Thanksgiving Weekend Recap!

Hello friends! Hope you’ve enjoyed a wonderful and special Thanksgiving weekend. Brennan & Breezy arrived back home in the wee early hours last Wednesday morning. After having a chance to sleep in, they spent the rest of the day and evening visiting family. It was soooo good to see them! They’re doing well…loving married life, and they were very happy to be “home.”

Like many of you (I’m sure), Thursday morning started early and the evening ended late, but with many blessings in between. At the dinner table, we gave thanks for the newest members of our family, for those of Thanksgivings past who are still missed, and those for whom God has graciously granted yet another year. We shared memories and lots of laughter throughout the night. (I wish I could tell you just how many times I was reminded NOT to pour the gravy down the drain...LOL!)

After the last guests left, I did a bit more kitchen cleanup, and then headed off to bed. Had to catch at least a few winks before meeting family and friends for our annual Christmas shopping adventure at 5:00 am! We stood in several long lines, but got several really great deals. Though not quite as wild as last year, we did manage to capture some fun Target photos…

Here is Breezy, ready for Black Friday shopping!


My nephew, Blake and Brennan..."um, nice skirts guys..."


...and you thought those were just Christmas trees!


My sister, Marcia modeling these lovely "earrings"...aren't they just the perfect compliment to your favorite Christmas ensemble??


My niece, Brooke finds her long lost friend in the toy section! (No, she didn't really kiss him!)


They gave me such a hard time last year about not being in the photos...they insisted this year on "crowning" me the Christmas queen and snapping this one...

By 2:00 pm, I was ready to call it a day. I bid farewell to my crazy family and headed home for a blissful nap. That night, Tom, Brennan, Breezy, her mom, Lisa and I had tickets for A Christmas Carol at the IMAX (which was quite good, by the way).

From that point on, the weekend was much more peaceful and relaxed. I did do just a couple of errands late Saturday. Yesterday, we were invited to enjoy a wonderful breakfast with Breezy’s family, Breezy and Brennan before they headed back to SC. We left them with hugs and prayers and we’ve already started the countdown of days until they’ll be back home for Christmas break… ; )

Even though it seemed to pass too quickly, it’s was a great weekend. Hope yours was, too. = )

Love & blessings,
Tracy

P.S. Almost forgot! Be sure to watch for a giveaway sometime this week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Father in Heaven,
We give thanks for the pleasure
Of gathering together for this occasion.
We give thanks for this food
Prepared by loving hands.
We give thanks for life,
The freedom to enjoy it all
And all other blessings.
As we partake of this food,
We pray for health and strength
To carry on and try to live as
You would have us.
This we ask in the name of Christ,
Our Heavenly Father,
~Amen

- Harry Jewell

I am Thankful...

Greetings! How does this Thanksgiving Eve find you? Sleep-deprived? Stressed? With a To-Do list longer than your arm? Oh friends, I know… My state of mind is a glorious mix of busy, tired, happy, frazzled, excited, but most of all…blessed. I’m looking forward to giving Thanks with my family even more than usual this year.

Amidst the craziness of “getting ready” with all its many tasks, I've been thinking on these blessings from the year...

* Celebrating 25 years of marriage in September, with my dearest friend.

* Unforgettable memories of our family vacation this summer.

* The joy of watching Brennan marry his long-time best friend, a young woman who absolutely adores him.

* The joy of welcoming the delightful (and quite loveable) Breezy “officially” into our family.

* The gift of yet another Thanksgiving with both sets of parents. We are incredibly blessed.

* Gratitude that my Dad’s work injury, though painful and difficult, didn’t result in paralysis or worse.

* Growing closer to my sister through some shared struggles.

* Faithful friends. Perhaps more than any other year, I’ve been acutely aware of the blessing of the encouragement, support and faithful prayers of friends, several of which I’ve met through blogging.

* The transition into a full-time position on September 1st. -- truly a gift from God. Not only that? I work for three of the kindest, most wonderful attorneys imaginable. Couldn’t ask for better... (Didn’t have to, God knew.) = )

Tomorrow as I prepare and enjoy the Thanksgiving meal with my family and in-laws, I’ll do so with an overwhelmingly grateful heart. God has been so good to my family and I.

I pray you have a wonderful time celebrating God’s goodness tomorrow, savoring the moments with your family and/or friends, and making some special new memories. Remember those who are alone and consider inviting them to be a part of your celebration.

I leave you with a simple, yet beautiful prayer, by Mary Fairchild:

Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day
We bow our hearts to You and pray.
We give You thanks for all You've done
Especially for the gift of Jesus, your Son.
For beauty in nature, Your glory we see
For joy and health, friends and family,
For daily provision, Your mercy and care
These are the blessings You graciously share.
So today we offer this response of praise
With a promise to follow You all of our days.

Thanking God for YOU…
Tracy

2009 Scripture Memory Challenge # 22

Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
continue to live in Him,
rooted and built up in Him,
strengthened in the faith as you were taught,
and overflowing with thankfulness.

~ Colossians 2:6-7

LOVE in a Deep Dish Casserole! = )

The cooler weather of fall always brings certain recipes to mind…things like my Mom’s Ham and Noodle Casserole, an all-time family favorite. Nothing fancy, just old fashioned home-cooked love & goodness.

When we were growing up, Mom would always make our favorite dinner on our birthday. I asked for this…every time. Even for Brennan, this is a dish that says LOVE like no other. = )

As you can imagine, I was very eager to make this for Tom when we were first married. Armed with step-by-step instructions from Mom, I headed to the store for the ingredients. I got home and busily started preparing the meal. I could hardly wait until he tasted it.

The first step was to dice two thick slices of ham I had gotten from the butcher into bite-sized pieces. Since the next step would take about 20 minutes, I thought I should put the ham back in the fridge to keep cold until I needed it. I put the water on for the noodles, then chopped and began to sauté the celery and onions for the sauce. So far, so good.

By the time the noodles were done, the sauce was almost ready. I drained and placed them carefully in my brand new casserole dish. Soon, the sauce was done and I poured it over all the noodles. It smelled just like Mom's and the consistency was perfect! I was so pleased with myself.

I toasted and cubed the bread for the topping, drizzled it with melted margarine and placed it in the oven. I had talked so much about this meal, Tom was quite anxious to try it. Soon, 30 minutes had passed and it was time.

The table was set with our new Pfalzgraf dishes. I placed a generous portion on his plate along with some salad, and sat down across from him. I watched eagerly (and a bit nervously) as he took the first bite.

"Oh, hon…this is really good!"

I beamed.

He took another bite, "Wow, yes…I really like this…it’s delicious!"

Just as I was preparing to take my first bite, he said,

"...and what’s this called again?"

"Ham and Noodle Casserole"

"Hmm" he said, as he took another bite and gave particular attention to its taste..."that’s odd..."

"What’s that?"

"For some reason, I can't taste the ham."

Suddenly my mind flashed to the ham, in all its diced glory, sitting on the dish...still in the fridge. Oops. (So much for impressing my new hubby with my cooking finesse!) LOL! We both had quite a giggle and it’s been a favorite family story for years. To this day if I mention I’m making it, someone will inevitably say…”Don’t forget the ham!”

Hope you enjoy (and don't YOU forget the ham!)

Mom's Ham & Noodle Casserole

10 ounces of noodles (I use No Yolks) – cooked and drained

1-2 Cups of Ham (I use 1 pkg of John Morrell diced ham (drained) looks like about 1 ½ cups) OR get two thick slices (¼”) of lean ham from the deli and cube it

1 cup celery (finely chopped)

1 small onion (finely chopped)

¼ + 1 Tablespoon Margarine or Butter (I use I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter – Light)

2 cups of milk

8-10 Slices of American Cheese (torn into small pieces)
(I use Kraft 2 % singles but Land O Lakes tastes better)

8 slices whole wheat toast (cubed)

Saute celery and onion in ¼ cup margarine or butter until nearly transparent, add in flour and stir coating celery and onions. Add in milk slowly, stirring often until it begins to thicken. (Skim takes quite a while longer to thicken than 2 % or whole milk.) When sauce begins to thicken, add in cheese, stirring until all melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a casserole dish sprayed with Pam, spread noodles. Sprinkle ham on top. Pour sauce mixture over all and stir to coat evenly. Top with cubed toast. Melt 1 Tablespoons of butter or margarine and lightly drizzle over toast. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with salad or other green vegetable. Approximately 6 servings for the average family, 4 if you live in our house! ; )

2009 Scripture Memory Challenge #19, 20 & 21, plus one more for good measure!

I’m playing catch-up with the Scripture Memory Challenge. Since I didn’t blog for nearly four weeks, I missed both postings for the month of October. As of today, I owe you 3 passages, but (because you’re so special), you get 4! Stay with me here…

I absolutely love the Psalms! They’re among my favorite places to dwell in the Bible. Early last month, I received a daily devotional message by Lysa TerkHeurst of Proverbs 31 Ministries. I was immediately drawn in when I read the opening passage. Her message centered beautifully around four passages in Psalms with a message that resonated with me for days…in fact it still is. As the excitement of the wedding, major changes at work and other everyday crises swirled around me, these verses have found themselves lodged in my head, but more importantly my heart. Like Lysa TerKeurst, these verses have become my daily prayer. Perhaps they’ll become yours, too…

A Morning Prayer

Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." Psalm 86:11 (NIV)

It is very early in the morning. Not many people are stirring yet.

Though my body begs me just to roll over and go back to sleep, my soul is stirring to get up and go sit with Jesus.

Though I can't physically see Him, I know He is present.

I decide to open my Bible to the Psalms and use the verses I read as prayers to start my day.

And the more I pray those verses out loud the less I hear all the nagging things of the world. A beautiful melody of truth starts to rise up and suddenly my worries fade in the light of God's truth.

His perspective on things that are troubling me starts to overshadow my anxiety. Like shade on a hot summer's day, I feel relief in His presence.

I know that He is preparing me for what I will need throughout this day. He is already standing in every minute of my day and He sees what I will face. So, He's equipping me to be able to handle what is ahead of me with His gentle boldness, quiet strength, and loving grace.

In Psalm 81:10b, God instructs me, "Open wide your mouth and I will fill it." He will give me what to say today. What to say in happy moments. What to say in aggravating moments. What to say in moments where I feel insecure and what to say when I feel completely confident. What to say in disappointing moments. What to say in response to questions.

He also reminds me that sometimes it is good to keep my mouth closed and say nothing at all.

All the words that rumble about in my brain and those that will proceed out of my mouth, Lord, You be the author of those.

Psalm 84:1 reminds me that God's dwelling place is lovely. So, I ask God to dwell in me richly. I want Him to be what radiates about me. I want Him to be my pretty today.

Not my hair. Not my outfit. Not my efforts. But simply Him and His spirit dancing invisibly about me... shifting a wrong attitude, guarding my words, and whispering constant truths into my heart.

Psalm 86:11 is what I ask the Lord to give me. "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart..."

Lord, may nothing separate me from You today. Teach me how to choose only Your way today so each step will lead me closer to You. Help me walk by the truth and not my feelings.

Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided. Protect me from my own careless thoughts, words and actions. And keep me from being distracted by MY wants, MY desires, MY thoughts on how things should be.

Help me to embrace what comes my way as an opportunity...rather than a personal inconvenience.

And finally, help me to rest in the truth of Psalm 86:13a, "Great is your love toward me." You already see all the many ways I will surely fall short and mess up. But right now, I consciously tuck Your whisper of absolute love for me into the deepest part of my heart. I recognize Your love for me is not based on my performance. You love me warts and all.

Have mercy, that's amazing.

But what's most amazing is that the God of the Universe, the Savior of the world, would desire a few minutes with me this morning. Lord, help me to forever remember what a gift it is to sit with You like this.

Dear Lord, I love You. All that I have read here is the desire of my heart. I know and confess that sometimes my actions and reactions betray my love for You. Please forgive me. Thank You for Your grace that is able to recognize this new day as a new chance to walk closer with You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.


If you’d like to subscribe to these daily messages (and I highly recommend it!) click here.

Happy Halloween!!!

Update: My hubby and I just returned from our church's outreach to the community called "Trunk or Treat." We've been doing this for 3 or 4 years now, and it keeps growing and growing. Well over 100 church members sign up to park their cars along the perimeter of our parking lot to pass out candy (tailgate style). In the center, volunteers provide free hot dogs, popcorn and other snacks and drinks. Tracts are distributed as well as New Testament Bibles. Christian music plays all evening over the sound system. It's an incredible opportunity to show the love of Jesus to an entire community. This outreach has brought numerous new families into our church, but more importantly, to Christ! Tonight, over 2,000 people attended and were shown the love of Jesus! We were thrilled and honored to be a part of it.

The Wedding!!!

Hello!!! There is sooooooooo much to share with you, I haven’t a clue where to start! I’m just going to dive in headlong, so hold on!!!

Last Saturday was the wedding…THE wedding, the one that’s been planned now for over a year. What an incredible day! It came together perfectly, wonderfully and beautifully. It had been unseasonably cold, rainy & dreary all week long. On Saturday morning, we awoke to those same cold temps, but beautiful sunshine! What a blessing. It truly set the tone for a wonderful day!

The entire wedding party met together at the church around 9:00 Saturday morning. Brennan and Breezy were seeing one another beforehand, so that many of the photos could be taken in advance of the ceremony. However, they shared a few special moments together, just the two of them (captured at a distance by the photographer) when he saw her for the first time as his bride. (I can't wait to see those photos!)

The original plan was to take many of the remaining photos outdoors. However, because of all the rain, mud & cold temps, they decided instead to make arrangements to use a local old theater instead. It was beautiful!

Special thanks to my sister, Marcia for capturing so many of these photos for me, all throughout the day (and even the night before at the rehearsal!) What a gift! Although I'm very anxious to see the photographer's photos, it was wonderful to have a huge array of candid shots (over 200 from her alone!) Thanks also to Dale Robertson who graciously shared his photos, as well. (Trying to narrow them down was no small task, let me tell you!)

The juniors, ring bearer and flower girl.

The WHOLE wedding party!

Beautiful Breezy

All the lovely ladies...

My two favorite guys...

Tom and I, just before the ceremony

Breezy's Mom, Lisa

Awaiting his bride...

What a great moment...

Brennan & Breezy planned a very meaningful and Christ-centered ceremony. At the outset, during a hymn, they had set aside a few brief moments for a time of prayer with us as parents, Breezy with hers and Brennan with us. It was very special and something we will never forget.

The service was officiated by pastors who are very dear to Brennan & Breezy. They did an amazing job, and their messages complimented one another beautifully. There was great emphasis on the covenant they were entering into, and the challenge to make their marriage mirror the relationship of Christ and the church. It was a powerful reminder to all married couples.

With this ring...

Signing their covenant

At the close of the ceremony, there was unmistakable, radiant joy that these two were now husband and wife!

LOTS of family photos after the ceremony. I love this one. = )

My Mom & Dad (He was wearing dress shoes for the first time since his injury...every time I thought about how bad my feet were aching, I thought of him. He was in a good bit of pain, but kept on smiling.)

From the decor to the favors, Breezy's family did an incredible job. They had worked on various items for several weeks and everything looked so elegant. Breezy's Grandmother made 40 of these beautiful arrangements! On Thursday, everything was brought to the church and we started putting it all together. As friends arrived from out of town, they all jumped in to help....it was a great time!

Here is the happy couple making their grand entrance at the reception!

The extraordinary cookie table! In keeping with Italian tradition, there were all sorts of cookies offered. (In addition to the beautiful cake!) Among them, Kolache, thumprint cookies, crinkles, Mexican wedding cookies, shortbread, biscotti and clothespins. With the exception of two cookies, all the rest were made by family friend, Brittany Robertson. She was baking and freezing for several weeks, and did an amazing job...they were INCREDIBLE!

The food itself was delicious... Italian wedding soup, salad, chicken & fettucini alfredo and Italian green beans.

Another HUGE hit of the day was the coffee bar. Bren & Breezy had arranged it through a local coffee house who came in and set up shop. They made coffee drinks and smoothies all afternoon!

My nephew, Blake and his lovely girlfriend Lydia

Remember how Brennan proposed? He wrote a play called "She Said Yes." Near the end of the reception (as a transition to their getaway), they had arranged for the same people who originally played the parts to re-enact the play. It went beautifully and the crowd absolutely loved it!

As the play ended and they prepared for the tossing of the bouquet and their departure...they took a few moments to thank everyone for sharing in their special day.

All smiles at the end of the reception, my beautiful nieces, Jordyn & Blaire.

And finally...a picture of my sister, Marcia with my lovely niece, Brooke!

A wonderful day, indeed. Hope you've enjoyed these glimpses of the wedding. Thank you for sharing in our joy and excitement for all these months. We wish Brennan & Breezy a lifetime of love, joy and happiness together.

Brianna's "Something Blue" Bridal Shower

At long last! I wanted to share photos from Brianna's "Something Blue" shower earlier this month.

Due to a number of circumstances, there were a very limited number of weekends available for our bride, so we decided to combine forces (her Mom, her Aunt, her Grandmother and myself) and have a large joint shower.

I knew it would be special and wonderful, because everything touched by Brianna's family is just that. Her Grandmother takes care of the monthly women's prayer breakfast at their church, all of which have their own theme. She puts a great deal of thought and planning into each one, so I knew she would be overflowing with beautiful ideas. And she was. Add to that the creative talents of Breezy's Mom, Lisa & her Aunt Shawn...Wow! We all had our assigned tasks beforehand, then the morning of the shower, other family members arrived to help, too. Like a mini army we got everything set up and ready.

Don't you love those place settings? It was an afternoon tea so at every place, there was a sweet tea bag personalized with the names of the bride and groom, a cute tea cozy and special cup and saucer to keep as well. I loved the way the large doilies looked under the plates.

The favors were darling! Breezy's Aunt Shawn reduced the shower invitation and placed it on these little boxes, added a flower and coordinating ribbon and pretzel candies. Absolutely adorable.

Breezy's Mom, Lisa has been collecting antique cups and saucers since she was a teenager. Having them on display added a beautiful touch to the shower.

All sorts of various teas were offered, in a variety of lovely tea pots...

We served cucumber sandwiches, mini quiche, egg salad sandwiches, cranberry scones, cream puffs, oreo bon bons and baklava...

...chicken salad croissants, triscuits with cajun salmon dip and mini fruit pizza. Delicious! (This was not to mention of course, the cake!)

We played several games..."How Well Do You Know Brianna" and also a purse scavenger hunt, which proved to be great fun.

Since Brennan made the trip back home from South Carolina with Brianna, he stopped by later on (just in time to help open some gifts!)

They received all sorts of wonderful things....too many, in fact to take back to South Carolina on this trip. Literally every nook and cranny of that car was filled. (I meant to take a photo, but forgot!) By the time the wedding rolls around, they just might need to rent another little u-haul! ; ) This couple is so very blessed and so very loved!

As of today, the wedding is 20 days away! Rehearsal dinner invitations are in the mail, Tom's is being measured for his tux this week, my dress fitting is Saturday...it will be here before we know it! Thanks so much for sharing in our joy and excitement! = )