These are some photos of our family events from last Christmas. I am just now getting to put them up on the blog. There are explanations of the events written on the photos. Enjoy! 
Here is the birthday girl (Born Dec 22, 2014). Getting ready to go to church on Sunday morning.
What a fun time we had!
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:27, KJV).
Last year, I created a few Christmas printables to go along with teaching the Birth of Jesus story to our then, newly 3 year old daughter. There were about 8 simple pages and she really enjoyed doing them. Also, it seemed to have gotten more pins than any of the printables I have created. Here is a photo of the printables from last year. To use these, click on the photo or any of the above links.
As our kid is almost 4, I decided to update the printables and create many more pages for teaching the Birth of Jesus. There are about 31 pages that includes: a memory verse, coloring pages, matching, tracing and circling, 3 placemats, a jigsaw puzzle, memory game cards, and creating a nativity scene from cutting and pasting.My intent is to complete at least 1 page a day beginning on December 1st through 25th. Then of course, with the extras we can fit them in whenever we need to. We will read and explain the story according to the verses that go along with each printable.
Below are a few examples of what the kids could do with these printables. We have not done the story this year yet, but we completed these for sample showing.
Placemat Example
After this was colored, we clued it a sheet of construction paper and then laminated it to make it last longer.
Jigsaw Puzzle Example
The puzzle was printed out and glued to cardboard for sturdiness. We then laminated it and cut out the pieces.
Memory Game Example
There are 12 cards each photo. We printed them twice for game matching making 24 pieces in all.
They were also glued to cardboard backing, laminated, and then cut out.
Here is also a beautiful application placemat at the end of the lesson.
I wish I had these worksheets done sooner to get this post out in the middle of the month so they could be ready for December. But of course, that did not happen. The printables take a long time to create. I started at the beginning of November and was dedicated in creating them. But they are free for anyone who wants to use them. Just do not forget to give credit to where credit is due. Thanks!
To print them in PDF all in one document go here for 25 Days of Christmas Pre-K Bible Worksheets and here to get the 25 Days of Christmas Puzzles, Games, & Placemats in a separate landscape format.
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:27, KJV).
Don’t forget to stop by and link up your holiday cookies and goodies posts at The Ultimate Virtual Cookie & Goodies Virtual Party & Giveaway! which I am co-hosting with some of your very own Home Matters Hosts! The link is still opened for a few more hours and there is also a great giveaway with many lovely prices including a $350 cash giveaway you won’t want to miss!
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Handprinted Thanksgiving Place Cards – A Toddler/Preschooler Activity; Thanksgiving Day Place Mats & Coloring Pages for Toddlers/Preschoolers; 40 Free Fall Math Printables For Preschoolers – Numbers 1 to 10
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Don’t forget to check out the other Hosts blogs to see the other features. Here are their individual links: The Road To Domestication; Intelligent Domestications; Our Second Hand House
Cattails As Table Decorations from Life’s Little Projects
Free Printable Christmas Spelling Mats from So You Call Yourself A Homeschooler
White Chocolate Dipped Oreo Pops from Growing Up Madison
And here are the most clicked of the Week. Both links had 7 clicks each.
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Thanks for coming to the party and we hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Keep your little ones occupied with these free Thanksgiving Place Mats while everyone awaits the grand old turkey dinner! Download them for Free now!
I definitely had fun creating these mats for the kids to use at Thanksgiving. They did not take long to create and I felt like I could make a whole bunch of them! But I guess I made enough to keep the little ones busy! In addition, I created 9 coloring pages to use during this time, too! Present these with some crayons and pencils and the children would be happy campers! Well, one can only hope!
When they are done coloring, put these mats in a safe place. If you have more than one kid that would be using these, you may want to write their names somewhere on the mats. Then later, laminate them with contact paper so they can last longer.
As you may notice in the photo below, the images are printed in Landscape rather than portrait form to give a more “mat-ish” look. You can also glue these mats unto construction paper for a firmer backing.
Choose from 3 different colors
And to print these additional 9 free coloring pages, go here to this link Thanksgiving Coloring Pages
There are so many things to be thankful for but toddlers do not need to be overwhelmed. One or two of these activity sheets could be plenty for very young children. It is best to pick a few that you think they would enjoy and that might hold their attention for a few minutes.
So do you have small kids or grandkids that could use some activities like these to keep them busy while you get dinner prepared or visit others on Thanksgiving Day?
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:27, KJV).
But before we move on, I want to make you aware of another link party that I am co-hosting along with some great bloggers, including some of your very own hosts from the Home Matters Link party! We want to see your favorite holiday cookies and other goodies. So don’t hesitate to link them up with us! In addition, there is a giveaway of some fabulous prices you won’t want to miss! Go here to this link: The Ultimate Virtual Cookie & Goodies Virtual Party & Giveaway!
Without further ado, we WELCOME those who are joining us for the first time here at this party! We look forward to seeing your matters of the home links such as: home decor tips and tricks, DIY, homesteading, homeschooling, child rearing, frugal living, sustainability, and organizational tips!
Be sure to check out our simple rules before linking your posts!
We would love to connect with you on social media!
Kristen at The Road To Domestication:
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Zan (Flourishing At Home)
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Shirley at Intelligent Domestications:
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Early American Indian Hats/Headbands- A Toddler & Preschooler Activity; Homemade Dry Mixes For Baking & Cooking; 40 Free Fall Math Printables For Preschoolers – Numbers 1 to 10
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Don’t forget to check out the other Hosts blogs to see the other features.
Ten Ways We Use Coconut Oil from El’s Journey
No Sew Handkerchief Style Valance from Our Crafty Mom
10 Christmas Gifts For Kids With Everything from An Alli Event
A Foodie’s Holiday Wish List from A Savory Feast
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This is such a simple activity for toddlers. And my toddlers definitely love hand printing activities!
Materials needed: Acrylic paint (Fall color of choice); a sheet of construction paper – not the same color as the paint; markers or crayons, ruler, pencil, craft eyes (optional).
To make: Fold the construction paper in half (vertically or horizontally). Place some acrylic paint on a plate. The child will use the paint to make a hand print on the construction paper. (Make sure to guide the child’s hand in the right direction so the turkey would not be upside-down or sideways. You may need to practice a couple times on other construction paper before getting a good print). When the paint is dried, glue on a craft eye or draw it on with a marker. Then draw on a goblet and some feet. Next, draw a line at the top left of the card to write in the name of the child.
I know the photo lighting was not the best for this one. But despite this, what do you think of these easy place cards?
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:27, KJV).
This is a quick craft you can do together this Fall if you are teaching your child about the early American Indians.
Materials needed: Construction paper, craft feathers, tape or glue, pencil, ruler, scissors, tape measure (optional).
What to do: Measure your child’s head span with the tape measure or even the construction paper. Then draw a line on the construction paper with the length of the measurement. (If the construction paper does not fit, you can double the amount and adjust the size by gluing or taping it).
Next, cut out the measured construction paper and lay it out on a flat surface. Tape the feathers on one side of the construction paper (see photo below). Our child helped layer the feathers while I taped them. (I think the tape worked much better in this step, rather than glue). Finally, tape the ends of the hat/headband together and put it on the child’s head.
One of our kids sporting in her Indian hat while having some snacks. The younger kid did not care too much for wearing hers!
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:27, KJV).
I do not know of any family that do not cook a BIG old meal on Thanksgiving Day! My first thanksgiving here, hubby’s family had cooked all that stuff that was just so very tasty. I remember wanting some left-overs the following day but hubby’s sister had packed up all and took them to her home (lol)! So ever since that time, I always make sure there is enough for left-overs whenever I host a Thanksgiving dinner. And if we do go someplace else (just for the day) I like to have Turkey and at least some sweet potatoes made for the following days:)
I have put together some of the kinds of meals we make during this time (except the chicken – we usually have turkey). Most of the recipes are my own and can be found right here on the blog. If any recipe takes you to a different link, it is because I have tried it out but the relating photo is mine.
For Breakfast
I am not sure about you, but on Thanksgiving Day, I get so consumed with preparing dinner that I find the easiest breakfast out!
For Dinner
As many families, we usually do a turkey for dinner. But obviously, I have not yet made one. If you are not a fan of Turkey and would rather something simpler like chicken, here is a recipe I made:
Oven Roasted Chicken with Stuffed Apples and Celery
Crock Pot Country Scalloped Potatoes
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow Topping
Green Bean Casserole – I don’t make these often for Thanksgiving but have made them in the past. I usually just go with the a regular simple side of fresh green beans!
Corn Bread – Link and Photo from Better Homes and Gardens (I have made a similar one from the same source but did not use the honey topping)
Quick Bread Rolls from Food.com
For Dessert
And if you have guests coming over, say “Thank You” to them with these thanksgiving cookies with free gift tag printables!
For more Fall recipes go here to this page.
So you have seen some of our recipes we do for Thanksgiving. How about you? Do you or other family members cook BIG?
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:27, KJV).
Second, each host will post their favorite picks on their respective blogs. Except for the most clicked posts which we will all feature. Further, any links you add to the party will still show up on all four (4) blogs as usual!
Third, each host will share “What they have been up to” on their respective blogs.
Without further ado, we WELCOME those who are joining us for the first time! We look forward to seeing your matters of the home links such as: home decor tips and tricks, DIY, homesteading, homeschooling, child rearing, frugal living, sustainability, and organizational tips!
Be sure to check out our simple rules before linking your posts!
We would love to connect with you on social media!
Kristen at The Road To Domestication:
Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/LinkedIn/Instagram/YouTube/Hometalk/Houzz
Zan (Flourishing At Home)
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Shirley at Intelligent Domestications:
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Here is what I have been up to this week!
An Easy Way to Clean Microfiber Couches; Fall Beef and Vegetable Soup; Fruit & Nut Chocolate Bark
And now, onto this week’s featured links! Please check out all our features and show them some love by sharing or commenting on their post. You can review our “How to be Featured” tips here.
Here are my picks from last week! Don’t forget to check out the other Hosts blogs to see the other features.
7 Worthwhile Steps to Change Your Life Now by Healthy Family Matters
Becoming Miss Frizzle: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun from Gypsy Road
Blessing Those Who Blog or Write for a Living from Called His
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Thanks for coming to the party and have fun linking up!
Delight your guests with these lovely decorative cookies for Thanksgiving! Say “thank you” to your guests for coming to dine with you by gifting the cookies in cute little baggies or jars, or one large batch if you only have one family coming over. Attach these free printable thank you gift tags to the gifts and you are good to go!
See below for further instructions on printing these gift tags.
The “hardest” part of making these is keeping them in the fridge for an hour to two before rolling out. I like to make my cookies right then and there without having to refrigerate but sometimes, they just need to toughen up a little.
[edamam-recipe-recipe:48]
The cookies could be made with the food coloring added in before the baking (like this present recipe) or could be made by adding coloring to the icing. Or whatever decorating is preferred. See my other Fall Leaf Cookie recipe I made last year.
I think these would make some lovely gifts especially for families with kids!
These are the gift tags. They are best when they are printed on card stock. I printed mine on regular paper for the sake of showing them here on the posts because obviously, it is not Thanksgiving yet. To print them from PDF, just click on this link Thanksgiving Gift Tag Printable. You may have to set your printer to fit the size of the page and print at 4 x 6 picture size or 5 x 7. It is supposed to print 6 to 8 at a time as shown in the image below. If it prints less, then just keep printing until you get the desired amount.
What have you been baking up these days? Are you planning on giving any gifts to your Thanksgiving guests?
She looketh well to the ways of her household and eateth not the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:27, KJV).
Evidently, if you sit on couches over and over (and even eat on them) them, they are going to get dirty. The problem would not be solved if we allow our kids to eat their snacks on them, either.
Some of you may appreciate this post as the holidays are drawing near and you may have guests coming to your home. I guess you do not have to wait until you have guest coming over but just saying, this may help!!
My couches had gotten some food/drink spills on them and needed to be cleaned out. Using soap and water sometimes got the dirt out but not fully. A few months ago, I saw a post from one of my blogging friends Kristen at The Road to Domestication on micro-fiber couch cleaning. She came across the idea on Pinterest and posted it on her blog. I intended to try her method out but with moving and keeping our stuff in storage for a while, I just got around to it.
I thought it would take longer to clean but it only took me about 15 minutes to clean and the simple method she used, worked really well for our couches. Thanks, Kristen!!
Note: The only con is that as you may know, rubbing alcohol has a seriously strong smell. But it all dissipates quickly once the couch is dried out!! Yea! But do open your windows, doors, turn on fans, or whatever you can if you cannot take the smell during cleaning!
Here goes: This is the state of my lovely 2 year old microfiber couches before the cleaning.
Here are the materials needed to clean them:
Rubbing alcohol (I bought a 16 0z bottle but used only half)
A sponge (I used a “soft-ish” steel wool) Did no harm!
A soft brush
What to do:
Pour a generous amount of rubbing alcohol unto the dirty spots (allow it to soak for just a couple minutes). Using the sponge, rub the dirty areas and you will see the dirt starting to come up on the couch and on the sponge. See my image below:
If your sponge gets too dirty, you may need to rinse it off before moving on to another area of the couch, or use a new sponge.
When I was done cleaning, I went ahead and used a wet rag to lean off the area.
Let the couch dry. The suggested time is 24 hours but mine took less than that. I cleaned it around 11:00 am and it was dried out by late evening. Then use the soft brush in a circular motion to fluff off your couch again.
Someone said, that the couch would firm up after the alcohol dries. Mine did not. So for me the extra soft brush was not totally necessary but I used it anyway.
And here are my fabulous looking couch one day after the cleaning and everything was all nice and dry again!! No need to buy chair covers as my hubby suggested..LOL…men!!
I am not sure if this work for other material of couches since I have not tried it out.
Do you have any easy ways to clean your couches? I would love to know in the comments below!
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:27, KJV).
From top left to right:
Jellyfish Halloween Costume from My Pinterventures
1930’s Drum Table Makeover from Redo It Yourself Inspirations
DIY Easy and Quick Halloween Banner from Cool Moms Cool Tips &
Date and Chai Soft Rolls from Something sweet Winnie’s blog
Favorite Books for a 5 Year Old by The Sunny Patch (9 Clicks)
Date and Chai Soft Rolls from Something sweet Winnie’s blog (9 clicks)
How to Turn Tablecloths & Napkins into Curtains from Living in Green Grass (8 clicks)
Please Note: We have pinned your featured links unto our Home Matters Awesome Pins Board. You can follow along here: Home Matters Awesome Board on Pinterest or click on the board below.
Follow Zan @ Flourishing At Home’s board Home Matters Awesome Pins on Pinterest.
We hope everyone will take a moment to visit some of these featured links and share some love!
And if you are joining us for the first time, a Hearty Welcome to you!
We would love to connect with you on social media!
Kristen at The Road To Domestications:
Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/LinkedIn/Instagram/YouTube/Hometalk/Houzz
Zan (Flourishing At Home)
Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Google Plus//LinkedIn/Hometalk
Shirley at Intelligent Domestications:
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Kristen: Winter Home Organizing Tips & Guidelines; Holiday Sanity Savers (2014 Edition); Dei Fratelli Review & Contest Announcement!
Please follow her on social media!
Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest/ Google Plus/ Instagram/ Bloglovin
Here is what Bonnie has been up to this past week: Shed Makeover; Framed Fall Subway Art; Vintage Revival at It’s Best
Please follow her on Social Media!
Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram/ Pinterest/ Google/ Bloglovin
Here is what Sahana has been up to this past week: DIY Knotted Scarf; Soy Candle making -How To & Don’ts
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Chocolate Covered Pretzels - These were so good. I made these a few weeks ago and wanted to share them. Didn’t get the chance until now. Ingredients from @walmart - Full recipe via link in bio.
I used these small Pyrex dishes to melt different colors of Candy melt. The dishes are great for storing food, heating food, mixing ingredients, etc.
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Home.. I mean, Snowy Chicago for Spring Break… It’s been rainy & and per usual, also snowing a bit in April.❄️🌧️ Quite the change from Sunny/a little cool in SC.
It’s been 5 years since we moved from Chicago. I thought it was 3 but now that I counted, 5 sounds about right. My…. how the time went by. We’re here visiting for Spring Break this week.🩷🩷
Dining room & Office Combo. I didn’t have my “baby’s breath” flowers (previous reels) when I took this photo🩷🩷
Got some of these Colorful Baby Breaths from Trader Joes. So pretty. I opted to add water - as one of the sales persons mentioned that they can last a long time without water. I know how the stems of cut flowers can get when left in water and also needing feeding and constant change so I decided that ”no water” sounds good to me. This was when they were new but they’re still pretty after 2 weeks.🌼🌸
Cool Whipped Cream Dyed Easter Eggs - So easy, colorful and fun for an Easter dinner table🙂🙂
You’ll Need:
Hard Boiled Eggs (shell on).
1 Tub Cool Whip Cream (not whipping cream in milk form)
Food Coloring (one color or multiple colors)
What to Do:
For multiple kids – Scoop out Whipped Cream into smaller bowls
For one or two kids – Scoop out Whipped Cream from the tub unto a larger pan (baking pan or so)
Add drops of food coloring
Swirl a little
If you only want one color, it can be mixed in fully with whipped cream or still partially
Dip eggs into Whipped Cream and Swirl until fully covered.
Place on a tray.
Allow the eggs to to remain on the plate about 5 minutes.
Gently wipe off each egg with paper towel.
Note: Washing the dye off the eggs are possible too but more dye will come off.
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