Thankful tree & traditions

The leaves have been pouring into our mailbox. Thanks to all who returned leaves for our family thankful tree - a tradition we began many, many years ago and are so excited to build each year.

This project helps us to focus on true Thanksgiving - the Thanksgiving where we not just give thanks for what we have but we give thanks to the One who has given.

It also helps us to stay involved in the lives of friends and family separated by mountains and miles. We put these precious blessings into our scrapbook and look back over the years at His faithfulness.

Traditions flow through the life blood of our family. We really believe that traditions give our children roots from which to draw from - it helps to establish an identity within family and will be their stories to blend and carry on someday when they are united into their very own family units. God's word is steeped with tradition - it is such a blessing to be able to follow the Bible's guidelines.

This is our traditional cranberry dish we serve each Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our family adores this recipe - it really wouldn't be our holidays without them on our table.

Triple Cranberry Sauce

1 cup frozen cranberry juice concentrate, 1/3 cup sugar, 12-oz pkg. fresh cranberries rinsed and drained, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 3 T. orange marmalade, 2 T. fresh orange juice, 2 t. minced orange peel, 1/4 tsp. allspice, ground.

Combine cranberry juice concentrate, sugar and cranberries in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring often until berries begin to soften and fresh berries begin to pop, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange marmalade, orange juice, orange peel and allspice. Cool completely. Cover and chill until cold, about 2 hours. Keep refrigerated.

And while I am busy in the kitchen. . .

The boys have been assigned the task of building The Great Wall of China using K'nex.

I'm so glad I asked them to build it upstairs so I can listen to all their planning. This has been quite the engineering feat. It is The Great Wall, after all.

Emperor Qin would be proud {I think}. Graph paper, pencils, measuring tape and more have been involved in trying to get The Wall to be to scale, as much as one can using K'nex.

This has been a beneficial exercise in teamwork, too. It is harder to work with others when creativity rules. It's much easier to work with others when the job requirements and instructions are given to you. No matter what The Wall turns out to be, I am thankful for the opportunity to work on communication skills and trying to mesh different ideas into one.

Ryland volunteered to be in charge of the Mongol army. Shocking, I know.

Think of all the baking I could get done if this Great Wall took a few centuries for final completion. . .