Favorite Thanksgiving Family Tradition

My family does it every year. We go around the table each saying what we are thankful for... cliche but hey when else are you going to do it? It's a nice tradition that I look forward to each Thanksgiving.

Another family tradition that we have not just on Thanksgiving but at all of our O'Neill celebrations is a little game called Left, Right, Center. Everyone chips in three dollars and at the end, someone wins the whole pot. Last Saturday we played a special "high stakes" version (each person chipped in $15!), and my dad won! Sean took this video of his final roll to win it all, and it just makes me smile!

Recipe: Maple Pecan Pie Bars

Image via the kitchn

Sean and I made these pecan pie bars as our contribution to my mom's family Thanksgiving celebration that was over the weekend. They were so simple to make and they were a hit with the family. I found the recipe on one of my favorite websites: the kitchn. They were easy to throw together quickly, and easy for transporting to a party. Also, thanks to my dad, we discovered they are extra delicious with a side of whipped cream! We are always quick to add whipped cream in the McPhillips household!

Favorite Thanksgiving Dish

I think my favorite Thanksgiving dish is probably dressing/stuffing (it's up for debate what you want to call it). It's just the thing that makes it feel uniquely Thanksgiving. Many of the other dishes we have at my family's celebration are things we have at other holidays, or they are dishes that are substituted with different variations throughout the years. But dressing means that it's Thanksgiving, and it's always there for the O'Neill celebration. We celebrated yesterday in Northern Kentucky, and my mom made the dressing this year. (It's her mom's recipe that we've always made.) It was a beautiful dinner, and I love being with such a wonderful family. Thanksgiving truly is my favorite holiday, and I'm thankful to have such wonderful family and friends with whom to celebrate it. 

This year's centerpiece: a serving dish passed down from my great-grandmother O'Neill

Synchronicity

Today's post is "how synchronicity changes your life." I think the best example of this is how Sean and I met. He was returning from a study abroad trip to Austria and I was leaving to go on mine to Spain, and our respective Bellarmine groups found each other in the airport... in Atlanta, not Louisville. I didn't know Sean then even though we were both Bellarmine students, but my classmate Ashtin was good friends with him, and they found each other at the airport that day. I actually took this picture of them:

 

My uncle told me that this trip to Spain was going to change my life, and little did I know it would change my life before I even left the country! But it was the start a wonderful friendship with Ashtin, which later led me to Sean. We didn't start dating until about 6 months after this trip. But I just think it's funny that we were students at the same school, both going on a summer study abroad trip through the same program, and our first meeting happened in the Atlanta airport!

Ashtin and I on the plane later that day (We look like babies!)

My Favorite Pinterest Accounts

Katie Armour

She is Pinterest OBSESSED! My feed fills up with her pins daily... always beautiful home decor and fashion picks.

Kathryn Grady of Snippet & Ink

I found her blog when I was wedding planning, and started following her on Pinterest soon after that. I like the recipes and fashion that she pins.

Kendi Everyday

This is also one of my favorite blogs that I did not include on my list last week. (I've been trying to mix it up on all the social media posts to include all my favorites.) I love all of her fashion pins, as well as some hair styles and inspirational quotes that she finds.

My Imaginary Well-Dressed Toddler Daughter by pinner Tiffany Beveridge

Finally, I have to include my absolute favorite Pinterest board. This one is there to give all of my other boards a reality check. My picks above are pretty centered around fashion, decor, and beauty. But staring at all of this beautiful, most times shallow stuff all day can get quickly mind-numbing and overwhelming. Snark, sarcasm, and hilarious toddler names are sure to brighten your day and snap you back into reality after staring at the ridiculousness.

Dinner for Three

If I were to have three famous dinner guests, I think these three would be my choices...

Amelia Earhart: Since grade school, I have  been enamored with her. The mystery of her death/disappearance has always heightened my curiosity, but I also admire the way she lived her life up to that point. She seemed like someone who was so sure of herself, and I think she would be an awesome dinner guest!

Stephen Colbert: He just makes me laugh so much. I would love to see what he's like outside of the character he plays on The Colbert Report. I think we could be friends in real life, so I'd invite him to my famous people dinner, definitely!

Teddy Roosevelt: I caught the first two episodes of The Roosevelts: An Intimate History on PBS (There are seven episodes and I want to watch the rest!), which mostly focused on Theodore's life. He was kind of a crazy person! But also very driven and seemed like he might be fun to be around/have for a dinner guest.

If you could choose three famous people to invite to dinner, who would they be?

*Photo above:A beautiful table set by my Aunt Mitzie for a birthday party she hosted over the summer... I'd get some tips from her for hosting my famous guests!

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I love the first snowfall of the season. Although, this year it seems a bit early for it to be starting, I still enjoy it. Everything looks so beautiful and peaceful, and I love walking through the snow before anyone else has, making those first footprints. I guess winter is here... and I felt like we were just getting started with fall.

*I missed yesterday's post but for good reason! It was Sean's birthday! I'll try to be back later tonight with it.