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Faith & EncouragementThankful in November: A Little Faith Note
Nov 5, 2026 · by Barbie
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Friends, November always feels like a deep breath to me. The candy is sorted, the porch is cozy, and my heart turns toward gratitude.
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
All circumstances. Not just the picture-perfect ones. That means the rainy days and the muddy boots, the late nights with a sick little one, and the dinners that came out of a crockpot because that's all mama had in her. God meets us right there, in the ordinary, and every bit of it can be a reason to say thank You.
A Simple Practice for Our Family This Month
- Thankful jar: each night at dinner, everyone writes one thing they're thankful for and drops it in a jar. We'll read them all on Thanksgiving.
- Thankful door: paper leaves with the kids' words on our front door.
- A quiet five: five minutes with coffee and my Bible or devotional before the house wakes up.
If your heart feels tired right now, I pray you find one small blessing today and hold onto it. Gratitude grows when we notice it.
Thankful for you, sweet friends.
xo, Barbie
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Organizing & HomeHalloween to Thanksgiving Porch Swap (Without Buying Much!)
Nov 3, 2026 · by Barbie
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The skeletons are taking a bow, but that doesn't mean our porch has to go bare! With a little shopping in my own house (and maybe one small splurge), we can go from spooky to thankful in an afternoon.
Step 1: Pull the Spooky, Keep the Harvest
Take down the skeletons, spiderwebs, witches, and anything orange-and-black. Keep your pumpkins (uncarved ones last for weeks!), gourds, mums, hay bales, and cornstalks. They're already Thanksgiving-ready.
Step 2: Regroup Your Pumpkins
Cluster pumpkins in odd numbers and mix sizes: big on the bottom, little on top. Velvet pumpkins tucked in add a soft, cozy touch, and you can reuse them every year.
Step 3: Shop Your House
- A cozy throw on the porch chair or bench
- Lanterns with battery candles
- A basket of pinecones, apples, or leftover gourds
- Wooden cutting boards or a crate to add height
- A wheat bundle or a few branches in a crock
Step 4: Add a "Thankful" Touch
Turn a chalkboard or a scrap piece of wood into a "Give Thanks" sign. Or let the kids write what they're thankful for on paper leaves and tape them to the door. They'll change every week, and they're free!
Step 5: Refresh the Wreath
Pull the bats off your Halloween wreath and tuck in some faux leaves, wheat, or a plaid ribbon. Instant harvest wreath.
Keep It Tidy for the Rainy Days
With rain coming early November, move anything fabric under cover and keep the boot tray by the door (see my day-after-Halloween reset).
Cozy, thankful, and practically free. That's my kind of decorating!
xo, Barbie
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CleaningLeaf Season Cleanup: Porch, Gutters & Muddy Entryway
Nov 2, 2026 · by Barbie
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Ozarks leaves are coming down fast. Here is my Saturday-morning plan with the kids. Then toss a pumpkin throw on the porch swing and call it done.
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CleaningThe Day-After-Halloween Reset (Candy, Wax, Face Paint & Muddy Boots)
Nov 1, 2026 · by Barbie
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November 1st morning. Candy wrappers in the couch cushions, a candle drip on the tablecloth, a pillowcase that looks like a tiny vampire slept on it... yep, it was a good Halloween! Grab your coffee, mama. Here's my easy, no-stress reset plan.
1. Sort the Candy: Keep, Share, Freeze
Dump all the buckets on the kitchen table and make it a family game.
- Keep: each kiddo picks their favorites to enjoy over the next week or two. Put them in a jar with a fun "2 a day" rule.
- Share: fill a bag for Dad's office, the neighbors, a teacher, or a local candy buy-back or troop donation.
- Freeze: chocolate bars freeze beautifully! Bag them up for holiday baking, cookie toppers, or a sneaky mama treat in December.
Toss anything that's opened, homemade from strangers, or a choking risk for little ones.
2. Lift Candle Wax Off Fabric
That drip is not ruined, I promise!
1. Let the wax harden, then gently scrape off what you can with a butter knife.
2. Lay a brown paper bag (no printing on the side you use) over the spot.
3. Press with a warm, dry iron (no steam) for a few seconds. The wax melts up into the paper.
4. Move to a clean part of the bag and repeat until no more comes up.
5. Treat any leftover color with stain remover and wash as usual.
3. Soak Face Paint Out of Pillowcases
- Rinse the spot with cool water from the back of the fabric.
- Rub in a little Dawn-style dish soap and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Soak in a sink of warm water and a squirt of dish soap for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Gently rub, rinse, and wash. Check before drying, since heat can set stains, and repeat if needed.
4. Set Up a Boot Tray by the Door
The forecast here in Springfield is calling for rain November 1–3, so after all that cleaning let's keep the mud out! Set a boot tray right by the door with a cute mat, and add a basket for umbrellas and wet mittens. The kids love having "their spot," and my floors love it too.
Bonus: 10-Minute Tidy
Set a timer, put on a fun playlist, and have everyone pick up one room. Costumes go in a dress-up bin, and the decorations that are staying for fall stay out (more on my porch swap soon!).
Here's to a fresh, cozy start to November!
xo, Barbie
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TravelA Cozy Family Day Trip to Dogwood Canyon Nature Park (+ a Christmas Teaser!)
Oct 31, 2026 · by Barbie
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If you're looking for a family day trip from Springfield that feels like a big adventure without a big drive, friends, Dogwood Canyon is it. Waterfalls, limestone bluffs, clear trout streams, and, if you're lucky, bison and elk up close on the tram. It's fall-color magic.
The Basics
- Where: Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, 2038 W State Hwy 86, Lampe, MO
- Hours: Open daily, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Tram tour: About 2 hours. $38 per adult, $24 per child
- Park admission: Separate from the tram ticket
- Book ahead: Recommended, especially for the tram on weekends
(Prices and hours are current as of our planning. Double-check the park's website before you go.)
When to Go
Pick a dry day! With rain in the forecast Nov 1–3, I'm eyeing Sunday, Nov 1 if the skies clear, or Wednesday, Nov 4 for crunchy leaves and happy (not muddy) kids.
Mama Tips
- Dress in layers. Mornings in the canyon are chilly, and afternoons warm up.
- Pack snacks, water bottles, and a few wipes. Leftover Halloween candy counts as trail fuel!
- Wear sturdy shoes for the paved and gravel trails. They're stroller-friendly in many spots.
- Bring the camera for the waterfalls and the bison. The kids will want a picture with everything.
- Plan for a little extra time to wander after the tram tour.
Christmas Teaser: An Old Time Christmas at Silver Dollar City
While you're dreaming of Ozarks adventures, mark your calendar: Silver Dollar City's An Old Time Christmas runs Nov 7, 2026 – Jan 2, 2027. Millions of lights, the big Christmas tree show, and hot cocoa in mittened hands. And if you want to go more than once, look into Merry Mondays, $79 + tax. I'll share our full plan soon!
xo, Barbie
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RecipesStart-It-and-Forget-It Halloween Crockpot Chili + Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
Oct 30, 2026 · by Barbie
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Hey friends! Halloween night in our house is pure happy chaos: costumes that still need one more safety pin, a kiddo who suddenly wants to be something else, and everybody asking "when are we going?!" The last thing I want to do is stand over the stove. So my trick (and treat!) is a crockpot chili I start after lunch, plus a pan of pumpkin cornbread muffins that take about five minutes of real effort.
When we come home with cold noses and full buckets, dinner is ready and the house smells amazing.
Crockpot Trick-or-Treat Chili
Serves 6–8 | Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 4–5 hours on HIGH or 7–8 on LOW
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp brown sugar (trust me)
Directions
- Brown the beef with the onion in a skillet. Add the garlic for the last minute, then drain.
- Put the meat and everything else in the crockpot and stir.
- Cover and cook on LOW 7–8 hours or HIGH 4–5 hours. If you start around noon on LOW, or 1:30ish on HIGH, it's ready right around trick-or-treat time.
- Before you head out, flip it to WARM. Taste and adjust the salt when you get home.
Toppings bar: shredded cheddar, sour cream, green onions, crushed tortilla chips, and a few candy-corn-colored bowls if you're feeling festive.
Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
Makes 12 muffins | Prep: 5 minutes | Bake: 15–18 minutes
My little shortcut: grab a boxed cornbread mix and give it a cozy fall makeover.
Ingredients
- 1–2 boxes cornbread mix (8.5 oz each, like Jiffy), plus the egg and milk the box calls for
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Optional: a drizzle of honey or a sprinkle of brown sugar on top
Directions
- Heat the oven to 400°F and line a muffin tin.
- Mix the cornbread batter following the box directions, then stir in the pumpkin and cinnamon.
- Fill the cups about 2/3 full and bake 15–18 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Serve warm with butter and honey. You'll thank me later.
Recipe note: use 1/2 cup pumpkin for two boxes and the muffins will be tender and fluffy. With one box, cut back to about 1/4 cup, or the batter will be a bit wetter and need a couple more minutes in the oven.
Mama Tips
- Make the muffins in the morning and keep them covered. They reheat in 10 seconds.
- Fill up kids' bellies with a small cup of chili before trick-or-treating. Fewer candy meltdowns, I promise.
- Leftover chili freezes beautifully for a busy November night.
Here's to a warm, full, happy Halloween, friends!
xo, Barbie
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