Thanksgiving Week Is Upon Us

Thanksgiving week is upon us and here I sit, at 10:13 AM still dressed in pajamas watching my snotty, sniffly, sunnny little, eight month old struggle to open a board book.
This morning I have folded three loads of laundry (not because I was ambitious and washed all of that this morning, no, because I was lazy and have been putting off the folding every time I have washed laundry in the past week). I made a small pot of coffee to help with motivation on my to do list. And I am trying to schedule my week.
It is Thanksgiving week and not a single thing has been done in preparation for the big day. I haven't even gotten the Mexican Wedding Cookie recipe out let alone started them, buckeyes, or bon bons. I have gone over my Google Docs of Thanksgiving food and discussed it with my mother. So there is something. BUT my parents house doesn't have the fall decorations out yet so there is another thing out of place as we near the big day. Oh well, I am sure the things necessary to Thanksgiving will get done. Necessary, say, like the gathering of my nearby family to feast on foods we prepare and sit around remembering our blessings in this past year and most of all the fellowship of my family praising God for said blessings.
I need to write a list of the blessings and tape it to my family's kitchen wall as I do every year, people then add to it and word things their own way. This year the list will contain at least these: Birth of Jerusha Ann <3, birth of Crete Braxton, the new baby boy mommy is expecting, the new baby I am expecting, safety and fun on the trips Wesley and I made this year; Niagara Falls, Holden Beach, Ohio, the trips my family went on; Fort Morgan, Illinois to meet Crete, my parents trip to Florida, the trip to St. Louis my family and our family took together, the safety daddy has been blessed with this year driving for UPS, Daniel walking away unhurt from his recent accident, Wesley and I purchasing our first home, having our first family reunion, the safety and fun my siblings and or family enjoyed during sports, skiing, hiking, and the like, and I am sure there are many more little blessings that could be added to this list.
Whether or not we get every little thing done traditionally for this years Thanksgiving Day I know it will be my new favorite Thanksgiving as each one has become before, because each year we add more blessings, be in  new family members gathered round the table, or just new memories created throughout the year and on that day.
This year my in laws will be staying in town for thanksgiving, as well and I look forward to spending some time with them and participating in our family gift exchange. [We each have drawn another family members name and we give them a gift and express our thankfulness for something about them.]
I am also anticipating exchanging gifts with my husband. I already gave him part of his gift which were a pair of brown dress shoes, the rest he will get Wednesday evening as he works all morning Thursday. This tradition began when we were engaged and I added him to my list of immediate family, all of whom back in my more thoughtful years received gifts and thank you notes from me each year. Sorry guys,  I know, I'm slipping.

Also something I am thankful about.. I decided to go for the 50k words again this year and although I am still 2,656 words short I feel close enough that I can be excited in this success. I was able to be Jerusha's mommy, continue growing our new baby, and write nearly 50,000 words most of which I enjoyed and am happy with. So even if I don't find the time to write that last 2,656 words and win NaNoWriMo, it will be a success (and I will find the time even if it is not until 11 o'clock November 30th).

One more tidbit of news in my little bubble; I had my first midwife appointment and was able to hear my new itty bitty baby's heart beat <3 I have reached my second trimester and can not wait to watch my belly grow as the baby inside nears its day of arrival =)

Our Thanksgiving spread from last year..

 The things I am most thankful for <3

November

November has always been one of my most favorite months. It holds my absolute favorite holiday ever. Oh, how I love thanksgiving. I love the crazy hectic week before hand filled with sugary sweetnness of making buckeyes, bonbons, and mexican wedding cookies. I love spending the month reflecting on the past year and taking note of all the loved ones who have made my life better and better. I anticipate the night before that glorious thanksgiving day on which my sister, mom, and I stay up late rolling out pie crusts, making fillings, rewashing pots and pans, and over again and over again the cycle goes until the last pie, lemon meringue? is cooling on the counter. I love Thanksgiving morning, putting on an outfit, carefully selected and do my make up and hair; ready to create new memories. So, I'm looking forward to all of the above with great anticipation, with excitement, and with nostalgia of Thanksgiving's past and all the traditions and memories.

Thanksgiving is what I love most about November BUT five years ago I was introduced to yet another event that makes November just the extra best. NaNoWriMo; National Novel Writing Month.
There is a website to follow, fellow novelists to connect with, writing prompts, word warring, and so many other adventures over there. The goal is to write 50,000 words of fiction. To write a novel in one month. Once you hit 50k you are officially a winner, you can print off your certificate, buy your winner t-shirt, and consider editing the mountain of very, extremely, scarily, raw material that your fingers typed. Okay, so it is a very nerdy thing and oh, how I love it.

My first year, 2011, I made it to 50k on day 12. 2012 it took me 17 days. In 2013 my mother thought I should be too busy planning a wedding, hanging out with my fiance, and giving any extra time to her and the family and not noveling so that year I failed (no hard feelings mommy, I didn't really have any plot or ideas anyways). Last year, 2014, I "won" by the 19th, I loved everything I had written but as I had competed the immediate task at hand I closed the file having 50,872 words and didn't open it again until a few weeks ago. I never came close to actually finishing the novel. And where am I going with all of this? Here we are; November 2nd and I haven't signed up to do NaNo this year. I have a feeling I may debate writing this year until November 30th.. I really want to try but I'm so worried I'll fail and as long as I don't actually commit I can't actually fail.

But this book; it needs finished. But what if I don't have 50k words worth of story to tell?! Ugh. Still not sure what to do but I'm leaning towards jumping back in to the writing world with out actually signing up that way if I don't make 50k I won't fail since I never committed.

At least if I don't feel successful this month for completing NaNoWriMo at least we know it will still be a great November, because, no one can take away Thanksgiving ^_^

Hopefully I'll be back before the month is up gone to at least update you on Thanksgiving festivities.
~Haley

My Growing Bubble

We have some exciting news that we've shared with our families and friends so I thought I'd share it with any blog readers that I may have accumulated...

Baby news aside...

I've now been to a pumpkin patch and it was rather fall-ish and fun. I am a lover of fall (much as it pains me to admit, I fall into that cliche group of girls who love fall; the colors, the spices, the baking, that wonderfully crisp air, and pumpkin on occasion although it is not my favorite flavor or texture.. however, orange is my favorite color..) and the pumpkin patch seems to be the epitome of FALL. 

I was  s t a r v i n g  though so we didn't stay much longer than picking pumpkins and taking pictures. We then quickly drove to my mothers where she had made taco soup, with hominy, basically my all time favorite soup.. along with broccoli, and potato, and anything but tomato based veggie soups ;)

So far in this pregnancy I haven't experienced any sickness just slight nausea but I know it is early and may yet be coming. I have been craving an unhealthy amount of sweets, unfortunately, so I had better stick with the 5k running program one of my sister-in-laws and I are doing.

Your prayers for my pregnancy would be such a blessing to me! I am looking forward to watching God's work in our growing little family <3 

Food {Post One}

My sister over at Simple Inspirations has a series going on called try something new where every week she makes a new recipe. I'd really like to get on board and do something like that, too but {1} It would require I learn to follow recipes and {2}I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet :P
I have been reading a book about keeping your pantry stocked with the "essentials" and how that will make it easy to throw together new dinners but I have a lot of work to do on my pantry. Currently I shop week to week and hope to get things that make meals; I rarely even have an idea of the weeks "meal plan" when I shop :/ Here's to hoping I do better!
Anyways, last night I made this dinner and took a few pictures to share. It was something new and it was quick, easy, and yummy :)

I started with some chicken breast I had cooked in the crock pot on Monday and then I fried up some bacon pieces, added some mayo and canned jalapeno's. I also had a loaf of Jalapeno Cheddar bread left over from market to make the sandwiches out of.

These are a few of the seasonings I threw into the mix. Oh and a splash of apple cider vinegar.

After I mixed that up, sliced some cheddar, I assembled them on my griddle. They were getting crispy on the other side but the filling was still kind of cold so I threw them in the microwave. Walla. Dinner! :D It was a little spicy but pretty yummy. 

What Defines You?

Last night I finished reading Whipping Boy The Forty-Year Search For My Twelve-Year-Old Bully by Allen Kurzweil. I was left in a state of deep thought, consideration, and ultimately disappointment.
The whole book centers on, exactly as the title indicates, Allen's obsession with finding Cesar, a boy who was in his life for not even a whole year. Allen spent his sixth grade year at Aiglon, a boarding school in Villars Switzerland and in that amount of time Allen says of Cesar "[He] entered my life and reshaped it forever."
Now, I was never bullied so maybe I have no right to pen my thoughts and conclusion of Allen's life but I did read his book and feel the need to share my opinion on not only Allen's view of his life but my own as well.
Through out the book and all the way to the end Allen blames (and credits) Cesar for making him into the person he is today.
I find that shallow. 
He let the events of sixth grade define who he grew up to be. It defined who he was as a husband, a father, a friend, professional, and a writer.
Looking back in my life I can admit to a time that I did the same. I may not have dealt with bullying but I did go through some trials and for a couple years after that time I let it define me. 
I struggled with self worth, I hated life, I hated myself, I wished I was never born, I cut, I convinced myself to be suicidal. Then one day, I'm not even sure when, I finally admitted to myself what was truly happening. Daily I was choosing self pity over God's grace and the life He had given me. I didn't really want to admit it but the truth was that I was deciding which parts of my life were allowed to shape me. I chose only the times I had been hurt, scarred, and at my lowest and let them run my life. I was choosing the life of self pity and essentially creating the identity I wanted. 
I say all that to point out our motto shouldn't be:

We Are Defined By What Has Happened To Us 

rather 

We Are What We Allow To Define Us 

Join me in breaking away from letting negative events in our lives define who we will become and choose rather to be who we want to be, be who Christ wants us to be. Be alive and full of love, full of joy, full of all things honorable. Grow throughout life and don't simply let your life be "reshaped" "forever" due to a few, or even many, low points of life. Let us be the generation that stops blaming our past for everything today; lets be stronger than circumstances!

Two Years Together

It was two years ago today that I said yes to the best adventure of my life ^_^

At the top of Mt. Elbert, highest 14er in Colorado, surrounded by some of my closest friends, Wesley asked me to join him on the adventure of our lifetime.

I know I've ranted about time, and how people say it "flies" but in my case it doesn't seem to be. Last night as Wesley and I discussed the last two years of our lives it was hard to believe it has been only that; two years. I truly feel like I've lived and loved a life time's worth since he's been by my side. We've had so many adventures since we became engaged and then married. We have the most perfect, beautiful baby who is in and of herself our best adventure yet.

Words can't describe the love our little family holds, nor can they come close to touching the wonders of how God has blessed our relationship; from the years of friendship to these two years as a couple. Oh how I love to be a part of this story He has written <3


Here are a few pictures of us taken while in CO

Holden Beach, NC 2015

This past week Wesley, Jerusha, and I spent the week in Holden Beach, NC with lots and lots of relatives for the annual family reunion/vacation. 
I brought my sister Shelby along, as well, and she added to the fun and I know I'm hoping we get to bring her along again in the future.. ;)

It really was a wonderful week. Wesley hadn't had a true work-won't-dare-call-me-vacation since 2014's beach trip so it was simply wonderful to watch him relax.

Jerusha loved the water and, much to my pleasure, hated the sand. That made cleaning her up easy ;)

We spent most of the week simply hanging out with family and relaxing, either playing Euchre, Banana Grams, or swimming. We never did have any waves worth mentioning and that was a bit disappointing but, there's always next year :)
One evening we went putt putt golfing at Fantasy Isle and out on the pier, I think, besides shopping, those were our only off-beach activities.

On our last day there Wesley purchased two Chinese lanterns to set off after dark. It was a little drizzly but knowing it was our only chance we went for it and they did work :) They were much bigger than I expected and so, so cool, it was a perfect ending to our stay.

I've wheedled out a few pictures to share with you, enjoy :)

Jerusha, taking it all in. Literally. She loved the salt..

Jerusha looking out to sea

Ellie drinking her morning coffee

Jerusha and her daddy

Ice cream at Fantasy Isle

Ice cream shop that shares my name :)

The Smith Side (Plus Shelby ;))

Our sand creations Pyramid, Volcanic Mountain Range, and Castle

The Chinese Lanterns

The Whole 2015 Beach Clan