Tag: Thanksgiving

Less is More Between Now and New Year

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Mama

I always think of October as the gateway to the new year, probably because as soon as I start decorating for Halloween it seems like January before I’ve had much time to register even another thought.

I spruce up the homestead for Halloween, take it all down in a day, add a few fallish touches just in time for Thanksgiving, travel, eat, shop, deck the halls (and the living room, bathrooms, front porch and basement) for Christmas, celebrate multiple times, travel some more, eat some more, return items I shopped for during the last month and a half (or week and a half, depending on how far behind I happen to be), welcome in the new year, make resolutions I never intend to keep, and take down all the decking while promising myself to keep it simple the next year. Yikes, it makes me tired just thinking about it!

So where does it all go awry? Since I’m looking for a scapegoat, I’m going to go with this — Pinterest and HGTV. How dare they fill my brain with so many incredibly wonderful projects to make, dishes to bake and 1001 uses for toilet paper rolls. “If I was Super Mom, I could do this. If I was Wife of the Year I could do that. If I was The Hostess with the Mostess, I could do it all. . .” but in the end, I’m usually just left feeling a bit deflated and completely exhausted by all the half-executed “thises” and “thats” that I impossibly tried to cram into an already full, and fulfilling, life.

So here’s a challenge to myself and all you awesome moms, wives and friends who subscribe to the over doing, over making, and over decorating way of life: step back, simplify and enjoy your family between now and the new year. Pare down a bit on the projects, enjoy some beautiful Fall walks, make some simple homemade decorations with the kids, and invite some friends over for quiet conversation and a few good laughs instead of planning an all-out party; all the while knowing that you could have done more, oh so much more, but you chose not to and it’s all good.

photo credit: Autumn is indeed… via photopin (license)

Thankful Thoughts in the Turkey Journal

Posted on November 26, 2014November 17, 2018 by Mama

Last year I created this fun little turkey journal in which all our family members could write words of thanks on Thanksgiving day. I was pleased to see how many folks actually put their thoughts to pen and I had a great time rereading all the entries this evening as I applied the “2014” tab.

To create the journal, I simply covered a cheap composition book with coordinating papers and decorated the cover using a cute Simple Stories 4×6 card, stamps from where I can’t remember, paper dies and a bit of bling. I created the tab by cutting a 1.25 x 2″ piece of cardstock, folding it in half, stamping the year and gluing it to two pieces of paper (just to add a bit of sturdiness). Of course I inked all my edges to give everything some depth.

I just added my 2014 tab this evening using a coordinating piece of paper and can’t wait to see what everyone is thankful for this year. I think I might also add a few fun pictures in a couple of bare spots. Hopefully by the time this thing is full, there will be no way it will ever come close to lying flat.

Click on image to enlarge.

Thanksgiving Tablescape With Whimsy and Warmth

Posted on November 22, 2014February 10, 2015 by Mama

Since we’re not hosting the official family Thanksgiving this year, I “wisely” raised my hand to host my MOMS Club “Thankful Potluck” event this week. Really? What was I thinking? I’ll tell you what I was thinking. . . this was a good excuse to clean the house, decorate for Thanksgiving and set the table befitting this holiday like no other. Without opening my home for this fun little dinner party, I’m afraid I would have just let this holiday pass silently by while uneventfully sloppily sliding into the holly jolly of Christmas.

So I cooked a bone-in turkey breast, made the stuffing (Stove Top) and added a few appetizers and a dessert (I tried out a successful new recipe on the ladies that I’ll share later). With all the other carry-in dishes, we had so much food I almost unbuttoned my pants to play games on the living room floor. It was a fun night of laughs and food (some at the same time) and I think everyone felt welcome.

While it was a scurry to make the place presentable, I’m really glad I raised my hand. Thankfully, I took my tablescape cues from last year’s family gathering and was able to reuse many of the decorations and place setting ideas. I added a few new decorations around the house, but when you have a table set for friends and a beautiful fire blazing who really needs much else. That being said, here are a few photos from my Thanksgiving table. Click on images to enlarge.

Page 4 of 5

« 1 2 3 4 5 »