Finding Joy

November Blessings Part 3:
19. Yummy Thanksgiving food for lunch at work.
20. Parents who truly care for their children and are concerned with what is in the child's best interest.
21. My almond sugar cookie recipe :)
22. Spending Thanksgiving with a great family. I'm thankful for my family back at home too. Such a blessing to have 2 loving families in my life.
23. Playing fun games with fun people.
24. Waking up early and getting a lot accomplished.
25. Beautiful Christmas music.
26. Being taken care of when I'm sick.
27. A 2 year old wanting to say a prayer for his mommy and the "baby in mommy's tummy!"
28. People who truly appreciate things you work really hard on.
29. A bombardment of hugs, love, and "Emily!!" screams from a few special 2 year olds who I've missed a lot lately....guess they missed me too :)
30. Feeling well enough to go out and see a funny play.

After stumbling upon the book, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp a year or so ago and since I started following her blog, A Holy Experience, I have thought a lot more about what it means to count blessings and find joy in every aspect of life. There are gifts, both big and small, surrounding us every day, and sometimes I need that gentle reminder to stop and see all the ways in which I have been truly blessed.

Ann has created a calendar that helps give a little direction when it comes to counting blessings- things like 3 white gifts, 3 gifts of hope, a gift bringing laughter, etc. She made it for 2012, but I'm going to try and use it in 2013 (starting with this December). Maybe she'll come up with a new one for 2013, but for now my plan is to follow this calendar of  joy dares.

If we all found joy in each day the world would become a much more lovely place to be.

Birthday Blessings

November always brings so many things to be thankful for and I think it's a good reminder for me to stop and take the time to remember all the blessings in my life. This weekend I was able to celebrate my birthday with some of the most wonderful people I know! Thursday afternoon Luke and I went to see Wicked and it was incredible! I have been listening to the soundtrack since July and it was so fun to finally see the production. Friday I went to work and had a class of two year olds sing "happy birthday" to me which was very fun. Little "J" kept telling me it was our birthday. I said no, its my birthday and he laughed and so noooo its OUR birthday. Well, I'm okay sharing with that sweet little boy. Then we had story time at church and the kids sang "happy birthday" and we had mini cupcakes to celebrate. One of the 2 1/2 year olds kept saying, "It's Emily's birthday! We have to sing to her!!" It was very cute. And then last night we went out with my brother, his girlfriend, and my roomie for dinner at Buca di Beppo and dessert at home (salted caramel pear pie- yum!) I'm so thankful for all these wonderful people who made my birthday a very special one.

November Blessings Part 2:
10. Productive days getting lots of chores done.
11. Peaceful Sunday mornings at KidTown.
12. Playing with a sweet 2 year old, reading him stories, and putting him to bed.
13. The warmth of a heater.
14. Kids who remember your birthday from last year.
15. Loving parents.
16. Flowers and sweet cards from Luke.
17. Going out to dinner with some of my favorite people whom I love dearly.
18. Children who are generous with their giving.

I am looking forward to a short work week and celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday with Luke and his family. I'm excited to bake cookies and make sweet potatoes, do a little shopping, spend time with people I love, and continue remembering all the things I have to be thankful for.

30 Thankful Days

Last November I kept a simple list of things I am thankful for each day. Ideally I would love to do this every day all year long, but clearly I'm not so great at it. However, for November I have committed to be thankful in all circumstances. At the end of each day I think back over the events of that day, and consider a small blessing that turned into a big blessing on that particular day. As my dad always says, we are truly blessed - blessed with good health and a great family. Blessed with a roof over our heads and plenty of food in the fridge. Blessed with employment and a comfortable life. My mom always uses the phrase "There but for the grace of God, go I" and I've always understood the idea behind that saying, but I looked up a better explanation of it and I think it fits perfectly. This historical phrase website (called the phrase finder) describes it by saying: I too, like someone seen to have suffered misfortune, might have suffered a similar fate, but for God's mercy. It is only by God's grace that we are blessed, and by responding in thankfulness we are all acknowledging these blessings in our lives.

November Blessings Part 1:
1. My brother, Bob, and getting to see him perform with his improv group at Seattle U.
2. The return of red Starbucks cups and gingerbread lattes :)
3. Laughter with friends.
4. The women on the Alumni Falconette Board.
5. A great day at work in my new classroom, Orange Giraffes.
6. A night at home with Luke - eating chili, watching tv, and simply enjoying each others company.
7. A surprise visit from Luke after a long day at work.
8. Hugs from 2 year olds who say "I got you!" as they squeeze their little arms around your neck.
9. Sunshine on a chilly fall day.

Mom's Visit

Thursday morning I picked my mom up at the airport for a weekend visit and  we've had lots of fun since she got here! We shopped and went out to dinner with my bro and then Friday we got a tour of Seattle U and got lunch on campus before everyone came over to my apartment for dinner. I made pork chops cooked with apples and onions, mashed potatoes, baked apples, salad, and bread and it turned out pretty yummy. I love to cook from scratch, especially when there are lots of people to eat after its all done!

Serving up dinner.

Love him.

The whole crew. I love having 6 people around our table!

And of course, we can't forget dessert! I was torn between making pumpkin chocolate chip bars and pumpkin spice cake but everyone was leaning toward the chocolate chip bars. SO in order to make it a little more dessert-like I added cream cheese frosting. According to my dad, cream cheese frosting makes everything better, and I tend to agree! They turned out delicious and, after being refrigerated overnight, taste even better. 

On a slightly different note, while we were shopping this weekend my mom bought me a crock pot for my birthday!! I'm so excited to get started cooking things in it. I've been researching tons of healthy recipes to stick in it, so if you have any I'd love them. So many crock pot meals contain cream-of soups and packaged dip mixes, and I'd prefer not to add extra sodium or unnecessary preservatives to my meals. I'm thinking of trying a lamb stew on Monday night. We'll see how it goes!

Pumpkin Patch

Saturday was a chilly day to be out at the pumpkin patch, but we stayed dry (which was an answer to prayer!) - as soon as we left and pulled onto the road it started to rain, then hail! The corn maze was a bit of a disappointment, but we were there long enough to take a few pictures, pick out some good pumpkins, and eat some apple cider donuts! I was the most excited about the donuts since the donut machine was broken last year and we had to get kettle corn instead (soooo not the same, when you're expecting delicious donuts!) Overall it was a fun outing, followed up with some carving on Sunday. I always forget about how disgusting the inside of a pumpkin smells and how icky the seeds feel, but I know I'm still going to want to do it again next year. Funny how it works that way.

Also, tonight I was in a baking mood (again!) and made some banana bread and round 2 of the Halloween bark. This time I got the right kind of white chocolate that melted beautifully instead of getting chunky. SO we'll see how this one tastes compared to the last batch.

Sweet Potato Muffins

Yesterday I was shopping at Whole Foods and I came across canned sweet potato puree, which I had never seen before. Maybe this is a regular thing elsewhere, but I have only seen sweet potato puree in baby food jars and was very excited to get a whole can of it! I started thinking, "What can I do with this? Muffins? Pie? Casseroles?" Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite things ever, especially around Thanksgiving time :) So tonight I got down to business and started searching for a good muffin recipe. I couldn't find one that I love so I just sort of created my own and the result was amazing! Luke and Janelle were big fans even though they were a little skeptical at first. If they pass the boyfriend and roomie test you know they must be good. (Tomorrow we'll see if they pass the brother test!) For now, here's the recipe....

Using a hand mixer combine 3/4 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup vegetable oil

It looks a little crumbly, almost like brown snow. But keep going! It gets better! Next mix in 2 eggs.

 Here comes the part where you add the sweet potato puree. I used one 15 oz. can.

In a separate bowl combine 2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2(ish) tsp. cinnamon ~ you can never have too much cinnamon! (I have a kiwi friend who would tend to disagree with that statement, but he'll never see this, hah)

Then stir to combine the two mixtures.

I made muffins this time, but I'm sure you could do a whole loaf of bread and just bake it for longer.

I didn't have enough chocolate chips or raisins to add a good amount to the whole batch, so after doing a tray of regular muffins I split the rest of the batter in half and did 6 of each. (I think those ones turned out best!)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 16-18 minutes. Keep an eye on them at the end and when a toothpick comes out clean you're good to go!

These will definitely become a regular fall treat! Maybe next time I'll add some marshmallows to the top...what's better than sweet potatoes and marshmallows?! Thank you Whole Foods for carrying this yummy can of orange goodness!

Sweet Potato Muffins

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 15oz can sweet potato puree
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2-1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins OR chocolate chips, optional

Using a hand mixer or whisk, blend together the sugars and oil. Add eggs until combined and then add sweet potatoes. In a separate bowl mix flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Slowly fold together the two bowls of mixture and then fold in raisins or chocolate chips if you desire. Pour into muffin cups or a loaf pan and then bake at 350- 16-18 minutes for muffins, probably closer to 50 minutes for a loaf.

company=cupcakes

Last night I was babysitting two boys from church, age 5 and 2 and it was so fun listening to all the things they had to say. The older boy told his mom, while at the grocery store a few days ago, that since I don't come over all the time that means I'm "company." And when you have company over that means you should have dessert after dinner. SO he succeeded in getting his mom to buy yellow cupcakes at the store. Can't disagree with that "company's coming over" logic now can ya? Also, the two year old boy was convinced that his mom and dad were out eating ice cream for dinner, no matter how much I tried to tell him they probably weren't eating ice cream he kept saying "ice cream! dinner!" and then laughing like he knows all the answers :)

My newest Halloween rearrangement.
Thanks, Luke :)

In other news, I'm going to the pumpkin patch today and am very excited! I've been praying all night that it doesn't rain on us while we're there. Then tonight we're carving the pumpkins and making a yummy dinner. It will be a very festive fall day and I can't wait!

Patience.

Come wash your hands, please. Use your words. Use your walking feet. Hold the railing, please. Use your words. Tell him you need space. Quiet voices inside. Use your words. {repeat repeat repeat repeat}

Did you hear what I said?

My job requires a lot of repeating myself! And it can easily wear a person out having to say the same things over and over again every day. Last week I was with the 3 1/2 year old class and we were walking back from the gym to their classroom upstairs. Usually they need to be reminded to hold the railing or use their inside voices, but this particular afternoon there were a few little boys who were having a hard time using their walking feet. They were wrestling and pulling each other on the rope, all while screaming of course. I asked them if they were going to be able to calm their bodies or if they needed some help. After a few warnings I told one of the boys he was going to lose the privilege of holding the rope and he sort of melted down at that point (in the middle of the stairs, of course making it difficult for everyone to walk around him). I told him how sad it was that he wasn't listening to my words and that he needed to move so his friends could get into the classroom. After he was pulled aside I asked him what he did that made me sad and he said he wasn't listening and he was playing on the stairs when he should have been walking. So he knew exactly what he was supposed to be doing, he was just having a hard time doing it.

While this whole dramatic scene was talking place there were two parents following behind me on their way to pick up their kids. They were talking to each other but loud enough that I could also hear. The mom was saying things like, "Wow, imagine the patience it takes to work here. I could never work here. She's so calm and that kid isn't listening at all..." This made me laugh and I wanted to tell her, "you can't even imagine what an average day sounds like around here!"

Since I heard that comment I've been even more intentional with having patience with the children. I never know who will be listening- a parent, another teacher, or even just the other kids. They pick up on your tone instantly and when a teacher is yelling the kids get agitated with each other really quickly. Sometimes its exhausting trying to keep your cool and repeat yourself calmly, but I know that its the best way to handle the situations. God has blessed me with the gift of patience and has placed me at this child care so I can continue training myself to be patient in tough situations.

And if you have a hard time with patience, I recommend the patience song... :)

pumpkin pumpkin pumpkin

The past few days have really started to feel like fall in Seattle and I'm loving every second of it. I never thought I would see the day that I was celebrating the sun not shining. It's been cloudy all week and we're supposed to have up to 4 inches of rain this weekend! I'm so excited I could squeal :) All that to say, fall is probably my favorite season. And fall means pumpkin EVERYTHING ~ muffins, bread, lattes, cheesecakes, cookies, etc. Thank you pinterest for supplying me with a lifetime supply of pumpkin recipes!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Pumpkin Pie Biscotti

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Pumpkin Dump Cake

Pumpkin Mousse Brownie Triffle

Two ingredient pumpkin cake

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate

Pumpkin Fudge

Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkin Spice Thumbprint Cookies

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

Pumpkin Pie Crepes

Pumpkin Better Than.... Cake

Pumpkin Spice Latte Pancakes

Pumpkin Pie Dip

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

Perfect Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Cinnamon Cupcakes with Pumpkin Pie Frosting

And last but not least, who doesn't love a good pumpkin spice latte??