Expressing Thanks in Twenty One Words: Word Counters

Counting my words again. 

Today my fellow Word Counters and I are sharing our monthly group post. The bloggers who are joining me this time all picked a number between 12 and 74 and sent it to me. I gave the numbers out as assignments to other bloggers who are then challenged to write something (or a few somethings, as the case may be) using that exact number of words. Today we all share what we came up with. 

I got the number 21. It was submitted by Dawn of Spatulas on Parade. As I've been doing in the past Word Counters posts, I'm picking a theme and using 21 words ten times based on my theme. The theme, since it's November and I'm looking forward to the upcoming holiday, is Thanks.

Thanks

~ There's nothing like having had months of being sick to really make you appreciate these times of feeling like yourself again.

~ There's nothing like being unable to sleep well for days and days to really make you appreciate the value of rest.

~ There's nothing like being unable to do the things you need to get done to make you appreciate even small accomplishments.  

~ There's nothing like months of missing a family member to really make you appreciate being able to just hug him again.

Cherry Sour Cream Cake

~ Although we shouldn't need a holiday to be thankful, the holiday does remind us to take the time to express it.

~ Safe at home, a roaring fire in the fireplace, smelling the turkey roasting in the oven, how can you not smile?

~ Not living near ski mountains has dimmed my appreciation of snow, yet there's beauty in a fresh clean white Fall snowfall.

~ Family's blood, that's true,
  it's more, I've learned from you.
  Once your support I knew,
 in my life, you're family too.

~ Bountiful delicious foods prepared with love, spread out on the beautifully set table, yet it's what's in the chairs that counts.

~ Thanks to you all for reading this blog, leaving me comments and interacting on my Facebook page, you keep me writing.

Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:

Spatulas on Parade

Wandering Web Designer
Sarah Nolan  
On the Border 
Messymimi’s Meanderings 

Cherry Sour Cream Cake        
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 can cherry pie filling
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

OPT: maraschino cherries for decoration

Directions
*Grease and flour a bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Remove 1 1/2 cups of cherry pie filling from the can. Whisk the remaining filling with the lemon extract and powdered sugar and refrigerate.
*Beat the oil, sour cream, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla.
*Starting at your lowest speed, beat in the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda just until incorporated, then increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
*Pour evenly into prepared pan. Drop the 1 1/2 cups of cherry pie filling onto the batter, spacing evenly throughout.
*Bake for approximately 35 to 40 minutes or until the edges start to brown and the center springs back to the touch. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before running a knife carefully around the edges and invert onto a platter.
*Cool completely.
*Remove the remaining pie filling from the refrigerator and drizzle over the cooled cake. Decorate with maraschino cherries.