Thank you

Thanksgiving is here. Time to reflect upon everything we are thankful for! And I have to tell you, truthfully, I am thankful every day of my life for everything I have; I am so fortunate for my family & my friends. And I am so thankful for you all who read my blog! THANK YOU. Now that I have a child, I want to convey to him how appreciative I am & I want to teach him to be the same. Along with this, I want to also teach him the history of Thanksgiving.

Part of my childhood was spent in Brockton, Massachusetts, not far from Boston. And due to this we also were able to travel to other parts of the state, like Salem & Plymouth. I was able to see Plymouth Rock up close & hear the history of the Mayflower & the Pilgrims there. We will be voyaging to MA at some point soon with our toddler but until then, I can teach him in other ways. I was ecstatic to see these in Disney Family Magazine. Great for Gabriel's school! (And no eggs!!!):

Plymouth Rock Cookies

via Disney Family Fun Magazine

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons milk
• black & green food coloring

Heat the oven to 375°. With a mixer, blend the butter, 1 cup of the sugar, and the extracts for about 1 minute. Add the flour and salt. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the milk with a wooden spoon until the dough sticks together.

Form the dough into eight Plymouth Rock shapes (ours measure 3 by 4 inches and about 1/2-inch thick). Press a small rectangular lid (we used a spice container) 

into the dough to create a frame, then use a toothpick to engrave the date 1620.

Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the cookies begin to brown. Remove them and let them cool completely.

For a gray glaze, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk with a drop of black food coloring and a drop of green food coloring. Adjust the color and, if needed, add milk to thin the glaze so that it's brushable. Apply it 

to the cookies with a pastry brush, then let it cool and harden for an hour.

I love this book: 

"The Story of Thanksgiving"

by Nancy Skarmeas 

Illustrated by Stacy Venturi-Pickett

 ISBN 9780824941642


This series of books is great- explains the history is an easy & fun manner for ages 2 & up!

Followed up by...


We crafted a Mayflower together! Easy to draw, then color... used rectangular pieces of white tissue paper for the sails. 


The best part about crafts with toddlers? It does not have to perfect & the child still has fun! And learns. 


Lastly, all of the craft stores have these great little kits. They contain ALL the pieces you need & are inexpensive. Gabriel loved making this turkey:

And, there's the Native American craftwork, like this feather headband, modeled by Gabriel:

Or, Native American "Cave Art" made with sidewalk chalk:

And a Native American Rain Stick made with an empty paper towel roll-holder, filled 1/4 the way with dry beans then closed on the ends with plastic wrap & rubber bands. Chalk coloring the outside:

I will be blogging all week & crafting more with my tot, but want to say early:

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

<3 Lishie