Almost Ready....

for Turkey Day!!! And no, I don't mean the decorating. That has been done for awhile. I am just now getting around to showing you the last of it. I mean my appetite. I have been in training for the big day for awhile now. Eating a little more each day until I was stuffing anything I wanted into my mouth. I would like to say it is in preparation for all that turkey I will consume tomorrow but since I am a vegetarian, that isn't exactly the case. But, if I can get away with that excuse, I'm sticking to it. There is just something about this time of year that makes food so much more comforting and cozy. Think of the trouble I would be in if I lived somewhere where it really got cold and I got snowed in.....

I am using today to tie up loose ends. We have 2 birthdays to celebrate in the next few days as well as Thanksgiving. I am getting the house in order for anyone who may end up back here and I am thinking of what I will need to pack on Sunday as we head off for my husband's yearly tax seminar. Plus, it looks like we might have 5 of the 7 grandkids here as their parents attend the "big game"-FL vs. FSU. So, before this season is gone and I am on to all things red and green, I will walk you through the rest of "autumn".

This is my old tureen set on my old "Publix Pilgrim platter". Somehow I think they look like they belong together. I am taking very good care of all of my old Publix pilgrim things. I don't think they are making them any more and I have seen them in antique shops already. Some day, they may be worth something...at least a few dollars more than I spent-ha-ha.


The bottle at the left of the above display has a Thanksgiving label on it that I downloaded from Better Homes & Gardens. They have so many label downloads and would make the perfect gift to take along to any affair this holiday season. The bottle on the right is one I found years ago and just keep it for this vignette every year.

I love this pot. My youngest daughter made it for me last year. I think she said she painted a large washer with some gold paint and used electrical tape for the band-so simple, but pretty. I wanted to fill it with a live mum plant, but when I got to Lowes, the mums were all gone and the poinsettias were everywhere! I stuck these silk leaves in until I could search further and as it turned out, I like them just as much so they are still here.


These few pictures show some of my turkey gifts made over the years. That is what I love about this holiday-it is all about family (although that is pretty much what all of my holidays are about). I can continue to use my "gifts" no matter how shabby they get. The bottom turkey in this picture was actually made by my youngest daughter and she has her own children now making turkeys, so you can guess how many years that has been hanging around.

This guy was made when the kids were really young. I think I cut everything out and then all they had to do was glue on the feathers. The body is a coffee filter that we simply dropped drops of food coloring onto. Used to do these back in my teaching & Brownie days to include a lesson on color mixing.

Always love anything made with hand and foot prints!


I can't tell you how old these guys are. I am pretty sure I bought them the first year I was married-and that was 46 years ago-and before that, I remember a pair just like it in my home as I was growing up. They are candles and were available in Woolworths for probably cents apiece. I love them. They say Thanksgiving to me!


Cross stitch I made many years-and eye surgeries- ago.



I hope everyone has a beautiful, family-filled Thanksgiving. Our family has always had so much to be thankful for but this year is a little extra. We just learned yesterday that my middle daughter, after a 3 month chemo battle with Hodgkins lymphoma, is cancer free! Now she will begin a radiology protocol and before we know it, this will be behind us. I haven't talked about this on this blog before today because I didn't want this to be a place of sadness but those of you who know me might have realized that my thoughts were a bit more scattered than normal recently. This is the 2nd time my family has faced this horrendous disease-the first time was when my 3 month old grand daughter was diagnosed with liver cancer-and I know that all you can do in these time of crisis is to gather everyone together and hold tight...and somehow, your strength will flow from one to another. When one is down, there will be someone there to hold him up and so on. People always say to me "I don't know how you got through it". My answer is always that I didn't know I had a choice. We are not alone. Millions of people are going through this and other things so much worse every day. All we can do is put one foot in front of the other and forge on...and love each other. That is what this day is truly about-family and friends-for in the end, that is all that really matters. All of the crafts and decorating and cooking are fun, but without the love of family and friends with whom to share, it all seems kind of pointless.

Tomorrow is one big photo op for me so I will try to be back before I head out of town again and share with you. Stay tuned.

And by the way, once again, I am in love with Pinterest. Today I went through my "Christmas board" and actually downloaded the ideas that I think I might want to use for my decorating and gifts this year. I will take them with me to Tampa and while there, the plan is to shop for supplies so that as soon as we return home, I can begin my crafting and decorating. Hope also to buy the tree this weekend before we even leave. So much to do but so much fun!