Author: Ang Anderson

Thankful Hearts

Posted on by Ang Anderson

Give ThanksI love Thanksgiving for many reasons.

I love that we have a day devoted to this task.

I love reflecting on all the blessings in my life.

It makes my heart happy.

I love the traditions of the holiday.

The family time. The fellowship. The food.

Especially the stuffing.  And the green bean casserole. And the pie.

It makes my belly smile.

I love that we take the entire day to eat and give thanks. Or more appropriately, to give thanks and eat.

I also enjoy accessorizing the holiday feast with creative bits and felt compelled to share.

thankful tree

Crafting a Thankful Tree is a fun, colorful way for everyone to share what they are thankful for. Each family member may use a tag/leaf to jot down their sentiments and share them as they place their tag/leaf on the tree.  What a gorgeous display by Emily Rose at Simply Vintage Girl.

thankful

Adding a note at each place setting for family and friends to ink their blessings is another option. Your belly may fill with dread as you try to remember what you are going to say as your family goes around the table reciting what they are thankful for from memory. This allows you to write it down for easy reference, thus saving you from any turkey tongue ties.

I can’t decide between the tree or the place setting idea. I like them both equally.  If only I had the turkey wishbone to help me decide…
I know that’s for making a wish but I wish I knew which one to do.  One this year.  One next year.  Thank you.  Problem solved.

kids thanksgiving

Keeping the wee ones busy is always in good fashion.  You can tailor the festivities to the little ones with these adorable printables from Paper Glitter.

Thanksgivingbingoboard

We definitely plan to play a few rowdy rounds of Thanksgiving Bingo with the little ones.  And we are thankful to Crazy Little Projects for sharing these with us.

This year, the kids have secured the great privilege of decorating Grandpa and Grandma’s Christmas tree.

So that should keep them busy.  At least for a few minutes.

May you and yours enter the holiday season with thankful hearts –

Click here to get the printable at the top of this post.

Thirty-Nine

Posted on by Ang Anderson

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39. It’s a number. And also my age. As of today. What’s that you say? It seems like you were just a young twenty-something gallivanting around the world. I know. Part of me is having a hard time with this number. That part is kicking and screaming, saying “No! This can’t be!” The other part is trying to embrace it. I don’t think 39 is that bad in and of itself. My son told me “39 is young, Mom”. Bless him. Maybe it’s the number that comes after it, looming above that is causing me the internal drama. Unnecessary as it may be.

It’s just that I’m not only a thinker but I’m an over-thinker. My snow-balling brain doesn’t just stay at 39. It jumps to 40, 50 and so on. I project years from now on worries that have low possibility and even lower probability. If the thought is out there, my mind will think it. It’s an issue. I’m human. I’m working on it.

Luckily, I’ve learned some things in these 39 years. I do my best to substitute prayer for worry. Because worry gets me nowhere. I know this in my heart but my head still seems to go to all kinds of crazy places. It has a valid passport to Worry and travels there often. If there were frequent flier miles, I’d have a gazillion. Prayer gives me a deep sense of peace. It’s just sometimes my mind is so overcome with worry, it can’t find the prayer brain cells anywhere. But the peace is so much better. So. Much. Better.

But back to today. It’s my birthday. I love birthdays. I love celebrating birth. If you’ve encountered a birth, you know just how amazing it is. How it pulls something out of your soul and gives your spirit wings. Out of body. Emotional. Transcending this world. It is magical and wonderful and joyful. Celebrating life is something we should do every day and our birthday is one of the best reminders of that.

So today I am celebrating a life well lived. I have travelled the world. I have a husband who can live with an over-thinking woman. (Bless him too!) I have given birth to two beautiful children. I have the love of God, my husband, my family and my friends. All of these are reason to celebrate.

Here’s to birthdays! (And turning 29 for the 11th time.)

Almond Meltaway Cookies

Posted on by Ang Anderson

Almond Meltaway

This weekend I had a sudden spurt of sorting and organizing energy. This rarely happens so I had to take complete advantage of it. Miraculously, it lasted the better part of two days. School was about to begin and it seemed imperative to go through kids clothes and toys, along with the clutter that materializes and reproduces in rapid fashion at our house. By the end of the holiday weekend, I was ready to bake. Apparently, it is what I do best when I am feeling stressed deep down in my subconscious. Baking Coping Mechanism. Did I mention school was about to start? Everyone knows this requires some form of baking. It eases the minds of moms everywhere.

{Please don’t tell my family. They don’t know anything about my subconcious. They just think I like to bake. I was about to have a First Grader and the Kitchen Aid needed to be put to immediate use. You understand.}

I took one look at my Sweet Treats Pinterest board and found the perfect specimen. My love for Almond Extract was laid bare in this past post and my love has not waned in the slightest since then. I knew this was The One to calm my back to school jitters. Plus, the ingredients are all basic pantry essentials. This saved me the usual trip to the store that inevitably occurs when I set about to make something and am missing that one key ingredient. Yahoo!

I think the best outcome of this baking adventure is that our whole entire family LOVES these babies. {Plus, they made me forget, if only for a little while, that I was about to be the mom of a First Grader.} They are a very close sibling to the Kringler we make every Christmas. Which is the most beloved thing I can ever consume in this lifetime.

So, without further ado, I present to you…The Almond Meltaway Cookie.

Almond Meltaway Cookies

Yield: 32 Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon flaked sea salt (or can use regular table salt)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons almond extract

Icing: 1 cup powdered sugar 1 tablespoon milk (or water) 2 teaspoons almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and almond extract, mixing until combined. Add flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until completely combined.

Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into small circles and then press with hands (or with the bottom of a cup) into a disk shape. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 8 minutes. The cookies will not look browned or cooked, but they are! Remove from oven and let cookies rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To Ice:

In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk and almond extract – until smooth.

Using a spoon, smooth icing onto the top of each cookie and let set for 10 minutes, or until hardened. Store in the fridge, let come to room temperature when ready to serve.

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In case you needed further convincing…

Here is a close up and the Almond Meltaway Cookies – Printable Recipe.

Almond Meltaway

Special thanks to Jessica at The Novice Chef for her brilliant and generous sharing of this divine recipe. I can’t believe I am saying this but if you are not a fan of Almond Extract {gasp!} you could substitute the extract of your choice. These cookies are so simple and so delightful and they truly live up to their name.

Enjoy the melt in your mouth goodness! We certainly did.

We have the crumbs and the cookie-filled bellies to prove it.