The things for which I am thankful. (grammatically correct post, for your pleasure)

On the night before Thanksgiving, I'm sitting here in our living room with all the windows wide open. It's about 60 degrees outside with a wonderfully soft, fire-scented breeze sneaking into our home. I'm feeling all thankful and wanted to share my thoughts with you.

The things for which I am thankful: (Alyssa - that sentence is for you)
~ My husband. We can be fighting about something stupid one minute and then laughing about it the next.
~ My daughter. She melts my heart by just smiling at me when she sees me walk into the room. I am a better person because of her.
~ Good surgeons. My Dad had carpal tunnel surgery today and he's doing very well. It's his second surgery in less than two months. He's a stud, I know.
~ My brother and sister. Even though they're "too busy" to read my blog anymore.
~ My in-laws. All of them - not just the parents. The brothers-in-law, the sister-in-law and the nieces too!!
~ My friends. I thought it was important to be friends with everyone when I was younger. I was happier with quantity over quality. Growing up, I've become close to just a handful and I love them all deeply.
~ Our military men and women. Too many of them are away from their families this holiday season. Some of them haven't even met their own children yet.
~ The spouses of our military men and women. Too many of them are busy being single parents for 15 months. Some of them without children are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their love to finally start growing their family. Others are at home with their spouse, in bed, praying that time will stand still because before they know it, they'll be deploying. Again. Wow, a lot of my friends have blogs!
~ My faith. Sometimes I might not know how to explain exactly why I believe what I believe, but I am comfortable knowing that if it's Biblical, I'm safe.
~ Peanut butter. I know this might sound weird, but make these and you'll know why peanut butter made the list.
~ Pork. "Silly," you say? Well, check out the recipe for stuffed pork chops at the end of this blog and tell me if it's not worth a shout out. It's healthy and very very tasty!
~ Sign Language. JD and I have been using sign language with Lorelai for the past five months. I just started a sign language class on Monday and got some new techniques. Yesterday, Lorelai used the sign for "milk" when she was ready for her bottle. It was awesome!
~ Sweatshirts and socks. It's now a bit chilly in here with all the windows open.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow. Relax, spend time with family and take a moment to comment on my blog about why you are thankful. Y'all have been such a blessing to me!!!

Feta-Stuffed Pork Chops
2 boneless pork chops, thick cut
1/4 lb fat-free feta cheese, shredded or crumbled
1 shallot, chopped
3 mushrooms, chopped small
1 jalepeno, chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup cornmeal
salt
pepper
Italian seasoning
garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Mix the cornmeal with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Cornmeal should be heavily spiced.

In a bit of olive oil, saute the shallot, then the mushrooms. Add the hot pepper, cook the mushrooms through. Remove from heat, let cool a bit, mix in the cheese.

Cut a pocket in the pork chops, stuff each with half the cheese mix. Push the stuffing in so you can almost close the pocket. Beat the egg with the milk. Dip the pork chop in the cornmeal mix, coating all the sides. Dip in the egg wash, then again in the cornmeal. Heat a skillet with a bit of olive oil in it. Saute the pork chops for two or three minutes on each side to set up the cornmeal crust. Bake for 35 minutes.