{Gratitude Leads to Joy}: 10 Ways to a Thankful Home

As you know, I have been on a quest for joy this year. Joy is my 2012 word and this quest has led to the idea for our upcoming "find joy in the journey" ebook, which I am excited to report is finished!

I sent it off to my designer, Mary Jo Smith at 517 Creations, over the weekend so that she can format it to look like a book and get it ready for purchase. When she is finished, I will proof it one last time and then it will be available for download. Woohoo! 

Along the way I have come to realize that one major key to a joy-filled life is living a life of gratitude, being thankful for all of God's blessings, not taking the little things for granted, learning to embrace and cherish the special moments along the way.

With that in mind, I want to create an attitude of gratitude within our home this Thanksgiving season and I have come up with a few ways to do that!

1. Decorate your front door with some sort of Thanksgiving wreath, so that everyone enters with Thanksgiving on their mind.

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2. Make "give thanks" pumpkins as a reminder of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 

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3. Hang this free printable "thankful" banner in a prominent place in your home, a visual reminder to have a thankful heart this season.

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4. Make "give thanks" dry erase boards to record God's many blessings. You could set it on a little table in a high traffic area and encourage family members to write something down every time they walk by.

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6. Print this free "harvest" printable as a visual reminder of God's provision.

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7. Make an autumn chalkboard display in your home with the statement or scripture verse that you want to focus on during this season of thanks.

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8. Download this print as a reminder of how to survive the busy, sometimes stressful, holiday season.

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9. Create a "thankful tree" (together as a family) and have each member write their blessings on the leaves. Add new leaves every day.

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10. Display DaySpring's Ever Grateful Collection  on your holiday table. It is an absolutely stunning collection and happens to be 50% off right now, just in time for Thanksgiving! It would make a beautiful display and would be a great reminder of God's goodness for all who enter to see.

It comes in two gorgeous colors, taupe and wasabi, and can be purchased either as separate pieces or as a place setting.

Use this free printable as the centerpiece for your table, to remind your guests how to gather for dinner.

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Go here to shop DaySpring's Ever Grateful Collection! Go here for more of our favorite Thanksgiving ideas and here for 50 ways to make Fall fabulous!

Check out our Thanksgiving Pinterest Board for even more ideas. Leave comments with your own Thanksgiving posts and I will pin them to my board as well.

Feel free to follow along with me on Facebook and/or twitter as I count down #30daysofblessings!

May you and yours enjoy a beautiful season of Thanksgiving, remembering all that God has done for you!

Let there be thankfulness to God! {Ephesians 5:4}

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About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

{Hope for the Home}: Favorite Ideas for Thanksgiving

The month of October has FLOWN by for us!  I have started gathering some of my favorite ideas for Thanksgiving for the month of November. I thought I would share a few for today's Hope for the Home!

I am BIG on decorating for Christmas so the Thanksgiving "season" was always lost in the shuffle in our home.  But, as Grayson gets older I am realizing the importance of being intentional with teaching him about being thankful.  It's a great lesson for me, too!

Last year (and the year before) we made a Thankful tree for our home.  The first year we used leaves that I cut out and last year we used these awesome printables from Jones Design Company.  It makes a sweet centerpiece that you can add to as a family each night.

Source: jonesdesigncompany.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Here is another option if you want to make a paper chain instead of a tree...

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You know how much I love to display scripture in our home...and these FREE printables make that a piece of cake!  You could always leave them in the frames when you add the next season's printable to keep them all in one spot.  Then simply rotate the printables as the seasons change. :)

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One final idea is to pack a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child!  We LOVE to make this a family activity by letting Grayson pick out toys, games, and other necessities for a boy his age.  It leads to awesome discussion about how God calls us to provide for those in need. To learn more about this awesome opportunity through Samaritan's Purse, click on the picture below.

What do you do to intentionally teach your family about thankfulness??  I'd love to hear your ideas!

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About the Author: MJ Smith has her little corner of the internet to document her family, their home and their adventures - and any crafting that occurs along the way - over at 517 Creations. She has the greatest job in the world: being a stay-at-home momma of a wild and wonderful little boy (and a baby girl due in November!) and is married to Scott, a youth pastor, which often makes for such a fun (and crazy) life!