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It’s a…

25 Nov

Well, it’s the day after Thanksgiving and I still can’t say that I have ever made a turkey.

But I have definitely made a paper bag turkey!

One Charming Party’s creative kid’s table display inspired me this year as we planned to tell our family the gender of Baby #2.The Happy Hubby helped me make our paper bag turkey – but instead of stuffing it with popcorn, we stuffed it with a balloon the color of our baby’s gender. :-)

Then we took it to our Thanksgiving feast.I explained to the fam that by carving this turkey – they’d get to know who was in my tummy!So, we let the nieces and nephew have at it.

I mean, what kids under 12 ever get an opportunity to carve a turkey??

*No knives were used in the carving of our gender reveal turkey.  No one was hurt in the process either!* :-) Our nephew was pretty excited since he has been outnumbered for years. :-) The Happy Buddy is going to have a little brother!!!

We couldn’t be more thrilled!

I know you all have been praying for a girl for us, and as much as a little princess all covered in glitter and fairy wings would have been so magical – I have had this second boy in my heart for long time and have been praying for him by name for many months!

I am so excited that the Happy Buddy is going to have a little buddy to wrestle with, play in the mud with, and crash cars with. :-)

Now all I need to do is come up with a Blog Name for him!

The Happy Buddy is the Happy Buddy…so what should this little guy’s name be?? :-) Happy Thanksgiving from me and my THREE boys! :-)

A Thanksgiving Skit

23 Nov

Last Thursday, the Happy Hubby and I had the privilege of attending our school’s annual Kindergarten Thanksgiving Play with the Happy Buddy.

Seeing those adorable Happy Buddies up there, yelling their lines out as if there wasn’t a microphone right there in front of them, and wearing sweet little Pilgrim bonnets or way too large Native American headdresses… it was the definition of cuteness.

At one point, the Happy Hubby and I turned to one another and we both admitted to getting teary-eyed – and our kid isn’t even in the play yet!! :-)

The best part of the play, though, was at the end, when all the Pilgrims and Native Americans joined hands and sang, “God is so Good.”

We are so blessed to have such a godly heritage!Maybe your Happy Home would like to put on a special play this Thanksgiving Day for all of the guests.

Once again, you’ve come to the right place!

My Happy Home Friend, Katie, shared the script below at our MOMs group earlier this month.  She said that she and her whole family get involved in the performance and every year it gets funnier and funnier. :-)

I think I’m going to try to round up the nieces and nephew to put on our own show this Thanksgiving!

*The following skit is written as a narration, with one adult or older child reading the script while younger children and family members act out the story.*

A Thanksgiving Day Skit

Many years ago, the Pilgrims prayed for a place to live where they could worship God and go to church.

So they decided to come to America.  They sailed on a big ship called the Mayflower.

It took great courage for the Pilgrims to cross the ocean.  There were many dangers and the boat was cramped.  There weren’t showers on the Mayflower, so it was probably pretty smelly, too.

When they landed in America, the Pilgrims needed food to eat.  They looked for fresh food in the forest.

They gathered seeds and berries.

But soon the weather began to change.  The first winter that the Pilgrims lived in America was very long, very cold, and very difficult.

Many of the Pilgrims became ill.

When Spring finally came, it was a time of joy!

One day, a kind Indian walked into the Pilgrim’s village.  He liked the Pilgrims and wanted to help them.

Soon, more Indians came.  They were nice and showed the Pilgrims how to fish, plant corn, and build homes.

The Pilgrims taught the Indians about God and how much He loves them.

One of the Indians was called Squanto.  He was their special friend.

Together they hunted quail and turkey.  The Pilgrims would be ready, this time, for the coming winter.

When summer ended, the Pilgrims wanted to have a feast.

They had plenty of food and many new friends.  They wanted to give thanks to God for all of their blessings.

“Join us!” the Pilgrims said to the Indians, “Join us in a big feast of Thanksgiving!  It will be a very special holiday.”

The Indians came to the feast.  Long tables were filled with delicious things to eat.

Everyone was so excited and everyone gave thanks to our Father.

What a wonderful first Thanksgiving Day!

The End.

Can’t you just see your Happy Home presenting this play after dinner and everyone having a blast?

And may I suggest THIS POST featuring some simple Thanksgiving Head Gear options to help you plan costumes? :-)

For a printable version of this skit, click the link below.

Printable Version of the Thanksgiving SkitHappy Thanksgiving Skit-ing! :-)

*I don’t know who originally wrote this skit- if you know, please share in the comments section so that I can properly credit!  Thank you!*

Games to Play on Thanksgiving Day!

22 Nov

Getting the whole family together for Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to try out some super fun games!  I’ve compiled a list of my top favorite that are sure to inspire lasting memories and lots of laughter!

You’ll be playing them year after year! :-)

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1.  Turkey Hunt - Print out some pictures of turkeys (I found some great ones HERE).  Cut them out.  The leader sends the hunters (the kids) out of the room.  Hide the turkeys.  Then the hunters return and begin their hunt!  As each turkey is found, it is brought to the leader who corrals them in separate piles for each hunter.  When all the turkeys have been found, the hunter with the most turkeys is the winner and then becomes the leader for the next round.  Don’t forget to tell the kids to hunt quietly – they don’t want to scare the turkeys away!

2.  Thankerchief – Arrange all players in a circle.  Pass around a “Thankerchief” (handkerchief) as everyone recites this poem:

Thankerchief, thankerchief, around you go –
Where you’ll stop, nobody knows.
But when you do, someone must say,
What they are thankful for this day.

The player holding the “Thankerchief” when the poem ends must say out loud one thing they are thankful for.  Keep playing until every player has had a turn!

3.  Where Did the Turkey Lay Its Egg?  Have one player (the farmer) leave the room while a hard-boiled egg is hidden.  When the player returns, he/she must search for the turkey’s missing egg.  The other players give clues to the egg’s location by gobbling like a turkey.  If the farmer is far away from the turkey, the other players gobble very quietly. As the farmer gets closer to the turkey, the other players’ gobbles will increase in volume until the turkey’s missing egg is found!

4.  Cross the Sea – This idea comes straight from Family Fun.  First, pick one person to represent the New World (America), and have her stand on a chair at one end of the room. Next, choose someone to be the Mayflower; have him stand blindfolded at the other end of the room. Everyone else plays “rocks,” standing, sitting, or lying on the floor in random spots between the two. The New World calls out directions to guide the ship (who can’t talk or peek) safely across the rocky sea to its final harbor: the chair upon which the New World stands.

5.  Name That Turkey Tune – Another great idea from Family Fun!  Have each player take turns crooning familiar songs, replacing all the lyrics with the word gobble. Choose a category for each round (Christmas carols, Beatles tunes, or TV theme songs, for example) and see who among the non-warbling guests can be the first to make out each melody.

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6.  Pin the Feather on the Turkey – A fun and simple game from Parents!

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7.  Roll-a-Turkey – Do you remember the Roll-a-Pumpkin Game I shared in October?  A Lemon Squeezy Home created a fun Thanksgiving twist on it – with a FREE Printable!

I hope you have fun playing some of these fabulous games with your Happy Home this Thursday!

Happy Thanksgiving Game-ing! :-)

Turkey Traps

21 Nov

You'll never catch me!

A great activity to do with your Happy Buddies this Thanksgiving Eve is to try to catch a turkey!

Here’s what you will need…

Materials:

  • 1 cardboard box (big enough to fit around a turkey)
  • 1 sturdy stick
  • A few kernels of corn (turkeys like to eat field corn, popcorn kernels, candy corn… any kind of corn!)
  • Feathers
  • A small treat :-)
  1. Print and read the Legend of the Turkey to your Happy Buddies (you can find it HERE).
  2. Tell your Happy Buddies that you are going to try to trap a turkey for Thanksgiving.
  3. Set the cardboard box upside down and prop one end up with the stick. Show your Happy Buddy how the turkey will knock the stick over to make the box fall. Place some corn under the box to serve as bait.
  4. Overnight, remove the corn and replace with the feathers and a small treat. If you want, add a little note/poem from the Turkey: “You tried to catch me, but I can’t be beat. So I left some candy for you to eat!”  Or you can print one of these fun notes that I found HERE.
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    Or you could leave behind some chocolate-covered round candies as Turkey PooPoo. :-)

  5. In the morning your Happy Buddies will most likely find the box knocked down, but no turkey- just a few feathers and their treat!  Those turkeys are so tricky!

    Click Image to Read about a Turkey Trap!

*Read all about one Happy Home’s Turkey Trap Adventures HERE.

Happy Turkey Catch-ing! :-)

Turkey Box of Warm and Cozies

20 Nov

How cute is that?

A Happy Home friend of mine shared this adorable idea with me!

The local ministry for homeless that are church supports expressed a need for gloves and hats and other cold weather apparel.

Being that we live in South Florida, cold weather is kind of non-existent, but when it does come, homeless shelters usually aren’t well stocked.

My friend had her Happy Buddies buy several of those items (you can hit the Dollar Spot at Target for a great selection!), place them all in a box, wrap it up, and (in the Thanksgiving spirit) dress it to look like a turkey!

Then she and her Happy Buddies are going to deliver it to the homeless ministry together.

I love that this idea encourages our Happy Buddies to think about others – one of God’s greatest commands for our lives.

So the Happy Buddy and I had to make our own Turkey Box. :-) The Happy Buddy and all of our purchased apparel.We placed everything in a shoe box.Then we wrapped the box using a recycled grocery bag.

And added some turkey features with construction paper, glue, and googly eyes.We’ll  be heading out tomorrow to drop it off!

Happy Turkey Box-ing! :-)

Thanksgiving Tradition – The 5 Kernels of Corn

19 Nov

During their first winter in America, the Pilgrims faced a season of horrible famine.

Food was so scarce that most days the Pilgrims only had a daily ration of 5 kernels of corn apiece.

How did they survive this hardship?

By giving in to bitterness and despair?

No.

The Pilgrims chose to trust in the Lord – regardless of their circumstances.

They chose to thank Him for provision, no matter the size.

Those 5 kernels of corn were a blessing.

This Thanksgiving with your Happy Home, consider placing 5 kernels of corn (corn, popcorn seeds, candy corn, etc.) at each guest’s place setting.

Spend a few minutes before the meal going around the table and having everyone share 5 things that they are thankful for – a reminder of those 5 kernels of corn.

Or you could present a symbolic meaning of each kernel like this example found at Children’s Ministry

  1. The first kernel reminds us that God loves us.
  2. The second kernel reminds us that God provides for all our needs.
  3. The third kernel reminds us of the friends God has given us — just as the American Indians were friends to the pilgrims.
  4. The fourth kernel reminds us of all the people God has given us who love us.
  5. And the fifth kernel reminds us that God hears our prayers and answers us.

God gets us through the lean times, doesn’t He??

The 5 Kernels of Corn Thanksgiving Tradition is just the thing your Happy Home needs to celebrate the goodness of our great God! :-)

Happy 5 Kernels of Corn-ing! :-)

Gobbling Good Snacks

18 Nov

When it comes to feeding our Happy Buddies, sometimes adding a little pizazz to their snack or meal can be the most magical surprise.

Check out these fabulous ideas that transform the ordinary into turkey-extraordinary!

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Little Nummies is the most amazing site for fun food inspiration!

I love this simple peanut butter sandwich gone Tom Turkey.

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Little Nummies also shares this creative Graham Gobbler.

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Dressing Heidi Sage featured this clever Turkey Quesadilla.

Turkey Pancakes anyone?  Check out My Little Gems for the recipe!

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Your Happy Buddies will have the BEST time making these Turkey Apples from Little Page Turners with an assortment of small snacks and toothpicks!

This would even be a fun activity at the Thanksgiving Kid’s Table.

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Do you have some muffins laying around?

Ziggity Zoom will show you how to transform it into an adorable turkey.

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Your Thanksgiving guests will go wild over this Turkey Veggie Platter found HERE.

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 I made a bunch of these guys last year.

Turkey Snack Bags made from food service gloves!

And Happy Home Fairy also has a few more great Turkey Look-Alike Food Inspirations…

The Fruit Kabob Turkey

Easy and Cute Turkey Cupcakes

Happy Gobbling Good Snack-ing! :-)

Thanksgiving Head Gear

17 Nov

I know several Happy Homes that have a neat tradition every Thanksgiving.

They make their Thanksgiving guests a special hat to wear throughout the feast.

What a great way to keep things light and happy while eating until your pants feel tight!

Here are some hat ideas if you’re interested in getting the whole family to join in on the head gear fun…

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Go HERE for instructions to make an authentic-looking Pilgrim Hat!

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All Kids Network has a super easy Pilgrim Hat as well.

*Interesting fact – did you know that the pilgrims we celebrate every Thanksgiving did not actually wear buckles on their clothes? Apparently, buckles did not come into fashion until the later 1600′s* :-)

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To keep things gender specific, make the pilgrim hats for the guys and these adorable Pilgrim Bonnets for the girls!

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Origami Owls has a Native American Hat that is unbelievably easy to make (2 supplies needed)- the band around the head is duct tape!

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These Turkey Hats from Parents are just darling!

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I’ve always been a HUGE fan of this Gobbling Head Gear from Family Fun.

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Family Fun also suggests keeping it simple by setting out the supplies at a Thanksgiving Hat-Making Station for everyone to create their own using paper cups!

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Personally, I don’t think anyone should be allowed to eat unless they have one of these Turkey Leg Hats from HERE.

Click Image to Buy Hat for Your Baby

And I couldn’t resist this last one.

Had to throw it in to give you a smile if that Turkey Leg Hat didn’t already get you. :-)

I wish the baby in my tummy was already here so that I could get a photo like this!!!!

*P.S. We find out the gender of our baby next week!!!! STAY TUNED….*

What a fun tradition to start in your Happy Home!

No one will be able to take anyone seriously! :-)

Happy Thanksgiving Head Gear-ing!

A Thanksgiving Feast of Recipes

16 Nov

Can you believe that we’re just about a week away from Turkey Day?!

If you’re a super duper planner, you may have already figured out what your Happy Home is serving for Thanksgiving dinner months ago.

Or maybe your Happy Home does the same feast every year because it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without Grandma’s stuffing or Nana’s creamy mashed potatoes.

OR maybe you’re adventurous and want to try some new recipes this year.

Well, then you’ve come to the right place. :-)

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I made a Sausage Apple Stuffing a few years ago and the Happy Hubby has begged me to make it every year since!

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You all know it.

You all love it.

The Corn Casserole of AMAZINGNESS.

There isn’t a holiday celebration in our family where this casserole doesn’t make an appearance.

And then a quick disappearance!

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This recipe for Cranberry Casserole was introduced to me a few years ago by a dear friend.

I had a mom bring this to our November MOM group at church – and there wasn’t a crumb left in the dish!

It is a really yummy substitute for cranberry sauce!

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I looove this easy recipe for Bean Slop.

It’s tangy and sweet and you can make it the night before!

And, I apologize, Happy Home Friends, but I can only deliver side dish recipes for you.

I have never cooked a turkey in my life.

It’s on my Bucket List of stuff to do before the good Lord takes me home. :-)

And you will not find a mashed potato recipe here either.

For me, trying to make mashed potatoes is an insurmountable task.

I will let you in on a dirty little secret that will probably shock you… but our Happy Home is all about Betty Crocker’s Instant Mashed Potatoes in a box {gasp}.

But, I digress!

I put all 4 Thanksgiving recipes in a fun FREE Printable for you!

Click HERE for your FREE Printable Thanksgiving Feast Recipes!

If you liked this FREE Printable, please ‘Like’ the Fairy on Facebook and stay up to date on all the Happy Home magic!

Happy Thanksgiving Feast-ing! :-)

*Please note that some of the links to the photos used in this post have recipes that are slightly different than the recipes in my FREE printable! So if you want the Apple Sausage stuffing recipe that I use every year, click for the FREE Printable*

Pilgrim and Mayflower Crafts and Treats

15 Nov

Did you know that there were 102 pilgrims on the Mayflower?

Did you know that a baby boy was born on the Mayflower as it was sailing across the sea?

His mom appropriately named him Oceanus Hopkins. :-)

Did you know that the pilgrims had to use a bucket as a potty while on the Mayflower?

AND, I’ll bet you didn’t know that kids were not allowed to run on the Mayflower.

Holy cow, can you image having to manage your Happy Buddies cooped up on that boat for 66 days???

Since we honored the turkey last week, I thought I would do a post of crafts honoring the people and the vessel that brought the people who began our tradition of the Thanksgiving celebration.

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All Kids Network does it again with this adorable Paper Plate Pilgrim!

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I LOVE these FREE Printable Pilgrim Finger Puppets from Easy Child Crafts!

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How about a whole Thanksgiving table-ful of Personalized Pilgrim Napkin Rings from Family Fun?

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Family Fun also has these easy peasy Pilgrim and Native American TP People.

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Learn Create Love has the CUTEST crafts and ideas!

These Pilgrims were done with the help of a FREE Printable, some paint and a pair of googly eyes!

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Using just a few ingredients, you and your Happy Buddies can whip up these amazing Pilgrim Hat Cookies from Craftily Ever After.

Go ahead, take a plate of them to your neighbor!

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And then there’s this Pilgrim Cupcake from Create Celebrate Explore.

I thought maybe the recipe would be too difficult – but it’s surprisingly simple!

I think I may have found inspiration for this year’s Thanksgiving Cupcake at our Happy Home’s Thanksgiving Feast!

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This Mayflower Handprint Art from Fryman Four is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen.

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Last year at Happy Home Fairy you may remember the post featuring our Happy Home’s top 5 things we would take with us on the Mayflower.

First Grade Parade did the same thing with her students, but she had them cut out little brown construction paper suitcases and draw what they would bring on the inside.

Your Happy Buddies will love imagining how to fill their suitcases!

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I Can Teach My Child shows how to make a simplified Mayflower using just 3 craft supplies!

That is my kind of craft!

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Little Nummies makes me happy with this super easy Mayflower Snack that your Happy Buddies are sure to set sail about!

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And, finally, Classified: Mom made these fabulous Paper Plate Mayflowers - adding some very cute passengers as a special touch.

I hope you feel inspired to teach your Happy Home about our Thanksgiving history!

Happy Pilgrim and Mayflower Craft-ing! :-)

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