Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of the year to show your appreciation and thankfulness to people who are special to you. Christmas is the traditional time to send out cards but I challenge you to think differently this year and send a few cards out for thanksgiving. Think of the surprise and happiness the recipients will have when they open your cards.
When you send out these Thanksgiving Cards add a sentence or two to express your thanksfulness for this person. Here are a few of the people who may really appreciate your thanksgiving cards.
A teacher from the past who was special to you
Someone who is special to your child--perhaps a coach, scout leader or teacher
A relative who lives a distance away and you haven't seen for a while
A friend from your past
A friend or relative in a nursing home
An elderly person or one that is ill
I know there are many more people you could add to the list and I challenge you to pick out a two or three and surprise them with a special Thanksgiving card. I have just ordered my cards and plan to send one to an old friend from my school days who lives across the country, one to an elderly aunt and uncle who live in another state, and the last to an elderly lady who use to be in my book club and is now in a nursing home. Who will be on your list?
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Thanksgiving is a time for expressing thankfulness for all of the good things we've received in our lives. Some families have traditions where they express their gratitude during dinner while other families may find it hard to share these feelings verbally. Sometimes it takes a little creativity to find just the right words and the right way to express those sentiments.
Here are four DIY handmade crafts for Thanksgiving that will make it easy for you to express your love and gratitude to your family and friends. These crafts are easy to make and most of the materials can be found in your recycle bin or backyard.
Hang Your Gratefulness on a Tree
Simply Vintage Girl designed The Thankful Tree, With Chalk using items found in her backyard. This tree is made from a broken branch that is used as the tree form. Small wooden discs are painted with chalkboard paint and suspended from the branches. Before your guests arrive, place a piece of chalk under the tree so that family and friends can write down those things for which they give thanks when the spirit moves them.
Stuff Your Thanks in a Turkey
I {Heart} Crafty Things created a Thankful Turkey Box Tutorial from an upcycled tissue box. This is an awesome craft for kids because it is so easy and downright adorable. The kids can explore their creativity and when the crafting fun is done, they can write their thanks on a slip of paper. During Thanksgiving dinner, have everyone take a turn at pulling a slip of paper out of the box and reading the words of thankfulness.
Set a Place Mat for Giving Thanks
Abby M. Interiors has 8 Ideas for Creating Your Thanksgiving Table that will show your gratefulness all through dinner. I especially like number 7 on her list. Make place mats out of upcycled paper bags or kraft paper and draw lines on the mats for guests to write down the good things in their life.
Spread a Garland of Thanksgiving
Carina Gardner shares her gratefulness with a Giving Thanks - Free Thankful Banner Download that makes it easy for family and friends to write their reasons to be thankful on a decorative garland strung near the dinner table. Use your own creative skills or download the free printout to make leaf shapes for the garland. Put the shapes in a jar with a pen and clothespins, find a convenient place to hang the garland string, and encourage your family to write their thanks on a leaf and pin it to the garland.
May the holiday season bring you comfort, joy, and good tidings.
Coletta
Posted by Coletta Teske
About This Contributor
Coletta Teske writes reviews on books, business management, writing, crafting, cooking, and gardening. She is also an avid recycler and shares her tips on recycling. She delights in upcycling an old object, recycling or transforming discarded items into a new treasure.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
As Thanksgiving approaches in the United States, a feeling of thanks and celebration of life begins and continues through Christmas. This also becomes the season of giving. I have always believed that we tend to donate more to charities and to others less fortunate than ourselves during this season.
My feeling about increased giving seems to have some statistical proof. As reported in a Reuters article, the results of a December 2010 survey conducted by Causes.com are: "The Holiday season is definitely the time of year that many Americans feel like giving back. According to Causes, donation amounts on the site increase by 42% during November and December compared to other months throughout the remainder of the year. Also, three times as many people make donations during the Holidays vs. non-Holiday months."
After having donated small and scarce amounts of my "extra" money to scams or to organizations that are later revealed as organizations that misuse the donations, I have cut back on some of my impulsive giving. Instead, I have begun to research charities that have better track records. While recently having a conversation of a similar topic, another person responded that they give, and if the money is misused, that is on the conscience of the con-artist or person who mismanages the money. I agree. And yet, If I give my only extra $20 to a charity that misuses it, that is $20 less that is given to someone in need. That makes me cringe. Initially, I was going to give a list of my favorite charitable organizations. Then I decided that rather than review my preferences, I would give you the tools to review your own. A few years ago, I stumbled upon what appears to be an honest and neutral organization that "rates" charities based on a variety of criteria. Charity Navigator advertises itself as "your guide to intelligent giving". I agree with that statement. Using Charity Navigator has helped me decide which charities I want to give to. As I said, they rate charities based on a variety of things: transparency, fundraising, and percentage of the funds that are used for the recipients as opposed to going back into fundraising or administrative costs. They show statistics, and financial reports, as well as create an easy to understand pie graph. In my mind, I look for two main things in a charity. I want to know that a high percentage of the donations are going into the programs. I also want to know that the charity isn't under any sort of investigation. Charity Navigator makes it easy to find charities by topic or by rating. I typically browse in the categories of "animals" or "military" but you can easily find a category that suits you best. I typically look at the pie chart to see how the money is both raised and earned. And I end with looking at the list of similar organizations. I also regularly look at the Charity Navigator Top Ten Lists and the Donors Advisory list. That way I can see the best and possibly the worst charities. I feel as though it keeps me educated.
During this Thanksgiving season, I wish you love, peace, good company, and good food. And I hope I have provided you with some new and useful information if you are planning on giving during this season of thanks.
Written by Dawn Rae
Disclosure: In affiliation with Zazzle.com, Dawn Rae is a blogger and content writer who may earn compensation from the sale of Zazzle products.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
In a cynical and often condescending world, it's easier to descend into typical family battles that tend to swallow up the purpose of our assembly: to give thanks and acknowledge and remember those who have been there for us through it all. It's cliche, but 'when push came to shove,' who did we turn to, and who loved us unconditionally?
We live in divided times, and many families who reunite for dinner rest at polar opposites in their beliefs, likes, dislikes, tolerance levels, and education. These differences are fast becoming the virus that devours the most important reason we take the hand of the person next to us at that dinner table: love. Again, call it cliche, call it corny, call 'love' overly simplistic, but John Lennon got it right, 'all you need is love.'
So how do you survive a Thanksgiving Dinner with people who sit at the opposite of your beliefs? Like any assembly, setting ground rules is the best place to start. Here are 10 ways to create a positive environment for your Thanksgiving Dinner:
Let everyone know there will be no discussions about Politics, Religion, or Current News Affairs.
As the dinner host, have the evening planned in advance: Plan to play games before and after dinner. If it's a larger gathering, have teams set up to play against each other for a grand championship.
Do not turn on a TV set. If a sporting event is on that the entire family wants to watch, then go ahead and gather around the 'game' in front of the TV if need be. But don't allow any News shows or channel flipping to take away the fun of the game.
If someone in the family breaks the rule about conversation and starts into a diatribe of their opinions and beliefs about an issue, as the host, politely remind them about the rules and do not engage them in a discussion about their point. Remember that no minds or opinions will change in one night anyway, so keep the evening and dinner on a strict track of fun.
Have music playing in the background in as many rooms as possible. Best of all, if you know the favorite songs of the people attending, plan ahead and have a CD compilation of everyone's favorite song! When the song for that special someone in the house begins to play, turn it up, walk over to them, kiss them on the cheek, and let them know, 'We did this for you.'
If you're hosting a large gathering and certain people are best not sitting beside each other, use name/place tags on each plate to direct people where to sit.
Toast the Senior members of the family. Often, seniors feel excluded, unwanted, and unappreciated, and no matter how ornery they are or aren't, give them a few minutes of special thanks. You'll make their day.
Go out of your way to be friendly and especially to be kind. Set the tone. Set the pace, and you may be surprised how everyone follows.
Find reasons to smile and laugh. Laughter and smiles are much more infectious than anger and fear.
Lastly, remember a famous quote, 'When given a choice to be right or kind, always choose Kind.'
Have a joyous Thanksgiving <3
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Preparing for that big Thanksgiving dinner is what we're doing here at Review This. And I get the lucky job of reviewing desserts. Ah, my sweet tooth is so happy.
But, it's not just your traditional desserts. I've found some unique and interesting twists on old favorites and delicious new favorites to add to my own recipe collection for Thanksgiving.
Variations for Pumpkin Desserts
Pumpkin pie is one of those traditional Thanksgiving desserts in my house. But, I couldn't help drooling over these interesting twists on the pumpkin dessert.
Pumpkin Cake Roll by Nancy Hardin
Pumpkin Cake Roll - a truly yummy dessert. Made with a cream cheese filling, this cake makes a
great presentation when sliced. Although the directions have quite a few steps, don't let that fool you. Author Nancy Hardin does a great job of giving you all steps. This cake is actually not hard to make and even novice chefs can bake up a delicious tasting and looking pumpkin cake roll.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies - a tasty twist on an old favorite. Now we have a fun treat for kids and grown-ups alike. Whoopie Pies have
been around even longer than I have. That's some age. But, now do these treats with pumpkin cake. Author Margaret Schindel shows us the recipe for this fun variation.
Of course I grew up with the name of moon pie for these delectable desserts. The name Whoopie Pie originates in either Maine or Pennsylvania, depending on which state you come from. No matter what you call them, these individual-sized treats make a great way to serve pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving desserts.
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie
For those of us looking to reduce the amount of gluten we consume, author Retta719 has given us a
Retta719 Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
great recipe for gluten free pumpkin pie. It's simple, homemade and deep dish. This rich creamy version of pumpkin pie will delight everyone, even those who aren't concerned with gluten in their diet. It's worth making for a Thanksgiving dessert for everyone.
This pie takes a long time to bake so you need to be prepared. Many ovens are loaded just before the Thanksgiving meal. The good news is that deep-dish gluten free pumpkin pie can be refrigerated for several hours and served cold.
Alright, I'll admit it. I have to have something chocolate as part of my Thanksgiving dessert. Irish Ice Cream Chocolate is for the grown-ups only. It's made with Irish Cream liqueur. It's one of those delicious treats that makes for an interesting and unique Thanksgiving dessert.
BritFlorida presents the recipe and how to in simple steps along with some great variations. There's even a vegan option to try. You can prepare the majority of treat ahead of time, then add the liqueur before serving. Simple tasty and delicious.
Thanksgiving Menu on Review This
The Thanksgiving Menu is brought to you by Review This in 3 parts. Part I gives you that great turkey baking. A staple for the main course in many Thanksgiving dinners. Then Part II presents side dish options for all of us to enjoy. Everything from fruits to nuts, and vegetables, too. And now, Part III, rounding out the dinner with desserts for you.
So relax, enjoy your own Thanksgiving dinner preparations with many new ideas and recipes. Have a happy holiday with friends and family sharing in the bounty.
Posted by: BuckHawk
About This Contributor
BuckHawk decribes herself as "Basically a lazy person who prefers the easy things in life." So that's what she writes about. Easy home decorating, easy recipes, easy entertaining. But, she is also a lover of animals, gardening and crafting. You'll find her writing all over the Web, but with Review This Reviews! she has the opportunity to write about all of her loves.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Thanksgiving is historically the time for a great feast and celebration. Therefore, we have joined together to offer a fantastic "feast" of side dish recipes today on Review This. I asked my co-workers, which just happen to be an awesome group of writers and online contributors, to share their personal side dish recipes for Thanksgiving. They have been most generous and I am certain we have something here for everyone. The "first Thanksgiving" in America was celebrated in 1621 and lasted for 3 days. Some of us have family, friends and guests who drive or fly long distances to spend 3 or more days with us during the Thanksgiving holidays. Therefore, we have 3 day Thanksgiving celebrations too, which means we serve multiple meals and we need a variety of recipes to see us through the festivities.
Fruits First
A holiday would simply not be complete without the fruit dishes. They always round out a meal with a healthy treat for all of us, but for the Vegans and Vegetarians in our mist, they are a absolute must. Cranberry sauce is often found on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner table. However, Mbgphoto shares a recipe for her very own creation of Cranberry Applesauce that sounds out of this world delicious. Plus, I give you my very own submission for a Quick & Easy Fruit Salad recipe that my own family requests for every holiday.
Green vegetables are essential to a healthy diet, but for some reason, they seem to be the hardest to get people to eat, especially children. Perhaps, these delicious recipes will help.
Rice is a staple food for many of us and while we are most content to eat it by itself, it is truly an excellent additive to many recipes. Merry offers a recipe that includes rice. It would be perfect side dishes for this Thanksgiving.
All of my life I have considered potatoes and yams to be as "traditional" as the turkey when preparing the Thanksgiving dinner. The only question was which sweet potato casserole recipe to use. It seems like every member of our family has a different personal favorite potato recipe. As a result, we have actually started preparing and serving several potato recipes so everyone can enjoy their preference on Thanksgiving. After seeing these recipes, we may well be having a few more on the table this year.
For a awesome vegetable mix, this would be the recipe of choice. Adventuretravels combines carrots, beetroots, parsnips & onions with fennel to deliver a divine side dish for Thanksgiving.
I am going to quote Margaret directly here because I don't believe I could say it any better any other way. "These healthier candied walnuts or pecans make a wonderful, healthy
holiday nibble (or any other time), and if they're chopped up they're
yummy sprinkled on or tossed with nearly any Thanksgiving vegetable or
side dish."
That one quote was enough for me. I will be serving Margaret's candied pecans this year on Thanksgiving. My whole family loves nuts!
Last week, we provided an easy and delicious way to bake a Turkey for Thanksgiving. Today, we featured side dishes and tomorrow we will be concluding our Thanksgiving recipes series with desserts. I hope you will all join us again tomorrow to delve into dessert recipes with us here on Review This Reviews!
If you have published a side dish recipe that would be great for Thanksgiving, we would love to have you share it with us. Please leave the link to your recipe in the guestbook below.
A note of my own Thanksgiving: I want to thank each of the writers and contributors who responded to my request and submitted recipes for this special Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes article. You are all a true treasure trove of resources for which I am most grateful.
Wishing everyone a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year and photographing autumn color ranks high among my favorite things to do.
Since my retirement several years ago, my husband and I have taken to traveling around the country and timing our travels so that we can make the most of fall colors.
Fall Season One
In September we travel to the northern states in the US or to Canada where we can get a first look at fall colors. The photo here was taken on our trip to the Northeast this fall. It shows fallen leaves by an old rock wall in Concord Massachusetts.
Fall Season Two
In October the colors are beautiful in Missouri where we live so we try to stick close to home and enjoy the beautiful midwest falls. Here is a photo taken at a lake near our house.
Fall Season Three
Now it is November and we are enjoying our last bit of fall as we traveled south to visit our daughter and family in Atlanta. The colors through Kentucky and Tennessee were gorgeous as we headed south. My daughter's yard is full of beautiful colors. Here are a couple of the shots I got early this morning in their back yard.
After taking the photos, I like to make them into products to offer in my Zazzle store. Here are a couple of the autumn photo items that are available at Zazzle/mbgphoto
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
I'm totally biased because he's my husband but I love Richard Burns' art. This year he released a few prints from his archives that are now available at Amazon. All of the prints are from the 1990's when he did a series of wild animals. Each print was created in a batch of from 500-2000 prints only, and signed and numbered. After the initial run many of them sold out, but somehow we ended up with around 10-20 prints of some of the animals, so Richard released them this year. My favorite one is his Snow Leopard perched on a rock. The wound up energy is palpable! It's called Winter's Veil and was one of his most popular prints. His other Snow Leopard is also a best seller called Thru the Pass. (yes we know it's misspelled, but that's how it was printed so we're stuck with it now.) It's the one pictured above. Below is Winter's Veil.
We have a friend who has all his "cat prints" as he calls them on one wall of his house. The Snow Leopard ones are my favorite and he has them in the middle of that wall. Then on the end of the wall is a huge print of Tigers, called Icy Courtship. (Another best seller of Rich's.)
Rich seems to have a way with animals as the Los Angeles Zoo had him go into the cages to paint these magnificent animals in their habitat, for a series of cards he did for them. He did coyotes and wolves too, and swans and owls. But the cats were the best sellers and continue to be used on calendars, mugs, puzzles, needlework kits, and t shirts. Still there's nothing like a wonderful art print on your wall to remind you every day of the animals who used to roam whole continents. So just click on any of the prints you see here if you are interested in purchasing. They won't last, so best to get over there soon. Which cat print is your favorite?
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Here in the mid-Atlantic, as
the local meteorologists begin to vaguely mention the words "cold"
and "snow" in the extended forecast, I begin to dread the shoveling,
slush, cold, and mess that snow brings. And yet a large
part of me welcomes the snow. There is a beauty that snow brings as
it covers the earth in a pure, white blanket. And snow brings
opportunities for adventures and fun. A chance for me to continue to participate in checking a bucket list item off as completed.
Gramma learns to snowboard
On
December 12th of last year, at age 49, I learned to snowboard. It
was a wondrous experience. The Mister gave me my first lesson
in a nearly empty schoolyard late at night. It was amazing and I
regretted that I hadn't tried snowboarding earlier in my life. Yet, I probably wasn't ready at an earlier age in life. There is a freedom that comes with maturity that brings a different kind of brave. I was finally courageous enough to try to snowboard.
I
continued to practice a few times last year, practicing in
schoolyards and on fire lanes in local wooded areas. While last
year was brutally cold and icy, there wasn't much snow that was good
for snowboarding. I would have loved more opportunities to practice.
That
is why I became excited when the news forecast included talk about
the approaching Polar Vortex. I can't wait to go snowboarding again.
And I think I will plan a trip to one of the local ski resorts.
I
had never expected there to be ski resorts on the east coast. Before traveling here on a regular basis, I expected the area to be too tropical for snow sports. Oh, such a silly girl I was. There are ski resorts here. Nearly every Monday, during the winter season, there is
someone at work who talks about having been skiing, tubing, or
snowboarding nearby. This year, I hope that I am also talking
about snowboarding down a real hill. I am definitely ready to try snowboarding on a slope.
Let's
keep in mind that the Mid-Atlantic region is nowhere near the
elevation of Telluride, Colorado. But even so, there are plenty of
places in the Mid-Atlantic to find a lift to take you to the top and a hill
to come down.
A helpful snowboard tutorial.
It is not as difficult to learn to snowboard as I expected. And not half as scary. For me, getting up from fastening my bindings was the most difficult part. But this young lady shows a way of getting up that I will try this year. If you are very nervous and not starting at a ski resort with lessons, I'd advise starting on a smaller hill than in this video. With the right snow, your board will slide on the smallest of hills.
Popular ski resorts convenient to the Baltimore and DC areas.
I
am listing the four resorts that my co-workers and client families
most visit:
Here is a complete list of the 34 mid-Atlantic ski resorts as listed in DCSki. This list also includes resorts in Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina.
If you have ever wanted to snowboard but have just been too nervous, even if you are my age or older, I recommend that you give it a try. It is not nearly as scary as it looks. You can be bashful like I was and start in a yard with the smallest of incline if the snow is right. Or you can go all out and start at a resort. Either way - be courageous and live your dreams.
Written by Dawn Rae
Disclosure: In affiliation with AllPosters.com, Dawn Rae is a blogger and content writer who may earn compensation from the sale of AllPosters products.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
If you're a fan of Brad Paisley, you already know that his sense of humor gives him the extra edge over everyone else in Country Music!
Much Needed Laughter from the Master of Light, Fun Country Songs!
So, there I was, driving in my car with country music blasting as usual, when Mr. Brad came out blazing a tune from his 2007 Album '5th Gear', called 'Ticks.'
Having not heard the song in a while, I had forgotten how the main lyric causes a hemorrhage of laughter!
If you're not familiar with that lyric, get ready because no other love song expresses love quite like this one! He continues to sing how 'the only thing allowed to crawl on you is
him' lol!
Country music can be emotional and laughter scores as the big
emotion in this comical lyric:
(Lyrics)
'Cause I'd like to see you
Out in the moonlight
I'd like to kiss you
Way back in the sticks
I'd like to walk you
Through a field of wildflowers
And I'd like to check you for ticks
The song was released as the first single for 5th Gear in 2007 and, to no surprise, reached the top of the country charts. The song was also a downloadable tune on the Guitar Hero World Tour.
When asked about the song, Brad said that 'when you're raised on a farm, 'Ticks' are something you need to think about. The song is about a funny pick-up line a guy uses on a girl he meets in a bar .... 'hey there, babe, I wanna check you for ticks' lol. I'd probably bust a gut if that was said to me.
Anyone who's lived in the country (even the city!) knows that Ticks are a real problem! Thank gawd I've never had to be checked for them personally, but I know some who have! Yikes. In fact, when we planted our Birch Tree in the front yard, we spent some time reading about 'Ticks' and Birch Trees! Then, of course, the over 50 cedar trees we planted in the backyard had me thinking as well! So far, so good. Fingers crossed.
Enjoy the song!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
.jpg "Thanksgiving Side Dishes ~ Part II of Thanksgiving Recipes on Review This!")
