The New Year

I know everyone sets resolutions and lots of goals they can never attain and I don't want to pretend like that is what I am going to do. Instead I am going to be realistic. My goal really is to be a better person .... in a lot of different ways. I want to be smarter, I want to be more healthy, more active, I want to be more productive, more organized, I want to feed my need for creativity, I want to find inner peace, I want to be more financially aware ... a lot of things that would make me a better person than I am today.

Each month, I am going to focus on one of the 10 Principles of Personal Development:

I will be loving towards all whom I meet.
I will forgive all who attempt to harm me.
I become what I think; therefore, I will think only thoughts of greatness.
I will look for ways to strengthen those who have less than I.
I will always seek knowledge and truth.
I will always be honest.
I will never waste what I am given.
I will be grateful for all that I have.
I will develop a spirit of optimism.
I will have faith in something greater than myself.
I will make efforts to be more healthy.

As you can see, there are 11 above (I didn't number them for that reason) ... I added the last one. Instead of setting goals I can't keep, I will work toward being better in these areas and work harder to improve myself from who I am today.

Thanksgiving 2013

What a lovely day! We held Thanksgiving at our house this year with a much smaller guest list. This year, besides my immediate family, we just hosted my parents and my aunt. My sister and brother were both in Florida for the holiday with their families and my inlaws opted to stay at the lake house this year. My little one was with his mom so she didn't have to celebrate the holiday alone. It wasn't the same without everyone here; however, the plus side is that everyone fit at one table. That's always a plus. Because we had a smaller guest list I went a little bit crazy with the details. I really love entertaining so I tend to go a little overboard (as my dear husband would say), however, it makes me happy so I ignore it.

My husband outdid himself again .... his turkey was fabulous. I don't really know, I just know what others tell me. As some of you may know, I have an aversion to eating things on bones, poultry being one of them. We are avid Trader Joe's shoppers and my family has recently fallen in love with Trader Joe's Many Clove Garlic Cooking and Simmer Sauce. I poured it over a whole roasted chicken one night and complemented it with Trader Joe's Garlic Sliced Potatoes (in the freezer section) and my husband talked about it for days. He loves to sop up the sauce with pieces of bread...it's that good. Again, I take their word for it. He had the brilliant idea that he would use this on the turkey this year. He put fresh herbs under the skin, as he always does and then grilled it with the sauce. The outcome got rave reviews. He, of course, said he thought he'd done better in years past but everyone raved about his bird. Doesn't it look beautiful?

I contributed all of my "goodies" from Pinterest. The signature drink was Apple Cider Sangria. It was absolutely devine! We drank two pitchers!

I also made lots of decorations. I thought my table turned out really beautiful, I have this frenzy for burlap right now. I don't know what it is but I like how elegant something so rustic can look. I had a ball at Hobby Lobby and created all sorts of things with it. I tried my hand at glass etching and it turned out fabulous! I etched give thanks on some small appetizer plates!

I'm so pleased how they turned out. Pinterest adds so much to my life! Wait until you see what I have planned for Christmas decorations!