Thanksgiving Blessings and some Ideas for KIDS on your celebration

Our turkey last year prepared in a buttermilk brine

This is a Total Thanksgiving post. It's almost the time for each family to have their Norman Rockwell moment. I've gathered some last minute ideas for YOU.

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For a full and very traditional Thanksgiving Day menu, read this post: Celebrated Day of American Bounty. It shares photos and details of this menu I used last year:

Thanksgiving Menu 2009

Buttermilk-Brined Turkey with Savory Gravy

Apple Cranberry Stuffing

Green Beans tossed in Mushroom Sauce

Creamed Potatoes Mashed

Homemade Crescent Rolls

Ginger-Spiced Cranberry Sauce

5 Cheese Macaroni

Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

Assorted Homemade Pies

This year, I don't have my menu pulled together yet. I have something different in mind... I will share more on the failure or success of that idea AFTER the holiday. {wink}

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I shared the Plum Thanksgiving Table for this year,

now about the KIDS...

Maybe you've made these when you were young...


My kids were wearing really, super HUGE smiles when they bounced in the kitchen and saw this after school treat. My boys only drink soda pop 1-3 times a year so I'm not sure if they were more excited for the soda or the lil turkey cups! These lil turkeys are perfect for kids. I saw these fun ideas at the Pebbles in my Pocket online store. It's a simple and easy craft for kids too.

We are saving the cups to use at the Thanksgiving kid's table. It will be a new addition to the same traditional turkey placemats I use at their table every year.

Last season I made a Mayflower ship centerpiece using a basket, twigs, and burlap.


Pears made the perfect place card. Simply push a nametag into a pear with a pin. Ta Da.


For the setting, I am loving the wood flatware like I used at the LEGO party! This flatware is awesome....really.

You know I'm a big user of ribbon and twine! It can make most anything look cute and it's a super easy way to add embellishments. For kids, yarn is a charming alternative to ribbon.

In our home we have books stacked under lamps, beside chairs, and scattered on tables. Each season I switch out the books that are at the kids' level to pique their interest and to encourage them to cozy up and read.

The boys also learn through tacky art each season. It never fails, the boys' art always makes my heart and Chris' heart SMILE. This type of art is likely posted on the walls of EVERY home with kids. It's these little things that are worth treasuring...watching their little fingers grip the crayon, seeing their furrowed brow as they concentrate, listening to them excitedly display the finished product. This is the type of art that is truly worth some serious money, right?


I caught Titus with my cell phone camera as he rushed up the stairs with his leaf collection. He was in awe of them and planned on saving them forever.


The boys also decorated our yard with leaves. Humm. Instead of removing leaves from the yard, my kids are bringing them in by the handfuls and decorating our lawn and bushes with them. They think the massive yellow leaves are "so pretty Mom!"

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source unknown

Thanksgiving is such a unique holiday. We can all celebrate it together, regardless of religion. There is something beautiful in that unity. There is also something beautiful in using a holiday to celebrate a character quality. Gratitude and a thankful heart are treasures to keep. They can easily be robbed or lost by a selfish, negative spirit. We have MUCH to be thankful for, whatever our circumstance. Hold on to that gratitude. It will be the thing to sustain you when life isn't nice.

So, Give Thanks.
Always.
In all situations.
Gratitude always wins.

Be blessed.

our chalkboard message board

This post is linked to: Domestically Speaking, Dare To, DIY Living, Seasonal Sundays, Days of Thanksgiving, Strut Your Stuff at Saturday Mornings, Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Mondays, Market Yourself Mondays, It's So Very Creative, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tuesdays at the Table, Topsy Turvy Tuesday, Tuesdays Unwrapped, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, We're Organized Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Show and Tell, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Tablescape Thursday, Spotlight Yourself, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, Friday Favorites*, Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday*, I'm Lovin It*, Funky Junk Interiors*, Fabulous Friday Finds*, Tickled Pink*, Be Different Act Normal, Weekend Wrap Up

Thanksgiving TableScape 2010

The most popular subject on my mind during the holidays is creating a tablescape. Crazy little things like that make me happy. I'm a classic housewife, totally rocking the role.

I used MANY of my supplies from last Thanksgiving to create this table: my large supply of dried wheat and plants, burlap, glasses, and place cards. BUT, I made some changes to make all the same stuff NEW.

THIS YEAR'S TABLE 2010:

LAST YEAR'S TABLE 2009:
(for all the details on this particular setting, see here)

This year I swapped the muted sage green of last year for a rich plum purple. I still maintained the earthy, neutral colors though. Deep purple is one of the most UNDER-USED colors of fall. However, it adds such depth and spirit to the traditional colors of the season. I used plum cloth napkins and plum purple ribbon around each glass.

Each glass is wrapped with plum purple ribbon...

and finished with a real baby acorn.

For the setting, I found these love-at-first-sight
urban farmhouse chicken wire plate chargers
from Pottery Barn.
Mmmm, yes please!

I've already been using them in some of my fall decor this year as well.

The count your blessings place cards are a FAVORITE of mine. As you may have seen, I used these in last year's table also. To change it up this year, I removed the ribbon ties and used mini clothespins to attach to the plates instead.

Below are bits of wooded whimsy.
My little squirrel candle is from Pottery Barn.
This is just a friendly reminder of
the bountiful harvest season.

Extra touches...
Jars with anything are on my radar this year.

For the centerpiece I re-invented
my centerpiece from last Thanksgiving.
Below is my dried wheat centerpiece
from last year, 2009:

I borrowed a few sections of wheat and dried plants
to create the centerpiece for
this year, 2010.

More jars and chicken wire for an
urban farmhouse style.

Under the wheat jar centerpiece I have a handmade burlap table runner that makes me SMILE. I've collected a handful of treasures from Sweet Cottage Dreams etsy store and love each handmade thing. This continues the urban farmhouse table with the heavy burlap and tattered ruffles.


The last tiny detail is the menu board. I've always double loved making menus for events and holidays. It's a tradition I started 10 years ago when I first got married! I don't have our Thanksgiving menu made yet, so this burlap check box is a fun alternative to cover the blank slate.

I've found many little uses for these tiny clothespins!
And I used purple chalk ink on the zinc board.

That explains the table
...end to end. {wink}

Wishing you blessings on your Thanksgiving.

Make your holiday beautiful.

Inspiration,
love,
fullness,
and creativity
thrive under beauty.

Ideas for kids and Thanksgiving coming soon...

This post is linked to: Domestically Speaking, Dare To, DIY Living, Seasonal Sundays, Passionately Artistic, DIY Fall Festival, Days of Thanksgiving, Strut Your Stuff at Saturday Mornings, Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Mondays, Market Yourself Mondays, It's So Very Creative, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tuesdays at the Table, Topsy Turvy Tuesday, Tuesdays Unwrapped, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, We're Organized Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Show and Tell, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Tablescape Thursday, Spotlight Yourself, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, Friday Favorites*, Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday*, I'm Lovin It*, Funky Junk Interiors*, Fabulous Friday Finds*, Tickled Pink*, Be Different Act Normal, Weekend Wrap Up

Green Interior Design from the Expert

Secrets are mysterious and exciting...and are also one of my favorite things. So when Lori Dennis contacted me with the offer to read her NEW book before it was even published or for sale on the shelves, I jumped at the chance of receiving the inside secrets that were not yet released to the big world.


Lori Dennis is a savvy and smart interior designed who specializes in Green Living.


She has been recognized on HGTV and various other media platforms as an interior design authority. Her firm is one of the leading companies in green interior design. Lori has a heartfelt passion for treating our earth gently and conserving our valuable land's assets. She couples that passion with her precise knowledge of interior design in her new book, GREEN INTERIOR DESIGN.

You ask,
"What does GREEN mean?"

Lori answers,
" Green is a term used to describe products or practices
that have little or no harmful effects
to the environment or human health."

Lori also shared:

"Over the last few years, the eco friendly buzz was mostly about driving hybrid and electric cars but there is a much bigger problem we should have been addressing: man made buildings. Homes and offices account for about half of the energy use worldwide...

A green home is one that uses less resources, energy, and water than a conventional home. It has better indoor air quality and is healthier for the people living in it."

These are the convictions and facts that breathed life into her new book, GREEN INTERIOR DESIGN.

Hollywood Hills home designed by Lori Dennis:



As I read Lori Dennis' book, I was most impressed with the vast number of resources she offered. She has done all the homework and research for you. Everything you need to know about creating a green home or space is contained within the pages of this new book. No detail is left out. You'll learn about creating a green effect with your lighting, paint, accessories, appliances, cleaning, landscaping, and more.

I want to share a handful of my favorite tips I learned from Lori when decorating your home sweet home. Consuming is the enemy of conserving our resources. The goal of the following tips is to teach us to consume less as we appoint our homes.

IDEAS

-Reuse what you have. Reinvent. Make old things new again.

-Buy the best. (This has always been a conviction of mine. If you buy the best, you only buy once)

-Purchase things that are easy to clean. Dirt and dust shortens the lifespan of items.

The last treasure I learned is simple but so true, I couldn't agree more! She quotes the furniture company, BoomUSA. They say, "Everything should be functional and beautiful.". I double love that wise advise! It's the perfect secret for home decorating.

In closing, my favorite eye candy from her website:

How cozy and real is this library/dining room?
I want to copy it!

...And this space is perfect peace.

GREEN INTERIOR DESIGN will be released on November 23, just in time for holiday shopping. To secure your copy at a lucky price you can pre-order at Amazon.

Happy Healthy Decorating.

Photos and video used from LoriDennis.com. These views were completely my own opinions, not those of Lori Dennis, or any other.

This post is linked to: Strut Your Stuff at Saturday Mornings, Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Mondays, Market Yourself Mondays, It's So Very Creative, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tuesdays at the Table, Topsy Turvy Tuesday, Tuesdays Unwrapped, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, We're Organized Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Show and Tell, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Tablescape Thursday, Spotlight Yourself, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, Friday Favorites*, Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday*, I'm Lovin It*, Funky Junk Interiors*, Fabulous Friday Finds*, Tickled Pink*, Be Different Act Normal, Weekend Wrap Up

Plump Pumpkin Part 2: festive food for fall

I've spent so much time in the kitchen recently! I feel my blog has transformed into a cookbook. I will be doing a post on NEW interior design from an expert that's appeared on HGTV soon but first...MORE pumpkin yum-o.

Last year, I saw these adorable little pumpkin cakes in Southern Living. I don't have the pumpkin-shaped cake pans, so I used my small bundt pans and crossed my fingers that the completed project would imitate a pumpkin. I cut off the bottoms and flipped on top of the upside down cake...and it worked.


I made the stems and leaves from caramel square candies. I popped the candy in the microwave for 5 seconds, then used a rolling pin to flatten them. Using a paring knife, I was able to shape the stem and leaves.

These make ideal Thanksgiving gifts
for friends and neighbors.

The next pumpkin-shaped dish is a big cheese ball I made from a Gooseberry Patch cookbook. Any other Gooseberry Patch lovers out there? This has cream cheese, sharp cheddar, and blue cheese. I rolled it in nuts and paprika.

The stem is from a real pumpkin!
I popped it off, washed it, and placed it on my cheese ball.
To save on time,
you can purchase a cheese ball and put a stem on it.

Ready for a harvest party.

Enjoy the bounty of the season.

For a collection of Pumpkin Desserts,
see part one.

NEW ideas in Interior Design
from an expert who has been
seen on HGTV coming soon...

This post is linked to: Seasonal Sundays, Days of Thanksgiving, DIY Thanksgiving, Seasonal Sundays, Not So Homemade, Strut Your Stuff at Saturday Mornings, DIY Showoff FALL PARTY, Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Mondays, Market Yourself Mondays, It's So Very Creative, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tuesdays at the Table, Topsy Turvy Tuesday, Tuesdays Unwrapped, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, We're Organized Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Show and Tell, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Tablescape Thursday, Spotlight Yourself, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, Friday Favorites*, Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday*, I'm Lovin It*, Funky Junk Interiors*, Fabulous Friday Finds*, Tickled Pink*, Be Different Act Normal, Weekend Wrap Up