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Monday, November 23, 2009

Do you remember last month when I talked bragged about meeting Laurie Turk ofTip Junkieand Executive Homemaker? I told you all that she is even nicer in person than I would have ever imagined, if that's even possible. When I told you I ADORE her personally and professionally, I really meant it.

I'm not sure if I told you this, but if we lived in the same city, I'd make her my new B-F-F, stat.

Ms. Laurie Turk, the original Tip Junkie is here. HERE. I feel like a celebrity. This is just as exciting {or more exciting, really} as when one of my favorite authors actually visited my blog, commented on it, AND linked up.

I hope that you enjoy this Thanksgiving week, finding many things to be grateful for!

I just love to focus on gratitude and family traditions during November. Here as several activities you can do with your family this week.

World of Homemaking does the Turkey Day Awards! Ask each family member for their nominations and be sure everyone gets an award. For example, "best haircut of the year" or "toughest survivor of a home renovation." You make awards in these cute pine cone scrolls tutorial.

A tradition that would be fun to start is a Thanksgiving Book. Every year each member of the family is given a sheet of paper to write down the things for which they are thankful. You then put the sheets into a binder and save them so that next year you can look back and see what everyone wrote the year before and then compare it to the current year.

A Little Life has a tutorial on how to make these fun gratitude leaves.

I found this idea from Country Living. On strips of paper, write quotes or phrases. Fasten strip at end with double-sided tape, so it is slightly smaller than the glass's circumference; place on each glass. Invite guests, when seated, to read quote aloud.

This is Jennifer's picture grateful album with a mini tutorial so you can do it too!

Debbie has a Thanksgiving blessing book to help focus on the what we're grateful for.

I found this Family Gratitude Spinner Project over on Ali's blog. What a beautiful way to capture what your family is grateful for this year.

Jo-Ann's family tradition; every year the children make their thankful lists on the chalkboard in their kitchen. Jo-Ann takes a picture of it to capture these special blessings.

Chocolate on my Cranium's tradition: Every year we each have a thanks tree and a giving tree. We add leaves to each tree each day writing something we are thankful for and something we have done to give or help others.

Kendra's family is working with our kids for the whole month of November on cultivating an "attitude of gratitude." So she made a gratitude tree. Every night at dinner time, each member of the family comes up with one specific thing they are thankful for each day and we write it on a leaf and post it on the wall.

Rebecca's family's tradition; She makes a thankful turkey and throughout the month everyone writes something they're are thankful for and adds it to the turkey. He gets nice and fluffy by Thanksgiving.

To make planning your traditions really easy this year, print out all of them on 2 pages and simply circle the one's you want to do!