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As of December 1st we already had our Christmas tree decorated, our Christmas lights up, and baked a lot of holiday cookies (you can find them in Joyful)! This week you'll see some of my favorite meals (which were pretty much all Thanksgiving leftovers), how we celebrated Ryan's birthday, and a sneak peek or something we're working on for Book 3!

Fun times last week driving 7 people (4 of them being little humans) around Denver. What you can't see are the 2 screaming babies in the bucket seats. ? Why do babies hate car seats so much?!

I think this is maybe my 17th plate of Thanksgiving food, because I can never get enough. This time it's slathered in gravy because it turned out exceptionally good last night! And yes, I ate white potatoes! Everything except the mashed potatoes can be found in my eBook Thankful.

You really could enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers (from my eBook Thankful) in just about any form and this was one of my newest creations… Thanksgiving panini! This was the before photo…
… and here's the after photo! I definitely added more cranberry sauce and gravy (you can find all of the Thanksgiving recipes HERE in my eBook Thankful). I put it on my Blender Bread from Joyful and it was way too good!
I realized that with all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays over the last week, I hadn't allowed myself much time to sit and feel. There has been this lingering sting in the back of my eyes, with tears waiting on the horizon, but I hadn't allowed them release. After seeing a few of my friend's posts (Alyssa Quilala, “it's perfectly okay to admit you're not okay”), and chatting with my friend Angie Smith, all of the feelings broke loose and came to the surface. 
Thanksgiving was wonderful and having Easton and Asher and our family together was surely something to be thankful for. But the dichotomy of giving thanks and grieving simultaneously is exhausting and confusing. So for the next few days, I'm going to ache in hopes of adding another layer of healing when I come out on the other side. Thankfully Easton is a great snuggler who doesn't mind when his grieving momma showers him with tears and nuzzles her head deep into him. He doesn't judge, he doesn't have expectations, he doesn't assume. 
I don't post these types of things for sympathy. I post them to let anyone out there who is hurting and may be feeling ostracized or guilty that they're ungrateful know that it's okay to hurt. That it's okay when you're ridden with sadness over picking out a Christmas tree or buying a new stocking and realizing there should be one more. 
It's okay to feel even during a time of celebration, when the rest of the world enjoys the holidays. Because working through the sadness and wading in it for a time brings healing on the other side. Just don't get stuck in the wading pool. Wade and wade in deep if you need to, but walk out on the other side. But also be encouraged that thankfulness and grief can co-exist. There are still things to be thankful for and to celebrate. Life, love, friends, family.

Thankful for my Ergo Carrier and a sleeping baby in the crazy long pickup line at Target! I mistakenly thought holiday shopping wouldn't be that bad yet haha!

Just putting the finishing touches on our tree! I had an angel as a tree topper, but Asher insisted that it needed to be a star so I went on a mad goose chase the other day just to find the perfect star.

So many people ask why gelatin is so good for you and how to get more into your body. Usually bone broth is the easiest way for me because I use it so often but I had some homemade marshmallows on hand so I put some in my morning cup of decaf coffee! Check out why gelatin helped to heal my gut HERE.

Naturally, I saved the cocktail portion of Book 3 for AFTER pregnancy. I was s excited to work (and taste lots) with Worthy Bar on concocting some fun drinks!

This is what happens when you take your steaming bone broth in a to-go coffee mug and you hit a speed bump while drinking…

 We had an awesome time celebrating Ryan this past week for his birthday. Naturally, we went to one of our favorite local cafe's to celebrate! I got the shirred eggs and some hot apple cider.

I think we've made about 5 gingerbread houses now. It's his new favorite craft! I made 2 batches of my gingerbread from Joyful so that we could eat those and I even bought a few gingerbread houses just to construct!

This little guy is mesmerized by his play mat. All of the colors and animals are just so exciting!