Thankful

None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.

-- Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

This has been such a remarkable year for me and Mr. King. So many wonderful changes and promotions have come- we are happier than ever and have a lot of exciting things coming up that we are looking forward to. This week, and every week, we have so much to be thankful for. I am reminded daily that my life is pretty fantastic.. and it's not my doing. It's really just God being a really good God.

So this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the lives we live, the jobs we have, the place we've made our home, the family we've got. If you haven't sat down to think about it, now's the time. What do you have to be thankful for?

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.

-- Willie Nelson

Be thankful today, tomorrow and everyday.

And.... Eat a LOT of your favorite foods tomorrow.

Mine are Broccoli Cheese Casserole and Mashed Potatoes and Gravy...

You can borrow those faves if necessary!

Love,

The Amazing Race

I am currently obsessed with the show "The Amazing Race". I love it, love it, love it and want to be on it ASAP please. This season held my favorite character of any season yet, and it was Mallory Ervin, Miss Kentucky 2009. She raced this season with her dad Gary, and unfortunately the duo ended in 6th place after coming in last in the most recent leg of the race in Oman. Such a disappointment to me, because she was absolutely hilarious on the show and most of the time these two were the only team that didn't duke it out through every country.

But moving on, the idea of an "Amazing Race" around the world is enthralling to me- and I'd like to go with each member of my family on an adventure in another part of the world! I have to admit, I do believe the Houston Family as a whole would be a force to be reckoned with on the show... the boys are fearless, sky-diving, bungee-jumping maniacs and the girls are savvy and serious problem solvers- maybe they will cast all of us?

Here is my idea of an amazing race!

1. ENGLAND

I'd kick off my race in Londontown with my dear old Dad, and here is why: He is always on time, so we would get a jump start on everyone else. In fact, my mom calls him Big Ben.. how fitting! Also, Dad is quite the History buff, so we would whiz through every challenge.

2. SWEDEN

Many of you don't know this, but when my big sis was a little girl, she told everyone she wanted to be a missionary to Sweden! Not sure why or even how that is going nowadays, but I figured I would honor her wishes and send her to the place of her childhood dreams. Here we would race together- Meg is so diplomatic and would have no problem getting people to work with us and help us win!

3. FRANCE

From Sweden, I would race to Paris with my mom. Because who doesn't want to go to PAREEEE with their mom? really! She'd rock at finding shoppes on the Champs-Elysees, eating bonbons and macaroons and she even knows some French. Plus she is fierce and would take on the whole country if necessary! Tres Bon!

3. South Africa

From France, I would head south to South Africa with my Bro-N-Law Shaun. Shaun is the ultimate Survivor- no safari, cliff jump, sky dive or anything in between would scare him. Instead he would probably ask if he could jump from a higher spot.

3. CHINA

After Africa, I would meet my little bro Hunt in China for the next leg of the race. Since it's China, I am figuring the challenges will be analytical- Hunt is super smart and crazy at puzzles, math, problem solving and tech-y things. He'd have no problems in this country. Plus, I imagine he would stick out like a sore thumb, which i think could work in my favor.

3. MALDIVES

On my last stop on my race around the world, I would end up in the Maldives with Mr. King. Ok, this one doesn't have a good reason why- except it looks like straight up paradise!

So... TV Execs, come find me! My bags are packed!

Nautical Wedding Dreams

Hear ye, Hear ye...

Whoever plans on being the next bridey out of everyone i know-

I COMMAND YOU

to use this invitation idea for your Big Day!

Dreamy Dreamy Dreamy.

find more dreamy dreams at grey likes weddings.

Desserts for Dummies

NO-BAKE.

girls, if you are anything like me, finding a recipe that labels itself "No-Bake" is like finding a Gucci purse at TJ Maxx.

Take it and Run with it!

If you find yourself getting a bit mixed up in the kitchen, confused by terms like "Baste" and "Bind", then No-Bake is for you! I found this dazzling recipe on Martha Stewart's holiday site, and I don't think I'll be able to wait til Thanksgiving to give this one a shot.

Here it is folks- The Thanksgiving Sure Thing:

Pumpkin Icebox Pie

FOR THE CRUST:

16 cinnamon graham crackers, broken into large pieces

1 tablespoon dark-brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

FOR THE FILLING AND TOPPING:

3 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin (from 2 packets)

1 can (29 ounces) pure pumpkin puree

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 cup packed dark-brown sugar

3/4 to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for garnish

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Make crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor, combine graham crackers, sugar, and salt; process until fine crumbs form. With machine running, slowly pour butter through feed tube and process until mixture resembles wet sand. Press crumbs in bottom and up sides of a 9-inch square baking dish. Bake until crust is deep golden brown and fragrant, 20 minutes. Let cool completely in baking dish on a wire rack.
2. Meanwhile, make filling: Place cup cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin on top and let stand 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree and cream cheese until smooth. In a small saucepan, combine evaporated milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; bring to a simmer over medium. Add gelatin mixture and stir until completely dissolved. Pour milk mixture into pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely smooth.
3. Pour filling into cooled crust and refrigerate until chilled and completely set, about 3 hours (or wrap tightly with plastic and refrigerate, up to 2 days). To serve, whip cream with confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form. Top pie with whipped cream and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Pumpkin Icebox Pie - Martha Stewart Recipes

A year ago today...

A year ago today,

I found myself halfway through my wedding week.

I was running around doing last-minute shopping, packing my honeymoon bags, watching the clock until my beloved friends and family landed at the airport, along with a zillion other things put together.

I was a wee bit overwhelmed.

I'd been warned that the wedding week, festivities and wedding itself would blur together if I wasn't careful.

So I stopped- took a deep breath- and found that I was

a. super excited to be the Bride!

b. extremely satisfied with the outcome of the dress, the decor, the planning of all details

c. beyond pumped and ready to be marrying the man of my dreams

d. thankful for every last bit of effort my friends and family had put into making everything perfect for me

e. NOT going to let the emotions and tasks of the event to outweigh the major excitement and happiness I had!

Boy, am I glad I gave myself a talking to.

Because a year later, I am thinking back on all the activities and having the most fond memories. It was really the best week of my life. It couldn't have been any better. If you are getting married any time soon, or any time in the future- remind yourself not to stress!

Laugh, Eat the Food, Don't sweat the little details, Live in the moment!

You're never going to get that week again- so do it well.

A few favorite moments of the week: