Gratitude Post #54

1-I am grateful for church. Especially on days when it is SO hard to get there...and then you're so glad you went. :) I love that my kids are all going to their classes without crying or arguing these days. I don't know who threw the most fits lately...the 13 year old or the 3 year old. :) We are in a good place with everyone being able to get themselves dressed and ready and even be able to sit through church without having to be taken out in the hall. Sometimes I think I want another baby and then I remember what a good place I'm at. Today Hayden AND Sophey sat on Chris' lap and I actually got to just sit and listen! Amazing.

2-I am grateful for food. I love to eat good food. I love to make good food. I love the way food brings people together. I love the way that making food for other people makes me feel. I have said it before...I think my love language is food...more specifically, baking...and even more specifically, baking for other people! I don't know why, I just really love it. And I love it even more when something I make turns out amazing. It doesn't always happen, but tonight my dinner rolls with cinnamon honey butter turned out amazing. It's not bragging when it's someone else's recipe, right? I won't even admit how many rolls I ate...okay, five. Yup, five. And I enjoyed every single bite. Sometimes I wish I didn't love food so much. Although my friend has lost her sense of taste permanently and I definitely wouldn't want to trade places! I'll take the extra 30 pounds she's not carrying around...

3-I am grateful for Jamiecooksitup. Not just the blog (Jamiecooksitup.net), but the real life person too. She is practically a celebrity these days and I feel fortunate to know her. She is a friend of a friend...well, several friends in fact. After my friend insisted that I read her blog years ago, I was hooked. Then I saw her at the elementary school and like a total nerd I went and introduced myself. I believe I even said something super cheesy like, "you're famous" or something about a "celebrity sighting" or something equally lame. She is super sweet so it was ok. :) We run into each other frequently and she is always super nice. Not only is she super nice, she makes some amazing food and is so kind to share her recipes. I make quite a few of them religiously. Tonight I made her pork roast with vegetables and gravy with her blueberry jello salad and holiday crescent rolls (imagine my delight when I figured out I could half it and not make 48 rolls!). I bet at least half of what I make on any given week is from her blog. I get more compliments on her recipes than any others. She seriously saved me from a major cooking rut AND has given me great ideas for things like baptism food, baking tips, treats to share, etc. I owe all of the compliments to her. :)