Going PRN and Battalion Holiday Party

It's surreal to say that after two years, this week was my last week working full time at SHC. I officially changed my status to PRN. I had been thinking about this decision for a while, and in the past 2 months, everything fell into place. Now I will have the flexibility to go home to Louisiana more often, spend time leading the FRG for Billie's new company, and invest in some other things that are important to me.

I LOVE the therapy team at SHC, and I will absolutely miss seeing them every day. But hopefully I will still be needed often. :) 

Before leaving, the therapy team gave me two bottles of Gluwein for the holidays, a sweet card,  a manicure gift card, and lots of hugs. 

When I pulled into my driveway at home, this card and bottle of sparkling wine were waiting on me. My sweet friend Kaitlyn is a master at thoughtful things like this. She has been with me through all the processing of this decision, and her card brought me to tears!

I'm so incredibly thankful for my friends.

Billie was in the field for training this week. When he got home Friday night, we went back up to post for a battalion-wide holiday party. Lots of food, kid crafts, and a visit from Santa and his elves. 

My friend Heather, who was part of our "wine Wednesday group" from our previous company. 

Decorate your commander like a Christmas tree....

The commanders served the food! I brought crockpot mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, and corn casserole. We also had stuffing, turkey, ham, mac & cheese, and desserts. I embraced the "no carb left behind" theme from Eat, Pray, Love! 

Very fun night, and it was great to start meeting some other wives in our company! 

Christmas Cheer Party and Parade

Our friends hosted a Christmas Cheer party on Saturday. We met at their house downtown for appetizers and drinks, then walked to the downtown Christmas parade. After the parade, we returned for a massive cookie exchange. My friend Niva gets photo cred for some of these shots! 

My contribution, peanut butter cup cookies. 

We had gingerbread cookies, peanut butter chocolate fudge bars, shortbread cookies, peanut butter cookies, and toffee! 

 

Our awesome hosts! 

Thanksgiving in Louisiana

We drove down to Forest Hill, LA to my aunt and uncles house for Thanksgiving this year. 

Family photos before food coma...

Uncle David frying the BEST turkey 

My immediate family

The girl cousins who were present!

The menu included fried turkey, green salad, cornbread dressing, corn, cranberry salad, sweet potato casserole, and rolls. Plus pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and coconut pie! 

I always love being at my aunt and uncles house... it's a little piece of heaven in the country. I especially crush on their brick outdoor fireplace! 

Thankful

I'm thankful for so many things right now. Unexpected friendships, the chance to go home this Thanksgiving, the beautiful fall weather, and the ways our life is changing and will continue to change this next year. 

I'm also thankful for cute crafty Pinterest things like these fall-colored sixlets, craft paper, and alphabet letter stamps. (Hobby Lobby, you're my soul mate.) 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FRIENDS! 

Halloween 2015

From 6-8, Billie and I passed candy to so many trick-or-treaters from the neighborhood. I always love to see their cute costumes! 

Around 8pm, we joined a Halloween Party at some friends' house. 

I've had this flight attendant costume since my sophomore year at LSU, where I wore it to a Campus Crusade Halloween Party. Still holding up! :) 

Bat woman, flight attendant, Amy (whose husband was Sheldon) from Big Bang Theory, Tinker Bell, a mermaid, and Effie from Hunger Games!

July 4th

This 4th was so fun! 

It started with some serious baking... Devils food cupcakes and caramel icing from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook. 

'Merica. 

Mid morning, I drove to Lake Barkely in KY (about an hour from Clarksville) for my first open water training swim. My first triathlon of the season is next weekend, and I really wanted to get in some open water before the race. I met a friend of a friend there to swim. Her family has a camp on the lake and they were out boating. They were SO sweet and let me join right in. Casey, who is a two-time (I think) ironman swam with me while her family spotted us and cheered us on from the boat. We swam to a dock and back several times, about 33 minutes. I don't know how many yards that was. But despite the amount of lake water I swallowed, I left so excited for the race next weekend! It was so fun!!! 

After the swim, I drove home to get ready for a party at my place! 

Check out this wreath my friend Anne made. She has an etsy shop where she makes custom burlap and grapevine wreaths! 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/lottiegracedesigns

Also check out her Facebook page: Lottie Grace Designs. 

Last feat of the day... The grill. I've had my heart set on burgers. Nevermind the fact I've never independently used our grill. #determined 

After 3 early morning phone calls to my dad and some googling, I deconstructed, cleaned, and reconstructed the grill parts, hooked up the propane, prepared the patties, and lit that bad boy. I had some help for the actual grilling, and the burgers were PERFECT.  

Sparklers! 

Such a great day!!!

Christmas in Louisiana

As evidenced by my delay in posting, we have had a pretty busy week since we returned from Louisiana on Sunday. It was so nice to spend 5 days at home!

It started with baking Christmas goodies with my Mom and sister...

snowball cookies, Reese's cookies, and my caramel pecan pie bars

Hubs and brother-in-law making sausage balls

Sister's gorgeous house

Every Christmas Eve that I can remember, my Dad's side of the family has had a fish fry. I love that we've kept the tradition all these years!

Isn't my family beautiful?? This picture makes me teary. Talk about legacy...

Fried fish, potato salad, beans, and hush puppies around a farm table. Don't get much mo' better. :)

I'm bummed about my lack of photos from Christmas Day. I was enjoying myself too much to think about snapping pictures! We had an awesome brunch at my parent's house (our tradition: peppermint hot chocolate, omelet, and biscuits) followed by gifts and family time in our PJs.

The day after Christmas we spent with Billie's family. We ate good food (I could eat brie cheese forever and ever, amen), opened gifts, and laughed at Key and Peele videos on Youtube.

That night, Billie and I met his closest friends (all high school friends and groomsmen in our wedding) and their sweet wives for dinner. Afterwards, we spent time at one couple's house just talking and laughing. I stayed up til 2am, which should tell you how much fun I was having. If I make it past  9pm, it's gotta be good. :)

Saturday, we drove down to Pineville to have Christmas with my Mom's side of the family. Louisiana gumbo, appetizers, and desserts galore! Here are a couple of my cousins. Again, isn't my family good looking?? 

My niece wanted to take a selfie.

Time for presents

Hope you had a great Christmas and New Year's. I read a quote this morning that I wanted to share...

"Today is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a great one!"

Paleo Stuffing

I made this for Thanksgiving, and it was a hit!

Paleo Thanksgiving Stuffing

Copied From: Paleomg

 

Ingredients

• 1lb ground pork sausage
• 5 pieces of bacon, diced
• 5 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 yellow sweet potato
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 container of mushrooms, diced
• 2 apples, diced
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ⅓ cup chicken broth

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil, throw diced sweet potatoes/yams on it, sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender, then set aside.
2. While those cook, pull out a large skillet, place it under medium-high heat and place chopped bacon in it to begin to cook down. When some of the fat has seeped out and bacon has begun to cook, add your chopped apples, celery, and onions.
3. When onions begin to become translucent, add ground pork and mushrooms and your white wine vinegar. Let that cook down until pork is almost completely cooked through. You will be placing it in the oven so you want it pretty close to done. (If you’re not sure how long that will be, use your eyes. Pink meat is not what we want here people.) Add salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Once the sausage is all done, add mixture to a bowl to cool. Now beat your eggs, add to your sausage mixture, and add your chicken broth, along with your sweet potatoes, pecans, and dried cranberries. Mix well.
5. You can now either use a 9×13 baking dish to place your stuffing in OR place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Either way will work.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until everything is a bit browned.

 ***

Here's a very similar version, in the crockpot! Perfect for when there is no more oven space during your holiday cooking. :) I made a batch of this last week and froze it in individual glass containers.

Click here -------> Rubies and Radishes 

Ingredients
3 Italian sausages, removed from casing (I use 2 hot Italian and 1 mild)
2 tablespoons grass-fed butter or ghee, melted
2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
½ yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced (about ¾ cup)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
2 yams, peeled and chopped
6 fresh sage leaves, minced
½ cup pecans, chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup beef broth
3 sage leaves, chopped for garnish
Salt and pepper just before serving

1. Brown sausage in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and transfer to the slow cooker.
2. Add the rest of dry ingredients to the slow cooker, pour the melted butter over it and mix with a wooden spoon. Generously salt and pepper.
3. Add the broth and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
4. Salt and pepper to taste, then serve

- See more at: http://www.rubiesandradishes.com/2014/11/18/my-entry-1/#sthash.hmdLONlf.dpuf

Paleo Slow Cooker Stuffing

Ingredients
3 Italian sausages, removed from casing (I use 2 hot Italian and 1 mild)
2 tablespoons grass-fed butter or ghee, melted
2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
½ yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced (about ¾ cup)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
2 yams, peeled and chopped
6 fresh sage leaves, minced
½ cup pecans, chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup beef broth
3 sage leaves, chopped for garnish
Salt and pepper just before serving

1. Brown sausage in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and transfer to the slow cooker.
2. Add the rest of dry ingredients to the slow cooker, pour the melted butter over it and mix with a wooden spoon. Generously salt and pepper.
3. Add the broth and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
4. Salt and pepper to taste, then serve.

- See more at: http://www.rubiesandradishes.com/2014/11/18/my-entry-1/#sthash.hmdLONlf.dpuf

Paleo Slow Cooker Stuffing

Ingredients
3 Italian sausages, removed from casing (I use 2 hot Italian and 1 mild)
2 tablespoons grass-fed butter or ghee, melted
2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
½ yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced (about ¾ cup)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
2 yams, peeled and chopped
6 fresh sage leaves, minced
½ cup pecans, chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup beef broth
3 sage leaves, chopped for garnish
Salt and pepper just before serving

1. Brown sausage in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and transfer to the slow cooker.
2. Add the rest of dry ingredients to the slow cooker, pour the melted butter over it and mix with a wooden spoon. Generously salt and pepper.
3. Add the broth and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
4. Salt and pepper to taste, then serve.

- See more at: http://www.rubiesandradishes.com/2014/11/18/my-entry-1/#sthash.hmdLONlf.dpuf

Christmas Parties

Billie and I have had a fun holiday season, full of parties! I enjoyed myself so much at the first few, that I forgot to take ANY pictures.

Thankful that my friend Nicole captured these pics from our ugly sweater work party at a local favorite Mexican restaurant. She coined this our "Merry Christmex" party.

My Charlie Brown tree in my work office!