Thankful Thursdays

I don't know about you but when Thanksgiving approaches I really begin thinking about what I am thankful for. What I realized is that I shuldn't focus on what I am thankful for only during the month of November. Sometimes I get so caught up in the negatives in life I forget about all the good that is around me. Tell me I'm not alone in this, right?

Right?...

Well it is high time for me to change the way I think about things and focus on what I have instead of what I don't have, want, need, can't have etc. I don't want to just think about the things I am thankful for during the Thanksgiving season. Thus we now have (drum roll please) Thankful Thursdays!  I am hoping to recap the thing(s) I am thankful for each weej

I honestly don't know where to start. There is definitely a lot to be thankful for. The short list:
1. Election TV ads are gone
2. I start vacation today
3. Did I mention I started vacation today?

Ok seriously...
 It may sound Cliche' to be thankful for God first since  pop stars, country music stars, actors and actresses usually start out their acceptance speech with " I like to start by thanking God" . This is sooo much more than that.

I know I am not perfect. I know I mess up and I know I have a lot of room for improvement. Where humans may judge us on our short comings, God doesn't. Nor will He ever. I find more peace in that knowledge than anything else in the world.

Want to know something else that is great? He knows what plans he has for us! Why do we(me) get so worked up over what is going to happen when God already knows? If only I could remember that He has it all under control.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. " 1 Chronicles 16:34

Bates Nut Farm

The Family made the annual trek to Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center on October 23. Much to our surprise it wasn't too terribly busy. It was cool and a little sprinkley at times but perfect for this fall activity.

This was TJ's first trip to Bates. He was pretty tired about half way through but tried his hardest to stay awake and look at everything.

The kids had a blast searching for their perfect pumpkins, navigating through the hay maze and petting the farm animals. Peyton and Alissa even got to hold a little bunny.

Every year we take the hay ride around the compound. It certainly isn't anything overly exciting but hey, it's tradition. As the family is getting bigger, the cars attached to the hay ride train seem to be getting smaller. Kids are having to sit on laps and the adults are pretty snug in their seats. Katie ended up having to sit on Brian's lap. Sad to say we may have to separate into two cars next year.

 It goes about the same every year.

Find the pumpkins first. The guys take care of carrying

the pumpkins (and apparently children) in the wheel barrows.

Pay for the Pumpkins and take them to the cars

 then check out the rest of the excitement.

 It is a super fun day.

 I love my family and our little traditions.

 I especially like having this guy with me:

The family feels complete with him there.

And I simply can't believe how big these kids are getting. My precious Nieces and Nephews..

Harvest Festival

This year was the first time I have ever been to the Harvest Festival. It is held annually at the Del Mar Fair grounds. Jared and I joined his mom, Lynn, and his Grandma, Loretta, for a day of shopping and taste testing.

Yes, thosw are suitcases you see behind Lynn and Loretta. Being the smart women they are, they take suitcases so they can cart around everything they buy. Jars/Bags/Goodies get a bit heavy in plastic shopping bags so they bring rolling suitcases. Smart I tell ya. Very Smart.

If you've ever been to the Del Mar fair and checked out the exhibit halls, you have experienced something similar to the Harvest Festical. One of the main differences that I noticed was the amount nof food booths. Sauces, Marinades, Olive Oils, Soups, Dips, Coffee, Cocoa, Bread. You name it and they probably had a booth for it and we probably tasted it.

By lunch time I was so full from samples I didn't even want to eat "real" food. I tell ya, it would be very easy to spend hundreds of dollars at this things. Every booth has something different and just as tasty to offer. Jared and I played it smart and took a certain amount of cash out of the bank and only used that to buy stuff. Our own little budget, if you will.

We were pretty wiped out by the end of the day but we walked away with some scrumptious dip and soup mixes. Can't wait until next year!

I thought I would share some of the websites of things we sampled.

http://www.hawaiiansauce.com/  Best teriyaki sauce I've EVER tasted!
http://www.allstarsdips.com/    Dips and more... so good!
http://www.debritochocolate.com/  amazing gourmet caramel apples! good gifts!
http://cheerstoyou.com/  coffee, cocoa, espresso mixed... mmmm mmmm good!
http://www.tresclassique.com/  balsamics, olive oils and the most amazing kahlua maple syrup!

There was so much more but I just can't remember all of them. You really should check it out next year. iI is $9 per ticket but you can usually find $2 off coupons online. Plus one ticket is good for all 3 days. Not too shabby!

Little Claire

Wow I didn't realize how behind I was on blogging until I noticed I hadn't posted any blogs about some new little girls that have entered the world. Slacker much?

My bestie had her second little girl last month!!

Claire Love Latour was born bright and early Monday September 20, 2010.

Just as I was pulling into my parking spot at home I got a text from Jessica saying Claire was here. Apparently Calire was in a hurry to come into the world. They barely made it to the hospital. I wanted soooo badly to go down to the hospital right then and congratulated this little family in person. Unfortunately I had just gotten off work and I was exhausted. It probably wouldn't have been safe for me to drive.

That afternoon I made my way down to Pomerado to visit. The timing actually worked out great. Their other kids were at the hospital meeting their new little sister so I got to see all of the kidlets! 4 for the price of 1.

Claire immediately stole this auntie's heart. She's simply gorgeous and just more precious than words. I was able to hold her for a long time that day. It was wonderful.

In life you hope and pray for friends that are more like family. The LaTours are family to me. I am greatly blessed to have them in my life. I am thankful to have been able to visit each of the babes on the day they were born. I cherish those memories.

I was on a sugar cookie making kick so I thought it would be fun to do something a little different for the older siblings and the new arrival. The kids seemed pretty stoked about the cookies. Jack was even more excited when he realized they were trains! Those boys and their trains. So cute!

CONGRATULATIONS LaTours! I love you!

Race For the Cure Pictures

Here are the pictures I forgot to add to my original post.





Becki, our team captain, and I







Mindi and I

Ali, Clay and I. The Night Shift Trio

The Kings

Baby Lyla

Tanya from work had her sweet baby girl, Lyla, on July 26. Lyla decided to put her "back into it" and turn breech the last few weeks. Tanya had a scheduled C-Section and has been off from work for the last 3 months. She finally returned Oct 21st. During her time off she made it a point to bring Lyla in to meet her Cal Fire family.

Lyla and Miss Ali

                                                                                                        

         Lyla and Miss Suzy. She was camera shy by this point :)

                                                     The proud new mama

Tick Tock

I can't believe I am sitting here, a few hours shy of going to a halloween party. Really? October is basically over? How is this possible? I have been working like a mad woman.

Two people on maternity leave + people on vacation+ more overtime that anyone anywhere could ever want. Ever. 

I have so much that I need to catch upon, blog wise. Weight loss journey, pictures from the breast cancer walk ( I forgot to add them and I was too lazy to go back and edit the post again), Flyleaf Concert/Harvest Festival, Bates Nut Farm and our Family Fall Baking Day, Beauty and the Beast and Halloween.

Sometimes I wish time would slow down. Christmas is a mere 2 months away. I can't believe it. Someone hit the "stop" button. Please?

Race For the Cure 2010

This was my third year walking with Team Cal Fire in the Inland Empire Race for the Cure. Once again, the day didn't disappoint. Not only did I get to see some friends/co-workers outside of the navy blue uniforms, I also had part of my family with me this year! Brian, Katie, Peyton, Tyler and our friend Mindi joined the team with me.Of course my wonderful partner from work, Ali, was there along with our night shift buddy Clay.

I offered to make the cake/cupcakes for the team this year. At the time of the offer I expected about 75 people to join the team. Boy was I ever surprised when my team captain told me 176 people were on the team (not including last minute registration and kids). Holy cow! So my simple 75 cupcake plan turned into a 200 cupcake plan. It was a lot of time and work but everyone loved them. I was pretty happy with how they turned out. I used some of the cupcakes to make "cakes".

One wouldn't think that a couple boxes of cupcakes would be very heavy to carry. Mindi and I got their early to unload the cupcakes. We thought we could make it from the parking structure to the tailgate area no problem. I'm pretty sure a little elf made its way into those boxes, removed the cupcakes and replaced them with rocks because farther we walked, the heavier the boxes got.

Of course there is always an underlying competition or "Battle of the Badges" if you will between Law Enforcement and Fire Departments. For the last few years Riverside County Sheriff Department has beat us out in fundraising. This year we finally swept the floor with them raised more money than they did! It is a friendly competition that pushes our teams to raise even more money for the cause.

The weather was blissfully cool this year. Hallelujah! I wasn't looking forward to walking 3.1 miles in 85-90 degree weather.

It really was an incredible day. Every year it is a blessing to be part of the team and helping raise money to find a cure for breast cancer. I am hoping next year my WHOLE family *hint hint, wink wink* will join us.

Total Fundraising Achievements:
Personal: $375
Team: $8,048

Amazing.

The Farmer's Market

Everyone is always trying to save a buck, especially me. I carefully look at each grovery store add to find the best deals. A lot of times those sale items are not things I normally buy, they are still too expensive or they don't fit into my semi-healthy eating lifestyle.

I can rarely win with produce. I buy it and it goes bad within a couple day. It is frustrating and a waste of money (sometimes). I've heard locally/organic grown produce lasts longer. So, I thought I would give the Ramona Farmer's Market a whirl. I'd never been to a farmer's market but I know others that have. I hear nothing but good things.

I high tailed it to Collier Park, where our Farmer's market is, and immediately I was slightly disappointed. 6 booths. That's it? Only one of those booths held any sort of produce. There was a bread stand (against diet rules!! run away! run away!), a knife sharpening stand, fresh squeezed , plants, cookie lee jewelry (uh huh?), and produce. That's it.

Honestly, I was expecting more. Nuts, fruits, vegetables, bread, etc. I am sure that this is true for most Farmer's Markets. Unfortunately, not this one.

I wonder, are there any good Farmer's Markets in San Diego where I can score some good deals?

It wasn't a total loss. I did get a few pieces of fruit and some squash.

"BBQ" Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Here's a tasty recipe I found in the Better Homes & gardens magazine. By the way, I have found a new love for this magazine. It is borderline obssession! Anyway. I tweaked a couple things and doubled the recipe. Here goes...
Ingredients:
1- Roasting Chicken, approx 5lbs. (you can also get an already made roasted chicken from the store)
1 medium brown onion
1Tbsp Olive Oil
2/3 C Cider Vinegar
1 C Tomato Sauce
2 Serrano Chile Peppers
1 Sweet Banana Chile
Sprinkle of dried Thyme
3 Tbsp Molasses
4 Tbsp Water
Couple dashes of Salt
6-8 Kaiser Rolls/Buns

1. Cook your chicken. I roasted my own 5 1/2lb chicken in the oven for approx 1hr 45min

2. Let it cool for a while. Take the meat off the bones and put it in a separate bowl. Shred the chunks of meat with a couple forks. The chicken may still be H-O-T in the center.

3. Get your large skillet heating on the stove and toss the olive oil in to get it nice and hot.
4. Remove the skin of the onion, cut it in half and chop each half into strips
5. Toss those bad boy into your hot skillet and saute them until they are slightly browned and tender

6. Slice open those tasty chiles and remove the veins and seeds. (to reduce the spice/heat)

7. Chop them up into bits

8. Add the vinegar to the skillet and simmer w/ the onions for about a minute
9. Add the Tomato Sauce, Thyme, Salt, Water, Molasses and Chiles to the onion mixture.

10. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes
11. Add the chicken to the mixture and stir until coated

12. Throw that goodness on a bun and eat up!

P.S. Sorry I didn't catch a picture of the finished product on a bun. I was hungry...
P.S.S... Next Time I plan on adding more peppers and onions because well, I'm a pepper and onion lover. I also think having it a touch sweeter would be even tastier. I think I am going to throw in 1/4C of pineapple juice next time.