30 Days

Can you believe I have actually blogged every day for 30 days? I cannot. I'm usually a week between posts, but it's been great grand fun. And I feel like I accomplished... something.


Anywho, to celebrate my achievement, I'll be sending you to a couple of other sites for my favorite giveaways. I know, I should be hosting one myself, but I am not on the ball. Or, whatever it is they say.


Burt's Bees - You'll have to 'Like' them and click on Unwrap a Gift. Then you have to allow the app. 

• 19,640 will win a Holiday Beeswax Lip Balm
• 8,800 will win a 1 oz Body Lotion sample
• and 8,800 will win a Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream Mini

I won the body lotion!


Savvy Sister Christmas Package Giveaway (valued at $554) - Um, need I say more? I don't, but I will. This ends SOON so you have to enter NOW.
In the giveaway there is:

• Digital Camera with LCD display
• 7-inch LCD Digital Photo Frame
• $30 worth of toys, games, and more
• $30 Gift certificate to the Rose Stitch Etsy Shop
• $60 worth of designer fragrances
• $50 voucher for a Crafty Kid Playhouse
• set of 3 felt trees
• $100 Target gift card

Is that insane or what? I'm going with insanely awesome.

12 Days of Christmas Cash Giveaway - There are Facebook 'Likes' and Twitter follows and some other mandatory things, but you can earn up to 320 entries. There will be 12 winners (one per day) and the cash is through PayPal. Open worldwide.

Good luck if you enter! What giveaways are you excited about right now?

Advent Calendar

I've seen some really cute countdown calendars for December. I'm making my own, but this is the BEST list I've found so far: (Here's her blog)


Deck the halls! - Decorate, put up a tree, hang some tinsel. Get decking!

Take photos for Christmas cards - Good thing it's at the top of the list, am I right? Eh? EH?

Buy a new Christmas album and listen to it - Or, for us, YouTube the She & Him Christmas album and put it on a play list...

Make the house smell like Christmas - I have a candle that smells like apples, and another that smells like cinnamon. I think that's Christmas-y enough.

Make Christmas Cards - My girls LOVE making cards. Good thing I do too.

Read a Christmas Story Book - Or something about snow. Or polar bears!

Wrap Christmas Gifts - My girls love wrapping presents too. We wrap with newspaper and then they get to decorate the paper themselves. It's pretty cute, actually.

Make a new Christmas Decoration - Snowflakes, paper poinsettias, pinecones with glitter... Whatever it takes. Check these bad boys out: Fett Flake

Color a Christmas picture - Free printables online. Or draw your own!


Build a snowman or hang up paper snowflakes - If you don't have snow, I'm sorry. But ice cream snowmen would be just as fun. Vanilla ice cream, three scoops stacked. Use round candies for the buttons, cookies and Reese's for his hat, a chocolate-covered sunflower seed for his nose, pretzels for his arms, and chocolate syrup for his scarf. Nerds work for his face. Bam. Edible snow man.


Make hot chocolate and stir with candy canes - I love doing this with the Hershey's chocolate mint candy canes or a spoon dipped in melted chocolate and covered with sprinkles. Isn't that just fun to say? SPRINKLES!


Make a treat and take it to a friend - Rice Krispie treats with red and green sprinkles are easiest. We made some last year and used cookie cutters for fun shapes.

Watch a christmas movie and eat popcorn - Good snuggle time with your kids. If you're lucky, they'll zonk out early. {:

Go out for a Christmas treat - You could go to that local place with the amazing cupcakes, or scoop up some clean snow and add some slushie syrup.

Do something nice for someone - Shovel someone's walk way, take some blankets to a local shelter, donate gently used toys or clothes, sing carols at the old folk's home... Possibilities are endless.

Drive around and look for Christmas lights - Go to where the rich people live. Seriously. {:

Go visit Santa Clause - He's got to be somewhere, whether it's the Macy's, the mall, or your nearby WalMart. Keep your eyes peeled.

Do service for someone in need - Service is like peeing your pants. Everyone can see what you've done, but you are the only one with the warm feeling.

Have a campout in front of the Christmas tree - My husband's family used to do this every year. We did it last year. I refuse to do it again. Well, just not on Christmas eve...

Call grandma and grandpa and sing a Christmas song - We call family members on their birthdays and sing to them, so I'm sure my girls will love this.


Take gifts to teachers and friends - Homemade gifts are so fun. It keeps everyone busy, and then kids get to learn how great it feels to give.


Read a story or watch a movie about the birth of Baby Jesus - Matthew 1 and Luke 2


Make cookies and write letters for Santa Clause - I may have this be two different days, just in case I decide to make the cookies on my own...


Read "The Night Before Christmas" - We actually read Luke 2 after this, but you get the picture.

Isn't that a great list? I LOVE it. And I'm so excited to do these things with my kids.

Are you making an advent calendar? What other things would you put on your list?

Elated

elated: adj


marked by high spirits, exultant


Yes. I am elated. Excited. All out happy. Want to know why? I lost weight. And while that may not be a big thing for you, it is for me. After three kids and little time to pee by myself, let alone workout, this. Is. Big. Mhmm.


Not only did I lose weight, I lost enough weight that my jeans were pretty baggy. They looked terrible, but I knew this would be an excuse for a new wardrobe.
The problem with that is that we can't exactly afford a new wardrobe. However, thanks to Pinterest I found this awesome tutorial over at Lucky Design (Devon is amaaaaaaazing!) and fell in love.


They look pretty good, but my camera is pretty craptastic so the pictures we took  are terrible.
Anyway, when we have better lighting and everything, I'll take and upload good ones.


Any good news on your end?

Christmas

Does anyone else have Christmas on the brain the day after Thanksgiving? I guess it's some sort of unwritten law that you cannot decorate until that Friday after. I am one of those people that as soon as that turkey is down, I ask the hubs to bring up the tree. 

Last year, we had a Christmas on a very small, very tight budget. We have a tradition of getting a new ornament every year, but with said budget, we just couldn't afford to go and buy them.

So, we made our own.

Do you have any traditions around the holidays?

Which ones are your favorite?

Today I am Grateful for...

My siblings. And guess what... I have 11. Yes. You read that correctly. Eleven. When I was little I used to have a hard time remembering them all. But who can blame me, really? Technically, I am an only child. All of my siblings are half. Some are from my mom's side, some from my dad's. But I love them all.


Here they all are, and why I'm grateful for them:


Tonia: I spent a lot of time at her house because her daughter was close to my age. When I was older, we hung out at the Old Folks Party. We were awesome, let me tell you.


Troy: He's been through a ton, but every time I see him he's got a smile on his face. He's just that type of guy.


Tina: She. Is. Gorgeous. I was always jealous of her. Still am. I don't see her often, but when I do I get so excited. I still remember the first time I saw her curling her eyelashes. I thought she was cutting them, and I was so worried for her. Silly little me...


Tracy: He reminds me the most of my dad. He looks very much like him, and some of the things he'll say and do sound just like my dad. He's very quiet and serious, but he's also very fun to be around. 


Terrin: He was there for me a lot when I was younger. And when it was time for the daddy-daughter dance at prom, he danced with me. Thank you Terrin. For holding dad's place for me.


Tammy: When I think of Tammy, I think of Footloose and Cher. I think of laughing so hard my stomach would hurt. And fun times in her little bug. And cats.


Priscilla: Priscilla is probably the one I look up to the most. She actually helped raise me. She is such a good mom. And in her little community, she's a part of everything. Everyone likes her and wants to be her friend. I cried when we left her house after Thanksgiving.


Morgan: He is the sibling just older than me. He is the brother I grew up with. The rest were either out of the house or living with their other parents. We fought, we laughed, we played. It was just him and me some days. And I loved it.


Jason: He's a few years younger than me, but probably a good foot taller than me. I can't believe how big he's grown, and how great of a guy he is. He's working so hard in school and even though he's had some hard times too, he's pushing forward. I am so proud of him.


AJ: We aren't very close, but he's grown up a lot too. It's crazy to look at pictures of us from when we were younger, and to see us now.


Jaleessa: She is so gorgeous. She has a job and she's taking care of herself practically. I just hope she knows how amazing she is.


Plus, a shout out to the husbands and wives. I LOVE my in-laws too.


(In case you didn't notice, the first six were all from my dad's first marriage. See how their names all start with T?)

Shut Up and Be Grateful

"The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth" (1914) Jennie A. Brownscombe

source

Here are a few ideas to make your Thanksgiving really festive:

1. Don't use a fork. The "first" Thanksgiving dinner was eaten with a spoon, a knife, and fingers. Your kids will love it.

2. Shoot the bird yourself. I think just taking your cooked turkey outside and shooting it with an air soft gun counts. But that's just me.

3. Make the feast a week long event. I'm pretty sure everyone does this. They're called leftovers, and they NEVER go away...

4. Have your guests build their own shelter. The pilgrims had just finished building their own houses, so if guests arrived they had to build THEIR own. How do you like that Aunt Sourpuss?

5. Instead of bringing your hostess a bottle of cider or a candle, bring them fresh venison in tradition of the Native Americans. It says so much when you killed it, gutted it, skinned it, and boned it yourself. Doesn't it?

Now that you're shirtless and roasting the bird over an open fire, I think it's time to eat. Don't you?

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the food, the family, and the football.

Just not in that order...

{:

Last Day

Are you ready?


Here's a last minute checklist, just in case...


Turkey - It's hard to forget the main dish, but some people do.


Side dishes - Mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole... The usuals.


Drinks - Cider, water, milk, cranberry juice, whatever floats your ice.


Tablecloth - The one you have is fine, but do you really want to celebrate Thanksgiving with an Easter tablecloth? Do you?


Dishes - Are you going for the nice china or the even nicer paper and plastic? (Chinet has LOVELY options)


Desserts - Chocolate cream, banana cream, pumpkin, pecan, cherry, apple... And don't forget the ice cream!


Clean - Do a quick vacuum over the floors and a wipe down in the bathroom. Anywhere else, don't allow guests to go.


Decoration - A few leaves from outside strewn on the table and counter in the bathroom adds a quick touch without having to run to the store.


Temperature - Some guests run a little warm, some a little cool. I keep my temperature on the cool side because my home heats up when the oven is on.


Got everything? Good. You're awesome.
Now relax and put your feet up, because tomorrow is going to be a looooong day.


As for me, I'm so ready for football.

Thanksgiving Prayer

Pilgrim Hats

Growing up, my mom and grandma helped us make those little cookie/candy turkeys. I never even thought about these. They're so cute, and I have a few guys in my family that LOVE Reese's.

Just Perfect.

Go here to see the complete how-to.

Today I am Grateful for...

Koosharem. My hometown. Love it. Love the people, love the location, and I love being a part of it.

I love that when I come home, people smile and give me hugs. They ask me how I am, where we're living. They tell me I have beautiful children. I just love it.

And if you need anything in Koosharem, go out the door, walk a few steps, and ask your neighbor. Seriously. Whether it's a ride up north or a cup of milk, they're glad to help.

I love seeing people that were friends with my dad. They "can't believe" how big I've grown and that I already have three kids. "I'll bet your dad would just love these guys." "You look so much like your dad." The last one kills me.


The one thing I'm not sure I like about Koosharem, is the kids are just not kids anymore. The older ones I used to babysit are seniors in high school this year. They're 18 years old! When I heard people say, "They get younger every year," I never understood it. Until now.


Anyway, they say you can never go home again. And really, they're right. Things won't always be the same. But you can visit once in a while. And it's just as nice.

Food, Glorious Food

Okay, I'm not a huge fan of... turkey. *cue gasp* I hope it's not really a big deal. The hubs (yeah, he's with me on this one) and I just don't like it. I mean, we'll eat it with lots of gravy and mashed potatoes piled on. 

But we prefer ham. 

It comes in bright shiny foil wrapping. And it smells soooo yummy. Then, when you have the brown sugar sauce on it... Just too good.

So I'm grateful for food. All food. Even the kinds I don't like. Because diversity is what makes this world great. And while we're not all celebrating Thanksgiving, we CAN celebrate our love of food. Glorious food...

Today I am Grateful for...

Music. Good, heartbreaking, music. I don't know why, but I love the longing looks, the sad goodbyes, and the lost loves. They reach me more than the "Walkin' on sunshine" tunes.

A friend once dubbed me Grey. And in so many ways, I am. I'm not dark. I'm not depressed. I'm not bubbly, or yellow. I enjoy Halloween just a little too much, and I only own one pink shirt.
I'm not crazy.
I'm just Grey.
And that is probably why I like my music that way.

Keane - Somewhere Only We Know
Dedicated to an unnamed person. I had such high hopes for the music video, but it's pretty plain. I also have big ideas for said music video, but no one wants my opinion. *sigh*

The Killers - A Dustland Fairytale
Just listen to it. Even better, watch the music vid. I've probably seen it at least one hundred times. No joke.

Vega4 - Life is Beautiful
No. This song is beautiful in a way that makes me a little sad.



A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover
I listened to this song nonstop after a breakup of sorts. It didn't help it played all the time on MTV either.
Lyric tidbits:
"You sang me Spanish lullabies,The sweetest sadness in your eyes.
Clever tricks.
I never wanna see you unhappy.
I thought you'd want the same for me.

I cannot go to the ocean,
I cannot drive the streets at night.
I cannot wake up in the morning
without you on my mind.
So your gone and I'm haunted
And I'll bet you are just fine.
Did I make it that easy to walk right in and out
of my life?

Goodbye my almost lover.
Goodbye my hopeless dream.
I'm trying not to think about you.
Can't you just let me be?
So long my luckless romance.
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache.
Almost lovers always do."




This last song is a Glee Cast mashup, but holy crud if they didn't do an amazing job.

She looks a bit angry, but I promise it's great. 

Hair, costume, choreography, voices... I can't stop watching it.

Do you have music you listen to when you're down? Or up? Or just need to cry?
Sometimes an episode of Grey's Anatomy works for the cry...


P.S. In case you didn't notice, yesterday's post was posted today. Yeah. Had it written, but didn't publish it. I'm a wee bit slow lately, but the sickness ebbs. So while I have a sane moment, I blog.

Turkey Tees

First I saw this. Then I saw this. And I thought, I could make that. Pictures to come. 

In the meantime, enjoy this:
Completely unrelated to Thanksgiving. And I may have cried.
Yep. It's a Harry Potter vid.

P.S.

I'm also grateful for baby milestones. My baby boy's first tooth broke through yesterday. Bottom, in the front on the left side.

He's growing so fast!

Today I'm Grateful For...

Before I tell you what I'm grateful for, I just have to say I'm sorry. I didn't post yesterday. I was so sick my mother took care of my three kids the entire day. While I slept. Yeah. It was bad. I thought I was going to die. Still do once in a while.
I'm still not up to 100%, but I'm back.

So, I'm grateful for the fact that my mother cannot smell. This is a true fact. She can't smell anything. And when I'm sick, my sense of smell causes certain reflexes to work that just aren't that great. 
Her lack of this sense has been extremely helpful today and yesterday. Dirty diapers? Not a problem. 
I hope she regains it soon, because she said her food doesn't have as much taste. But while I'm sick, it's great.

Today I am Grateful for...

Books. I seriously don't know where I'd be without them. I don't have a favorite, either. There are many that I love and will NEVER get sick of, but no favorite. 

I remember when I ordered a book through those Scholastic papers that we got at school. It came with a little mini flashlight. I could cover myself with my thick comforter, prop myself up on my elbows, and read.

My mom would send me to clean my room, practice my piano, do my homework, and she'd get so mad at me when she'd find me reading. My teacher, Mrs. Stapley, always told me, "You can never read too much." My mom wasn't a huge fan of it, but I couldn't help it.

I loved reading because I could be anyone, anywhere. I was pretty chubby in elementary. There were girls that made fun of me, girls that made me feel awful. And after my dad died, I was the kid that would eat my feelings. A few candy bars after school, and a good book. That was me.


But thanks to those books, I wasn't always sad. I wasn't always thinking about the horrible time I had at recess. It was just me and some spy, or prince, or Ella Enchanted.


Do you want to know the best part about books? Used books. Ones that people have written in or highlighted. I love it when they make notes off to the side. Circled a passage, drew a line to the side, and wrote how it made them feel or a memory from their childhood. Do you know how awesome it is to find a book like that?


At Deseret Industries, I have found two signed copies of books that only cost a dollar. Do you know how awesome it is to find a book like that?


Some of my favorites:

Ella Enchanted

The Hunger Games

ANY Calvin and Hobbes

The Water Wars

Iron House

The Percy Jackson series


East


The Book Thief


Skin Hunger


Rogue


What books have saved you from boredom, fear, or loneliness?

Today I'm Grateful For...

People that weren't afraid to try something new.

Specifically, my husband...

 source

Today I'm Grateful For...

Dreams. Yep. I know, kind of weird and slightly delusional once in a while, (the worst ones are scary) but I love them. The other night Clay Matthews got in my car and protected us until the hubs returned. We even arm wrestled. (He was letting me win when Jon came back. P.S. His hair is gorgeous. {:)

I have been a spy, a widow, a runaway, and even the love of Vin Diesel's life. (The latter was in my high school years. No judging.)

Not all of my dreams are great. I have frequent nightmares, and once in a great while, night terrors.

In college, I dreamt that my cousin Karl and my husband (at the time I just had a HUGE crush on him) were working on a car. Something went wrong and Karl was about to get shocked from the battery, but Jon looked at me like he loved me and moved Karl out of the way, dying himself. 
We weren't even dating yet, but I cried myself awake. I had to go to his apartment to make sure he was alright. It was then that I realized I needed to dump my current boyfriend and get to know the hottie next door.

My very favorite dream, I will never forget. I had cried myself to sleep that night. My dad when I was eight, and even though I was in high school I was still having a hard time without him. Before I fell asleep, I whispered, "Daddy, where are you?"

In my dream, I was standing at our kitchen sink looking out the window at our front yard. I felt a presence behind me and turned around. There was my dad, standing by the stove, dressed in white. I immediately started to sob and reached out for him. He took a step back and put his hands up.
 
"No," he said. "You can't touch me. But I'm here. I'm still here."

That was the only other time I've ever cried myself awake.

I know dreams are subjective and are caused by numerous different things.  I know for a fact I didn't have that dream because of what I ate before bed. It wasn't because of a movie I had watched or a book I had read.

I know Heavenly Father allowed my dad to visit me that night, to let me know he wasn't gone forever. He was still around.


Do you have a favorite dream?

Today I'm Grateful For...

My hair. This may sound vain or self-obsessive, but I am. It's always been my comfort blanket, I guess. I am much more comfortable and confident when it's long, and if my hair is off, my whole day is off.

You've probably seen this blog already, but I LOVE her tutorials. I love her whole blog really. She's easy to relate to, she posts gorgeous hair tuts, and yummy recipes... There's so much more, but I'll let you find out for yourself.

Anyway, go check out The Small Things Blog.
In the meantime, here's a few snippets of her posts:

November Birchbox Goodies (They look SO fun!)
Homemade Potato Soup (Ahmagads, YUM!)
Homemade Mac and Cheese (This look good too. And it's easy.)

And one of her lovely hair tutorials:
How to Trim Your Own Bangs
(I would show you pictures of me, with the bangs I cut myself from elementary or high school, but once those suckers are on the internet, there is no bringing them back. So, no.)

Turkey Pop Treats

You've had Rice Krispies. There's probably no one in this country that hasn't. Homemade or store bought, you've pulled those ooey gooey treats apart to see the marshmallow strings, and popped a piece in your mouth for that oddly satisfying gooey crunch. Am I right?

Not only are they so yummy, but they are extremely versatile. Add food coloring, chocolate, candies, make them in different shapes, etc. And no baking required. Just melt some butter and marshmallows. Anyone can make them.

So here we are at another holiday with another Rice Krispie Treat that looks so cute (gotta love fat turkeys) and so good. (Chocolate. 'Nuff said.)

So here they are, straight from the official Rice Krispie website, 
Turkey Pop Treats.

 Like cake pops, but much easier. Maybe not as cute, but still tasty.

What treats do you make for the kids (or "young" adults) for Thanksgiving?

Tonight I'm Grateful For...

My husband. I've been avoiding my e-mail all day. We sent a letter to a person that has been rude and pushy and bad words lately. The letter wasn't rude. Not really. We just let him know why we haven't been meeting his "demands" and... Just, argh. I've been waiting for the backlash.

But tonight, I asked my husband to check my e-mail for me. He already had.

I asked him to delete any e-mails from said person. He already had.

And he replied back, reaffirming everything that had been said.

Now, I'm always grateful for him. You guys have no idea how much he does, how much he puts up with.

But tonight, even 1300 miles away, he still takes care of me.

Thank ya, babe.

Today I'm Grateful For...

My sense of humor. But not just being able to laugh, but the things that make me laugh.

My sense of humor covers the entire spectrum.

There's the smart sense of humor:

I'm not smart enough to actually do the equation, but holy nut. He. Is. Awesome.

The slightly morbid sense of humor:

I'm liking the swamp idea.

The sarcastic quip:

And each time, with a different weapon.

The corny-guy humor:

 



The cruel:

For me it would be more like $100, but still...


The naughty:

It took my husband a second to understand it, but we both got a good laugh. And something else...




The good:

If we ever have twins, I'm so doing this.



The bad:

You know, he may not be book smart, but he's a genius.



And the ugly:

Okay, I don't think this is ugly. Or funny. I think it's the most awesome pumpkin I've ever seen in my life. But some people find it funny.


I always knew I'd marry a guy that could make me laugh. It bugs me when I'm mad at him and he makes me laugh, but the rest of our lives, it's a good thing. 


What is your sense of humor like?

 

Today I'm Grateful for...

Awesome and/or funny commercials.

In this case, both.

Yes, I like video games.

HALO is my favorite.

(Um, HALO 4 anyone?)

But I hate commercials.

This one, however, I love.

Thank you CoD.

I appreciate it.

Bucket List

A Fall bucket list, that is. This one is very cute and has plenty of things to do. I am loving it. Katie, over at Loves of Life create this little cutie. We've done a couple of things already, but there's plenty more.

This one shows up with a water mark, but the printable version doesn't. She's very nice that way. It prints out as an 8x10. Hers is framed and looks so lovely.

Do you plan on doing any of these?

Easy Peasy Fall Art

This isn't the post I was planning for today, but life happened and my plans changed. My mother AND my 5 year-old both have the stomach flu. We're hoping it's the 10-hour one that's going around and not a few days long. 

Not only are they sick, but it snowed here last night. My other two chillins are not sick yet (pounding furiously on this little wooden table) but the 3 year-old is going nuts stuck inside. So I found a recipe for paint here and saw this idea here and she is busy painting leaves with q-tips on these paper trees. The blogging world is fabulous, I tell you. Fabulous.

I can't post my pictures because my phone is dead, but once I get it charged I'll throw some pictures up. Here is a picture from her site:

My girls started out with leaves and ended up just painting in general. Maya ended up with a bicycle and Cali, well, she painted. That's all I have to say.


How do you keep your kid(s) busy when they can't go outside or play together?

Today I'm Grateful for...

Technology! 
As of right now, my husband is a little over 1300 miles away. He flew to Missouri to visit his dad and brother. And while I'm happy for him, I miss him. And I'm stuck sitting here with all three kids for two weeks. 

However, thanks to this handy device called the telephone, we talk every day. I can send him an e-mail, I can even talk face-to-face via Skype. I could send him a letter through the mail, but he wouldn't get it for a few days. I can't imagine living in years back when it took weeks for one small letter to arrive. Or taking months to travel that 1300 miles.

We are truly blessed in these latter days. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to chat with my husband.

Give Thanks

I almost didn't get this posted today. My husband got a last-minute ticket to Missouri and I haven't had access to my laptop until now. So, here it is.

I made this banner last year, but I really like it, so I'm sharing it now. {:

What you'll need:




Contact paper
Thanksgiving-themed scrapbook paper
Scissors or a straight edge cutter
Yarn or ribbon
Letters
Glue
Hole punch
Triangular pattern


I just did the triangles free-hand. It would have been nice to have a pattern, but you do what you can with what you have.


I cut out 11 triangles. Four for give, one for a space, and five for thanks.

Once you have them all cut out, center the letters on the triangles and glue them on. (The letters I used were like post-its, so I didn't glue mine.)

Now, comes the tricky/annoying part. Covering both sides with contact paper.
I found the easiest way, was to separate a piece of contact paper just enough that three triangles would fit. Lay them face down, pressing from the center and out. Once they are smoothed, separate more of the contact paper and fold it over on itself. This time, smooth from the folded edge to the end.

Cut them out, leaving a little bit of space on the edges.
Punch two holes in the top corners of each triangle
Cut 10 pieces of yarn into 3-inch strips, and two in 4-inch strips.


Tie each triangle, overlapping the first letter over the next. The two longer strips go on the ends for hanging.


And, voila.
Banna.

Obviously, this is subjective and you can switch the materials and sayings for any holiday. Here is an example of a Spring banner I made:

And this was for my nephew for Christmas:

And my other nephew:

Anyone planning on making something similar? These actually make great gifts.

Holy gads and oh my heck, these are the cutest printables I've seen for Thanksgiving. Paper Glitter put these up back in 2009, but thanks to Pinterest I found them today. It took some digging and a search on Bing, but it was totally worth it.
Here's just a sample:

 Cute, right?

Anywho, here is the link to the original blog post (which is on her older blog), a link to the actual PDF file, and a link for just one colorsheet.

Also, check out her Etsy shop and her YouTube channel!

November Blogging

NaBloPoMo

Think I can do it?

We'll find out...

As I've grown older, I've come to appreciate Thanksgiving more and more. 

I'm sure some of it is because of my level of maturity, 

but also because I've been given even more to be grateful for. 

Don't get me wrong; I have ALWAYS been blessed. 

I've always had a loving family, 

amazing friends, 

a home to live in, 

food to eat... 

But now I have an understanding husband, 

three fun and adorable kids, 

even more friends... 

The list goes on. 

I try to show my appreciation for others year-round, 

but Thanksgiving gives us the chance to express it all month long. 

Not only will I be posting Thanksgiving ideas 

every day for the month of November, 

but with each post will be something I am grateful for.

When I was younger I always thought,  

Really? How many things do I have to mention?

But now, my cup overflows and my eyes are open to see it.

What if?

I'd forget to thank him for about 20 pounds...

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