Thanksgiving activities for kids

I was just printing out some fun things for us to do today with my preschool aged kids and thought I'd share.

• Activity placemats and another one here
  
• Pilgrim booklet (reading and coloring)
• The colors I eat on thanksgiving booklet
• Other booklets
  
• More printables

Have a great day with your families!

Thanksgiving

This is the first Thanksgiving I'm hosting in a very long time. And I'm getting excited. I've simplified the menu this year and am only making the things I care about most:

• Turkey & gravy
• Stuffing
• Sweet potato casserole
  
• Cranberry sauce

Everything else (rolls, drinks, pie, etc.) will be bought this year and brought by my parents or in-laws. Possible exception - I think my mom will bake a Marionberry pie if we are lucky. Yeah!

But as I look around my messy house, I'm realizing we are hurting on the decor front. And I haven't thought about a gratitude project so I need to get crackin'. Some good ideas for decor (I mainly care about the table at this point - it is a little late for everything else!):

• Mayflower centerpiece
• Turkey placecards and more here
• Quick natural placecards (I actually have a handful of these I picked up outside the knit shop a few weeks ago)
  
• Finger puppets
• Awesome corn husk votives
  

I heart owls

Click on the image for more information. You can download free owl brushes for Photoshop here.

Photoshop lesson 2

Scrappin' fun

I'm taking another Photoshop class from Jessica Sprague and I really like it. This is the layout I made during the first lesson:
And while this may look simple, I think I had almost 40 layers in Elements before I finished. I even turned the photo to sepia manually and colored in Carter on his bike. I'm feeling very fancy right about now.

Photoshop layers and masks

make something cool: marshmallow shooter!

Things to make for christmas

I love being crafty, but things get so out of control before Christmas. Thought I'd make a big list of all the things I want to make before I figure out what I will realistically have time to make. Here goes (see how overwhelming this is?):

• christmas garland
• dinosaur play mat
• snow globes
  
• ornaments a la skunkboy or adorable felt toys
• fabric crowns or maybe felt?
  
• knitting projects: 5 hats and surprise?!?
  
• christmas card wreath display
• kids craft: gumdrop pops
• activity books for kids: coloring pages, connect the dots, etc.
• kids craft: Snowflakes and snowmen
• kids activity or gift: vintage paper dolls
  
• microwave caramel corn with chocolate chips added at the end (or nuts, white chocolate, coconut, orange zest, cinnamon, etc. depending on how i feel)
  
• peppermint cocoa or layered
• peppermint bark popcorn or peppermint candy brownies
• pin cushion gift with pinecone elves
• black apple dollies
  
• christmas countdown garland
• photo advent calendar
  
• christmas planner for gifts (another one made from index cards!), and printable forms for getting organized
• gift tags and photo gift toppers, as well as mitten clips

Other good ideas:

• sock or glove critters
• piggy mittens (pdf)
  
• drawstring bags using up my cute stash of fabric
• repurposed t-shirt pants
  
• christmas tree scrapbook
• gifts in a jar, including smores in a jar
  
• monkey bread
• christmas sayings, and kitchen gift sayings for cards
  

Things to do for christmas

In the spirit of celebrating family, here are some of the things I'd like to do this year:

• Put up the tree thanksgiving weekend and being decorating house
  
• Plan weekend in leavenworth
• Write letters to Santa
• Family game night weekly
• Christmas movie nights
• Bake christmas cookies and decorate
• Christmas stories with kiddos
• Picnic around the fire
• Fondue night
  
• Make a snowman
• Video chat with family
• Christmas eve at Grandma Peggy's with the aunties
• Christmas morning with Auntie Lindsey & Uncle Brett
• Christmas dinner with Grandma Maria & Grandpa Keith (and family)
• Hot cider and cocoa
• Christmas carols
• Family service project, operation christmas child
• Make peppermint cocoa to share with friends
• Eggnog french toast
• Craft projects
• Send out christmas picture
• Write a letter
  

December Daily Album

I've decided to create a December Daily scrapbook album before Dec 1 and got a great start on it yesterday. I am so inspired by Ali Edwards and love her sense of style and imperfect approach to capturing everyday life.

More links to projects and products for my, I mean your, inspiration:
Another December Daily album done in July in preparation.
Holidays in Hand class by Jessica Sprague - which I am also planning on doing this year.
Journal Your Christmas with email prompts

My goal is to slow down this year - be intentional about creating christmas magic, focus on experiences (not stuff) and savor every moment. I'm hoping these projects will help!

make something cool: pretty dresses

I would love to make this dress:
I love this dress. And I have lots of Jason's old dress shirts that I could use. But I've never sewed clothes before. I aspire to make this for Sabrina but fear by the time I get around to it, she'll outgrow the dress shirt!

Also, a sewing tutorial from Oliver + S that is great for those learning to sew.

My first digital scrapbook page

I made my first page today, do you like it?

Jessica Sprague taught me how. I took a free class online here.

Basic Photoshop stuff but I needed it. It's been over 10 years since I really used Photoshop! I'm very excited. Taking the next class now...

IMG00218.jpg

First fire of the season. Toasty! Kids enjoying picnic dinner on pirate plates. Bean bags are out for full lounging benefit. And paper bag lanterns that Carter invented. Good times.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Piano man

I came back from my trip to Nashville to discover that Carter learned to play piano while I was gone. See for yourself...


Here's the original Coldplay song he is playing:


And of course Sabrina couldn't miss out on the action...

Not bad for the first lesson - can you see how proud of herself she is?

Every time I leave my family, Jason does a great job with the kids. A little too good if you ask me. I'm not sure how he gets them to sit still for long enough to learn piano, for example. That just doesn't happen when I work with them. He is so incredibly patient and creative when teaching them that it is wonderful to watch. But it is starting to make me look bad...

make something cool: recycled plastic messanger bag

for another weekend when i'm feeling crafty, i want to make this!

Cricut Contest Entry

This is contest entry for those crazy folks at TodaysMama and Cricut. Be sure to check out Cricut's cool new cartridges and the chance at $30,000 in travel for you and your friends at the Great Gypsy Escape site!

Great Escape Meme
1. If you could escape to anywhere in the world where would it be? Hawaii
2. What song do you play when you are by yourself in the car? Viva la Vida

3. If you had a night to yourself, and money was no object, what would you do? Spa, hair, pampering generally
4. What is your guilty pleasure? anything baked, especially chocolate
5. What is the farthest place you have traveled away from your home? Munich
6. Last book that you couldn't put down? Edgar Sawtelle
7. When you want to escape into another time, what movie do you watch?
8. What is your favorite local escape? Point No Point beach with the kiddos
9. How do you escape on a budget? Parks, beaches, long walks, picking blackberries
10. Best food you've ever had while on vacation. Sushi in hawaii - so fresh and yummy!

I had to have these stamps

I'm in love with them. Can't wait for them to come!

It's like learning to ride a bike...

We had the best day on Sunday. It was the first day in over a month that Jason had the day off and we made the most of it. After church we visited with his parents and then headed to the ball field to try out the bike with no training wheels, something we'd been talking about all summer but haven't had time to do. Carter was convinced he wouldn't be able to ride a bike until he turned 5 (just a couple weeks away) and he was quite apprehensive about it. But Daddy knew best. He knew Carter was ready, but he just needed to want it. And he did. We took his bike to the baseball field and spent the afternoon riding and taking a break and hanging out in the shade and riding some more and just hanging out. It was really nice.

Here's a video for your enjoyment:

Carter learning to ride bike 4 from Michelle Anderson on Vimeo.

The Seven Lesson Schoolteacher

I just finished reading John Taylor Gatto's "Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling." I was beside myself. It really helped me to think critically about the kind of education I want to give my kids. I'm not sure how much I buy into the Totalitarianism or conspiracy to dumb down our kids, but it did get me thinking which is a good thing. I'm consolidating my thoughts and need to talk it over with my husband before I publish anything here, but here is a copy of The Seven Lesson Schoolteacher speech that Gatto gave upon accepting an award for NY State Teacher of the Year in 1991. You should read it. And another chapter of the book, a speech he delivered in 1990 when he acepted an award from the NY State Senate for NYC Teacher of the year is entitled "The Psychopathic School."

Inspiring Layout: Hearts

I ran across this beautiful scrapbook page yesterday. Enjoy!