the one about giving thanks

It's DECEMBER, y'all! Eeek! And as excited as I am to post about Christmas and all the upcoming merriment - it wouldn't be right to neglect Thanksgiving! This year, we stayed in Massachusetts and spent time with Jesse's family on the North Shore. We had so much fun watching movies, eating WAY too much food, shopping, and just spending time together as a family. It was an especially fun holiday with Collier around as our new brother-in-law. He's the perfect addition to our clan:)  

This year, I asked to put together the Thanksgiving tablescape and I loved being able to get a little crafty. The decorations were pretty simple:

- a large glass vase wrapped in twine and filled with autumnal gourds, berries, and pine cones

- 2 little lanterns from AC Moore (for only a $1 or $2!) that I'm using again this Christmas

- pinecones for holding the place cards and around the table

- cardstock and felt markers for the place cards

- postal paper (again, so cheap!) for the "I am thankful for" placemats. 

The placemats were a beast to cut (you should have seen my father in law wrestling the paper to the ground and both of us laughing hysterically on Thanksgiving Eve - quite the bonding moment) but led to a special table conversation. I loved hearing what everyone was thankful for in 2014:)

 It would definitely be an easy table scape to adjust for Christmas - I hope it gives you an idea or two for your home! 

Our Thanksgiving table. Amber (and her new beau, Esteban) joined us!

I found some South Georgia peee-caaans for my sweet potato souffle! My southern soul was pumped.

Lots to be thankful for this year!

As we head into the busy Christmas season, I'm trying to hold onto the message of the Thanksgiving holiday. A friend of mine recently posted a thought about the Scriptures' take on thanksgiving - that the Bible talks significantly more about "giving thanks" than "being thankful" and it got me thinking. Apparently, God desires an active form of gratitude even more than an inward or passive form. I don't know about you, but it's much easier for me to be passive in my thanks - to pray about what I'm thankful for or think about what I'm blessed with. But as we head into December, I'm trying to determine how I can be more actively full of gratitude in my daily life. How can I show my thanks to my God, to my husband, to my family, friends and the less fortunate? I don't want to just be inwardly thankful but externally and joyfully full of thanks! Join me, won't you?!

Here's to a wonderful holiday season!

XOXO

A+J

the one with the redemption

Although I'm sure you're dying to see all that I did over the holiday weekend (just kidding, I know your instagrams, facebooks, etc have already been thoroughly bombarded by your friends'/other bloggers' posts) -  I know that what you really want to know is how I fared over Black Friday. Did I break my vow? If you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about - then you can read my recent fashion vow post here.

First of all, I'm happy to report that I've worn my own (feminine) clothes every day this week. Since I've been freeeezing up here in Boston - it's been tough to stick to my own clothing options - but I've made lots of effort! And over the holiday weekend I even took some photos to prove it. Special thank you to all of you (J included) who have been forcing me to stick to my vow - I never knew how much you all detested my bad habits until I posted about it:)

Photo 1: shirt (thrifted), sweater (Gap last year), jeans (old navy), necklace, (consignment)

Photo 2: sweater (Gap), colored jeans (Gap outlet)

Photo 3: ruffled shirt (LOFT), sweater (LOFT), cords (JCrew Factory)

*In other news: the angle of these pictures is oh-so-unflattering. Vow #2 - stop taking photos like these*

And how did I survive the Black Friday shopping craze? Well, again, I just barely escaped the clenches of men's clothing sales and instead I bought two feminine shirts - one from Target and one from LOFT. They're adorable and flattering...finally! I'll post those later. J, on the other hand, bought some reallyyyy soft shirts during the sales and I haven't tried to steal them yet. It's nearly been the death of me.

Is it breaking my vow if I just wear them once... if I didn't buy them personally? Shhh, don't tell:)

And just in case you DO care about our Thanksgiving - here's a picture from our very first Thanksgiving as husband and wife. We like to keep it bright:) 

the one with the fauxgiving

In honor of Thanksgiving Eve, I'm posting about one of my favorite new traditions....celebrating Thanksgiving...rather "Fauxgiving" with some of our best friends. On Saturday, several of the young married couples at church got together for a huge turkey dinner - and it was an absolute FEAST. The feast allowed me to try out some new recipes. I decided to make some southern classics: macaroni and cheese and sweet potato souffle. And now - I have the privilege of sharing them with you:) 

Macaroni and Cheese: 

I got the recipe from the Food Network (it was the highest rated recipe) and it turned out deliciously!! Here it is before and after the oven:) Look it up here. 

Sweet Potato Souffle:

I don't have a picture of the souffle but this was one of the favorites of the evening. It was rich and sweet...and totally Southern:) It was diviiiine! And you can find the recipe here...Paula Deen, baby!

Although everyone made some delicious food - the best part of Fauxgiving was spending it with friends. I feel so blessed to live in a place with so many people in our stage of life. The first couple  months of marriage have been wonderful but also new, crazy, emotional, etc and we've needed peer friendships like never before. I'm so thankful that God has blessed us abundantly in this department. 

Isn't Alex such an adorable hostess?! She and Jay made the turkey and made this night come together:) 

Can you believe that actual Thanksgiving is tomorrow?! I know I can't. J and I are spending the holiday weekend with his family up in Syracuse, NY and it's going to be a great time. This is my second year with his family (although last year we stayed in town) and I'm really excited about it. Although I always miss my family this time of year - I'm so blessed to have the in-laws that I do. They make me feel so loved and included. Special note: Jesse's sister will not be joining us this year. And I'm so mad - thankfully she's sitting right next to me until her flight this afternoon. So I'm getting my Jenna-fix a little early this year:) 

It's hard to believe that this time last November, J and I were still dating long distance. The last year has brought so much to be grateful for - God is good. 

Thanksgiving 2011