The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

{family favorites} Three Thanksgiving Books & an Easy Craft

Thanksgiving has snuck up on me this year – I can’t believe we’re more than halfway through November already!  I made a few last minute lesson plans to add to our homeschooling and thought I’d share a few of our Thanksgiving favorites with you!


These three books are ones I take out every year:

  • Franklin’s Thanksgiving: Franklin’s grandparents can’t make it to Thanksgiving dinner and he is bummed.  So without telling each other, Franklin, his mom and his dad each invite someone to Thanksgiving dinner, thinking it will make a wonderful surprise for the others.  Imagine the shock when everyone arrives on Thanksgiving morning!  It’s a sweet little story about hospitality.    
  • A Turkey for Thanksgiving: Mr. and Mrs. Moose are hosting Thanksgiving dinner, but wish they had a real turkey instead of the paper one they have on their table.  Mr. Moose goes to find her one and meets his friends along the way.  When they find a turkey and call to him, he is terrified and runs away but Mr. Moose insists.  The ending is so cute…and unexpected!  My kids love it.  
  • P Is for Pilgrim: A Thanksgiving Alphabet: I love the illustrations in this book.  I also like how the story (written in rhyme) is simple, but there are also more detailed information on the edges of the pages…it’s perfect for reading to a variety of ages.    

Need a super easy craft to do before the holiday?  These thankful turkeys are perfect.  I quickly cut the body and feathers beforehand, but a little guy who likes cutting could easily do the same.  My oldest wanted to fill in all of his feathers at one time (he was so excited to be allowed to use the Sharpie!).  Another idea would be to fill in one everyday until Thanksgiving.  

{around here} Week of 11.10.14


 This week was packed full of fun things: celebrating the Marine Corps birthday, having friends over for a play date and an end-of-season soccer pizza party.  Mark was away on a business trip for part of the week too, so I tried to keep us busy with art projects and movie nights.     

Favorite homeschooling activities:

  • It was D week in Kindergarten.  We didn’t do any themed crafts, but I think a trip to the grocery store for doughnuts may be just as effective. 🙂
  • We’re halfway through Owls in the Family and the boys think the stories are hilarious.  We also learned about nocturnal animals and M created a really neat owl using newspaper (he used this one as inspiration). 
  • For spelling, we played Spelling Battleship.  It was such a hit, I think we’ll need to buy the real game soon! 



Even though the scale hasn’t moved in about 10 days, I’m still pushing through my workouts.  I started boxing this week, an exercise that has always interested me but has been equally intimidating.  I put on my brave face and tried it anyway, and it was so fun!  I also did a kettlebell workout I found online that was so effective, I could barely walk the next morning!  Add in my Couch25K and I am definitely working hard, whether the scale says so or not.  It’ll come eventually.
      
As for nutrition, I’m weaning myself off sugar again (darn you, Halloween!) and trying to focus on filling myself with good foods.      

On the blog:



This weekend, we have even more fun in store: celebrating a big 8th birthday!  
Hope your weekend is full of good things too.

{around here} Ten on Ten: November 2014

Part of my November Goals was to complete my first Ten on Ten photo challenge.  In case you haven’t heard about it, here’s how it works: On the tenth of the month, you take a photograph an hour for ten consecutive hours.  I loved the experience and even though, it was just an ordinary day, I think I’ll treasure all of the little details I was able to capture.  I can’t wait to do this again!

ten on ten button

{in the kitchen} Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: A Fall Tradition

One of my favorite things about having a family is creating traditions that we all look forward to each year.  My kids are still quite young, so we’re still in the stage of trying new things and seeing what sticks.  Baking pumpkin chocolate chip cookies has become one of those traditions. 


This year seemed particularly special.  With Pandora playing in the background, the kids danced while Mark and I chatted as I whipped up a batch of these cookies.  They all watched eagerly (my husband included!) through the oven window as the cookies baked.  We even had running commentary as they counted down the minutes.  And then, when they heard the beep of the timer, there were cheers all around and I couldn’t get the cookies off the tray fast enough!  The kids all managed to burn their fingers or mouths, but to them, it was totally worth it.  Life is rarely picture perfect, but it felt pretty close that night.


If you like pumpkin, these cookies are definitely worth a try.  They are fluffy, a little bit cakey and perfect with a cup of coffee, if you can keep them long enough to brew some!  I hope you enjoy.

To print: Right click the recipe card above to save to your desktop.  You should be able to print from there.

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