7 things I am grateful for

I got tagged by Anika

So, here it goes...

1. Eric

If there is one thing I knew about Eric when I married him it's that he is a good man. He has a pure heart and he cares about people. I'm grateful that I have a wonderful husband to share my life with. I don't think he knows how much he does for me. I have been blessed to have someone take care of me and hold my hand through hard times and good times. He is my strength when I have none and my support when I am weak. Learning the process of "being there for me emotionally" hasn't been easy or fun, but he has stepped up to the task and done a remarkable job.

He also makes me laugh every day and I love spending time with him. He also gets the job done when it needs to get done. He is just like his mom. They are quick and efficient. He can get the kids out the door, in their car seats, with all their stuff quicker than me...and he's on time. He is the best when it comes to projects because they are done in no time. And he is a pretty awesome dad. All you have to do is spend a little time with our kids and you will see how much they love their daddy. Love you honey!



2. Children

How do I express this? I love these kiddos so much. They make me laugh. They make me cry. They make my heart swell.

Watching them together is one of the best things in the world. Tyler wants to be just like his big brother which means he follows him around and does everything that Talon does. Talon's friends know that Tyler gets to play with them too.

Talon has learned from his daddy that little brothers are always welcome. Eric always included his younger brother Justin and made sure that he was ok. When Justin was in Kindergarten, he cried for the first 3 days. At recess, Eric would go sit on the bench and cry with him. At the time he didn't know why Justin was crying, but he just cried with him. I told him that that was good practice for his future wife (too bad he didn't totally know what he was getting into).

I love to see this with my boys. They laugh and play and they love each other. I love when my boys will let me snuggle with them. I love to tell them that I love them and that I am proud of them. I love when Talon wants me to snuggle in his bed because I am "so cozy". I love hearing Tyler say "mommy, tute!"(mommy, cute) when he thinks I look nice and "wub oo"(love you). I love my boys.

If your boys aren't happy all you have to say is "poop" and then the laughter won't quit.

3. Parents and siblings

Hard to say what I would do without my family. They have always been everything to me. I always knew that I was loved. I loved playing games with my brothers growing up and talking to my sisters. I feel blessed that we all enjoy each other and want to be together. One thing I learned growing up is that family is the most important thing you have in life. I cherish the times that we had together as a family.




4. Grandparents

Aren't they cute?! Gramps carving the turkey and Grandma making gravy. They are great examples to me and I feel blessed to have them in my life. They have been married for 63 years! One of the nicest things my grandpa does for me is that he still calls me "angel". He used to feel my shoulder blades and say, "I think I feel your wings". Thanks gramps!




4. Young Women Calling

I love being with the Young Women. My testimony has grown by watching theirs and teaching them the basics that I often forget. They ask the best questions and help me to think about why I feel like I do. Their spirits are strong and they are so fun. It's fun to be light-hearted and silly with them. Since I was called this past summer I've had to give two talks in church about 6 weeks apart from each other. I had slid under the radar for several years only speaking 2 times in 8 different wards and the 9 years that we have been married. It turned out to be a blessing for me and strengthened my testimony.


5. The "Treehouse Athletic Club"

A little embarrassing to list my gym, I know, but I love the awesome euphoria that comes from exercise. The classes, the safe and fun place for my kids, being able to shower and get ready for the day make it all worth it. I love being able to go to the gym everyday and know that I can exercise my heart out while my kids are safe and having fun. I love to see my sisters and mom there each day as well as my friends. It is a part of my day that gets me going and gives me energy. I don't know what I would do without it. I tell Eric that we can never move because I would die without the Treehouse. Yikes! :)


6. My home

I love my home. It is a townhouse that isn't all that big or decorated, but I love it! I feel so grateful to have a clean, warm, cozy place to call home. I love my friends and neighbors that surround me and make me feel safe. I love having friends so close. There are a lot of us in a small vicinity and I love the comfort that brings me.



7. Baking in my kitchen

I love cooking and baking! I love my kitchen. I love being able to try new recipes and learn new things. I made my first real pie for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! I also made a pumpkin cheesecake that was delish.

Ta-da!

Here is the recipe in case you would like to try it...

APPLE PIE-This is an altered recipe from my friend Katherine.

She is an awesome cook and I am always perusing her blog for yummy recipes. This was a huge hit...thanks Kathryn! I made a few changes to my recipe because I like the crumble topping and the pastry crust, so I combined the two. I also added an egg wash and decorative cutouts. She chunked her apples which looked delicious, but I have an apple/peeler/corer/slicer that was just too easy, so I opted for thin slices.

Crust (from the Barefoot Contessa)

1 1/2 sticks very cold unsalted butter
3 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 T sugar
1/3 c very cold shortening
6-8 T ice water

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix (You can use a hand mixer if you don’t have a food processor). Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8-12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine or mixer running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out onto a floured surface and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured surface into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust or make decorative cut-outs using cookie cutters for the top of the pie. You can also freeze the leftover pie crust for later use.

(Recipe Tips: ingredients must be very cold and use a nice pie plate. I used my stoneware pie plate from Pampered Chef and it did a beautiful job. I have read that tin plates and glass plates can cause crust issues.)

Apple Pie Filling

8-9 large McIntosh apples, peeled and sliced thin
1 1/2 cups sugar
lots of cinnamon
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup flour (you may need to add a little more flour to soak up the juice from the apples)

Mix together just until apples are coated with dry mixture.
Pour mixture into pie crust.

Topping

½ c brown sugar
½ c. flour
¼ c. butter, softened

Mix together with hands and sprinkle on top of apples.
Place decorative cut-outs around edges of pie or anywhere you like.

Egg Wash (Martha Stewart’s favorite)

1 egg yolk
1 T. heavy whipping cream

Mix together and brush on top of decorative cut-outs or remaining crust
Sprinkle with sugar

Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour. (Put a sheet of foil over the top for the first 40-45 minutes and take off for the remainder, making sure the top is not burning)

Let cool for at least a couple of hours.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Yum!

8. One more thing I am grateful for...my toothbrush!

What would I do without my toothbrush? I always imagine how frustrated I would be if I couldn't clean my teeth very well. Brushing teeth is just so refreshing!

Now it's your turn. I get to hear about the many things that you are grateful for!

You're it...

Rachel

Carrie

Renee

mom

Amber

Kristy

RULES:
1. List the link to your tagger and also post these following rules.
2. Share 7 things you are grateful for
3. Tag people at the the end of your blog also leaving the links to their blogs