Holiday Madness

Oh the holidays, such great gatherings but brings a great deal of stress. 

What is Thanksgiving and Christmas really about? 

So far it just looks like buying a bunch of stuff and going to obligations dinners with your best.

Expectations and guilt trips if you don't go are the two things I love the most.

Use all of your credit, take out a loan, better yet go broke over the ones that don't even live in your home.

If Thanksgiving is about being thankful for our family, drop the ads and ditch the sales.

If Christmas is about Jesus, then let's celebrate his love and the true meaning of this glorious day. 

Let's remember why we get together every year and return to the traditions of much earlier years. 

Why I didn't go to Black Friday and What I am Thankful For

Both of my Thanksgivings were amazing.

I spent lunch time at Jeffrey's folk's house for Thanksgiving. We had ham, mashed potatoes, rolls, green bean casserole, sausage balls, and stuffing. (Yes, it was as good as it sounds and better) For dessert we ate rum cake, sweet potato pie, and buttermilk pie. The best thanksgiving is a good ole' southern one in Texas! Everything was homemade and amazing.  

A few hours later we ate at my family's house at dinner time for Thanksgiving. We had turkey, ham, rolls, a vegetable plate, chicken spaghetti, hot wings, and a corn casserole. We had chocolate tort and pecan pie for dessert. I can't argue with more food to eat that lovely people have cooked for us. It was great seeing families from both sides and catching up with everyone.

By that time is was 6 PM and the Gray Thursday/Black Friday sales had already started. I didn't have tons of extra money to blow because I already had finished most of my Christmas shopping. Instead of waiting in ridiculously long lines and possibly getting in a fight over an item, Jeffrey and I went over to my family's house and played the new Super Smash Bro's game on WiiU with my little five year old brother. We also played some music on the bongo drums, piano, and guitar. It was great memories we will cherish! What is more fun than that? D loves it when I come over and play games with him.

I get a little anxiety from being around lots of crowds of people, so I wasn't exactly too excited to go out in the mist of it all. Cyber Monday is more my cup of tea, even though I didn't see too crazy of deals today when I looked. Want a great way to save money on Gray Thursday and Black Friday? Sit at home and think about those long lines while you munch on some leftover pie cuddling in a cozy blanket and don't buy anything. 

I am thankful for the time I have with my family and wouldn't trade it for any good deals on TVs or other electronics. One never knows when their next day is and that is why we should be super thankful for the time we have here on earth. Time is much more valuable than money. I am thankful for God, Jeffrey, my family, our jobs, our church, my cats, and delicious food. (I love food like crazy)

God has always been there for me. I don't know who I would be without God in my life. I have changed so much since before I met him. I can remember the day I decided to change for him. I am so thankful I have God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost in my life. I feel like he guides me and helps me become a better person. For atheists out there, with Jesus you have a reason to live and are no longer are looking for the answer to life or the "feel good" fix. HE is the fix and eternal life!

I am so beyond thankful for my husband. He is an amazing husband and is always there for me. When I am sick, he is the best care taker. He makes the best homemade chicken noodle soup. I've never tasted one with garlic and peppers added to it, but it is super yummy! He is the one that provides a great life for me. He puts up with my bad days, listens to me ramble when I need to, and always makes me laugh. I can tell him literally anything. He prays for me daily. He is my best friend, my soul mate, my lover, and so much more. I do not know what I would do without him.

There are countless people and things that I am thankful for. I am super blessed, what can I say?

Homemade Banana Bread

Today, I made Homemade Banana Bread. It was very easy! I found a very simple recipe on the internet and decided to give it a go. I've actually never baked anything that wasn't pre-made in a box, so I was very excited to try this. I have been known to mess up a cake in the past and was only around to lick the bowl. This is a great recipe for beginners. I found that smashing the bananas with my hands instead of a fork worked a lot faster. Of course, my hands were completely clean while doing so. I used organic bananas in my bread and it tasted heavenly. This banana bread will make the house smell like Thanksgiving morning at grandma's house. 

Ingredients:

2-3 ripe bananas 
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of flour

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 F and butter a 4x8 inch loaf pan
In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until smooth. Stir the melted butter into the bananas.

Mix the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, flour, and vanilla extract.

Pour the batter in the loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

Close up of the cooked banana bread.