Thankful!

Yep, so today was an absolutely great day!  I really enjoyed a wonderfully peaceful day with my family.  It was also the first time that I've ever taken care of all the food for the entire Thanksgiving meal!  I really wanted to do a Sandra Lee sort-of 'semi-homemade' dinner.  So here's how it went down with the menu:

• Cajun Deep Fried Turkey (Popeyes....oh so good and moist...will do it again for Christmas since it only take 1 hour and 45 minutes to reheat....you literally do nothing at all to it).
• Spiral Glazed Ham (Yep, you know it, take it out of the wrapper, heat for 2 hours and add the brown sugar glaze...yummy!)
  
• Collard & Kale Greens Mixed (used the bagged pre-washed, pre-cut greens and just created a broth to cook them in with 3 smoked turkey legs)
• Mashed Potatoes & Gravy (used Trader Joe's frozen potato medallions...just add milk, butter, salt and they are oh so creamy!  The gravy came from Popeyes because I love it sooo much!)
• Candy Yams (used Trader Joes' sweet potatoes that are already cut, skinned, and ready to be cooked...i boiled them, add a homemade syrup, baked them and then let the broiler hit them for a little while to get that carmelized effect.)
• Apple & Sage Sausage Dressing (no shortcuts here...all homemade)
• Macaroni & Cheese (used my mom's simple macaroni and cheese recipe that will be in the adoption cookbook.  the only thing i changed was that i used medium pasta shells instead of elbow macaroni....very, very good!)
• Cranberry Relish (this came from Sam's club.  it was their Member's Mark brand...perfect balance of sweetness and citrus tangy flavors)
• Buttered Carrots (used gourmet petite carrots that are often found in veggie trays.  they are smaller than the baby carrots.  i just put them in a pot, added butter, a little sugar and salt and voila!)
• Rolls (that would be old faithful....brown and serve.  from the time that i was a little girl, i've loved the brown and serve rolls on thanksgiving day more than any other bread so i couldn't deviate here.)
• Pumpkin Tart (this came from Trader Joe's.  if you like Sweet Potato pie, you'll love this tart.  CJ - our 10 year old killed this pie.  the poor pie never had a chance....thankful that i had them put 2 of them on hold for me so there's more left for tomorrow!)
• Gingerbread (this came from the Dutch Amish market.  MJ - our 8 year old started sneaking out with this EARLY in the morning!)
• Poundcake with Strawberries (i went with Entemann's All Butter Pound Loaf.  i took strawberries, sliced them, added sugar, and allowed them to marinate in their own juices.)

While I am thankful for all of the goodies that I had today, here's a short list of what I'm MOST thankful for:

• My relationship with God.  I love the way that He is maturing me into a woman that is a better contributor to my family and society.
• My husband.  Although he fits into that big category of family, he really does deserve his own line of thanks.  We've been through so much together and I'm so appreciative of the greatness of his love and the way he exhibits his love for me...thank you baby.
• My family.  They really help me stay focused on remembering that family is so much greater than everything else that tries to crowd out my life.  Even when I mess this up, they are so generous with their love.  Thank you!
• The adoption.  I am so honored by the way that our lives and hearts are changing because of this little girl who has possibly not yet been conceived nor entered our lives yet.  I am thankful to God for putting this burden on my heart  for orphans and then giving us the vision and courage to adopt in spite of the obstacles.  Thank you God for breaking my hearts for orphans.  I cannot see their plight and then not be moved to action. 

What about you, what are you most thankful for?

-Michelle

Court Date

I am so excited for one of my blogging buddies who finally received a court date for their little bundle of joy. Congrats http://threeplusone--ethiopiaherewecome.blogspot.com/

Celebrating with you!

Provision

In this journey, I am constantly amazed at the enormity of God and how much He cares. I've heard people say before where God gives vision, He'll give provision. Today, when I went to the mailbox, I was absolutely FLOORED by the generosity of friends that we've met through the adoption blog world. (You know who you are! Thank you and thank you again!) We were blown away by the heartfelt financial gift we received.....it totally blew us away! The fact that God used someone who we would have never met otherwise to breathe more life into this vision is HUGE!

Whatever you are believing God for, if He said it is for you, it will be done. Just remember, just because He said He would do it, doesn't mean you'll be exempt from storms and challenges. As Jon Ortberg title book reads, "If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat."

http://www.amazon.com/Want-Walk-Water-Youve-Boat/dp/0310228638

Something's Brewin' In The Kitchen

We're working on an exciting fundraiser for our adoption to bring us steps closer to bringing our baby girl home.  Stay tuned!!!

Just for a Moment....Jayden Elijah McKinney

He was here for just a moment in time....Jayden Elijah McKinney.

Yesterday we had a memorial service for our nephew who was born this past Sunday night and left us the very next day.  While his life outside of his mommy's tummy was very brief, he made such a great impact on all of our lives.  Instead of in our arms, he rests in the Father's loving embrace.  While some will do their best to make attempts at explaining the purpose for his short life, nonetheless, he is a member of our family that we all will miss.  Even still, we trust the plan of God. His service was beautiful, simple, and sweet. 

Forever in our heart little man!

At the close of the day, I was so grateful for the time that we all spent together as a family just lovin' on each other, laughing, and enjoying the healing that sharing food together can bring.