Thanksgiving, the Iron Bowl, and Crafts!

What a busy week! Today it was back to the daily grind. Thanksgiving was so much fun and much needed. Tucker and I went to Wetumpka to celebrate Thanksgiving, and on Friday, I spent the day watching football with my grandpa. It was one of my favorite days :)

All of us women cooking!

Kate, Emily, and I

Tucker's grandmother, Mymama, bought us girls those "cutesy poo" bags as she would say :) Inside was a mini muffin pan, spatula, and the ingredients and recipe for Pecan Bites. They are delish! I will post the recipe as soon as I have tried to make them! Hopefully they will be a success!

I had to do all of my Christmas decorating on Wednesday, before Thanksgiving! I absolutely detest decorating before Thanksgiving! Call me old fashioned, but I believe in celebrating Thanksgiving, THEN decorating for Christmas. This year, with our very busy schedule, I had no choice.

Tucker putting the angel on the tree!

The finished product!

Our fireplace and mantle. The stockings are home made. My mother-in-law is a knitting genius!

Christmas is my favorite holiday. Decorating for Christmas this year was a little stressful though. I couldn't decide where to put the tree. After three locations and multiple scratches, it finally found it's home.

Friday, Tucker and I stayed up late creating our sign for Gameday on Saturday morning. We were on T.V.!!! We recorded it just in case you missed it :)

At Gameday!

We had so much fun!!! I don't really want to talk too much about the game. I think everyone knew we were in for a loss.I was very proud of our guys for playing their hearts out and not giving up! Better days are coming! War Eagle!

Lastly, I have a new addiction (thanks, Kate!), Pinterest! I have gotten so many good craft ideas off of there. I'm so glad I will be finishing my master's degree this December. At least now I'll have more time for crafts!!!

An old window used to display wedding pictures <3

Tucker and I found this at Angel's Antiques in Opelika.

I used scrapbook paper behind the pictures. I absolutely LOVE it!!! In other news, I take my last final this Saturday! Wish me luck! Have a great week!

Amanda



Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! I would like to say first and foremost that it is important to remember to be thankful everyday for the blessings in our lives.Sometimes it's a constant struggle; nobody knows that better than me, but I do try to remember to count my blessings rather than counting my disappointments.

I am thankful for so many things. This year has brought with it ups and downs. It's been mostly ups, but as my grandpa says... every now and then life throws you some bumps in the road. I am thankful that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I am so very thankful for the life he has given me, and the opportunities that I have had throughout my life thus far. Anybody that knows me well and knows what my life has been like, truly believes in miracles. I, in no way, should be where I am in life, but I'm here thanks to God. I am a miracle!

I am thankful for my relationship with my grandpa. He keeps me grounded, listens to me fuss, and comforts me when I cry. He's the closest thing to a dad I have ever had, and I cherish every moment that I have with him. I am trying to remember everything he has told me, every story, every saying, so I can one day tell my children about their crazy great grandfather.

I am thankful for the time I had here on Earth with my grandmother.I know she's looking down on all of us, and I know I'll see her and my dad again someday. What a day of rejoicing that will be!

I am thankful for my dog, Bandit. He keeps me warm at night, and makes me feel safe when I'm home alone. For a long time, it was just little boo and me.Slowly, he has adjusted to Tucker and loves him just as much as he loves me. Plus, I can talk to him without feeling like a crazy person!

I am thankful for my in laws. I know some that would not be able to but that, but I'm so glad that I can. I am very fortunate to have married a man with such a wonderful family. They are accepting, supportive, and a little crazy ;) They actually like getting together, and it is so much fun when they do! I love each and every one of them, and I'm so very proud to be a part of the Boswell clan.

I am so very thankful for my wonderful husband, Tucker, who has been awesome this year. He supports me while getting my master's degree, and he encourages me every day. Sometimes he's my punching bag and my sounding board, but most importantly he is my best friend. I'm so lucky to get to spend forever with my best friend! I'm very thankful for the memories we have shared, and I'm looking forward to the memories we will make in the future.

What are you thankful for? Happy Thanksgiving Friends!!!

Amanda

Let Them Eat Cake!

This past Sunday I decided that I would bake a cake for my cousin, Khat's, birthday. She just turned 21, and I'm so proud of the beautiful young woman she has become. It's not easy making it on your own, but she's doing a pretty darn good job. Now back to the baking...Khat wanted chocolate cake with chocolate icing....Yum! Yes, I could have ordered her a cake from Kroger's, but I wanted her cake to be special, so I decided I would forge into baking territory.

The ingredients.

He's a whiz with the mixer!

Making the home made icing!

Yes, it's three layers!!!

The finished product!

Happy 21st Birthday, Khat!

Considering that this was my very first chocolate cake, I think I did a fantastic job. I haven't quite mastered how to get the layers even, so the cake was a little lopsided, but it tasted delicious all the same! Next time, I will also add more frosting between the cake layers. I ended up with a lot of extra frosting, but it was oh so good! I dipped my finger into the bowl one too many times!

I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com. I have listed it below if you ever think you might want to bake a super rich chocolate cake!

Sandy's Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 3 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups sour cream
• 1 1/3 cups boiling water
• FROSTING:
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 3 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 3 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream brown sugar and butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add alternately with sour cream to creamed mixture. Mix on low just until combined. Stir in water until blended. Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. For frosting, in a medium saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Cool several minutes. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, sour cream and vanilla. Add chocolate mixture and beat until smooth. Frost cooled cake

The recipe was very simple. Tucker had to help me not to stress about the huge mess we were making. I don't think my kitchen had ever been that messy. I'm the person who likes to cook but to clean as she goes. That's nearly impossible to do when you are baking.Flour and sugar seem to get everywhere! It was all worth it though! On another note, it's officially Thanksgiving break!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Auburn vs. Georgia

War Eagle! Even though we were massacred Saturday night, I still believe in Auburn and love it!!! We had a fabulous time in Athens BEFORE the game! Ha! Georgia truly has a beautiful campus. We enjoyed strolling downtown and seeing all the sights. Lunch was fun! We stopped at the Copper Creek Brewing Company and had burgers before the game. They were delish! They even brewed their own beer! From there, we headed to the game with our heads held high and with even higher hopes. Boy, were we ever disappointed! It is important to remember to support our coaches and players even when we aren't playing our best. Better days are coming soon!

Downtown Athens at the Georgia Theatre

Lunch at the Copper Creek Brewing Company. They brewed the beer in the area behind us.

The famous "arches".

Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.

Tucker and I being silly with the camera at lunch.

On our way to the stadium.

More picture silliness <3

We left the game in the middle of the third quarter when it was apparent we were not going to make a come back. This was a big deal! Tucker never leaves a game early!!!We had big plans to go eat pizza at Little Italy in Athens to celebrate our win, but those plans were dashed, so we just hightailed it out of there! Thanks to Tucker's Aunt Kathy and Uncle Paul for letting us stay with them Friday and Saturday night! They run a fabulous B & B! Ha!

Now we are preparing ourselves for the Alabama game! I fear things may get a bit ugly for us, but I'll still be there sitting proudly in my orange and blue!

Amanda

More Tom Turkeys

Here are a few more of the Tom Turkeys that my students brought in! Can you guess which one is my favorite?

If you guessed this one, you are correct! UPS Tucker Turkey!

Elvis

A football player.

Beyonce

I loved all of the turkeys, but these were my ultimate favorites! I will definitely be doing this activity again! We are Georgia bound this afternoon, heading to Athens to see our Tiger's play!

War Eagle!

Amanda



Tom Turkey

Last Friday, I gave my students a Thanksgiving assignment. I gave them a copy of a turkey, and they were to disguise that turkey so that people would not know he was a turkey and want to eat him. They were to disguise Tom Turkey as their favorite book character or person from history. As you can see from the pictures below, their creativity abounds. They are due this Thursday, and I'm sure I will have lots more to share, but I had to go ahead and share these! They are too cute!

Cam Newton (my fav)

Santa Claus

Superman

Abraham Lincoln

I can't help but giggle when I see some of these! My students did an amazing job, and I can't wait to see the rest that come in on Thursday!

Amanda

Gumbo with the Conerly's

I have to give a huge thanks to my friend, Virginia and her husband Andy! They invited us to her house last night to watch the LSU vs. Alabama game. If you couldn't tell from the title of this post, we were all rooting for LSU. For those of you who are confused, gumbo is a Louisiana dish. It was delicious! Tucker liked it so much, he spilled some on his shirt to take home later! Ha! We had a wonderful time meeting new people and stuffing our faces on all the goodies! Virginia made a Snickers pie that was to die for!I must get the recipe!

Virginia and I

At halftime, we left and headed over to Reese and Jenifer's house. There we stuffed our faces even more. Jenifer made sausage, cheese, and pepperoncini skewers that you dipped in BBQ sauce. Needless to say, the diet starts back tomorrow! It was a nail biting game, but we were thrilled when LSU came out on top! (Don't be mad, Grandpa!!! I Love You!!!) Then we headed to Toomer's Corner to roll the trees!

This week is a four day week for me! We are taking students to the Good Behavior Movie on Thursday to see "Puss in Boots"! Sadly, I'm leaving 7 bad behaved friends at school. That's the most I have ever left behind. I'm hoping they improve, so they can join us for the movie next semester! Then on Friday we are Georgia bound! I'm so excited!!! I have never been to Athens, but I have heard it's a blast! I'll have all day Friday to prepare for the fun weekend!

Have a fabulous week!

Amanda   

Halloween and an Easy Recipe

Happy Belated Halloween! Let me first start off by saying that I will never, I repeat, I will never give out candy again! I have never in my life had so many disrespectful TEENAGERS at my door! I'm not sure what the cut off age is for trick or treating, but I'm sure it has to be elementary school. Some of the teenagers weren't even dressed up and were just carrying a grocery sack. I mean, at least put some effort into it!

One particular group of teens had two sacks each, and all of them claimed they needed some for their sister who couldn't get out of the car. Do you really expect me to believe that one???!!! When I only put candy in one of their sacks, they got mad, and do you believe????? They rolled their eyes at me!!! The nerve of those fools, and they didn't even say thank you, not that I would have expected that anyway. Needless to say, my trick or treating days are over.

On a happier note, I did spend Halloween night with my family- Tucker, Bandit, Khat, and Khaki (Khat's dog). It warmed my heart immensely to have her come over and help pass out candy. I made chicken and dumplings, and then we watched the best Halloween movie of all time...drum roll please...Hocus Pocus!!!

This chicken and dumplings recipe is so very easy!

Chicken and Dumplings

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 can chicken broth
1 stick butter
10 Mary B's frozen biscuits, plain and thawed
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken 15 to 20 minutes until done, and remove onto plate. Add butter, milk, broth, salt, and pepper. Keep ingredients in boiler on medium to high heat. Shred chicken, and add pinches of thawed biscuits. Continue to stir during the cooking process (prevents sticking). Once all the chicken and biscuits are added, simmer 15 minutes. Cover; turn off heat until thickened to preference. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did! It's delicious on a cool night!

Amanda