Thanksgiving in Photos

 

 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with a lot of blue skies, sunshine and warm temperatures. My daughter Melisssa flew in from Michigan and having at least one daughter here made my weekend. We will see Megan and Adam at Christmas, but still missed them a lot. However, newly married couples need to spread their time between families and we understand that. Time was spent at the beach, the pool and at a lot of fun restaurants. Tropical drinks were enjoyed and we shopped at St. Armands Circle one night. We watched MSU in both football and basketball and unfortunately watched the Lions lose on Thanksgiving Day. We even got in a round of golf in on Sunday before Melisssa flew back to Michigan. It was hard for her to leave and head back to snowy weather, but we see her again in just a few weeks. It will be a busy December for everyone, but we are all looking forward to spending Christmas together back in our home state.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, as a bonus to the weekend, yesterday was our 36th anniversary. We had a lovely dinner out with wine, a lemon drop martini (for me) and a wonderful Italian meal, followed by Creme Brulee for dessert. Here's to many more in this new life we have built here in Florida.

 

Happy Tuesday!

 

Thanksgiving Place Cards: Pumpkins and Seashells

 

 

 

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about Florida style fall decor. I decided to take one of the ideas (this pin) and make place cards for my table. The idea was much more coastal looking with white pumpkins, but pumpkins in general are scarce here in Florida, especially this late in the season, when everyone has moved on to Christmas. Also, buying a pumpkin early here is asking for one that needs to be thrown out by Thanksgiving. I was happy to find some mini orange ones on Saturday and was especially happy to find some with long stems.

 

 

Here is what I did: cut tags (free hand) from card stock that coordinated with the tablecloth I planned to use, poke a hole with a wooden skewer, feed orange striped butcher's twine through hole, tie a knot, then make a loop to fit over stem, glue a small seashell in top corner and write name with a sharpie. I had all of these items on hand, so only purchased the pumpkins. Note: you could easily adapt this idea and use any pattern of card stock and glue something totally different in the corner as well.

I will use some other seashells on my table, so this year, it will be a real mixture of traditional fall decor and the unexpected.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

{ Linking with these friends}

Savvy Southern Style

Between Naps on the Porch

21 Rosemary Lane

Stonegable

November Nesting

 

 

I don't have the cold temperatures or the snow starting to fly like many of you, but there is still something about the month of November that gives me the urge to nest. To use these next few weeks to get myself and my house ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm not talking about decorating; that can wait. But, doing some extra cleaning, planning my Thanksgiving menu and table setting and enjoying the last bit of fall where shorter days force you inside a bit earlier, with candles lit and a warm drink to end the day.

I put together a few of my fall favorites; both decor and food, that might give you some inspiration for your Thanksgiving hosting plans. My table will only have four place settings this year, rather than fifteen, but the plans will still reflect the specialness of the holiday. We will still have all the usual favorites, including brunch with mimosas while we watch the parade, a special cocktail and appetizers while we watch football and a pretty table at dinnertime. From these ideas shown, I'm making the stuffing and the chutney (traditional and delicious) this year and also have a new idea for my table with a Florida twist. If it works, I will share.

 

No Sew Burlap Table Runner

 

Indian Corn Candle

 

My Mother's Stuffing

 

Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

 

Cranberry Apple Ginger Chutney

 

Simple Method to Preserve Fall Leaves

 

So Simple, So Sweet Place Setting

Happy Wednesday!

 

{ Linking with these friends}

Savvy Southern Style

Between Naps on the Porch

21 Rosemary Lane

Stonegable

Apple Brownies

 

 

 

What's in a name? Apparently for me, a lot. Wanting to use a bowlful of apples on my kitchen counter, I started scrolling through Pinterest looking for a quick and easy apple recipe, maybe a cake or some type of bar. I happened upon a few recipes for Apple Brownies and I was intrigued. They really should be called Apple Blondies (no chocolate), but for me, Apple Brownies just seemed more fun.

They were easy to put together and I was happy to see they were loaded with chopped apples. As usual, I used Truvia sugar equivilents to make these a little more diabetic friendly. No other changes were made, but these would also be delicious with whole wheat flour. And, the scent when these were baking was heavenly. The original pin and recipe can be found here.

These brownies are delicious and have just enough sweetness to satisfy any sweet tooth. The thickness of the batter helps keep the apples from sinking to the bottom, so there were plenty of apples in every bite. Serving suggestion: Serve a warm apple brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Autumn on a plate!

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

{ Linking with these friends}

Savvy Southern Style

Between Naps on the Porch

21 Rosemary Lane

Stonegable

Christmas Can Wait

 

 

 

There has always been the tendency to rush one holiday season right to the next, when we move from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas. A lot of the blame can be attributed to the retail world and their rush to put out Christmas decor at the end of summer. But, it seems this year, once the calendar turned to November 1st, the whole world (especially the blogging and Instagram world) was talking about putting up their Christmas tree. I'm going to take a step back, slow down and enjoy the moment a bit more.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. By rushing to Christmas, we rush right past the quiet joys of Thanksgiving. The simple harvest decor, the traditional menu that doesn't require a lot of thought and the simple pleasure of spending the day with family.

You will never see a Christmas tree up in my house in early November. It honestly hurts my head to see pumpkins and Christmas decor mixed together. It just seems like a lot of unneeded pressure we put on ourselves, when there is still the whole month of December to enjoy everything Christmas. One whole month to listen to Christmas music, wonder at Christmas lights and eat your fill of Christmas cookies.

So my suggestion (if you can) is to wait and let Thanksgiving have its place. Don't drag the bins out until after Thanksgiving. Give yourself a break. There are no Christmas police that say your tree must be up by December 1st. Especially this year, when Thankgiving falls early and there is a whole week of grace. Holiday decorating doesn't have to be just a chore you need to finish.

Happy Monday!