I adore Thanksgiving. I like spending time with my family. I like cooking the food. I like eating the food. I love the chill of the fall day and reflecting on those things which God has blessed me with. As a busy Homeschooling mom, I also know how hard it is to just relax and let your family enjoy the wonders of this season of Thanks. It is easy to get caught up in our 'to do' lists. I generally like to schedule a few easy weeks of great books, art projects and cooking lessons. This is the week our easy few weeks begin. Sure. Josiah can't escape from Math. I'm not that easy. But I like to make sure that we are all enjoying and learning the how's and why's of Thanksgiving (and Christmas for that matter). I have found my Thanksgiving Curriculum for this year. I had a chance to review Heroes and Heroines of the Past: American History (which I loved) early this year. Amy Puetz (the creator) has just come out with a new curriculum. Countdown to Thanksgiving: Memory Making Stories & Activities for 14 Days Leading Up to Thanksgiving. It is intended for ages 6-14...but I think the you can involve the Littles (and the Bigs) if you wish.
The Countdown for this year is scheduled to start November 13, 2014. The book comes in an ebook or print book and is almost 100 pages long. Each chapter is titled as such; 14 Days Until Thanksgiving, 13 Days Until Thanksgiving and so on.
Amy uses beautiful old stories and literature to frame this curriculum. They range from history to moral lessons and fun stories. Many of the stories are from the 1800 and 1900's.
Each chapter also has a variety of activities. They might be a recipe, song or skit. Or a craft project. There is an adorable pattern for a Pilgrim's Bonnet and a recipe for some yummy looking Angel Biscuits. I think they might be Josiah's contribution to Thanksgiving Dinner this year!!
I can't think of a better way to soak up the blessings and lessons of the Thanksgiving holiday and all the loveliness found in this thoughtful and meaningful curriculum.
You can purchase Countdown to Thanksgiving for $17. This is one we will be able to use year after year.
My mom's white kitty, Nim, posed next to some of my Chalkboard art (such as it is) last Thanksgiving.
I do believe that being Thankful is a necessary state of mind.Without it we are danger of withering into a blob of self-destructive pity.
Now that is some warm and fuzzy imagery!
I also think being Thankful should be more than just a one shot a
year deal. Obviously. In fact, I think that the cares of life will just gobble us up if we don’t bother
to “count our blessings.” (Get it. Gobble? Ha!)
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the beloved hymn, “Count
Your Blessings", (at least it's beloved with the toe tapping, church going Hillbillies of my acquaintance)
I want to share the lyrics with you.
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
I really need to stitch a sampler of these words…and wear it
every day.
I’ve mentioned a couple of times (well, probably more than a
couple) that I have had a lingering case of the grumpies as of late. You have to watch out with those grumpies.
They are catching. It is also a fact that a proven cure for the grumpies is
Gratitude.
So I have been taking extra care the past few weeks to
consciously (and publically) give Thanks to the One who created all things for
all that He has blessed me with.
To be honest there have been some days it hasn’t been easy.
I’m more of a “glass half full” kind of person in real life. But a good case of
the grumpies can lay even those most positive of girls low now and again.
I want to share some of my thoughts on how to encourage a
life of Thanksgiving. I hope to inspire you and myself in the process. By the
way…I was kind of inspired by the Hymn above. It’s a great blueprint for living
a grateful life.
1.Count Your Blessings. I mean it. Get out a
notebook and start recording those blessings. One day this week all I could
come up with is that I was thankful I could clean house. There have been
times in my life where I couldn’t even comb my own hair…let alone dust the
furniture. It’s a biggie when you think about it. I just needed to be reminded
how blessed I truly am.
2.Don’t Go to the Dark Side. As tempting it is we have
to be extra careful not to go negative. Even if you are facing a trial, you
must trust that God is going to work it for His good. I have to know that God
is taking my mess and making a masterpiece!
3.Don’t Compare. It’s hard. We as women often hold
ourselves up to each other. Sometimes we just don’t measure up. We aren’t as
skinny or put together. We don’t keep house as well as our Baby Sister (just getting a little personal there). Our clothes don’t look as
fresh and stylish. Other women seem to manage their children better. The
truth is that we can’t see inside another’s heart. Our focus needs to be on
God. Not others.
4.Don’t Wish For What Was or Could Have Been. This
has been a biggie for me in the past few weeks for some reason. My mom and dad
have been going through a storage building. My mom found a whole stack of
pictures from my youth. There were those of me in my svelte (if not
fuzzy-haired) days. There were also those of me when I had gained an enormous
amount of weight. Today I am somewhere in between. I have lost much of the
weight, but have more to lose. Instead of rejoicing in my accomplishment,
however, I was sad. How could that tiny girl let herself get so fat? I spent
entirely too much time in a self-imposed pity part…complete with streamers and
an ice cream sundae. We have to be thankful for what God has taken us through.
We have to be grateful for Today. And not wish to change our yesterdays. There
was purpose in those yesterdays.
5.Don’t Carry the Weight of the World (on your
shoulders). There is an old song that I used to sing as a special as a kid.
There is no problem too big
God cannot solve it
There is no mountain too tall
God cannot move it
There is no storm too dark
God cannot calm it
There is no sorrow too deep
He cannot soothe it
Oh, if He carried the weight of the world
upon His shoulders
I know my brother that He will carry you
Oh, if He carried the weight of the world
upon His shoulders
I know my sister that He will carry you
Thankfulness is that state of mind that allows you to rest
in His providence. To rest in the knowledge that He is carrying you in the palm
of his hand. I am often guilty of not only
worrying about my issues (as many as they are), but also taking on the problems
of others. I was never meant to carry those burdens.
So this Thanksgiving midst the Turkey and pie, I hope that
we all take time to be Thankful. More than that, however, it is my prayer that
the Attitude of Gratitude permeates my life. That “Counting my Blessings” is as
natural as breathing in and out.
I want to leave you with this little clip (keeping, perhaps,
in the spirit of this ‘sing-a-long’ post) from one of my most favorite movies
ever. White Christmas.
Bing and Rosemary. It doesn’t get any better that this.
I posted last night about searching for a good dinner roll recipe for Thanksgiving Dinner. Bread making is not as difficult as it might seem...I have been making bread (sans bread machine) since I was a young teenager. There are methods that will guarantee nice and fluffy rolls. I don't mind a bread machine at all. I use one frequently. There is just something about getting your hands into it.
The rolls I made last night were delicious, but a little heavy. I found this youtube video on breadmaking so I could kind of brush up on my bread making skills. Though my recipe is different the technique is tried and true.
As I suspected I had added a little more flour than necessary and I didn't properly even out the portion sizes of my rolls. They didn't turn out as high as I wanted them to. This particular youtube contributor has also uploaded several videos on making a variety of dinner roll shapes from the bread dough.
Can't you just smell the fresh bread baking in the oven? Bring on the butter!
It's almost the big day. Turkey Day. Tomorrow morning we are heading out to spend the a few days with The Studly Muffin's Fam. I am in charge of rolls. At least I have put myself in charge of rolls. Homemade rolls. I don't mind using Rhodes rolls in a pinch. But there is something pretty satisfying about making your own bread. I decided I was going to try out one or two different recipes before I unleashed my roll making skills upon the In-Laws.
I first tried Paula Deen's recipe for Easy Yeast Rolls. They remind me of Angel Biscuits. They were really simple to make, but not as "grand" as I wanted. They were yummy though. Josiah ate several...which in itself is a pretty big deal.
My next and final experiment was a copycat recipe of the famous "Lambert's Throwed Rolls." I live just miles from Lambert's in Ozark, Mo. They specialized in home cooking. But their claim to fame is the fabulous dinner rolls they throw at you while you eat. I can assure you it that it is not as violent as it sounds. It's all in good fun. Nobody I know has ever been seriously wounded. Though a few rolls have been lost.
I used this recipe that I found here. This is how my turned out. I think I used a little more flour than I needed. It's easy to do when making rolls. Next time I am going to add my flour a little at a time.
They were still pretty yummy. Though I did miss the experience of having someone tossing me one. Maybe we should start a new tradition at Thanksgiving. Or maybe not.
I posted last night how Josiah had hijacked the camera (you can read about it here) and I found pictures of a dozen blue men ready to take over the world. I found some more today.
This time they brought friends.
And this time it doesn't look pretty. It appears that they have pilfered through my cabinet leaving destruction in their wake.Josiah told me that it is a Raging Inferno. I'm sorry to say that a Power Ranger has succumbed. In a side note it also appears that Mr. Spock (the old Mr. Spock from the new movie) has arrived on the scene (extreme right)...Captain Kirk shouldn't be far behind. All is not lost. I can rest better tonight.
I am hosting Thanksgiving Dinner for my family this year. My house is little, but I don't mind squeezing everybody in. My parents are in the beginning stages of renovating their farm house and since I'm feeling much better I volunteered. I've also started making up my list of what to have. There are some things we just can't do without for Thanksgiving. Christmas we've always been a little more adventurous. That is with my side of the family...Troy's family has the same things...Christmas and Thanksgiving. We alternate Holidays. We went to Indiana our very first Christmas together...Troy's mom put on a spread, but what was amazing to me was how much she delegated out to a variety of pie shops, deli's, etc. My family (most of us wanna be amateur gourmets) made everything from scratch. I realize now that most of that was economical. I am not the pie maker in my family, but this year I will be attempting a few. Here are a few recipes that I have used year after year and I imagine will find their way to the family table once again.
Corn Casserole This corn casserole recipe is to die for! There is nothing better than corn and cheese – together. This is a pretty rich recipe and can be totted faithful to any potluck supper or family dinner. And it is pretty! Plan on getting lots of compliments on this dish!
2 cans of cream-style corn 1 package of Jiffy Corn Mix 2 beaten eggs 1 tablespoon of milk One-half cup of onions, chopped One-fourth cup of butter One-half pint of sour cream One-half cup of grated cheddar cheese
Not sure what to have with this dish? Try it with a tender pork loin or a juicy meatloaf. Accompany that with a potato (any style) and some slow cooked green beans. Mmm-Mmm!
Broccoli Tree Salad I’m not sure if this is the right name for this salad, but every time my mom asks me to make it -this is what she calls it. Kind of like when she kept calling, “Hobby Lobby”-“Lobby Holly.” Anyway, this is a tasty salad with a lot of surprises. I have taken several recipes I have seen and kind of added everything I like together. It has the right amount of several good flavors.
Four cups of raw Broccoli (I just get the stuff already cut for you in the bag) One pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled (be sure to use real bacon-bacon bits just don’t cut it!) One-fourth cup of green onions, chopped One-half cup of golden raisins One-half cup of sunflower seeds One cup of mayonnaise One-half cup of sugar One-half cup of red wine vinegar
Just dump everything in a big bowl (be sure to mix up you mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar in a separate little bowl first-this will let you get it good and stirred around-then add to the big bowl). Stir everything around really good and refrigerate for a little bit. Unless everyone in your house is opposed to “green stuff,” I guarantee this salad won’t last too long!
Superior Cheese Cake This is the best cheese cake recipe on the planet. It was given to my mom when I was teenager by a dear friend who had moved from the East Coast (she also catered my wedding rehearsal dinner). We have been having it for birthdays and special occasions ever since. It seems like an awful lot of work, but it is well worth it. Plan a lot of time to cook it, because it has to stand in the oven for two hours after it is cooked.
1 pound of Cottage cheese, sieved 1 pound of Cream cheese One and one-half cup of sugar Four Eggs One Tablespoon of lemon juice One Teaspoon of vanilla Three Tablespoons of flour Three Tablespoons of cornstarch One-fourth lb. Of butter, melted and cooled One pint of sour cream
Cream cheeses and sugar together. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in lemon juice, vanilla, cornstarch and flour. Add melted butter and mix until smooth. Blend in sour cream. Pour into a greased 9-inch spring-form pan and bake 1 hour at 325. Turn off oven and let cake stand in oven for 2 hours, with door closed. Remove and cool thoroughly before removing sides of pan. It makes about 12 nice servings or more. Can be served with strawberry glaze, cherry pie filling or pineapple.
I will try and add a few more this week. I make my turkey a specific way (I might have already blogged about that) and my mom-in-law makes two special desserts every holiday that are absolutely delish.
