November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Days 18 – 19)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Day 19
Who: School Teachers
Since they only have a couple days of school this week with the Thanksgiving Holiday the girls delivered their Thanksgiving gifts to their teachers today (Monday). The girls took thank you cards and some sweet treats to give to their teachers today.
Day 18
Who: Awana Leaders
The girls go to Awana on Sunday evenings when Jake & I go to Community Group. Our church does the Awana program at our local school. Brina and Karlie are in the Sparks right now. They have been learning various verses, books of the bible and more recently. As a way to say thank you to their Sparks Leaders on Sunday we sent a thank you card and some goodies to give to their leaders.
Day 17
Who: Neighbors
Over the last few years we noticed a big difference in our interactions with our neighbors once we started reaching out more. We try to stop by their homes to say “hi” and deliver goodies several times throughout the year. Brina and Karlie especially enjoy bringing vegetables from our garden or little gifts around the Holidays to share with the people who live on our block. The girls took time this morning (Saturday) walking from house to house delivering “Happy Thanksgiving” cards to each of our neighbors. They had a blast talking with the neighbors and delivering the notes. Hopefully the notes were a blessing to those who live on our street too. Thankful for our little street and the neighbors who live here.
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Days 13 -17)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Side Note: Sorry about getting a little behind on these items this week. It has been a tough week with being sick so I had to double up on a couple items this week. Now that I am feeling better hopefully I will stay on top of it. Thanks for understanding and hanging in there with me, life has a way of throwing curve balls even into the best of plans! 🙂
Day 17
Who: Neighbors
Over the last few years we noticed a big difference in our interactions with our neighbors once we started reaching out more. We try to stop by their homes to say “hi” and deliver goodies several times throughout the year. Brina and Karlie especially enjoy bringing vegetables from our garden or little gifts around the Holidays to share with the people who live on our block. The girls took time this morning (Saturday) walking from house to house delivering “Happy Thanksgiving” cards to each of our neighbors. They had a blast talking with the neighbors and delivering the notes. Hopefully the notes were a blessing to those who live on our street too. Thankful for our little street and the neighbors who live here.
Day 16
Who: Nephew
I am thankful for family and friends as well as the time we get to spend with them. Today our family had a little “celebration” at our house today for the completion of a big project….so proud of my girls for working so hard on it too. The girls were excited to have their cousin join them in the celebration. The menu chosen by the kids was taco’s and fruit, which were a big hit with everyone. Almost all of the decorations and entertainment was done by the kids as well. They made cookies, ate blue popcorn, played, sang, and had a blast together. As a way of saying thank you for coming we sent him home with a bag of blue popcorn and a plate full of decorated cookies. I am thankful that the girls have family in the area that they can hang out with for an evening, have fun, and make memories together. Time spent with cousins is always an adventure! I am thankful for the all my nieces and nephews as well as for the time we get to spend with them.
Day 15
Who: Grocery Store Clerk
This week wasn’t one of most efficient with all the sickness. Everything seemed to take more time and energy to do. I did make a quick run to the grocery store for milk, eggs, and a couple other items. The same store clerk that I usually see was working the register that morning. One of the jobs most clerks have to do is “up-sell” a certain amount of specific items near the counter for the week or month. I VERY rarely purchase any of those items, but occasionally if I have had a lot of interaction with the same clerk over several weeks (or months with some) today I bought one item to help them out and say “thanks” for taking the time to check me out. I worked as a grocery store clerk for several years and it isn’t a very glorified job, however, so many of the people I see have great attitudes about the work they are doing and that is always appreciated by me (and I am sure other customers as well).
Teaching Our Children: Teamwork and Manners
Playing outside with the neighbor kids. Karlie and Brina working together to push their friend up the driveway!
Our neighborhood is pretty small and currently we are the only family on the street that is not retired. I am thankful for our neighbors and we have grown to really enjoy them over the past few years. A year ago another family lived on the street with kids about the same age as the girls and they would come over a couple times a week to play. They only moved a few miles away and since their grandparents still live in our neighborhood they come over every couple weeks or so to play.
If it is a nice day the kids have a blast outside running, swinging, riding bikes, and playing together. I am thankful for the opportunity to spend a few minutes with our neighbor and the kids love being able to play with their friends. The picture above was taken a few weeks ago when their friends come to play. The kids took turns riding the “go cart” as the girls call it down the driveway and pushing each other back up the driveway. As I was watching the kids play together I was reminded of the importance of having friends over to play. There are many valuable learning benefits to having friends over to play, here’s just a few:
- Taking Turns – it teaches the kids the importance of taking turns so everyone has the opportunity to enjoy playing.
- Sharing – a toy may have been given to your child, however, when friends are over your child will learn how to share those toys and have fun.
- Teamwork – when siblings or friends work together it is pretty amazing what they can do. Even though this “go cart” is pretty heavy for one kid to push up the driveway when they work together they can get it up the driveway more quickly thus giving the kids more turns to ride the go cart.
- Friendship – having guests over allows your kids to learn valuable characteristics in a friendship.
- Conflict Resolution – When you have a group of kids for an extended period of time something is bound to happen (someone’s not taking turns, a child is losing a game, a toy gets broken, someone skins a knee, etc..) Sometimes you need to step in and play referee during the event and other times it is best to speak with your child after the activities once the friends have gone home. Life doesn’t always go perfectly which allows great teaching moments for children.
Next time your children have friends over don’t worry about the mess, instead focus on making that time a learning opportunity for your children. When everything goes well thank them for playing nicely, using their manners, and being a true friend while their guests were over. If something happens (not taking turns, sharing, showing characteristics of a true friendship) take the opportunity to talk about what happened and how to do better next time.
These activities with our children provide great reminders for us as parents as well. Are we being a good friend / hostess to guests who come into our homes? When our children see how we interact with our friends we are giving them an example of what manners and friendship characteristics are acceptable. Our actions speak volumes to our children so make sure your are practicing the principles you want to your child to learn.
Recipe: Orange Dreamsicle Cookies
Our family enjoys baking special goodies for family, friends and neighbors. The Orange Dreamsicle Cookies are from The Ultimate Cookie Kit by Scholastic. It is a great cookbook for kids and comes with a rolling pin, wooden spoon, measuring spoons, cookie cutters, frosting bag, and tips. If you like orange creamsicles you’ll enjoy these cookies.
Orange Dreamsicle Cookies
- 1/2 cup Orange Flavored Powdered Drink Mix
- 3/4 cup White Sugar
- 1 1/2 cups Vanilla Baking Chips
- 1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the butter, egg, and vanilla. Pour into the dry ingredients and blend completely.
3. Roll heaping tablespoons into balls. Place 2 inches a part on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
4. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes or until tops are very lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 24 cookies.
Gift Giving: Delivering Christmas Goodies to Neighbors
Brina & Karlie Delivering Christmas Gifts to our Neighbors We had a blast on our Christmas Baking day last weekend but I think the biggest joy came when we delivered the goodies to our neighbors. Once the girls realized that we were not giving every morsel of the baking goodies away they were excited to share. I think they were worried that we did all the baking and they wouldn’t be able to taste any of it. Although, they definitely got their share of sampling the day of the event.
Sunday afternoon we put the baked items into gift bags, added a photo mug of the girls full of candy, put in a Christmas Card with the traditional annual picture we give to the neighbors, and tied the packages with ribbons to deliver. The girls got bundled up in their coats and mittens to help me deliver the goodies. We have 6 neighbors on our street. Most of our neighbors are retired couples that enjoy seeing the girls and getting their annual card with a picture. I found out the hard way the one year how much the yearly pictures meant to our neighbors when we didn’t give out Christmas pictures and one of our neighbors showed me her refrigerator with pictures of the girls from every Christmas. Oops!
Karlie carrying the next gift! 
Brina rang the doorbell! It was cold and windy day delivering the goodies but our street is pretty small and we were so excited about handing out the presents to those on our street. Only 3 of the 6 neighbors were home or answering their doors on a Sunday afternoon. We headed back out on Monday to hand deliver the rest of the goodies, but it wasn’t until later in the week we were able to successful hand deliver all our treats to the neighbors.
The amazing blessing came when we delivered the presents. Seeing the smiles, joy and gratefulness on the faces of our neighbors made it worth all the time and energy it took to put together the packages. It is a wonderful blessing being able to share with others. Not to mention it opens doors into the lives and hearts of those on the street near you. We look forward to more opportunities to share with our neighbors.
Recipe: Cheerios Christmas Trees
We made these little Christmas Trees on our Christmas Baking Day. These were super fun but a little more difficult than I first anticipated. The trees were a little hard to make into the correct shapes and it took a little extra time to decorate. I had to keep reforming the trees but they did end up pretty neat once we figured out what we were suppose to do. I don’t think they looked as amazing as the ones from Betty Crocker but they looked cute and the kids thought they tasted great.Cheerios Christmas Trees
- 6 cups Honey Nut Cheerios Cereal
- 6 tablespoons Butter or Margarine
- 4 1/2 cups Miniature Marshmallows
- Green Food coloring
- Red Cinnamon Candies, Decorative Pearls, Sprinkles, Icing, and String Licorice
1. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. (May want to lightly grease because our stuck a little when pulling them off)
2. Pour the cereal into a 4 quart bowl. Set the bowl aside,
3. Place the butter and marshmallows in a 3 quart saucepan (I used the microwave instead). Heat over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
4. Stir in the food coloring until mixture is evenly colored. Pour the marshmallow mixture over the cereal and stir until the cereal is evenly coated.
5. Lightly spray your hands with cooking spray. For each tree, shape about 1/4 cup of the cereal mixture into a Christmas tree shape on the cookie sheet.
6. Press the candies into the trees to decorate. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store the trees in a a loosely covered container.
Makes about 18 trees. I did the whole box of cereal which was about 1 1/2 of the recipe. Our recipe made about 25 trees. Thankfully I had someone around to keep spraying my hands with spray because it was really sticky and I had to keep reforming the trees. They ended up looking pretty cute and seemed to be holding up okay but would probably be better if you ate it the same day. The Honey Nut Cheerios flavor really comes out in this recipe so if you like the cereal you’ll probably enjoy this too. You could do with any flavor of Cheerios, I think next time we’ll try the Multi-Grain Cheerios for different flavor and color. It was fun to do something a little more unique!
Recipe: Chocolate Pretzels, Snowmen, & Snowflakes
We were getting tired by the time we got to making the Chocolate Pretzels, Snowmen, and Snowflakes on our Christmas Baking Day. Despite being tired these turned out pretty well. Brina was determined to “help” us make them which slowed down the process but we got enough to share with our neighbors. The purple didn’t set right and the blue got a drop of water in it so it was done within a matter of minutes but we had plenty of the red, yellow, white and brown colors to make it look festival. We added crushed candy canes for a minty flavor and a Holiday flair. The neat part about these is the kids can pitch in and help. They enjoy making special candies for others as well, however, I do not recommend starting around 9:30 in the evening after baking for several hours.Chocolate Pretzels, Snowmen, and Snowflakes
- White Chocolate
- Milk Chocolate
- Mix of Colored Chocolates
- Candy Molds – we had Flower Pretzel Sticks, Snowmen, and Snowflakes
Melt the chocolates over a double boiler or slowly in the microwave (microwave for 15 seconds, stir, microwave for 15 seconds, stir) because they can burn easily. Use the molds you have chosen to place the chocolates into. You can paint the chocolate into the mold using a toothpick then fill in the reminding amount with a solid color. When doing the pretzel molds paint the flowers, fill with solid color, then roll the pretzel stick to coat. We stick the chocolates into a pan of warm water on a griddle to keep the chocolates melted while decorating, just make sure to not get any water in the chocolates at it will ruin the entire bowl. Once the tray is complete freeze for about 10 minutes, turn the mold over and the items should pop out quickly. Repeat the steps as many times as you like or until you run out of chocolates.
Recipe: Peanut Butter and Candy Cane Cookie Cups
These are super easy and add fun to the any meal or snack. We made these during our Christmas Baking Day. I remember first making these yummy treat when I was in high school. It is one of the easy recipes that I continue doing because they are such a hit with family and friends. It is basically a sugar cookie dough baked in a mini muffin pan with a Peanut Butter Cup or Candy Cane Kiss added at the end once it has started to cool.Peanut Butter & Candy Cane Cookie Cups
- 1 package (18 ounces) refrigerator Sugar Cookie Dough OR here is our recipe for Sugar Cookie Dough if you want to make it from scratch.
- All Purpose Flour (optional)
- 12 unwrapped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
- 12 unwrapped Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Grease 24 (1 inch) mini muffin cups or you can put them directly into a greased mini muffin pan.
3. Make Sugar Cookie Dough according to directions or if you have purchased it from the store unwrap it. Sprinkle the dough with a little flour to minimize sticking (if necessary).
4. Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to drop about 1 rounded tablespoon into each of the 24 mini muffin cups.
5. Bake at 350° F for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool for about 5 minutes. If you do not let it cool long enough the Peanut Butter Cups and Candy Cane Kisses will melt completely, you want them to remain recognizable. Press the 12 unwrapped Reese’s Peanut Cups and 12 unwrapped Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses into the mini sugar cookies. You should have half Peanut Butter and half Candy Cane. Let cool for an additional 5 to 10 minutes then gently remove them from the pan and place on a decorative dish or wrap in a pretty bag to give to family and friends.
Recipe: Cinnamon Star Cookies
Recently, I spent a few hours on a Saturday doing a Christmas Baking Day with Ashley from Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life baking treats to give to family, friends, and neighbors. One of the recipes we made from Favorite Brand Name: Cooking for Kids, Kids’ Party Food was the Cinnamon Stars. We made Stars, Christmas Trees, Snowmen, Bells, and many more fun shapes with this delicious recipe. The recipe was easy to do and delicious! The girls helped with this one recipe by picking out the shapes and sprinkling the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the top of the cookie cutouts.Cinnamon Stars
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 3/4 cup Butter or Margarine, softened
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 package Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe French Vanilla Cake Mix
1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine butter, egg yolks and vanilla extract in large bowl. Blend in cake mix gradually. Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut with 2 1/2 inch star cookie cutter. We used a variety of cookie cutters when we made our cookies.
3. Sprinkle cookies with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake at 375° F for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet. Remove to cooling rack. Cool completely. Store in airtight container. We put separated ours out into Christmas bags to distribute to family, friends, and neighbors.
This is a quick and easy recipe you can do with little ones helping. The recipe makes about 3 to 3 1/2 dozen Star cookies at 2 1/2 inches, however, our recipe made closer to 3 dozen since we used a variety of shapes. We had plenty to divide out and give as gifts. If you are looking for an inexpensive and easy recipe for the Holidays you may want to try this one.
Recipe: Super Chocolate Cookies
We made these delicious Super Chocolate Cookies during our Saturday Christmas Baking Day . This recipe was from Favorite Brand Name: Cooking for Kids, Kids’ Party Food. The recipe has a delightful mix of chocolate, peanut, raisins, and crunch. Our girls enjoyed them for their taste and color. I doubled the recipe and it was a huge batch, probably around 60 cookies. Our family, friends and neighbors all got several of these cookies to enjoy. The recipe below is for the regular amount if you want more like I did for sharing than just double it.Super Chocolate Cookies
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/3 cups packed Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Butter, softened
- 1/2 cup Shortening
- 2 Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 1 cup Candy Coated Chocolate Pieces (M&Ms)
- 1 cup Raisins
- 3/4 cup salted Peanuts, coarsely chopped (I did not chop the peanuts and it turned out well)
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Beat brown sugar, butter, and shortening in large bowl turn on electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well blended. Gradually add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in candy pieces, raisins, and peanuts.
3. Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Flatten slightly with fingertips. Bake cookies 13 to 15 minutes or until almost set. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets. Transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.
Makes about 20 (4 inch) cookies. Our cookies were slightly smaller and we made a double batch so we had closer to 60 cookies.
