New Thanksgiving Traditions

Today I've been enjoying some quality time with my little one prepping for Thanksgiving while watching Gone With The Wind.  We are trying Pioneer Woman's Brining recipe for the first time and the ingredients smell delicious.  This will be the first time we host Thanksgiving and plan to celebrate it with our Juneau friends.  It's been fun piecing together the menu; anticipating tried and true family favorites that of our friends and some of our own.  

One family tradition we have (that many other families have) is sharing what we are thankful for.  I encourage you to give it a try if you don't already.  What are some things you are thankful for this year?

I am thankful for:

My loving husband

For our children

Family- passed and present

God's presence in our lives

Our church family back home

Friends- the kind that time and distance cannot corrupt

The opportunity to stay home with my kiddos & to raise them in as BEAUTIFUL a place as Alaska

For prayers answered and unanswered 

Happy Thanksgiving

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"For in dreams we enter a world that is entirely our own.  Let them swim in the deepest ocean or glide over the highest cloud."  -Albus Dumbledore

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There's no place like home

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Sunny winter days at the beach

Harvest Fête

Cecilia has changed so much in just a year!  Where has the time gone?  Last year she was my sweet little Madeline; this year she was my spunky Vanellope Von Schweetz!  

It's difficult to get Cecilia to hold still let alone look at the camera

I made her costume out from clothes I found at Fred Meyer and some old finds.  A Carters sweatshirt I accessorized with hot pink shoe laces. I transformed an old brown shirt into the drawstring skirt.  I was most pleased with this because when it gathered it looked as though it had pleats.  Her leggings were $5 Fred Meyer brand.  I sewed on cut up tights to make them look like candy.  The candy clips were made from Martha Stewart stickers hot glued to bobby pins.  

I really LOVE how it turned out.

Cecilia and some of her darling friends at her preschool's Harvest Fête.  They had loads of fun collecting candy down trick or treat lane, trying their luck on the cake walk, and conquering some carnival games.  I'm so happy she had a good time with some early Halloween fun because a few days later she came down with a cold that kept us home on the actual day.  But I must say…. This is my favorite costume of hers YET!

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"Let her tell stories, and dance in the rain,
Somersaults, tumble and run;
Her joys must be high as her sorrows are deep,
Let her grow like a weed in the sun…"
-Neil Gaiman
Blueberry Girl

When we first found out we were pregnant with Cecilia I did what many new moms do; I hopped online to see what size my baby was that week.  She was the size of a blueberry.  Since it would be a long way off till we knew her gender this was her nickname.  

I was so pleased when we found this locally made Blueberry beanie, and it suits her well.  While she is growing up so fast…. She will always be my blueberry girl.

-xoxo