Top Decoration

Thanksgiving Day is here and I couldn't be happier!

Why?

Because Will is home.

The five of us get to be together today, and for that I am so very grateful. Being married to an airline pilot, I'm lucky to have him home for any of the holidays, but for the big one's, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, I am especially grateful when we get to share them with him.

Our day will start with our traditional Thanksgiving breakfast, the Macy's Day parade, lots of cooking and baking, then heading over to my parents house to spend the day with them. We'll finish off the evening with Will's family, then come back home for some fun and games.

And to top off the excitement and anticipation...it snowed while we were sleeping. So we have a fresh coat of white covering the landscape. It couldn't be more beautiful outside of our windows.


Whatever your day may hold, I hope that you enjoy yourself. And remember...

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."

~ Frederick Koenig



Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!





image courtesy of Craftily Ever After

This year's Thanksgiving mantel is all about Giving Thanks. Spelled out in fun, pretty, white letters it is a constant reminder to be mindful of all that we have...

I made the sign out of leftover cedar planks that I used to make our friends' wedding sign back in July. Four planks, a little wood glue, two strips of wood for the back of the sign, and two nails for each plank was all it took. Then I used hemp rope and punch-out cardboard letters that I then spray painted Heirloom White...

Since the letters are only attached to the rope, it leaves me free to change out the sign to say whatever I please. And I like having the option to change my mind!

:)

On the mantel I tried to stay as close to nature as possible - both real and faux.

Real moss, faux acorns, real Indian Corn, faux moss balls, real wheat and pumpkins. It all works together to create a natural mantel scape...

The real moss is a bit messy, but I absolutely love it! It is the exact color of green that I was looking for and it is so pretty and delicate...

While browsing for inspiration, I found a beautifully decorated mantle and hearth that had a chest sitting in front of it. I loved how it brought the whole theme together and kept the mantle from feeling like it was floating. Since our fireplace sticks out so far from the wall and does not have a raised hearth, it sometimes feels like the decor is floating at eye level.

Coincidentally, I still have this ochre colored chest that was left here by the previous owners. I love the color this time of year and it was the perfect width to hold a couple of medium sized pumpkins, a bundle of birch logs and some Indian corn...

But my absolute favorite part of this year's mantel is the Thankful Garland.

I saw Melissa post about it and I was instantly hooked! The idea belongs to Jen from Tatertos and Jello. You can see her Thankful Garland and her How-To, here.

Just like Jen, I used grapevine garland. It was about $12 at JoAnne's Etc and it comes rolled up like a wreath. I'm not going to fool you and say it was a breeze to put up. It was NOT! There were a few times that I was ready to give up because wrestling with it just seemed pointless. It was wound pretty tightly and did not want to stretch out at all, so if I hadn't had Owen here to help me, I would probably still be fighting with it! But don't give up. Trust me, eventually...you will win!

To make the leaves, I used two different leaf stencils and some Autumn inspired scrapbooking paper that I also got at JoAnne's. It was half off, so I got the whole big book of different paper patterns for just $9.oo.

Tracing, then cutting out all of the leaves was tedious, but it was definitely worth it...

And it has been fun taking turns writing down what we are Thankful for.

I tied the leaves on by using a hole punch near the stem and then using a small length of the same hemp rope that I used on the sign. Nothing fussy or fancy. Just a simple knot at the top lets the leaves hang loose and sway when someone walks by...

I have to say, this is my favorite mantel yet!

Probably because my family was involved in making it come to life. And what could be better than a pretty focal point that is also interactive. We can add leaves to our Thankful Garland all month long...

Thanksgiving is fast approaching.

Are you ready?




P.S. I am linking this to:
Funky Junk Interiors, Today's Creative Blog, Between Naps On The Porch, It's So Very Cheri, The Girl Creative, Skip To My Lou, Tools Are For Women Too, The Trendy Treehouse, The Thrifty Home, My Backyard Eden, Blue Cricket Design, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Beyond The Picket Fence, Somewhat Simple, Life As Lori, House of Hepworths, Just A Girl, Remodelaholic, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Simply Sweet Home, Tatertots and Jello, I Am Only 1 Woman, It's A Hodgepodge Life, Fingerprints On The Fridge, Be Different...Act Normal,

Here is a sneak peek of a little something that I made this afternoon to sit up on our living room mantel.

This year "Give Thanks" is our theme, and spelled out, it will be a visual daily reminder to be grateful for all that we have.

Most importantly, each other.

I cannot wait to show you how it's all coming together and the one thing that has me most excited!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We spent the day at my best friend's house with her family, and we couldn't have asked for a more relaxing and enjoyable day.

There were ten of us, including six kids ranging in age from 16 years to 3 & 1/2. Will and Owen have a blast with Luke and Kelly's son, Isaac, and their daughter, Miranda, so the four of them all but disappeared for the day. Their daughter, Alyssa, and Ellison are like two peas in a pod...

Ellison LOVES Alyssa and followed her around all day! We're so grateful that Alyssa loves her back and didn't mind the three year old following her around and calling her name when she couldn't find her. Ellison got the royal treatment - she got her nails and toes done, her hair done, and even got to wear one of Alyssa's shirts (as a dress) which made her feel so special. Needless to say, our little girl had a fabulous Thanksgiving!


We had more food than we knew what to do with and our eyes were certainly bigger than our stomach's, but it was a beautiful spread and almost everyone had a hand in preparing some part of the meal.

A true feast!

It just isn't Thanksgiving without

Sugared Pecans

so we made two trays of them on Wednesday night...

(it's a family recipe from my good friend down in AZ. I'll ask her if she minds me sharing it and if she doesn't, I will pass it along to you. Even if you don't like pecans, you'll like these!)



As a hostess gift, the kids and I made Mr. Turkey and filled him with assorted nuts and a nutcracker to give to our hosts to say

"Thank you for having us!"

Owen was bound and determined to make this after we found the idea earlier in the month, and I think it turned out absolutely adorable!


Speaking of the kids and crafts...

We made these for the boys' teacher's on Tuesday night for them to take to school on their last day before the Thanksgiving weekend...

This is about as easy as it gets!

I make sure that I always have a supply of handled craft bags here. They come in handy and can be dressed up, if need be, in a snap!

For this, I kept it simple.

I wrote our message right on the bag, so that the boys wouldn't have to be worried about losing a separate card...

We made two loaves of Cranberry-Orange Bread...

(very simple to make, but SO yummy)

I wrapped each loaf up in waxed paper and tied twine around it to look like a package...

Each loaf fit perfectly in the bag. I added a little tissue paper and a small bow made with a little more twine, and that was all it needed.

Just a little something to let their teacher's know how grateful we are to have them in our child's lives!


The day after Thanksgiving is the day that Christmas arrives around here!

So we spent yesterday doing this...

...and this...

...and this...

Today will be more of the same.

Decorating, listening to Christmas music and just being together.

My kind of weekend.



I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!




P.S. I am posting this over at A Soft Place To Land for DIY Day.

With only 3 days to go until Thanksgiving, I can't help but be drawn to images and memories of Thanksgiving's past.

For me, the table decor is most often about simplicity...

Easy on the eye, elegant and not at all overdone.



My centerpieces for Thanksgiving dinner 2007 were made by filling two identical vases with cranberries and flowers, greenery and berries from the local grocery store...

By using different shades of fall colors and adding hints of coral with the sprigs of berries, I was able to achieve the look I wanted. Using small vases that stand only 6" tall, meant that I could keep the centerpieces tight and compact so that our guests could sit at the table and still have a conversation at eye level.

I was happy with how they turned out and the best part was that it was accomplished on a very small budget!


I made our place cards by wrapping three cinnamon sticks with twine and adding a tag with each guests name handwritten on it. Set in the center of each plate, it gave off a natural and organic look, but even better was that it smelled wonderful as well!

We love hosting gatherings and Thanksgiving dinner 2007 was no exception!

Here is a little inspiration if you're still searching for the perfect way to get your Thanksgiving table
all dressed up...

So pretty!

........................................................................


Time for me to go shopping!

I have a list of items to get for Thanksgiving dinner as well as the ingredients for Cranberry Orange Bread that I am making for the boys to take to their teacher's on Wednesday. It is one of my favorite things to make during the holiday season.

It's delicious!

I'll be sure to share the recipe!


Three days to go...are you ready?




P.S. I am posting this over at Be Different...Act Normal. She's trying out MckLinky and is looking for Thanksgiving posts. Got one to add to the list? Head over and check it out!