December Pinterest Board

How was your Thanksgiving?  Are you exhausted from cooking, eating, cleaning up, or shopping, or maybe all of the above?  I did eat and clean a bit, but my husband did the shopping (lucky me, I know).  He froze in line at Target to get the very last iPod Air they had!

Follow Brooke @ blissfulroots.com December on Pinterest

I don't know what it is, but I just can't bring myself to share anything for the up-coming holiday until the previous holiday has had its last hoorah!  I have to say I've been itching to get going on some Christmas stuff!  Time to ring in the most wonderful time of the year!  So to start off, here's my December Pinterest board.  

You can check out all of my Pinterest boards by clicking here.  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Pumpkin Cobbler

If you're in need of an easy, last minute, non-pie dessert for you Thanksgiving dinner, then I've got you covered.  This recipes comes together so quickly, and is amazing! 

Have you ever had dutch oven peach cobbler?  I hope you have, because it's to die for!  Well, this is somewhat similar.  The base for the cobbler is pumpkin instead of peaches, but you still dump a yellow cake mix and butter on top.

I like pumpkin pie alright, but for some reason I seem to like desserts like this better than pie.  I'm sure it has everything to do with the extra sweetness the cake mix adds.  This is a really rich, sweet dessert, so if that's not your cup of tea, then I'd suggest sticking to pie.

Hope all of your Thanksgiving preparations are going well.  Tomorrow's the big day!
Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Thanksgiving Chalkboard Printable

While I do have posts for the rest of this week, they'll probably all be short and sweet.  Kind of a busy (but, oh so fun) week, as I'm sure you're all experiencing.

Click to Print

Here's my last Thanksgiving printable for the year.  I'm not sure where I came across this one, but I absolutely love it!  Aren't the words beautiful?  I have to say I completely agree with Mr. Chesterton.  Some days it seems nearly impossible to be thankful, doesn't it?  I believe that's why he says thanks are the highest form of thought.  Anyone can complain, be envious of what other have, but it takes a certain training to cultivate thankful thoughts.  I can speak from experience, that the effort involved in having higher thoughts is completely worth it!   My life is such a much happier place to be when I live in thanksgiving every day.  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Turkey Math Game For Kids {In/Out}

'Tis the week of Thanksgiving.  I love this week (can you tell I'm not in charge of cooking and/or hosting Thanksgiving dinner?)!  I feel like it's the first official week of the holiday season.  For me, even anything Christmas goes this week.  I do wait to decorate until the day after Thanksgiving, but there have been a lot of bits and pieces of Christmas creeping up around our house lately.

 I do have some more Thanksgiving posts up through Thursday, but Friday I'll be ringing in the Christmas holiday season!

I've been helping out in my twins' first grade classroom on Fridays.  I get to do math centers with the kids.  I love being there, and it makes me REALLY miss teaching.  

We played this game last time I went to volunteer.  I used this games when I taught first grade as well.  The kids always loved it, and it's a great way to teach addition and subtraction.  You can make this game as generic or holiday-themed as you like.  I'm a bit of a holiday fanatic, so I can't not put some sort of holiday twist on it (hence, the turkey and fall-colored Kisses).

I have all the instructions here for how to play, but in a nutshell you pick a certain number of counters (or candy in our case), and one person hides a few counters under the turkey pot, leaving some outside as well.  The other buddy has to then guess how many counters are in the pot based on the number they began with, and the number of counters on the outside.  Then the buddies switch rolls and play over and over.  You can change the number of counters/candy to small and easy for younger kids, or larger and more challenging for older kids.

I like having my boys record how many counters are in and out each time.  That way they can see the different combinations written out.  I have printable record sheets for the turkey version of the game here.

This game is the perfect way to keep your kids doing a bit of "homework" over the break while having fun, and celebrating this Thanksgiving time of year.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Nature's Turkey {Easy Art Project For Kids}

Just popping in today with a little project my four-year-old and I did yesterday afternoon.

 

I realized the other day that I haven't made a single turkey with my boys this year, and  Thanksgiving is less than a week away!  The horror, I know.

Anyway, we decided to make a turkey from nature this time around.  I always love how these turn out, and the best part is you don't have to make or buy a single supply!  Mother Nature provides them all.

It's amazing what you can find outside this time of year.  At first glance, everything seems so dead and dreary, but take another look and you'll be surprised with what can be found.  This entire turkey (minus the hot glue and paper) was made from things we found in my in-law's yard.  Making the turkey itself was fun, but the hunt for materials was actually our favorite part.  We gathered leaves, berries, and a pinecone, then hot glued everything on to a white piece of card stock.  So simple, so natural, and of course, adorable!

What kind of turkeys do you like to make at your house this time of year?

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Turkey Hunt {Fun Thanksgiving Activity for Kids}

Thanksgiving Day is such a fun time to be together, and while the adults are usually content with eating and visiting, the kids usually need some kind of entertainment. 

We did this turkey hunt with my boys last year, and it proved to be a hit!  If your kids are like my boys, then they LOVE hide-and-seek type of games.  This is a quick easy activity that can be put together in just a few minutes.   

SUPPLIES

*Printer
*Paper
*Scissors
*Printed cut out turkeys (see below)

*Paper bag or basket for each child

HOW TO

*One person hides the turkeys (we have an adult do this).

*All the kids go on a turkey hunt to collect turkeys and put in their bags.

*You can color code the turkeys on the back, so each child is responsible for finding one color.  That way each child will find the same amount of turkeys.

*We really don't have a winner (too much fighting involved with that sometimes).  The kids are just trying to collect all their turkeys.

*Turkeys can be hid over and over for multiple rounds.

*You can time the hunt as well to add another fun element to the game, or any other variation you can think of.

Click to Print

You can use the turkeys I made here, but I have to say the quality of the turkeys on my Google Drive page isn't great.  I didn't have time to get these printed out, so I'm not sure what they'd look like once printed.  Often times they'll print out better than what is on the screen, but if you want to use these turkeys, maybe try one trial print to see how they look.  I'd hate for you to print out a bunch and not like them.  There are plenty of other free turkeys out there you could instead.

What do you do to keep your kids entertained on Thanksgiving Day?

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Pumpkin Spice Pudding Parfaits

I found a recipe on Pinterest earlier this month from Mommy on Demand for pumpkin chocolate chip pudding cookies made with Jell-O Pumpkin Spice Pudding.  I didn't know such a thing existed.  I hunted and hunted for it, and finally found it at Walmart.  And while I haven't tried the cookies yet (I will before the month is through), I did use the pumpkin spice pudding for a different dessert.

Last month I posted these Halloween pudding cups that I made for my boys' birthday party.  I've always loved how easy and yummy this recipe is, and now I love it because it was totally easy to make a brand new dessert with new flavors by switching out a few ingredients.

Click on the link for the Halloween pudding cups for the recipe to follow.  You will just need to substitute the chocolate pudding for the pumpkin spice, and use crushed gingersnaps (I used my homemade gingersnaps) instead of Oreos.  I also saved a bit of the Cool Whip (with a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg mixed in) to use as a topping this time.  I didn't do that last time.  You can layer the ingredients as much, or as little as you'd like.

My three boys devoured these!  They aren't really into pumpkin pie, but it's completely against the rules to not have some sort of pumpkin on Thanksgiving, isn't it?  This recipe is the perfect alternative for your non-pumpkin-pie-eating family members.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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All That We Behold Printable

I believe today's quote is for me more than anyone else.  Two nights ago my husband and I were up all night with a sick little boy.  My boys are seven and four, and sleep really well at nights!  I can't remember the last time we were both up multiple times during one night.  It was rough to say the least- on all three of us.  My poor little guy!  He was home sick from school yesterday, and was worn right out.

Click to Print

As I was pulling sheets of the bed at 1:00 a.m., this quote that I was using for today's printable came to mind.  I have to admit, I wasn't finding a single blessing among the laundry piles and throw up.  But, the next morning I was thinking a bit more clearly, and I realize there were many blessings from our all-nighter.  

ALL THAT WE BEHOLD IS FULL OF BLESSINGS

*I had a working washer and dryer to throw all the smelly clothes, sheets, pillowcases, and blankets into.

*My patient and helpful husband was there with bucket in hand each time the throw up came.

*Our two healthy boys slept soundly all night long.

*Our sick little boy was so patient, brave, and sweet.  He kept asking if it was his fault, and how long until morning.
*This was just a stomach bug.  We have a darling nephew who's going through chemo now, and will need a bone marrow transplant in a few months.
*I had Bath and Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin soap in the bathroom.  Every time we washed (I think we used the entire bottle in one night) the bathroom smelled like fall, and not-so-much throw up.  

I really could keep going, but you get the idea.  So, yes it was a long night, but really just like every situation, there are multiple blessings to behold.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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DIY Mayflower Place Cards

A few years ago I ran across this cute Mayflower centerpiece from Martha Stewart.  I was getting ready to put things together for our family's annual First Thanksgiving Dinner and thought these would be the perfect touch for our table. 

Martha used her Mayflower as a centerpiece for the kids' table.  I used the Mayflowers as place cards for our entire table.  You can use them wherever and however you'd like.

I printed out the template on card stock, cut it out, and then traced the boat template onto brown card stock.  After I cut the boat out, then I hot glued the boats together.  You can click here for Martha's instructions.  One tip on gluing.  I just add a small line of hot glue to the sides of the boat.  Then I push the ends of the boat to open it, and put the bottom down inside.  I don't even glue the bottom.  As long as your appetizers isn't heavy, the bottom of the boat should stay without glue.  If you're going to move the boats a lot or load them up with snacks, then I would suggest gluing the bottom.

  I did add a sail to my boats, but just one (Martha had two).  I stamped each person's name on the sail, then I hot glued the sail to a trimmed bamboo skewer.

  Finally, I  filled each boat with some goodies.  This year I used a trail mix, but in year's past I've put this honey popcorn in the boats.  That was a huge hit!  You can fill your boats with whatever you'd like.  The boats aren't very big, so don't worry about everyone getting too full on the appetizer.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.