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With Christmas literally right around the corner, the season of festivities and entertaining, I thought now would be the perfect time to post my first ever giveaway! And since I love Tastefully Simple food and think you will too I’ll be giving away a box of our amazing Beer Bread along with our Artichoke & Warm Spinach Dip Mix. Together they make the perfect appetizer to serve at your next Christmas celebration!

Or turn them into a quick and amazing dinner! Just throw our Creamy Artichoke Chicken recipe in your slow cooker and while that’s simmering away, pop your beer bread in the oven. This is my families favorite right now – it’s so full of flavor!

Creamy Artichoke Chicken

1 packet Artichoke & Spinach Warm Dip Mix

8 oz. cream cheese, cubed

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

1/2 cup chicken broth

4 oz. shredded Swiss cheese

Prepared baked potatoes, pasta or rice

Combine first 4 ingredients in a greased slow cooker. cover; cook on low for 3-4 hours. During last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in Swiss cheese. Serve over hot baked potatoes, pasta or rice. Makes about 6 servings.

~ Taken from Easy Slow-Cooker Recipes

So now that your  mouth is sufficiently watering, I bet you’re wondering how to win this scrumptious food!? Just leave a comment sharing with me your favorite Tastefully Simple food or if you’re new to Tastefully Simple, share what kind of foods you love to cook! To be eligible for this giveaway, please comment at the bottom of this blog post (not just on Facebook, Twitter or replying if you’re an e-mail subscriber).  I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Entries will be closed on December 8th and I will announce the winner on December 9th. Please watch your e-mail and check the site for your name so I can get your shipping information and ship your prize to arrive before Christmas.

With Thanksgiving just hours away I’ve been pondering what it means to truly be grateful. It’s easy to be thankful on Thanksgiving when you’re surrounded by family, friends and yummy food but what about all the other days of the year? I was recently encouraged and convicted by an article titled “Thanksgiving Day after Day” by Barbara Rainey…

He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me.
Psalm 50:23

Has it ever seemed surprising to you that God made the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years just for grumbling and complaining? My kids may have spent 30 minutes in their rooms for griping, but 40 years? That’s some severe discipline!

One thing is crystal clear from this biblical account: God is obviously not pleased with grumbling, ungrateful hearts. And we should not tolerate grumbling either–in ourselves or in our children.

Being grateful is a choice that we readily and ritually express on Thanksgiving Day. But what do we do on other days of the year when the mood is less festive or the atmosphere is more ordinary?

Read more…

I know for myself gratefulness is not my first reaction to an uncomfortable or painful situation. It’s something I need to purposefully cultivate in my life and ask the Lord to help me see the glass half-full instead of half-empty. Listen to this perspective in the article “Gratitude is a Choice” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss…

Matthew Henry, the eighteenth-century Puritan preacher whose Bible commentary remains among the most popular of all time, was once accosted by robbers while living in London.

Perhaps you’ve experienced this yourself—whether by having your car broken into or coming home to discover that your house had been burglarized. It’s among the most unsettling things that can happen to a person. I’m sure it was, as well, for a quiet, thoughtful man of letters like Matthew Henry.

“Let me be thankful, first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”

What a perspective! As someone has said, “If you can’t be thankful for what you receive, be thankful for what you escape.”

Read more…

Here are some great resources that I recently discovered. You can purchase them from www.shopfamilylife.com or by clicking on the title…

A Family Prayer of Thankfulness (Laminated Card)

I thought this little card would be perfect to pass around our Thanksgiving table, having each family member take a turn reading a portion of the prayer. Or just post it on my refrigerator year round as a reminder to be thankful!

Growing Together in Gratitude: Stories of Faith for Families

I’m really excited about this little book and can’t wait to use it with my kids when they’re a bit older. It has seven accounts of people from the past and how they responded to their difficult circumstances with gratitude. Each chapter ends with a section for you to write in what your family is thankful for!

We received word this morning that Emma’s court case was heard in Ethiopia and we passed!!! After waiting through the court closure and two postponements we are beyond excited and incredibly thankful to have passed! What a relief and a blessing – our God is so faithful!

As far as travel – we have not been given a date yet. Our agency will be hard at work lining up a Visa appointment for Emma at the US embassy and getting the remainder of her paperwork in order so she can come home. They estimate that this will take around 6-8 weeks but we have seen other families travel in as little as 3 weeks. So we will plan on 8 weeks and be pleasantly surprised if we travel in less!

Thank you for all of your prayers and the kindness you have shown us along this journey. It has been longer then we expected, painful and very stretching at times but when we think about the precious little girl waiting for us at the end of the road, it’s been worth every minute!

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. ~Psalm 103:1

Last week I was trying to stay busy and think of something other then the fact that our court date has been postponed twice, so I decided to put together a little care package to send to our girl! I’m part of an adoption support group made up of several wonderful families who are also waiting to bring their babies home and together we came up with some fun ideas of things to send.

I used the scrap material leftover from Emma’s crib set to make her a miniature blanket. I thought it would be a wonderful size for her to snuggle with and a great way for her to get familiar with her new home and surroundings. I also stopped by Hallmark and picked up a special card that allows you to record a voice message. It only gives you 10 seconds so Aaron and I worked together to record a short but sweet message for our little princess! Hopefully it will still be recorded by the time it makes it to her and allow her to begin to recognize our voices

Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of orphans.
Fight for the rights of widows.

~Isaiah 1:17

A few months ago my sweet little boy came down with the flu as children often do. He was running a fever and didn’t want to do anything but snuggle up on his mommy’s lap. As I held him and stroked his hair I began to think of what it would be like not to have a mommy to hold you when you were sick. To live in an orphanage and have no one that loves you and cares for you like a family does. To wake up in the night and feel alone. I can’t even imagine what it would feel like and it brings tears to my eyes to think of it.

We need to stand up for the cause of orphans. Live out the scripture in Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.” Notice all the action words: Learn, Seek, Help, Defend, Fight. Even if you have not been called to adopt a child personally, you have been called to stand up in some way for the cause of orphans, the fatherless.

This coming Sunday, November 8th, is the first-ever Orphan Sunday, an opportunity to raise awareness and to learn how you can make a difference. It’s put on by a diverse group of organizations supporting adoption and orphan care, including Cry of the Orphan Campaign, Show Hope, Christian Alliance for Orphans, Focus on the Family and Family Life Today. Steven Curtis Chapman will also be performing a live concert! Check it out for yourself: Orphan Sunday

This Sunday is also extra special to us as it marks two years since we brought our boy home. We will be celebrating with our friends and family by sharing a Korean meal and watching the Orphan Sunday concert together!

Then…

Now…

DISNEYLAND!

Spencer absolutely loved going to Disneyland. We were a little unsure how he would do at such a young age. We thought it was highly possible that he would be scared of the rides and frightened by the Disney characters but he is such a social little guy that he loved everything!  He was enamored with so much constantly going on around him and got very excited whenever he spotted a character in costume. His favorite was meeting Mickey Mouse – he ran and gave him a big bear hug and as he walked away, looked back and blew Mickey a kiss. It was adorable! If you ask Spencer about Disneyland he tells you “Mickey hug me!”

With three full days we took our time and really enjoyed each moment. The crowds were a little thick on Saturday but thinned out tremendously on Sunday and Monday.

Day #1 – Daddy’s 31st Birthday

Cousin Addy, Aunt Marie, Aunt Sarah and a friend, Jen, joined us for the day.

Later that evening, Uncle Christian joined us and we had dinner together in Downtown Disney to celebrate Aaron’s birthday. They had great food!

Day #2 – We were on our own. We started off in Tomorrow-land with Buzz Lightyear astro blasters and ended up in Mickey’s Toon Town. Went back to our hotel for a nap and then stayed the rest of the evening to watch the firework show.

Spencer in his Mickey Ears – what a grin!

Day #3 – Aunt Marie, Cousin Addy and Uncle Christian joined us once again! We started off at the Tiki Room (they had never been!) and then took turns watching the kids so we could go on rides together as couples. It was a blast!

Disney does an amazing job decorating the park. I really enjoyed all the Fall pumpkins and colors…