Recipe love:

Here are a few must-share recipes from the month of November from my favorite spots around the web!

Quick Cranberry Goat Cheese Crostini from Cotter Crunch {A stunning appetizer}!

Paleo Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies from The Paleo Running Momma {Give me a spoon}!

Honey Roasted Carrots with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate Seeds from The Vintage Mixer {Perfect healthy side dish}!

Slow Cooker Gingerbread Apple Crumble from Dishing out Health {Hello my house would smell amazing}!

Pepperment Bark Double Chocolate Donuts from The Sweet and Simple Kitchen {Give me the entire batch please & thank you}!

Life with my tribe:

Real Life 

Just had to share a total parenting win with you all…LOL! This is what happens when you turn your head for 30 seconds. Life with Naomi is hilarious. She goes from the sweetest baby ever to a completely stubborn crazy child in 0.5 seconds flat! My other two kids are super easy  and obedient, so I am having a special kind of challenge with this girl.

SNOW! 

Yes it snowed in Utah for the first time in November! Enough for us to play play play all day! Bethany made a million snowballs….{Yes I bought the poor child a new coat that actually fits her after this day lol}!

Gabe ate so much snow it was kind of disgusting lol! I think he ingested a fair amount of dirt too!

And Naomi actually ENJOYED the snow! Both of my other kids were terrified at their first encounter with the white stuff…but Nay had a BLAST!

Chicago Trip

We spent the last two weeks of November visiting friends and family in Illinois. My favorite tradition is running a 5K on Thanksgiving morning in my hometown. I ran the whole thing after not really running much since I got pregnant with this little bambino…so I was pretty sore after but had SO much fun!

I also got to stand in one  of my oldest most cherished friend’s wedding. I love her so much and had a blast spending the weekend celebrating her marriage to the love of her life! I was totally negligent and only snapped a few photos, because we were so busy all day!  Isn’t she the prettiest bride ever?!

A little personal reflection…

This was the first time since we moved to Utah 3 years ago that I truly felt like I was returning home. It was fun to visit friends and family, but I have finally “unpacked my bags” {however reluctant I may have been} and love our life in SLC. I am so grateful for the peace and joy I have living in this place, and for the amazing friends {who are like family} that God has provided for us here. Time to deck the halls and enjoy the Christmas season! 🎄

A few of my favorite things…

Vitamix Perfect Blend Scale

(See pic above)! This thing rocks! My friends at Vitamix sent me one to review and I’m in love! I have been slowly adding my recipes to the app and have so much fun blending up my favorite smoothies! I’ve also ventured out and tried new recipes using the scale and the Perfect Blend App! It’s really a great present for the Vitamix lover and smoothie connoisseur in your life!

 Beautiful Ingredient Napkins!

Do you see that beautiful napkin in the photo below (and in this post)?! I had the absolute joy of receiving one of these gorgeous, eco-friendly, handmade napkins from my friend Kari over at Beautiful Ingredient and I just have to brag on her for a few seconds! She created this line of handmade kitchen linens for Food52 and they are stunning!

If you are looking for an amazing gift for the foodie in your life this holiday season, head over to her website and check out all of her handmade goods! Plus, if you use the code HOLIDAYVB1012 you will receive 15% off your order of $25 or more! I wouldn’t mind snagging a few more of these beauties in my stocking this year (hint hint babe)! 😉 <3

Thermoworks Smoke

Have you heard of Thermoworks? I mentioned how much I love my Thermapen in my June Moments Post and since then I’ve had the privilege of meeting Travis over at Thermoworks and becoming an ambassador for their products! I have been a loyal customer of theirs for about 10 years now, and couldn’t live without their thermometers in my kitchen! Well, Travis sent me a smoke that my dad used to cook a turkey on Thanksgiving. It was the best darn Turkey I’ve ever eaten! The Smoke even revealed that the temperature on my dad’s smoker was incorrect and so he was able to get a more accurate read on the cooking process thanks to Thermoworks!

If you want to stay connected or you make something from JoyFoodSunshine I would love to see your creations! #joyfoodsunshine

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