3 Things I'm Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving! (It was a couple days ago, but hey, better late then never!) I had this idea the day before Thanksgiving but just couldn't get to it then...
This Thanksgiving I have been thinking about all that I am thankful for and I have compiled a little list to share. (These are not all the things, but my top 3)

1. JESUS

I am thankful to Jesus for being God and for coming to earth to die a horrific death on the cross to atone for the sins of the world - and specifically my sins. These past couple of months I have grown to know Jesus deeper and deeper. With each passing day I have come to know more of who He is and of how much He loves me.

2. CALEB

Caleb is my husband. I love him very much. I am so thankful to be married and to be the wife of this wonderful man. He is my best friend and I am thankful to Jesus for Caleb. (You see, number one and number two are related.) We are coming up on FOUR years of holy matrimony in March and it seems like it's both flown by but also feels like we've been married forever. It's weird. My husband loves me, provides for me and tirelessly takes care of me. I am so thankful for him.

3. MARS HILL CHURCH

Mars Hill Church is my church and I am so thankful to be a part of this church in Downtown Seattle. Jesus (back to number one again) has used this church to bring me closer to himself, give me a greater understanding of the gospel and to bring me into relationship with many other Christians...not to mention CALEB! Mars Hill Church is the first church I have ever been a member of, it's where I was baptized, it's where I was married and by God's grace it will be where we dedicate our children. I am thankful for pastors and elders who preach the gospel and love God's people. Jesus grace is on Mars Hill and I am thankful to be a part of the work He is doing.

There are lot of other things I'm thankful for too - but it seemed like these were the top three right now. I am reminded over and over that everything comes from Jesus. Being "thankful" for anything is abstract if we don't know WHO we are giving thanks to. It's JESUS. He is the Creator. All we have is from Him.

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You're Joking... Right?

I was at Safeway (I hate Safeway but it's the closest fairly normal grocery store to our downtown apartment so sometimes out of utter desperation I go there - wishing the entire time that I was at Fred Meyer) a couple of nights ago picking up a few essential items for dinner that I most likely forgot on my normal grocery trip. At our Safeway they've recently had an odd collection of candy and gift-like items near the wine (of all places) section. And in that section I couldn't help but notice this! A Lord of the Rings PEZ collection! I wanted to get it for my LOTR obsessed sister (or mildly obsessed husband) until I realized that it was $20 and decided I'd pass.

The things people come up with these days...!

Trick or Cheesy?

I love macaroni and cheese. From the box, homemade, from El Gaucho, and I like it every day of the week. I don't think there has EVER been a time I didn't want it. (even when I have the flu, I desire to get better so my stomach can handle cheese!)

All of that to say, that the day before Halloween I was at Target and this was on sale for .99 cents so obviously I bought it and made it first thing when I got home and ate it for lunch.

Holy Cow! Never tasted so good. (as usual)

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Yes - the day finally came. Every year I make pumpkin cinnamon rolls for Caleb and the day was yesterday! If you've made cinnamon rolls before you know that they can take a while to make, and these rolls are no different! I had a terrible time waiting for them to be done!

Here is the recipe for the rolls which is from Taste of Home magazine.

*It is my STRONG recommendation to add lots of spices to the dough. This year I added lots of cinnamon, and a good amount of pumpkin pie spice. (you could add cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger, nutmeg etc.) If you don't, these will still be good but they won't have that "pumpkin spice" flavor you were wanting.

** Here is a little tip that I read somewhere for cutting the rolls. Once you've got your long log of beautiful cinnamon dough, grab a piece of dental floss (yes, that's right, dental floss - mint flavor is fine) slide the dental floss underneath the roll and bring the two sides up and cross over each other, pull down until the floss is taut and you'll have just made a beautiful slice while keeping its form. TRY IT! I've never gone back since.

For the icing, I went with something different this year. I used Martha Stewarts recipe for Brown Butter Icing and it was wonderful! It tastes like caramel. Caleb was only so-so on the icing as he is a traditional cream cheese frosting kind of guy.

These are a really special treat to make for your hubby or kids and something pretty impressive to bring to a brunch. If you want to make these for your family in the morning then follow these make ahead steps:

Make the dough and bring it through the first rise. Then roll out spread with butter & cinnamon sugar. Cut the rolls and place in a prepared pan and cover with plastic wrap. Put the rolls in the fridge and leave overnight. In the morning, set the rolls out on the counter for about 30-40 minutes while you make coffee and preheat the oven. Then, bake the rolls and make the icing so they are ready when everyone wakes up!

I Quit!

Bye-Bye Bank of America! Hello home! Yes, it is true! July 29, 2011 was my LAST day at The Bank! Woohoo!! Thank you Jesus and Caleb for making it possible for me to come home and do what I've wanted to do most!

Now, since I haven't been working for nearly an entire quarter - why haven't I posted? Well, I've been busy getting this place in tip-top shape! Our Internet was crap so that had to get that fixed and all kinds of other things were a wreck so blogging had to take a backseat. But NO FEAR! I'm back! (for the 3 of you who actually read this)