on the night before thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is tomorrow which means I'm spending today deciding on if I want to eat 4 or 5 helpings of sweet potatoes at the Thanksgiving feast. Hard decisions take time, people. And by the way, I'm thinking maybe 6 helpings is okay? I don't like turkey so I have to fill that empty part of my Thanksgiving belly with something. Enter the 6 helpings of sweet potato casserole. 

In true I am grateful for lots of things form, I figured today was as good a day as any to write a thankful list. It's also as good a day as any for you to sit down and read my thankful list, obviously.

I am thankful for raincoats.

Umbrellas are cool too, I guess, but I always forget to put them back in my car. While we're on umbrellas, has anyone ever successfully closed and refolded an umbrella? No, they haven't. It is impossible. It has been raining non-stop here in Chucktown so I'm just really really thankful for my trusty 'ole raincoat that keeps me semi-dry as I hop around town. 

I am thankful for children. 

Because of my job I spend 96% of my time with kids. Even though sometimes they make me want to pull out my hair or sit in the middle of the floor and cry while they run around, they are amazing little people full of love and life. They give the best hugs, draw the most stylish stick figure Miss Emily, and they know that one minute of sweetness makes up for sixty minutes of horribleness so...there's that. They're smart and tricky and I love 'em. 

I am thankful for pictures.

If it were up to me, every wall in the house would be covered in wallpaper made from pictures of past and present. I don't think I could put my love for the Timehop app into words. Come on. This is what my sister and I were doing 7 years ago today?! You don't say.

Ann is going to kill me for this, but I mean how sad would my life be if I totally had forgotten this picture existed? Thanks, Timehop, for keeping my life happy and fun. 

 I am thankful for a husband who lets me use his arms as my dance partners on the reg. Oh, you're trying to cook dinner? Let me just steal your right arm there so I can pirouette and arabesque with it. 

 I am thankful for a family who makes life so fun that I get sad at least once daily because I'm not with them.

I am thankful for in-laws who know how to throw down and party, jello shots included. 

I am thankful for friends who remember that I hate talking on the phone and still keep in touch with me by putting up with daily/weekly novel long texts. 

Happy almost Thanksgiving!

May your bellies be as full as your hearts. 

giving thanks for fun

At 5:15 today I officially will be on Thanksgiving break. I'm planning on grand jete-ing out of modern class this afternoon and praising the education gods for cool beans teacher perks like school breaks. 

This break and I, we've got some really good plans underway. Like mopping the floors, getting a haircut, cleaning the dust off of the baseboards, and ahhhhh, I can picture the sparkling clean apartment with my sparkling new haircut now. And both are shining bright Rihanna style, for sure. 

But the best plan of all? Going home for Thanksgiving. Home! The Nan! The fam! Now along with about 97.65% of the population, I'm much more of a Christmas gal. Thanksgiving has always felt more like an obstacle over which we have to jump on our way to Christmas--an obstacle with not-so-delicious food. So sue me, but it hasn't been until I've gotten older that my tastebuds have become acclimated to turkey and dressing. They will never ever become acclimated to cranberry sauce. Ick. However, in recent years I've found some ways to make Thanksgivings less obstacle-like and more fun time party-like. 

Take notes. You only have 6 more days to survive without letting your Christmas spirit burst from every inch of your body and you're going to need help keeping those Christmas spirits contained. 

one

Dress-up

I don't mean in the look-fancy-kinda-of-way. Even though when you know you be looking gooooood it does make everything more fun. I mean this is the 5-year old costume box dress-up kind of way. Dress the frick up! 

This fun time party trick started 6 years ago when my mom made us wear Pilgrim and Indian hats at the dinner table. I have a friend whose mom makes them wear full-on Pilgrim and Indian costumes at some point during the day. Roll your eyes all you want. Dressing up and pretending to be a child again is fun. Not dressing up and being an adult all the time is not fun. 

two

Get crafty

Everybody is all about crafting for Christmas, but whatever happened to crafting for Thanksgiving? Crafting is something for which I am very grateful so when is a better time to show my gratitude towards it than on the holiday of thankfulness?! Our turkey table will be sporting these crafted placemats. If this doesn't spell out f-u-n then shoot! I don't know what does.

^^sarcasm^^ ^^but it really does sound fun to me...^^

three

Roll with it

Rolls are delicious. I myself eat about 6 rolls during a typical Thanksgiving dinner because I think my body is deformed in the sense that it could run solely off of carbs and be completely fine. Regardless, I love bread of all kinds. And who doesn't love rolls with...a gratitude twist?! Taza posted this recipe for pumpkin-shaped rolls that include little stems of gratitude on top. All you need is some parchment paper, a pen, and some things for which you are grateful. Easy peasy. My mom and I did a variation of these several years ago on Thanksgiving, but these pumpkin-looking rolls are even cuter and more presh and all that. I will be writing I'm grateful for carbs with a cheesy Thanksgiving theme! Now, eat dem carbs. 

via

four
Drink
This fun time party time idea is brought to you by Freddie. I asked for his help brainstorming ways to make Thanksgiving more fun and this is what he said. The man knows how to party, obvs. So let's say drink some wine. Have some cocktails. Drink some sweet tea or water or Coke. When we were younger we thought it was the coolest thing if on Thanksgiving we drank our Coke from my mom's fancy crystal. Lesson #58 on how to be cool. Live and learn, people.

five

Famalama-ding-dong

ie: Spend time with your family

I know I only live one state and 5 hours away from family, but I will forever and always whine about missing them. Because one state away means not the same state which means I can't just drive over to their house and steal clothes from my sister. I mean...hug my sister. Anytime when we can all get together it makes my heart burst out of my chest, much like the Grinch's heart did when he realized he loved Christmas and the Whos were his lil' famalama. Me and the fam, the Grinch and the Who's, life is going to be really fab this week and I. Can't. Wait.

What are your tricks for some Thanksgiving fun?

Happy Friday!

Linking up with Karli.