Our 12 Days of Christmas (2014)

Last year our 12 Days of Christmas Bucket List was such a success that we had to recreate one again this year. With a few new additions and some of our favorites from last year, we are ready to rock out this holiday season. There are plenty of treats & cheer to get us excited about Santa making a visit to town...

Sending holiday wishes & kisses your way!

Stamford Thanksgiving Parade

The Sunday before Thanksgiving we met Whitney, Caileigh, Aidan, Morgan & Kaz in Stamford for the UBS Parade Spectacular. The girls were front and center loving every minute of it. The 2nd largest parade in the country (behind the Macy's Day of course!) was filled with great balloons, performers, and memories for these kiddos!

And that evening we whipped up some grateful gifts for Adelaide's teachers and classmates!

a personalized Starbucks mug filled with pumpkin spice treats!

personalized mini cornucopias filled with fruit snacks :)

Give Thanks: Do an Act of Service

This year we used our talents and treasures to give thanks via service.


Saturday evening, I read at our church St. Augustine. I lector once a month. I love reading and am confident in public speaking. This is a great way for me to be involved and really focus on my faith.

EZ 34:11-12, 15-17

Thus says the Lord GOD:I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flockwhen he finds himself among his scattered sheep,so will I tend my sheep.I will rescue them from every place where they were scatteredwhen it was cloudy and dark. I myself will pasture my sheep;I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD. The lost I will seek out,the strayed I will bring back,the injured I will bind up,the sick I will heal,but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,shepherding them rightly.

As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD,I will judge between one sheep and another,between rams and goats.

1 COR 15:20-26, 28

Brothers and sisters:Christ has been raised from the dead,the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through man,the resurrection of the dead came also through man.For just as in Adam all die,so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,but each one in proper order:Christ the firstfruits;then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;then comes the end,when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father,when he has destroyed every sovereigntyand every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.When everything is subjected to him,then the Son himself will also be subjectedto the one who subjected everything to him,so that God may be all in all.

We also donated a Thanksgiving meal to Yummy Tummies, an organization that my friend Shannon started a few years back. She serves full Thanksgiving meals to those in need in Miami. I am really hoping to open a branch of that here in Westchester next Thanksgiving. An amazing concept and $20 can get one family an entire Thanksgiving meal.

I hope that you enjoyed your Thanksgiving and were truly able to reflect on all of God's gifts to you this November! I know that I certainly was and hope to continue that into the Christmas season and New Year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving."

Give Thanks: Watch a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

I'm not sure if I had ever seen A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving before last week. Of course we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade all the time growing up but I don't have many other memories of turkey day movies. So the kids and I plopped on the couch one Wednesday night to watch the short film.

Short and sweet filled with just the right amount of comedy and the right amount of truth. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it as did Aspen. Adelaide was in a slight trance over the moving puppy and birdy.

I highly recommend it before Thanksgiving is over!

Give Thanks: Cook a Thanksgiving Feast

For playgroup last week, I cooked up a little Thanksgiving feast for the toddlers & adults. A little crockpot chicken & stuffing with some green bean fixins. Baby cornucopias for the tots filled with yogurt covered oatmeal bites, s'more goldfish, and honey teddy grahams. Plus a side of turkey fruit and delicious pumpkin pie. Oh and let's not forget that scrumptious apple cider sangria :)

All of these ideas and recipes can be found on my Pinterest board: Give Thanks. They are all super easy and very fit for a mom who is about to go crazy chasing her toddler and tending to her baby all while trying to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal :)

chicken

stuffing

cream of chicken

green beans

ta-da! Thanksgiving feast in a crockpot

modern day cornucopias

gobble gobble!

love my pumpkin tree from Pier One

ahhh apple cider sangria...yummy!

Hoping you all fill your tummies with Thanksgiving yummies!

Give Thanks: Eat Corn

Hmmm I love corn. Corn on the cob. Corn souffle. Corn pudding. Cornbread. And since corn is a Thanksgiving staple, I had to make corn part of our Give Thanks Bucket List.

A cool evening called for a warm corn pudding recipe. I found it on Pinterest with a quick search. Five easy ingredients with one hour cook time and I was sold.

With a golden brown top and a smooth, creamy middle, this corn pudding was a giant hit in our house. Even Adelaide approved ;)

Hopefully you get the chance to enjoy some corn this Thanksgiving!

Celebrating Our Third Year

We sort of did a week long anniversary celebration this year. I guess that is the nice thing about your anniversary following in the middle of the week...and being a holiday. Yea I was genius in picking the date ;) Ryan's whole theme for our celebration was "throwback" to our dating days so everything centered around that concept. So retro and really taking us back in time!

The Sunday before 11/11/14 we enjoyed brunch in the quaint town of Cold Springs. The streets are lined with antique shops and mountains in the back drop. It is gorgeous really. After brunch we did a 2 1/2 hour hike. Think rock climbing a steep cliff for the first 30 minutes then reaching the peak of impeccable views. The Hudson flowing in between mountains with the gorgeous blend of rich fall colors. It was breath-taking and reminded me of how nature can be such a magnificent therapy for people/relationships.

love tee pee

On our actual anniversary, Ryan had the day off thanks to our Veterans. We played in pjs watching our wedding video with the kids (Adelaide was in awe making it all the more special), going through scrapbooks from the proposal up to now, and just enjoying one another's company. We had a family dinner and opened our gifts. (See post here about my gifts to Ryan.) I was lucky enough to get a massage in the city, a vintage bottle of wine from Duckhorn Vineyards in Napa, and a dinner & dancing date in the city.

So Friday late afternoon we headed into the city for our date. We dined at this little Italian spot called Becco. Intimate and intricate. The champagne was refreshing. The pasta was incredible. It is a must on the list of places to dine in NYC.

cheers to country drinkin' 

Chris Young 

Dancing took place at the Chris Young concert at the Best Buy Theater. Cowgirl boots were stomping and hands were clapping. Oh and belting out many of our favorite country songs too.

We had a wonderful time celebrating our 3rd year of marriage!