For the fourth year in a row we’ve filled up our little thrift store jar that we etched with the word “Thanks” back in 2010 (you can read how we made it here). So before everyone dives headfirst into the gravy bowl (what? that’s not a thing?) we thought we’d stick with the annual tradition of sharing a few glimpses of some things that ended up on the list this year.
Spoiler alert: one of them’s you guys. So let’s just pause for a moment so I can tell you how good your hair looks and how nice you smell and how flattering that shirt is and most of all, how grateful we are that you drop in on our blog.
This past year has been insanely wild and wonderful: moving into a new house, a new baby on the way, a whirlwind book tour, working on a showhouse for Habitat For Humanity, hearing Oprah say our names. Look, I’m so ver clempt I didn’t even use parallel structure for that list. We just don’t have the words to explain how amazing and completely unexpected this little blog journey has been. We never could have dreamed that first post in 2007 would ever lead to this life, and I’m so so thankful that my techie hubby was all “let’s start a blog for fun” and I was all “a what? that sounds nerdy.”
Anyway, I’m rambling. Back to the “thanks jar” tradition. For anyone who needs a refresher, every year since 2010 we’ve each stuck a piece of paper in it every day during the month of November with a different thing that we’re grateful for. You can see a few things that made the list in 2010, 2011, and 2012. This year was even more special because Clara is so articulate and color-happy that she got to dictate every single one of her card to us, and had fun coloring each one as she went along (last year there was a lot of us asking “are you thankful for… books?” and this year she came up with each item all on her own). Plus there’s a card where she drew me and my head looks just like a football. Priceless.
This year we also tried a new color system. Instead of everyone picking a randomly colored card each day, Clara’s are all yellow, mine are all orange, and John’s are all red. So when we flip back through this year down the road, the colors will clue us in on who’s “talking” (sometimes our chicken scratch starts to blend after staring at a ton of tiny pieces of paper).
Some of our favorite things that Clara listed were:
- Making smoothies with daddy
- Santa! (a holiday crossover)
- Legos and building really biiiig castles with mommy
- Going to the beach
- Grammy & TomTom and their toys
- Playing in my box crib (we currently have a giant refrigerator sized box in our living room and Clara fills it with animals and toys and basically wants to live in there)
Meanwhile, John and I had some funny overlapping ones (we both specifically shouted out The Walking Dead, iPhones, and the mighty miter saw).
Every year at the end (usually Thanksgiving Eve or Thanksgiving Day), we open the jar to read them all together – and we also go through the batches that we’ve saved from the past years. It’s sweet how they freeze time and remind us of things we’d never remember otherwise (old shows we watched that have since been canceled, places we visited, “hot” songs that we loved that have since been completely forgotten, weird inside jokes). I love that we’ll always have them to peek back on.
Sheesh, and to think my original plan for this post was just going to be typing “Happy Thanksgiving” with this cute chalkboard pic and letting you guys go eat your stuffing in peace. I’m going to go ahead and blame the hormones. They make you wordy, right? No. Then maybe it’s the smell of cookies baking (they make me delirious). Can’t. Stop. Talking.
We hope you all enjoy safe travels, good food, loving company, and weird dreams about Bound 2 a nice post-dinner nap. We’ll be spending the holiday with the fam along with diving into some kitchen stuff and a few Children’s Hospital projects that we can’t wait to share with you when we come back (three pounds heavier).
More Thanksgiving Crafts & Traditions
We love celebrating Thanksgiving in our home, so check out some other holiday crafts and traditions here:
- A free Thanksgiving printable to mail messages of gratitude to friends & family
- Creating A Thanksgiving gratitude chalkboard display
- Our daughter’s first year writing Thanks Jar messages
This is such a wonderful way to be reminded of things you’re thankful for throughout the year, not just the 30 days in November. Today, I’m thankful for friends who are like family (framily?) when my family is a ways away! Happy Thanksgiving!
Love this idea so much. One day when I start my own traditions this just might have to make the list. Pinning now :) – Happy Thanksgiving!!
UH!
Speaking of Bound 2, I really hope you guys have seen this:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/james-franco-and-seth-rogen-recreation-of-kanye-wests-bound
THAT is something I am thankful for.
xo
It’s the best!!
xo
s
Best video ever. In more inappropriate entertainment news, here’s an amusing video of a guy recreating the Wrecking Ball video while using chatroulette:
Haha! So much to be thankful for!
xo
s
Man! You beat me to it. This=pretty much making my year.
I love this Thanks jar idea! Something I may have to do next year :) Happy Thanksgiving!
I love this idea. Have you thought of punching a hole in them and the putting them on a ring to make them easier to flip through?
Happy thanksgiving!! I am thankful for many things and one of them is getting to read your blog daily!! Even on the crazy days it allows me a minute to take a breath and relax! Thanks for all you do! :) oh and I can’t wait to see if the bun is a boy or a girl! :) ahh!! Next week can’t come fast enough! Lol!!
Love that idea!
xo
s
That ring idea is great. Laminate them first if you want to get fancy.
As an English major, I love how you added in the comment about parallel structure! Haha Have a good Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving! I know we’re all so thankful for y’all as well!
I’m especially thankful for you and your blog. You are very inspiring people, and it’s great to share in what you accomplish. Have a very Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy looking back on all you are thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving to you! I’m thankful for your blog keeping me entertained and inspired.
Sidenote, I’ve never ever been one of the first people to comment on your posts (by the time I do there are usually 100+). Oddly, it made my day to comment at the top! This girl= Big Nerd!
I love that you are thankful for The Walking Dead; we are too! ;-)
Happy Thanksgiving, you crazy kids! And to Clara and Burger and Bun, too!
Veklempt surely not ver clempt??
Did Dr google do me wrong? I searched it as one work with a K but the Yiddish sites said two words with a C.
xo
s
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your day with family & friends!
Isn’t it amazing what a difference a year makes? Love that Clara was able to tell you what she was thankful for on her own! What a sweet little girl you have!
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! :-)
What a sweet family tradition. Our kids are now young adults, but I think we could start this as a new “empty nest” tradition. :). Thank you for sharing (so beautifully) your home and family with us. Happy thanksgiving!
I love how projects like this seem to take you right back to a certain moment. It’s like a modern day time capsule. Happy thanksgiving to you & your family!
I just noticed you had ANTM written down. I just caught up on the latest season & it was drama-filled! I still can’t convince my man to watch it with me though…. Haha.
John does a little “one eye on the TV and one eye on Buzzfeed on his phone” action.
xo
s
Happy Thanksgiving from across the river :)
Mary
I think this weekend I am going to start a “thankful” jar. It will be a nice reminder on hectic days to slow it down and just be thankful.
I am thankful for your blog which I so enjoy reading. You write so well that I feel that I know each of you and we are best friends!
I’m not the first, but I’m grateful for your blog–not just ideas you give me but the thought process you explain. I love that you pay as you go and aren’t extravagant.
I look forward to many more years of following you.
Happy Thanksgiving beautiful people! Now step away from the computer and go have fun. God bless. Don’t work too hard.
I love this…I’m going to start this for our little family, too. Beautiful for so many reasons! Thanks for sharing & Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! :0)
Thankful that you posted today (and such a sweet post at that).
You’re my favorite blog and I miss you when you’re not there.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving! We already celebrated (Canada whatwhat) and I totes implemented the YHL Thanks Jar! It was so fun reading all our notes with my husband. Enjoy your meal and family time :)
Ah! Love it so much.
The little things throughout a year add up. Only one day is nationally sanctioned as “Thanksgiving”, but I love the idea of a year-round thank jar.
Great way to look back on the past with gratitude, but look forward with excitement! 2014 is lookin’ good!
Happy Thanksgiving, Petersik family! I’m thankful for your blog–I look forward to reading every new post! Enjoy your day.
And this is the third year in a row that I say, “I’m going to make a Thanks jar for next year.” Maybe I should put it on my New Year’s Resolutions list… Such a great idea! Thanks for sharing. Now go eat some turkey Petersiks! Happy Day!
How sweet of you to post today! I just wanted to say how thankful I am for your blog………. even though I don’t know you, I am very fond of your little family and blog, and look forward to it every day. Have a wonderful holiday :)
Happy Thanksgiving John,Sherry and Clara!! It’s been great finding you this year and following along with your family projects. Have a great day.
Keep that refrigerator box around for as long as you can! I remember when I was around 4-5 we had one randomly and it was just GREAT.
What a lovely collection of thank yous you are amassing from year to year. You forgot to add meeting jbhat in Tacoma to your list of this year’s highlights. lol Wasn’t that right up there with, who’s that you say? Something about Oprah? ; )
Have a wonderful holiday!
jbhat
Haha! That was a highlight fo sho. We love you Jbhat!
xo
s
Happy Thanksgiving, guys! I’m thankful to have found such a family-oriented, hilarious *this-is-my-humor*, beautiful blog! You guys are truly wonderful and I am thankful to have stumbled upon your area of the interwebs!
Happy Thanksgiving Petersiks!
Just taking a break from cooking to read your blog — love your tradition.
Happy Thanksgiving from sunny California. You guys are the best. Thanks for keeping up the blog, and always thinking of your followers. I bet it’s tough to keep up with the comments, but that’s what makes you awesome.
Thankful for the brightness you guys bring to my DIY-lovin’ life, that my husband is home from the hospital in time for Thanksgiving and that yes, there is good television on. (I won’t say ANTM is “good” but it does entertain and I haven’t missed a season)
Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m so thankful for so many things. One of them is you guys and your blog. Please have the Happiest of Thanksgivings!
Happy thanksgiving to you too. And thank you for the daily reads we enjoy so much.
This is the best idea ever!! I love this so much!
I am going to start this with my husband next year. Love that you keep the previous years too!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thankshiving to you guys! I feel like there is so much to be thankful for. Thanks for a lovely post today (and every day!)
Happy thanksgiving to you too guys! Thank you for all the inspiration and sharing with all of us. :-)
Happy Thanksgiving YHL!
This is kind of random but I came across this surfing the web tonight and thought Sherri would love because it’s a ceramic animal AND a chihuahua! You probably already own this or know about it but I thought I would check in just in case!
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/shopsale-home/F25682014.jsp
Love it!!
xo
s
I’m very thankful for the always hysterical $herdog, John the super husband (who sets the hubby bar seriously high!), sweet adorable Clara & that cute little (ham) Burger! You guys make every day more fun with your posts, and you beat the pants off any “this old house” I ever saw growing up in the old days with my with my dad (zzzzz)! Thanks for being so awesome! Hope your holiday was fabulous!
GUYS!
LOOK!
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-room/27210285.jsp?cm_sp=Fluid-_-27210285-_-Large_12
its your book! in an anthro ad! YAY!
Isn’t that crazy?! I lose my breath every time I see that. Sneaks up on me every time!
xo
s
Happy Thanksgiving, Petersiks!
Also, ran across this shirt and thought John would love it!
http://www.threadless.com/product/4912/World_of_Bike/style,detail
Amazing. Thanks for the link!
xo
s
I love your family tradition of taking a moment to write down your simple pleasures. Once again you’ve inspired me this past Thanksgiving (Canadian) I decided to make my own list of my blessings big and small. Happy Thanksgiving Young House <3
http://www.littlemomentssmalldetails.com/?p=719
Those pillows are so sweet Chris!
xo
s
here in Germany, we dont celebrate Thanksgiving usually.. we have something like a harvest festival, but thats not a public holiday.
Yesterday, we gathered for the second time at a friends house and celebrated Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful evening! Hope you had a blast! Wish you all the best, and also thankful for your everyday DIY-Input!
ce.leb
Thank you!
Of course, the daughter of $herdog would give a shout out to her “box crib”! LOL