Happy (Pre) Thanksgiving!

I think that I like the days before Thanksgiving and Christmas just as much as I like the actual day. This morning, when I woke up and walked into the kitchen, it felt different than every other morning. It felt cozier. It felt special. I love lightning a candle on my stove, making a hot cup of chai tea, and starting holiday meal preparations. It makes me feel connected to past generations of my mother grandmother, great-grandmother, and before who engaged in the same types of domestic preparations to make sure the holiday was special for their families. Now, I am the first to admit that I am not an everyday domestic type; but around the holidays, I savor the cooking and decorating and domestic tasks that go along with the holiday. Usually, I make our traditional harvest candy swirl cheesecake, and it is a favorite of so many in our family. But this year, I just wasn't feeling it, and I wanted to try something different just for one year. So I decided to put my own twist on this "Pumpkin Dump Cake" recipe. It is basically a pumpkin cake topped with layers of brown sugar, butter......and then I threw on my own twist of toasted pecans, coconut and butterscotch chips. It smelled SO yummy as it was baking last night, and I hope it makes people forget about the harvest cheesecake just for this year!

Yesterday, we enjoyed a tasting feast at my daughter's first grade classroom. It was fun to gather with the other families to enjoy turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, and pumpkin pie.
















We are off to my in-laws' in a few minutes, so Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one near and far. I am thankful for creativity, and for my husband and children, and for our furry pets, and for a warm kitchen full of holiday preparations, and for my mother and mother-in-law who are busy today preparing the bulk of tomorrow's meals, and for safety in travel, and for the amazing teachers who work with my son and daughter every school day, and for Mary who provides excellent care to my son on the days I teach, and for the amazing Christ-centered community in which we live, and for wonderful neighbors, and for freedom to worship, and for music and for Jesus' saving blood and that He wants a relationship with us each and every moment.....and for so many wonderful things. Remember not only to thank your friends and family for what they bring to your life, but to also thank deeply the source of all things good and right and true, God and Jesus Christ. Peace to you all on this amazingly profound celebration. And don't forget the nap after the turkey!!