Thanksgiving Recap!

Another Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone.  It always goes by too quickly.  I love the  anticipation of Thanksgiving.  It's always a short week and you know it's going to end with family fun and tasty food.  It also kicks off the Christmas holiday season!

Wednesday I was busy in the kitchen all day!  I brined the turkey I was making.

Made my pecan pie.

Baked the squash, made the green bean casserole, and made my brie and puff pastry appetizer.

Thursday morning Jon and I started our Thanksgiving by running in the 8k Chicago Turkey Trot in Lincoln Park.  We had a great time.  It was so much fun!

We spent the rest of the day at the Hanson's.  We had fabulous food and great company.

The rest of the weekend we did some shopping, played games, watched movies, and enjoyed our time together.  Thanksgiving 2010 lived up to my expectations and I'm sad to see it go.  Until next year turkey...until next year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.  In no particular order...

1. My fabulous family.

2. My faith.

3. My little cuddle bug Wilma.

4. My jobs.

5. Not traveling far this holiday weekend.

6. Curling up on the "cuddle chair" with Jon and Wilma.

7. Heavenly food prepared for by loving hands.

8. Living in a fantastic city.

9. My education.

10. Running in the Lincoln Park Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning.

11. Having a roof over my head.

12. My patient, loving husband.

13. Being able to get-away to my parent's cabin.

14. The places I've been fortunate to travel to.

15. Jimmy John's!

16. Lazing around in comfy pants and slippers.

17. Hot chocolate

18. A good book.

19. Simplifying life.

20. Clean sheets.

21. My health.

22. A well deserved glass of wine.

23. True friends.

24. Good smelling candles.

25. Relaxing by a fire.

26. My DVR.

27. A manicure and pedicure pampering.

28. The financial lessons my parents taught me.

29. Having my sister and Laura for best friends.

30. Receiving sweet comments from my blog friends.

31. The cooking confidence I've gained over the last 5 months.

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you are able to enjoy it with family, good food, warmth, and love.

Kitchen Prayer

As I was cooking and baking for Thanksgiving this morning I came across this prayer in our family cookbook: Home Cookin' Favorite Recipes of the Paul and Sarah Dingler Family.   I think it's very appropriate for the holiday season.

Kitchen Prayer

Bless my little kitchen, Lord

I love its every nook.

And bless me as I do my work,

Wash pots and pans and cook.

May the meals that I prepare,

Be seasoned from above,

With thy blessings and thy grace,

But most of all - thy love.

As we partake of earthly food,

The table thus has spread,

We'll not forget to thank thee, Lord,

For all our daily bread.

So bless my little kitchen, Lord,

And those who enter in;

May they find naught but joy and peace,

And happiness therein.

Amen

Photo via MS

Rainy Monday

Well, we have one Thanksgiving down, one to go.  We had Thanksgiving with my in-laws this past weekend back in Michigan.  This is the first time we've celebrated early and I loved it.  The traffic wasn't nearly as bad as it will be during the holiday weekend.  I vote to do it this way every year!  I was in charge of bringing the pecan pie.  Here is my first homemade one...crust and all!

Saturday I caught up with some friends.  I spent most of Saturday with Laura.  We had a fantastic lunch at Anita's and then shopped the rest of the afternoon.  After that I made my way to Kirsten's new house...which I am in love with!  And, I finished the night off by having dinner with Allison and Kirsten.

Sunday was Thanksgiving and then the drive back.  I did a little craft project in the car that I'll show you guys in a bit.  I'm in love with it!

And, I'm headed to the movies with my sister today!  That puts a bright spot in this rainy Monday!

Wilma!

I just came across this post in my draft status.  I had forgotten I wrote it because it was right around the time when I spilled the water on my computer and it died.  So, pretend it's still early September and you are reading this!  :)

A day for sweet, little Wilma!  Here's the story on how Wilma became a Mathis!  (sorry for the long post).

In the spring of 2009 Jon and I decided we wanted to foster dogs.  We thought it would be a great way to see what it was like to have a dog and to help out the shelter.  We went through PAWS which is Chicago's largest no kill shelter (Oprah is a huge supporter and has adopted dogs from PAWS).  

We picked Wilma up on a Saturday in mid-April and we were to foster her until the last week in May (she had just had puppies).  I dropped Jon and Wilma off at the Wicker Park dog park and little did I know, but the rest would be history.  Wilma warmed up to us right away.  All she wanted to do was cuddle and sleep on Jon and me.  Now, I grew up with dogs but they were always outside dogs.  We had chocolate labs (hunting dogs for my dad) and a beagle.  So, a 20lb dog wanting to cuddle on my lap was a bit new for me.  And, having a dog inside was (and continues to be) a learning experience.  

We loved fostering her.  We brought her to my parent's cabin for Memorial Day weekend and discovered she HATES the car.  She freaked out.  Whined and just went crazy.  We have since tried everything: letting her be free in the car, trying to keep her on our lap, putting the window down, giving her over the counter meds and prescription meds from the vet, and keeping her in her crate.  We've learned that the crate yields the best results for everyone in the car (the whining is still present, but minimized).  

Well, it was time to give her back.  She was to go to the Angel's with Tails adoption event on a Sunday.  We took her back to the shelter on Saturday morning.  Jon and I were silent on the drive.  Neither of us thought it would be that hard to give her back.  We left and felt so guilty and missed her right away.  My best friend, Laura, and her husband were in town for the weekend and we were going to the Cubs game with them and Kate and Geoff, my sister and brother-in-law.  I'm pretty sure the only thing we talked about during the game was Wilma.  Of course I was obsessing with giving her back.  So, finally Jon and I decided that if for some reason Wilma didn't get adopted at the event and she was still available on Monday then we would adopt her (It isn't that we didn't want her originally, it's just that we thought we were going to foster for a while before adopting, but we didn't realize we would fall in love).  

We were anxious the rest of the weekend.  It was all we could do to wait until Monday morning.  But, we made it!  And, we found out Wilma wasn't adopted.  At the time she was 5 years old and PAWS told us most families want puppies and pass on the adult dogs.  Lucky for us!!  We went right in Monday night after work, signed the papers, and adopted Wilma!  

Having Wilma is wonderful.  It's great to have a happy ball of joy greet you when you get home!  Even though she is little she has a big bark and is our guard dog.  Yes, she did eat one pair of my favorite khakis the week after we adopted her and I threatened to give her back, but pants are replaceable (I still haven't found a pair as comfortable and flattering yet) and Wilma is not! 

A few of the names we have for her...Wilma, Wilmski, Wilmski-poo, Poo-poo, Keeks, Wilms

Here are a few pictures of Ms. Wilma over the past year.  You'll see that she loves to sleep under blankets (yes, she covers herself up and came this way when we fostered her...she didn't learn it from us) and relaxes in all different ways.  To put it simply, she is the laziest dog we have ever met.

She has a vest for the cold Chicago winters.

Sleeping on Jon's legs Christmas morning.

Brrrr...it's cold in here!

Seriously?  Another picture?

The old sheet that she sleeps with at night.  See her little nose poking out?

Perhaps yoga?

Check out her new collar!!  

Bright Pink!

This past Tuesday evening I hosted a JLCU (Junior League of Chicago University) on breast and ovarian health.  The fabulous ladies of Bright Pink came in to speak on the subject.  I want to share some of the information they provided to us.  I think it's important for women, young and old, to take their health seriously.

-The average woman's lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 1 in 8
-The average woman's lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer is 1 in 67
-The majority of the factors contributing to cell mutations (causing cancer) are environmental
-You can also get breast and ovarian cancer from inheriting mutated BRCA genes
-If you have a BRCA gene mutation there is a chance you will pass this onto your children
-You should perform a monthly self breast exam 5-7 days after your period has started
-Only 20% of ovarian cancer is caught before it reaches the critical stage
-Pap smears do not test for ovarian cancer; just cervical

Bright Pink offers a peer support system, PinkPal, for young women at a high risk for breast and ovarian cancer.

Bright Pink urges women to talk with their families over the holidays to gain knowledge on your family history.  They recommend you see your doctor or a genetic counselor if you find out you do have a history of breast and/or ovarian cancer in your family.  So talk to your aunts, grandmas,  and cousins next week while you are celebrating Thanksgiving.

There is a handy-dandy tool to remind you about monthly self breast exams.  Text PINK to 59227 to subscribe and Bright Pink will text you a monthly reminder.  Do it...RIGHT NOW!  :)

Graphics via here
Disclaimer: Health information changes all of the time so please see your doctor for the latest and greatest and to develop a plan for yourself.

Chicken Meatballs

I made these chicken meatballs Sunday evening and I would highly recommend them.  They have a lot going on, but it works.  They were juicy and flavorful.  And, fairly easy to make!  We had a side of butternut squash with them.

Smitten Kitchen's pictures are much better, but here is my attempt!

You should definitely make these.  You won't be disappointed!  I have leftovers for my lunch today and I can't wait to eat them!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

-We had a fun weekend hosting some out of town friends.  Friday evening we hung out and snacked on Lou Malnati's and pumpkin cookies.  Saturday everybody hung out watching football while I tended to some Pasta Puttana work.  At night we had a surprise birthday dinner for Andy at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba (one of my favorite places to go) and made our way to a couple of bars to finish the night off.

-I met a really nice lady Saturday while I was working.  She was so friendly and down to earth.  It was really refreshing.

-Sunday I enjoyed an afternoon of sitting on the couch watching football, Private Practice, Martha Stewart, and 5 Ingredient Fix.  I need to do this more often.

-I would really like to get Wilma a plaid collar for the holidays.  I want a martingale style and I'd prefer to get it from Etsy.

-I wish we had a cute dining room table set.  While ours is completely functional, it's old.  I would like off-white chairs with a cute fabric seat.  More of the cottage style.

-Our dryer doesn't stop when you open the door anymore.  That just started happening on Sunday.

-I've been listening to Christmas music regularly now...it makes me happy.  I hope we can get our Christmas tree Thanksgiving weekend (after all, there are only 3 weekends in December before Christmas).

-I'm trying to read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, but it's a slow start.

Friday Love

Doesn't this look like classic fall fun?  I just love this wagon!  The plaid blanket and thermoses are so classic.

Photo via here

And, isn't this dress super cute?  It's called the "Frosting Cookies Dress" from Modcloth.

Photo via Modcloth

Can you tell I have a slight obsession with plaid right now?  Hope you have a wonderful weekend!  

Pour me another, please!

When I was home to my parent's last week, my mom told me there was a surprise in my bedroom.  Look at what was waiting for me!

Isn't this drink set beautiful?  My mom's friend, Cindy, gave them to me because she just never used them.  I think they are perfect for a nice brunch with some mimosas!  I can't wait to use them!  Thanks Cindy!

Look at the beautiful detail on the glasses.

When I got back to Chicago Friday evening Jon had flowers for me to welcome me home!  They are a lovely fall mix.  I love the yellow and oranges.

Also, today is my Gram's birthday!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Wish I could be there to celebrate with you today and this weekend. Love you!

Busy Week!

Do you ever just feel like you are constantly busy and you can never catch up?  That's how I've been feeling since November started and probably how I'll feel through the holidays.  Of course I like to stay busy (it's my personality), but I also don't mind an occasional day to just purely relax.  

This week I have Junior League, drinks with a friend, and we have friends coming in for the weekend.  I also have working in the kitchen, a business meeting, and a demo for Pasta Puttana.  All of which are very exciting, but stressing me out.

Maybe once all of the chaos is done I can relax with a nice glass of wine, my book, blanket, candle, and Wilma!  For now these will have to make me smile!  Don't they look delicious?

Photo via here

Link Love

I've mentioned before I've met some pretty awesome bloggers since I started The Rest is Still Unwritten... a few months ago.  Whether it's someone clear across the country or someone right here in Chicago, it's so much fun to learn about new people and develop friendships through blogging.

I was so excited when I saw I had made the "Link Love" list on another person's blog.  Thanks so much Katie!  It made my day when I saw it!

Isn't Katie's dog, Finley, super cute?

Photo via here

What a trip!

Happy Monday!  I have a lot to update you guys on!

As I mentioned, last week I was spending a few days in Rockford to work with Abbey.  While I did get to work with her a bit, I also spent an unexpected amount of time at the hospital with my mom.  Tuesday night she was having horrible stomach pains.  She has diverticulitis and thought it might be a flare up.  We ended up spending the night in the ER.  They ran tests only to come back and tell us they didn't see any signs of diverticulitis and sent us home with vicodin for her pain.  Well, as we walked back in the front door at 5:00am the phone was ringing.  It was the doctor from the ER saying they reviewed her CAT scan again and did see signs of diverticulitis flaring up.  So, back to the hospital she went.  They admitted her and gave her the proper meds to help with the pain.  She was able to come home Thursday afternoon, but her doctor would like to do surgery after the holidays.  I'm just thankful I was there to help out and keep her company during all of this.  And, that she is feeling better!!

It should also be noted that my mom made a fabulous dinner Tuesday night for me!  It tasted delicious, but next time she isn't feeling well she shouldn't be cooking!  :)  Love ya mom!

In between hospital visits I was able to get together with Abbey.  It was so nice to have a few hours here and there working with her.  And, she was wonderful about my mom being in the hospital.  I tell you, people in West Michigan are so friendly and understanding (sometimes I miss that here in Chicago).

I also was able to have a really nice lunch with my dad Friday before driving back to Chicago.  We ate at six.one.six.  On my drive back I saw everything from rain to sleet to snow!  I guess it's getting to be that time of year!

We had a fairly relaxing weekend...I needed to catch up on my sleep.  Sunday morning I made Joy the Baker's baked oatmeal minus the raspberries and pistachios.  It was really tasty!

P.S.  I'll admit that I did listen to Christmas music on the radio during my travels!

  

Chat later!

I'm pretty excited about the rest of my week!  I'm headed back to Michigan to do some work with Abbey of Syd Design.  We are going to be working on the Studio Collection and doing some prep work for An Evening at the Felt.  I can't wait!  I love working for Abbey and I'm excited to see what she has planned for us.

I'm staying with my parents and I can't remember the last time when I was there without Jon or the Hanson family.  It will be like the old days when my sister was off to college and it was just me and mom and dad!  It should be a great time!  My mom and I are going to get manicures and pedicures!  I'm thinking a fall color.  Perhaps...

Photo via here

Because of this I'll probably be MIA for the rest of the week.  Oh, no need to worry about Jon...I pre-made some meals for him so he won't even miss me!  Have a great week and don't forget to vote today!  I was the 2nd voter at my location bright and early!

Sail Your Ship

Some inspiration on a Monday morning compliments of The Pink Orange.  


Sorry about the gray lines...I don't know how they got here and I can't get rid of them!  Lol!


My friend Katie recently sent me a link Non-Society and included were some extremely inspirational words. I normally don’t include posts like this, but I wanted to share with you all, and if you feel like reading (it is long). But.. i do hope it helps you make a decision you might have been holding back on or take your business or life to the next level!

Comfort.  Security.  Stability.  Familiar.  We all want our lives to have these things, and yet, we also want to accomplish great things, be extraordinary, experience new and wonderful things.  Sometimes we nearly succeed in convincing ourselves that we can have much, but risk little.  This simply is not true.  Any worthwhile endeavor, any good thing worth the effort it takes to obtain it will have attached to it an element of risk.  Finding your true love is amazing, life changing and euphoric yet there is the risk of being hurt or rejected.  Discovering your purpose in life is indescribably fulfilling, yet there is the risk of being misunderstood or even unappreciated.

Sail Your Ship!

Using the analogy contained in the quote at the beginning of this article, your life is like a ship.  You can anchor your life in the harbor, in the familiar surroundings you’ve grown accustomed to, and never risk a change of any kind.  This is safe, right?  The problem is that this is not what the ship (your life) was built for!  The ship (your life) was designed to move, to experience new surroundings, arrive at new destinations and all the while making the journey an adventure!  If a ship never leaves the harbor it will eventually decay to the point of becoming useless because it wasn’t designed to be stagnant.  It was designed to sail out of the harbor, bravely entering the vastness of the open sea and all of its possibilities.  The same is true of your life and mine.

It’s so easy to get “caught up” in life.  The bills, the kids, the job, the house, and somewhere, way down at the bottom of our to-do list, we pencil in our dreams.  You know what?  No one ever gets around to doing the last thing on their to-do list! 

Like No Other

If we are to be successful, fulfilled and truly happy we must leave the harbor.  Each of us are unique and we each have something no one else does.  We’re all human with the same basic needs, and heck, we probably even all share the same universal consciousness, but we are still unique!  I am different than you and you are different than me!  We each have our own viewpoint, interpretation, and thoughts about people and our world.  I read something in a book recently that said that “the world needs what we have to offer.  If it didn’t, we wouldn’t be here!”  If we stay anchored in the harbor, how can we make a difference in the world?

“Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You” -Eleanor Roosevelt

Are there opportunities for you, right now, that perhaps you’ve been putting off or avoiding?  Are there actions you could be taking that you know would set you on the path to success and fulfillment?  Has fear of the unknown, failure or rejection kept you stationary?  Has the effort required to sail your life into the sea of possibility kept you anchored in the harbor?  This pretty much describes my life for the past several months, but no longer!  I’ve hoisted anchor, my ship is moving toward the open sea.  As I stand on the bow, the wind in my face and the salty spray fills the air around me, I am both wonderfully frightened and emboldened for what lies ahead.  It is unknown and full of possibility.  I embrace the adventure of the journey as much as I will embrace my destination.

I hope to see you out there…..

{written by Julia Allison of Non-Society}