So much to be thankful for....

I am fast approaching this Thanksgiving and my heart is full.

I have been busy in the kitchen, the yeast roll dough is resting in the frig (thank you for the awesome recipe Julie!) and much has been prepared in advance! The house has been cleaned from top to bottom and the laundry is actually caught up! Tomorrow I will be making two large pans of sweet potato casserole, yummy!

My Mom is helping cook for Thursday and she is making the wonderful southern cornbread dressing that my family has enjoyed all of my life. I will stuff the turkeys (yes there are two!) with half of the dressing and cook them breast down until the last 30 minutes - then turn them over so the breast can brown. This makes for a VERY moist and tender bird. I mix fresh squeezed orange juice (organic oranges!) and some of our honey for a glaze to baste with. Once the turkeys come out of the oven, I will remove the dressing from the birds and mix it with a pan of dressing I have pre-baked - this keeps the dressing from being overly moist (I hate that!) or too dry.

We will have green beans and mashed potatoes (both from our garden) with gravy. Mom is also making pecan pie and pumpkin cheesecake pie. Of course we will top those with freshly whipped cream from Nora, the world's best cow!!

Thursday morning we will indulge in fresh milk, homemade sweet rolls with butter cream frosting and fresh squeezed orange juice - this will be a late breakfast and hopefully hold the boys until the big meal is served!

I look forward to sitting at the table - with all of my family as well as some people who were facing a lonely day.

I look back on the last year and am so thankful that God has been by my side. It has been a tough year in many ways but He has not abandoned me! There are so many things to be thankful for but most of all to know that God loves me, died for me, desires to fellowship with me and spend time with me .....well....how can you put into words what it is like to be a daughter of the Most High King?

I pray that you will be spending the day with those you care most about, that your heart will be filled with the awesome knowledge of God and with gratefulness for all that He does in your life and for all that He is!

Happy Thanksgiving ya'll!