I’m so excited to try this for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow!

Write down tiny notes, wrap in foil, place inside rolls, bake….

Be thankful.

Thanksgiving Challenge: Day 23

I am thankful for my kids. They fill my life and bring me joy. They make me laugh every day. Every.Day.

My tips to an intentional Thanksgiving:

• Prepare as much as you can beforehand.
• Don’t get caught up in the pressure and fuss of creating a perfect day.
• Enjoy the people you share it with. Let them know why you’re thankful for them.
• Make your life about thanksliving, don’t reserve thankfulness for just one day.

What works for you?

If you’re not quite ready to turn your kitchen table into a giant chalkboard, this idea might be for you. Although I may do this too!

I read this idea in the latest edition of Thriving Family, a wonderful FREE magazine offered by Focus on the Family.

Provide a clean, write sheet or tablecloth and fabric markers….have your kids, family, guests, each write something they are thankful for or draw a picture. Make sure they date it. Each year add to it…

[I love this version I found on Pinterest where the hostess went back and embroidered over the names. I would never have the time to do that, but it doesn't mean I can't dream]

Don’t you love it?

Easy, affordable and inspirational!

What works for you?

*updated* corrected link below!

This year I’m doing Thanksgiving.

I’ve never cooked a turkey.

I’m tempted to program 1-800-BUTTERBALL on my phone.

Because, y’all: that’s a big bird.

I also like phone numbers that start with butter….

I was so excited to see that my friend, Erin of $5 Dinners just released a new e-book called Holiday Entertaining Guide. I love her cookbooks!

There are some fabulous, frugal ideas from centerpieces to 30 recipes!

And by using this code: THANKS, it’s only $1.99!

Get yours here.

Are you hosting Thanksgiving or Christmas this year? What’s your entertaining secret?

Having trouble thinking of a tip this week? Share one for entertaining…

*affiliate link in this post

Yesterday, we got a Final Letter from one of our Compassion kids. Precious graduated from the program. Yes, this special girl.

It was bittersweet. My kids begged for another child, but we still have ten and honestly, we have to pay the sweet college student giving my kids piano lessons, something.

We logged on to Compassion’s site since we’ve heard great things about their new letter writing options. Let me just say: AWESOME. You can choose from a variety of fun templates, upload pictures of your family (!) and even duplicate the letter for multiple sponsored kids. Within 15 minutes, all of our kids got a Christmas letter with pictures.

But we did send Precious one last letter and my youngest drew her a picture, that was well, precious.

What? You haven’t changed a life in a third world country and given your children a global perspective by sponsoring a child?

It’s the single most significant thing we’ve done to ignite compassion in our children.

Click here to do so.

I’m not a foodie. You know one of those people who’s really amazing in the kitchen. I get the job done and every once in awhile, I wow myself.

So, even though I wouldn’t consider this “my gift” I find that I’m taking a dessert or fixing a meal for someone on a regular basis. And sometimes it’s take-out (don’t judge me). Because we all know free food you don’t have to prepare is good food. Can I get an Amen?

My dear and amazing friend, Meg, shared a most-wonderful African tradition with me. [Her family of four are in the middle of adopting an older sibling group from Ethiopia. Her two kids just happen to be very close friends to my older kids and our hubbies are great friends. We just LOVE them ].

Back to the tradition. It goes something like this: I shared a dish with Meg when she had surgery this summer. She returned my platter filled with fruit for my family.

I was having a bad week a few weeks ago, she sent over a delicious salad. I returned her glass bowl filled with strawberry shortcake.

Tip: Return plates, dishes, bowls to friends and family filled with delicious food! And if you don’t currently have a dish loaned out, then maybe you should whip something up and take it someone sick or in need of cheering up.

It works for me!

Well. I’ve gone and done it.

I’ve did something I said I would NEVER DO. Don’t you just love it when you have to eat your words.

(They taste like chicken).

I have said for years that I would never ever get my kids a cell phone before they were driving.

I just think it’s crazy how young kids are with phones and nice phones at that.

But then I got a sixth grader  and within 12 hours of being in “middle school” it dawned on me that my daughter was going to be in situations where she needed me. And more importantly, where I needed to connect with her (band practices, lessons, etc).

But since we still feel like she’s too young for her own phone and don’t want all the headaches that come with that much freedom, we opted for a family cell phone.

Our family cell phones stays at home and is only used when we drop off our daughter for an extracurricular school or church event. Or if she is a mother’s helper across the street, or I run and get a sweet tea and leave her in charge for 7.5 minutes, etc.

We were able to just add a line to our existing contract for $10 a month, so it was a cheap solution.

It gives her a small amount of freedom she craves and keeps me from worrying.

It works for us!

{Hard time coming up with tips? Try today’s suggested theme: share a fall tip}

Two-thirds of my children have a hard time picking out the clothes every morning. The other third picks out my clothes. Because she thinks I need help and she’s pretty good at it.

I was at my friend Amy’s house (who happens to live across the street [fun!], and she clued me on her morning salvation:

Beautiful, isn’t it? Okay, not really. But work with me here. I bought two off Amazon (one in pink with a different princess of the day since my 4 year old is still not reading big words yet).

During the weekend, when my kids do their laundry, (Yes, when you turn 8 in THAT family, you get your very own laundry basket! Lucky! and some lessons in the laundry room) I or more honestly, my oldest child who likes people in our family to actually match their clothes, fills up the organizer with outfits.

Y’all. I could cry. Because it works!! It has saved me so much time in the morning and my kids are happy since they helped pick out their clothes on the weekend.

Get your own for less than $10. Or better yet, use what you have and create something that works just as well!

Organized mornings work for me!

This is one of those practical e-books that’s worth it’s weight in gold.

Simply put, I believe it can revolutionize your life and help you regain control over the often-chaotic stress of running a family!

I’m sure most of you have heard of Simple Mom.. Tsh, the author of the blog and this e-book (among other things) offers 52 projects that range from “Making a debt-free plan” to “Organizing your photo collection” to “Creating a family chore system” to “Learning to say no.”

It’s practical, helpful and doable—My kind of e-book with note-taking pages and creative ideas that actually work.

I especially love that it’s set up to tackle one project a week, for 52 weeks. In one year, you can make significant progress in having a simpler life.

In this hectic, fast-pace world, I crave simplicity. Don’t you?

Plus, my friend Tsh, has included a beautiful section on Compassion International. Purchase the e-book for only $5 and a portion goes to Compassion!

—

Disclaimer: I’m sharing this because I just figured if I love it, you might to. The links are affiliates.

Click here to visit Simple Mom.

One Bite At A Time works for me!

Orange candles in my Giving Thanks Hurricanes, letters that spell g-r-a-t-i-t-u-d-e

Mantle with a  fall garland (my sister made for me):

• Giving Thanks Hurricanes
• Everyday Faith Handmade Cross
• G-r-a-t-i-t-u-d-e blocks (you can make more than a dozen words!)
• Great is Your Faithfulness Mantle clock
• Candle holders
• It is Well Sign-Etsy one-of-a-kind (with a Heartsy credit!)

My favorite store [DaySpring] is having an awesome sale. Save 20% with Code:PREV20

Get ready for Christmas (I know, I know):

these items are on sale, plus with 20% off–look how cheap!

only $4.39

only $10

Disclaimer: I’m not getting paid to share this today, I truly love DaySpring. My links are affiliates.

Works for me!

How about you?

Well, I’ve gone and done it. Even though I said I wouldn’t.

I’ve fallen down the Pinterest hole and I can’t get out.

I’m really new. But I’m in love.

It’s basically an online bulletin board…you can search for subjects like ‘recycled magazines’ and find the most fabulous ideas! For awhile, I just searched, but I went ahead and started my own boards and I’m a “pinning” fool:

Want to follow me?

I’ve already found so many fabulous ideas for Mercy House products and fair trade shows we’re starting to do, so it’s a good addiction right??

Like this amazing paper bowl:

Did you know the shape was created by blowing up a balloon and once the pieces were glued into place and dry, the balloon is popped. Our girls are trying to make them this week!

Do you pin? tell me your address in the comments and I’ll follow back!

I haven’t had time for many DIY projects lately. But during our leisurely Labor Day weekend, I found this cute burlap wreath idea. (Great tutorial using a coat hanger!)

My hubby just brought home a couple of burlap feed sacks he found for a $1 and I had wire in the garage. I grabbed an old wreath and took off the greenery.

Within 20 minutes, this cute burlap wreath was hanging on my door!

It was so easy and cheap, too.

I cut the burlap sack into 4-5 inch strips, nearly the entire sack–probably 10 strips.

I twisted a loop at the end of the wire and weaved the wire (about 24″ or so) in and out, and gathered the strips, one after another:

Once the wire is covered in burlap, I twisted a loop to hold the burlap. Then I just used several pieces of small wire to attach it to the wire wreath frame:

And, that’s it!

Cute, huh?

I’ve tried it. I really have.

For a year, I’ve used a virtual calendar on my laptop and my phone. I’ve missed appointments because I put it on one and not the other, forgetting to sync the two. Or worse, I can’t read what I’m supposed to do because of that darn autocorrect thing where technology inserts what it thinks I’m trying to say! Plus sometimes is uses bad words. Oops.

I decided a few weeks ago as I was trying to juggle a new school year, writing deadlines, Mercy House, and life in general that I’m a writer. I’m an old fashioned list-maker. I need paper and pen. I need to write down my dates on real paper.

So, I did it, I bought an old fashioned calendar.

Makes me want to sit in the school supply aisle and sniff glue, I mean, pencils. I’m coming home.

Watch out organization! Here I come.

How about you?

Online calendars don’t work for me.

I thought this was such a great idea. With three kids, I can’t keep up with how fast they are growing–daily it seems! I’ve asked OutGrowingIn.com to share about their [affordable] solution:

Kids grow and as much as we might try, we just can’t stop it. They get bigger and go from crawling to walking to running in a heartbeat. It’s a part of life and as parents, it’s both our privilege and our pride to watch them grow.

Sometimes that growth comes at a cost when they go from a size 5 to a size 7 overnight. Clothes aren’t cheap! Purchasing new clothes and figuring out what to do with the outgrown clothes is just a part of life when you are a parent.

Christine Korkin, the founder of OutGrowingIn.com, knows this first hand. One day she opened her son’s closet and was overwhelmed with all of the clothes she saw there. She knew that many of them no longer fit and she searched for a way to easily and affordably undertake the out-with-the-old and in-with-the-new process. When Christine realized that what she sought did not exist, she brainstormed with her programmer husband and OutGrowingIn was born.

On the OutGrowingIn website, parents can swap boxes of their children’s gently-used outgrown clothes for a box in another size. The average box listed on the site contains 12 items and the cost for each swapped box purchase is just $3, plus shipping and handling. This means the price of each article is much less than retail and even significantly less than you’d find at a thrift shop. The site is free to all, although there is also a premium membership option that offers several additional features for users.

In addition to clothes swapping, OutGrowingIn also offers a Marketplace where parenting items, toys and baby items can be listed. This service acts similarly to eBay but with a commission rate of only 6%. This is a great alternative for families looking to make a little extra money or to find a great deal on any needed items.

In honor of the great work being done by Kristen and her family, OutGrowingIn will be donating 50% of all premium membership purchases through the end of September to The Mercy House Kenya. It’s just a small way for us to show our support!

Thank you! I hope you guys will give OutGrowingIn.com a try. I know I will!

———–

[Please note: these are the suggested themes for the first Wed. of each month for the rest of 2011. These themed WFMW are optional ideas for those who might be running out of tips!]

[Sept. 7: Share something that DOESN'T work for you]

[Oct. 5: Share a great FALL tip]

[Nov. 9: Share your best entertaining tip]

[Dec. 7: Share your favorite store for shopping with purpose]

I don’t know about you, but I am NOT ready for school to start. Our summer has sped by and I just need 47 more pool days.

Not to mention, I am really good at sleeping in. A fine art, I’ve heard.

But since we are on the school-will-start-soon countdown, I’m trying to get my kids back on track.

In order to be ready this year, I’m getting my kids in bed every night at the same time. They will be making their own lunches the night before school starts (it’s called empowerment) and we’ll have a “hot file” in the kitchen for important notes from teachers and info about school projects.

Delegating to my kids works for me.

What works for you getting your kids in the back-to-school routine?

The last couple of years, I’ve subscribed to several magazine subscriptions because of great Amazon alerts, Swabucks and dirt-cheap deals. I got in the habit of saving a few of my favorite issues, but tossing the rest.

In the last few months, I’ve found many uses for my old magazines and wanted to share them with you:

• Cool recyclable kid crafts-like this DIY dollhouse
• Make gift wrapping bows
• Create Jewelry
• Design a very cool gift
• Donate them to libraries or non-profits like Mercy House (we’re collecting them right now!)

Used magazines work for me!

I’ve been a long-time lover of vinyl word art. I have little sayings all over my house.

Have you seen the really big vinyl subway wall art? like this:

Love.

I wanted our family room to inspire and so I bought this exact one on Etsy here.

It came in three parts and completely intimidated me, so it sat for weeks because I was afraid to apply it.  I finally got up the nerve using these easy instructions and videos to help me.

My tip for applying large vinyl art: Take your time and make sure it’s centered before you removed the backing. Use masking tape to keep it in place.

Here’s how mine looks:

*my fun colorful blocks were a gift from Dayspring and my vase is inspiration from our Mercy House girls

While I’m blaming everything (whiny children, snappy parents, dirty laundry) on jet lag, I thought I’d share a quick summer project we hope to try soon:  Decorating T- Shirts with a Bleach Pen. Family Fun has a great tutorial!

I love it because you can use items on hand: an old t-shirt and a bleach laundry pen!

And Momma can make one too!

Love this tutorial, look at this finished product:

Got any fun crafts that work for your old clothes? Do share.

I’m a late [tech] bloomer. I’m not really an upgrade kind-of-girl, I just like things to work.

But I am m a fan of the text message.

It’s so quick and easy.

Just ask my hubby and he’ll show you our latest cell phone bill. [gulp]

A friend recommended an app called WhatsApp Messenger that has free text messaging (after the initial .99 purchase price), you can send pictures, leave voice mail, etc. It’s my new favorite app because it keeps me out of trouble.

It cost .99 and I’m hoping it will save us money if we need to text while we’re in Africa.

And now, the real reason I wrote this post…

I want to know what’s your favorite app???? What app works for you?

My hubby can work magic with The Garbanzo Bean. His knack for turning chick peas into hummus is profound.

We use it as a spread on bread, we dip pretzels, carrots, crackers, celery, our fingers in it.

Plus, it’s healthy! But don’t tell my kids.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

2 cans drained chickpeas

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 heaping tablespoons sesame tahini

4-6 cloves of minced garlic

11/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

1/4 or more of cayenne pepper

2 roasted red peppers from a can

Approximately 1 tablespoon olive oil

Blend in food processor or blender

What works for you?

Our little community has a plethora of public pools. We pool hop all summer! It’s a hard life, but someone has got to give the lifeguards something to do.

We keep our pool bag in the entry closet, next to the laundry room. An easy tip: We fold warm, fluffy beach towels and pull dried swimsuits directly from the laundry and store them in the pool bag.

We like to be prepared.

It works for us!

I don’t know about y’all, but by the time dinner rolls around at my house in my part of Texas, it is hot outside. Like a million degrees, give or take one or two. The last thing I want to do, is bake at 350 (no offense, Bridget).

Here’s what we’ve been doing: bulk grilling.

I marinated a couple of pounds, seasoned another pound and put barbeque sauce on a couple of pounds. I grilled them (or my hubby did to be exact) and we just used the grilled meat in different recipes all week.

*Only this is a reprint from last summer, and while I love the tip, we eat vegan/vegetarian dinners now to help my hubby with his diabetes. So, basically, I cook brown rice in bulk and heat up veggie patties. Or smeat, as some like to call it. Sorry if I killed your appetite.

Hope it works for you!

View WFMW guidelines here.

We are taking 20+ suitcases with us to Africa on Saturday.

Two of those are for our family of 5 for three weeks…clothes and comfort food.

Have you ever tried those space-saving vacuum bags?

I thought it might help.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Turns out that the bags really do save on space! (but not weight. Why did I think air weighed something??)

They work for me!

P.S. For the next 3 weeks of WFMW, I have scheduled posts. Things should run smoothly for you to continue to link up…if not, I’ll blame it on Africa!

This is my favorite themed WFMW (all tips are welcomed, but we’d especially love your boredom buster tips this week!)

Because it never fails, my kids get bored in the summer.

Since we’re spending the first 24 days of our summer in AFRICA, I haven’t exactly planned for the rest of the summer. I plan on saying (a lot) “how can you be bored? I took you to the other side of the globe this summer!”

My best tip for this summer: have a family brainstorming session at the beginning of summer. Have each person write down a few things they’d like to do in the summer months-but give them these stipulations-it must be FREE and CREATIVE.

Place all the ideas in a jar and each week, pick a couple!

Here are the lists of hundreds and hundreds of summer boredom tips from the last few years:

• WFMW 2010 Summer BOREDOM BUSTER List
• WFMW 2009 Summer BOREDOM BUSTER List
• WFMW 2008 Summer BOREDOM BUSTER List

You can read the WFMW guidelines here.

I survived a deadly tornado when I was 18 years old. I was home from college for the weekend when an unsuspecting tornado ripped through our neighborhood, destroying homes and killing neighbors. My mom and dad dove on top of me to protect me from flying debris.

It was terrifying.

The war-torn aftermath and cleanup were heartbreaking. And the fear from such a catastrophic event stayed with me for years.

I’ll never forget going to the local school and digging through clothes from the Salvation Army shelter.

Red Cross drove up and down our street for days and days, feeding us as we began the tedious cleanup.

I can’t imagine if 75% of my town had been destroyed.

With the death toll climbing, Joplin needs our help.

Please consider doing something:

• World Vision: Text”‘TORNADO” to 20222 to give a $10 donation. You can also donate online or call 1-888-511-6443 to support World Vision’s effort.
• The Salvation Army’s disaster-relief efforts in Joplin can be supported by texting “JOPLIN” to 80888 to make a $10 donation. You can also donate through their website or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.
• Red Cross is providing shelter and distributing needed supplies. Text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation, or visit thewebsite to donate, give blood or volunteer
• Make and send hygiene kits to Heart to Heart
• Convoy of Hope is delivering food and water to Joplin. Those wanting to help can text the word “CONVOY” to 50555 to make a $10 donation. You can also donateonline or by calling 1-417-823-8998.
• Christ the King Church, a local Joplin church, has a great list of ways to help
• You can also mail items listed below to-

James River Assembly (link to give online thru this church)

Attn: *Cherish Kids* Adoption/Foster Families in Joplin

6100 North 19th Street

Ozark, MO 65721

-Rubbermaid type totes with lids—medium and large sizes -Hand sanitizer -Gift cards–Wal-Mart and Target -Cases of water -Bags of groceries filled with food items (non-perishables) -Diapers -Wipes -Snack items -Toiletries (soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, contact solution, feminine hygiene products, etc.) -work gloves, plastic tarps and -Pack and Play type cribs

• Pray for peace, healing and comfort to those injured, grieving, displaced, suffering.

*Please don’t forget next week’s THEMED WFMW: Summer Boredom Buster Ideas!

Yesterday, this delicious baby:

Turned into this amazing:

Nine year old.

Can someone explain how that happened? And I’ll take 3 more of him, while you’re at it.

Because, he delights me.

We do every-other-year-parties, but we have cake as often as we can. This year, my son “Mom, can we do something exciting for my cake?”

Um, okay. Mental note: He’s been spending too much time at The Neighbors.

When I googled cake pops (balls), they seemed so easy. But since I’m a realist and can make easy relatively challenging, I proceeded with caution.

iphone pictures ahead:

I decided to make a double-batch to make up for all the lost baking time.

1. Bake cake mixes with box directions. I used what I had: vanilla and spice.

2. After the cake cools, crumble it.

3. Mix in canned frosting-it makes a very moist mess of cake. I used cream cheese for the spice cake and vanilla for the vanilla.

4. Form into balls. I put mine on cookie sheets. The balls were a bit messy until I refrigerated them for awhile. Once they were chilled, I was able to make the balls neater (insert OCD here).

5. Dip into vanilla or chocolate candy coating. I don’t have a picture of this step because my hands were messy. I thought this part was the hardest and I ran out of the coating. I need a special tutorial on this step.

6. I placed the balls into small cups, but I think sucker sticks would be cute, too. I’m just not that coordinated.

7. Sprinkle before the coating hardens! My daughter (a.k.a. QUEEN SPRINKLES) used an entire shaker bottle.

We refrigerated them and they are delicious!! And the varieties are endless! Next time you have cake leftovers, I highly recommend turning them into cake balls.

PLEASE NOTE: Our annual “Mom, I’m Bored Summer Edition” is in two weeks, June 1! Please plan on sharing some helpful tips. This is a favorite WFMW!

I’m sharing my WFMW tip early this week-A LINKY WILL BE ADDED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST AT THE NORMAL TIME WFMW GOES UP TONIGHT.

Get my book, Don’t Make Me Come Up There! A devotional for busy moms, FREE on Amazon’s Kindle, right now. It just doesn’t get cheaper than FREE.

Even if you have a hard-copy, it’s a great quick read for those on-the-go moments when you need a lift-me-up. And did I mention free?

Valued at $12

If you don’t have a Kindle like me, you can download an Amazon Kindle Reader for free and there are apps for iPad, iPod, Blackberry, Droid, and your computer too.