Happy Thanksgiving!

  Give 
           Thanks 

             Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

                          For His mercy endures forever.  
                                                                        1 Chronicles 16:34

The gate

                           Enter through the narrow gate

For w i d e is the gate and b r o a d is the road that leads to DeStRucTioN,

                           and many enter through it.

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life,

  and only a few find it.
                                                                                                    Matthew 7:13-14

Autumn Luminary Tutorial

Okay, here’s the thing.

I may be the LAST person in the whole entire world to be crafting without a fan-cee vinyl cutting device. 

Oh, ok.  Not REALLY, but it seems like it sometimes. 

So if you’re like me, here’s how we made our upcycled luminaries sans vinyl cutter: 

Supplies:
Glass jars – canning, pickle and whathaveyou
Blue painters tape
Self healing rotary mat
Utility knife
Spray paint
Candles

Overlap blue painters tape on a self healing mat:   

 

If you don’t have a cutting mat, then use your kitchen cutting board. 

Draw your fabulous designs on the painters tape and carefully cut out with a utility knife: 

 

Place on clean glass jars, being careful to seal the edges VERY well.  In a well ventilated, preferably outdoor location, lightly, but completely cover the jar with spray paint.  

Be careful not to spray INSIDE the jar.  It will wreck your magnificent design. 

Allow the paint to dry enough that you can touch the jars without sticking and then carefully remove the tape. 

Ta-Da!! 

Allow to dry completely before use.  Since they are glass, it would be safe to use a real candle. 

Which would never work here because of the EVERPRESENTWIND. 

So we used battery operated tea lights. 

 
(Purchased for frugal dollars, thrifty cents at the Dollar Tree). 

 

Make ahead gravy

Gravy making is NOT my favorite past time. 

Mostly because it’s kinda fussy.  And it has to be done while simultaneously getting approximately 72 other dishes to the table. 

So you can imagine my delight when I discovered you can make it in advance and FREEZE it! 

AND it tastes better than the stuff you make last minute :)

Here’s how: 

Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

• 6 turkey wings (or use chicken, if it’s easier to find)
• 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
• 1 cup water
• 2 quarts water, divided
• 3/4 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Roast wings and onions at a 400 degree oven for 1-1/4 hours or until wings are browned.

Place browned wings and onions in a 5 quart stockpot. Add water to roasting pan and stir, to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour the the water from the pan into the stockpot. Stir in 6 cups water, carrot, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 1-1/2 hours.

Remove wings from the pot. When they are cool, pull off the meat and save for another use. Strain contents of stockpot through a large strainer into a 3 quart saucepan. Press on the vegetables to extract any remaining liquid. Discard the vegetables and skim the fat off the liquid. Bring the contents of the pot to a gentle boil.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour into the remaining 2 cups chicken broth until smooth. Gradually whisk the flour mixture into the simmering turkey broth; simmer 3-4 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. Stir in the butter and pepper. Serve immediately or pour into containers and refrigerate or freeze.

I freeze mine flat in Ziploc bags because they a) take up less room in the freezer and b) thaw out much faster than containers do. 

So, what are your gravy making tips?

Autumn Splendor

         SPLENDOR and majesty are before him;

             strength and JOY in his dwelling place.

                    ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name.

            worship the LORD in the splendor of his 

                                                                                   holiness.

1 Chronicles 16:27-29

Intentional Thanksgiving

Deliberate.
Purposeful.
Given due consideration. 

I tend to be intentional with our Thanksgiving celebration. 

Poor Thanksgiving.   Crammed in betwixt two MASSIVE holidays. 

We don’t celebrate Halloween.  But it seems to be very popular without us ;)  No less than 8 aisles of Halloween related goodies at the Walmart, even more at the Target – REALLY America??

Now that the big day is over, the Halloween merchandise has been replaced with…

Approximately 97 aisles of  CHRISTMAS!

Thanksgiving has gone missing. 

If we look hard enough, it’s still there. 

Inviting us to slow down and prepare our hearts to be grateful.  To instill thankfulness into our lives. 

One of the ways we are purposeful about Thanksgiving is to haul out a few recipes that we ONLY prepare at Thanksgiving.  It deserves a few traditions all to itself. 

Here is one of these.  These delightfully crispy morsels were originally a Paula Deen recipe.  Paula Deen + recipe = yummy!  (There’s your math for the day.  Bonus).

Ritzy Ritz Bits

• 2 (10 1/2-ounce) boxes Ritz Cheese Bits, not peanut butter flavor
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Place the crackers in a large sealable container. In a bowl, mix the oil, salad dressing mix and garlic powder. Pour this mixture over the crackers, cover the container, and gently invert it to coat the crackers with seasoning. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, turning the container every so often to keep the crackers coated. Let the mixture come to room temperature before serving. Store in the covered container in refrigerator. 

Linked to: 
 

A quiet life

Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 (New Living Translation)

I voted… did you?

Sweet Lacey voted in her first general election today. 

Such a privilege!

“Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature. If the next centennial does not find us a great nation it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces." James Garfield, 1876

I love this quote from our 20th US President.

We are responsible. 

It is up to US. 

I voted…   did you?