Thankful Banner

Thanksgiving is my favorite Holiday; being thankful is such an important life skill that is cultivated by purposely and continually being grateful for what the good Lord has blessed you with.  It is a trait I want my daughters to grow up expressing fully so starting young is important.

I made this Thankful banner using felt cut into leaves and strung on twine, glitter gold scrap booking paper traced and cut out into letters, and mini clothes pins and banner tags (all bought from Michael's)  It was a quick DIY project that really speaks to my heart.  But my favorite part is the thankful tags- each night I ask Kinsey what she is thankful for and then write it down and date it.  Here is a sample of what my 3 year old daughter is most thankful for:

1)Daddy

2)friends: Adriana, Maddie and Bella, Peyton, Scarlett and Baby Beau

3)her toys

4)Sawyer and Stella

5)cupcakes

6)dress up costumes

7)Brielana

8)her Aunt Hailey

9)new and old books

{Happy Thanksgiving!!!}

   

   

What Kinsey Wore: Thanksgiving 2014

This would be a perfect Thanksgiving outfit.  Kinsey is obsessed with this dress right now (two of her close friends gave it to her so that adds to the appeal) and I love how versatile it is, hello denim!  (She also wore it in our Family photos along with the vest.)

You can't go wrong with plaid, fur or leopard print, so this is the ultimate outfit right hurrr.  

And not that my daughter has to worry about over-eating but it is roomy enough, just in case ;)

Plaid top: Genuine kids, consignment store

Vest: thrifted

Dress: Old Navy, gifted

Boots: Target, gifted

Beret: Koala Kids (Babies R Us)

{Happy Thanksgiving!}

   

   

Stocking Stuffers for the Family

Round two of My Favorite Things: Stocking Stuffers!

Stocking Stuffers for the Family by work-it-mommy 

The Hubby:

iTunes gift card- Brian is obsessed with downloading new music.

Amazon gift card- when in doubt, Amazon!

Beard Wax- this is almost a gag joke, but also practical.

See's chocolates- gotta have chocolate on Christmas (basically any day ending in "Y")

Kinsey:

Piggy Paint- by far Kinsey's favorite accessory  I love how they are formulated with all natural ingredients, the tagline is "Natural as Mud" :)

EOS- gotta keep those baby lips soft and protected from the winter weather.

Caged Bird Blog- I originally found this lovely Etsy shop when ordering a birthday bracelet for a friend of Kinsey's.  We're now both smitten with her designs.

Crayola- my little creative girl needs new art supplies and the glitter in these crayons are so festive.

Brielana:

Monogram stocking in white- adding her own Monogram stocking to our family collection; I'm most excited by this purchase just to see them all hanging together on the mantel.

Cloth book- Sandra Magsamen is wonderful!

Personalized Pacifier- sooooo cute!  I can't resist.

Carter's Pajamas- paired with a red cardigan and possibly a Santa hat, this girl is going to be celebrating her First Christmas in style.

{And for the Family fur babies:}

Stella the Dog:

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Sawyer the Cat:

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Can't wait to see what everyone else has come up with and get inspired all over again!

{April, Elise, Katie, Zelle}

   

   

Thanksgiving Menu

I am the organizer, list-maker, keep-everyone-in-line Person in my Family (there's always one! Are you that person in your Family?).  With that being said, I write out the menus every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas and then each person puts dibs on what they want to make; since many hands make light work. Amen.

Every year I make the sides- a potato dish and a vegetable dish and they vary every year depending on what I feel like eating.  Usually it's mashed potatoes or this creamy herbed potato recipe from The Pioneer Woman (I've been making this one for 3 years straight and don't see an end in sight! Soooo good!!!) And for vegetables, it's usually a green bean casserole but I'm switching it up this year and trying this new recipe from Martha Stewart for asparagus tart.  I realize asparagus isn't in season right now, but living in California has its advantages.

My brother is making the turkey and gravy (2nd year) my Gramma is making cranberry relish and chestnut stuffing (both Family recipes) and my mom is making the acorn squash and garlic butter for the store bought french rolls.

And wouldn't you know?  I just realized we are missing a crucial element- dessert!  I don't think I would have lived that down as the Organizer, am I right?! Ha.  Back to the drawing board folks... :)

{You can visit my Thanksgiving Pinterest Board for some inspiration!}

And that's just my Family's celebration.  We also go over to my in Laws house and eat some of their fare too.  We don't take "Gobble, gobble til you wobble, wobble" lightly.

I'm thankful my husband is off so he can celebrate with us though not necessarily partake with us- he likes to go on a vegetarian diet around this time every year lol.  The man is silly but I love him.  FYI: Gardein makes a great vegan alternative that we really enjoy, if anyone is interested.

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Family Photos

We finally got the Family Pictures taken care of!  After weeks of coordinating outfits (me), getting over a cold (Kinsey), waiting for Brian's day off, praying for rain but not on Photo day, a quick outfit change when someone slipped in the mud (Kinsey): we survived!  I made my mom play photographer and we did a mini session in the backyard, cus my previously coveted locations were of limits due to the rain.  Sigh.

But we got some good ones, considering we were working with a 4 month old and a dog, and the Christmas cards have been ordered.  Whew.

I call that a productive Thursday.