So Much to Be Thankful For!

There have been many changes this year, but none bigger than the birth of my first grandchildren! Two grandsons, one born in June and the other born in September, are at the top of my list of things I'm thankful for!

And I'm lucky to have both of them here for Thanksgiving this year!

Here is my Thanksgiving table.

My centerpiece is a silver punch bowl with lights, leaves and a pumpkin.

At each place setting, I used Spode Woodland china and covered pumpkin bowls from Sur La Table.

The bowls come in three different colors.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Golden Thanksgiving Wishes!

Here is my Thanksgiving 2016 table. I started with a bright golden tablecloth and red and gold napkins. On top of wooden chargers, I am using my Spode Woodland Turkey Dinner plates. The wine glass has a golden design, the napkin rings are a light gold and the flatware has a golden beaded edge.

At each place setting, I have put a Meri Meri Pilgrim cracker and place card.

For the centerpiece, I used one of my many ceramic turkeys on top of a glass cake stand, all on top of a beaded fall leaf charger. I scattered faux golden leaves all around and surrounded the centerpiece with golden mercury glass votives.

On the mantle are lots of Pilgrims and Pumpkins.

Lots of Pilgrims on the Larger Buffet as well!

On the Smaller Buffet is my Paternal Grandmother's Punch Bowl Set, surrounded by some glass punch cups that were my Maternal Grandmother's. Spiced cider, anyone?

Or would you prefer tea? It can be served from this tea cart and my Spode Woodland Tea Pot.

Lots of turkeys in my hanging shelf.

So much to be thankful for this year! I hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful, too!

I will be sharing this with Between Naps on the Porch.

Pumpkins and Pilgrims and Turkey, Oh My!

I think I have shared before that I love fall! I love Christmas, but after Halloween, I decorate for Thanksgiving! 

This tablecloth is a beautiful shade of green, but I just can't get it to photograph beautifully! You will just have to take my word for it!

I am using wooden chargers with leaves embossed on the rim with my Spode Woodland Turkey plates. The stemware has both silver and gold touches just like the flatware. I am using old gold napkins with metal napkin rings.

I found these vintage Thanksgiving images on little clothespins at World Market. They pin right onto the napkin rings!

For my centerpiece, I put a beaded pumpkin placemat in the center and put some leaves and acrylic jewels around and place a turkey in the middle.

I put some corn pillar candles on golden pillars at each end.

Each place got a Thanksgiving Cracker (from Amazon) and a Pilgrim Place Card (from Paper Source).

I can't wait to open the crackers and see our treats!

The dining room tea cart is still full of Thanksgiving goodies.

So is the hanging shelf!

I have a nice selection of Spode Woodland in the kitchen ready for the big day!

Cranberry Serving Set

Covered Vegetable Dish

Love my pie bird!

Tea Pot

Gravy Boat with Stand

And, of course, a Turkey Platter!

My sweet husband saw me drooling over the Staub Pumpkin Cocotte in Sur La Table and bought it for me for a Christmas present. Then he couldn't wait to give it to me, so I am already enjoying it while pumpkins are still in season!

Here is a Hunters' Chicken I prepared in it. Delicious! I just love it!

Still counting my blessings here - I will be sharing this with Between Naps on the Porch and Rustic and Refined.

I've Got Plenty To Be Thankful For!

Just like the Irving Berlin song



Bing Crosby – I've Got Plenty To Be Thankful For - Single Version

As you may know, things changed for me dramatically on Sunday, January 26, 2014! My husband and I walked in the back door and were greeted with a waterfall in our sunroom. As we were screaming and running around, we realized there was also a waterfall in our butler's pantry. Our next door neighbors came over and helped us move our belongings away from the water and a friend who owns a plumbing business sent one of his men out on a cold Sunday night to cut off our water. Then our neighbors helped us mop...and mop... and mop! There was a LOT of water! It was determined that a pipe in one of the upstairs bathrooms had frozen and later thawed and burst. All the water had collapsed the ceilings in both the sunroom and butler's pantry.

Next morning, our insurance agent came over along with our friend who is a historical building contractor. The insurance company OK'd the removal of the vinyl flooring in the sunroom, butler's pantry and kitchen, since it had flooded at least part of all these rooms. Several visits from an adjuster (who got sent to Atlanta during their deep freeze, which delayed our claim for a month or so), we could finally start the repair portion of the project.

We decided that this was as good a time as any to go on and renovate the kitchen, the small mud room attached to it and the butler's pantry. These needed to be renovated, so with everything already being torn up, it seemed like a good time.

BUT all the contents of the Sunroom (which has 4 closets), the Butler's Pantry (which has a walk-in closet), the Kitchen and the Mud Room (which was basically a storage room) had to go into the rest of my house. The Dining Room got filled up first - which made my tablescaping impossible. By the end of the project, the Dining Room looked like Mrs. Haversham's in Great Expectations. The dust of months with the dust of four rooms being sanded added! And NO, I didn't take pictures!!!

But as of a week ago, my Dining Room is back! Just in time for Thanksgiving! I'll be sharing the new room renovations in the next couple of weeks, but for now - here is my Thanksgiving Table! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

I will be sharing with the Tablescaping Party at Rustic and Refined.

Turkey Table!

This week's table is a bit of a presto-chango from last weeks November Blue Table. I kept the tablecloth, napkins, flatware, pewter goblets and added turkeys!



Of course I will be linking to Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday so be sure and check out all the great tables.

Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without a table featuring Woodland by Spode with Turkeys.

Here is a close-up of the place setting:


I added a red wine hock glass at each place which shows better in the full table pictures.



And I changed out the pumpkin centerpiece to a big turkey.


This picture shows the mantle in the background



and my small buffet




Hope you all have a Great Thanksgiving!

Foodie Friday - Turkeys

Thank you Gollum for hosting Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum!


Today, I want to talk Turkey, but not the kind you are thinking! I not only have lots of ceramic turkeys that I decorate with in the fall, I like to decorate foods to look like turkeys!

Here are two examples:

Turkey Cheese Ball

I got this idea from a magazine decades ago, but made it my own way with port wine cheese and crackers that were easily found.

Here is a picture



and here is my recipe Turkey Cheese Ball.

Here is a very easy Turkey Cake that I also got the idea from a magazine, but completely changed. The key to this cake is finding the Stella D'Oro breakfast cookies. I found them in Rite Aid of all places!!!!

Here is the platter I made the cake on



I used a Triple Chocolate Cake from Sam's Club and added round cookies to fill in the hole in the middle.



Then I added the cookies and candies to make the "turkey."



Here is the recipe No Bake Turkey Cake .

I hope this has inspired you to cook some turkey shaped treats of your own! :D Jewel