Late Turkey Day Update

This is a late Thanksgiving update, but I want to share the memories that I captured. 

We drove the 6 hour drive to Borger with both 50 lbs. dogs in tow. 

Of course Callie stayed close to her best friend...

Picture of dad - trying to teach him how pictures look so much better (real) without a flash. 

My girly - I was cutting fleece fabric to make pillows for her birthday party and she took the remnants and made an outfit. 

Watching the famous NYC Thanksgiving Parade and was very excited to see Hello Kitty!

Glad to get a picture of the 3 of us together on Thanksgiving. You really have to make a point to get a family pic! It gets hectic and when you're the one typically behind the camera, you often miss the opportunity. 

Love this pic! With my Grandma and Papa

The Kimble/Weldon Men

Borger Horizon

Watching the sunset. 

The Texas Panhandle has the most beautiful sunsets. Pinks, purples, blues, yellows and orange fill the entire sky. It's breathtaking. 

11th hour Thanksgiving Craft

Yesterday, at the 11th hour, Charlotte and I decided to make a Thanksgiving craft to take with us to Borger. 

While at Michael's, shopping for other items (as usual!),  found 3x4 canvases on sale 50% off! We instantly knew we wanted them to create something fun!

Once we sized up her hand size to the canvas, we quickly concocted a plan in our heads --

Traditional Handprint Turkeys

The supplies were very simple:

Canvas

Crayola Washable Kid's Paint

Paint brushes

Googly eyes

Glue

Yarn

Charlotte really enjoyed getting to paint her hand with the paint! I let her paint with the brown for the turkey's "body and face" and I painted her individual fingers with colors that she picked.

We let the canvases dry for an hour and then I painted a red gobble and orange beak. Then with an all-purpose glue, glued the googly eyes where she wanted it. 

And drew the feet with a fine tip Sharpie.

We bought 6 canvases and only needed 5, so for the remaining canvas, Charlotte got to paint whatever she wanted. 

I think my little artist really enjoyed painting on a canvas.

We wrapped each canvas in yarn to give to family. 

Charlotte loved hiding them behind her back and surprising her grandparents with them!

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

As November begins...

I ponder the blessings God has given us and how we can be more thankful today and each day following.

I often take "everyday" blessings for granted. I never have to worry about being hungry, never worry about being cold, never worry about a low tank of gas, and never worry about making a doctor appointment if we're sick. If I'm hungry, I run to the grocery store or order take-out. If I'm cold, I turn on the heater, or put on a cozy sweater. If my tank is low, a quick run to the station quickly fixes that problem. And, if anyone of us are sick, our wonderful doctor gets us right in. These "everyday" blessings are often overlooked as "necessities". I challenge myself to pause and to be thankful that today we are able to do all of these things and remembering that things could change tomorrow.

I am thankful for the "rainy day blues" because that is time Charlotte and I can play together without interruption.

I am thankful for our beautiful warm home and treasured possessions.

I am VERY excited (and thankful) about our new holiday tradition!

I found this Thanksgiving Tree in the Pottery Barn Kid's catalog and couldn't wait to get it home. Each day of November you write what you're thankful for and place it in the pocket for that day. I am so thrilled to start off the month with this new tradition.

I worried that November often gets over-looked from coming off October's sugar-high, to Christmas shopping and making lists for Santa. This will be our family's way of focusing each day of November on the special and "everyday" blessings God has given to us.