a little tour of our "thankful" home

Thanksgiving is in full swing around here!

We have had fall decor up for a few months now, but I added a little Thanksgiving touch about a week ago, to remind us to count our blessings!

We leave for Texas in a few days, to spend the holiday with my family at our ranch, so I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to celebrate as a little family of 4 here in our home before we head out. Because as soon as we return, it will be time to "deck the halls" for Christmas!

I had  to dig a little to find everything, since this is our first holiday season in our new home, but I think it was worth it!

Our little "thankful" banner made for us by 517 Creations. It hangs in our home this time of year to remind us of a loving God who pours out His mercy and grace, love and many blessings upon us. A God who watches over and protects us.

Our table of thanks. The perfect size for our little family.

To create a similar look, purchase DaySpring's Ever Grateful Collection, now 50% off. The tall centerpiece is a Pinterest find from last fall. You simply put a candle in a clear vase and surround it with corn kernels. So easy and inexpensive!

In this shot you can see the window clings that the boys decorated our back door with. I found them in the $1 bins at Target. So fun!

Here is a closer look.

This cute little owl banner hangs over the bar where the boys usually eat, do homework, etc. It is another Target $1 bin find. So cute!

Just a cute little wooden pumpkin, to remind us of God's provision.

I am in love with this little owl candle that I got at Target a few years ago! Adorable!

Little E decided to "help" with the decorating. :)

Our little "thankful" turkey, also made by 517 Creations. Every year we fill it with blessings, together as a family, sometime during the Thanksgiving season.

My little turkeys! :)

And just for fun...my little Indian. We got to eat lunch with him today at school for his class Thanksgiving feast. He is called "Green Grass." :)

Our Thanksgiving scripture. It sits in our kitchen to remind us where our blessings come from! The memo board is a piece of DaySpring's Ever Grateful Collection. I love changing out the message every season!

Go here for 10 more ways to a thankful home and here to see my favorite Thanksgiving pins. Check out some of our favorite Thanksgiving ideas here and our Thanksgiving pin board here.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! May you have a blessed holiday, surrounded by loved ones, remembering all that God has done for you!

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}: (Gluten Free) Pumpkin Donuts

When Ben and I adopted our little Judd man, we had no clue how to deal with, navigate through, or 

prepare in any way for food intolerances. In fact, we really didn't know anything about them. We were adopting a 7 year old boy from a mental institution in Eastern Europe with the diagnosis of Down Syndrome. That was pretty much the extent of our knowledge.

Neither of us were experienced in special needs. None of our children had ever had so much as a learning disability or allergies to foods (that we knew of). And when you adopt a child that you know has not received anywhere near what he or his little body has needed to grow and heal properly and who seems desperately hungry at all times, you just want to feed them. Anything, everything. Watching him eat, and smile, and get full brings you immense joy.

But after months of tummy issues, and many doctors, and many tests for parasites, we were still no where near finding a solution. He also had many skin issues. We had treated him twice to get rid of the scabies he had, but his poor face and bottom were constantly breaking out and itching. Refusing steroids and treating with lavender oil did help alot, but was not the cure!

One day I just woke up and made a decision, which I attribute to God. I decided to go dairy and gluten free for Judd. Overnight. Here we go. No clue how to do it, but we were off to see the Wizard!

Although I had read that children with DS can be much more 

apt to have Celiac's, Judd had tested negative. And I know I had a blog reader mention to me months prior that the testing for Celiac's can be tricky, but I really paid no mind to any of it. Until that morning!

Judd had a routine doctor's appointment that same week and I informed the Doctor of what I was in the process of doing. He laughed at me! He said that Judd's tests for Celia'cs were negative and that removing both items was not wise. He then laughed and said his gut feeling was that if there was any issue at all it was the dairy. Laughing at me makes me more determined!

Within 2 weeks of removing these items Judd had his first solid (if you know what I mean)

in 8 months! Within 6 weeks he was completely toilet trained, a HUGE issue resolved. HUGE!

And after about 4 solid months on this diet, I added back in a few things to see the reaction. He can handle a little Yogurt and cheese causes IBS type symptoms, so we keep mostly to our non-dairy diet. And gluten causes his skin to go haywire, not to mention the tummy issues and the most-likely behavior issues as well. Those can be hard to determine because we have so many things going on and Judd for the most part is non-verbal. 

I could go on and on. And many of you reading may be very familiar with gluten sensitivities,

and food allergies and issues. But since our decision we have met many parents that ask us questions like...

- How did you get Judd's skin so clear? 
- How did you get him toilet trained?

I tell them, beg them practically, to remove these items from their children's diets to see if it helps.

Usually their response is "Oh that would be too hard!" But if I can do it, anyone can do it! I'm not the most organized, goal-oriented or disciplined person around. Just do it. The results could be life changing! 

Your child may not have DS, but gluten especially, can cause many negative reactions in children and adults alike....behavioral, skin, health, learning, etc. Not everyone will test positive for Celiac's, but gluten sensitivity is just as real.

Now, on to the good stuff! Here is our new, favorite recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts!

These are delicious and EASY, and the ingredients are some of the easier ones to find.

1 Cup Sorghum Flour

1 Cup Potato Starch

1/2 Cup Almond Flour

1 Cup brown sugar

1/4 Cup cane sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tsp. Sea salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Mix all above ingredients, sifting flours.

3 eggs beaten

2 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 cup expellar pressed canola oil

Beat together and add to dry ingredients.Then add 1 14oz can of Pumpkin.

Fill a donut pan 2/3 full and bake on 350 for approx 18 minutes. Make sure to spray pan with non-stick cooking spray.

(I found my donut pan at Bed Bath and Beyond for less than ten bucks!)

Original Recipe from Gluten Free Goddess.

We frosted half of the donuts with our favorite cream cheese frosting!

4oz cream cheese

4 oz butter

2 tbs Vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Beat with hand mixer until nice and creamy.

Random Houshold Tip: 

I just read in one of my favorite Magazines (Mary Jane's Farm) to store a sheet set in one of it's pillow cases! Brilliant!

Go here for more ways to make God apart of your everyday life and home!

Linking up with:

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About the Author: Melanie Hartman blogs about her life on the farm and her family's rescue adoption over at Happy Hartman Farm. Her, her husband Ben, and their 5 children are just an average American (Military) family trying to serve Our Lord and Risen Savior, hoping not to live their lives in vain, with hearts that are burdened for the orphan crisis in this world.

Pumpkin Bread Play Dough Recipe...keeps the kiddos entertained, while you enjoy the game!

I absolutely LOVE homemade play dough! I made my first batch this summer for VBS, and I will never do store bought again!

My little chef loves it too! He cooks up all kinds of things with his homemade dough! So cute! :)

My friend Helen recently shared with me several different "flavors" of homemade play dough and her Pumpkin Bread Play Dough would be perfect for your tailgate party, or any fall party! It keeps the kids entertained while you enjoy the game!

Ingredients:

-1 package pumpkin bread mix
-2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups salt
-6 tablespoons oil
-6 teaspoons cream of tartar
-3 cups water

Directions:

Mix and cook over medium heat, until ball forms. Remove from heat and knead.

Just make sure not to turn the heat on until you have mixed ingredients and placed them inside the pan, so you don't burn it up...it will cook fast!

It smells yummy, filling the room, and even if the kiddos accidentally eat it, at least it is all natural! :)

Don't forget to have some play dough utensils (cookie cutters, rolling pins, play dough scissors, stamps, etc) on hand for the kids to play with!

Helen actually made little containers of it for all the kids in our preschool class (as a fall party favor) and attached the cutest little poem...

"It's not a trick, just a treat! But don't forget, it's not to eat! It's Pumpkin Bread Play Dough, so play away! Happy Fall to you today!"

How cute would it be to send the kids home from your tailgate party with Pumpkin Bread Play Dough favors!

What about you? Do you have any fun ideas for "dressing up a tailgate" or any other fabulous fall ideas that you would like to share? Leave a comment!

Go here for more ways to make your game day parties a hit!

Linking up with:

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.

Our Annual Pumpkin Party!

Every fall we host some sort of fall party for the boys! Sometimes it includes costumes, sometimes trick or treating...but always pumpkins...pumpkin decorating, pumpkin games and pumpkin treats!

This year was no exception! We served pumpkin pie croissants and pumpkin cupcakes...and we gave out pumpkin cookie party favors. Everything was orange and yummy! I got all the paper goods and cookie packaging supplies from the dollar bins at Target when I went with my friend Kara a few weeks ago. I love a good deal and they always have such cute things in those bins!

The boys and their friends had a blast decorating their pumpkins with paint, glitter, buttons and stickers!

They also enjoyed games of pumpkin ring toss and pumpkin bowling!

And of course a game of baseball broke out! You can't tell from the picture because Big A had just mowed, but we actually have a baseball field mowed into the grass in our front yard...we play lots of baseball around here!

I wanted to get a picture of all the kiddos with their decorated pumpkins, but I thought that might be pushing my luck! :) I did get a picture of Little A and Little E's finished pumpkins!

Pretty creative! I think I have a couple of little artist's on my hands! ;)

All in all it was a great party!

What about you? Do you have any fun fall party ideas?

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.

Pumpkin Pie Croissants

This afternoon we had our annual Pumpkin Party for the boys and their friends! Look for a post soon with the details of the party. For now, I wanted to pop in and give you this quick and easy recipe for the Pumpkin Pie Croissants that I served. They would be perfect for your tailgate party, or any fall party!

Ingredients:

- 2 tubes crescent rolls
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 can pumpkin (not pie filling)
- pumpkin pie spice
- sugar

Open and separate the crescent rolls. Beat together cream cheese, 1 can of pumpkin, 2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice, 4 tbsp sugar. Place one spoonful onto each crescent and spread. Roll each crescent up and then roll each one in a mixture of 4 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until browned.

Recipe courtesy of Shaken Together.

So easy and a perfect party finger food!

What about you? Do you have any fun ideas for "dressing up a tailgate" or any other fabulous fall ideas that you would like to share? Leave a comment!

Go here for more ways to make your game day parties a hit!

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.

Pumpkin Beverage Tub

What a fun way to chill the drinks at your next game-watching party! I believe this beverage tub is from Martha Stewart, but you could easily create your own, using a real pumpkin!

What about you? Do you have any fun ideas for "dressing up a tailgate" or any other fabulous fall ideas that you would like to share? Leave a comment!

Go here for more ways to make your game day parties a hit!

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.

How a Christian is Like a Pumpkin...great pumpkin-carving activity for kids!

God picks you from the patch, brings you in and washes all the dirt off, that you may have gotten from the other pumpkins.

He cuts the top off and scoops out all the yucky stuff.

He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, etc.

He carves you a new smiling face (more like scary if you're one of our pumpkins) and puts His light inside of you, to shine for all the world to see.

What a great opportunity to teach our kiddos what it means to have a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ!

Go here for more information about how to have a personal relationship with Christ and eternal life in Heaven with Him.

Story from DLTK.

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.

(Glitter) Button Pumpkins...a great party craft for kids, requires minimal supervision!

I found a fun little fall craft for your kiddos...perfect for a tailgate party, or any fall party, because it requires minimal supervision. The kids are occupied, while the adults enjoy the game!

Little E (4) pretty much made his button pumpkin all on his own, while I made dinner the other night. I simply set out the supplies and got him started. Isn't it cute?

All you need is a small pumpkin, glitter glue, a variety of buttons and some paint brushes!

We used Halloween colors, but wouldn't it be fun to use your favorite team's colors for your tailgate party? Or simply a mix of fall colors?

We used paint brushes to paint the glitter glue onto the pumpkin. Then we stuck the buttons on. So easy!

All of our supplies came from Walmart, which made it an inexpensive activity! You could even have each child bring their own pumpkin to decorate. That way you would only have to provide the glitter glue and buttons.

That's what we are going to do for the boys' annual Pumpkin Party next week, where we will be painting and decorating pumpkins with their little friends, complete with pumpkin games and pumpkin treats! Have I mentioned that I LOVE fall?! ;)

What about you? Do you have any fun ideas for "dressing up a tailgate" or any other fabulous fall ideas that you would like to share? Leave a comment!

Go here for more ways to make your game day parties a hit!

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.