Holiday Turkey Recipe-Amazing Every Time!

If you’re looking for my recipe for “Perfect Turkey Every Time” I’ve updated the post and you’ll find it here.

I’m in the process of moving all my most popular content to my main website at Traveling with Purpose. That’s where I share about living a purposeful life at home and when I’m traveling.

If you haven’t tried it before, trust me on this one. This turkey recipe is delicious. Never dry! The white meat melts in your mouth. It’s a SLOW roasting method, and once it’s in the oven, you can forget it for hours, until you’re ready to eat.

You’ll still see all the comments below for folks who’ve tried the recipe.

Have fun and let me know how your dinner turns out.

Christmas Manifesto

O.k., here goes! Journal your Christmas 2012 has begun.  Attempting to do a blog post each day in the month of December.  Already resigning myself to the fact that it won’t happen every day, but maybe I can post a photo and a caption at least to document the day.  Then later I’ll put it into a Blurb book like my clever daughter did last year.  Although she was doing a different project, called December Daily.  At times I’ll be focusing more on documenting traditions, holiday activities, etc. with Shimelle and her gang at Journal Your Christmas.  I’d love to have you join me.

See you tomorrow!

Easter Branch Decor

Can you believe that Easter is right around the corner?  I know!  I can’t wait to show you my latest update for my seasonal branch.

As you may remember, here’s my hubby, so excited about my fabulous find.  He just didn’t quite understand the vision of the branch, but was so sweet to empty the trunk of suitcases so that we could squeeze it in and transport it home from Sedona.  Click here for a bit more of the story.

This year I found some hanging egg ornaments with letters to spell out Happy Easter!  It was so easy to hang the letter eggs on a thick ribbon that was strung between the branches.  Of course, I added a variety of pastel eggs, as well as several celery green crystals to fill in the spaces.

I love having this branch in my living room.  It’s so much fun to think of all the possibilities for decorations.  What would you use to decorate it?

Happy Valentine’s Day Friends!

I hope you had an extra special day with the ones you love!  I hope you enjoy these photos of my Valentine Branch.  Don’t you just love this sweet little owl.  He was a gift from my friend, Sharon.  The branch hangs in my living room throughout the year, all decorated for each season.

I also wanted to post a quick note to apologize for being MIA for a while.  I didn’t realize how long it’s been.  There’s so much to report and there has been so little time to report it.

This past weekend we were in Puerto Penasco, Mexico.  It was the first time I’ve been there.  The Catfish Hunters did a concert on Saturday night and we had a great time!  Pictures to come soon.

More big news and probably a little bit of an excuse as to why I haven’t been on my blog too much.  I just received in the mail the book that I created through Blurb.com!  It was a (mostly) photo travel book about a trip that I was privileged to take to Israel and Jordan in October with a non-profit organization that I work with.   The book is 12″ x 12″ and 200 pages (yes, you read that right).  It turned out beautifully if I must say so myself!  I’ll have pictures of that and a link soon too!

I also had the privilege of planning a celebration for a dear friend of ours…of course there are photos of that on the way too!

See, I really do have a few good reasons for not being online.  Just sorry that it kept me away from all my friends here.  See you soon.  I promise.

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving

I pray that each and every one of you enjoys a holiday filled with the love and comfort of family and dear friends.  There are many hurting in this season, so please remember those who are in need of physical or emotional support.  Our hearts are with you…

This photo was taken at Thanksgiving a few years ago.  It makes me thankful that the weather in Arizona is often nice enough to sit outside during the holidays.

And here’s a Perkins family photo from last year.

On this day of remembering, I’m also thankful for…

1. Wonderful family that’s always there in good times and bad
2. Precious friends who love and encourage me
3. God’s provision for our needs and beyond
4. A comfortable home filled with joy
5. Plenty of food on the table
6. A house filled with music
7. The gift of creativity and imagination
8. God’s amazing creation
9. Good health
10. The freedom to travel this glorious planet

And soooo much more…

Blessings from our family to yours today and throughout the coming year.

Cranberry Nut Bread

Holiday Baking – Cranberry Nut Bread

Those of you who know me, know that I don’t do a lot of baking, but it doesn’t stop me from appreciating excellent baked goods when I see (and taste) them.

My friend, Cathy made this Cranberry Nut Bread and shared a slice with me.  It was delicious!  Moist and full of flavor but not too sweet.  Now is the time to make it because cranberries are in season and often on sale.  Mmmmm…it would be great for gifts too!

She got the recipe from “A Taste of Home” magazine and you can find it on their website here.

And here are some fun ideas for ways to wrap the loaves if you give them as gifts!

Try it – you’ll love it!