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

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. 

INSTRUCTIONS

Flossy's needs
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

Flossy's Body:
Using size 7 needles cast on 3
working in I-Cord Method
Row 1 and 2: Knit in front and back of each stitch (you should have 12 stitches)
Divide the stitches equally onto three needles

Round 3 & 4: Knit into front and back of each stitch (you should have 48 stitches)
Round 5-10: Knit
Round 11: Decrease on each end of each needle (you should have 42 stitches)
Round 12: Knit
Work rounds 11 and 12: Three more times
Round19: Decrease one more time as in round 11
Round 20: Knit 2 together to end

Stuff Flossy's bottom

Round 21: *Knit 2 together, Knit 1* to end
Round 22: Knit one in the back and front of each stitch to end (You should have 36 stitches)
Round 23: -26: Knit
Round 27 & 28: *Knit 2 together, Knit 1* to end
Round 29: Knit 2 together to end
Round 30: Knit 2 together to end
Break thread and run through remaining stitches with darning needle.

Stuff Flossy's head and tie off.

 

You can add her eyes and mouth at this time or wait.  I did it at this time and didn't like the proportions and had to re-do it once the bonnet was on. 

Carrot Nose:  This is Flossy's aborigini look.  At least this is what the kids tell me.
Using size 2 needles and orange yarn
Pick up two stitches in the center of her face.

Start working in I-Cord with orange yarn for  three rows. 

Decrease one, break off yarn and pull tail through last loop. 
Using darning needle pull end through the tip of her nose and into her head.
Using the darning needle again tie off and pull the other end through her head.

Flossy's Apron
Using size 2 needles and red 
Cast on 18 Stitches
Rows 1-4: Knit
Row 5: Knit 4 Pearl 10 Knit 4
Row 6: Knit
Repeat rows 5 & 6 twelve more times
Row 18: Knit
Cast off leaving one stitch on needle pick up one stitch
Work in I-Cord on these two stitches for five inches
Knit the two stitches together and break off tail, pull through and cut off.
Pick up two stitches on the other side apron and work like above.

Flossy's bonnet

Pick up 20 stitches around top of head using 4 size 2 needles.

Round 1: Knit into front and back of each stitch
Round 2: Knit
Round 3: Repeat round 1
Round 4: Knit
Round 5: Purl (this will turn the top of the bonnet)
Round 6: Knit
Round 7 & 8: Knit two together to end
Round 9 -12: Knit
Round 13: Knit two together to end
Put some wool floss in.  Not too much or the hat will be over stuffed and look funny.
Break yarn and run daring needle through with tail and tie off.

Flossy's Bonnet Brim:
With size 2 needles and green yarn
Pick up 24 stitches around edge of bonnet top.

Round 1: Knit
Round 2: Knit
Round 3-5: Knit into front and back of each stitch(this will give it that ruffled look)
Cast off, break off yarn and tie off with darning needle.

Flossy is now ready too cook her famous Snowball Soup

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

Snowman Finger Puppet Pattern

Snowman Finger Puppet Pattern

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

PATTERN

Snowman's Body
With White yarn Cast on 15

Round 1: Knit
Round 2: Knit into front and back of each stitch
Round 3-5: Knit
Round 6: knit 2 tog to end
Round 7: Knit 2 tog knit 1 to end
Round 8: Knit into front and back of each stitch
Round 9 -14: Knit
Round 15 & 16: Knit 2 tog to end
Round 17: Knit 2 together Knit 1 to end
Round18 & 19: Knit into the front and back of each stitch
Round 20-24: knit
Round 25 & 26: Knit 2 tog to end
Thread remaining stitches and tie off.

Hat
Pick up 12 stitches around the top of Snowman's head using double pointed needles.

Knit 8 rows with Black yarn.
Round 9: Pearl (this will make the top bend in.

Round 10: Knit
Round 11: Knit 1 Knit 2 tog to end
Round 12: Knit 1 Knit 2 tog to last two stitches and Knit last two stitches together
Break yarn, leaving a long tail.  Tie off and use the long tail to make french knots for eyes and mouth.

Hat Rim
Pick up 12 stitches at the base of the hat using 3 double pointed needles

Round 1: Knit
Round 2: Purl
Round 3: Knit 1 Knit into front and back of every other stitch to end
Round 4: Purl
Round 5: Knit
Round 7: Purl
Bind off (or make a larger rim if you'd like)
Break yarn leaving a long tail to tack down hat Rim to head.

Nose:
Pick up 3 stitches in middle of face using only one double pointed needle
Work in I-cord for 3 rows
Row 4: Knit two stitches together and knit one (still working in I-cord)
Row 5: Knit 2 together
Break thread Pull thread through remaining stitch and thread through nose and tie off.

Stuff hat, now put your finger in puppet and fill his snowball body with wool.  Pressing it in where needed giving him a rounded look.

(I enjoy sharing my patterns but ask that you use them with your own personal pleasure and not to sell. As I make them to sell myself.  Thank you.)

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