Festive Sweet Potatoes

Back in the day before I had one super cute little child and another one on the way I used to post recipes more than once every six months.  I also used to get more sleep and have a much cleaner house, free of tripping hazards!  So in honor of Thanksgiving I am posting what is probably my favorite recipe for this holiday.  It has enough butter in it to make the Paula Deen greatest hits list.  It also comes highly recommended by the Nutrition Nazi's inner fat kid, as well.

Festive Sweet Potatoes

For the Potatoes
3 Cups Mashed Sweet Potatoes (Peel, Boil, Mash)
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Milk
1/3 Cup Butter, Melted
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Eggs, Beaten

For the Topping
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Flaked Coconut
1 Cup Pecans
1/3 Cup Butter, Melted

Combine all of the ingredients for the potatoes and put into a sprayed baking dish.  Then mix together all of the ingredients for the topping, and pour over sweet potatoes.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.   In the pictures below I doubled the recipe.

This is the sweet potato layer before the topping layer.  Please excuse the rushed photography.

With the yummy top layer after baking!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.  

(More on this photo in another post)

Forever Grateful, Yours Truly, Little Miss Fajita

No matter how much I try I will never be able to fully express my gratitude for all of the wonderful blessings of this year.  Last year I put a picture for each person I was thankful for, but this year I would still be adding pictures at Christmas.  So this year I selected three pictures to sum up the year and my immense thankfulness to all of our family, friends, and the medical staff that helped us when we truly needed it.

While this may not seem like a great pic at first glance, this pic was taken on the day Little Pope finally got to come home from the hospital.  He has no leads or breathing assistance or IVs or feeding tubes or isolettes to regulate his temperature.  He is simply a normal, albeit small, baby going home.  It makes me tear up every time I think of this day and the happiness of finally getting to bring him to our home.

I chose this one because it reminds me of how far he has come.  He was so little when he came home that the car seat all but swallowed him.  You can see the size difference of my brother's hands to his body.  He weighed 4 lbs, 9 oz on that day and we thought he looked big!

And this one to prove to myself that in crunch time when all the doctors told us he would be ok at the end of the day that they were right.  Sometimes doubt is my worst enemy, but I believed, along with all of you, and now he is perfectly fine, and still a Handsome Tiger!

I thought I was a strong person for the things I had made it through before this year, but I learned how truly strong and blessed I am, and though I never want to live through it again I am grateful for being given the chance to witness such greatness.  Again thank you to all of our wonderful family, friends, and medical staff!

We hope that you have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

What I am thankful for...

I am very fortunate in life to be surrounded by wonderful people that help make me a better person.   So during this week of giving thanks, I would like to show you the people I am thankful to know.

My dad who has always been there to fix everything that broke, or read a bedtime story, or walk me down the aisle, whatever I need.

My mom who taught me how to be a strong person, and also the source of my hard-headedness.

My brother who quietly observes life only chiming in when necessary.

My bestie who has always been there for me.  Thanks for being a great wing man!

My other bestie who I have shared way too many great moments to count.

My girlfriends who can keep secrets and lend a hand or dress at a moment's notice.  I couldn't do it with out you ladies.

My in-laws who make me laugh and always over-feed the Team Leader.

NN's grandparents who treat me like their own.

My other in-laws that make me smile.

All our friends and family that came to our wedding in Mexico.  It was definitely a party to remember!

My fluffy little baby.

She truly is a child to me, happiness and frustration all in one bounding package.

The Nutrition Nazi who I can not count the ways how he makes me a better person, and his infectious smile brightens my day.

I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!