Thanksgiving 2014 ~ In Tennessee with Georgia Flair

What a blessed time we are having! Wendy, Tommy, Madison and Jaime drove in from Georgia just after lunch on Wednesday. We were able to enjoy Incredible Pizza that evening then have a relaxing Thanksgiving day on Thursday. After we filled our bellies, we went to Johnson Park and took a long walk on the boardwalk and through the woods. Me, Wendy and Tommy were at the stores about 5:30pm to get a few sale items for Christmas that were only available for 1 hour! We completed our goal and then some!

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Granny Johnson's Dressing

 Cranberry Relish (nana)
1 bag fresh cranberries ~ sort through and remove stems and bad berries
1 whole orange including rind
1 honeycrisp apple including skin
I put all in small batches at a time in my little Oscar or ninja, any chopper type gadget. Add 1/2 cup sugar to begin with then adjust to taste.

Tommy carving the turkey.

The Boardwalk

Jaime Campos

Madison and Grace on Typhoon

Nothing Less than Jesus

God rewards those who seek Him. Not those who seek doctrine or religion or systems or creeds. Many settle for these lesser passions, but the reward goes to those who settle for nothing less than Jesus himself. And what is the reward? What awaits those who seek Jesus? Nothing short of the heart of Jesus. "And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him" (2 Cor. 3:18)

Can you think of a greater gift than to be like Jesus? Christ felt no guilt; God wants to banish yours. Jesus had no bad habits; God wants to remove yours. Jesus had no fear of death; God wants you to be fearless. Jesus had kindness for the diseased and mercy for the rebellious and courage for the challenges. God wants you to have the same...He wants you to be just like Jesus. ~ Max Lucado ~ Grace for the Moment

Monday Funday

We have a new recipe we love! My friend, Ami Tasker, shared one of her children's favorite breakfast dishes and we have made it two days in a row!  Introducing....Dutch Babies! They are great with powdered sugar and drizzled with your favorite syrup.

DUTCH BABIES

 This is the Thankful Tree I have done in the past few years before I tried the newspaper tree this year. I got a large stick from the woods and cut leaves out with my Cricut so family and friends can write on them and I save them from year to year and add to them, writing the year on the back.

Pad Thai is one of our favorites with crushed peanuts and cilantro, it's what was for supper!


Tonight I picked up a daily devotional by Max Lucado out of his book Grace for the Moment given to me by my mom in 2003. It never fails to speak to me.  Nov. 24 reads...
A True Family
     My true brother and sister and mother are those who do what God wants. Mark 3:35
Does Jesus have anything to say about dealing with difficult relatives? Is there an example of Jesus bringing peace to a painful family? Yes there is. His own...
     It may surprise you to know that Jesus had a family at all! You may not be aware that Jesus had brothers and sisters. He did. Quoting Jesus' hometown critics, Mark wrote, "[Jesus] is just the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters are here with us" (Mark 6:3)
     And it may surprise you to know that his family was less than perfect. They were. If your family doesn't apreciate you, take heart, neither did Jesus'....
     [Yet] he didn't try to control his family's behavior, nor did he let their behavior control his. He didn't demand that they agree with him. He didn't sulk when they insulted him. He didn't make it his mission to try to please them.

As this Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, many families have tension, struggles and past trials that keep them from showing their love for one another. They should deeply love each other because they are created by our Lord and Savior and are one anothers blood, and it hurts Him to see siblings/families be so uncaring. Break my heart for what breaks His. That is one of my favorite quotes. We are not better than another, we have all sinned and fallen short, when someone wrongs us we should not seek revenge. That's. So. Hard! We want to hurt them as they have hurt us. All we can do is pray for that person, who may be praying for us as well.

Rainy Sunday

It has been a relaxing and fun rainy Sunday. I got caught up on my laundry while playing many board games with Lily and Pyro. Sorry, Clue, Checkers and Chess were the picks of the day.  I have also been busy in the kitchen trying a new granola recipe that turned out great! Can't wait to try different variations!  We had homemade chicken and stars soup for lunch!

Ready to go in the oven!

Lily mixing granola

Finished homemade granola!

Captain Crunch (Granola)
Preheat oven to 300. Combine 3 cups old fashioned oats, 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, or walnuts) 1 1/2 cups coconut shavings (I used unsweetened), 1/2 cup agave syrup, 1/4 cup olive oil or warmed coconut oil, 2 tbl packed brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 egg white. In a large bowl, toss to combine all. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake, stirring every 10 min until golden brown and dry, 40-45 min. Let cool on baking sheet, it will crisp as it cools. Mix in 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries.  Store airtight at room temp for 2 weeks.  (Maple syrup or honey can be swapped with agave, you can add chocolate chips too at the end) GREAT over yogurt!

Homemade Chicken and Stars soup!

8 cups chicken broth
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
1 bay leaf
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 ribs celery chopped
1 cup star-shaped pasta

In a large pot, heat 4 cups broth to boiling. Add chicken and bay leaf, and simmer covered about 8-10 minutes. Add vegetables as you chop them. Remove chicken after 8 minutes and place on cutting board to cool.  Add the other 4 cups broth to your pot and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook 6-7 minutes.  Remove pot from heat. Dice chicken, add to pot. Remove bay leaf. If soup is too thick, add 2 cups water for desired consistency. Top with your choice of garnish: parmesan cheese, saltines, pepper, oyster crackers, parsley

It is a short week as Thanksgiving quicky approaches! I made a thankful tree out of newspaper that doesn't look as cute as it does on Pinterest because the wall was a darker brown and that somehow made it cuter!  I also got my hair cut yesterday and she got scissor-happy! I cried in the parking lot...but decided to be thankful that I have a headful of hair and I can grow it back, I am healthy and it's JUST HAIR. There is always something to be thankful for!

2014 Thankful Tree

I am hoping my family will add leaves to the tree throughout the week. I have put the year on the backs of the leaves and have looked back and read 2011 and 2012 where I had a tree in a vase and a large stick with branches I found in the woods for the past couple years. I love reading what my family is thankful for year to year!

Christmas with Elvis

It has not been fun shopping for bathroom rugs. Pyro Parsons thinks I can go to one store and find what we need. I like to live in a spot for a while and decide what I might like and take time to shop around (at my leisure) and bring things home to try. I did find a great table for my bedroom to finish off my reading/relaxing area by the bay window, and even got it discounted just by asking!


We are living in the newly renovated bathroom and I love it! My bath tub has a slight recline to it and it is just simply amazing and RELAXING! The shower is Pete's favorite and I love the rock under my feet and admiring the Tree of Life that Wayne designed for us.

Now we are still trying to figure out final touches on decor. Pyro was in the attic and brought some things down...oh my. I tell you one thing went into the Give Away pile so he can not hang it anywhere in the house! Other things he did well with his decorating skills:-)

He is in the mode of looking at stainless steel appliances right now because he said there is a DEAL OF A LIFETIME going on at Lowe's so he wants to seize the moment. I am so happy with my bathroom that I am not asking for any more projects. We will get hardwood floors in the master bedroom eventually. Pyro is in the process of changing out the brass door knobs/hinges to oil-rubbed bronze lever handles. Very elegant.

My side

Tree of Life

Pyro's side

Last night we had the privilege of going to Graceland in Memphis for the 'flipping of the switch' as John Stamos lit up the Elvis property. Children from Le Bonheur were there as was an appearance from Santa. John Stamos holds a special place in my heart as I watched MANY Full House episodes in my growing up days. Now, I love that my kids watch them too! John is a true Elvis fan and advocate of the children's hospital.

Graceland 2014 Nov 21

The Parsons and Jump ladies

John <3

Jadyn, Lily, Grace, Jordan

We ate at Rockabilly's Diner at Graceland...hamburger and crinkle fries, chicken tenders, then ended our night at TCBY in Collierville. Fun had by all!

At this time of year we are praying for the family who lost their house to fire as 3 of their 5 children battle cancer and the mother is recovering from cancer as well. Also for a little boy named Sammy as he is being treated at St. Jude for cancer.  Blessings of peace for these families as they are going through this storm. God is with us in the eye of all storms.

FedEx Family House

Today I had the privilege of being part of a work service day that makes a difference! The FedEx Family House is a home away from home for out-of-town families with children receiving treatment at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. Volunteers are needed to for a variety of things. We prepared grab-n-go bags for parents and family members to stock the community refrigerator. Ami and I cleaned out the pantry and removed any expired, opened or dented cans/boxes/spices.  There are 24 rooms and 4 kitchens, a library, children's game room, and living areas for people to socialize after being in a hospital room for hours and days.  You can  prepare and serve breakfast, lunch or dinner, or bake cookies. Any volunteer help is appreciated. Liebby is the therapy dog that visits the house on scheduled dates. There is no food allowed in the rooms and everything must be very clean because of the nature of the sick children. Families can use the kitchen to prepare their food instead of leaving for fast food and they encourage them to talk with other families rather than isolating themselves in the hospital or sleep rooms constantly. The longest a family has ever stayed is 8 months.

This will definitely be a place me and my children will go to serve more in the future. Usually when you seek  to help and serve others, you are the one that is blessed!Today was a blessing to me. Thank you my most wonderful heavenly Father.

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.      Hebrews 13:2

This room Dedicated by FedEx Pilot's Wives

The house is run like a hotel with housekeepers, etc

Each room sleeps 4 and has a sunroom

Art made by the patients/children

The family room

Playroom with books and games

FEPWA

Me and Ami

Two kitchens seen in this photo

One side of the pantry

The library and computer area

Community refrigerator

Blessings for Monday

It was a productive but relaxing weekend. I did more things around the house and am so excited that Wendy and her family are coming again for Thanksgiving.  We will meet her exchange student, Jaime, from Spain. Lily has been getting their rooms ready by making towel creations for their bed.

I went with Toni Pace yesterday to the Helen Brett show which is a guest invite only show where business owners go and shop for their boutique or themselves. The AR/TN bridge was beautiful, even though it was dreary and rainy all day.  I thought it was photo worthy because I am not downtown very often.

I also got my table ready for Thanksgiving and will be making my 'Thankful Tree' today.  It's so sweet looking back at the 'leaves' and reading what loved ones put on them year to year as what they are grateful for.

I pray my family and friends are healthy, thankful, motivated and reflect on what these upcoming holidays are really about without getting caught up in the money and worldly ways. As people whiz by and are in a hurry, I am remembering what Priscilla Shirer said, "Busyness is worse than Pornography". God follows through with His promises, the work He starts He will finish.

Remember your 14 minutes to cease and be with the Lord today.   I cleaned out 5 garbage bags full of 'things' from my closet and around the house in general, it feels great to make space and I won't miss any of those things in the bags.

Crafting

I am in the craft mode the past week or so...doesn't mean it will stay with me. I think since the bathroom remodel I have been in 'clean out and organize, craft' mode. I copied a hat I had bought and made one that I like even better! I have 5 garbage bags full for the Disabled Vets to pick up so my closet is so much cleaner and spacious.

Getting ready for Thanksgiving with family!

The hat I made on the left, the one I bought on the right!

I have much more to go but I am working hard! I am still cleaning from the construction dust as well...