Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year.  I love getting together with family, which thankfully we have done every year and plan to do this year as well.  I love the fact that everyone is together in the kitchen cooking and then eating and laughing and talking. 

This year some of my family are coming here, so I’ve begun to put some of the clutter away (there’s more to put away yet) and get things cleaned up and ready for the big meal next Thursday.  We did get our thankfulness tree done yesterday as planned and it is out where everyone can enjoy it. 

I’ve seen several variations of this thanksgiving tradition around the internet and we are really enjoying incorporating this tradition into our own home in our own way this year.  I first read about a thankfulness tree placed on a wall at Tenderhearted Daisy by Liane.  Then I saw this really cute thankfulness tree placed on a wall at Homemaker’s Cottage and then another one at Little Stair Steppers.   But knowing I don’t have a lot of wall space, I got the idea in my mind to use more of a real tree, as in branches!  Lo and behold Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight put pictures of her gratitude tree up and had the wonderful idea of tracing leaves and making extras to hang on the tree.  We are such bird lovers here, we used Dawn’s idea for tracing, but we traced birds for our tree.  

I popped into a local thrift store yesterday and found this very heavy vase for just a couple of dollars.  Can you believe they also had many large containers of potpourri made from pinecones and bits of nature?  It only took 3 containers to fill up my vase, and at 99 cents each, it was just the right price.  So for 5 dollars total, these are things we can get a lot of use from now and in the future.

I’m am sure you are noticing the tag that says “y’all.”  Of course I am thankful for y’all, but that’s not exactly where it came from!  My oldest son’s girlfriend was over last night and when I asked her what she was thankful for — so I could put a bird on the tree for her, she said in her sweet voice, “y’all.” 

Yes, there’s a bird that says muffins.  That was my 20-year-old son.  But when the muffins come out of the oven, warm with their melted chocolate chips and a glass of cold milk close by, you might say muffins too. 

I said I popped into a thrift store.  You’ll never guess what I paid for this desk for Miss Priss!  $6.99.  Yes!  Six dollars and 99 cents!  It was very cold yesterday, but it was dry with gusts of wind all day.  So this desk, spray painted in almond (mostly because that’s all I had), dried in NO time.

Now I need to find a very cute chair for her desk and she’ll be set!  The tall cabinet in the corner came from a local antique store and is perfect for storing her art supplies.  She has been needing a set-up like this for a long time.

Who wouldn’t love a cabinet like that?  Next on the list of things to do for her room is to paint the walls a bright vintage green.  Yes, that’s what she wants.  I also want to make some new curtains and get her a big cozy rug.  And of course that thrifted chair we’ll be looking for.  Isn’t it fun to have projects to work on?

While I was waiting for the muffins to come out, I took a picture of the cereal I bought especially for our muffins this time.  Very healthy and they made the taste and the texture even better (if that’s possible). 

Here’s the recipe again, if you’re interested:

Chocolate Chip Bran Cereal Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups bran flakes cereal (Wal-Mart has one by Great Value that includes whole grain wheat and wheat bran; there are actually many brands and many types of bran cereal that would work, based on what you like.  The organic flax cereal above works great.)
1-1/4 cups low-fat milk
2 egg whites
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup of chocolate chips (preferably semi-sweet or dark chocolate)

1. Stir together first five ingredients in a large bowl until mixed. 
2. Add cereal, pour milk on top and let stand for a few minutes for cereal to soften.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients except the chocolate chips and mix with a mixer until well blended.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Pour batter into muffin pans coated with healthy, low-fat cooking spray or lined with paper cups.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until light golden.

Makes 12-14 muffins. 

I know I’ll be making plenty of these for thanksgiving. 

Are all of your thanksgiving traditions and plans well under way?

Lynn