Thanksgiving Mix Recipe

     Earlier today, I commented on Kay's blog that I'm not a big fan of Thanksgiving.  After I made that  statement, I felt like the biggest Thanksgiving Scrooge.  I went back to her blog later in the day, and lo and behold, I found her wondering why.  The whys don't really bear repeating, but I did make note that I DO do things that cause me to enjoy the holiday a lot more than I used to.
     One Thanksgiving tradition is my Thanksgiving Mix making with my class.  The kids bring in the ingredients, we clean the room well, we wash our hands, set up an assembly line (which aligns with our 4th grade social studies curriculum), and we get to mixing.  The last step in the line is to attach a label with the explanation for each item.  The kids love the experience and bringing home a treat to share.  (Side note, this year I have a student who is Jehovah's Witness, so we're making it a "fall mix" so he can participate.  However most of the bag labels will read similar to the ingredient list below.)
     We have a week off for the holiday, and with all that time to do so, a few of my students wind up making the mix to take to their family parties.  I love that.  Oh, and we also make enough bags to give one to each staff member, so my peers look forward to this too!

Here's what's in it and why:

Bugles
Shaped like a cornucopia, a symbol of our nation's abundance

Pretzels
Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who celebrated the first Thanksgiving

Candy Corn
Food was so scarce that Pilgrims survived on just a few kernels of corn a day during their first winter

Seeds
Promise of future harvests to be reaped only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence

Dried fruits
Harvest gifts from our bountiful land

M & M's
Memories of those who came before us and memories of those whom we miss on this and every day

Kisses
The love of family and friends that sweetens our lives, a symbol of giving to those we know and to those who are strangers except for knowing of our kindnesses

     Some added helps: the pretzels are mini twist in variety, for seeds I use sunflower kernels, raisins are the dried fruit, and I make sure I get the candy corn now (I'm shopping for this today), so it's easier to find (and on clearance).  Oh and of course, we always talk about putting Bugles on our fingers like witches' nails. That's part of the tradition too!
     Since this is such a hit, I am sharing it early in hopes someone will come along the recipe and think it's as sweetly touching as I do!

Happy November!

Photo source

Fragging for the First Time?

I started this "new" blog a while back because though I loved my old one, I had posted some things there that reflected a not so pretty side of me (aka the petty side of me.)

Downside to trying to soften, many followers haven't made the move with me.

Okay dozens haven't.

Dozens?  Now that's some hefty readership.

So I'm visiting an old haunt, Friday Fragments, because my life is best sampled in bits and pieces.

• My class this year is made up of really wonderful kids.  I'm enjoying each day with them.
• Parent-teacher conferences were this week, and my mind was blown when one dad donated $100 to our class service project (Operation Christmas Child).  He wants to remain anonymous, so posting this here assures him of that!
• I had a fun birthday, and though Brad and I don't exchange gifts, he told me to order a Kindle and we went shoe shopping.  Yep, my husband likes to go shoe shopping.  (And after that little shopping excursion, I am imposing a ban on shopping for myself for months!  EEK!)
• He also bought a bottle of Jose Cuervo Margaritas for me.  This is funny because he doesn't drink, so picturing him in the local "beverage depot," even with my son's help, cracks me up.
• I've come up with a neato concept for a new advent tradition, and I can't wait to share it.  Unfortunately, my vision doesn't always align with my reality...
• I have a student who is a Jehovah's Witness, so to support him, I didn't dress up this Halloween.  Well, I guess I did, I went as the Halloween Scrooge!  Party.  Pooper.
•  I wonder, are you ever torn about how to spend money?  Lately I've been struggling with taking trips versus investing in new furniture.  The good thing is, this dilemma keeps my from spending on either.
• I'm a A-line skirt wearer in a pencil skirt world.  It's quite sad.
• Brad attends a Thursday night men's group at church where guys are rewarded for participation and question answering with a chocolate bar.  The man has a Dr.'s degree in ministry, I was counting on him bringing home something sweet each week, but he will not play that way.  Sigh!
• Last Saturday, my student B. and I went to a trunk-or-treat event at our church.  The candy collectors were children and adults with special needs, and B. was so into sharing our loot with them.  I picked the right helper! 
• Last year, B. helped a non-verbal, wheelchair ridden boy in a grade two above hers with his daily vocabulary lessons.  When I told her we'd be giving candy to people with special needs, she asked what that meant.  I explained it would be people like "J."  She said, "J. had special needs?"  She just saw him as him, and that's beautiful.

•  Happy gain an hour weekend!

Official Tchotchkes Moratorium (Operation Christmas Child)

I have a love-hate relationship with crafting.

Love:  I enjoy making things.
Hate:  I loathe clutter.  I do not like tchotchkes (yep, that's how it's spelled).  Once I have the experience of making something I'm either "been there and done that" about it, or I'm so critical I can't stand to keep it around because I find its flaws.  I have donated many of my creations to Goodwill.

So with this ambivalence in mind, I went through my Pinterest boards a while back and unpinned a lot of projects.

That was a relief.

This past weekend I had an Operation Christmas Child box packing party.  It was fun, and together my girlfriends and I created 35 boxes. I think most women there want to go forward with this.  New to many, I heard, "Well, now I know what I'm doing, so next year..."

My friend Dori taught us so much about how to get the most into our boxes.  She was an inspiration.

The afternoon just warmed my heart. Of course, we were working and talking so much, I only took one photo--after everyone left, and that photo is even missing a few of the boxes...

My friend Lynette's are missing from above, she used Michael's photo boxes for hers.  How cute is this?

While sandwich eating (inhaling) and net surfing during my ten minutes of lunch "break" on Tuesday, something caused me to decide I should now craft for others.  I can't remember what I saw, but I started web searching and reviewing pins for projects with a purpose in mind.

Now I hope to make a few things each month for my boxes for '13, starting with these:

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He's a chipmunk, but I might leave off the tail and make him a bear.

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I couldn't find marbles this year, and at the last minute I remembered they sell them at Party City.  However, I have learned NOT to go there the weekend before Halloween. Perhaps I could do this next weekend for my class boxes...

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My knitting sensei tells me I could even make these!

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I'm pretty excited about this, and I'm looking forward to getting started.  

Also, I found a great OCC reference site, I think Dori had shared it with me before, but I came across it again.  Operation Christmas Child might turn me into a coupon user yet...