Posts Tagged ‘make it do’

Since our kids were little, we’ve bought a game each year for Thanksgiving.  It was a tradition that came from my husband’s family.  His grandparents gave them a new game every year when they came for Thanksgiving dinner.

Since everyone is on a holiday from school and work, a new game is always a hit over the long weekend and perfect cold weather entertainment.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Blokus is pretty much our favorite game.  It appealed to our kids when they were as young as 5, and to my husband and I as well.  There aren’t a lot of games that can span that age gap (believe me!)

Blokus is strategic, competitive, and really fun.  My husband and son play to block their opponents, my girls and I play to keep our options open.  Does this say anything about Mars vs. Venus?

Either way you play, this is an addicting game.   The only drawback is you can only have up to 4 players, so someone always has to sit out…usually a parent.

Sleeping Queens is another family favorite.  Take one look at the box and you might think this game only appeals to the feminine members of my family.  Not so.  My husband and son enjoy it just as much as the girls.  Playing this game, you might be amazed that it was invented by a 6 year old girl!   I am.  It is clever and fun and one of our first choices for many a game night.  It can be played with 2 to 5 players which is perfect for our family.

And last but not least, is Qwirkle.  We got this game last year and loved playing it all through the Holiday season.  Game play is sort of like dominoes… or Scrabble, but Qwirkle can be played and enjoyed by young and old.

I am trying to decide what to get for this year’s Thanksgiving game.  I am thinking an oldie but goodie.   My childhood favorite was Clue.  My family also loved Rummikub and Uno.  My husband is sort of leaning toward Jenga.

I’ve also heard great things about Ticket to Ride and Quiddler.  If you have any games your family loves, let me know.  I’m running out of time to find something!

There are lots of ways to express gratitude.  But I sometimes I need an exercise, something visual, to help me really think about the things that matter to me most.

The answer this year was a Gratitude Tree.

It all started with a need to prune my Contorted Filbert Tree.  It was blocking the pathway next to our home.  Yay, I thought.  That’s one of the reasons I bought the tree almost 7 years ago, so one day it would need to be pruned, and I could bring the limbs in the house to decorate with.

I cut down the crooked limbs, removed the leaves from the branches.  And placed them in my favorite copper flower bucket.

These lovely branches were just perfect to create a Gratitude Tree.

Since Ben and I were home alone, he and I stamped some paper with leaf stamps and cut them out.  And began to write some of the things we are grateful for.  He wrote his family and our dog, Finn.  He is also grateful for his best friend Connor, his teacher Mrs. Pope, video games and Harry Potter books.

I, of course, am most grateful for my family.  My friends, good health, my home and food in my pantry are also at the top of my list.  But I found myself thinking about other things.  The little things (relatively)…  my sewing machine, warm showers, bread just out of the oven, Sunday mornings, and felted wool slippers to name a few.  I realized I could simply cover those branches in gratitude.

Who knew pruning trees could be so good for the soul?

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Snowman Hat update…. it took me long enough, but I have directions for making the snowman hat.  I’ve posted it with the snowman kit tutorial if you’re interested.