By Sun and Candlelight

🍂 ~ Thanksgiving Memories & Advent Plans ~🎄

Hello, my friends and Happy Friday! I'm popping in with a quick post on this bright and brisk day-after the big Thanksgiving feast! I wanted to share some pics from our family's gathering and I also wanted to share a couple of links with you all since Sunday not only brings us December - it also begins the much anticipated season of Advent!

Goodness - where has the year gone, I ask you?!

Now before I get started on sharing a bajillion or so family photos, here's what I'm also working on today - as I sip my tea and put up my feet - a little Advent planning!

These special pages are part of my December 2019 planning sheets, but if you'd like just the holiday planning section, here is the separate PDF:

Preparing for Christmas 2019 

Also, if you are looking for some family-friendly Advent ideas, here are a couple of activity guides:

Advent Countdown: Stories & Simple Activities

24 Nature-Based Advent Activities

These were created over the past couple of years so their timeliness (re ~ Advent weeks and dates) might be a bit off, but since I myself am looking over these guides as I work on our December plans, I thought you might find them helpful, too!

Today however, we are in "recoup" mode - recharging our batteries you might say - and tomorrow we will be getting our tree before a storm hits Sunday night! I've been poring over the pictures taken yesterday and feeling such gratitude for another holiday spent with our loved ones. It was a truly enjoyable day and possibly the largest gathering we've had in recent memory! We spent the day cooking, eating, laughing, eating some more - and cleaning up over eggnog and coffee!

People often comment that it must be an awful lot of work to pull together a holiday gathering of such a large size - and it is, certainly. But we are blessed to be surrounded by many helpful hands and so this is all very much a team effort. Bill and I ready the house - but everybody cooks (especially my Mum) and several folks pitch in to help clean up. I am also thankful for our son Crackerjack who took these lovely pictures!

First a little look at the set up:

I like to spread the food and drinks around the house so people move around and mingle. For most gatherings, Bill's desk gets turned into a pretty spot for serving punch and special seasonal drinks ...

We enjoy serving a "signature cocktail" at our parties and this year we had not one, but two! First we had these delicious fruit wines purchased from a favorite local orchard, and then across the room, where desserts were served, I set up a smaller punch bowl next to the coffee urn. I  filled it with a couple of bottles of delicious (yet potent!) Trader Joe's Egg Nog, courtesy of my brother, Matt who works for the chain!

Now, if you're a long time reader then you know how I feel about punch - if it's a party there must be punch! Usually I follow a particular recipe but this one was literally thrown together at the last minute. I just mixed some fruit punch with sparkling cider and tossed in some sliced apples and oranges ... and it was quite refreshing! I think I will serve something like this at Christmas, perhaps with a bit more citrus and a pretty ice ring filled with cranberries and herb sprigs ...

I must admit, I really enjoy all the cleaning and prep before a holiday ... well, maybe not the cleaning as much, but I do love decorating my home with the little knickknacks we've gathered through the years ...

In this particular bookcase, messy piles of homeschool books made room for a cozy seasonal display!

And here is our gratitude tree for the family's blessings - branches gathered by my boys and leaves organized by my cousin Caitlin. As a family we enjoy sharing our thankful thoughts after dinner each year, but here's a little shocking confession ...

We forgot to do them this year!! 😳

And here I thought I was begin so clever with that vase full of branches, lol. Usually I place a leaf and a crayon by each place setting and then gather them up after dinner to be read over coffee, but I guess out of sight equaled out of mind!

So alas - our gratitude will have to be carried silently in our hearts, while these leaves will go into a little storage bag and we will be ALL SET for Thanksgiving 2020!

Now as you can imagine, seating for 26 can be a little tricky ...

But we managed it!

In the dining room proper, we set a table for eight, but pushed it towards the front-facing windows. This made room for a second table which served as a buffet.

The kitchen table got an extra leaf and was also pressed into service for eight.

(Tip: Flowers can be expensive so I like to use candles and other items I might have on hand for centerpieces when I can. On this table we filled a cornucopia basket with shiny red apples!)

We also set up three small rented tables in the family room - I didn't get a good pic of this set up - and these provided seating for 12 people. In the center of each of those tables I placed a mason jar with a couple of sunflowers, as well as a small tea light candle.

Now for some food shots - but first, here is our head chef, the woman without whom none of this would be possible - my mum.

(We didn't even plan the coordinating tops, I swear!)

So yes, Mum does most of the cooking - with my Dad handy for temperature-testing and carving - while I run around and help where I can!

Oh, and by the way, my ovens died - momentarily - just after we took out the 22 lb. turkey to rest! 

(My ovens are OLD and badly need replacing. Maybe I should speak to Santa about that?)

Thankfully though, after a brief rest, the ovens rallied and we were able to heat all the side dishes ...

There's my Dad getting the carving underway! As you can see, we combined a ham with that large turkey this year, and my mother-in-law also cooked and brought up an eight lb. roasted and stuffed turkey breast!

Bookworm also does a lot of the cooking - in addition to a fabulous sweet potato dish (topped with ricotta cheese, pecans and dried cranberries) and a scrumptious peanut butter pie, he also made this cute and quirky dish ...

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Chocolate Bark!

So if you're familiar with the beloved holiday special, you might remember that Snoopy serves the gang - spoiler alert! - a Thanksgiving dinner of buttered toast, popcorn and jelly beans. You might also remember that Peppermint Patty balks rather ungraciously at this admittedly, untraditional meal - thus providing the dramatic tension that leads to a thoughtful lesson from Linus - meant for us all - in tradition, history and respect.

(You might also recall I take my Charlie Brown special very seriously!)

Ok, moving on - we were very blessed this year to have a house-full of youngins and as you can imagine, Little Bear was in his glories!

(Always in motion, these two peas in a pod!)

You know, I remember when these two (below) were the "younger kids" and now look at them!

Crackerjack (20) home from college and Earlybird, 18 in two weeks ... this is a little sneak peek corner of our Christmas photo! (Full reveal at Tea on the 20th!)

Now for some more family photos ... 🧡

And last but not least, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Mum!

(Spice cake decorated with spice drops, served with maple-walnut ice cream - her favorite!)

And so that was our Thanksgiving! And now ... we're on to Christmas!

Well, Advent to start of course, but before we know it, December 25th will be here and we'll be gathering together once again, to rejoice and reconnect before 2019 comes to an end.

❤️🎄🎅🏻❄️❤️

Now, before I go I want to remind everyone that I have a Giveaway going on through December 22nd! Please read this post for all the details - and please note - a comment here will be considered another contest entry! :-)

A week from today (12/6) will brings my next Tea @ Dawn's post and my themes will be Heaven & Earth, Holiday Greenery & Christmas Trees. I'm so looking forward to it!

Well my friends, thanks so much for joining me here today, and I wish you all a happy end to November ... enjoy the weekend and I will see you here again late next week!

Tea @ Dawn's ~ Cozy Little Nests (& a Big Cozy GIVEAWAY!)

Hello my friends, and Happy Friday! I'm so pleased to welcome you back for another Late Autumn Tea. ❤

On this raw and blustery day, how about we settle in for a nice little coze ... as well as, of course, a wee something sweet and a cup or two of refreshment! I'm so grateful to be here and I've had such fun putting this post together - it's been quite a week, let me tell you! - so I'm very happy to finally sit down, reflect and sip.

I hope you will join me - it's a rather long post as usual! - but if you're curious about the details for my Tea at Dawn's Giveaway, please skip to the bottom of this post. 😉

Now let me just put the kettle on and we can begin ...

I often think how nice it would be if we could all truly sit down together "in real life" and share tea and little stories about our lives. Since that's most likely not possible (though, never say never!) I will be content for the time being with our online connection. I do love hearing from friends who also enjoy tea and the seasons and the changing weather and good books and crafting and seasonal living ...

So today I'd like to share this cozy picture from a dear longtime reader, Gill ...

"Happy Friday! I spent a few minutes perusing our newest picture book with my cup of tea this afternoon. The tea is a West Country blend, from Somerset, and its in a vintage Wedgwood cup and saucer given to me by a friend for my birthday. It’s dark here by 4pm so I have candles lit already.

Thank you so much for sharing your cozy tea spot, Gill! Your teacup is gorgeous. ❤ And as luck would have it, my library was able to acquire a copy of that lovely new book for me ... I hope to read it with my boys during Solstice week. It's getting dark very early here, too ...

And please don't forget to swing by Kim's later today ~ I know she'll have a lovely tea ready for you all!

As for my own tea today, it's a soft and refreshing blend called Lady Grey ... a new (and decaffeinated) favorite! (And absolutely wonderful as the base for a London Fog Latte, by the way.) My mug is an oldie but goodie - sturdy and big, featuring a swath of acorns and leaves (our homeschool symbol) - and on my napkin is a pretty autumn leaf cookie, purchased at Whole Foods. (Made with plant-based dye! I shared this with Little Bear, natch.)

I thought this cookie was a perfect choice for today's tea because to me, a sweet little seasonal treat like this is the epitome of cozy eating. In fact, if I had to pick a favorite dessert it would probably be a simple butter cookie with a thick coat of icing, decorated for whatever holiday or season is at hand. Unless of course we're talking apple desserts in which case, my grandmother's aptly named, "apple dessert" (a kind of autumn cobbler concoction) is pretty hard to beat for scrumptious and seasonal flavor! Another very nourishing and autumnal dessert is Indian Pudding ... are you familiar with that old-fashioned dish? I love making that for Thanksgiving Day - and while it's a great crockpot dessert, here's an oven-baked version.

Speaking of Thanksgiving ... what are your plans for the holiday this year? Will you be traveling or staying at home? Keeping it simple or hosting a crowd? Don't you just love Thanksgiving? It's always been my favorite day of the year. This year we are blessed to be hosting our family gathering, and there will be close to 30 of us for dinner! (That might be a new record!) I absolutely LOVE hosting holidays, and this one in particular ... a celebration focusing on thanks and thoughtfulness. A day to reflect on the blessings of family, freedom and food. ❤

Simple as that premise might be however, there's always much to do before we all sit down together to feast!

This is the to-do list from my Thanksgiving planner. Where would I ever be without my lists? I guarantee there would be not enough chairs and too much pumpkin pie ...

(Though is there even such a thing as too much pie?)

Pssst - A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will be aired on ABC next Wednesday night at 8 p.m. And yes, I realize we can now watch holiday specials any old time of the year - thanks to streaming and DVDs and the like - but don't you think there's something special about sitting down to watch, all together, the very night that the special is on? Maybe I'm just showing my age here but I am a stickler for these kinds of things!

🤷🏻‍♀️

Ok, back to our Tea ...

Now, if you recall, we follow a simple annual schedule in our family and homeschool, wherein each week of the year is assigned a theme, reflecting a particular seasonal nuance or event.

So why Cozy Nests for this third week in November? Well, for a few different reasons!

The trees are now bare, so we can easily see where birds and squirrels have made nests.

Hibernation (as well as migration) is well underway ...

Dark and dreary weather sends us scurrying inside, with a promise of more (and worse) to come.

Our own instincts kick in and we remember that it's hibernation time for humans, too! And that doesn't have to be bad thing, not if we plan ahead and create a warm nest of creature comforts, just as the local fauna works so very hard to do.

Because let's face it: winter is dark, cold and - if you live in New England - long. I personally don't mind it too much (though I do wish for an earlier spring every year!) but then again, I'm someone who really enjoys being home. I don't really get cabin fever!

Of course every home is a blessing of shelter, but within each home there is potential for some serious nesting behavior. It's a perfect time of year to focus on HOME ... to look inward for contentment and light .... and to nurture ourselves and our families!

So what would your cozy nest look like? Where would it be? What would you be doing in it? What would you keep close at hand? Would this be a space to cuddle up and read, or a space for working together on a project? Perhaps cooking up a hearty meal, puttering over a puzzle or sitting by a window to watch for little snowbirds?

Many of us naturally feel sad as the year winds down, and light and warmth are mostly stolen away for months to come. For some this goes much deeper, and I certainly don't mean to make light of what can be a very serious affliction. After the bright blip of the holidays, those long weeks of winter will arrive - stormy at times and secluding - but I think arming ourselves with a plan is always a good way to begin any season. For me that's making sure I have a cozy nest to where I may retreat and indulge in the blessings of home comforts.

As I embark on my own seasonal observations and appreciation, my greatest desire is to share it with my children and encourage them to look for the blessings in each turn of the year. I want them to be aware of their surroundings and especially their own "habitat" if you will. This is why I set up this concept of seasonal homeschooling many years ago. I like to think it's left my kids with a deeper connection with nature (and its creator) ... and some really nice memories to carry with them as they grow.

With Little Bear, my one and only homeschooler this year, we began exploring this week's theme by thinking about just what the word "cozy" means. Cozy, after all, is a particular feeling and everyone has different feelings about things! So to get ourselves started we dove into some wonderful books ...

The Cozy Book

Our Nest

You Nest Here with Me

Cozy Light, Cozy Night

Three Pebbles and a Song

These books got us started and gave us much food for thought! Cozy can mean many different things, depending on the season, where you live and what you love! Little Bear and I made up our own list of ideas - something to refer back to as we build up our nests.

And now, I have a whole bunch of pictures to share, but first I'm going to pause to refill my mug since I've been chattering on for a bit now! Would you perhaps care for another cup? ❤

So what does cozy mean to me? Well, there are a lot of things that make me feel cozy inside and out ... 

My journal pages and special children's books ...

Calendar-keeping and planning for holiday fun ...

My sunny kitchen, spreading out and taking control of my day.

Walking the woods with my Little Bear ...

... looking for signs of nesting in nature!

My cats are the BEST at being cozy!

On a rainy day, a library can be wonderfully cozy ...

(Exploring nests at the library!)

This bean teepee would be OH SO COZY next spring! (A next-year garden journal is a wonderful winter hobby!)

Window seats are also so very cozy ...

As is crafting! 

Here are a couple of crafts for your kids this Thanksgiving - cranberry structures above and pumpkin pie plates below:

(Thanks to our local librarian for the idea!)

Family traditions are cozy ... like this Tom Turkey who graces our front lawn every year. Little things like this - that everyone enjoys and remembers - helps foster a sense of togetherness. We are all individuals but we all share the same nest!

Candles in my kitchen window are super cozy! Especially when they are made of beeswax - that smell is particularly sweet and comforting.

And dare I say it, but ...

Snowfall is cozy!

(We've had a few dustings so far this autumn.)

And finally, comfy corners where one might gather their favorite things and just sit and putter ...

These little "personal" nests are perhaps coziest of all!

Ok, at long last, now it's time to talk about my "Tea at Dawn's Giveaway!"

What I would like to offer one dear reader is a Box of Winter Comfort & Joy - a la By Sun and Candlelight. This would arrive just after Christmas, and it would include some happy little things for feathering a warm winter nest ...

PLUS:

A By Sun and Candlelight 2020 Planner!

(Fresh off the presses just for you!)

So, here are the contest details:

On Monday, December 23rd, I will announce a winner, randomly drawn from Post comments, Tea submissions and social media shares. During the week between Christmas and New Year's, I will mail my Box of Winter Comfort & Joy to that one lucky winner!

Here's all you have to do:

--> Leave a comment on this post - and/or either one of my next two TEA posts. Every time you comment you are entered!

That's it!

However ...

You can improve your chances of winning by sending me a submission for an upcoming Tea post! You may contact me via email (drhanigan AT gmail DOT com) - send me a photo or a link to a post you've shared at your own website!

Also ...

Bonus points for spreading the news about Tea at Dawn's through social media!

(Feel free to grab this little "logo" if you'd like.)

(Please give me a heads-up if you do, so I can keep tally!)

Now, before I go,  here is the upcoming Teatime Timetable and Topics:

12/6: Heaven & Earth/Holiday Greenery/Christmas Trees

12/20: Winter Solstice/All Creation Waits/Gingerbread

12/23: Giveaway Winner Announced!

1/3: Winter Stars/Comfort & Joy/Word of the Year

I'm rather talked out at this point, but perhaps we have time for one more pot?

Well my friends, as always I thank you very much for joining me ... I hope you enjoyed our Tea! I would love to hear from you, whether you want to enter the giveaway or not (and if you do not, please let me know in your comment so I don't include your name in the drawing). And please feel free to email me (see above) or contact me via Instagram DM or Facebook PM. I look forward to hearing from you!

Most of all however, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and very Happy Thanksgiving next week, if you celebrate. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones ...

I'll see you here again very soon!

Holiday Tea at Dawn's ~ Thanksgiving Memories

Hello my friends and Happy Monday! Can you believe in a week's time we will be starting the very last month of the year??

Well, I hope you all had a nice weekend, and if you celebrate, a Happy Thanksgiving, too! Ours was lovely, but before I launch into holiday memories, I want to say I am so excited to return to my weekly tea series! My goal is to host afternoon tea here at my blog every Monday, beginning today and continuing throughout the holiday season ... I will include the usual disclaimer of course, that as life often gets busy around here, there may be a week or two when tea is a bit late!

Now, as before, each week's Tea will have a theme, corresponding (more or less) to my family's seasonal homeschooling themes. This week, for instance, our theme is "hibernation" and so for the next several days we will be immersing ourselves in Earth's natural rhythm. We'll spend time outside (weather permitting) and inside (through windows) observing changes in our local habitat, the decreasing light and increasing dark, as well as the local fauna preparing for the cold weather to come. We'll take notes in our nature journals and read books about how different species adapt to the change in seasons - humans included! Some of us hibernate and some don't ... but why?

As we head into next week, the theme will morph into "our own cozy nests," and we will undertake our own family hibernation - turning inwards as we prepare our home and hearts for the dark and dreary (but beautiful) days ahead. The weeks leading up to Christmas are well known for their "hustle and bustle," but in our family we try to keep a quieter and more peaceful Advent. Preparing for such a "hibernation" from the holiday "madness" takes a little forethought and some days, even fortitude!

Which brings us to this week, the last in November, which I feel is a kind of "break" between one holiday and the next. After a super busy November, I am currently catching my breath and preparing to take stock of what lies ahead. These are the days to create a plan that will allow us to feel cozy, comfortable, well prepared and ready to sink into the cold days ahead ...

When hibernating, I think it's as important to fill our emotional larders as well as the practical ones. The year's golden memories bring us such warmth and light no matter how dark the coming days may be. Such is the lesson in a lovely little picture book called, Three Pebbles and a Song. A mouse family bustles about gathering what they need for the winter - nourishment and nesting materials, for example - but little Moses brings something special to their family's hibernation. Memories and laughter are just as necessary for comfort and joy!

So in that spirit, what memories will you carry into the winter with you this year? How do you keep preserve those bright happy times for yourself and your family?

I'd love to hear about your Thanksgiving ...

What was your favorite part of the holiday this year?

What do you remember most fondly from your childhood holidays?

The best part of my own holiday was having so many dear ones here with us - many for the first time in years, and a few for the very first time! I also loved the feeling of having all four of my boys home together ... there's nothing like a "full nest" to ensure a mama bird's good night's sleep!

From my own childhood I would say I remember most fondly my grandparents' home - filled up with loved ones and such wonderful smells. I always loved watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade as well ... 

But one memory sticks out above all, when I was probably seven or eight years old ...

After dinner my dad and my uncle took a bunch of the kids on a walk, just a little ways down an old railroad bed. I am the older of two children in my immediate family (big sister to my little brother, Matt) so I was always thrilled when we were surrounded by cousins - some of them older than me! But what was particularly thrilling about this late afternoon "adventure" was when it started to SNOW. Just lightly, but still - it was like magic! (To this day, I always hope for a Thanksgiving snow!) We all headed back to the house which was all aglow and the desserts were set out and everything was just so wonderful and warm. The grownups might not have been too happy to see it, but we kids were CERTAIN the day's flurries meant we'd have a white Christmas for sure!

Fast forward 40 some-odd years and we had another lovely Thanksgiving Day, with many, many cousins catching up with each other. Here are a WHOLE bunch of photos from our day ...

As you can see it was a bright and sunny day ... but so very cold. The coldest Thanksgiving on record, I believe! (22° was the day's high.)

Another record of sorts - we were a party of 25! Hosting a dinner for that many people can be tricky - mostly because you need to find places for people to sit! Also, timing a large number of dishes to complete cooking at the same time ... well, that's another real challenge! I am grateful for my family, especially my dear mum, who help me pull it all together ...

And speaking of my dear mum - today is her 75th birthday! Here's a photo of the two of us from earlier this month ... 

As I said on IG this morning, this beautiful lady is my best friend, my guiding light and I am so blessed to say, my own dear mother. We have such fun together and I look forward to planning many more parties in our future!

So that's a look back at our Thanksgiving, but here are a few more photos from the past few weeks ... 

Tea with a warm slice of gingerbread, baked in celebration of the season's first snow!

Oh my goodness, and speaking of tea!! My top photo shows you how I'm taking my tea at this very moment ... it's English Teatime (black decaf), served in a big sturdy mug. I was tempted to drink full-test, because we had a bit of a rocky weekend - Little Bear has a rotten cold and has gotten very little sleep - but I kept it simple (and non-stimulating). As I type up this post, I'm sitting at my desk, the day is dark and wet, but my home office is bright and warm. Currently I'm gathering up all my holiday resources - books, magazines, cocoa, candles, planner - but we'll chat about all that next week!

And so, tea will be served here again on Monday, December 3rd, roundabouts 4 p.m. You are welcome to pop by - sip, read, comment if you wish, and/or send me your own pics for inclusion in my post! Just send me an email at drhanigan AT gmail DOT com.

Next week's theme is creating "Our Own Cozy Nests." We will also talk about managing our hopes for the holidays. ❤

Feel free to grab this button if you'd like to post about the Teas at your own site:

For now though, thanks so much for stopping by ... I will see you here again very soon!

🍂My Thanksgiving Planner: A Free Printable!🍂

Hello my friends, and Happy Tuesday! I meant to post this last week (or really, earlier this month!) but here I am today, with just a little more than a week to go, sharing my Thanksgiving Planner with you all ...

I hope you enjoy it!

🍂 Dawn's Thanksgiving Planner 🍂

It's eight pages long and has space for ...

• planning the meal
• organizing a gratitude project
• making time for holiday baking
• incorporating family traditions
• noticing November nature
• managing hostess duties
• cleaning ahead of the gathering
• setting up a holiday timetable

Even if you're not hosting Thanksgiving at your house, there are plenty of ideas and activities to consider as we celebrate this beautiful time of year.

If you are interested in my planner, you are free to print it for your personal use!

Note: It might take a bit to load the PDF, so if you have any trouble please let me know. You could keep these pages in a binder, on a clipboard or even inside a holiday folder.

Let me know what you think if you have a moment - about this planner and/or your own Thanksgiving plans! I will also be sharing an updated Advent/Christmas planner with you all just as soon as I can - but certainly before the first Sunday of Advent. :)

Ok, that's all for today, my friends ... hope to see you here again very soon!

p.s. My 2019 planning sheets will be ready to print by the end of the week!

The Winner of My Picture Books Giveaway!

Hello my friends, and Happy Thursday! I'm here today to announce the winner of my Thanksgiving picture books giveaway!

So without further ado, I'm happy to inform ...

MICHELLE S.

... that she is the winner! ❤

"Thanksgiving is definitely one of my favorite holidays. Mostly because I enjoy good food, family, and friends."

I have to agree with you there, Michelle! Food, family and friends - three things I just love about Thanksgiving!

 

(Speaking of Thanksgiving ... it's just a week from today! Are you planning a meal this year? Will you be making any pies? I'd love to hear about your plans if you have time. You know I'll be sharing mine before long!)

 

Well Michelle, I will be sending you an email shortly so we can sort out our mailing details and then I will pop these books right in tomorrow's mail ... I hope you will enjoy them!

 

And my sincere thanks to all who left a comment ... I loved reading all your thoughts on this wonderful holiday! Please stay tuned for my next giveaway announcement - coming up tomorrow I'll be drawing the winner of my extra copy of Mitten Strings for God. There's still time to enter if  you're interested ... please see this post for more details. :)

 

And speaking of MSfG, our next Autumn Tea/book study post will take place this Sunday ... we'll be talking about chapter seven, "Play" and I've been having fun gathering my thoughts - and photos - for that. I'm enjoying reading all of your thoughts, too!

 

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, my friends ... see you here again very soon!

Earlybird's Chores for Thanksgiving ❤

Hello my friends, and Happy Wednesday!

A few folks have mentioned that they'd like to hear more about our autism journey and how we manage as a special needs family - and I would be very happy to share more of that! Earlybird is moderately autistic with significant developmental delays ... and he's just such a joy, an absolute blessing to our family. He is homeschooled along with his brothers, something we are always tweaking to meet his (ever changing) needs.

To be sure, as a family we have faced many challenges on our autism journey thus far, but each one we've faced (and handled with varying degrees of success) has made us a little surer, a little stronger. With time and experience, a new challenge might seem a little less daunting, and we might feel a little more confident in our choices. As time passes and all of these experiences become part of our family fabric, I grow more comfortable in my role (and ability) as a special needs mom ...

At the end of the day I can say each of my boys have shaped me as a mother in their own unique way - though perhaps none quite as dramatically as Earlybird. :)

But those are stories for a later day. :) Right now is just for sharing a nice idea that's worked well with EB this month!

As I've blogged about before, EB gets VERY excited about holidays and parties. We usually have a countdown of some sort that helps him channel this energy and pace his enthusiasm a bit. Well, no sooner had Halloween passed when we were on to Thanksgiving! Our blessings tree was up and our blessed basket was full ... but EB needed something a little more hands-on to help him prepare for the holiday in a way that was meaningful for him.

So I came up with the idea to organize a super simple chart for the days of the month, and each day EB earns a check from me, if he's done an extra chore around the house. These checks each represent a dollar and next week, EB will get to visit Whole Foods (his absolute FAVORITE store on the planet) and spend his hard-earned cash on food that will be HIS contribution to our Thanksgiving dinner ...

It has been such a hit and a great way for him to really SEE how many days we have until the big Turkey Day - and how he can be part of this annual tradition! This was done with a lot of support and encouragement from EB's daily ABA therapists, who make sure he's given ample opportunity to earn that check on that countdown! (Today's extra chore: picking up and vacuuming the learning room.)

Here are some photos from today when my mother stopped by to visit and talk about the Thanksgiving menu with me. EB joined us at the table to talk about the food list and add his own ideas. (Mac and cheese was mentioned right off the bat.)

He also showed his Nana how he was doing on his chart and she gave him quite the proud-nana pep talk as you can imagine!

This may seem like a really simplistic idea and, well ... it is very simple. But very often it's the simplest things that work really well for Earlybird. We try to meet him where he is and where he needs us. He needs to feel included and needed. This project does that very nicely. And he needs to be given very do-able tasks with an appropriate reward. (Perhaps with a little assistance.) All these things were figured into my plan.

I thought about having him earn money to buy food we could donate - and that would be a wonderful thing to be sure - but that's just not where he is, at least not yet. Loving and aware as he is, this year he's learning that Thanksgiving is about being part of a family and contributing in whatever way that he can. And let me tell you, this boy is proud ...

As he should be. ❤

Thank you so much for joining me here tonight, my friends, and letting me share a little of our special needs homeschooling this month. I'll be happy to share more of our Earlybird tales when I'm able ... and I LOVE hearing from others with special needs kiddos. What a support we can be for each other! I'm far from an expert in all of this ... I'm still figuring things out for my own child and trying to determine what's needed next ... but I think sharing stories and successes - and not-quite-successes - is very helpful. Let me know how things are going for you and if there's anything in particular you'd like to talk about.

Blessings to all on this dark and cold November night ... I will see you here again tomorrow!

My Thanksgiving Planner + a Giveaway!

Hello my friends, and Happy Weekend! I am still wrapping up this week's Mitten Strings post (hope to have it up sometime tomorrow) but in the meantime, I have two quick things to tell you about! I was going to post this next week but then figured since the holiday is coming so quickly I'd rather get this to you sooner than later!

First, I wanted to share an updated version of my printable Thanksgiving Planner. The dates were off so I tweaked those, and then, because the original PDF took so long to load, I broke the planner down into individual pages. So here are the links for each page of the planner and hopefully these will be easier for you to view and print!

page 1: Thanksgiving Blessings

page 2: RSVPs & Menu Planning

page 3: Savoring the Season

page 4: Holiday Bits & Bobs

page 5: Cleaning & Considerations

page 6: Week-by-Week Planning

page 7: Holiday Errands

page 8: Turkey Day Timetable

(Let me know if you have trouble with the links!)

Now, about that GIVEAWAY!

Since I have extra copies of the three Thanksgiving books pictured above (all favorites of ours), I'd love for another family to enjoy them! And since the holiday is just around the corner, this will be a quick contest - I'll take comments through this Thursday (11/16) and then announce a winner of the three books that afternoon. Then I will pop the books in the mail Friday morning so they will get to their new owners before the holiday!

To enter this picture book giveaway, just leave me a comment below telling me your favorite part of Thanksgiving. That's all you need do! If your name is chosen, I'll be in touch to arrange mailing details. :)

Ok, my friends, I'm off now! The sun is dipping low in the sky, and it's nearly time for our lantern walk ...

Happy Martinmas, everyone!

In November: To Read & To Do!

Hi, everyone! As I mentioned in this post, we are keeping our Thanksgiving countdown pretty simple this year. I love setting a mood of gratitude and purpose in our home throughout the month of November ... but the reality is, we're just as busy as ever, plus, we'll be hosting the holiday dinner at our house again this year! And I LOVE getting ready for that, but all the prep (which begins early in the month) does kind of elbow out any "extras" in the weeks leading up to the big day. Nevertheless, I am always determined to celebrate this special time of year in a meaningful - and manageable - way!

So here's what I decided to do: I chose one book for each day leading up to Thanksgiving and assigned a simple activity to that day as well. Most of these activities, and some of the books, tie in with our seasonal homeschooling - which is quite handy! Two birds, one stone! So I looked at my seasonal themes for November and then made note of any special days on the calendar - starting with these two guideposts, I was able to organize the books and activities in an order that made sense for us - and for the season itself!

I did most of this planning by scribbling in a spare notebook, but then I decided to keep these plans neatly filed in my spiral-bound, homemade planner, and make them into a PDF so I could share them here at my blog. And so, here it is!  

November: To Read & To Do (PDF)

(A quick reminder: I'm part of the Amazon Associates Program so anytime you use one of my links to visit (and then shop at) Amazon, I get a little commission! Thank you in advance if you do follow-->shop-->buy!)

As you can see in my top photo I taped my printable plan in my spiral-bound planner for easy access. I only taped the right-hand side of the sheet, along the inner edge, so the page beneath would be accessible.

(True fact: the "Happy Thanksgiving" sticker, a recent purchase and part of a calendar pack, was meant for another project, but I found it - and a few others from the pack - torn out by somebody this morning. Ahem! So I decided to use it here to hold down that PDF!)

My book/activity list page is sandwiched between the "November Review" and a page titled, "Our Gratitude Project."

Did you catch my typo? 😉

I created this page for my planner so I'd have a place to brainstorm this year's gratitude project. (One of the big reasons I decided to make my own planner, was so it might contain pages for this kind of personalized planning! Have I mentioned how much I love my homemade planner?) I also decided to add some pictures of our project, along with a fitting page from my ME Page-a-Day Calendar. Finally, I wrote out my thinking behind this year's "Tree of Blessings."

This page is one of the extra planning pages in the back of my November section. Each month's planning section ends with a "review" page and then come the extras - like in November it's "Gratitude Project" (seen above) and then next is a "Martinmas Day" planning page. And finally, my "Thanksgiving Planner" finishes off the monthly section.

Speaking of which ...

Here is a link to my Thanksgiving Planner (PDF) if you're interested! It can take a while to download because it's several pages long and there are some pictures peppered throughout. (It takes about 10 seconds on my desktop computer.) I'd like to make this easier to access, so I'm going to try to break down the initial set of pages into a few PDFs instead of just this giant one. So please stay tuned and if you just can't get it to load at all, please let me know! We'll figure something out ... :)

As for the Books & Activities list, I'm trying to read each book at the start of the day - over breakfast or as lesson time begins. The corresponding activities occur at different times each day depending on our schedule and if the activity is meant for a specific time of day (for example, a lantern walk at dusk). Each morning, as I work in my Day Designer, I decide where the daily activity will work best ... then I do my best to make it happen!

✨ 🍂 💛 🍂 ✨

Well, my friends, I hope you've enjoyed this peek into our gratitude month plans! Please feel free to print the PDFs for your own personal use if you'd like, and please let me know if there are any wonky links. I'd love to hear about your own gratitude project and/or your Thanksgiving plans - drop me a note below if you have time! :)

In a day or two I'll have a post up with a look at all my November planning pages and then at the end of the week we'll have our next Autumn Tea (discussing Mitten Strings for God, chapter six,"TV") ...

I might even have a little giveaway to offer in that "TV" post! :)

So please stay tuned, and please take care ... I'll see you here again very soon!

November brings: books, branches & blessings!

Hello my friends, and Happy November! I'm popping in very quickly today to A. wish you all a happy new month! And, B. share a bit about our 2017 gratitude project. It was a bit last minute, but in the spirit of my Mitten Strings re-read - in particular, the current chapter - I'm trying to keep things as simple as possible! (And speaking of MSfG, our weekly tea and conversation will be delayed just a day ... maybe two ... because I'm having a week that's anything but simple!!)

Now, I usually try to share my ideas and book lists before a holiday or season begins, but sometimes (ahem, a lot of times) I just can't pull it all together in time! Such is the case with November, I'm afraid, but above you see the books in our blessed basket ...

(Basket from Michaels - an absolute steal on sale week/coupon day!)

I chose 22 books, one for each day of the month leading up to Thanksgiving Day. I have a very simple activity planned for each day - I'm talking super simple here - like, on the 1st we gathered branches for our project, and the next day (today) we set up our remembrance altar.

So once we had those branches, I set them in a "vase" (aka an old Martinmas lantern, née Ball jar) and placed that vase on our learning room work table. (Little Bear had the idea to surround it with pumpkins - and I like it!) 

Next I cut myself some slack and instead of cutting out 23 paper leaves, I ordered some pre-cut party favors from Amazon ...

These leaves are actually made from seed paper - which goes SO very nicely with our nature-based learning! Every day we'll write a blessing on a leaf and then attach it to the branches - I used a hot glue gun for this, fyi - and in the springtime we'll plant all our blessings! ❤

(I so love this idea, I'm going to order another batch as favors for our Thanksgiving guests!)

Ok, in the spirit of (over)sharing, here's the notebook in which I've been brainstorming Thanksgiving and Advent plans ... as you can see I still have some work to do!

But speaking of the late autumn holidays, here are links to my PDF planners:

Thanksgiving Planner

Advent & Christmas Planner

(These can take some time to upload, fyi! I have them in my spiral-bound homemade planner, but I've also used them on clipboards and in binders before.)

If there is interest (and/or if I have time) I would love to share a list of our November books and activities. I hope to do that for you in an upcoming post - but next time I'm here I'll be handing you a cup of hot autumn tea and sharing my thoughts on Simplicity (Mitten Strings, chapter 5)! I'm earnestly shooting for Saturday but Sunday could very well be a possibility!

And as always, I'd love to hear from YOU about your thoughts on our Mitten Strings re-read. You can email me your links/notes/photos at -->

drhanigan AT gmail DOT com

I'd love to share your input in a post, but you are also always welcome to leave comments here at the blog. :)

Now, one more thing, while I have you!

As I mentioned in my last post and over on FB and IG, I was supposed to do a Facebook Live Chat with Pam at Homeschool Solutions today in which I would be talking about Mitten Strings for God and how it's shaped my homeschooling journey. Well unfortunately we couldn't get the feed to work so we're going to reschedule in the near future! I will of course, keep you all posted. :)

Hope you all had a wonderful All Hallow's Eve ... and thanks so much for stopping by! Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, my friends ...

See you here again very soon!

A Spot of Thanksgiving Tea 💛

Hello, my friends ~ and Happy Thanksgiving Eve! :) Things here are all a-bustle as we prepare for tomorrow's big family gathering. My happiest news is that our oldest son came home last night from college! It is so good to see our Bookworm! Despite all the cleaning and decorating I've been doing this week, our Thanksgiving holiday officially began once this boy stepped in our front door ...

(I never sleep so well as when ALL my boys are at home.)

So today I'd like to pour you all a cup of tea, offer you a cookie or two - pre-made I'm afraid, but quite tasty! - and catch up over a little Turkey Day chat:

If you're American, how are you celebrating this wonderful holiday? What's your favorite tradition? What does your menu look like this year? For my friends living outside America, how does your weekend look? Are you enjoying these last days of late autumn?

And how about your weather? It's VERY cold and windy in these parts ...

We even had our first snow the other night! Just a coating, but it was quite pretty. A gentle reminder that more white stuff is coming ...

So if you had a peek at my Thanksgiving planner then you know I have lots of things to do this week! I absolutely relish this week though, because Thanksgiving is all about family, home, food and GRATITUDE. A time that highlights all the dearest pleasures of home, and the kinds of things I love doing best ... baking, decorating, welcoming, remembering. And with all my boys home and the house shining and smelling of baking - well, I'm a very happy mama today!

So here is where I was yesterday - out in the sunroom, working on table linens, flowers, place cards ...

... and lists, of course! Always the lists. :)

Now, I usually drink my tea out of a very large mug but it's nice sometimes to sit down with a fine china teacup don't you think? And as you see in my top photo, I enjoyed yesterday's tea in a beautiful cup that once belonged to a dear friend's grandmother. When Shoshana stayed with us last month she was in the midst of cleaning out her ailing mother's home, preparing to sell it this fall. A difficult task (both physically and emotionally) and I was glad we were able to find some time to sit down and really talk. As she cleaned, Shoshana found many family treasures, including unpacked boxes of teacups that once belonged to her maternal grandmother. Knowing how I love teacups, she offered them to me!

So as I sipped my from that cup yesterday, I thought fondly of Shoshana and our friendship that dates back to kindergarten. Shosh (or Susie as I called her growing up) has lived in California for many years, so we don't get to see each other very often but I am so grateful for her friendship. There were lots of cups to choose from but I picked the black and white print yesterday because it reminded me of a pilgrim. :)

(And by the way, I was drinking "American Breakfast" tea - a caffeinated blend because I needed a little shot in the arm yesterday!)

But now here's today's tea ...

Back to my favorite decaf - with a spoonful of raw sugar and LOTS of organic whole milk - served in one of my gigantic tea mugs. Oh, and those cookies ...

These are just Pilsbury holiday sugar cookies - because yes, I'm a sucker for holiday marketing! Just pop them in the oven and 10 minutes later, freshly baked cookies! I made them for the boys this week but honestly, I'm pretty sure I've eaten the most of anyone so far.

And here again is my helper, assisting in the placement of china and napkins and turkeys. :)

About those paper turkeys ... remember I showed them to you in a previous post? Well, as you can see they are serving as place cards and on the back of each turkey we glued a printout of our grace ...

He was SUCH a big help with those glue sticks ... ;)

And now each guest can follow along with the grace as it is said ...

After grace, each guest can use the crayon by their plate to write down what they're thankful for then hang their turkey blessings on the learning line. It will be fun to see what everyone says!

Now before I go, a few random things ...

This is my favorite Thanksgiving decoration - a pretty little pilgrim-turkey-angel jingle bell ornament I've had for years. I have it hanging in my kitchen window. :)

Our favorite holiday special ... we watch it every year WHEN it is on. (I mean, we could watch it any time obviously - between YouTube and DVDs - but there's something really neat about participating in the annual airing!) Which is tonight, by the way - at 8 p.m. on ABC. :)

And here's me, having tea in the sunroom (aka learning room), wearing a new sweater I bought myself this morning!

I have a longtime love for cardigans, and my favorite is one I've had for years - a long soft gray sweater that I wear ALL the time in cool/cold weather. Well, it was time to have a second sweater for changing things up! I saw this navy blue cardigan at Target and couldn't resist. And then I had to show you all, because if you're looking for a soft and WARM, kick-around, but nice-enough-to-wear-out kind of sweater, this is it. $30 is not bad in my opinion for a well-crafted sweater. There were other colors to choose from but I just honed right in on this deep blue. It's one of my favorite colors to wear.

Oh, and there are pockets! :)

Had to share this too ...

A fresh binder and pad of vintage-style cardstock! Revamping my homekeeping binder with fresh supplies makes me very happy! I'm working on tweaking last year's seasonal planning sheets so that they're current for 2017. Adding a few new page designs, too. Hope to have a post on all that sometime in early December!

Here's a peek at the November-themed page ...

(P.s. Remember a while back on Facebook I mentioned I was hosting a homeschool moms meeting with the discussion topic, "time management tools?" Well I have not forgotten I promised to share notes from that meeting! But we had so much to discuss, we're actually having a follow-up meeting next month! In a future post I'll tell you all about the meetings and all the different planning styles we discussed.)

One last picture ...

Basking in the sun, taking all the holiday prep in stride (while Oliver hides) is my Archie. :)

Now I have a couple of pies to make and some cranberries to brandy, but first a bit of housekeeping ...

(And how about another cup of tea?)

ADVENT NOTES 

I will post the follow up to my Advent planning sheets after the holiday (but hopefully over the weekend, or at the very latest early next week). I have notes on each of the planning sections to share, but I'm still in the midst of organizing this year's plans! (Hitting the craft store on Friday!)

I can show you this though ...

So this is something we'll be doing for Advent! I saw an idea on Pinterest (originating at this blog here) and I just thought - how very clever! I'm still mulling this over, but I will fill you all in once I get all those pockets filled in!

ADVENT TEA

I will also be hosting a weekly tea here all throughout Advent ... up till New Year's actually! Stay tuned for more details but I would love to have you join me. This year I am eager to see YOUR favorite tea cup. What do you like to drink your tea/coffee/cocoa/mulled cider in best? Every one that sends me a picture of their favorite cup (or mug) will be entered in my Winter Comforts Giveaway. This package will be mailed out after the new year. :)

Note: I still don't have my blog email up and running so for now, if you'd like to send me a picture (or just a hello!) you can send it to drhanigan AT gmail DOT com. :)

Ok, I think that's all I have for now. I do hope you enjoyed our tea, and I would love to hear from you if you have a moment. I know many of us are busy scrambling about getting ready for tomorrow's big feast, so maybe we'll catch up in a few days. But as always, I thank you for joining me here and I look forward to visiting again! 

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones ... I will see you here soon!

AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A November Tea & Some Advent Thoughts!

Hello my friends and Happy Wednesday! Can you believe that a week from tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day? And a few days after that is The First Sunday in Advent? I know it's become cliche to say, but truly - time just flies when you're having fun - or wait, scratch that - time just flies period! 

I have a few things to share on this dark, damp, Novemberish day ... first, some tea, cake and cozy goodness, as seen above. :) In our seasonal homeschooling we focused on "dens and nests" last week (it's "autumn bog" this week) and one of the activities was to decide where our own winter nests will be this year. Several spots were discussed here and there throughout the house but I'm migrating back to the library because it's a warm room in the winter and plus, this is where our Christmas tree will be. We'll amble out there in a minute, but first let me show you the breads I made with my little guy this morning - or cakes as Little Bear calls them!

It's all about cranberries this week - which grow in the aforementioned bogs and are native to our region ... plus of course, a staple of the Thanksgiving holiday! And tomorrow being the feast of St. Elizabeth (patron of bakers) a cranberry-pumpkin bread sounded just right. Made with eggs from my hens, no less! I used my favorite mix-and-match quick bread recipe which makes two loaves - handy when you have a house full of hungry boys and young men!

In the background you see our colorful family "flock" - a paper turkey for each person joining us for Thanksgiving dinner. (I didn't cut these out, fyi - found a package of them at the art store!) These will be used for writing out a special kind of blessing come dessert time next Thursday ...

And now into the library where I have this lovely basket stuffed full of our favorite holiday stories:

And a few special books and pretty greeting cards on display ...

More books on the coffee table - our latest library crop. :) Nests, bogs, beavers, dens ... these are things we've been talking about lately!

But when I think about my own cozy nest, there is nothing I like better than a cup of tea by my side, a basket of books by my feet ...

... and a little one in my lap! 💛

But can we talk for a minute about how cute my new autumn tea mug is?

Found at HomeGoods for $3.99  - a generously-sized, wide-mouthed, solid mug ... perfect for a BIG cup of tea. Plus, how could I resist that face? :)

Now, some of my long-time readers might recognize this post as one of my "Teas" that I like to share every once in a while, especially at the holidays. So, yes ~ I will be returning to those Teas beginning this week! I'll sit down for another "Thanksgiving Tea" next week - in between pie-making and glass-washing - and then my Advent Teas will begin. More on all that soon, and how you can join me if you wish, but here's a link to last year's Advent Tea series if you'd like a look!

And speaking of Advent ...

As I recently "teased" on Facebook and Instagram, I am finally getting my Advent Planning sheets assembled and ready to share! I'm just tinkering with a few final edits and then tomorrow - or Friday at the VERY latest - I will have them up here at the blog in PDF form. I really enjoyed putting these together and I look forward to sharing them with you! I will also share in that post where I'm keeping them and how I'm using them - or will be. I'm really trying to keep focused on Thanksgiving for the time being, but I do like knowing my Advent season will be ready to roll once the last bit of turkey leftovers is gone!

So please stay tuned friends - expect another post in a day or so - and as always I thank you sincerely for joining me here today. I hope you too are having a nice week ...

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones and I will see you here again very soon!

Late Autumn Planning Sheets + Thanksgiving Printables!

Hello my friends and Happy Thursday!

Today I'd like to share another set of my seasonal planning sheets with you - and this time we're heading into Late Autumn, as hard as that is to believe! The end of the year already? How the weeks have flown ...

So this is my last set of seasonal sheets since I began this series back in January, but this time around I'm very happy to share an extra set of sheets for Thanksgiving planning! My family hosts this annual holiday, and there's a lot that goes into planning such an event. Every year I make up a planner of some sort for myself but this year I decided to go beyond loose-leaf and make something more streamlined and printable. I had such fun putting this planner together, so naturally I wanted to share it with you all! (There are just four weeks till Thanksgiving, fyi!)

I am also working on a set of planning sheets for Advent and Christmas, and was really hoping to have them ready to share today, too - but alas - time got away from me! I will aim to post that set sometime next week ... :)

And not to get ahead of myself but, I will be tweaking ALL the seasonal sets from the past year to coordinate with next year's dates. (You can find them all in my Printables archive.) But more on all that in a moment! Here now are my Late Autumn planning sheets - eight weeks in all, running from Monday, November 7th through Sunday, January 1st (2017!).

Late Autumn Overview (Clean)

Late Autumn Overview (Dawn's)

Late Autumn Planning Sheets

Home Learning this Week (Late Autumn)

Thanksgiving Planner

Please let me know if you have any trouble opening these PDF files or if you notice any errors. (I looked them over and over but inevitably something escapes me!) Also, I'd love to hear if you're using these sheets and how you like them! :) As I mentioned above, I'm going to update all of last year's sheets so they can be used in 2017 and I'm changing things a bit to make them (hopefully) more efficient and easier to use. One thing you'll notice straight away (starting with this last seasonal set) is I'm using photos instead of clipart. I really loved the vintage clipart but going forward it will be easier to use my own "artwork," if you will - especially when it comes to copyright issues and such. Also, as you'll see in the Thanksgiving planning sheets, I've finally learned how to add lines to my boxes! Hooray for Bill who figured this out! I really love planners with lined spaces (I'm a stickler for neat handwriting - it just works better with my brain!) and so next year's set of planning sheets will also feature more soft lines for guiding lists and notes. 

Before I go, here is a picture of this week's sheet "in action."

As I grow more and more fond of my printable planning sheets, I've been thinking about how to use them along with my current systems. I would like to discuss this further in a future post but for now, briefly ...

I keep the current week's sheet in my homekeeping binder - opposite the current month-at-a-glance (a neat printable found here). I have this binder open like this all day so I can refer to it as needed. To the right (not seen in this picture) is my Day Designer which organizes all the hourly nitty-gritty details of my day! 

So, there you have it - and I hope you enjoyed it! As I said, I really had a lot of fun creating these pages and I'm eager to get the Advent-Christmas planner pulled together as well. I will share that with you just as soon as I can, but for now, I wish you all well and thank you, sincerely, for stopping by ...

Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and I will see you here again very soon!

Tea with Friends ... ❤

Good Sunday morning, my friends! And a Happy Advent to you!

Today I have a few "tea and nest" notes to share, beginning with a link to a post written by my dear friend Martha, about her lovingly restored "thinking chair":

Wouldn't this be a nice spot in which to curl up and dream? :)

By the way, Martha and I worked together eons ago at my very first post-college job, on the "features desk" at a Boston-area newspaper. Martha was, in fact, my editor! And oh my gosh, did we have fun ... "The TAB" is where I first tested my fledgling writing skills on the subjects of food, holidays, home, gardens and kids - before I even had kids! Martha, and our first editor, Celia, were so good to me, allowing a very "green" journalist to try her hand at a new passion. But those were good times - I learned a lot! - and I remember them fondly. Today Martha owns PulpArt, a fantastic Etsy shop where she sells plantable paper crafts - gift tags, ornaments, party favors, and cards, etc. All handmade by Martha, using ancient paper-making techniques - pop on over and take a peek!

***

Now here is a wonderful Thanksgiving Tea shared by Denise ...

Dawn,

Thank you for inviting us all to Tea Time! I don't have the opportunity to have daily tea with my grands any longer. So, tea time is a bit different now-a-days. I don't have tea every day either (well, in autumn/winter/spring I normally have something hot to start the day!) During this time of starting the Holy Day season, I love that we start with giving of thanks! Thanks to the One who is Creator & Sustainer of all! And oh, the naming! So many things to be named, so many things/people to be grateful for, just leads me into worship of the One who provides the good gifts! Which helps prepare my heart for the Holy Day of Christ-mass!

It is an overcast, windy day. I heard it will be snowing in a couple of days. Much to be done! Moving hay, fixing the well-house (heat lamp or heater?), stacking wood by the woodstove. All of that will have to wait until this afternoon, as I am finishing up in the home office this morning. I had a few tasks for a client and our own to tend to. After I finish this post, I will be heading out of doors!

Refreshments:
I normally have several tea varieties. Today I had a cup of orange-spice. I haven't had time to bake, although if I wanted, I have some oatmeal cookie dough ready to pop in the oven. It is time to replenish my dough stash! I like to have several on hand for when I have the pleasure of having the Grands or company!

Reading:
I just finished reading a novel, light reading. I will be doing reading for Advent & Christmas next. Ann Voskamp's The Greatest Gift AND Unwrapping the Greatest Gift. I am looking forward to receiving a blessing through them!!

Listening to:
During this season, I tend to revisit some old hymns Come Thou Fount, Come Ye Sinners, Be Thou My Vision. I've been enjoying these as recorded by Fernando Ortega. So rich.

Working on:
We are in the "work the plan" phase of Thanksgiving! We started by enjoying our daughter's family last night. Family supper & card games. Oh, and a new made-up game by my grandtwin girl (10yo)! Such fun! I popped back and forth through the grands! Granddaughter/13 was busy making accessories for a Christmas present for her younger sister. 
Grandtwin girl/10 dictated a Thanksgiving letter to me for her dearest friend and cousin. Oh how I miss those days! I was "employed" by her quite often! When she was about 6 she said "When we are working on my books, can you just call me Boss?" (LOL!) Grandtwin boy/10 read a couple of passages from a new book he is reading for school. He also typed me out a paragraph in which I was supposed to correct the misspellings! And Grandson/15 & I walked out towards the pond to see if we could see any geese. He is really wanting to get one this year! I will begin preparing more for Advent & Christmas during the Thanksgiving break. Plus, I will be starting to work on setting up my 2016 planner which I lamented about on one of your Planner Party posts! Something I normally take great pleasure in & I do again thisyear, I'm just not real sure how this is going to go & I am having a hard time getting started. Silly me.

Happening in nature:
As I stated: Windy, overcast today. Blowing in some possible snow or ice. We were trying to identify some new sweet, small birds yesterday. We didn't come to a conclusion.

With the (grand) kids:
I've attached a picture of our "Thanksgiving Table." This is a table in a sitting area, looking out our south-facing windows. We all add to the Thanksgiving tree, you will see in the picture. We will be finishing up the Thanks Living Box. They enjoy that year after year!

Quotations:
Here are my sentiments I sent out in my Thanksgiving greetings, to family & close friends.

"To the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent, O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto You forever." Ps 30:12 Oh! Let me not be silent! The end of all we experience in this life:  To sing praise to Him and give thanks, FOREVER!! Praise His holy name!

Keeping it Simple:
For us this year, we are again in mourning. So, we will definitely be keeping things low-key and home-centered. We will have the obligatory functions to attend, and we will do so with a grateful heart, just not as many scheduled as what we might do. We will focus on just the immediate family, for the most part; with the exception of looking to see who we can offer some blessings. A favorite thing for us to do.

Thank you for letting me share tea with you & your readers today!!  I've been working on this email for a while. I was thankful you hadn't set a deadline!

~~Denise

***

Thank you, Denise! I love hearing about your family and how you take tea and where you find inspiration! I appreciate your participation, and I love your enthusiasm! Your family is blessed to have you! :)

❤

And here, my friends, are some Tea Notes from Helena ...

What refreshments are you enjoying this week?
My morning cup of Tasha Tudor's Welsh Breakfast tea, and the odd cup of apple cider with the kids. It's been a bit hectic around here, so I'm happy just to have that!

What are you reading this week?
Just finished the latest in a cozy mystery series I enjoy (The Stitching Hour) and also Teaching from Rest.

What are you listening to this week?
I may have broken my own rule about no Christmas music before Thanksgiving to sneak in a little bit of Josh Groban's Noel in the car. :)

What are you working on this week?
Getting ready for the holiday and also working on a proofreading assignment.

What's happening in nature this week?
I'm down in FL, so a bit different from you guys right now. It actually was chilly the other day (overnight low of 48, that's cold for us). The first strawberries of the season are coming in from the fields, our garden is actually doing well so far, and our neighbor's tomatoes and peppers look great. We're starting to see some of our winter visitors at the bird feeder (our female painted bunting appeared the other day, though no sign of her handsome husband yet) and the Canada geese are appearing on the farm ponds across the road.

Any projects with the children this week?
My husband helped my daughter rearrange and clean out her room, does that count? :) Hoping to get some Indian corn in to soak so the kids can string it for necklaces or garlands, but have to figure out how to get it off the cob first!

Any quotations to share, some words to inspire?
"The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies."  ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

***

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Helena! I'd love to hear how that Indian corn activity turns out!

 

❤

 

And now let's hear from Amy's Tea Journal ... :)

Hi Dawn,

What refreshments are you enjoying this week?
For tea I'm drinking Republic of Tea's Cranberry Ginger tea - tangy and delicious!

What are you reading this week?

I'm reading a seasonal mystery: November Hunt by Jess Lourey. Her seasonal series is hilarious! Also, my stash of old November "Victoria's"

What are you listening to this week?

Thanksgiving channel on Pandora!

What are you working on this week?

I'm a full-time librarian so am prepping Thanksgiving a little bit at a time during the week (tonight: defrosting the turkey breast, defrosting the cranberries, and hard boiling eggs). Went to Trader Joe's yesterday for cranberry chevre and four other types of cheese for Thanksgiving. I'm a DAR member, so sent off a box of necessities for a VA hospital my DAR chapter is sponsoring.

What's happening in nature this week?

I work on a leafy college campus and when I leave work at night the air is so deliciously cold and smells like autumn. The drive into work is lovely too - often very foggy and cool.

***

Thank you for sharing, Amy! You've inspired me to dig out some of my own Victoria collection - they're pretty much perfect "nest" reading in my mind. :)

❤

Friends, I hope you enjoyed this collection of "tea & nest" notes! I love sharing our thoughts on the season and how we find time to nourish ourselves - in simple, meaningful ways. I look forward to talking more tomorrow as we begin our Advent Tea Journal ... I will be "here" around 4:00, but you are welcome to join me whenever! I'd love to hear about your nest ... I hope it's a cozy spot where we can ponder Advent, and take a break from the world! I'll share my own tea and notes, and pics of course! Our discussion theme will be giving "gifts from the heart" and I look forward to brainstorming with you on that! (And I might have another nest "assignment" for you, too!)

I hope you'll join me this week ...

Tea Journal details can be found here, and please send me your thoughts/pics/links here:

bysunandcandle AT gmail DOT com

I look forward to hearing from you!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, my friends ... see you here again very soon!

Our Thanksgiving Day!

Hello and Happy Friday, my friends! I hope you all had a nice week and for those who celebrate, a wonderful Thanksgiving, too. We had a really nice time with our family yesterday, and as usual, I took a whole lot of pictures that I'd like to share here at the blog!

We worked on a thankful garland all month, Earlybird and I (and the rest of the family at times, too), but we carried this neat tradition with us into our family celebration. Every place setting had a leaf and a crayon. I was very happy to have the boys' help with cutting out all those leaves!

And early Thanksgiving morning, EB assisted me in preparing an apple crisp ...

Had to get it in the oven ahead of the turkey!

My mother's birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year, so I made up some spice cupcakes too!

Each year we have a "signature cocktail" at the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter). This year it was an Apple Cider Margarita - with cinnamon-sugar rims and a tweak of orange inside ... absolutely delicious!

Here's the table we set up in the living room, to seat six. I went with blue, gold and red to complement the colors of the room.

A pretty turkey platter that's been in the family for generations ...

As I arranged the flowers, I kept a few itty bitties in cordial glasses - something nice for my kitchen windowsill!

I found these tiny turkey tealights in a bag of silk leaves - completely forgot we had them!

A coffee station was set up in the living room ... my folks brought up their Keurig for the day. :)

You all know how I feel about punch! There must be punch at all parties. This one was a simple mix of cranberry juice concentrate, Sprite and sparkling apple-cranberry cider. Apple slices floating on top made a nice touch!

The bar was set up on the kitchen jetty, on the kitchen nook side so as to keep traffic out of the kitchen proper (where my Mum and I were busy getting stuff done!) ...

But not so busy we couldn't pause for a picture - and a cocktail!

Speaking of cocktails - aren't these the prettiest cocktail napkins you ever did see?

Dinner was served!

The dining table, in browns, golds and magenta ...

I LOVE November mums! Especially mine ... :)

Desserts were served in the living room as window candles came on all over the house ... we had an assortment of pies, the aforementioned cupcakes and apple crisp, sticky toffee pudding and even pumpkin ice cream!

From my family to yours ... Happy Thanksgiving! Looking forward to celebrating Advent with you all starting next week!

❤

Thanks so much for joining me here today and letting me share our holiday with you. I hope you all had a nice day, too, and that your weekend ahead will bring some peace and refreshment. I will have a follow-up "simplicity tea" post to share tomorrow and then on Monday ... our first Advent Tea! We'll be talking about "gifts from the heart" and I would love to hear from you on that subject ... and any other tea notes you'd like to share. 

See you all here again very soon ...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a day of peace and plenty, and feeling grateful for my blessings!

(Thankful for all of you, too!)

❤

P.S. Happy Birthday to my beautiful Mum!

My Thanksgiving Tea Journal, 2015

Happy Monday, my friends! It's Thanksgiving week here in America, quite possibly my favorite week all year! All over the country, folks are traveling home to their families, looking forward to a day of togetherness, thankfulness ... and feasting! I love spending this week spiffing up my home and setting tables and baking stuff and listening to music ... but most of all, I love that deep sense of just HOW blessed we are to be doing all of this in the first place. To have loved ones to gather with, and a warm, safe home to gather in ... food to put on the table, with some extra to share.

❤

So today I am kicking off my Advent Tea Journal, with a post that is - ok, yes - several days ahead of Advent. But I wanted to start our journey before we get swept up in the season! Does a weekly teatime sound good to you? A brief time each week to sit down (in our cozy nests) and share how we're living the season? 

Well here's what I'm dong on my end! On this Monday and those to come in December, I will share my tea journal notes along with some photos of my home and holiday preparations ... and then I will touch upon our weekly discussion theme. (This week: Simplifying the Season.) And I would LOVE to have you join me! You can leave me a comment here, or send me an email with your own notes and pics, or perhaps link me up with a post at your own blog! (Feel free to grab the tea button here or in this post.) We'll continue our conversation throughout the week, and I'll add you in as the days go by - no rush to get me something by Monday!

> bysunandcandle AT gmail DOT com <

Now onward with our Thanksgiving Tea ... are you settled in and ready to chat? :)

What refreshments am I enjoying this week?

My Thanksgiving Tea shown above is a bit "rustic and random" - not quite the "Victoria" moment I had originally envisioned, lol - but all that color and clutter is who I am these days! A sturdy (inexpensive) acorn mug and some ginger cookies to share with my little guy ...

And here's my cute little tea box, a gift from my sister-in-law:

I keep a LOT of tea on hand - some of you might remember my tea drawer from years back? Well nowadays my main tea stash is kept in my pantry, but I like to use this nifty box for holding the teas I'm drinking currently. It holds plenty of packets and fits nicely in a kitchen cabinet. (You could do something similar with a basket or divided tin.)

As for the cookies, well, you all know I love to bake ... but sometimes baking a batch of scratch cookies just doesn't mesh with the overall busy-ness of the household. (And this would be one of those weeks!) But these break-apart cookies are made from natural ingredients so Earlybird can enjoy them along with the rest of us. They could be frosted but honestly, they're even better on their own - they're quite yummy and the seasonal spices really come through!

What am I reading this week?

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids

I've had this book on my shelf for a while now - almost two years! - and I've read bits and pieces, but I'd like to go through it chapter by chapter, slowly but surely. This premise resonates with me, yet I'm a great one for making things more complicated than they need to be. With an eye toward the New Year (as I think about general goals and plans for the months to come as well as our home environment) I'm trying to create a slower world for myself and my kids. More on that as we move forward through the season!

What am I listening to this week?

Do you enjoy listening to music in your nest? I find my normal "household soundtrack" provides plenty of erm, stimulation so to say, so any added sound can be a bit much ... but I do love some music at the holidays!

This traditional song is pretty much is all I need, and belted out with gusto by small voices is best. This is a page from a beautiful little book of poems, a thoughtful and generous gift from a reader last year. But I also love listening to music from A Charlie Brown Thankgiving and George Winston's Autumn as well as this gorgeous song. Do you have any favorite Thanksgiving music?

What am I working on this week?

We have the honor of hosting our family's Thanksgiving so that's my focus this week! There's a lot that goes into planning a season or holiday, and trying to keep things simple is a challenge! But I have found by starting early, I have a much better chance of maintaining a less frenetic atmosphere - for myself and those around me! And this "peace" contributes greatly to a simplified season. So here are some of the things I've been working on ahead of Thanksgiving ...

Once we know how many guests to expect, we can decide which tables to use and where to arrange them as well as what tablecloths and napkins to prepare. About a week ahead of the holiday I find a day when I will be home for several hours - then I can wash and dry and fold the linens without any lag time in-between. We all know what happens when we only finish part of the laundering cycle - smelly, wrinkled linens! Then out comes the iron or we have to start all over again ...

The other thing is, if I leave this task too close to Thanksgiving, it feels like a chore ... I feel rushed and even (in my less generous moments) a bit put-upon. By doing things like this well ahead of time, at a time of my choosing, I focus instead on the beauty of it. I think about the people coming to dine with us, at our table, and how nice the setting will look for them. In this way, I focus on the pleasure of the chore, not the pressure of it.

How about tablescapes then? This is another thing I like to think about early, so I can be a little thoughtful and creative with it ... as well as economical!

There will be flowers for sure - I can never resist fresh blooms at the holidays - but I also like to tap into the treasures to be found in our very own yard. Acorns, pinecones, dried flowers and weeds, interesting rocks, colorful leaves - the possibilities are endless! A lovely activity would be to take the children on a "gathering walk" early in the month of November. (Earlier the better if you want a small share of the acorn crop!) Here we have some glass bowls filled with our acorn stash and a small beeswax tea light candle. I may even tuck some autumn leaves under the globes. Now, you could use any bowls you have on hand ... and if you can't find acorns, cranberries from the market would also be beautiful! Once Thanksgiving is over, we will scatter these seeds on the deck ... and watch them disappear!

Here are some of my pretty baking pans - easy to collect, hard to give away!

 But when we're blessed, we want to bless others back. It's a great theme to work on at this time of year, especially with children! Because the simplest way to celebrate this season (and the next) is to just give. Give to others, give of ourselves ... it's a sure path to joy! That's a message I want my children to learn and practice in their own life as they grow. There will be more on this particular theme next week, but for now, how about setting aside time to bake together and make some extra for those people who have helped us or befriended us in some way?

Here's a little bit of a story, but I hope you'll indulge me. So this is a big deal for my 13-year-old Earlybird: making friends and learning to be a friend. He's autistic and we're working with a wonderful therapist on getting him out in the community, learning how to conduct his affairs in a polite and practical manner. Well, those folks who take the time to help him - even just a friendly greeting each time we see them - are blessing our son in ways they don't even realize. So this year we're baking breads (something EB loves to do) and bringing them to those special people in our life ...

Like the librarian who patiently helps him check out his planet books and train DVDs, the pizza place owner who greets him heartily and lets him visit the kitchen (and asks after EB when he's not with us), the grocery store clerk who gives him a high-five and tells him he's doing a great job (and then quietly tells me the same), the neighbor who lets him visit her henhouse and take home an egg, the therapist who works with him every single day and tells him over and over how awesome he is ...

These people can't know just how deeply they are blessing us, and a bread is a pretty small gesture, but one I hope will bless them back, even a little. No, it won't make my week simpler to bake with my son and deliver breads around town, but it will make us feel good ... and maybe a few others, too. :)

What's happening in nature?

Now this was the part where I was going to attempt sharing a short video ... but alas, I did not get very far! (In other words, Bill left for work before I got his help with it!) I would very much like to try this sometime soon, and as it happens Bill is home all week after today ... so we shall see! I can tell you it is bright and brisk here today, very "Thanksgiving in New England." :) A beautiful buck crossed our road on the way to Mass early yesterday morning ... he stopped and looked back at us from a frosty field. Gorgeous. And birds are furiously flocking to the feeders (squirrels, too) but no wild turkeys to report ...

Well, except for these guys who I found at CVS for $2 each. I buy these foil-wrapped candies every year "for the kids" but they lend a little color and whimsy to our buffet. :)

A project with the children this week ...

Here's our living room mantle, adorned with a garland of family blessings. We're in the home stretch now - there are only a few blank leaves left in the basket! This was a very simple project, but the message I'm hoping it imparts to my children is that we are grateful for all of God's blessings, and that every good thing comes from Him. Some blessings are BIG, but lots of them are little. In fact, if you were to read through our leaves they would not impress you with meaningful remarks on the Big, Important Things ... but they might make you smile with their simple, sweet, smallness:

"the cats "

"pears and hot dogs"

"packages in the mail"

"dirty boots"

"rain"

Sometimes I think by focusing on the simple joys in life, we train ourselves in a kind of habit - a mindfulness that prepares us to see the big things for how great they really are. I think this is something really important to share with our children, but equally important to remember ourselves.

Words to inspire:

 "Life holds so many simple blessings, each day bringing its own individual wonder."

~ John McLeod

What a lovely quote for my season's journal ... it says perfectly what I'm always rambling on about in a very roundabout way. ;)

Well, my friends, I'd best let you go ... I've kept you here long enough! But I hope you enjoyed my Thanksgiving tea Journal ... and I would love to hear from you, too!

What refreshments are you enjoying this week?

What are you reading this week?

What are you listening to this week?

What are you working on this week?

What's happening in nature this week?

Any projects with the children this week?

(and finally)

Any quotations to share, some words to inspire?

I'd love to see your tea, hear about your tea, your week and/or your thoughts on keeping it simple. This will be a good topic to discuss as we head into the "most wonderful time of the year." Is there ever a time when "keeping things simple" is harder to manage than in the weeks leading up to Christmas?

Comments, email, links - ooh, and nest pics! - all are welcome! More on Advent and simplifying our seasons in my following posts. We have many weeks of tea to come and lots of areas to discuss! I am hoping to use this weekly "refreshment" as a chance to sit back and take stock. Am I keeping it real? Am I staying true to the season?

For a look ahead, please click over to this post for my full tea schedule. And remember, all are welcome - brief comments or lengthy posts. I appreciate each and every contribution.

❤

Thanks so much for stopping by, my friends! Enjoy your tea, and the evening to follow, and I will see you here again very soon!

Thinking out loud: Thanksgiving plans

Good Wednesday morning, my friends! It's quite early here ... as in, really, really early. Our aptly pseudonym-ed third son, Earlybird, has been rising well before 6 a.m. lately so our days have been getting a real "efficiency" boost. I know most people don't see the appeal in getting out of bed while it's still dark and cold - and, quite frankly, it really isn't all that appealing in the moment because that bed is just so darn cozy - but by mid-morning, when I've gotten a nice head start on my daily tasks and I'm on my second third cup of coffee - well by golly, I am just HUMMING right along.

So here I am at 7 a.m. and I've gone over my agenda and I've made a few checks on my task list and I've read through my daily devotions - both spiritual and practical - and I thought, you know, I should really get a start on my Thanksgiving folder. We're only 15 days away from the big day, after all!

So what does a Thanksgiving folder do, you might wonder? Well, I make one up every year, and it's really not slick or snazzy or even a particular unique idea, but it works for me.

You know, of all the holidays, Thanksgiving is my favorite. For one thing, I love all it celebrates (gratitude, family, harvest, home) and for another, it often falls on my dear mother's birthday (11/26)! So it's a double celebration for our family, and some years we have close to (or more than) 20 people! Hosting a gathering of this size is a blessing and privilege, but it can be a little overwhelming - we want the day to be special and relaxing for everyone! - so my aim is always to start early and be organized! Then, come Thanksgiving, I'll be less consumed with the dinner details and more focused on the deeper meaning of the day. 

(Now, that might be the third cup of coffee talking, but I hope you know what I mean. Anyhoo, back to that folder!)

So inside this folder I place any recipes or crafts or other information I might like to use this year - these are mostly clippings from magazines or print-outs or photocopies. Sometimes there are a few paper-clipped recipe cards. Along the folder tab I place a strip of washi tape on which I have written something clever like, "Thanksgiving, 2015." I also add a pretty turkey sticker because it makes me smile. :)

To the front cover of the folder I staple a sheet (sometimes two) of loose-leaf paper. Here is where I start making my lists: guests • menu (dinner, apps/cocktails, dessert) • table arrangements • serving notes • decorating notes • cleaning • errands • grace

I even have a tiny calendar in the corner which represents the days left before the holiday and which ones are available for errands or house cleaning or cooking, etc. 

Now this folder is mainly for "hostess" notes - lists pertaining directly to the family gathering and dinner itself. But there are many other things I plan out ahead of Thanksgiving: crafts/activities with the kids (ex. a gratitude project, table decorations) • parish/community events (ex. a food or clothing drive) • weaving nature in (ex. autumn walks and material gathering) • atmosphere/decoration (ex. garlands and lights) • extras (ex. When will A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving air?) • our Thanksgiving cornucopia of books

Now, all these notes find their collective home in different places at different times. I go back and forth about where it makes the most sense to keep seasonal plans such as these. The main homekeeping binder? The Late Autumn (Nov-Dec) binder? My homemade planner, if I can find the room? In my file crate, perhaps?

Because when a holiday, feast or season is upon us, I like to have my planning pages close at hand - not in some storage spot in the next room. I need to refer to those notes to keep on top of our plans but most of all - whatever does or doesn't get done - all that seasonal inspiration is good for my soul! :)

***

Well, I could add more about my Thanksgiving prep and I probably will in another post, but as it is now mid-day and I still don't have this post up, I will wrap up  and press "publish." 

But before I go, here's the "help" I had while getting this post done ...

Good help really is hard to find - especially when it's this cute!

:)

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday, my friends! I will see you here again sometime soon!

p.s. Oh, I forgot to mention! I have a new "post party" in mind ... with the days growing dark and cold, and the urge to settle in taking hold ... I'm thinking it might be a good time for tea? A weekly gathering to chat about holiday plans? Details to come!

In November: a basket of blessings, a branch of light ...

November's family focus ~ gratitude and remembrance. Today I will show you one of the projects we have underway ...

 Like many families, we do an annual gratitude project in the month of November. It has taken many forms over the years, but I generally come back to colorful construction paper and autumnal shapes and themes. This year I decided a blessings branch would be a wonderful thing, and I'm also thinking it might be something we end up using all year long ... but I will get into that at a later date ... for now, here's what we're doing this month.

I began with, as you can see above and below, an array of oak leaves, cut from multi-colored construction paper.

 In addition to (hopefully) fostering an "attitude of gratitude" in my family, this activity will also (hopefully) help my special needs son pace his excitement (and anxiety) and understand just how long it will be before the holiday is here ...

So after cutting out 26 leaf shapes, I placed them in a small basket.

 I told Earlybird that when the basket is empty, Thanksgiving will be here. And I set the basket on the living room windowsill where I have all kinds of seasonal books and decor on display. It is just out of the toddler boy's reach. ;) 

Here's a look at our Thanksgiving window ... 

 You might notice there is a space there in the book display - that would be so Oliver (the cat) can get up in the window and look outside at the birds. This is one of his favorite lounging spots and he'd only be knocking over books if I didn't leave him a little space. ;)

Ok, so what about this branch then, you must be wondering?

Well, a couple of weekends ago I chose a good-sized branch from our log pile - one with no apparent bugs and only a small amount of lichen - and asked Bill to drill four evenly spaced holes ...

A few minutes later (truly, it took him less then 10), I had this:

Four tea-light holes!

I filled those holes with some lovely beeswax tea lights, purchased at a farmer's market this summer. When lit, or warm from the sun, they smell heavenly ...

The branch is now sitting on our living room mantle which has been decorated for the month of November ...

Now, here's where the blessings part comes in ...

Each day we'll take one leaf out of the basket and write down what each of us is grateful for on that day. Then we'll hang the leaf on a length of twine that is strung along the front of the mantel.

(I keep the hole-punch handy for this purpose.)

On Sundays - there are four between November 1st and Thanksgiving Day - we will light one of our candles and look over the leaves from the week. We'll say a little prayer, remembering it is God we have to thank for all these good things! And before we know it will be Thanksgiving Day, and we'll have a whole row of pretty leaves to admire!

🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂

Our other November project is one that fosters remembrance, and I will have a post up about that sometime soon. I can give you a sneak peek, though ...

More to come soon!

Well my friends, thanks so much for stopping by ... I hope you are all having a good week! Tomorrow I will be back with another guest planner post ... hope to see you here then!

Our Thanksgiving Day, 2014

  

Happy Friday, my friends!

I hope you all had a nice week - and a lovely Thanksgiving Thursday, if you are American like me. We had a wonderful holiday and I'd like to share a few some a LOT of pictures from our day if I may ... some food, some family and some festive touches around my home. :)

Love this sign my mother bought ~ I'm grateful for all those things!

 This is my grandmother's crystal punch bowl, filled with this year's "signature holiday cocktail" -  a Bourbon Wine Punch. I am such a sucker for punch! This was a mixture of chilled white wine, bourbon, cranberry juice, lime juice, sprite and frozen grapes. I added sliced apples for an autumn touch. It was so very yummy.

Thanksgiving cupcakes - made by my mum and decorated by my boys. My initial plan had been to make "turkey cupcakes" but as the hour drew late, I called uncle. I think I like them like this even more. The chocolate frosted ones were made in such a way that my sensitive EB could still indulge.

 

Some pretty candies on the windowsill ...

My brother in his silly turkey hat. :)

Crackerjack with my Aunt Marcia who brought, amongst other things, this delicious shrimp dip - a family favorite.

Mum and me - two cooks in the kitchen! But I bet you can guess which one of us was responsible for this situation:

This would be burnt crostini tossed onto the front doorstep ... in a snow-filled planter, no less. There were smoke alarms blaring inside and I might have panicked a bit. Lol.

(Luckily I bought a LOT of French bread!)

Here I am with my Earlybird, who had a great day after a bit of a rocky start. Party prep sets him on edge, but once his loved ones arrived, he relaxed and enjoyed himself.

My cousin, Kate and her husband, Paul - their first Thanksgiving as husband and wife!

We served appetizers and drinks in the sunroom ... I like spreading the party out as much as possible. Keep bodies - and conversation - moving!

The aforementioned shrimp dip ... so good. I have a real weakness for this stuff.

A Thanksgiving Blessing Snack Mix: Bugles, pretzels, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, m&m's. I think there was supposed to be candy corn too, but they got used up on the cupcakes. I found the recipe on Pinterest.

 Cranberry jam-goat cheese toasties - a recipe from Family Fun Magazine.

 Desserts of all kinds lining the windowsill ... pies, cake and cookies!

This is a Gingery Pear-Apricot Pie , a recipe I found in Woman's Day Magazine. It called for a crust made up of overlapping pastry cut-outs - which looks neat, but is very labor-intensive. It had a nice filling though - pears, dried apricots, golden raisins, real grated ginger, orange zest ... 

 Yes, that's snow you see out there - we had a white Thanksgiving this year!

We had two tables for our party of 14; the first was set for eight in the dining room ...

And the second was set for six in the living room.

 I like how this table fits in this room, and might keep it here for crafts and homeschool projects. Without the china and glass, of course. 

 Our Bookworm, home from BC, where he is a sophomore this year.

 Little Bear was napping till the very last minute - he woke up just after grace!

"Who's coming to my house?"

 Loving a new ride-on toy, a gift from Grandma and Grandpa.

Hard to believe this little guy is now 18 months old. Such joy he brings to our family!

My mother's birthday cake - a cranberry spice cake with cream cheese frosting, dried cranberries and golden candles ... November's colors!

(Note my brother photo-bombing the shot.)

The living room mantel all aglow at the end of the day ...

 My four boys, relaxing after dinner ... so good to have them all home!

Pretty lights ... a taste of things to come. :)

***

Well my friends, thank you so much for letting me share these pictures (and my thoughts) with you all. I just love Thanksgiving - it is perhaps my favorite of all the holidays! But I am now turning my attention to the season of Advent which begins this Sunday! And I will be back on Monday with my next Tea Journal post and some thoughts on the new season ... until then I wish you all a very happy weekend!

See you here again very soon ...

On this special Thursday ...

 

Blessings to all on this Thanksgiving Day!

Let us enjoy our time with our family and be grateful for all we have!

❤

 (image via Vintage Belle Broken China Jewelry Blog)