Bundle-Up Buttercup!

Today I am thankful for warmth!

It's freezing outside.  I am so grateful for a warm home to live in.  For hot food right out of the oven.  And for warm blankets to snuggle up in.

I came up with this little gem...to encourage warm hearts and warm hands.

I picked up a mug for pennies at the good will.  For fun, I added a mug cozy.  I'm not super skilled or proficient at crocheting, but in no time at all, I had finished this cutie.  I modified this pattern  just a little.  I liked the look of the scalloped edges, so I didn't edge the cozy with a single crochet stitch.  Give it a try...if I can do it, you can too!  And it was so fun, that I made quite a few.  Just sew on a random button from your stash and wrap it snugly around your mug.

Fill your mug with some (peanut) buttercups!  Add this cute little tag and you're all set for warming up somebody's day.

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I'm linking up with:

The Party Bunch
Skip To My Lou

[The Gratitude Project] Dads

Today I am grateful for the men in my life!  Particularly my Dad.  And my husband, who is a magnificent father to my children.  I have been so blessed to have really kind amazing men in my life.  My Dad worked at a university before he retired.  He wore a suit and tie everyday to work.  He always got home from work at the same time everyday...6:00 pm.  And that was when we would gather for dinner.  I remember watching for him out the window and running to give him a big hug as he walked in the door every night.  I am grateful to have been raised in a traditional family with a father and mother that loved me and taught me and provided for my needs.

Times change.  My husband doesn't wear a suit and tie to work.  His preferred dress is shorts and flip-flops.  He doesn't even have a commute.  He works from home and I couldn't be happier about that.  I love having him here!  It's been wonderful for him to greet the children as they come home from school.  He loves to take a break from work now and then to push the kids on the swings or play a quick game of Go Fish.  

In honor of Dads, I made this fun garland.  I think it would be perfect for Father's Day.  Or any day really.  Hang up this garland and "celebrate" Dads.  They're pretty terrific!

Click here to print out your garland.  Cut along the black lines.  Punch some holes and thread onto some string.  

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This garland doubles as "missionary" garland if you add a little black tag.  

Click here if you would like the missionary version. 

[The Gratitude Project] Lifesaver Challenge--Updated

I love November.  I love being reminded to slow down and be grateful.  Life is such a blessing.  We have been given so much.  We had a wonderful lesson at church today about gratitude.  Someone told of a challenge they were given as a teenager to pop a lifesaver in their mouth just before they started to pray.  And then offer a prayer of gratitude--thanking God for all their blessings until their lifesaver was gone.

That little nudge was all I needed to come up with these gratitude "matchbook" favors.  I'm calling it "The Lifesaver Challenge".  Maybe you could use it as a little hand out for a lesson at church or family home evening or whatever.  These little matchbooks are very easy to make.  Just print out a sheet of them here.  Then cut along the black lines and fold along the light grey lines.  Staple a lifesaver candy under the tab at the bottom.  Then slide the top under the flap.  Wow.  How easy was that? 

I'm going to participate in the lifesaver challenge today.  These three punks will be at the TOP of my list.  Want to do it with me?  Leave a comment about some of the things you thanked God for.  I can't wait to hear how He has blessed you!

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I'm linking up with:
Skip To My Lou 
The Party Bunch

[The Gratitude Project] Honesty

I'm thankful that my children are honest (and funny).  

This is what I found on my fridge this morning.  I was making a list on an index card of what I needed to do today to prepare for Thanksgiving tomorrow.

You'll notice the little note written by my youngest daughter off to the side.  When I asked why she didn't want pie, she said.  "Oh, I thought that said peas!)

[The Gratitude Project] Fine Art

 I'm a sucker for hand print (and foot print) art!

The beak just kills me.  So cute.

My daughter brought this home today from her kindergarten Thanksgiving feast.

[The Gratitude Project] Faith

 
I am a Christian.  I am a Mormon.  "I know it.  I live it.  I love it!"

My faith has everything to do with who I am and what I do.  I am so thankful for Jesus Christ.  I am thankful for what His gospel has done for me and my family.

I loved this quote by George Albert Smith that I heard in church today:

Live in such a way, in love and kindness, that peace and prayer and thanksgiving will be in your homes together.  Do not let your homes just be a place to hang your hats at night and get your  meals and then run off some place else.  But let your homes be the abiding place of the Spirit of the Lord.

[The Gratitude Project] Fun and Games

 First things first.  Here's the FUN:

Today's post is brought to you by my six year old daughter.  She is feeling grateful.  From left to right, she is grateful for trees, ice cream cones, rainbows, colors, (a particular friend), (another particular friend), family, flowers, and leaves.

Now for the GAMES":

Here is a Thanksgiving game to enjoy with the kids.  It's a lot like this one.  To download and print out your game cards, click here.  All you need to play are some game cards, a pencil, and a die.  You might want some crayons to color your masterpieces when you are done.

[The Gratitude Project] Gatherings

I love getting together with friends and family to celebrate the holidays.  Or just the everyday.  I am so thankful for these times of gathering!

Are you hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year?  Do you plan on having a "kids table"?  I've come up with a fun place mat filled with activities for the kids to do while they wait for the mashed potatoes.  All you need is some crayons.  Color the Thanksgiving characters.  Help the turkey get out of the maze.  Make a list of what you are thankful for.  And spur on some laughter with these Thanksgiving day jokes.


Disclaimer:
These place mats are designed to print out on a legal size paper (14" x 8.5").  The paper used in designing this place mat is from Weeds and Wildflower Designs.  I used some free Thanksgiving Clipart from the web.  To my knowledge there are no copyright or limited use agreements.  I also created the maze at this site.  They have lots of fun puzzles to choose from.  Just plug in your parameters and it spits out a puzzle.  Doesn't get much better than that!

[The Gratitude Project] Daily Bread

I am so thankful for a bounteous table.  We have always been blessed to have enough nutritious food to feed our family.  And there's always some to share.

Today I made this crock-pot oatmeal for breakfast.  This is a yummy recipe. I added applesauce to mine instead of chunky apples.  And my family is not big into nuts, so I left those out.   Anyway, the recipe made waaayy more than we were able to eat.  So I decided to make some oatmeal bread out of the left-overs.  I doubled the recipe below and it yielded four large loaves of bread.  Plenty to enjoy and a couple of loaves to share.  Perfect.  For a softer crust, brush your warm loaves with melted butter.  Or brush with warmed honey and sprinkle with a few oat flakes.

This bread would be delicious with raspberry butter!  Or toast it up for breakfast and spread with your favorite jam.

[The Gratitude Project] Cousins!

Today I am thinking about extended family...and cousins in particular.  Cousins are like instant best friends.  The only sad thing about our cousins, is that they live so far away!  Let's do a shout out to cousins today and send them some fun mail!

Cousins and corny go hand in hand, right?  That's what I figured.  So I came up with this corny pun. (To print your own tags, click here)

And I bought a lot of candy.  Grrr-ape flavored candy.

And I put in a clear box to amp up the fun.

And we wrote a little note on the back of the card.

We sealed it, we addressed it, and we dropped it in the mail.

Fun mail!  It's what makes cousins happy!

[The Gratitude Project] Snow!

 Today I am thankful for snow!  Glorious snow! 

I swear it has been years since we've had enough snow in the yard to do some serious playing.  Snowmen are the best thing ever.  And I'm thankful for big brothers that make snowmen like this possible.

[The Gratitude Project] Warmth

 Share the love--share the warmth!

We've had the most beautifully warm week.  Unprecedented really.  Just a gorgeous fall.  But the winds of change are blowing.  There is a BIG storm approaching and I find myself grateful today for warmth.  I feel so blessed to have a warm house to sleep in and warm coats and blankets.  There are so many who can't afford those luxuries.  So many men, women, and children that are going to be cold tonight.

I bet that we could make a difference today.  We could donate some gently used coats and blankets to our local care coalition.  That would be amazing!  Or make some simple scarves out of inexpensive fleece.  Have you done this before?  In the past we have made piles of scarves as a family project.  I've taken stacks of fleece to the elementary school and taught the children how to cut the scarves and fringe the ends.  We've done this as a children's project at church and even as a neighborhood.  When the scarves are complete, just pile them in your car and drop them off at your local United Way.  If you are looking for a simple service project that can really make a difference, this just might be it! 

The nuts and bolts:

Buy some fleece fabric at your local WalMart or fabric store (JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, etc).  There are so many fun colors and patterns.  You want to find some that is sixty inches wide.  One yard will make three scarves.  Fold your fabric in half matching the selvage ends.  You may need to square up the ends if they weren't cut straight at the store.  Now just cut every twelve inches.   I've found that the easiest way is to use a rotary cutter and a self-healing cutting mat.  Your finished scarves should be about 12 inches wide and 60 inches long.  You can fringe the ends by cutting strips that are six inches long and one inch wide.  Sharp scissors work great for the fringe.  That's it!  Easy peasy.

You can easily make three scarves for five or six dollars.  If you watch for sales, you can do it for even less!

Now let's go share the warmth!

And don't forget the hot cocoa.

[The Gratitude Project] Helping Hands

 

What started out today as gratitude for the delightful birds in our backyard, turned in to so much more.  I've been wanting to make some bird feed garlands for the trees for a while now.  My daughter was playing with a friend this morning and things started to detereorate.  Her friend had to go home.  My daughter came to me in tears.  So I decided that this morning would be the perfect time to pull out this project.  We had a great time stringing all of these goodies for the birds.  We pulled some string from off the shelf and popped some popcorn.  We also found some dried fruit in the cupboard and some fresh cranberries.  Shell peanuts added that extra bit of bling to our garland. 

I love the birds in our yard.  But I love these little hands more than words can say.

Having a project that we could work on together helped dry the tears and quickly turned them into smiles and laughter.

[The Gratitude Project] Democracy

Grateful today for this great land that we live in and for the opportunity to have my voice heard!

Be grateful.

Go vote!

[The Gratitude Project] Neighbors

We live in the most amazing neighborhood.  The perfect place to raise a family.

Today I am thankful for wonderful neighbors!

Tonight we are going to visit some of those fabulous families with a plate of goodies.  You can do it too.  It's easy.

Tell your neighbors you love them "a whole honey bunch" with a plate of fresh baked cookies!

There's a bit of a story behind this cookie recipe.  If you haven't figured it out by now, I love to save a buck.  One day while I was grocery shopping I decided that I could get a big ol' bag of generic breakfast cereal for much less money than a box of the name brand kind.  I've bought the bagged cereal before and had relative success.  But that was the kids' cereal.  I hadn't been brave enough to try the generic version of my favorite cereal.   What's my favorite cereal?   Honey Bunches of Oats.  Perfection in my mind.  It's corn flakes and clusters or oat-ey goodness.  How hard can it be to replicate that?  I don't know what I was thinking, because---they are not the same thing!  At.  All.   I couldn't bring myself to eat more than one bowl of the stuff.  And I couldn't trick the kids into eating it either.  Boo.

So, now I have a ginormous bag of cereal that is going to go to waste unless I get creative.

And that my friends is how the "Honey Bunch Cookie" was born!

The bagged cereal might not be that great covered in milk in my cereal bowl.  But it's a super star in these cookies.  They are dee-licious!.  They are soft and very chewy warm out of the oven with the perfect amount of crunch.  If you want them crispy you'll need to cook them a bit longer.  I'm not going to lie to you...the dough is to die for.  I almost didn't bake any of it into cookies.  Just grab a spoon and dig right in.

Isn't it funny how life goes?  This morning I had a bag of nasty cereal staring out of the cupboard at me.  Now I'm not so sad that I have a gigantic bag of sub-standard cereal.  In fact, I'm quite happy about it.  I'll be able to make cookies for weeks!

[The Gratitude Project] Sabbath Day

Today I am thankful for Sundays.  The Sabbath.  A day of rest.  Love everything about it.

 In honor of Sunday I made this fun puppet to illustrate the story of Jonah and the Whale.

Hello whale!

Hello Jonah!

Do you teach a children's class at church on Sunday?  This is a fun little craft for the kids to make.  Or make a whole bunch of whales for family night.

Enjoy!

I'm linking up with:

Weekly Kid's Co-Op 

[The Gratitude Project] Date Night

Wow, it has been a crazy busy day.  We started at 6:00 in the AM.  Big swim meet today.  My daughter did so great--she took tons of time off of her events.  Yahoo! 


Today, because I am exhausted and don't feel like making dinner...and because I've hardly spent any time with my honey this week... I am grateful for my weekly date night with my husband.  We normally go out on Friday nights, but this week we had a conflict.  So, we are going tonight.  Couldn't come a moment too soon!  Date nights are the best.  We aren't super creative with what we do.  But, we are consistent.  Just being alone together (sans kids) is a breath of fresh air.  What do you like to do on your dates?  Need some ideas?  Have you ever heard of The Dating Divas?  You should check them out.  They have great ideas.

Tell the one you love how much you appreciate them today!  And take them out to dinner.  Just because.

[The Gratitude Project] Friends

Today I am totally thankful for my friends.  Old friends.  New friends.  Little friends.  True blue friends.  Even you...my bloggie friends!  Thanks for coming here and appreciating what I have to offer.  What better way to tell a friend how much you love them than by sending them an old fashioned handwritten note!  Since I can't send each of you a handwritten note (although I would love doing that), I thought I'd share my homemade card with you.  You can print it out and share it with your friend.  It's like a gift within a gift!

You have several options here.

First Option.
Print out part one of the card template on a piece of heavy card stock.  Assemble it as directed.  Proceed to print out part two of the card template.  Assemble.  Write a heartfelt note on the insert.  Tuck a fun gift card (I'm thinking frozen yogurt. You can't go wrong with that.) into the holder and mail it off.

Second Option.
No gift card required.  Just print and assemble part one of the template.  Then cut a 3x5 card out of matching card stock.  Write a lovely note to your best friend.  Punch a hole in the top and embellish with a ribbon.  Slide the card into the sleeve and you are ready to mail!

Now go print one or two or three.  Share the love.

Thanks friends.  You are truly a blessing!

I'm linking up with:

Whipperberry 

[The Gratitude Project] Families

I have been thinking lately that I want to really focus on gratitude in this month of November.  Not just for a day or two.  But for many days...twenty-two days to be exact.  Twenty Two Days of Gratitude.  My intent is to post something everyday from now until Thanksgiving that I am grateful for.  Want to join me?  I would love to hear or see what makes your heart sing!

Today I am thankful for my family.  My husband and kids.  They are so amazing!  Families are the most precious gift!  We have made a practice in our family of reserving Monday nights for family night.  We look forward to it every week.  We talk about important topics, read scriptures, play games, craft, make treats, and enjoy being together.  Sometimes we go on outings or adventures.  It's the best.  Being with my family makes me happier than anything else...hands down!

So, I am going to do something today to show my family how much I love and appreciate them.  I'm not quite sure what just yet.  But I am going to think of something spectacular!  Or maybe something simple.  It doesn't really matter.  It's mostly about being together.  Want to join me?  You could make a great dinner, or have a movie night!  You could play a fun game with the kids after school, or spend time crafting together.  Go to your favorite ice cream parlor or make cookies together.  Laugh and enjoy one another.  And tell them that you love them. 

Ready.  Set.  GO!