Holiday Articles

Lots of ideas about how to enjoy the holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!

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Thanksgiving

I wanted to take a moment to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends!

This week is set aside throughout our nation, as a time of giving thanks. Although it seems as though many people may have forgotten the meaning of this special time, we need to cultivate an attitude of thanksgiving in our hearts & homes, not just on this special day, but every day.

To the world around us, Thanksgiving has become:

– Food (turkey day)
– Football
– Macy’s Day Parade
– First day for Christmas TV specials
– The day before black Friday – or the onset of the Christmas shopping season!

*** Although we can enjoy these different traditions, may we never forget that small group of believers, who came to this new land in search of a place to share their freedom to worship. Even in the midst of sickness, many deaths, and a future that was still unknown, they took time to give thanks.

I’m sure, that when you think of Thanksgiving in your home, your mind is flooded with many memories!

I’m sure that I could ask all of you to share a special memory about Thanksgiving around your table, and we would hear so many different kinds of stories!

Here’s a childhood memory of Thanksgiving in my home.

In our home, we grew up not having a lot, but having everything – if you know what I mean! I am truly so very thankful for my mom, dad, and brother, & I would never trade my childhood for anything! I grew up very thankful for all of God’s blessings in our lives, and I got to watch as God came through for us every time we had a need!

Thanksgiving in our home… I remember my dad going out to hunt on Thanksgiving morning. I thought it was wonderful… how our dad was going out to gather the family goose for our special meal. Little did I know, that the real reason dad was going hunting was that we weren’t able to go out & buy our turkey. But, in my little mind… I didn’t see our lack… I saw God use the skill of my father, and provision of the hand of God!

Mom & dad were always up very early so they could start preparing the family meal.

We would sit down & dad would give God praise for His blessing in our lives, and for providing the bounty that was set before us.

He cultivated an attitude of gratitude in our home.

Although we no longer have to hunt for our family meal, the attitude of gratitude that was “cultivated” in our home has only grown as our little family of 4 has now expanded to need a much larger table to fit our family of 14!

Never forget…

Thankfulness is something that we must “cultivate” in our hearts & homes, because we can only reap what we have actually sown! I don’t know about you, but I want to have an attitude of Thankfulness in my grandchildren – and great-grandchildren – and those that will come long after I’m gone. It’s never to late to start… and today is the perfect time 🙂

I hope you have a very blessed day!

May your table be…

– filled with the wonderful bounty of the harvest
– overflowing with thoughts of thankfulness
– and encircled with many friends & family!

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

How to Carve a Perfect Turkey for Your Holiday Table

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With Thanksgiving almost upon us, I thought I would share some helpful information about the main dish that will be gracing most of our tables… The Turkey!

Many families have different traditions for their Thanksgiving table. Some families have the whole stuffed turkey on the table for a picture perfect presentation. Then, dad takes the carving knife, and serves the pieces one at a time.

Some families decide to pre-slice the turkey, and serve it on a platter. Sometimes this choice is made due to ease of serving, less time waiting for each plate to be filled, or maybe your turkey didn’t come out of the oven looking like the Norman Rockwell paintings that we all strive for 😉

In any case, whether you place the turkey in the middle of the table for presentation, or you pre-slice it and serve it on a platter, I’m sure the following video will help you decide where to begin when you pick up the carving knife 😉


How to Boil the Perfect Easter Egg

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* Here’s one of the articles from the latest issue of my monthly newsletter “A Storybook Life”

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Fill a pot with cold water, and carefully add eggs. Bring water to a rolling boil, then cover and turn off heat. Let the pot set for 15 minutes before removing the eggs. Pour out warm water and fill pot with cold water. When the eggs are cooled remove from water & store in the refrigerator.

Using this method, you will get perfect eggs every time! Fully cooked with pale yellow centers – not green, which can happen from over cooking. There is also no cracking, they are much easier to peel …not to mention this method also saves energy!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

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Raggedy Ann

Although we’ve had a few inches of snowfall this morning, I am still excited about the thought that spring is right around the corner! Although our village St. Patrick’s Day parade was postponed until next week due to the snow, I’m sure that people will still turn out with enthusiasm as we do for every community event.

Today, I thought I’d share a bit of history with you. If you are like many people that I know, you have most likely had your own Raggedy doll sometime during your lifetime. I thought you might like to read about the story behind the beloved Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls.

Raggedy Ann The True Story

I just love the Raggedy Ann that my grandmother made for me when I was a little girl, so I decided to do a bit of research on the doll’s history. Here’s the true story about Raggedy Ann, the museum that chronicles her creator as well as her history.

As the story goes… The birthplace of the beloved Raggedy Ann was Arcola, Illinois. She has captivated our hearts for over 80 years, but very few know of her beginning. She is the creation of a gentleman named John Gruell.

Before World War 1, John’s daughter Marcella was just a preteen. She found a tattered rag doll in her
grandmother’s attic. John was somewhat of an artist, and when Marcella showed her dad the doll, he drew a face on it. He cut out a paper heart on which he wrote “I Love You,” thus the I love heart on each raggedy.

A few years later, in 1917, Marcella died an early death from a contaminated smallpox vaccination. Of course John was grief-stricken, and started writing stories about his little girl and her doll Raggedy Ann. I wonder how many little ones know that they are reading about a real life “daddy’s little girl”?

Today you can find two beautiful brick buildings in Arcola that share a wealth of Raggedy Ann memorabilia. Each year, the town celebrates two festivals featuring Raggedy. “The Raggedy Ann Festival” is held in the summer, and “A Raggedy Ann Christmas” is held during the Christmas season.

Visit the museum website here

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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I hope you have a wonderful day with those that you love!

Here in Upstate, NY, we are supposed to get another 3ft of snow – on top of the 112+ inches that we’ve gotten over the last few days. So…my family & I will be spending some “quality” time together inside (except for the shoveling & snow blowing festival that will happen sometime today – so we can make our way out of the forest if we need to 🙂

I wanted to share some beautiful vintage Valentine greetings with you!

I just love vintage postcards! I think that the early greeting cards are some of the most beautiful cards ever printed! They are full of beautiful colors, intricate artwork, simple innocent verses, as well as the occasional feathers, ribbon, or glitter. They speak to your heart with the letters from loved ones written across the backs, and speak to your creative side with what I like to call – “eye candy for the soul!”

My grandfather Yates kept a collection of vintage postcards (which has now been passed down to my mother), and I have decided to take up the tradition to pass along to my children as well 🙂

I hope you enjoy these bits of art – Happy Valentine’s Day!
Vintage Valentine's Day Postcard


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