Feeling the Gratitude Attitude

“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.” --Randy Pausch




     Thanksgiving is perhaps one of my very favorite holidays.  I love getting together with family members and giving thanks for all our blessings.  I love all the good food.  It seems that each year my house is the place that everyone gathers to.  I might complain but at the same time I am pleased that we are blessed with enough room to accomodate the crowd.  I have noticed that my daughter has been posting on facebook one thing that she is grateful for each day.  This is such a healthy practice that causes us to look beyond ourselves and realize where our blessings come from.

     This is one of the few Thanksgiving quilts that I have found.  This one is from the Art to Heart book by Nancy Halverson called Heartfelt Holidays Too.  It is just the right size to make a nice wall hanging.

    

     Here's another soup recipe that I love.  My mother would bring a version of this recipe to my family after the birth of a new child.  It's full of vegetables and loaded with flavor. 

Whole Meal Soup

1 lb. ground beef                                              1 cup. shredded cabbage (optional)

1 quart hot water                                              1 diced onion

1 cup diced potatoes                                          1/2 Tbsp. salt

1 cup  celery                                                       1/8 C. rice or ½ C. macaroni

1 cup diced tomatoes                                         4 bouillon cubes

½ cup corn                                                         seasoning salt

½ cup diced carrots

 

            Brown meat and drain.  Add water and bouillon cubes.  Bring to a full boil and add vegetables and salt.  Bring back to a boil and add rice or macaroni.  Simmer ½ hour or longer and season to taste.

 

     I love these rolls.  You can use whole wheat bread dough to make them a little healthier.  Any kind of jam can be used.  I used apricot pineapple this time.

Orange Marmalade Sweet Rolls

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed                                1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup orange marmalade spreadable fruit                   ½ tsp. grated orange peel

2 T. raisins                                                                      2 tsp. orange juice

            On a floured surface, roll dough into a 12x8” rectangle; brush with orange marmalade.  Sprinkle with raisins.  Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with the long side; pinch dough to seal.  Cut into 12 slices.  Place cut side down in muffin cups coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

            Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Immediately remove to serving dish.  Combine the powdered sugar, orange peel and orange juice; drizzle over warm rolls.  Makes 1 dozen.

 

 

 

 

     Owls are so popular this year.  I found the wooden owl on the left at a holiday boutique in Farmington.  The owl on the right is one that my daughter and I came up with.  The head is removable and an electric tealight can be placed inside to give off filtered light.  Obviously a real flame should not be used.  At the bottom is an owl treat made from a moon pie and oreos.

 

  The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck is a book  I feel all women should read.  It's a story with lots of lessons we can learn from and learn quite a bit about China at the same time.

 

     Each placesetting at our Thanksgiving table will include a small bag of blessing mix.  I first started making this mix when my boys were in cub scouts and I was a leader.    This is a great way to help kids (and the rest of us)  be more grateful.  For a free download for the card, go to http://christmas.organizedhome.com.

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