Get the Kids Shoes Ready for St. Nicholas Day

On the night of December 5, St Nicholas Day (Nikolaustag in German), is celebrated by having kids put their shoes outside the door.  Legend has it that the spirit of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, will go from house to house carrying a book of sins in which all the actions of all kids are written.  Good little boys and girls will have their shoes filled with tasty treats while naughty kids will have twigs in their shoes.  

Being the candy loving kid that I was (and still am!), I naturally rooted in my closet for my tallest pair of boots expecting them to be overflowing with candy.  My sister and I put our boots outside our bedroom doors (wouldn't want any racoons absconding with even one bite of our treats!) and fell asleep dreaming of sugar plums (and Skittles, Snickers and Starburst).

Lo and behold, St. Nicholas obviously confused us with two other little girls because we found lots of yummy surprises the next morning! 

This is a such a fun tradition and a great way to kick start the holiday season! 

Kids Gobbly Good Thanksgiving Table

With the rustic adult table all set, it's time to get the kids table ready.  The centerpiece is a fun paper bag turkey that looks amazingly like the real bird!  He's stuffed with popcorn and will be "carved" when all the kids arrive to reveal the munchies inside (cut a slit in the top and the kids can dig right in).

All you need is a brown paper grocery bag, two brown lunch bags, a piece of white paper, a hot glue gun (I used scotch tape and a glue stick), and a few bags of popcorn.  See the tutorial at here.

It took the girls and I less than 10 minutes to create this little cutie.  Can't wait to "carve" this Tom up.

A little apple "stuffing"!

Rooster plates set on brown postal wrap, another dollar store find, will let the kids create some fun doodles while waiting for dinner.  The girls made these colorful name cards and popped them into binder clips so they stand upright.  

A rustic bow made from a scrap of burlap adorns a galvanized bucket brimming with crayons.  

Our clip chandelier is transformed once again with a gang of paper plate and feather turkeys made by one of my crafty girls.  

Here's a funny little poem to welcome in the feast (author unknown).


No Rejoicing

This year on our Thanksgiving Day
My mother she had lots to say.
“We won’t have Turkey, that’s a fact,
the turkey is innocent so let’s not act,
In a manner harsh or insincere
Instead let compassion guide our year".

But Uncle Joe was not amused,
In fact he was downright confused.
"A turkeyless Thanksgiving Day?"
Is all Uncle Joe could really say
"If this is the case I have no choice.
But this Thanksgiving I won’t rejoice".

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Sugar & S'mores Birthday Party

My babies turned 12 yesterday (I know, you're thinking, she must have had them at a very young age!!) and requested chicken lettuce cups and s'mores for dinner!  Their wish is my command (actually, The Hubs whipped up dinner).  That left me with the fun stuff - decorating.  Balloons, left over Halloween candy, some gift wrap, a little Hello Kitty and vintage pink spaghetti string glasses were all it took to transform our kitchen table into a celebration befitting two twelve year old girls.

The chandelier over the kitchen table is so cool and is perfect for my ever-changing decorating whims!  It is 3 levels of iron with clips attached.  I just removed the previous hangings (poems and song lyrics) and up went balloons onto the clips for the perfect festive light.  

The dreaded leftover Halloween candy is re-purposed as a centerpiece in a glass apothecary jar and the runner is a piece of leftover wrapping paper.  I bought the cute chair slipcovers for the girls 5th princess and knight birthday party and they have become the chairs of honor for every birthday since.  

Grandmom gave us these 1950's pink spaghetti string glasses - she never even used them!  Oh, but I surely will!  Sparkling pink lemonade was the elixir of the night.

After dinner and a frenzied unwrapping of gifts, we feasted on s'mores with our indoor s'more maker.  

The years go by so quickly so I love making great memories and traditions to look back on when I'm drooling all over myself!

Thanks Banner With Vintage Silver

I broke out my huge scrapbook paper supply and was contemplating making a Christmas banner when my daughter said she wanted to make one for Thanksgiving to hang near the kids table.  "Great idea!" I told her, so she debated on what the banner should say (Thanks was the winner since she decided Happy Thanksgiving and Give Thanks were way too long and a block letter G would be too hard to draw)!  Next, she chose six autumn colored papers and started cutting (no measuring, just started snipping away)!  After a few minutes, she got pretty bored and ended up watching me make the cuts and eventually left me alone while she snuck into the other room to watch tv!  Hey - how did her craft turn into my project?! 

After the letters were cut out, I strung a clothesline (from the dollar store) that reminds me of bakers twine on an old wooden board above the back door.  Then I clipped the letters on using old wooden clothes pins and added vintage silver spoons and a creamer and sugar set.  The silver adds some nice bling and using spoons and serving pieces is perfect for the foodie day!

Thanks Banner with Vintage Silver

Tarnished Silver Bowl

Old blue wooden board hangs above the back door - the perfect spot for a Thanksgiving banner

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