all the leaves are rustling: Confessional Friday

Well, it's the end of the "semester" for me! I'm positively shivering with excitement about the holiday season and seeing family and generally being cozy. (The fam just finished watching an Andy Griffith 'round the fire.) Every time I finish these "confessions" I am more convinced that they are anything but. What do you reckon?

I attempted to make my own yogurt and. it. worked. It's sad that I get that excited when an old-fashioned/raw/natural recipe works, right? It is delicious. I only have access to low-pasteurized non-homogenized milk currently, but it still turned out beautifully. I added raw honey and a few golden raisins. Perfection.
Today marks the END of my Thomas Edison Worlds of Childhood and Psychology of Personality online courses! Took both finals today and I'm officially done. So thankful. It's been more than an academic journey: it's been a spiritual one. God was unbelievably faithful.
My new favorite way to cook sweet potatoes. (It helps when you've got fresh, straight-from-the-farm potatoes. Thanks, Murphrees!)
This week we decided to fly to Colorado for New Year's instead of drive, and we bought our tickets Tuesday. December 26th-January 2nd. Can't believe it. :)
The X Factor UK is rigged. Okay, melodramatic, but I've been loosely following this season through YouTube for fun, and they eliminated the better boy band District 3 over the lesser Union J. Forget what I ever said about moving to the United Kingdom ever.
This. <3
Thanksgiving is next week and I am pumped! I'm giving myself a week off for the holiday and to transition into studying for individual tests again (Excelsiors this time). Can't wait to see family and enter the holiday season.
Last week Mark and I saw Wreck-It Ralph with Austin and Audrey. It was a jolly good time and the movie was pretty grand. I do think I missed several references because I wasn't quite old enough (the now 30-somethings video game generation), but it didn't matter. It was well made, I laughed a ton, and even teared up. And Owl City closed out the movie. End of discussion.
Later, I made both sweet salad dressing and chicken salad with my homemade yogurt. Both were fabulous!
This weekend I'm headed to the delta with my mom to visit family and attend my second cousin's wedding! Something about picking some garden fresh turnip greens, too? Love.
If you couldn't tell, I'm really into this blog right now. Let me tell you, she has inspired me like no one has before to start living and eating well. She's the cousin of some friends, so there's a bit of personal connection, which makes it nice. She responds to questions directly and swiftly. Yep, she's a winner.