thankfulness.

I am all about giving November its full right to holiday spirit. I have been extremely guilty in the past of jumping from Halloween to November 1 means countdown to Christmas. This year, I've vowed to fully enjoy November, especially Thanksgiving. (You're so welcome, Jenna.)

My endless hours on pinterest has led me to some excellent finds. (Remember those raspberry cakes? You know you want those next time you visit! ... and I might want them next time you visit.) Well, I found this little guy and instantly fell in love.

A thankfulness tree; here's my version of it:

Each day of November, I write something on one of the tags that I am truly thankful for. You can find out what I've been writing if you follow me on facebook; I update my status with my thankfulness tag each day. I love this piece in my dining room. Since we moved into our apartment and got our beautiful table (June/July,) I've been wanting a centerpiece, and now I've finally got one... at least for this month.

If you're looking for a more kid-friendly version of a thankfulness tree for your family or classroom, check out my sister's tree that my niece and nephew will be doing throughout November.

If you want to put together your own thankfulness tree like mine (and the one I borrowed from cloned,) here's the simple steps:

Step 1: Gather branches. (Not so easy to do in Chicago; I must say!)

Step 2: Wash out a mason jar/food jar to be your vase. (I had to empty my husband's favorite pasta sauce because it was the only jar in the fridge close to being gone. Shh - don't tell.)

Step 3: Make your tags. (I used recycled cardboard, some paints, and my scissors to make shapes. The original tree tags were made using scrapbook paper and a dye cutter. I'm not that fancy.)

Step 4: Assemble. (Add a bow or other detail to personalize yours. Again, I'm not fancy enough or an experienced enough crafter to have ribbon lying around.)

And wah-lah, you have yourself a beautiful piece for your home to remind you and your family to give thanks each day, not just on Thanksgiving! Let me know if you decide to make a thankfulness tree (any design) or you have another tradition for thanksgiving all month long.

with goodness. (I wish I could add thankfulness to the Fruits of the Spirit.)

PS - These just came out of the over for dinner. YES! :] (Another pinterest inspiration...)

linking up with these parties...