photo credit: Editor B

Start Planning Early

Nothing can spoil a Thanksgiving party more than a burned-out hostess. So, be sure to start planning your party well in advance, make a master list of what needs to be done and when, and start cleaning and preparing ahead of time. Purchase non-perishable items the week before your event. Don’t forget to buy the turkey early as well. It will take several days to thaw in the fridge. If you have room in your freezer, you can purchase the turkey and other frozen items weeks ahead of time.

Delegate the Turkey

A great way to entertain the men is to put them in charge of the turkey. This may be untraditional to some, but in many areas of the country, the men are in charge of deep-frying the turkey. There’s nothing quite as entertaining as watching a group of men standing around a vat of boiling peanut oil, discussing the turkey. Plus, it gives you more freedom to enjoy the party.

Plan activities

Board games are always fun for kids and adults. Get everyone laughing with the newest game. Or buy a DVD-style game like Scene-It and gather around the TV for some trivia. Of course old family favorites would be a bit hit as well. Dust off that old edition of Trivial Pursuit or Monopoly and get everyone playing.

Just for the Kids

Set up a craft table for the kids. Set out coloring pages (if you can get some Thanksgiving ones, that would be great). You can find lots of coloring pages online. Just print a few of them for each child.  That should keep them busy while you prepare the rest of the food.

Lay out pieces of orange, brown, and yellow construction paper and show the kids how to make a turkey. Or have the kids make pilgrim hats out of black and white construction paper.

For the Adults

One of the staples of Thanksgiving is football. Oftentimes the men gather in the living room to watch the game. One way to keep the party lively is to give them a football and send them outside to toss it around during commercial breaks. This can really get the men talking and having a great time. And, ladies – don’t be shy. Jump right in there with them.

Plan, Plan Plan.

You need to start planning ahead as early as possible. From getting an early head count to planning the menu well in advance, you’ll feel much better knowing that you have at least one part of the day under control.

Lists are your best bet to avoid getting stressed out. Keep a master list of everything you need to do, along with smaller daily to-do lists and of course grocery lists. And then of course there’s the “Honey Do” list, which brings us to…

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Get your family to help clean and get ready for the big day. They can run errands for you, help set the table, decorate and cook along side with you.

Ask every guest to bring a single dish. With everyone chipping in it will quickly add up. Ask those family members and friends who are “culinary challenged”, to bring some chips, drinks, or even napkins and paper plates.

Don’t forget to ask them to help you clean up afterword either.

No one expects you to handle everything on your own. If you try and feel frazzled, they’ll feel uncomfortable and won’t enjoy the day as much.

Are you worried about getting drilled about the same questions?
Practice in advance how you’ll answer those questions. If you know you’ll get questions about weight gain or your husband’s lost job, prepare yourself in advance with answers.

Practice your answers to some of the questions you’ll be getting. If you can repeat the answers out loud enough before the event, you’ll feel more confident answering them when the time comes.
If you still feel uneasy about the event, tackle it with a friend or hang out with a likeminded family member. Or have a secret signal with your husband for “help” so he knows to come rescue you.

photo credit: Franklin Park Library

I wanted to share this super quick super easy way that you can make cute pumpkins that can be hung all over the house or maybe even at your childrens school.

What you need:

• Large Piece orange felt
• Small Piece black felt
• Small green wire about 18 gauge
• Fabric or felt glue
• Black or orange embroidery floss
• Batting or cotten balls

Instructions:

1. Cut two circles out of the orange felt.
2. Cut the nose, mouth,stem and eyes out of the black felt
3. Glue the nose, eyes, and mouth to the face of pumpkin
4. Take black floss and stich two circles together
5. Add stem to ton the top of pumpkin between the two circles. At the top and bottom of the pumpkin make the stickes a little tighter to make a pucker affect.
6. Leave small opening near the bottom and insert stuffing just to fill the pumpkin nicely but you don’t want it too huge.
7. Stitch closed
8. Take smalle piece of wire. Wind wire around a pencil and make like a coil or loose spring effect.
9. Put a little bit of glue at each end and then stick between the pieces of orange felt. Hold down and make sure glue dries completely.

TaDa It is complete. You have a beautiful stuffed pumpkin. Hand made and something you should be very proud of.