StC: Homeward Bound

To complete our week of Thanksgiving: 101, I decided to leave you with a little gift to help you stay on track. Delish has this great 2 Week Countdown to Thanksgiving, complete with videos and printable checklists.

With feeling a bit more prepared for Thanksgiving, this week, we'll be focusing our attention towards home. And, to start our week off on the right foot, the amazingly talented Laura Redd from Laura Redd Interiors has offered one free hour of design to the winner of today's give away!

Have you ever looked at a room, and wondered how it could look? Have you ever thought to yourself, I wish I could redo this space, without breaking the bank? Now's your chance. Laura has been doing interior design for over 12 years, and loves to help clients bring a fresh and new feel to their homes. Her tagline is "reinspiring your home"...I told you it was fitting for this week.

I can't wait to celebrate this week with you. To enter the giveaway, comment below, with the room that you would choose to focus on first and why. As always, winners will be chosen on Friday!

StC: Thanksgiving:101: Thankful Tree

I love being able to make concepts come more alive for my children. I've learned how allowing them to create something, truly helps make it stick in their minds more. For instance, we talk a lot in November about being thankful. But, this year, we're going to help them to see how much we really have. This is a simple object lesson that also doubles as a fun and interactive centerpiece.

Step 6: Be Intentional About Being Thankful

1. Find a small branch in your yard, and trim it down enough to place in a vase (I like how river rocks look at the bottom of my vase, and they also stabilizes the branch from shifting - you can find bags of them at the Dollar Tree). It can still have several small branches coming off of it, as it will only add to the display you're creating.

2. Have the kids help you cut out lots of "leaves" from colored paper. If you want to get exact leaf shapes, here's a free maple leaf template, or an oak leaf template. I like the more whimsical look, so we just kind of cut out what we felt looked like a leaf. You can use construction paper, or scrapbook paper...whatever you have &/or like. We punched a hole in the end of the leaf, to be able to use ribbons to hang them on the tree. However, you can also just punch an ornament hanger through the paper, and hang that way.

3. Place the leaves, crayons/markers, and ornament hooks nearby the tree.

4. Each morning or evening, take the time to ask each family member one thing they're thankful for. After they say (or write) what they are thankful for, hang that leaf on the tree.

5. Watch as your tree grows to be full of blessings.

6. Then, on Thanksgiving, take each leaf off your tree, announcing what the blessing was. This is especially sweet to all the extended family, that will get to hear what little ones have been thankful for.

I think this will be a fun tradition for years to come. It will be precious to save the leaves and be able to read them years from now. There is such a sweet faith in little ones, and many times it is only vulnerable and transparent for a short time. I'm soaking those moments up while I can!!

Speaking of awesome ideas, I found this blog, and she had so so many fun links to great Thanksgiving projects, I had to wrap up our Thanksgiving: 101 by sharing the goodness! This week has been so much fun. I hope you're feeling more excited about Thanksgiving than ever...without all the stress taking over.

I can't wait to see you tomorrow for our next giveaway!!

StC: Thanksgiving 101: Don't Forget About the Kids!

One step of your Thanksgiving preparation that should NOT go unplanned, is how to keep your kids occupied while you're fixing, baking, decorating, and cleaning. Have on a hand a few fun activities for them to do, that will also help them learn what Thanksgiving is all about. These activities just might help make your Thanksgiving a little more fun for you both!

Step 5. Kid's Activities

1. Charlie Brown is Always a Must

I love holiday specials. I remember making sure we were home by 8pm on whatever night they would be coming on. It's not like we could Tivo it. If you missed it, you had to wait a year! And who wants to wait to see A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving!

...except it wasn't available on "Blu-ray".

It's been fun to share the Charlie Brown movies with my kids for the last couple of years. I'm always surprised by how talented Snoopy is, how enlightened Linus is, and how bossy Lucy is. Ahhh, memories. These fun characters bring to life the meaning of the holidays in a way that even a three year old can understand. We've found these movies at our public library, or on Netflix, or go purchase them, and add them to your own collection. You won't be disappointed!

2. Add a Little Color!

Why not surprise your kiddos this week with a new coloring book?! But, why go out and spend money, when you can download and print off lots of free coloring pages? My kids LOVE to color, and so any reason to have a new coloring book is big fun.

Free Thanksgiving Coloring Pages

Autumn Coloring Pages

Turkey Coloring Pages

Print off your pages, staple them together, and even tie them up with ribbon as a Thanksgiving week surprise. With time off from school, they'll need a few extra activities to do!

If you have family coming in, this coloring book could also double as a welcome gift for any kids coming to visit. But watch out, they'll want to come back every year!

3. Scavenger Hunts:

Remind them that the Pilgrims and Native Americans had to "hunt" for their food. Send them on a search to find Autumn "harvest". Acorns, leaves, pecans, seeds, pine cones could all be easily found. Make it a little more fun by placing some different fall fruits and vegetables in different "hiding" spots. Pumpkins, pears, gourds, potatoes, could all be likely finds!

4. Story Time

Go to your public library, and see what books they have on Thanksgiving. I guarantee you you'll find some wonderful books for your little ones! Have an assortment of books placed around during the week of Thanksgiving, so that your children will be able to more fully understand what this holiday is about.

Only one day left in our Thanksgiving: 101! Be sure to check out tomorrow's post for some more great ideas on how to celebrate this wonderful time of year.

StC: Thanksgiving 101: Dress Up Your Table

Just because you're having a celebratory dinner, doesn't mean you have to stress over "setting" the table. I love how easy it can be to dress up your table with a few simple tricks.

Step 4. The Table

Grab some pine cones from the yard, and cluster them around the table.

If you are going for the more formal look, wine glasses at each place are always a pretty touch, no matter the beverage. And I love bringing in a touch of greenery into each setting. You're sure to get some oohs and ahhs over that!

Even doing placecards can be stunningly simple!

Use fresh fruit to create an elegant look on any table.

By setting your table a few days before Thanksgiving, it will allow you more time in the kitchen on the day of, instead of worrying about what your table looks like. I usually set my dining room table up about 3 days in advance. Maybe that's a bit premature, but I'm always thankful that a step is crossed off my list of things to do!

What are some ways you dress up your table?

And the Giveaway Winner for this week is...WHITNEY! Glad you came to party, girl, because you got the prize! Happy Friday, everyone...and see you back here tomorrow for some more tips for planning your Thanksgiving.

StC: Thanksgiving 101: Serving Central

Yesterday, we made our lists for our Thanksgiving groceries. Today, we are venturing into serving options! You definitely don't want everyone to show up with the food, and have no place to put everything. Or the other headache, having people ask you, "Where does this go?" And not really knowing the answer! Plan ahead, and know right where everything will go!

Step 3. Plan Your Serving Stations

1. Customize to Your Space:

If you have a small kitchen, you can always station different food in other rooms. Dessert could be stationed on a side table in the living room. Or a drink station in your den. This way, not everyone is crowded into the kitchen, making the chef crazy! If you have the space, setting the food on a buffet is always really nice. You can use a variety of dishes to serve from and just mix and match what you like/what people bring. Grab what you like, and what holds food in the most functional way and you won't go wrong!

2. Decide if you will use all your own dishes, or just have enough spots, trays, and trivets to put other dishes on. I will say it's much simpler to just keep the dish it came in, even if they don't all match just right.

3. Label your dishes (or spaces for dishes) with the names of food that will go in them, to make a simple buffet spread. That way when guests arrive and see "cranberry sauce" they'll know right where to put it. If you're taking a dish somewhere, label your dish, just in case it gets left, you'll be sure to get it back!

*HOSTESS TIP: Make sure you get a few disposable containers or ziploc bags to be able to send leftovers home with your guests.

See you back here tomorrow for more Thanksgiving 101. You can do it, I promise!

picture credits: www.goodhousekeeping.com/food/holidays/easy-organizing-thanksgiving-table

StC: Thanksgiving 101: The Lists

I always seem to have random lists in my pockets, or jackets, or crumbled up in my purse somewhere. They definitely serve their purpose in keeping me straight, but sometimes, they can be overwhelming. Too many things to do in one day. Too many people to call back in one 15 min. car pool line. Or too many groceries to get in one trip. All this to say, DON'T plan on getting all your Thanksgiving groceries in one trip to the store.

Step 2. Make Your List(s)

After choosing your recipes, make your master list of everything you'll need for your feast. Take a quick inventory of your staples, to make sure that when you go to grab the sugar for that pie you're making, your sugar's not scraping the bottom of the canister.

Separate your perishables from your non-perishables. On your next trip to the store, go ahead and get your non-perishables for your upcoming recipes. Then, the week of, go back and get your turkey, cheese, eggs, milk, etc.

(Hint: Before you go to the store, clean out your fridge of everything but the essentials...that way when you come back with all the food, you'll have the space to pack it in!)

There's no reason why you need to get everything for the meal in one day. Take your time, and organize your thoughts. Your stress level, and your wallet, will be thanking you!

Something to Celebrate: Thanksgiving 101

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday. I think it might be my favorite holiday...probably because I get to eat all my favorite foods! It's so glorious and beautiful...and oh my gosh, it's 2 weeks away! With decorating, baking, traveling, grocery shopping, gifts, how do you even know where to begin? Well, I'll tell you!

Each day this week, I will be giving a step for how to prepare for Thanksgiving. So, don't worry...we'll do it together one step at a time! (Breathe...just breathe.) I would hate for you to not be able to fully enjoy this season, simply because you had to rush to get everything done at the last minute. Even though I'm the world's biggest procrastinator when it comes to my own life, I love being able to slowly work my way through my Thanksgiving preparation, so that when the day comes, I can simply...be thankful.

So, where to start? It might be obvious, but...the food!

Step 1.

Decide if you are doing a Pot Luck Thanksgiving, which I have to say is my personal favorite, or the Traditional Feast that one person "whips" up. (Yeah, right!). Whether you're making everything, or only taking a side dish somewhere, you can decide now, so that the stress is removed from the week of.

If you are the host, I would decide on the menu, and then ask people to bring specific dishes. (i.e. Nancy, will you bring a green bean casserole?) You could even offer a recipe that you already know is delicious. Or, they could enjoy exploring different recipes. Either way, they know that they are in charge of that particular dish, rather than having no idea what they should bring. People like simplicity. The easier you can make it for your guests, the better.

If you are going to be a guest this year for Thanksgiving, DON'T wait for them to call you and tell you what to bring. More times than not, the host doesn't want to feel like you're being burdened with anything. So, call them, and ask what you could bring to contribute to the meal. This way, you can begin to prepare, and feel good about lifting the load off the host.

Here are a few links to deciding upon the menu for your Thanksgiving Day Feast!

Thanksgiving Potluck Guide (Real Simple)

13 Thanksgiving Day Menus (Sunset)

Thanksgiving Menus for Everyone (All Recipes)

Over 100 Thanksgiving Day Recipes (Foodnetwork)

Thanksgiving Handbook (Delish)

If you are somewhat local, and haven't already linked up for this week's giveaway, go do it! It's a delicious one for sure! And, make sure you check back tomorrow for Step 2!

Linking up with Tuesdays Unwrapped!