An End

Just wanted to finish up my 30 days of Thanks, since my illness kept me from the end of November. Can't wait to see what December brings!

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Day 25
Nature.

Day 26
Our Founding Fathers. And Turkey.

Day 27
Fountain Drinks.

Day 28
Cars.

Day 29
Learning opportunities.

Day 30
Air conditioning. And Heaters.

Day 21
Epidurals.

Day 22
Humor and Laughter.

Day 23
Traditions.

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This is the time of year when it seems so many family traditions start to come out of the wood-works and remind you of times past. We have some great family traditions, though some may be a little corny, I have such great memories of all of them!

- Vegetable soup and spider rolls on Halloween
- Watching a Christmas movie after Thanksgiving Dinner
- Yum Yum Coffee Cake Christmas morning - maybe I'll share the recipe :)
- Christmas Eve Dinner (as opposed to Christmas Day)
- Doing a service project on Christmas Day
- Renting a cotton candy machine New Year's Eve and letting all the neighborhood participate in the fun

I'm sure there are more, but my brain just entered into funk mode.

What are some of your family traditions???

Day 20
A kitchen that's always full compared to many in the world.

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For those of you who have never been to Cafe Rio, I feel sorry for you. Enjoy this homemade version of their Sweet Pork. It's nearly identical.

You need:
3 lbs. Pork
12 oz. Blended Salsa
1 can Coke
2 C Brown Sugar

1. Cook pork in crock-pot for approximately 5 hours.

2. Empty water and shred pork.

3. Place shredded pork back into crock-pot.

4. Add remaining ingredients.

5. Cook for another 3 hours and keep warm until served.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Day 12
Fall eats and treats!

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I love the flavors of Fall (and the colors, and smells, and overall atmosphere!) But one of my favorite thing to do is eat! There are a lot of foods I only eat in October and November. Don't ask me why...I guess something about them just screams "FALL!" This is a super easy, super yummy pumpkin sheet cake, and lucky you, I'm sharing the recipe. This has actually replaced pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving at my house.

In a mixing bowl, beat 1 can (15 oz.) solid pack pumpkin, 2 C sugar, and 1 C vegetable oil.

Add 4 eggs, lightly beaten.

Combine 2 C all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add to pumpkin mixture and beat until well blended.

Pour into a greased jelly roll pan (15x10x1). Bake at 350* F for 25-30 minutes until the cake tests done.
While waiting, set out 1 pkg. of cream cheese and 5 Tbs butter to soften. I ALWAYS forget to do this!
Let your cake cool. Read a book. Take a walk. Blog!
For the frosting, I never do exact measurements, but I'll do my best to give you some. Beat the cream cheese, butter and 1 tsp. vanilla until smooth. Gradually add 1.5 C to 2 C powdered sugar. Add enough milk for the frosting to reach the desired spreading consistency. {Sorry, I guess I missed pictures for this step.}

Frost cake. And for those of you who ruin things with nuts, I suppose it's OK if you sprinkle some on top.

Here's the recipe again, minus pictures for your convenience.

1 can (15 oz) solid pack pumpkin
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp backing soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Frosting:
1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
5 Tbs butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1.5-2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tsp milk
chopped nuts (optional)

In a mixing bowl, beat pumpkin, sugar and oil. Add eggs, mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt: add to pumpkin mixture and beat until well blended. Pour into a greased jelly roll pan (15x10x1). Bake at 350* F for 25-30 minutes until cake tests done. Cool.

For frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar; mix well. Add enough milk until frosting reaches the desired spreading consistency. Frost cake. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired.

What about the crows?

Day 4

The ability to use my hands for good.

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So many scarecrow crafts, but what about the crows? As autumn rolls in and farmers work on their harvest, the crows will be looking for free goodies. Make this cute little crow to celebrate fall!

What you need:
2 Bathroom size plastic cups
2 Cotton Balls
2 Medium Wiggle Eyes
1 Red Button
Scrap of orange craft foam
Scrap of orange construction paper
Black and Goldenrod paint
Glue
Scissors

What you do:
Paint one cup black and one cup goldenrod. Set aside to dry.

Cut a triangle from the orange craft foam for the beak.

Cut a heart shape from the orange construction paper for the feet.

When paint is dry, use scissors to cut thin slits (fringes) halfway up the goldenrod cup, going all the way around. Bend the "fringes" upward to form the hat.

Turn the hat over and put two cotton balls inside the hat. Glue hat to the bottom end of the black cup. Let dry.

Glue 2 wiggle eyes and beak to the cup under the hat.

Glue the red button on the front side of the hat.

Glue the heart feet to the opening of the black cup, bend the construction paper up into the sides of the cup so that just the "feet" stick out.

Thanksgiving Trivia

Day 3
The wonderful memories that can be made while sitting around the dinner table.

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What comes to your mind when you think of Thanksgiving ? The big fat golden-brown turkey ? Mom's apple pie? Or the oh-so-nice crescent rolls and mashed potatoes ? Well well, all these ARE a major part of the holiday. But there’s even more to this wonderful occasion of Thanksgiving !

So tonight around the dinner table, share some interesting trivia associated with Thanksgiving. I promise it will bring some laughs and start up some great family conversations!

The first Thanksgiving celebration is believed to be held by the Plymouth Pilgrims in the Fall of 1621.

The credit for making Thanksgiving a national holiday is given to one lady magazine editor called Sarah Josepha Hale.

The name of the ship in which the Puritans came is known as Mayflower. And the drink they had with them was beer.

A turkey below sixteen weeks of age is called a fryer.

Benjamin Franklin fought hard to make the wild turkey the national bird of America instead of the bald eagle, which he found to be a coward.

A nest of turkey eggs is known as a clutch.

When a tom turkey (male turkey) gobbles, it can be heard from as far as a mile.

Now this one’s quite a thoughtful trivia—if turkeys gobble everywhere in the world, you won’t hear a turkey gobble in Turkey. The Turkish say that turkeys glu glu.

Firkee is the Native American name for turkeys.

It’s often said that turkeys make a ‘turk turk turk’ noise when they are frightened. So they are called ‘turkeys’.

Turkeys have outstanding visual precision, a great hearing and taste. But are famously poor on smell.

A full-grown turkey has about 3500 feathers approximately.

The US President George Washington proclaimed the first "National Day of Thanksgiving".

The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted for three days and consisted of both games and grub.

Governor William Bradford is the man, a leader of the Pilgrims, who invited the neighboring Wampanoag to their feast of the first Thanksgiving.

30 Days of Thanks

To kick off this Thanksgiving season, there is nothing like remembering to be grateful for the blessings we have in our lives. As I lovingly reminded my DH during a crying spell the other night, "These are the days..."

Day 1

For my good morning kiss every day, even if it is open mouthed and a little slobbery.

Day 2

For being reminded of the fascination of discovering something new that we take for granted every day. Like the crunching of fallen leaves under foot.