives

not knowing where this may lead

but stepping forward

nonetheless

into unknown territory.

invigorating.

scary.

all in the same breath.

could have something to do with

nanowrimo

(national writing month)

or simply

i've run-out of reason.

never!

and

there it is.

homeschool just entered my brain

creating a segue with

connection

with my recent employment

(teetering as it is...another post)

i have been taking

an unusual approach to

home education

that i can quickly rationalize

and give credence to

by calling it what it is

interest-led learning

in its

truest

purest

form.

not manipulating the learning environment

with my agenda.

as much as i have read and heard

about those who claim to be 

interest-led 

what i find instead are

under-cover traditionalists

who

enforce their objectives

in a sneaky kind of way...

eliminating television

having only "classic lit" available in the home

enforcing "their" rules

on fitness...nutrition...academia

which makes me wonder

if interest-led

can truly be 

guided and monitored 

by the student

now that takes trust.

you may come home from work

and ask the vitally

important question

what did you do today?

to the answer you least want to hear...

gaming.

as you explore deeper

and ask the right question

what did you learn today?

you still hear

answers concerning

tactics

strategy

boy culture.

that had this mom running to

ted talks

for reassurance 

and found it.

this in no way is

intended to 

criticize the aforementioned

educational construct

rather

it is meant to shed some light

bring some peace 

possibly show

there is another way.

it may be lacking in perfection.

it may leave me feeling

uncertain

not knowing the outcome of such

an experiment.

it may have me jumping back into

the leaf pile of that which

i am comfortable.

for now

at least this very moment

i will accept

the peace 

that comes from knowing

that as hard as i try

i can't control everything.

i must accept

the rocky terrain

 and stumble 

forward

in faith

and revel in

the 

journey.