Monday, November 9, 2015

The Frenzied SLPs: Thankful and Grateful Blog Hop



The Frenzied SLPs are taking a detour from our regular linky party and scheduling a scavenger hunt style blog hop. We are taking this opportunity to pause and reflect on our many blessings. 

"Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!") Luke 12:48 (MSG) With that thought in mind we are going to share with you, our dear readers by inviting you to participate in our giveaway. Three lucky winners will be chosen to each receive a $10 Teachers Pay Teachers gift card and a $10 Starbucks gift card.

Here is how you can participate. 
1. Read each Thankful and Grateful post from The Frenzied SLPs!
2. Collect the character at the bottom of each post. Don't forget to write down the characters in order to reveal the secret phrase. 
3. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of any post by entering the phrase. 
4. Visit The Frenzied SLPs Facebook Page for an extra entry. 
5. Three winners will be chosen after the rafflecopter closes on 11/13/2015. 

Where do I begin in listing my gratitude? I think I have to start with thanking God, for all my blessings are by His grace.

Anyone who knows me, knows my first and foremost job is that of wife and Mom. I am so grateful for my beautiful and brilliant 17 year old daughter, handsome and talented 15 year old son, and devoted and loving husband (age withheld to protect the old man). Life has slowed down for me in terms of my kids' needs, they seem to be fairly self-sufficient and spend most of their time at school. They are bright and motivated and have a strong value system. I could not be more pleased with the young man and woman they have become. My husband of nearly 22 years is a good man and he loves me. What more needs to be said?

I have so much to be grateful for and I was thinking about how to condense my list when I have all of my professional blessings and all my personal blessings. Well, are they really so different? I am so thankful for all my friends, the ones I see often and the ones I have never met. As it turns out these friends bless my life in the same ways; with laughter, with support, a hug (sometimes across the miles), and with knowledge. Leann, Bridget, Norah, Tonia, Allison, Carol, Sparklle, Pam, Laura, Amy, Mary, Jennifer, Erik and on and on and on. I could fill three pages with the names of the people who grace my life. I sometimes wonder what I did to deserve such friends.
I am also really, really thankful for Mom's stuffing recipe. It's actually my Grandmother's recipe, but I always think of it as Mom's. I'm happy to share it with you (in her words)!

Nana's Turkey Stuffing for large turkey
2 loaves stuffing bread-crumbled, soaked in 2 cups warm water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes-more if required, but not enough to make bread soggy- you can add water from 2 cans mushroom bits
saute 3 chopped onions in butter
add chopped parsley
add 2 cans drained mushroom bits
add 3/4 tsp poultry seasoning-go light on this-it's potent
add pepper, salt
when onions are golden and transparent remove from heat
stir in moist bread-work it with hands if necessary so there are no lumps or dry heaps
season bird in and out with salt, pepper and ginger-butter inside
stuff lightly and truss
butter outside and roast as desired-either with or without foil-but wrap wings and legs in foil at least.


In the spirit of full disclosure, I have modified this a bit using chicken broth and fresh mushrooms as well as adding chopped pecans, craisins, and a little nutmeg.

Finally, I am so incredibly thankful for my family: my brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. You are my history, you are my story.
Grab my letter for the scavenger hunt right here! Once you discover the completed phrase, enter the giveaway at the end of this post! Good luck and have fun!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

32 comments:

  1. Yum! That recipe looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Love your heart for God, your family and your friends! That hand written recipe is a treasure!!

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    1. Thank you Heidi! It all starts with God heart, doesn't it?

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  3. WHAT? A recipe for stuffing?!! Gotta try it! Thanks. Love your post and think you have a pretty blessed life too! All glory to God! :)

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    1. Amen! Let me know if you make it, Maria! My Mom's stuffing is awesome!

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  4. "You are my history, you are my story." I LOVED this ending to your fun, touching post!!

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    1. Thank you! It's true and I need to embrace that story warts and all!

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  5. Great post! The recipe sounds just delicious--I want to try it!

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    1. Please try it and let me know if you liked it or made any Tracy modifications.

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  6. How fun that you shared a favorite recipe, love it!

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    1. Do you ever wonder why people won't share their favorite recipes? Food is made to be shared, no one wants to eat alone:)

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  7. Thanks for sharing that amazing family recipe! I love all your revisions to it as well. I'm sure the house must smell amazing when you cook this! I am adding it to my recipe collection. What a wonderful family. I'm sure you are a very proud mama!

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    1. Rose, I have a dream one day we'll cook together! I was baking on Sunday and FB chatting with Pam at the same time and it was almost (almost) as good as being together.

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  8. Oh my, I love handwritten recipes! Thank you so much for sharing! And I love hearing about the people you have met. I hope I will feel the same about my son in about 10 years.

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    1. You will! Really, I remember my sweet two year old smiling at Jim and saying, "Hi Daddy, big as@&#ho*%" I shudder to think where she heard that!

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  9. I have a whole drawer of my mom's handwritten recipes and they are priceless to me :) Thanks for sharing yours!

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    1. You are so fortunate. This is actually a color copy. I don't have the originals. I'm content with this, though.

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  10. Gracious and genuine and witty and lovely as usual. Your posts are just good for my soul, Annie! So thankful blogging and TpT brought some Annie into my life!

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    1. Mia, I cannot wait to hang out with you in NOLA! You are a treasure and blessing in one!

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  11. I am truly the lucky one for you to take a chance on paranoid/anxious me...until you meet me in person, right?! I'm not sure if I'm the same behind my Sparklle shield:). Some days I want to shed it, but today is not yet the day! Oh and stuffing, yes please!!

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  12. Thanks for sharing your mom's recipe!

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  13. "how do i deserve such wonderful friends?" you are a great gal, friend, mentor, baker, my list could go on.... xo

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    1. Mother ship here we come! I got my King Arthur email coupon today! Love you!

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  14. I'm sooo grateful to be counted among one of your friends! Thank you for your friendship!!!

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  15. Looks like a wonderful recipe! So glad we are getting to know each other better - you are an inspiration!
    All Y’all Need

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    1. It is yummy-ful! Thanks, Laura, from you that is a huge compliment!

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  16. Thank you for sharing your family recipe along with your thoughts! Is that in Grandma's handwriting? If so, what a treasure! Happy Thanksgiving! Linda

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    1. That is my Mom's handwriting and her mom's recipe and it is delicious!

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