Thanksgiving Favorites

Happy Friday!  Hope you've had a great week.  We have had a good one here.  I've been looking forward to sharing my Thanksgiving favorites with you all week.  I know that decorating for Thanksgiving is not the popular thing to do, but I will always and forever put out turkeys and pumpkins in November.

It just feels right for November.  I've been collecting cute turkeys for years.  Trust me.  There are a lot of not cute turkeys so you have to do a little hunting.  My collection has grown over the years and I look forward to pulling them out every November.  I'll link as many of my favorite things as I can at the bottom of this post.

We have yet to decide what we are doing for Thanksgiving.  Indiana is having a big spike in COVID numbers so we are trying to be careful.  My top priority is keeping the kids healthy so they can stay in school.  We'll probably wait until the final days before Thanksgiving to make our plans.  That feels very 2020.  Wait and see :)  

No matter what we'll be having turkey with all the trimmings and focusing on all the things we are thankful for.

Let me show you my Thanksgiving favorites - turkeys and pumpkins sprinkled everywhere.  The best turkeys are at the very end of the post.  Don't miss them!

Thanksgiving in the family room:

I couldn't resist including a picture of happy, jumping Leo in this tour.  Real life :)

A fun Thanksgiving memory.  Our 1st Thanksgiving.  We lived in Utah and we went on an adventure by ourselves instead of flying home for Thanksgiving.  We drove from Salt Lake City to San Francisco.  We toured the whole city, wandered into a cute little restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner and went to watch Notre Dame play at Stanford.  It was our first holiday all on our own and we quickly learned that we'd always be happy to celebrate the holidays as long as we were together.

Thanksgiving in the kitchen:

I added in turkeys and pumpkins where I could.  I love having holiday plates for the kids to use.  They're used to me swapping them out monthly or seasonally.  When I served Olive's breakfast on a turkey plate yesterday - she said "YAY!  It's time for turkey plates!"  That made all of my decorating efforts totally worth it.

Thanksgiving for the kids:

We love these books.  I put a holiday book basket out for every holiday.  The kids love these specially selected books and get really excited to see them come out every year.

We have a running list of things we're thankful for on our chalkboard.  We take turns adding things each day.

We can't be the only ones swimming in leftover Halloween candy... 

Tell your kids to make a Thanksgiving turkey out of candy.  My kids loved it.  They had so much fun coming up with the perfect candies for wings, feathers, eyes, etc.  It was a really fun, free activity since we had everything on hand.

 Do you decorate for Thanksgiving?

Linking up with Momfessionals

Here are the Amazon affiliate links to some of our favorites:

 

Must See TV

Have you been watching any good shows lately?

I started watching shows in the evening instead of scrolling through my social media.  It's been a nice change of pace to lose myself in fun shows.  I never turn on the TV for me during the day.  I save all my TV watching time for late night after the kids go to bed.

Side note: My ornamental cabbages are GORGEOUS right now.  Everything else was taken down after some frosts, but these are still looking so nice.

Two shows my husband and I enjoy:
1. Friday Night Lights

We've made it through most of this series and just need to finish it.  It's got all the great elements - romance, high school football, drama, small town life, big dreams and complicated love stories.  It feels like the perfect show to watch in the Fall with football season in full swing.

2. Longmire

A modern day wild west show.  My inlaws recommended this show to us last summer and we're hooked.  We've almost finished the entire show.  It's so good.  I know we'll be sad to finish it.  Maybe it's because we loved living out west?  Maybe Longmire reminds me of my dad as a policeman?  Or maybe it's just a great show?  

We love the drama, the love stories, the detective work, the mysteries and the characters.  The show is filmed in mostly in New Mexico, but the surroundings look just like Wyoming.  We LOVE Wyoming and the wild west setting holds a special place in our heart.  Everyone is perfectly cast for their role and you'll find yourself hooked wanting to watch more (unless you're my sister haha)

My favorite shows:

Many nights I watch a show or two on my own after everyone goes to bed.  All of these shows are fun adult shows that I enjoyed, but would not watch with my kids.

1. Sweet Magnolias

I adored this sweet southern show.  My SIL recommended it to me and she was right - it's charming, all the characters are compelling and they've got season 2 in the works now.  It's very quintessential of life in the south - y'alls, southern foods, traditions, churches and small town drama.  I loved it and was bummed there's only 1 season to binge.  My sister did approve of this one.

2. Emily in Paris

I heard lots of people recommend this show and they were right.  It was great.  It feels very Devil Wears Prada combined with modern day adventures in Paris.  The characters are fun.  Emily gets herself in sticky situations and comes up with creative ways to remedy them.  She's smart, savvy and isn't afraid to make mistakes.  The fashion is great and it's a really quick watch.

3. Schitt's Creek

I've heard about this show for years and finally started watching it.  I blazed through it looking forward to watching it every night.  It's quirky, hilarious and charming.  The characters are really wonderful.  The show is awkward and so funny.  If you liked Arrested Development, this feels similar in the sense of awkward, quirky comedy, but it's very relatable.  All the characters deal with struggles and triumphs.  You will find yourself cheering for them and tearing up when their life gets hard.    You fall in love with their big personalities and you'll find yourself quote lines from the show or imitating their mannerisms in no time.  The show draws some big name actors and you come to love their little town of Schitt's Creek.  The six seasons will fly by and leave you wishing there was more.

4. Little Fires Everywhere

So much drama.  Scandals.  Injustices.  Reality.  Dirty secrets.  Wealthy.  Poverty.  Big time actress and mom Reese Witherspoon was the most fascinating Southern mom in this series.  She strives so hard for perfection in all aspects of her life.  She presents herself in a kind, caring manner, but you come to realize that her character is not so innocent in her intentions.  The shows were so interesting.  It gives you so much to think about by showing the same story line interpreted by various characters.  There was behind the scenes turmoil behind their picture perfect life that the viewer sees and the community where they live is shielded from.  It was super interesting and super crazy.  Google more about this one.

5. The Social Dilemma

I have only watched half of this documentary, but it was completely disturbing.  The amount of tracking, monitoring and spying your social media apps do on you is unnerving.  I haven't been able to make myself finish it because I'm really not even sure how to process all that I learned in the first half.  It felt violating to know how much of your online presence is tracked and rewarded or filtered.  I'm planning to finish it, but it's heavy stuff.  Definitely worth the watch.

What are you watching?  Any must see shows I need to start?

Hershey Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Well, friends, I had a different post planned for today, but cookies sounded like a better idea. 

I have a new recipe to share with you and it just couldn't wait.  I consider myself a bit of a cookie connoisseur.  They're my favorite!  Chocolate chip cookies are my #1 favorite follow up next by any cookie with chocolate chips in it.

I know I'm not the only one with loads of leftover Halloween candy sitting around.  I pulled out all the Hershey bars and got busy making up a new cookie recipe this weekend.

I started with my favorite base recipe - My Most Famous Recipe - chocolate chip cookies.

 

Hershey Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 c room temp margarine

1/2 c shortening

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c brown sugar

1 t salt

1 t baking soda

1 t vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 c flour

1 c quick cook oats

1 c chocolate chips

1 cup coarsely chopped Hershey Bars

*Grab some extra chocolate chips and Hershey Bar chunks to top cookies with.

 

Directions:
Cream together margarine, shortening and sugars.  Add in dry ingredients, eggs one at a time and then add in the chocolate last.  Scoop with a cookie scoop, add in some extra chocolate chips/bits on top of each dough ball and bake.  350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool on the cookie sheet.

These cookies are delicious right out of the oven or the next day.

They are delicious!  They feel a little fancy with the different kinds of chocolate and everything is better with a little oatmeal in it.  If you love chocolate, these cookies are for you.

I am so happy to have this new cookie recipe!  I can't wait to share it.

  

6 Surprising Ways to Save Money

I'm excited to share some simple things I do to save our family money.  I pride myself in finding great deals, stack savings and saving money where I can.

These are all very easy to do and I'll be honest to share our saving results for each one.  I've found each of these ways to save money worth my time and super quick to do.  I'd highly recommend them.

1. Fetch App

My favorite way to save money is by using this app!  So far I've earned $60 in gift cards just by scanning receipts, linking my email to get rewards on online purchases and referring the app to friends.

You earn the most points by scanning grocery or food receipts, but you can earn points on any receipt.  They do special promotions on items like diapers, make up and even special deals on things like any purchase from Panera.  You just down load the app and snap pictures of your receipts.  If you do grocery pick up or order something on Amazon, you just click the button to check your email for receipts and then it adds those to your point total.

Here's my referral code: C8K71

 

2. Rakuten

Rakuten is formerly known as Ebates.  I miss that name, but the money saving seems to be the same.  We've been using it for years and it says our lifetime rewards equal $220.  That's awesome!  It doesn't cost you anything to sign up.

You got to https://www.rakuten.com/ and sign up.  Then when you are ready to do some online shopping, you search the store.  I've recently used Rakuten for online purchases at Kohls, Sephora, Old Navy and 1800Contacts.  The deal is usually anywhere from 1-10% money back.  All of those little amounts really add up.

Here's my referral link if you want to try it out: https://www.rakuten.com/r/KAJEWH?eeid=28187

 

3. GAP/Old Navy Visa

I've had a GAP card for years, but it hasn't been until the last couple of years that I figured out a way earn more rewards.  I discovered that you earn LOTS of extra rewards points each month if you use your card at places other than GAP/Old Navy.  My current game plan is to use my GAP card for gas, groceries here and there and a few other random purchases throughout the month.  Then totally pay off the bill when it comes at the end of the month.  I'm earning lots of reward dollars this way.

I recently had $100 in rewards dollars, $40 in Old Navy Cash and then cashed in on some sales.  I ended up buying several Christmas gifts, a jacket for Olive, shirts for Fletcher and a few more things for just $20.  It's crazy the deal stacking that you can do there.

 

4. Pampers App

If you have kids in diapers, I'd highly recommend using the Pampers app to scan in the point codes from diapers and wipes.  It only takes a few seconds and the rewards add up.  I've been using the app since 2017 and just in the past year or so Pampers has started converting the points you earn to real money.  Now you can transfer the money you earn straight to your Paypal account!  So far I've earned $25 back in rewards money.

 

5. 1800Contacts

Where are my fellow contact wearers??  

I've been wearing contacts since jr high and love them.  But keeping up with regular eye exams to keep a current prescription can be tricky.  An eye exam usually costs $100-150 out of pocket.  And then you've got to order contacts for another $200-300.

I figured out a really easy way to save.  1800Contacts now offers an option to do "Get an Exam" virtually.  It walks you through the process and is perfect for people who aren't having eye issues or needing a prescription change.  And it's FREE!  I did the quick 10 minute total consult and got my prescription renewed for one year.  It saved me a huge amount of time and effort having to schedule an in person check up and then a huge amount of out of pocket money for an eye exam.  Then I stacked my savings by logging onto Rakuten.  They were offering an 8% back deal for 1800Contacts at the time I was ordering.  Double deals!

6. Eat at Home

This seems obvious, but it's crazy how much money you can save by eating at home.  The other night we were tempted to order Mexican food for an easy dinner.  We clicked to add everything to our order and the total came to $42+tax + tip.  We just couldn't justify that for a quick meal.  So we deleted our order and made a few things we already had on hand in the freezer.  

We always pack lunches, order take out instead of eating at the restaurant and do easy meals like Penn Station, Panda Express, Pizza or use coupons to local places.

If you're used to eating out multiple times a week for lunches and dinner, I'd encourage you to cut back a little for each meal time and see how much money it saves you.

Did you learn about any new ways to save money?

I hope so!  Thank you for using my referral codes or links.  I really appreciate it!  

If you have any trouble with the codes or have any questions leave a comment or email me polkadottyplace@hotmail.com

Friday Faves

Wow, it's been a wild week.  We are eating way too much leftover Halloween candy.  The election news still up in the air.  Praying hard for our country and our future!  In spite of all the political chaos, we've tried to stay positive over here.  We are praying for our President and an honest election process this year and every year after.

The favorite parts of our week were (spoiler alert - lots of red, white and blue & kittens!)

1. USA

My husband and I early voted, talked to the kids about voting, Olive got to vote at school and we wore our red, white and blue.  I made a flag lunch for Fletcher on Election Day.  Cheering for team USA today and always! 

 

2. The weather!!

The weather has been SO NICE in Indiana this week.  We played out side as much as possible.  Our backyard is covered in leaves and the kids love it.

3. Turkey in Disguise

Fletcher had to come up with a disguise to save his turkey from becoming Thanksgiving dinner.  He decided to hide his turkey in a pile of candy wrappers.  It turned out so cute.

4. Baby kisses

Leo is learning to give baby kisses along with trying very hard to crawl.

5. Kittens!

We love these little girls so much.  They got a great report at the vet this week.  They are weighing in at a dainty 2.5lbs now and are tons of fun.  Their paws rarely touch the ground because they are being carried around like tiny princesses much of the day.  We love you, Penny & Pearl!

6. Christmas cards

This year I scheduled our family pictures, ordered Christmas cards and received them in October!!  I can't wait to share them with you and send them out December 1st.  I always order from Sams - can't beat their prices for ordering a TON of cards.  I'd recommend them as long as you can order early.  Last year I ordered at the end of Nov and barely got mine before Christmas.  How are your Christmas cards coming along??

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  I'm hoping to decorate for Thanksgiving.  Yes, Thanksgiving.  Not Christmas.  Only turkeys and pumpkins up at my house before Thanksgiving.

Linking up with Momfessionals

School Lunch Ideas // Yumboxes

It's been a while since I have shared school lunch ideas on the blog.  I share them often on instagram @polkadottyplace and you can also find tons of ideas if you search #polkadottyplaceyumbox.

I feel really strongly about packing my kids yummy lunches.

I think of them as HUGS FROM HOME in the middle of their school day.

So much of what they do at school is totally out of my control, but I know that they'll feel loved, cared for and special when they open their lunch boxes at lunch time every day. Sometimes I include a note, sometimes it's a fun holiday napkin and then other days it's just a lunch of their favorite foods.

I try to do a healthy mix of foods to fill their Yumboxes.  We have been using them for 4 years now and are still big fans.  They are so durable, save me from wasting a ton of plastic every day and it is faster for me to fill each compartment in their yumbox instead of tracking down lots of tiny containers for their food.  We label them with first and last names and have never lost one.  I even chased down the bus one time in my car to get Olive's lunch box :)  We'd highly recommend them.

But if you have a child that loses things often or has trouble keeping track of the things you send to school, I would not recommend a yumbox.  They're an investment ($28-30) and not worth the risk of losing.  There are much cheaper options that are disposable.

 

A few tips:

1 // Add a fork and a spoon to give the kids options without eating with their hands.

2 // Save new foods for trying at home and then pack foods you know they'll love in their lunch box.  We often sample new foods when we are together at dinner.  That way we can talk about them and if the kids like the new food I can add it to their lunch.  I hate the idea of giving them a new food and them having to mess with not liking it at school.

4 // If your child likes their food really cold, put a thin ice pack on top and underneath it in their lunch box.

5 // Themes are fun - green day at school = a green lunch, holiday themed lunches, etc

6 // Ask for feedback on things your kids didn't eat.  Often they'll say they just ran out of time, but sometimes they'll say I really didn't like _________ in my lunch. 

My kids love turkey sausage & sharp white cheddar cheese.  Crunchy veggies and hummus, too.

We all love DOTS pretzels.

Mini Oreos, bite sized fruit and Gardettos.

Turkey sausage & turkey pepperoni.  Cold pasta and mini Reese's cups.

Green lunch!

Hard boiled eggs, kiwi & mini cheeseballs are current favorites.

White cheddar cheetos.  Sandwiches cut into fourths to fit into their container.

Let me know if you have any questions!

 

What do your kids love to eat in their lunches?

I'll include a few of my Amazon affiliate links below to our favorite Yumboxes.  We have both the Yumbox Original and Panino.  We all prefer the little compartments in the original.  Thanks for supporting Polka-Dotty Place!

White Chicken Chili

Happy Election Day!  I hope you got the chance to research your candidates and VOTE.  My husband and I both early voted and are looking forward to having a watch party tonight as the votes roll in.  We're praying our candidates win and cheering for America tonight!

I have a new soup recipe to share with you!  I've been trying a couple new recipes a month and am really enjoying the variety.  We've found several good ones already.

I've always heard claims that white chilis are delicious - most recently from my friend Heather over at My Glittery Heart.  I knew I'd pinned several recipes so I started sorting through them.

I settled on giving this recipe a try: White Chicken Chili (Easy!) from Two Peas and Their Pod

I have the hardest time not making changes to a recipe so here's my version of the soup.

 

Whitney's White Chicken Chili //

1 yellow onion chopped very small

3 cloves of garlic minced

2 cans of cannellini beans drained and rinsed

1 can 4oz diced green chilis

1 whole rotisserie chicken shredded

6 cups chicken broth

Juice and zest of half a lime

salt and pepper to taste

1 t cumin

1 t oregano

1 t chili powder

 

Toppings:

2 jalapenos - washed, seeded to tone down the spice and sliced

shredded pepper jack cheese

sour cream

avocado slices

 

Directions:
Wash, chop and shred all the ingredients.  Combine them in a large soup pot.  Heat to a boil and then let simmer for 1-2 hours.  Delicious right away with toppings and just as good reheated the following day.

I was surprised that the adults and kids at my house enjoyed this soup.  It's light and really flavorful.  I think traditional red chili is my favorite, but this was a really good, fun alternative.  We all agreed I'll be making this one again.

Tip: Once you figure out how spicy your jalapenos are, you can just add them into the soup when you reheat it.  We deemed ours not all that spicy so we tossed them in.  I was hesitant to add them from the start since we were serving it to adults and kids. 

Would your family enjoy this soup??

Halloween Highlights

We had a really fun Halloween weekend!  Yes, it was different thanks to COVID, but I'm so thankful that all of our neighbors, friends and teachers made adjustments and made this holiday happen.

 

The kids still had class parties, they still got to go trick or treating and the weather was perfect.  However, no holiday goes without drama - there were tears over pumpkin carving catastrophes, face paint gone wrong and I missed planning and hosting the kid's Halloween parties at school.  BUT we're going to focus on the positives and all of the things that we got to do.

The kids wore Halloween pjs, we watched kid friendly Halloween movies & enjoyed a weekend at home.

Our local donut shop Square Donuts sold special Halloween donuts Friday and Saturday.  I swung through the drive thru and got these spider donuts for the kids for an after school snack.  They were so good and festive.  You could totally make these on your own if you couldn't find them to buy.

Lots of kitten cuddles.

All three kids at about the same age in the same Halloween costume!!  Sweet little pumpkins.

 Dragon goes to Prek.  Look at Fletcher's blue eyes!

I got my flu shot and Leo tagged along for moral support.  It was super fast and hopefully we'll all stay super healthy this winter.

Nutter Butter Mummies!  Just 3 ingredients - Nutter Butters, melted white chocolate & candy for eyes.

Nothing like waiting until the last minute to carve pumpkins at 4pm on Halloween.

We met up with some friends to trick or treat our neighborhood.  It was so fun.  The neighbors went all out with candy chutes, lots of distanced options for grabbing candy and it was the nicest night.  Everyone was so happy to be out and about.  My kids are still talking about the house that set up like a candy restaurant.  They went up and ordered their full size candy bar and the dad sent it down the chute to their pumpkin.  It was awesome!

Olive and Fletcher RAN from house to house.  They led the whole pack for 90 minutes.  Leo rode along happily from house to house.  Their pumpkins were filled to the top with candy.

And that's a wrap on Halloween!!  Bring on the turkeys, Fall weather, my birthday and Thanksgiving.  I love November!