Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Thanksgiving day has arrived and the feasting begins.
We always begin our day with a bunch of goodies to graze on while we await our Thanksgiving meal.

The menu for this years grazing buffet included pumpkin bars, apples and caramel dip,

salami flowers and prosciutto crisps with goat cheese and fig jam,

and cheese straws, crackers and charcuterie,

and pumpkin dip with gingersnaps and cinnamon sugar graham crackers, chocolate covered pretzels,

and hot tea, hot chocolate, orange juice and spiced apple juice.

While grazing and keeping track of football scores we prepared a feast.

Herb fried his first Thanksgiving turkey and was served alongside stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, broccoli with cheese, cranberries, rolls, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, baklava, sparkling cider and wine.

It was a feast, indeed, and enjoyed by all!

I am so thankful for all these guys.  I am thankful that my husband is home, retired and healing.  I am thankful that I have all my boys around me for at least a short period of time.  I am thankful that my girl has such a wonderful group of friends to spend Thanksgiving with.

I am thankful!

It's Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!!!
The air outside is crisp and the fireplace inside is crackling and warming up the house - it's Thanksgiving!
We sat in front of that fire and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade right to the end so that I could wave at Santa (yes, I know that he couldn't see me through the television but I can't help myself) - it's Thanksgiving!
We assembled the buffet that allows us to graze throughout the day until THE meal is ready - it's Thanksgiving!

A new recipe - brie, prosciutto, cranberry crostini with balsamic raspberry glaze.

More new recipes - pumpkin spice cream horns and ricotta and prosciutto on a sea salt cracker drizzled with honey.

And yet another new recipe - baked brie with raspberry jam.

Football was watched and cheered and booed - it's Thanksgiving!
The dessert buffet was assembled so that we could end our delicious dinner with a sweet treat - it's Thanksgiving!

Bishop's special recipe - Apple Hours.

And, of course, pumpkin pie.

The family around the table ready to talk and laugh and feast - it's Thanksgiving!
And, of course, the obligatory family photo around the table (they try to humor me, sort of) - it's Thanksgiving!

I love this day -  in case you didn't know, it's Thanksgiving, y'all!

And, because it is Thanksgiving I feel as though I need to leave you with something beautiful and thoughtful.  I have been listening to Art Garfunkel's version of Morning Has Broken lately and today it keeps playing over and over in my head.  The lyrics seem Thanksgiving - y to me.

Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing
Praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world

Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from Heaven
Like the first dewfall on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass

Mine is the sunglight
Mine is the morning
Born of the one light Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise ev'ry morning
God's recreation of the new day

Morning has broken


It's Thanksgiving - Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

Thanksgiving Eve and So Thankful to be Ready to Go!

Our family loves Thanksgiving.
We find it to be restorative which is so welcome as it also marks the beginning of the rather full holiday season.
This holiday is full of fellowship, food, fun and football.
Of course, for the day itself to be relaxed there must be some preparation, some work done in advance.  I do my best to spread that work out over days.  I have already shared with you the decorations on the front porch.  I have also piddled around the house a bit putting up some decorations here and there, doing some early preparation of food and setting out some of the needed serving dishes.

A wonderful wheat piece made by a Scandinavian woman from church.

Thankful banner that I made several years ago.

Paper roses dipped in beeswax.

Jewelry bits.

Vintage pieces.

And flowers.

 

Martinmas lanterns with vintage bits.

The menus are on display.

The drink stations are ready to go.

The dessert buffet, replete with homemade pumpkin pies, is also ready to go.  The soup tureen was my paternal grandmothers and looks perfect filled with hydrangeas.

These leaves were sealed with polyurethane years ago by an older woman at church and she gifted them to me.

And now I go to bed thankful that everything is ready to go knowing that this preparation will allow all of us to really enjoy a peaceful, restful Thanksgiving day!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Thanksgiving!!!

The weather has been unseasonably warm and absolutely beautiful!

 It inspired me to get outside, soak up the sun and take in the Autumn beauty!

And that inspired me to harvest some of those beauties and decorate my porch!

I love it!

Even the boys love it and they are thrilled that we, unlike our neighbors, decorated for Thanksgiving, one of their favorite holidays!!!