Countdown to Thanksgiving - Day 8

Today we celebrated the eighth day of the Countdown to Thanksgiving by doing the following things:

Recipe of the Day: 

Today we made Turkey Muffins. The idea came from a pin on Pinterest that led to One More Hand.

Turkey muffins that I made.

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin muffins or another type of muffin (I made cheddar muffins)
• Red apple
• Green apple
• Green grape
• Sliver of carrot
• Squeezable icing (for the eyes) (our turkeys didn't have eyes)

Directions:

From each apple, cut a slice from the side of the apple. Set flat and cut squared-off, tapered feathers. Cut a small beak from a thin slice of carrot. Make a slit in the end of a green grape and dab off excess moisture. Insert beak into grape. Poke small ends of feathers into muffin and set head on muffin, resting on the muffin paper. Once assembled, add tiny dot eyes with icing and enjoy!

Note: The apple slices are significantly thinner than was shown in the original recipe. However, I had so many leftover from making the apple tarts that I wanted to use some of those rather than slicing a new apple.

We also made the turkey apple tarts that we were supposed to make yesterday, but didn't have enough time to do. Here's how they turned out:

Apple tart made to look like a turkey. 

The apples are the feathers, the raisins are the eyes, and 

the dough is the body. Made a mistake by using powdered sugar

rather than granulated sugar...thus, the blobs of sugar.

The recipe is on yesterday's Countdown to Thanksgiving.

Activity for the Day: 

Today we went to the Waldorf school for the annual Holiday Fair. We have gone every year since the girls were in the early education program there.

We always see interesting costumes at the Waldorf school.

When the girls were younger, they did many of the activities designed for little children - like the gnome cave; watching the puppet and staff plays; making beeswax lanterns, and decorating cookies.

Olivia taking aim at the knights.

Now, they do some of the activities for older children. Their favorite activity is using these foam-bullet guns where they shoot the knights off the castle.

Sophia figuring out what knight she wants to knock off the castle.

They didn't knock any knights off the castle, but they had a lot of fun trying.

I always enjoy seeing the handiwork that the students do. These three-legged stools were sitting in the hallway. They were all very well made.

Three-legged stools.

This year I saw a couple of these plaques entitled "Live Life with Love" - which is the school's Code of Compassion.

The school's Code of Compassion.

There were some interesting ideas and values spelled out for the students to read, remember, and live by - not only at school, but in their daily lives.

Thanksgiving Fact:

In 1939, President Roosevelt proclaimed that Thanksgiving would take place on November 23rd, not November 30th, as a way to spur economic growth and extend the Christmas shopping season.

Gratitude Quote: 

You have a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?” ~William A. War

Thank you card that I made years ago.

Thanksgiving Joke: 

What did the turkey say to the turkey hunter? (“Quack, quack, quack!”)