An Account of the First Thanksgiving

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A quaint account of the occasion may be read in a letter dated December 11, 1621 by Edward Winslow, one of the company and later its Governor. He wrote to a friend in England as follows:

You shall understand that, in the little time that a few of us have been here, we have built seven dwelling-houses and four for the use of the of barley and peas, and, according to the manner of the Indians, we manured our ground with herrings or rather shads, which we have in great abundance, and take with great ease at our doors.

Our corn did prove well; and, God be praised, we have a good increase of Indian corn, and our barley indifferent good, but our peas not worth the gathering, for we feared they were too late down. They came up very well and blossomed; but the sun parched them in the blossom.

Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner, rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as many fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week, at which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king, Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted; and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation, and bestowed on our governor, and on the captain and the others.

And altho it is not always so plentiful it was at this time with us yet by the goodness of God we are so far from want that we you partakers of our plenty. 

Going Batty Over Halloween

Halloween Crafts - Create Bats

Bats are a huge symbol of Halloween and if you want to make your own decorations, Halloween bat crafts might be the easiest of all. Of course, like any other craft project, Halloween bat crafts are only as difficult as you make them, so we'll give you a few ideas to start with.

One of the easiest of Halloween bat crafts that you can make comes from a regular egg carton. Take the carton and cut out three of the egg cups (keeping them together!) Take and cut out the front of the two outside egg cups to simulate wings. Draw a face on the middle egg cup, punch a hole in the top and draw a string through it to hang from the ceiling or any other place. If you want to get really fancy, spray paint your spider black and paste on googly eyes for a little extra fun.

For the next suggestion in the category of Halloween bat crafts, we have a huge bat that you can hang from your trees outside. To begin with, you need an empty 2 liter soda bottle and a large black plastic trash bag. Wrap the bag around the bottle and secure with black electrical tape to make the bat's body. Near the cap end of the bottle, pinch two small bunches of plastic and wrap a rubber band around to make the bat's ears.

Next, take a white plastic lid and cut out fangs, tape in place and affix red dot stickers for eyes. Cut open a second trash bag and lay flat. Cut out two bat wings. Lay the wings flat on the ground and place a straight stick such as a shish kabob stick, just above the wing. Tape the three points of the wing to the stick with the electrical tape. Repeat for the other wing and then securely tape both wings to the bat's body.

To hang the bat, just nestle the sticks among the branches of a tree. If the weather is particularly windy or if you just want to make sure the bat doesn't fly away on its own, you may want to secure the bat to the tree with the electrical tape too. Having these bats hanging from your trees is sure to make your yard the scariest ever.

If you want to find more Halloween bat crafts, you can find all kinds on the Internet. A simple Google search will reveal all of the Halloween bat crafts that you can ever imagine. Then you can start having fun making your home and your yard all ready for All Hallows Eve and a holiday you'll never forget!

Scare Up Halloween Fun With a Couple of Easy Skeleton Crafts

Halloween Crafts - How to Make Scary Skeletons!

Halloween is a great time for decorating, so you will want to make some great craft items to decorate your home, and some of the skeleton crafts we have to offer you will add that extra special touch to your Halloween decor. Skeleton crafts are easy to make and can range from complicated to very easy. Since making Halloween crafts should ideally be a family activity, we'll give you a couple of ideas for skeleton crafts that the whole family can enjoy!

One of the easiest and most creative skeleton crafts you can make can be done by even the smallest of family members who have the dexterity to handle glue. What you will need to begin with for these skeleton craft pages is black construction paper and various types of dry noodles (elbow macaroni, shell macaroni, spaghetti, and spiral noodles). You may also want to include some lima beans in this project for the skeleton's head, hips, and thorax.

Then, just use some craft glue and form a skeleton from the various supplies. For example, the ribs are best made out of elbow macaroni. The lima beans make great heads. The spiral noodles work well as arms and legs. Creativity is the key, and it might be a good idea for you to make one of your own before setting the kids out on their own. All they need to do is glue the macaroni to the paper and make the shape of a skeleton.

For more complicated skeleton crafts, there's nothing more beautiful than skeleton luminaries lighting the path to your front door on trick or treat night. These are made from simple brown paper lunch bags along with a few other supplies. Those supplies include Styrofoam trays that you can get from your local meat department at the grocery store, a craft stick, some black paint, sand, and candles in glass containers.

You begin by making a skeleton design in the Styrofoam tray with the craft stick or even an X-Acto knife. Once you have your skeleton cut out, roll it with the black paint and press down on the inside of the lunch bag. Press hard and make sure you have complete coverage. Fill the bottom of the bag with sand and place the candle in the glass container inside the sand. Light the candle and see how pretty it looks but scary at the same time!

Making skeleton crafts is fun and very much in keeping with the Halloween season! Have fun and use your imagination see what you can come up with on your own and make skeleton crafts that you can hand down for generations!

Spooktacular Halloween Crafts

Halloween Crafts – Spooky Window Ghosts

If you are looking for an easy and fun Halloween craft for children of all ages, why not make spooky window ghosts? They are amazingly fun to make and use items you can find around the house! Spooky window ghosts make your house look fun and festive for the Halloween holiday and you can involve the whole family in this great craft.

To make your spooky window ghosts, you will need used dryer fragrance sheets, a black pen, scissors, and some sticky tack or tape. Cut ghostly shapes out of the dryer sheets and draw simple faces on them. Make them all shapes and sizes, smiley and spooky! Use two tiny pieces of sticky tack or tape, positioned over their eyes, to stick them onto windows or mirrors. They look particularly effective and ethereal if the light comes in behind them. You can make your spooky window ghosts large or small and hang them everywhere for a great Halloween effect!

You can also make some spooky window ghosts out of white contact paper much the same way you made the ones above. Cut out spooky shapes for ghosts of different shapes and sizes. Use an X-acto knife to carve out the ghost faces, and then stick them to your windows. Make many different ghosts and decorate all of your windows for a great spooky effect.

When making spooky window ghosts, you don’t have to necessarily use material that will stick to the window itself. Here’s a cute idea to make spooky window ghosts that you can just tape on. Take a white piece of paper and have your child stand on it with their bare foot. Trace around the outside of the foot and not the toes! Then, cut out the figure. The heel will be the ghosts head. Use a marker or crayons to draw on a ghostly face and cut out arms from white paper. Glue the arms to the sides and you have a fun ghost. Tape them to the window for a cute Halloween decoration.

You can also have spooky window ghosts just by making a ghost and then hanging them from your window so they can be seen outside. Make your ghost out of tissue, a handkerchief, or any other material you can think of. The possibilities are endless, and they are limited only by your own imagination. Spooky window ghosts are fun ways to make your house inviting to trick or treaters or party goers.

Music Appreciation for Classical Music Month

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Ten Of The Most Popular Classical Pieces Of All Time
Author: Duane Shinn

For anyone studying popular classical music, it can be a daunting task to know where to begin. There are so many great pieces that a beginner can get overwhelmed. Here are 10 of the most popular classical pieces with a brief background of each. There are many others, of course, but these 10 are certainly among the most popular classical pieces of all time.

Creating a Stress-Free Morning Routine

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Surviving Morning Routines With Your Children by Rachelle Salinger

Morning routines are one of the first big hurdles that families have to tackle each day. It's like a race where the kids have to be dressed, tummies filled, and then off to school with backpacks in hand in record time! Afterwards, your house can look like it's been hit by a hurricane, with clothes on the floor, hair accessories everywhere, and breakfast on the floor.
Getting through your morning routines with less chaos takes ingenuity, but you can start by creating an environment that teaches your child to take responsibility for her own morning routine. Not only will this ease some of your own stress, it will also teach your child more independence, and help her feel better about herself.

Craft Idea for Grandparents Day

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Kids Crafts Ideas on a Budget

We all love crafts!  They are a great way for kids to learn fine motor skills, and express themselves creatively, but being crafty can put a strain on your pocketbook at times.  Going to the store to buy supplies for each and every craft project, just isn't practical.  Which is why, it's important to learn how to come up with kids craft ideas on a budget.  Consider using items and supplies that you already have on hand, for fun and simple impromptu projects.

There are so many items that often get overlooked when it comes to crafting.  Think back to your own childhood.  The days of toilet paper roll projects and egg cartons, should come rolling back.  Remember how fun it was to create something beautiful out of something so plain?  Help your kids relieve that same joy and pride with these simple tips and craft projects.