A little gratitude is what I need to shake off today’s family-drama-funk and re-embrace the beauty and spirit of the season.

Though I do sometimes wish we didn’t try to cram an existence into thirty short days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I had hoped to slow down this year, enjoy that I wasn’t rushing at the last minute (because that’s when school ends) to get everything done.  But folks, time shrinks just when you think it’s expanding and it’s nine days until Christmas and I don’t have any gifts wrapped, any cookies made, or any extra serenity floating around.

But today I’m thankful that while I may not be the craftiest, thriftiest, efficient-ist mom around, I did get to go to my girls’ Christmas parties and be glad they have teachers they love who love them right back.

Belle and Claire who sit together and play together and eat all the classroom snacks together.

Madelynne’s class exchanged books and her teacher was smart enough to time that exchange with the half-price bookfair.  Total gift cost: $2.50

I’m also thankful for this wonderful woman.  Her daughter and Belle are in the same class this year which is fun for us because I clearly don’t see her enough when I go in for my OB checkups.  This is Brittney, my fantastic midwife who delivered Amelia, held me while I cried when the test was positive, and in May will hold this baby boy even before I do.

I promised in my last post that I was going to write about lots of holiday baking in the next few days and yesterday I broke out one of may favorite cookbooks that I am ever so grateful for.  A dear family friend gave it to me for my wedding and it’s full of all those recipes everyone loves to eat.  And there are never ingredients I haven’t heard of and can’t get at the local Ingles.

But, alas, apparently the banana bread recipe can’t survive me having to turn off the oven to go get the girls and run an errand after school….it was almost done…so I thought maybe it would be okay…..two loaves have survived to be gifted but one fell into a delicious pile of banana bread crumbles.  Which means now I’m wondering if I can salvage it into a trifle.  If there is success, I’ll let you know.  In the meantime, stay tuned for a post of the recipe because I promise, if you follow the directions, it’s the best banana bread EVER.

And if you’re my brother-in-law reading this, yes I’ll make a new loaf for you.  And yes, I’ll include icing.

What’s your favorite Christmas recipe?  Let me know and link up with Thankful Thursdays below!