Our Thanksgiving

Our Camper opened up a whole new Thanksgiving tradition.  Gone are the days of cooking all day long just to have the "stop, drop and eat" guest...then they run off before the dishes need doing.  Or the "head in the TV" along with the, "Whiner guest" that complain about everything.
 Then after this lovely day of a thankless Thanksgiving you are left with the dishes that go on forever.

This is our third year Thanksgiving Camping and I am truly thankful.  We spent it at the picturess Vogel State Park in Georgia along with friends.  We couldn't have asked for a better time.

Here is Alex with his wonderful stuffed mushroom he used to decorate the ham plate with.  Alex is quite the chef, he made the green bean cassaroel as well.  

We made our Turkey Run Game Board again.  Jeff made a scavenger hunt for the kids where they had to find all the pieces to make their Turkeys with.  Jeff and I made one as well...you cant keep us from our favorite game.  Here in order from left to right is: Road Kill, Gobble Gobble Gobble, Turkey Lurkey, Gilda Gobbler, Marsha and Tom. 

Silet Saturday and Sunday

Weekend Family Time...Last Year Thanksgiving and Table Rock State Park South Carolina

Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Wonderful Word Wednesday

 

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face.
~John Donne

Tree Lanterns and luminaries

  

My friend gave me this idea of Lanterns at her Michaelmas celebration. We go camping for Thanksgiving and I wanted to make it extra special.  So I made the Lanterns to hang in the tree and for night walks and the luminaries to go around the camp sight.  I cant wait to see what it will look like.

Lanterns

Items you will need

Cardboard liquid containers (milk, OJ, Creamer)

Black spray paint

Colored Tissue paper

Glue

Hole Punch

Wire Coat hangers

Sand

Tea Lights

Wire cutter pliers

How to Make

First cut holes in sides of containers and cut top off.  Make sure you leave room at the bottom for sand and light (see photo).

Using hole punch punch holes on opposite side of container for coat hanger to go in.

Paint, let dry.

Cut tissue paper a little larger than the holes.  Glue them into the inside of container.

Cut wire hanger and bend ends to fit in holes.

Put sand in bottom and add light.

These are easy for children to carry and hang well in the trees. 

Luminaries

Items you will need

paper bags

Tissue paper

Scissors

glue

sand

tea lights

How to make

First cut out template of leaf shapes.  I used leaves in my yard as examples.  

Trace out on brown paper bags, and cut out shape.

Cut and glue tissue paper to inside of bags.  

Add sand to the bottom and tea light.

These are great for lining pathways and defining areas. 

Thanksgiving Centerpiece

I have enjoyed viewing all the wax leaves everyone was blogging about, So I had to join in the fun.
The kids and I gathered leaves and dipped them in our beeswax.
Since we are camping for the holidays and will be eating outside I needed something that could withstand the weather and wind.
So I got the glue gun out and started gluing the leaves on a styrofoam form.  And added cinnamon sticks tied with twine.  The result was a very natural looking, earthy, fall centerpiece.  The rest of the leaves I will scatter over the table with other smaller jar candles.
 

Wonderful Word Wednesday

It's Golden in the Garden

It's Golden in the Garden

It's Golden in the Garden

Prince Autumn is Finally hear.

                                               -Waldorf  Seasonal Song

Waxed Minature Mushrooms

 During a fall leaf expedition my daughter picked the Dogwood buds off the tree.  When she opened her hand my crafty side of my brain saw little mushrooms.  So while my kids were dipping leaves into the wax I was dipping the buds...with tweezers...I then quickly attached them to a piece of bark with the wax. 

Once attached fairly well (if you blew on them they would fall over) I held the bark over the crock of wax and spooned it over the buds.  Kind of holding it on its side so it would go on the base instead of the head.  This helped to secure them.

Gingerbread Man

Run, Run, Run

As fast as you can

You cant catch Trinity...

Shes the Gingerbread Man

I found the pattern for these at Natural Suburbia  

She has allot of fun neat pattern for Christmas.

And Family Fun Magazine has a Gingerbread Pattern to cut out.

Silet Saturday and Sunday

Listen to the earth, it speaks, through the wind, trees and water...even the rustling leaves on the forest floor have something to say.

Flossy The Snow Woman

Get Flossy's Knitting Instructions at my Ravelry Store $1.99


Flossy is a sweet old gal, a little plump but that from all her good cookin'   She is always in an apron, stirring a bowl and humming...usually "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow."  She never gets to the warm and cozy firelight part.

MATERIALS
Size 7 double pointed needles
Size 2 Double pointed needles
Darning needle
Knobby Yarn White
Finger weight yarn red
Finger weight yarn green
Finger weight yarn black
Finger weight yarn orange

 

Cloudland Canyon

We went for a weekend at Cloudland Canyon for Alex's Birthday.  We let the kids pick where they want to go camping on the weekend near their birthday.
Alex had the most amazing trip.  It rained on and off all day... it would quit...the sun would come out...then it would start raining again.  This happened about eight times.  Just as we got to the rangers station on top of the mountain it started sleeting...pulling in the campsite it started...snowing.  We took a quick trip into town and saw a rainbow. Very freaky weather for Georgia.

And Alex is expressing hear the amazement and confusion over the peculiar weather we were having. We all shared this look.

Alex holding up this little rock

OK maybe it was a really big rock

Alex hanging out on a rock

A wall of rocks

A waterfall over rocks

A bridge across some rocks

As you can see...Cloudland Canyon was beautiful and we had a great time. 

Especially the birthday boy.

And we really liked all the rocks

WINTER Snowman Finger Puppet Pattern

WINTER SNOWMAN FINGER PUPPET PATTERN

Get Frostbites pattern at my ravelry store $1.99

What you will need
White knobby yarn
Black finger weight Yarn
Orange finger weight Yarn
4 Size 3 double Pointed needles
Darning needle
Wool Stuffing

 

Home For Sale

Well, we finally have taken the plunge and our little cottage is on the market. 


This was our first home and we will always have a special place in our hearts.  We are leaving it more beautiful than when we got it and for that I am proud.  It will fill others life's as it has filled ours.


So please enjoy this tour of our little home. 

Say a prayer to St. Joseph for us and for a quick sale and that everyone involved  is blessed.


This is the first step for the Duvall's in their new adventure.


We will be living full time in our Camper once our home is sold and will probably trade up to something bigger.  

We hope to be living on Lake Altoona or Lake Lanier.  Or maybe even a little of both.  Both offer wonderful COE campgrounds as well as State.  


We have done a few trial runs with home schooling.  And it seemed to go better than at home. 
Even with our Fabulouse school room filled with light.

But it seems sitting out at a pic-nick table doing Math has its advantages too.  And lets not forget Spelling words with giant chalk on the campsite drive, skipping rope while reciting sums, writing letters to friends.  Or sitting by a fire reading.    


   OH, I could go on and on.
 
We are fortunate to have found a  wonderful Realtor Julie Osborn she is with Harry Norman Realtors.             


She has set up a very nice page on our home if you want to see more photo's click on link at bottom of page.

Though I am not advertising for Harry Norman and Julie.  I must say I am impressed. 

Harry Normans delivers a high standard of professionalism and marketing.  And Julie is the type of person you could be friends with, you know she is right there for you and knows what she is doing.

Click for More Info and Photos

Wonderful Word Wednesday

Only the heart knows how to find what is precious.

                                                                  -Fyodor Destoyevsky