A little bit of gluttony

is okay when its shared with family and done in the spirit of giving thanks, right?  Our day of food and family was perfect and since there's not much to say besides "yum", I will just share a few pics and a few recipes...

And here's what I made to contribute to the feast:

RASPBERRY JELLO YUMMY-NESS (this would be really good at Christmas too)

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen raspberries
1 (6 oz.) pkg. raspberry Jello
1 c. boiling water
1 c. applesauce (used my homemade sauce!)
1 c. sour cream
2 c. miniature marshmallows
Dissolve Jello in water; stir in raspberries and applesauce. Pour into 8 x 8 pan. Let Jello set. Mix marshmallows and sour cream together. Spread marshmallow mixture over the Jello. Allow to set in refrigerator several hours. (I actually doubled it and use a 9x13).



SWISS VEGETABLE MEDLEY (this is seriously good.)
1 (16 oz) package frozen boccoli, carrots and cauliflower, thawed and drained
1 can condensedcream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (4 ounce) jar chopped pimientos,drained
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese,divided
1 (2.8 ounce) can French-fried onions, divided
In a bowl, combine vegetables, soup, sour cream, pepper, pimientos and 1/2 cup cheese. Stir in half of the onions; mix well. Pour into an ungreased 1-qt. casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese and onions. Return to the oven until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.  (I doubled this too and used a bigger baking dish)

I also made Pumpkin Fudge, which was really good, but I will wait to share the recipe, because if you live anywhere near me, you may be getting some for your neighborly Christmas gift. :)

Hope everyone else enjoyed a great day of giving thanks as well!

What We're Thankful For

We made our "Thankful Turkey" for family night on Monday.  Here's what the boys came up with:
Daddy
Snow
Earth
Family (Cousins, Bros, Daddy, Mommy)
Heavenly Father
Grandma
Jesus
Mom
Brothers
Food (Noodles, Fish, Garden)
God's Creations
School
Friends

I should preface this though with the fact that we did spend some time talking about having an "attitude of gratitude" and being grateful for the things that money cannot buy.  It was actually a great discussion and right during the middle of it, Cody wanted everyone to be quiet so he could pray and tell God thank you.  It was sweet.  And so far this week they have still remembered what we talked about and have been expressing great amounts of gratitude in their prayers.  Let's hope it sticks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

And that we did. Thanksgiving with the Jensen Fam . . .

Look at those mischievous little Indians (Native Americans)

We ate and ate lots of food, of course.
Colton didn't eat much else after he discovered the jello

Making turkey cupcakes, or rather - cupcakes that look like turkeys

You can't have Thanksgiving without Thanksgiving Bingo.

We even got to play outside!

We missed Daddy while he was at work, but we sure had a fun day with our family!

The Pilgrims and the Native Americans

Why does it seem like that is such a mouthful? It is just so much easier to say the pilgrims and the indians. Yet, in every other instance when I say "Indians", I would most likely be referring to someone from India. Anyway, on my last turn to host preschool, we learned about these two aforementioned peoples (since it was the day before Thanksgiving). We had a house-full since school was out - which meant that Corbin was home and the little boy I watch twice a week brought his big sister with him. So it was quite the party, but I think it turned out really fun.

Here's what we learned:

The pilgrims came over in their crowded boat.
They met Native Americans who liked to make feathered headbands and papersack vests.

They also liked to run around outside like wild Indians

And after all that they sat down and ate a cornucopia of goodness.

Two Thanksgivings

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. Russ had to work at the fire station, so we did the Jensen family thing and then the fire family thing. It was hectic, but fun. We had Thanksgiving lunch at my in-laws with all the cousins, etc. We played and let the food settle a little and then we headed to Murray (about 45min) for an awesome dinner cooked entirely by the firemen. Several of our friends were there, so it was a good time. The boys always love going to see dad, especially when there are other kids to play with and the adults are pre-occupied with eating and visiting.

Colton's first Thanksgiving! He actually loved his mom's orange jello and the potatoes. (this is a kid who eats maybe 2 bites of food a day) The boys had fun making little turkeys with Grandma and the cousins.

The kids table at the station. They waited so patiently!

Playing in the firetruck is a must.


Laying with their "blankets" (aka white towels use dry the fire truck) watching Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving . . .

until Cody crashed the party!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jessica, Josh, Cody, Rosemary, Corbin