Live in Thanksgiving Daily

Alma 34:38....live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings 

which he doth bestow upon you.

Do I have an attitude of gratitude everyday? No. I need to take time everyday to stop and think about all that I have been blessed with! Today, on a snowy and cold day, I am grateful for the beauty of this earth.

I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie

I am gearing up to do some major eating on Thanksgiving...hopefully I won't get too carried away like the old lady in this story:

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson

This is such a funny story because of the words and illustrations. It starts off with the old lady who swallowed a pie, a Thanksgiving pie, which was too dry so she needs a lot of other food to go with it. As she swallows cider, squash, salad, rolls, the turkey, and the pot, she becomes bigger and bigger. She ruins Thanksgiving dinner, but makes Thanksgiving fun in another way in the surprising ending. 

This book makes me excited to gobble down some pie myself...pie is my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner!

Thousand-Mile Stew

Here is a hearty, warm, and delicious meal for a cold night. It's especially great for the meat and potato lovers like my hubby!

Thousand-Mile Stew

• 1-2 lbs hamburger
• 1 lb ground sausage
• 4-6 potatoes cut in 1/2" slices
• 3-5 carrots cut in 1/2" slices
• 1/2-1 onion sliced or just separated into rings
• 1-2 cups cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

Make hamburger into round 3" patties. Brown patties in stew pan or Dutch oven. Line bottom of pan with patties. Salt and pepper hamburger. Layer potatoes, carrots, and onions. Salt and pepper each layer. Repeat hamburger layer and veggies layers. Top with browned sausage. Pour 1/2 cup water over all. Cover with lid and cook on stovetop until veggies are done - about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or cook in oven at 350 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Just before serving top with cheese to melt.

I put such a wide range on the measurements because it all depends on the size of pan that you cook it in.

Enjoy!

Leaf Rubbing

Here is a nice and EASY craft for any age...my 21month old niece loved it.
Here's what you need:

• leaves
• fall colored crayons with the paper off
• paper

Place the leaf under the paper, then using the length of the crayon, rub the crayon over the paper where the leaf is...and watch the leaf appear on the paper. My kids loved this! Make a collage of different shapes and colors of leaves for a neat and easy Fall art project.

Blessing Mix

Here is a fun little snack to remind you of Thanksgiving. It would make a cute appetizer before Thanksgiving dinner with the Blessing Mix explanation on each plate.

Blessing Mix

Bugles: Shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty, a symbol of our nation's abundance.

Pretzels: Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who founded our country.

Candy Corn: The sacrifices of the Pilgrims' first winter. Food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day.

Nuts or seeds: Promise of a future harvest, one we will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.

Dried fruit: Harvest gifts from our bountiful land.

M&M's: Memories of those who came before us to lead us into a blessed future.

Hershey's Kisses: The love of family and friends that sweetens our lives.

On and Off Guard

Yesterday Nathan stood guard. What was he protecting? His line of dinosaurs and animals spanning my doorway. Each time I would pass he would tell me to step over them so that I didn't knock any down. He worked so hard to keep all of the figurines standing...even the ones with broken or mangled legs. He was a great guard. If one of his animals were knocked down or misplaced he would carefully put it back in line.

The triumph came when I asked him to clean up and he immediately obeyed. I was preparing for a huge battle of wills...and how could I have competed with this little soldier already dressed for battle? I was pleasantly surprised when he gathered all of his army and put them away without a war, battle, or even a fight. My little guy on guard totally took me off guard! (I am sure that telling him that he could have lunch after he cleaned up had nothing to do with it...he is just an obedient little soldier...who happened to be hungry at the time.)

Abdominal Migraine Madness

A few years ago we noticed that Aaron was regularly getting sick about every month...really sick...throwing up constantly, hunched over in pain, and very tired and lethargic for 2-3 days. He was diagnosed with abdominal migraines. It is basically a migraine in the stomach, causing pain, nausea, and the inability to keep any food down. It is awful. I hate it. Aaron hates it even more. He is in the middle of another episode today. I hate feeling so helpless when my son is in so much pain and discomfort.

I am trying to be thankful for even my "fleas" so...I am thankful that this condition usually only lasts until the age of 12. I am thankful that Aaron is taking some medication that lessons his attacks from monthly to every 2-3 months. I am thankful that Aaron is now an expert at throwing up...I give him the bucket and he rarely misses. I am thankful that Aaron is able to sleep through most of it...it really wipes him out. I am thankful to know that in a few days Aaron will be back to his energetic, busy, happy, and sometimes annoying self. But for now, we just have to get through another attack; more missed days of school; more worrying; another day of keeping little kids away from the throw-up bucket; and another day of watching Aaron suffer. Poor kid!