Thankful

I love Fall. I love this time of year and all of it's colors. I love the different smells, foods and events that come with this season... burning wood, nutmeg, cinnamon, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, cranberries, stuffing, football, family... God made some aesthetically pleasing and amazing things in this world.

I am so thankful that I have all of my senses to see, hear, smell and touch these things.

I am thankful for life itself.

I am thankful for the ones I live with.

I am thankful for my family.

I am thankful that I live so close to my family.

I am thankful that I have a great job in a close-knit office.

I am thankful for my small, cozy and beautiful home, along with the food on my table and the bed that I sleep in.

I am so thankful for my health and the health of my loved ones.

I am thankful that I had a WONDERFUL Grandmama in this life who taught me many things, and I am thankful for the memories I have with her.

I will miss her this Thanksgiving.

I am thankful that I am an American and that I have the freedom to enjoy these things.

But most of all, I am thankful that no matter how undeserving I am, or how many times I forget Him, God NEVER leaves my side. I am thankful that he sent His son, Jesus, to die for my sins. I am thankful that even when I continue to sin, God still loves me and I receive his grace. I am sooo thankful for the peace he gives me.

God is GOOD.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

And don't forget, God is ALWAYS with you. You are NEVER alone.

I Loved this Recipe!

I guess I'm still on my pumpkin kick... pumpkin and spices for that matter. I even bought some Planters mixed nuts that were "Winter Spiced" flavored and they are sooo good. The taste of them makes me excited about the holidays! Cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, sweet potato... you name it!

Anyhow, here is a great Pork & Pumpkin Noodle Bowl recipe that we tried out a couple of weeks ago. It was phenomenal! Enjoy! Oh, and go buy you some of the nuts... they are awesome!

(Mine didn't look this pretty, but it tasted GREAT)

Pork & Pumpkin Noodle Bowl

Ingredients

8 oz. whole wheat linguini

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 lb. pork loin, cut in 1/2-inch-thick slices

3 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce

12 fresh sage leaves

1 tsp. minced garlic (2 cloves) or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 cup canned or frozen pureed pumpkin or butternut squash

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles (optional)

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding onion during last 5 minutes of cooking time. Drain and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Brush pork with some soy sauce and generously sprinkle black pepper. Cook sage leaves in hot oil until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Add pork to skillet and cook for 2 minutes each side or until golden outside and slightly pink inside. Remove pork from skillet; cover to keep warm. In same skillet combine remaining soy sauce, garlic, 1/4 cup pumpkin, and 1 cup water. Bring to boiling and reduce sauce slightly. Add pasta and onions to skillet; heat through. Divide pasta among four bowls. In skillet, heat remaining pumpkin. Serve pork with pasta, pumpkin, sage leaves, and blue cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 414, Total Fat (g) 9, Saturated Fat (g) 2, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 5, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 71, Sodium (mg) 645, Carbohydrate (g) 51, Total Sugar (g) 5, Fiber (g) 2, Protein (g) 34, Vitamin C (DV%) 16, Calcium (DV%) 8, Iron (DV%) 24, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Smoltz's Evening Escapade

So Smoltz ran away last night... again.

I think he was chasing a rabbit.

We took him and Achilles for a walk and he ran off while he still had his leash on!

We walked through the woods and searched our neighborhood for 4 hours. All I could think was that my baby boy's leash was caught on something leaving him stuck miles into the woods, all by himself, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I also panicked that he might have jumped into one of the ponds around our house and his leash got caught on something in the pond and eventually he'd drown.

I always expect the worst.

Standing by myself in the woods, in the dark, with the guys off in the distant...

I prayed to God that he'd brings Smoltz home... even if it was days or weeks,

though obviously I wanted him home right then!

There are so many wetlands and woods behind our house

and beyond that is the Interstate.

Drew and I both had an awful feeling.

Smoltz has a great nose so I knew he'd find his way home...

I was just worried about the dang leash that he was wearing...

What if, what if, what if.

We gave up about 10:30. After searching for 4 hours, we knew there wasn't much else we could do in the dark. I would wake up in the morning with Achilles and start combing the woods again in case Smoltz was in fact stuck or hurt.

Then I'd go to work and make flyers to post everywhere.

Drew made a fire, then fell asleep on the couch. I opened the front window so we could hear Smoltz's collar jingling just in case he came home.

And about midnight, I heard it.

My baby boy came home... soaked in water and covered in ticks.

God is great.

Today, I went to Bass Pro Shop and charge $170 for a new electric training collar

so the next time Smoltz tries to run off, he'll be trained to know better.

We must be insane...

So if you haven’t heard,

Drew and I are getting another dog.

I know, we’re crazy, right? I’ve always said three dogs was too many, and I knew that two were already too much, especially once we started having children in the hopefully near future. But we love our boys so much and they really are good dogs. But adding a third one into the mix surely would make things insane, right? Well, I actually have a long story behind the dog we’re getting and why I’m agreeing to this with much excitement.

Ever since early college, I’ve wanted a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. To be honest, I can’t even remember where I first saw one. (No, it wasn’t because Charlotte on SATC had one named Elizabeth Taylor... I liked Cavaliers way before then.) We had a Cocker Spaniel when I was growing up, so maybe I was looking at Cocker Spaniel info and stumbled upon the Cavalier... but nonetheless, I thought they were just beautiful. Their wispy hair on the backs of their legs, their coloring, how athletic they look but still look small, and most of all, unlike other spaniels, the have a long feathery tail. I just had to have one. I’ve never seen anyone with a dog like this so I thought it would be a unique fit for me... that was until I saw the price of one. Cavaliers are purebred and GREAT show dogs. The average Cavalier costs anywhere from $1000-$1200. There was just no way I would be able to afford a dog like that. That was just too much money to spend on a dog that I really didn’t plan on showing. I just wanted a companion.

So I moved on, and eventually I started running into people with Cavaliers, and of course, every time I saw one, I just ran up to it and loved on it and just wished that somehow, some way, I would get one one day.

One day, while looking at a Cabela’s magazine at my mom’s house, I saw this beautiful dog on the front of the magazine that looked very similar to the Cavalier. His ears weren’t as long, he had a short tail and was much bigger, but he was the same blenheim coloring (orange and white) and had wispy hair coming off of his legs also. There was no name for the breed on the magazine cover, so over the next few months, I researched all bird dog breeds trying to find this exact dog, until I did. A Brittany, formerly known as a Brittany Spaniel.

Last summer, I bought my first puppy, Smoltz, my Brittany Spaniel. He looked so similar to Cavalier, but more beautiful in my opinion. Even to this day, I think Brittany’s are one of the most beautiful breeds. He truly has been a great “son” and really changed my life in a time when I needed it. Now, he’s getting a girlfriend!

This past September, Drew was visiting his old roommate, JW, in Atlanta and he made a trip to the local pound with JW and his girlfriend Courtney. JW and Courtney found 3 purebred Cavalier King Charles Spaniels at the pound! Can you believe it? They adopted the two girls and Drew was trying to adopt the boy to surprise me. Unfortunately, someone had already adopted the boy. That was okay though... I thought it was sweet of Drew to remember that I liked that breed. I visited JW and Courtney with Drew a few weeks later and got to love on their new dogs, Tori and Elle. Those girls were so sweet and very calm... quite the opposite of my Smoltzee! They are tri-colored Cavalier’s, but they were still beautiful.

About a month after JW adopted Tori and Elle, he called us up and told us that one of the girls was pregnant by the boy Cavalier and that they wanted us to have one, for free! I was speechless! I never imagined getting a Cavalier, despite how I’ve always loved them. But now... my wish was coming true and we were getting one of our own! I am so grateful for JW and Courtney’s kindness. I couldn’t thank them more. Never in a millions years would we consider getting another dog, but this was a dream we just couldn’t pass up... and she’ll only get 18 lbs at the max! Much smaller than Smoltz and Achilles.

Attached are pictures of our baby girl, Maybelle. We are calling her that because she was born in Mableton, GA and this is where Drew grew up also. I thought it was cute and had some significance. She is the same color as Smoltz actually. We are supposed to pick her up at the end of November, so please wish us luck on this journey with our new little pup! I just pray the boys love her and treat her well. That means not being too rough when you play, Smoltzee!

Maybelle

Maybelle, left, and her brother

The whole litter

Tori and Elle, Maybelle's mommy and aunt