Usually the day after Thanksgiving Jeff and I will get up bright and early and make rounds in the Clackamas area by the mall but this year we didnt really feel up to it and the deals werent anything special really. I saw that Target had a $3 toaster but who the heck needs a toaster? I guess at that price you could get a few and make toast double time? Later on Friday we did go out to a few stores and poke around to see what was left, it was much nicer because the crowds had filed out and you didnt have to wait in crazy lines.

Friday night we enjoyed the tree lighting ceremony in downtown Portland. I wrote a post of fun facts about tree that you can read {HERE}.

Here are a few pictures of our weekend….

My Mom, My little sister, and myself about to watch the movie in our cool 3D glasses

Thanksgiving Dinner Table

Walking the streets of Downtown

Pioneer Courthouse Square, the heart of Downtown

The tree powered by LED

I have never gone to see the tree lighting in person, I have always watched from the comfort of my home but I’m thinking this year is the year to go down and become part of the excitement! Crossing my fingers for no rain.

Below is a picture of last year’s tree that I found on PDX Pipeline…

The Details:

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Where? Pioneer Courthouse Square

When? 11/27 at 5:30pm

For More information visit the Pioneer Courthouse Square Calender of Events below:
http://www.pioneercourthousesquare.org/calendar_november.htm#treelighting

• 24 small (2×2 inch) pine cones
• 2 ounces or ¼ cup of Frankencense powder
• 4 ounces or ½ cup of Myrrh powder
• 1 ¼ cups of gold glitter
• White craft glue
• Cellophane bags
• A shallow container such as a shoe box

1. Rinse the pine cones in water and place on a cookie sheet. Place the cones in a 300 degree oven for one hour to speed up the drying. Then place them aside on some newspaper to finish drying.

2. Blend the frankincense, myrrh and glitter together in shoe box. Dab some glue on the tips of the pine cones petals and on the bottom of the cone. Roll the pine cones in the blended mixture and set aside to dry.

3. After drying you can place the pine cones in open glass containers or package in the cellophane bags to give as gifts. The scent of the cones is powerfully release when they are burned. Toss a few of the cones into your fireplace when lit for a pleasant smell. If you decide not to burn them, you can still enjoy the aromatic scent just being in the same room.

4. You can also make scented pinecones by using fragrance oils. Take the same steps to wash and dry the pine cones.

5. Place water and several drops of fragrance oil in a spray bottle and spray the cones. Seal the pine cones in a bag and let the sit for about a week. Some great fragrance oils to use are apple, cinnamon, orange, peppermint, nutmeg and pine.

1. Have a plan– Do a fridge cleaning on Friday before to make room for all the Thanksgiving supplies and to leave plenty of room for leftovers. Shop early to get the best pick of the bird and beat the last minute scurry to get whats left. Pre plan your menu so cooking day goes smooth and you know what needs to be started next. Try Allrecipes.com for family favorites!

2. Let the kids help– Kids will be so excited to help, let them open packages of butter or set the table. If they are old enough let then mix up a batch of cookies. My job when I was little was to make sure everyone had their drinks, that is a big job for a little one. If you want them to stay busy give them an assigned “special” job which will make them feel like they are really contributing.

3. Make it a potluck– It’s not too late to contact guests and plan for each person to bring a dish! With everyone’s own unique dish and flavor it will be a Thanksgiving to remember!

4. Ask the Pros– Check in with the Foodnetwork.com for tons of signature dishes and tricks from all the Food Network top chef star contributors like Bobby Flay, Emril Legasse, or Paula Deen.

5. Know your turkey– At Foodnetwork.com there is a Turkey Buying Guide to help sort through all the turkey terms like self-basting, free-range, natural, kosher or organic.

6. It’s okay to cheat– If you’re pressed for time check out the produce section at your local store for pre-cut fresh veggies to help with soups, sides and salads. Pre packaged pies and desserts are a huge time saver and really taste well worth it.

7. Let somebody else cook– Your favorite restaurant or grocery store will undoubtedly be offering prepared turkeys and some full coarse meals to take home for a crowd.

8. Skip the bird–Vegetarians already know about savory substitutes made of Tofu known as Tofurkey, the soy-based version of a holiday bird.

9. Road trip to savings– Bundle your trips. Make it a day of running errands to limit traffic on the road and make things a little easier because you are making one day of running around not 5 more honey do trips back to the store.

10. Know where to call for help– So many sources listed below who want to help if you have trouble with your holiday meal.

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The USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hot Line will be available to help with turkey trouble and food safety questions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving day Call (800) 535-4555.

Butterball’s Turkey-Talk Line is back at (800)-BUTTERBALL (800-288-8372). Hours are 9 a.m to 9 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thanksgiving day.

Call Reynold’s Turkey Tips Hotline for recorded defrosting and roasting instructions at (800) 745-4000.

Even Ocean spray is in on the act with a 24-hour consumer helpline at 800-662-3263 Thanksgiving Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Need some relief from the holiday demands? Have a laugh at the Top 10 wackiest questions to the helpline. (It’s also worth a visit to oceanspray.com for the recipes and planning ideas.)

Below is a few handprint Turkeys that were discovered on others sites! Enjoy!

The May Fly

PreschoolRock

Bella Dia

Busy Bee Kids Crafts

Ehow

Well Ashley’s friend who is also named Ashley just had her first baby girl last week! So my Ashley’s project for the past 9 months has been to knit a beautiful baby blanket for her friend’s girl!

Ashley chose to use “Vanna’s Choice” yarn made by Lion Brand because of their uniquely brightly pigmented colors, their exceptional quality, and on the Vanna’s Choice website they provide FREE patterns which is just what Ashley did!

Ashley chose to make the quilt like pattern Heirloom Baby Blanket as seen on the Vanna’s Choice website. She downloaded and printed it right from the site at home, and bought the coordinating colors used to make the blanket. Vanna’s Choice has 70 different colors to choose from, but Ashley already loved the pinks in the Heirloom blanket shown below.

The printable pattern shows what materials are needed, which colors of yarn is needed to copy the one shown on the site, and intricate directions to knit your way through to the end.

Here is the pattern/picture shown on the website:

Heirloom Baby Blanket Pattern found {HERE}

Here is Ashley’s finished blanket:

Pretty darn similar if I must say! Her friend LOVED the blanket and it’s definitely a cherished item that will be in her friend’s daughter’s room for years to come!

For more info or pattern choices visit vannaschoice.com or click {HERE}

I am excited to share with you the next three weeks is my LAST class section of HAIR in efforts to earn my Cosmetology Degree! If some of you many not know, but I retired my PreK program and decided to persue another passion of mine which is HAIR! Since September I have been taking 3 week courses of Hair Design, Perming/Relaxing,Coloring, and now on to Cutting. My program is a year and half program to complete where you are required take all the classes up front in the beginning, then work out on the school’s salon floor and obtain credits and hours upon graduation. At the end of the program with all credits and hours achieved I will be required to take a state written and practical test to receive my license! Seems like a long process when I first started but here I am three months in and almost done with all my classes!

Below are some pictures I have taken though the weeks I have been at school!

We celebrated Halloween in full fashion dressing up

{Me the bumble bee and Amy the ladybug}

Myself and Chelsea the Autumn Fairy!

Practicing on friends…

{Kickin my heels up in class}

{Playing around in color class with leftover tubes}

{I added dark brown to my bangs}

Click on the image for full directions to make your own!

Merriment Design

Family Fun

Better Homes and Gardens

Pine Feather

Craft Stylish

Crafts For All Seasons

Alyssa explains it here:

1. Spend 30 days with a journal in your hand. Try it for the next 30 days and see if I’m not lying. Take a journal and just jot down everything you give. Every time you find yourself being generous, write it down. Every time you feel prompted by God to give something you never would, or why would I buy THAT many cookies… from the Girl Scouts. I don’t know why, God just gave you the prompting to do something special for somebody! Write it down.

2. And then write down on the other side every time something comes back to you. Every time the cycle gets completed. Do it for 30 days, and you’ll never be the same again. You’ll never look at giving the same way again.

Alyssa invites others to participate in her 30 day challenge and makes it more community oriented by posting about it on her blog and encouraging others to check in weekly and share their blessings to others! The challenge started November 1st so we are a week behind, but that’s ok just extend it through December!

For more info about the 30 Day Giving Challenge visit Alyssa’s blog {HERE}

Click the image of the kit to download FREE

Caftastical.com

Scrap Pony

Denise Betty

Eric Zane

Eva Kipler

Kevin And Amanda

Major Tigger Scraps

Miss Kim