Blessed Thanksgiving

Fun Thanksgiving Recipes, Games and Entertainment
By Carol Eiseman

Thanksgiving is just two weeks away and the planning has already started at our home. For over 15 years, we have hosted Thanksgiving weekend for all the family. The guest list runs for 15 to 30 depending on who can travel in any given year. It is my most favorite holiday to celebrate. I have it down to a science and can pull it off without stress or anxiety. So here are some of my top tips for planning a fun family Thanksgiving celebration that I enjoy as much as our guests.

First things first, Bill Clinton’s famous presidential campaign motto once noted “It’s the economy, stupid”… well to paraphrase it, my Thanksgiving motto is “It’s the fun, stupid”. There is nothing difficult about cooking a turkey. It is one of the easiest things to make. Not sure or have questions.. Look at the Butterball web page and ANY question you may have about cooking or defrosting a turkey is answered there. The side dishes can get tricky. Timing and preparation can make for a chaotic kitchen. So I do recipes that can be made ahead, are foolproof, easy and delicious. Rather than worry about running or lumpy mash potatoes that have to be made hours before the turkey is ready, I make a delicious cheese and potato casserole. Limp and soggy vegetables dishes? Not an issue for me as I have an incredibly easy vegetable souffle recipe that everyone loves. I add a Harvest Rice dish with seasonal pumpkin vinaigrette and cranberries and I have added some variety to the menu. Fresh breads from the bakery and easy homemade carrot and poppy loaves and I am set to go. All the guests bring a menagerie of appetizers. I have homemade pumpkin tarts; apple pie and chocolate chip cookies. Dinner is done!

What do I spend most of my time on…. Preparing fun crafts, table favors and games and activities to keep everyone laughing and together for the day. When the kids were small, we planned a craft table to keep them all busy while the adults were watching the parade, the football games or gathering in the kitchen. As they got older, we went to the local high school football game and even had an annual flag football game of our own on the front lawn. Every year, I make table favors; plan fun games and entertainment for one and all. At the end of the day, I would tell you.. It’s these fun Thanksgiving ideas that keep everyone coming back each year. You can find many of our family Thanksgiving ideas, recipes and entertainment at Celebration Ideas Online. There are step by step instructions, free downloads for the games like Turkey Trivia, Turkey Hold’em, Gobble, Gobble Bingo and great ideas for family entertainment to make your own Thanksgiving celebration extra special.

Carol is married with four grown children who loves to celebrate everything! Their family celebration experiences and traditions can be further viewed at http://www.celebrationideasonline.com. There are some great ideas for creating lasting family memories!

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The First Thanksgiving - A Shocking Expose
By Kevin Garcia

The first thanksgiving, or at least what we base our current holiday on occurred in the autumn of 1621 in New Plimoth in what would soon become the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, probably shortly after the first harvest.

Interestingly enough, all that we know about this event comes from one brief paragraph from a slim little book now called “Mourt’s Relation”. While we have no idea who Mourt was (there have been several assumptions on the identity), it seems that both Edward Winslow and Governor William Bradford were authors of a number of articles from the book.

It was probably Winslow who wrote. “Our harvest being gotten in, our governour sent foure men on fowling, that so we might after a speciall manner rejoyce together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labours; they foure in one day killed as much fowle, as with a little helpe beside, served the Company almost a weeke, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Armes, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoyt, with some ninetie men, whom for three dayes we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deere, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governour, and upon the Captaine and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so farre from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plentie.”

From that small excerpt, we have (since the time of Abraham Lincoln, at least) made a number of assumptions. We can see from the passage above that the only foods mentioned were fowl (probably geese and duck…MAYBE turkey, and venison. Which means, sorry folks, no pumpkin pie, no cranberry sauce, apple pie, stuffing, mashed potatoes, or broccoli. In fact, potatoes were a fairly new commodity brought to Europe by the Spanish from South America. They were not widely known in the British Isles, what to speak of actually eating them.

The first Thanksgiving was a meeting of the native Wampanoag (actually it was Massasoit’s Pockanocket) and the English settlers we now cal “Pilgrims”. And it lasted for not just one day, but as we can see from the above quote it lasted three days! In actuality a thanksgiving had a much different meaning to the English of the 17th century. I’ll explore this in my next article about the first Thanksgiving.

Kevin Garcia is a history buff and writer. When he isn’t writing about the 17th century he studies currency option trading strategies and the Forex market.

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Used Imaginatively, Seasonal Party Confetti Can Complement Any Theme by Raymond Plona

A party is a special occasion. People come to the party to have a good time. It is a time when one wants to forget all the mundane things that bothers him all the time. That is why the host needs to create a merry atmosphere around the party venue. Confetti, spread all over the place do just that. They add a special dimension to the merrymaking at the party. Today, confetti comes in all shapes and colors. Choose one that will suit the type of party you have in mind.

If you are organizing a seasonal party, then get seasonal party confetti from online stores. Online stores stock confetti for a variety of seasons - all the seasons in fact. Just get the appropriate confetti. The only hitch with ordering online is that you have to allow for shipping and delivering time. Otherwise shopping online is easier and much more fun. You can get autumn leaves for the fall season coming up now. The glorious colors of autumn really make good confetti.

No party is complete without the giving out of party favors. If the theme of your party is that of animals, or a zoo, consider giving out animal party favors. These will be a big hit with all the children at the party. They will love to receive small, cuddly, animal favors as gifts. These colorful party favors are an ideal parting gift to children young and old.

Plan your parties to the minute details. You cannot leave anything to chances. Make an extensive list. Start ordering all that you need to order. Do not forget to mark the due date beside each item in the list. Follow up the suppliers to avoid delays or last minute hitches.

First of all decide on the theme of the party and then choose a cake in the theme. This is one thing that you need to order at a local shop. Make arrangements for it to be delivered or picked up by someone reliable.

All the rest of the party supplies can be ordered online if you give them enough time to ship the products to you. This is the only caveat. Otherwise online shopping is much easier than offline shopping and saves you both time and money. You can get great bargains in online stores. They have fewer overheads than offline stores and pass on some of this to their customers.

Get themed plates, napkins, banners, and more for your party all from online stores. If possible the food too can suit the theme of the party.

Get themed music and perhaps clowns in the party theme if you are including small children in your invitation.

For greater effect, the invitation cards as well as the thank you notes should complement the party theme. Thank you notes are as much important an ingredient as the party favors. If the number of your guests is small, try to write a line or two in your own hand. Otherwise, have everything printed.

As said earlier planning is the key ingredient to a great party. Plan well in advance but do not let last minute hitches put you down. Take them in your stride. All parties have them, and you should leave enough time in your schedule to sort them out.

Mingle with your guests, see that they are comfortable and have enough food and drink. Pay special attention to the introverts. Talk to them and introduce them to those who are more gregarious by nature.

Enjoy your party. That is why you arranged it in the first place. Mingle with your guests, looking after their general need. See that every one has enough to eat and drink. You will find that problem that has been bugging you, has taken care of itself. If there is some introvert among your guests, draw him out and introduce him to those who are more outgoing by nature.

Enjoy your party, join in the conversations. Let every thing flow in their own space instead of trying to direct every movement. Relax and let others relax.

Raymond Plona is a leading expert in party planning and his store provides all forms of birthday party supplies for all your party needs. Some of his products include theme party supplies, birthday party pinatas, birthday party balloons and many more.

Article Source: Just Enjoy Life

Allergies: Some Tips To Keep In Mind While Going Outside by James S. Pendergraft

Outdoor allergens are almost always in the form of pollen grains. These grains might belong to trees, grasses, and even weeds. Identifying the specific pollen you’re allergic to is the first step in ensuring that you don’t suffer these allergies repeatedly. Once you find out the culprit, you can easily avoid it thus saving yourself from unnecessary and uncomfortable allergic reactions.

If you find that your symptoms always occur in spring and winter then you’re probably allergic to pollen grains that belong to trees. Those who suffer allergies in the summer are most likely allergic to pollen grains emitted by weeds and grass. If your allergic reactions occur towards the end of summer or in the fall season, then pollen grains from weeds such as ragweed, tumbleweed and sage are responsible.

The reason so much importance is given to identifying the allergen is because your plan of prevention needs to be based on that knowledge. If you know which time of the year you’re most vulnerable then you can make sure you avoid going out or limit your outdoor activities in that particular season, taking extra precautions to ensure they don’t invade your home as well and remain outside. By doing this, you will not only save yourself of the strain related to the symptoms and avoid unnecessary medications, but you’ll also be reducing your chances of developing chronic sinus and other problems in the long run.

To avoid any kind of pollen, you must keep a watch on the news channels that generally report high pollen counts in an area. Avoid going out when the counts are high. It’s known that pollen counts are generally at their lowest right after sunrise and then start increasing there on. They’re at their highest at noon and in the afternoon. Avoid getting out until the sun sets which is when the pollen count is low again.

It’s not only important that you avoid the outdoors when the pollen count is high but that you also protect the indoors from an invasion of the pollen from outside. To this end ensure that you keep your doors and windows shut and the air conditioning turned on. This will help you stay allergy-free indoors.

When you do go outdoors it’s important that you don’t bring back harmful pollen into your home. Showering and changing your clothes after you come indoors and washing and drying clothes indoors helps avoid this. Other factors you can take care of include keeping your lawn mowed and taking vacations at the time of year when you’re most likely to suffer allergic reactions. It’s best that you get someone else to mow your lawn for you, however if that’s not possible, then make use of antihistamines before mowing and also wear a mask to protect you from pollen and dust during the mowing process.

If it’s mold that you’re allergic to then keep in mind that it gets worse in wet weather. Some spores are also abroad in the warm season. Stay indoors on days that are windy and/or rainy. Don’t engage in such activities as the raking of leaves, lawn mowing and gardening. Keep your surroundings clear of compost, fallen leaves and clippings of grass. If it’s raining make sure the water’s draining and flowing away. Get the drains cleared to enable this. Also make sure the air conditioner in your car isn’t encouraging mold. There are products available in Automobile stores to reduce this occurrence.

Abortion Clinic. Dr. James S. Pendergraft opened the Orlando Women’s Center in March 1996. Free HIV Testing, physical examinations, family planning and counseling. Free Chlamydia Screening.

Article Source: Just Enjoy Life