The Thanksgiving Jar And A Little Book Talk!

We aren't into November quite yet but it is close. So, let's get ready for it!

Last year, Scott and I started a tradition that I hope to continue for a long time. We each wrote 30 things we are thankful for and put them in our "thanks jar." I would like to say that we wrote one and put it in the jar each day. But that just isn't the way it went down. We had a 2 month old... things were a bit more hectic then. 

I had been talking about the jar a lot as November rolled in. Finally, after November was over halfway through I decided there was to be no more dilly dallying. So, on that day we each wrote 30 things we were thankful for. This year, we will try again at the "write one each day" idea.

I didn't come up with this idea. I read it in my book, "365 Games Smart Babies Play." You can find more activities I have done from the book here. The crafty folks over at YoungHouseLove also did a thanks jar last year.

Here is the lovely jar. I tied last years notes with some raffia and kept them in the jar.

A special kangaroo named Kangy wanted to pose with it for you.

wooo weee! I also got a special, little babytoddler to pose with it.

The very obvious process of how I decorated the jar:

1. Got a canning jar
2. Looked through my ribbon collection and got some raffia
3. Wrote "Thanks" on a piece of scrapbook book paper
4. Punched a hole in the scrapbook paper
5. Tied the ribbon around the jar and looped the piece of scrapbook paper in
6. Cut out 60 pieces of pretty paper for us to write on.

Here are some of my favorite thankful notes from last year:

Now, onto the books!

I am a big fan of traditions. We had a lot of them growing up and I am trying to keep the momentum going for Cora. As you may have figured out already from my love of the library... I love books!

The book tradition I am trying to get you excited about is a HOLIDAY BOOK BASKET!
Did the capital letters boost your enthusiasm?
Did you think I was going to let you in on another one of my amazing book buys?

A week or two before most holidays, my mom would break out a pile of special books that only came out once a year. We had Halloween & Fall books, Thanksgiving books, Christmas books (and LOTS of them), Easter books, Forth of July books, and I think we even a book or two about birthdays. I loved seeing those special books. It was such a treat when they came out. I think my Grandma even did the same tradition with my dad and his brothers and sister.

My mom has slowly been sneaking every piece of holiday craziness that she has ever owned into my house. Recently, I acquired her holiday book collections! She didn't have to sneak that one in. WOOO HOOO!

And since I'm such a kids book fan, I had already been working on a holiday book collection of my own.

Here it is:

THE HOLIDAY BOOK BASKET! 

I got a little holiday-crazy and added some green raffia. 

Feel free to say your "ooooohhhhhhs and awwwwwws" out loud!

Now for the Would You Rather Question of the day:

WYR... eat 2 and half pounds of pumpkin pie

or

one pound of Halloween candy?