"In November"

Wow! I can't believe November is already here. And I totally feel like breaking one of my cardinal rules and playing Christmas music and putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. I am just SO ready for Christmas this year! We get to go to Utah and spend it with my family this year and that has got me really excited (we've enjoyed the last 3 Christmases with my in-laws in Arizona)!  And I am almost just as excited to have a WHITE christmas with snow as I am to see and spend time with my family haha!  I am just so ready not to have it be sunshine and 80 degrees on Christmas. It just feels so wrong to me.  I say, LET IT SNOW!! :)

I am also really excited because the Hubs has 3 WEEKS off for Thanksgiving! He is in his third year of dental school and I am so excited to have him all to myself for a while.  And just wait until he sees the "Honey-Do List" I have waiting for him!!  I kid. (but not really). 

Well, here is a little look at some of my family's favorite Thanksgiving traditions!  And a little excerpt from my 2012 November post: 

"While the magic of the Christmas season begins to draw us in as soon as October ends, tempting us to deck our halls and trim the tree, we mustn't rush so quickly that we forget November and the beautiful things it has to offer.  November is the time of year when the last of autumn's leaves lay strewn,  the robust fragrance of oranges and spice fills the air, the stillness of the barren trees and empty skies stirs in us a yearning to turn inward and indoors, and the promise of loved ones gathering calls us home. Most importantly, November is a time that we, with thankful hearts, reflect upon the magnitude and abundance of our blessings.  - Me "

Count Your Blessings with Thankful Turkeys

Show Gratitude Through Service

I started a Service Club this last Summer and invited women in my Church and neighborhood to join. We try to meet together once a month and plan and carry out service projects together. I call our group "Sisters Who Serve."  This month we have the neatest project planned thanks to my darling friend Chelsi who has headed this one up! We are providing free art projects for 150 children who have been victims of domestic abuse and many of whom are homeless. Our service group has met together to plan out the art projects we want to do with them, gather supplies (Thank you Walmart for your generous donations!), and be prepared to spend an awesome Saturday with these amazing children! 

photocourtesy: FreeArtsAZ.org

Eat in Season!

Visit my previous November blog post (link above) for my homemade chicken pot pie recipe and more!

Butternut Squash Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce

Have a Pilgrim Popcorn Party!

That's right! The Native Americans introduced popcorn to the Pilgrims! Check out my previous post (link above) to see just what a Pilgrim Popcorn Party entails!

Remember Veterans Day

Hit the link above to check out some of my ideas for honoring this holiday with your kiddos!

 

And here are some of my favorite Thanksgiving books!  

What are some of your favorite November traditions?!

The Day of the Dead

I feel like this blog post should actually be called "Month of the Dead" because I have been on my death-bed all month. Not literally. But it sure feels like it.  We are expecting our second baby April of this coming year!! We couldn't be more excited! However, I get rrrrreeeeaaaalllllllyyyyyy sick when I am pregnant :(  I feel so blessed though that I am not one of those women who are sick the whole 9 months, I really don't know if I could do it! With my son, I was only sick until about 18 weeks. I am 15 weeks with this pregnancy, so hopefully I've only got a few more weeks of sickness to go!  

My condition is called Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), a totally awesome pregnancy disorder that causes ACUTE nausea and vomiting. I can definitely say that my toilet and I have become WAY too close over the last few months. But despite having a steady fever, dehydration, headaches, and another crazy HG symptom called Pytalism (acute hypersalivation which makes me unable to swallow any of my saliva (totally gross, I know!),  I was able to avoid having an IV (barely) which I am so thankful for!

And after a steady diet of Powerade (I'm not kidding people, that is the only thing I could keep down for weeks), I am relieved (and surprised) that my baby is growing just fine. In fact, my doc says this little one is already really big! What?! (Thank you genes of my 6'4" 210 lb husband).

So anyway....  I guess that was a long way of explaining why I wasn't able to do many festive, fun Halloween things with my little guy this year.  It makes me a little sad but my cute mom who flew in town to help (more like rescue) me for a couple weeks, helped me to at least take him to a pumpkin patch. Thank you mom!!

 In lieu then of posting any fun pictures of our October this year, I thought I would show you some pics of my family's awesome "Day of the Dead" party! It was thrown by my sister in Utah, so I wasn't able to attend. :( But it looked AMAZING! My sister always does such a good job!

My family throws this Day of the Dead party every year. It's one of my favorite Halloween traditions. For an explanation of what "Day of the Dead" is and why we celebrate it, visit my previous post October Days Like These.  Here's a look at my family's 2013 Day of the Dead Party (Thank you to my sister Caitlin for taking these great pictures!):

We always dress up in costumes! How cute is my family! :)

And we have yummy homemade Mexican food and Pan de Muerto (Mexican "Bread of the Dead").  

Also, since the traditional belief surrounding this holiday is that on "Day of the Dead" (Nov. 1) the spirits of deceased loved ones return briefly to spend time with family, we all "bring a ghost" to the party. We each decide one deceased person that we would want to invite to come and then at dinner go around the table and tell each other which ghost we chose to bring and why.

Last but not least, I have to just show you some pics of my little boy on Halloween. I mean seriously, does it get cuter?  

           

What a goof ball!

This was one of my favorite Halloweens to date (minus the being sick part) because of this little guy. Kids make holidays, and life in general, SO much more fun!! I seriously thought my heart was going to burst with joy watching this cute pirate trick-or-treat for the first time!

I hope you all had a super fun Halloween and a wonderful October!  

xoxo

October's Party

"October gave a party, the leaves by hundreds came..."

George Cooper

Is there anything in the world more wonderful than October?!  Okay, I may be a little biased because its my birthday month, but I have always had a love affair with October.  As a child, there was something so incredibly enchanting about walking home from school on a crisp but sunny October afternoon, shuffling my feet through autumn leaves and coming in to find the deliciously warm aroma of my mom's homemade pumpkin bread filling our house.    My siblings and I would then climb onto the couch in stocking feet, mouths stuffed with the scrumptious flavor of pumpkin and allspice, to have our mom read to us some of our favorite Halloween books. It's a memory that still fills me with the most intense delight each year as I unpack my October decorations and am overcome with the sensation of happy childhood October days.

To see just why I love October so much, visit my previous October Post "October Days Like These" to check out my family's ideas for celebrating this magical month!  It includes: 

Columbus Day Ideas 

Tips for Picking the Perfect Pumpkin

Leaf Rubbings and Maple Leaf Crown Instructions

Twig and Toadstool.blogspot.com

Recipes for Pumpkin Pancakes

Jack-o-lantern Sandwiches

Spider Sandwiches

Mummy Dogs

 My Favorite Fall Salad

Pumpkin Bisque

Delicious White Chili

Halloween Goodies and Party Ideas

And even how to celebrate a traditional 

Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)!

Plus, here are some of my favorite Halloween books:

Some of my other favorite childhood Halloween traditions include playing in the autumn leaves, going for nature walks, drinking spiced cider with hot donuts, making and eating roasted pumpkin seeds after carving pumpkins, visiting a haunted house and of course trick or treating!   

   

We've also always loved going to the Witchfest at Gardner Village. During October, you'll find witches around every corner of this darling little "village" full of charming shops and restaurants. While enjoying the gorgeous fall weather we see how many of these whimsical witches we can spot!    

And it just wouldn't be October without a stop at Banbury Cross - a local bakery which serves up the most delicious Halloween donuts. They are shaped like black cats, bats, pumpkins and ghosts!

But did you know that Krispy Kreme also makes Halloween donuts each year?! How fun!

We also loved annual trips with our dad to a local farm for their Halloween fun and hayrides!

Wheeler Historic Farm, near Salt Lake City, Ut   Photo courtesy: Jennamation Art 

And of course, getting to drive up one of the numerous GORGEOUS canyons just minutes away to see the unbelievable Autumn leaves! 

Little Cottonwood Canyon, Salt Lake City, Utah   Photo courtesy: nileguide.com

Alpine Loop, Utah   Photo courtesy: distantvistas.com

And last but not least, stopping at Einstein Bagels for their gourmet spiced pumpkin bagels "shmeared" with pumpkin cream cheese!

 

What are some of your family's favorite October traditions?! What tasty pumpkin goodies or Halloween festivities have you discovered around town?   I'd love to hear!

Whatever you do, I

hope you have a wickedly fun Halloween!