Colorado Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in Colorado...yes, please!

Mountains.

Shopping.

  Hot Tub Time.

Cousins.

Christmas.

And Sledding.

We had a great week full of relaxation, enjoying time with family & all being back together in the mountains.  

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

2 Corinthians 9:15

Tuesday's Travels

I have the two most amazing travelers in the world!

Giving Thanks

I am thankful for my Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am nothing without Him & all that I have comes from & through Him.

I am thankful for my family.  

My husband.  He is a man who loves God, loves me & works so hard to provide for our family.

My precious girls.  They are healthy & happy.  I do not take that for granted.  My greatest blessing & my dream come true was becoming a Mommy. I pray I lead them well & know that ultimately they too are the Lord's.

My parents.  They love me unconditionally & have taught me well.  They are true servants.  They are amazing grandparents to my girls.

I am thankful for my friends.

I am blessed to have amazing friends both new & old.

I am grateful to have relationships that keep me grounded & that challenge me in growth.

I am thankful for this past year of change & growth. 

 I normally don't like change.  I don't seek it out & tend to run the other direction from it.  But this year we have changed both jobs & churches.  God has been in the center of both & His presence has been felt in all of our decisions.  

I am thankful for my own personal spiritual growth.

I have been challenged & guided by God this past year in ways that I have never had before. God has revealed areas of growth needed in my life & areas that I needed restoration in.  He has been faithful & I am grateful that He guides with grace & mercy.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits."

Psalms 103:1-2

Favorite Thing Friday

Lists have been made, our bags are in the process of being packed & our excitement level is at a 10!  A Thanksgiving trip to the mountains of CO with our whole family is just right around the corner!

I cannot wait to relax, eat too much, drink coffee by the fire place & KISS these sweet babies' cheeks!

Much to be thankful for!!

Close Encounters

When it takes you a month (or more) to download pictures from your camera you sometimes forget what happened.  When you give said camera to your husband at a petting zoo you laugh out loud at the pictures you download.

Close encounters with farm animals in AR!

Rachel

A Walk in the Woods

A beautiful fall Saturday spent in the woods with my favorite people...

We jumped from rocks...

Found the mouth of a cave...

Stopped for some fun...

Got a little tired & a little cold...

And then slept the whole way home in the car.

"On the glorious splendor of Your majesty & Your wonderful works, I will meditate."

Psalms 145:5

{Tasty} Tuesday

Fall is in full swing around here in every possible way.  I've switched out our wardrobes, shoes & recipes.  Is there really a better fall recipe than a soup?  I think not; especially when its an easy one!

Pumpkin & Apple Soup

2 Tbs Unsalted Butter

1 Medium Onion, chopped

2 Golden Delicious Apples, peeled, cored & cut into 1/8's

2 (15oz) Cans Pumpkin

4 Cups Chicken Broth

1 1/2 Cups Water

1 Bay Leaf

1 tsp Ground Coriander

1/2 tsp Salt

1/8-1/4 tsp Crushed Re Pepper Flakes

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

Over medium heat, melt butter.  Add onion & apples, stirring occasionally until softened.  About 10 minutes.

Stir in pumpkin, broth, water, bay leaf, coriander, salt & red pepper flakes.  Bring to a simmer & reduce the heat to med-low.

Cook covered, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.  

Let the fragrances of fall fill your kitchen!

Remove from heat (remove bay leaf) & puree until smooth.  Stir in cream & then return to heat just to heat through.

If you don't have one of these bad boys you can puree in batches in a blender.

Garnish & serve.  

Some garnish options are: yogurt, chestnuts & chives.  

I used goat cheese this time & it was really yummy!

Enjoy!

Rachel