Thanksgiving Dinner in a BAG

 

This was all over the internet last Thanksgiving so I'm sure that you've seen it before but I thought I'd post a little tutorial anyway.  This was so much fun to make and my husband, Jeff just laughed and laughed at me and I'm sure my missionary just rolled his eyes but they are all so good to just humor me and let me play and have fun.

You will need:

large brown paper bag

2 brown paper lunch sacks

1 piece of white paper

hot glue gun

glue sticks

 

Turkey dinners

Hormel has a brand

that doesn't need refrigeration

canned vegetables

stuffing mix

instant mashed potato mix

gravy mix

fruit pies

 

Hormel has a brand of dinner that doesn't require refrigeration.  I found them on the same aisle as the macaroni and cheese.  I purchased enough for four not knowing if just one would fill them up and thinking that if it did, they could use it for another meal.  Lucky I did, because the day it was delivered, the Zone Leaders were there and they had enough dinner for all four of them. 

 

Start by putting everything in the bag.  Remember you will be folding the front edges in to make the front of the turkey so keep the big bulky stuff toward the back.  Keep in mind how it will be sitting during shipping.  I was using a tall, narrow bow so I knew my turkey would be standing on one end during transit.  What was on it's side while I was making the turkey would be standing up in the box.  You don't want your fruit pies getting crushed!  When you're finished, pack it all in place with popped popcorn.  I also included a tube of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies for both Matt and his companion.  Because they are a more sticky cookie, I put a small square of waxed paper in between each cookie.  Lay your turkey back down and fold/tuck the edges inside and glue closed with a hot glue gun.

 

click here for the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe

 

click here for tips on mailing cookies

 

'Crush' in the four back corners of your filled bag so that the back of your turkey will be rounded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To make the drumsticks of your turkey, fill a quart size Ziploc bag with caramel corn and using your hands, mold it into the shape of a drumstick.  You could use regular popcorn but it's not as malleable and I like to think it's the dark meat (ha, ha...everyone laughs, but Matt loved the caramel corn!).  Insert the caramel corn into a brown paper lunch sack and shape with your hands as shown below.  Twist the ends closed. 

 

click here for a soft Caramel Corn recipe

 

To make the poultry frills cut a piece of paper measuring the length of the paper so 11" x about 2".  Cut all along one long edge a little more than half-way through making your space between cuts about an 1/8 of an inch apart.  Apply a dot of glue to one end and start wrapping around the end of your drumstick securing with more hot glue at the end.  Don't forget you need to make two drumsticks!  Using a glue gun, glue your drumsticks in place.  There you have it!  So fun!  It just makes me giggle, it's SO CUTE!!

 

  

I stood mine up in a box and added crumpled tissue paper for support around the sides and a package topper.  Don't forget to write a note on the back of the topper!

 



 click here to download the free package topper

 

Here is a link to a video tutorial from Martha Stewart that I found invaluable:

http://www.marthastewart.com/286383/paper-bag-turkey

 

 

 

 



TALKS - "The Divine Gift of Gratitude"

This is the talk that I sent to Matt in his Thanksgiving package, The Divine Gift of Gratitude by President Thomas S. Monson.  A great talk!  I posted this in another place on the blog but it was a little difficult to find so here it is again.  Enjoy!        (click on the photo to download the talk)

               

Don't forget to change your printer to print 'double-sided' to save on postage...

On my PC: click on 'Print', click on 'Properties' tab, click on 'Finishing',

click on 'Print on both sides', click on 'ok', click on 'ok' - should be good to go!

Acorn Bites!

 

You've probably seen these on Pinterest but they are so adorable that I just couldn't resist making some and sending them to our missionaries.  Truth be told, I think when I first saw them I may or may not have let out a little scream of excitement.  Yup.  They are just that cute.  They are super easy, way fast, relatively inexpensive (I say 'relatively' simply because they make a TON so you can send out lots or give some away to family and friends), and YUMMY!!  I'd give credit but these are seriously EVERYWHERE on the web...

 

 

Supplies needed:

Mini Vanilla Wafers

(I found these in our local supermarket. 

They come in the same size box as the regular Vanilla Wafers.)

Hershey Kiss candy

Peanut Butter Chips

(Like chocolate chips only peanut butter!

You can find these by the chocolate chips

in the baking section of your local grocer.)

Caramels (optional)

 

 

 

Begin by unwrapping your Hershey Kisses then melt a small amount of your peanut butter chips.  The peanut butter chips will be your 'glue' to attach everything together OR you could use peanut butter chips to attach the acorn's stem (because it's the same color and shows more) and then use melted caramel to attach the cookie to the kiss.  If you opt for the peanut butter/caramel version you will only need a small amount of melted chips and your finished version will taste just like a Twix candy bar.  Seriously YUMMY!!

 

 

Dip the bottom of your Hershey Kiss into the melted peanut butter chips or caramel. Wipe off some of the excess on the edge of the bowl and apply your Mini Vanilla Wafer.  I've also seen this done with Mini Nutter Butter Cookies and while I do like the added texture to the top of the acorn, I didn't want to have to take the cookies apart.  You don't need very much 'glue' otherwise it will squish out around the edges and look messy.  Yup.  Learn from my experience.  On the bright side:  You can eat your mistakes!  Lay them aside on a cookie sheet to set up a bit.

 

 

 

Following the same procedure, attach the peanut butter chip 'stem' to the top of your acorn and set aside.  It doesn't take long for them to set up.

 

 

Note:  Please excuse the fact that I was multi-tasking and making dinner at the same time as I was making acorns...and the black in my nails is actually Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint from yet another project earlier in the day.  I tend to cram a LOT into my day's off work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I sent out quite a few of these acorn bites so I came up with two ideas for packaging.  I loved the little paint cans that I found at the craft store ($2.99) but they were too large to send in the small flat rate boxes from the post office so I only sent those to my son and his companion.  I found the 'Count Your Blessings' free printable online at yellowblissroad.com.  They were the perfect size for the center of my paint can.  Then I tied scraps of coordinating ribbon and fiber to the handle (see the photo at the beginning of the post).

 

 

I made a bag topper for the other Acorn Bites that I was sending out.  Just put your acorns into a regular sized reclosable sandwich baggie,  seal closed, place your folded bag tag over and staple.  I folded down the top part of my baggie because I didn't fill them all the way full.  Sorry that I forgot to take photos of the finished product.  Don't know where my brain was...

 

 

Print the bag topper onto white cardstock and fold in half.

 

Click here to download the free 'Give Thanks' printable.

 

 

 



Fancy Candy

My friend, Cindi at work brought in some candy bars for Halloween.  She had wrapped them in cute chevron wrapping paper and decorated them with ribbons and bows and they were absolutely adorable and incredibly fast, easy and inexpensive (which my husband always loves).  I had already sent Matt's Halloween package but I thought this would be fun to include in his Thanksgiving package.  My thoughts were thus:  There can never be quite enough chocolate.  I realize that not everyone has the same feelings towards chocolate that I do and I also realize that missionary's get lots of treats so should they decide that they don't want to partake, I thought that Matt and his companion could use them as little gifts for those family's that invite them over on Thanksgiving day for dinner. 

 

Supplies needed:

wrapping paper or scrapbook paper

coordinating ribbons and embellishments

clear tape

scissors

large candy bars

These are really simple and pretty self-explanatory...just make a sleeve out of scrapbook paper or wrapping paper and tape it around your wrapped candy bar.  Add any embellishments that you would like i.e. ribbons, bows, stickers, etc.  Then attach a cute tag. I made mine out of coordinating paper and added a sticker to the front and back along with a 'thought'.  I didn't sign our names because I didn't know if they would be giving them away. 

Click here to download the Thanksgiving 'thoughts' for the back of your gift tags.

Click here to download the Christmas 'thoughts' for the back of your gift tags.

Here's another look at the finished product.  This would be so easy to make for any holiday - Christmas 'thoughts' for your gift tags are already available to download by clicking the link above.  These would even be fun to give out to your Visiting Teaching or Home Teaching families or for a your missionary's birthday.  Happy Holidays!!

PS:  Thanks, Lynnae for helping me

create these little gems. 

Whatever would I do without you?





'Words of Wisdom' - a letter idea

This month the 'missionary moms' (and whomever else would like to join us) in our ward will hold our first 'get-together'.  Who knows how often we will meet.  We don't want it to be a stress but more of a support group of friends that meet for just an hour to share thoughts and feelings, ideas, maybe pictures and probably tears.  It was my dear friend, Jackie's idea and it is brilliant and I am so excited.

I asked her if I could bring something fun and easy for the mom's to work on while we're chatting.  It's not crafty really but I suppose it could be as elaborate as you wanted to make it.  I'm doing the preliminary preparations and each mother will bring a spiritual thought or a little message, 'words of wisdom' or encouragement, a poem, favorite scripture, faith promoting story or any kind of little thought to send to each of our missionaries.  That means that each mother will bring 16 copies of the same thing - one for each of the 16 missionaries serving from our ward.  Each 'word of wisdom' can simply be on a piece of paper (full sheet or smaller size cut apart).  It shouldn't take more than a few minutes for each mom to put together and just needs to fit inside a small 3.5"x6.5" size envelope.  Those who can't attend can still email or drop off their 'words of wisdom' and we'll put it together for them.  Should be super easy and our missionaries are going to LOVE it. 

This project doesn't have to be done by just moms!  In fact, we did something very similar at a family gathering and sent them to Mason and my parents when they were on their missions.  On the outside of the top envelope we put the family's surname using letter stickers.  We had an envelope for each family member and stacked the envelopes in order according to age (not sure why...probably just because I'm a little anal...or a lot, depending on who you ask).  You could also do this with just your immediate family or from all of your missionary's friends for their birthday or use it for an advent calendar for any holiday by adding numbers to the envelopes.  Just follow the directions below, fold the envelopes up accordion style and then tie the whole stack with a ribbon and send it on it's merry little way.  Your missionary can open the whole stack all at once or just open one envelope each day.  How awesome would that be to be able to open a letter from home each and every day?

Gather your supplies together...

patterned paper

scissors or paper cutter

ruler

pencil

small envelopes

glue or double sided clear tape

Begin by cutting your decorative paper inserts measuring 6 inches x 2 inches.  It is not necessary to fill the entire inside of the envelope because it's not visible and it will only add bulk and weight to your finished product.  I used a different patterned paper for each envelope set (so 16 different papers).  By using a coupon I was able to purchase a pad of Halloween paper for far less than purchasing individual papers...then again, I had to do a LOT.  You wouldn't have to use a different patterned paper for each envelope. They could all be the same or alternate between two or three patterns or use scraps of what you already have on hand.

Apply glue or use a small piece of double sided clear tape to adhere decorative paper to the inside of the envelope as shown above and below.

Make sure that your decorative paper is attached just BELOW the fold line of your envelope flap for ease in folding the finished product as shown above.  Continue this process until you have finished all of your envelopes.  Don't worry, it goes pretty fast...

Now you're ready to start assembling them all together...





Apply double sided tape to the areas noted in the above photo OR use a glue stick.  If you are using glue I would apply the glue to the entire flap of the envelope. 

Attach another envelope to the envelope that you just applied tape to.  This time attach your envelope just ABOVE the fold line for ease in folding them all together otherwise they won't fold nicely.  Continue in this process until you have the desired amount of envelopes.  Don't add tape to the very top one...there won't be anything to stick it to, silly! 

Fill your envelopes with all kinds of messages from home.  Here's some ideas that the moms in our group included in their messages:

a letter

favorite scripture and why

an inspirational quote

17 Points of the True Church card from Deseret Book

small candy with a scripture reference written on the outside

an uplifting Conference talk printed from the internet

a missionary story

poetry

printable

KEEP IT LIGHT!

Some moms have to/get to mail things to foreign missions which can get very pricey.

Keep it light.  Print on both sides of a page and try to keep your message

limited to a single sheet of paper or less.  Our goal for them is 4lbs. or less...

I sent a printable (3.25 in. x 6 in.) that I made in Photoshop along with a short letter from me attaching both together will a paperclip.  It turned out cute.  My first chalkboard printable.  I'm kind of in love with them at the moment...but I digress.  Click on the picture if you would like to download it for your missionary.



Whatever they/your family decides to send, make sure that everyone signs their name so your missionary will know whom each message is from. 

Now just fold them all up accordion style. 

Fold the flap over the top but DON'T glue or tape it shut!



Print out the 'Words of Wisdom' printable onto white cardstock.  Just click on the image below and it will take you to the link.

Put the cut out printable on top of your stack of envelopes and tie them all together with the bow or knot going through the center - see how I provided a nice little space for your bow?  Cute!   I picked up my ribbon at Walmart in their seasonal section for $1 a spool.  Can you say bargain?

Pop it into the small Flat Rate box with some shredded paper, tissue paper or Easter grass (click here if you don't know what I'm talking about), toss in a few pieces of candy or a protein bar and send it on it's merry way.  Easy Peasy!  Way less than the 4lb. limit for mailing overseas.  Have fun!

AND just for you - because I think you AND your missionaries are wonderful, I've already whipped up printables for November and December.  I will post additional months as I get them designed. Just click on the image and it will take you to the link.

November

(Thanks to timcoffeyart.com for the free digital sunflower stamp.)

December





Happy Thanksgiving!!

I come from a VERY large family.  I am the oldest of eleven children.  We are all married and we all have children and with the exception of one, we blessed to live within an hour of each other.  At last count, there are 53 neices and nephews.  Two more will be added to our noisy bunch this spring and we've only just begun!  The first cousin was married in May. 

Years and years ago, we started having a Bouwhuis Bash every month.  On a Saturday, we all get together for dinner, conversation and to par-tay!!  Each time we come up with something for the cousins to do for the missionaries in our life.  My son, Mason is the first of the cousins to serve (Ohio Columbus Mission) and my parents are currently serving their second full-time mission (New Mexico Farmington Mission).  It's fun for the cousins to write to them and it helps the missionaries to feel connected to those at home.

Materials needed:

white cardstock

craft paint -

brown, red, orange, yellow and green

markers -

brown, yellow, red and orange

paper towels

(for cleaning tiny hands)

This month my sister, Kim came up with this brilliant and simple activity. Painting everyone's hands we made handprint turkey's on white cardstock. After the paint had dried the kids drew in the wattle, beak and feet using markers then glued a googlie eye in place. Make sure you have everyone write their name on the paper prior to stamping their handprint. A lot of our children are still quite small so this month we didn't add messages but you could easily allow family members to write notes to the missionaries or write the things they are thankful for. Another idea would be to write the things they are thankful to the missionary for or what they love or miss about them. We put this activity in the same box as the Gourmet Caramel Apples. Have fun and Happy Thanksgiving!!