Much to be Thankful For...

As the Thanksgiving holiday winds down, I continue to be oh so thankful for many things in life right now...

There are the blessings that I find each year that I continue to be thankful for...

My health...

My husband (who I LOVED getting to spend some quality time with this weekend)

My family (including one furry feline)

My friends and coworkers..I hope they all had a wonderful holiday this weekend

My home

My job and the fact that I do something I do enjoy (I need to keep this in mind as things get stressful)

A good book (I just finished my first James Patterson novel-I know he has been around for years but I am just starting to catch on)

Great coffee

A good Lifetime movie (I have one on right now)

The fact that I have one more day left in my holiday break before returning back to the grind-its been a wonderful relaxing break and I feel fortunate to get to spend it at home doing relaxing things:)

AND, I feel even more thankful for new, wonderful news that has come our way, including...


- The news of a new addition to the Tomlins family-SO HAPPY

- The news of a great friend heading back to Kansas-SO EXCITED


And now I will leave you with some Christmas decorations we set up around our house...just some touches...

Lydia always helps-or hinders...not sure which one:) 

 We got the toliet cover last year as a "gift". I was hoping my husband wouldn't find it but he did. 

So here it is.

I was going to make a new wreath this year, but instead I just updated one I had by adding an embellishment. I am quite satisfied with it.

For Thanksgiving dinner, I brought dessert-Cinnamon Roll Cookie Bars. They are delicious!

Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix (butter pecan would also be delicious I'm sure)
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

Icing
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions
Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased 9"x13" baking dish. Bake at 350degrees for 25-30 minutes.
When perfectly baked remove from the oven and pour icing over the top. 

Note: I added more milk to the icing

I hope everyone has a wonderful, peaceful, thankful Sunday! 

Fall happenings

It's early and raining on a Sunday morning...perfect time to post.

I hope everyone is having a peaceful, happy fall so far. I feel like these past few weeks have been going by very quickly- work, house, sleep:) However, these past few weeks have brought many blessings, including...

The birth of an angel. I feel so honored to meet Arya Jean Hammerschmidt:) I look forward to watching her grow and take on this big world!

Celebrating birthdays. Marisa celebrated the big 18!

 

She has an exciting year ahead and I am glad I get to see it happen:)

We had a very quiet, yet enjoyable Halloween here in Lawrence, filled with pumpkins, Charlie Brown, and lots of leftover candy (always a plus.)

 I carved mine into a heart in case you couldn't tell. Shawn carved a perfect, classic jack o-lantern.

 Lydia opted to hang in the garage all Halloween-scrooge.

 

And now I am preparing for the upcoming weeks of busy, holiday madness. I have to say though I have finally caught onto the two words that may save me this holiday season- online shopping.

I read a quote the other day in a magazine that said you are not your to-do list. I also read something in a blog about the importance of being present in the moment, especially during the holiday season.

I plan to keep both of these things in mind as these next few months continue:)

And now I will get back to Amazon shopping, bookmarking Thanksgiving recipes on Pinterest and enjoying this rainy day with Netflix.

Love to everyone:)