30 Days of Thankfulness

November 23, 2010

Today I am thankful for my printer.  In a way, this is not true . .. but I'm trying to be thankful in the midst of adversity!  A few months ago we tried out Cartridge World and got ink for 1/3 of the cost.  It worked great.  Than I had to get more, and there was a problem with the cartridge which they replaced.  Another one went bad, Darryl took it back and got a new one .  .I put it in and guess what? It doesn't work!  So I'm trying to be thankful despite the fact that I have things to print.  Instead I'm learning to be thankful and patient until I can get a new cartridge this weekend :-)

Too Cute Not to "Toot"!

By this point of the month I was REALLY expecting to see a lot more Christmas stuff but I know it is all coming!  For now, here are a few more Thanksgiving ideas for you.

Here are some great printables from Crafts and Such.  They would be great in lunches or just stuck to a mirror to show your gratitude.

I'm always looking for teaching ideas and 2 Teaching Mommies have some great ideas if you search their whole site but I also really liked this activity.

It is a dice game to build the Pilgrim and Indian It would be great to keep kids busy on Thanksgiving day

She wears flowers showed two different ideas that I just adored.  They WILL be on my craft list to have ready next November. She shows to different Thankful Books.  One is personal and educational and one is a No-sew idea.

Click here for the tutorial

Click here for the tutorial

Another great blog, Mommy's Little Helper, gives all kinds of great Turkey Learning Ideas.  This picture is just one of her ideas.

There is a fantastic idea over at Parents.com for making a gratitude turkey.  It would make a great addition to any table

Over at  A pumpkin and a princess, she gives a great idea for using pine cones for Turkeys.  So cute!

One of my new favorite sites is Musings of Me.  She shares all kinds of printables for teaching.  Here a few of her current items but you could spend hours downloading anything from her site.

I think that is it for this week - not that there aren't bunches of ideas I didn't even touch!  I hope you enjoy these and visit the sites I mentioned.  Don't stop at just the one link, go looking and find more!

30 Days of Thankfulness

November 22, 2010

Today I am thankful for the unexpected balmy weather!  I had windows open due to the almost 70 degrees.  Now we are listening to the rain . . .it is the calm before the . . .. cold :-)  Tomorrow we'll be below freezing!  Which makes me thankful for living in Michigan - I love all the seasons.  

Christmas Door Tour

Lianna over at Growing Our Own Garden is hosting the third annual Christmas Door Tour!  It looks like fun :-)  Most of our outdoor decorations died last year so I already knew that I had to focus on one area this year and start to rebuild from there.  I've really enjoyed having my entrance decorated first, for Halloween and than "converted" over for fall.  That made my decision easy, I wanted to focus on the main entrance of our home which includes a deck and sliding door.  I've got a few ideas swimming in my head already with wreaths, garland and lights.  I might have to make a trip to the dollar store with the change jar to see what I can find there to inspire me :-) 

So between now and December 10th, get those decorations out and make your home look festive.  Than link up to Growing Our Own Garden on December 10th and check out all of the other Christmas Doors too!  (If you are going to participate, go to her site now and comment on the post there - you'll be entered in for a prize too!!)

My Favorite Things

Week 2 of "My Favorite Things" hosted by the The High Heeled Housewife is:  My favorite things about my husband.

I love my husband because:
1. He is funny.  He tells funny jokes and laughs at mine.  He finds humor in odd situations.  He still has the same sense of humor he had as a teenager (in other words, he is one big kid)
2. He is kind.  He treats me with respect and always says nice things to me.  He treats others kindly and has a way of getting people to talk.
3. He adores our children.  He loves to get on the floor and play with them.  He teaches them how to play and how to get along.  He is just a big kid too!!
4. He is handsome.  :-)
5. He is tall :-)
6.  He doesn't let me boss him around LOL  Seriously!  I can tell him what to do - and he'll tell me he's going to do things differently because he is in charge :-) hehehehehe  I like that!
7. He is musical.  There is nothing better than having a spouse who plays an instrument; not only do you get to hear it, you get to feel proud when he plays for others.  It is a double bonus!!
8. He is a hard worker.  He works two jobs, 80+ hours a week so I can stay home with our kids and he doesn't complain.
9. He is intelligent.  He is able to figure things out and tends to think through things far more than I do.  It is a good thing, even when it frustrates me.
10.  He is married to me :-)

Holiday Journal - Part 4

This seems a little anti climatic after the previous posts but there is one last section in my Holiday Journal.  That is all of the other holidays.  Sure, I decorate currently for Christmas far more than I do for any other holiday but I really like so much of what I see in magazines and on blogs for other holidays, I get inspired!  Instead of saving stacks of magazines, I started tearing out sections about holidays, gift ideas, decorating ideas, and more.  I've added these to the back of my holiday journal.  The nice thing about magazines is that the pages are dated.  Set a date limit on how long you will keep things.  For example, personally, if I have not used an idea within two years of the date of the magazine, I'll toss it because more than likely I will never use it.  New ideas come out that I will like better, I'm sure!  By doing this, I don't get over run with ideas and it forces me to try things that I really love.

I liked this idea about gingerbread houses - my boys aren't quite ready for this so I stuck it in the journal for next year.  I may not use this exact idea but it is a great reminder of something I want to do!

This is a whole section on 4th of July - I LOVED that wreath and it is so easy to do - just some of those flag toothpicks.  By the time I read this magazine, the holiday was long gone so this is a visual reminder to pick those flagpicks up next summer.

This article offered lots of great fall ideas.

I love these - I want to add these to my porch decor next year for Halloween :-)  I found a great place to get "cheap" pumpkins next year, if I don't grow my own.

I didn't get any pictures of the section on gifts.  I'm sure you've seen the sections in magazines on gifts that are inexpensive, unique, ect.  I tear those out that have things I like and stick them here too.  When I need to be inspired for something unique, I search through those pages. 

That's it!  Hopefully you have been inspired to do one thing differently.  So far this is by far the least stressful decorating year I've had - I always planned to do it this way but things always caused me to not get things done.  Both boys have decorations in their rooms and so do we!  I did not get pictures yet, sorry :-(   This next week I'll be trying to squeeze in some decorating in the living room as we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with family.  It may have to wait until the weekend though :-)  I'll share pictures of the bedrooms and the living room next weekend!

30 Days of Thankfulness

November 21, 2010

Today, I am thankful for my brother Ken.  Ken is the youngest of the three boys but he is STILL older (much older hahaha) thank I am!!  Ken is a Pastor and I really enjoy the times I get to sit and hear him preach.  I've been listening to him preach since his first job as a youth pastor and I can honestly say that he has gotten better with age.  He is powerful when he preaches and it is enjoyable to listen to him teach the Word of God.   Beyond that, Ken is fun.  He is funny. He is kind.  He's the brother I've had the opportunity to spend the most time with through the years.  Ken was on staff at the college I attended, so he was there my Freshman year; he lived just a few miles from me for years when I got my first teaching job - he and Lynnette always watched out for me.  And now, he lives just a few hours away.  I appreciate his friendship, leadership, and example :-)

Ken with Nate at Easter.