To God be the Glory

Today, I am thankful for a parade of tables tablescape

Thanksgivings 2011

Do you start your Thanksgivings day with a parade? Not sure we watch the whole thing, but the Macy's Thanksgivings Day parade is certainly on in our house. So I'd thought I'd share some past tables with you today.  I hope you enjoy the parade route... see you on the other side! The title and date are clickable links!

Thanksgivings 2011

I totally love the vintage, handmade linen tablecloth. The color on the table comes from the fruit on the pumpkin and the few oak leaves. Rich silver and crystal take this casual table up a notch!

Thanksgivings 2010

This was our table in 2010. It's full of sentimental pieces. Copper chargers from Bernina and Chicago. Fabric for the tablecloth picked up on my travels, Silver from my grandmother, napkins from my mother.

Thanksgivings 2010
The copper theme is further carried out with the large copper basin used for the centerpiece. Inserting fall leaves makes for a great arrangement filler usually for free.

November 2010

Pheasant feather placemats over a linen tablecloth give the table a very rustic feel. I had won the placemats from the Twiggery.. Oh gosh they are just fabulous. Simple wooden plates, very simple white salad plates, monogrammed napkins and additional rustic accents make for a polished, casual table.

November 2010
The very vintage centerpiece is a great piece to carry out the theme some more. 

November 2010

This would be another great Thanksgivings table. Tapestry placemats, gold chargers, white dishes, gold salads, always a classic combination. 

November 2010
The white in the flowers ties the white napkins to the table. 

Thanksgivings 2012
This year, we are dining on a linen tablecloth with Lenox china. So excited, it's new china. A new beginning. 

May the good things of life
be yours in abundance
not only at Thanksgiving
but throughout the coming year

Joining Kathleen at Let's Dish

Susan at Tablescape Thursday.

Today, I'm thankful for...

 

Today, I'm thankful for my friend Diane. We are kind of related, but not really. Her aunt is buried in our family plot. So the relation is all by marriage. But the friendship was immediate. 

We met at bible study. It was an exciting time, as our BSF class opened the first evening women's class in decades in Lubbock. We had spent 18 months, or was it two years?, praying for this to come to fruition. 

It's the first class night of the first class. Diane walks up to me and says, I think we are related. And I say, how so, cause I don't think so. You see, we can account for most relatives in this part of the lower 48. So Diane, who obviously has done her homework, I'm still wondering how... explains it all to me. And I go home and tell my husband who is equally astonished. I love how God puts the right people in our lives to make us complete!

Since then, there has been a kinship and friendship that has blossomed. Hugs Diane, cause I know you don't like them!!! Thanks for the sweet, lovely little candle.

Today, I'm thankful for my new relative Diane...my new friend Diane... and this lovely lemon scented candle. Voluspa.. these are just little jewels!!

Today, I am thankful for...

Ooh boy, I've not been thankful since last Wednesday! Ooops. There was a lot for which to be thankful. My friend Stacey, with whom I had a fabulous lunch and then spent the day on Saturday. We crafted and had a blast.. So totally thankful for Stacey.

And I had my BSF leader's meeting way too early on Friday morning. But so thankful that I am part of the group. So awesome.

And today, well that pile of leaves got even bigger and it was drizzling... and still our son got them off the patio. So thankful these leaves provided shelter from the blistering sun this past summer and so thankful for this young man. You rock Michael!
...counting the days till I can be thankful for leftovers! are you?

Today, I'm thankful for a thanksgivings tablescape

 

I've decided how our table will be set for Thanksgivings.. and it's not even the day before!!

Thank you Kathleen, from Cuisine Kathleen, for spurring us on to do Thanksgivings this early!!

Since I dropped off the "Not buying anymore dishes" bandwagon in January, and I reasoned I could use these for Thanksgivings, I challenged myself to try these dishes on. Yes, you read correctly that I fell off the bandwagon (I started Jan 1) around... let's say.... ooh, ouch.. January 14th! 

It was NOT my fault. Really. That email from One Kings Lane just jumped up and down in my inbox and I had to act on it.. fast.. I mean real fast. I never even slowed down until I was at the finish line! The price was so low, it literally took my breath away. Okay, enough excuses....

I used a linen tablecloth and napkins from Williams Sonoma. Brown with a green band. It's great to use chargers on fine linens because it keeps the little messes off the tablecloth! This is one of their jacquards that are made in Russia. Great feel and drape!

I brought in my nut trees. I had seen these years ago at Horchow's for a pricey amount. Especially for nuts. So I went to the grocery store, picked up some nuts and then purchased some styrofoam shapes. It's better to spray paint them with spray paint made for styrofoam.. brown would be my choice. That way you can't see anything behind the nuts if they don't overlap. Use hot glue (not the low temp type) to adhere the nuts.

I really like the addition of the pears and the little vases of wheat. It was too early to go buy some flowers and expect them to last until next week. I'm thinking of some of the little mum buttons and maybe a berry type of something to poke in with the wheat. 

Still loving these Libbey Rock Sharpe glasses. 

I like to keep a towel  or spare napkin with the water pitcher. Easy to catch any drips.

Antiques make a good  accessory for this chore!

The pears are also found in the plates. I think I'll do a sugared fruit centerpiece for Christmas. 

Yes, dear sweet husband, rest assured we can use the same dishes twice!

I love to use the silver pieces I have. Call me silly/stupid/crazy, but I love to polish silver. 

I like to polish a piece or two every Saturday. That way they are never all tarnished at the same time.

Can you believe these pears are fabulous fauxs?

The fauxs look very much like the pears on the plates!

Another treasure, one of those use many ways candlelabras.

I might or might not get the sterling out of the safe. But this set of Old Company Plate is really one of my favorites. 

 And then I remembered that I had purchased these white boo pumpkins specifically for this table. Better late than never, I put them on the dinner plates.

 Notice that there is no salad plate. I tend to do a Buffet for the bigger meals, only because it's easier to have everyone get what they want than to pass a gazillion bowls around the table. How do you serve?

Cast:

Tablecloth & napkins - Williams Sonoma

Chargers - Tuesday Morning

China - Lenox Holiday Tartan

Water stems - Mikasa Parklane

Wine stems - Libbey Rock Sharpe

Flatware - Old Company Plate

Candlesticks - antiques

Today, I'm thankful for you. For your visits, your comments and your continued support. You make my life a lot brighter each and every day. Your visits make my day. I get most of my visiting done on Saturdays! See you the. Have a very blessed Thanksgivings with you and yours. 

Joining

Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish

Susan for Tablescape Thursdays.

Today, I am thankful for...

source

Today, I'm sooo thankful for my crockpot. Isn't this just the best piece of equipment? You put stuff in it, go to work and come home. The house smells wonderful, the food is cooked, and you  have dinner ready. Yep, still loving this marvel.

Best I could find, this charmer made it's first appearance in 1971. I didn't get one until I was single and on my own in 1973. I've had a few since and am looking at a new version in which you can brown your meat!

Rival Potato Soup (recipe from my very first crockpot)
5 cups water
4 chicken boullion cubes
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon parsley, dried
5-6 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and slices
1 celery rib, cleaned and chopped
2-3 leeks, sliced, cleaned and rinsed a lot of times, white a bit of the green
1/3 cup butter
1 can evaporated milk
1 tablespoon chopped chives

Add hot water to crockpot, turn crockpot to high.
Add boullion cubes, salt and parsley to crock pot.
Clean and prepare all the vegetables and add to the crockpot.
Do not add evaporated milk or chives till the end!
Put the lid on the crockpot and lower the temperature to low.

Adding hot water warms up the crockpot and takes less time for the pot to reach it's cooking temperature.

Cook on low for 10-12 hours. Add the evaporated milk and chives and serve.
One thing I do is to use the blender stick in the crockpot and breakdown some of the potatoes so that it resembles cream with pieces of potato. Just our preference. Can also use a potato masher.
I like to serve this with a nice warm, crusty artisan bread.

This makes a lot of soup. Especially for two people.
1/3 goes into a container for our son.
I will pan fry a jalapeno sausage, sliced and cut up, on the stove and add to the bowls. Yummy!!
1/3 gets eaten with the sausage and bread that evening.
In the remaining 1/3, add a can of green chiles, and 1/2 cup grated cheddar and monterey jack cheese. Put in containers for dinner later in the week.

Enjoy!

Today, I'm thankful for...

source

Oh boy, am I super excited!! Yep. I finally found a reason for my affliction. However, I can't remember where I saw this. Maybe one of the sappy Christmas movies on Hallmark or Lifetime? This problem, I can name.. age. Now back to why I'm happy.

My kids laugh about having pumpkin pie (Thanksgivings dessert) in the attic. Why the attic? That is where the Christmas decorations were stored. They laugh about all the times I planned new decor or layouts for the holidays - in October. Or how I would have the holiday menus all planned out in April. Christmas decor was made year 'round and it's possible that you would find a piece of tinsel in July. Yes, I love Christmas! I adore it, I look forward to it and I relish every second of the season.

Now I know my problem. It's genetic. It's called an "overactive holiday gene". Do you have it, too?

If you were looking for something deep and thought provoking, not today. Today I'm thankful that my disease has a name!

Today, I'm thankful for...

Today, I'm thankful for my savior.


 

Today, I'm thankful for

sourc

Boy was it a day! All good. I really had to think about which one thing would make the "thankful" list. I don't mean to sound "preachy", or even think that I am better than anyone else. I am not. I am a Christian. I am a sinner. But I try to be better each and every day. Even as few as 6 years ago, I would have been the first to think the worst of a situation. Now, I try to reign in the natural tendency to dwell on the bad.


Last week, our BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) lesson left it's mark on me. "One of the true tests of a Christian is their attitude toward another's sin." Wow. Convicted. Think about it. This covers what you read in the newspapers. They are only out to make money and prey on the sins of others. The news. Ditto. However, something happened today on a football field in my hometown. Not even going to go into the details. I feel like I was the lone person who didn't point a finger, and what I saw was not convincing at all. I'll wait and see what I hear from the person face to face. And on that note, only God makes judgement. Who would I be to do that? Seriously!!!

So today, I'm thankful for last week's lesson that brought about the the painful self evaluation. Today, I can say I passed that test. However, I am still a sinner, and I will probably fail tomorrow.

Today, I'm thankful for...

source

Wow, compared to yesterday... this was a great day at work. And it's all because of my co-workers, colleagues, teammates. One helped me out on a task, we had a team lunch and got to know one another a bit more, dessert club (yummy) and a fabulous meeting. It was a great way to end the work week. Absolutely.

Back story:
After I quit my dream job at Bernina, I stayed home for 18 months. And then it was time to find something to do. So I put on my big girl pants (not black) and went to a job fair at the company by whom I am presently employed. It is a software company. However, going from a highly creative, tactile sewing world into a governmental accounting software company did pose a few challenges. I had to remember my bookkeeping from 20+ years previous and sit at a desk. All went well. Until. Four or five months ago, there was a little sideways shuffle at work and some of us got pulled onto another team... so from financial software to utility software. Groan. Oh wait. GROAN! Then. The guy doing the pulling went to work for another company in another city!!!! I mean like within a month or so. So it's been a tough several months.. But, the bright side - I can read your utility bill now! And calculate it. And check it for errors!!

So today, I'm thankful for my colleagues who are pulling me up and bringing rays of sunshine to those pesky utility bills!

Today, I'm thankful for...

 

Today I'm thankful for the little things. Had a particularly tough day at work. But, my son came to have lunch with me. Just too nice for words. And I went into Kohl's for the very first time. Ever. And they've been here for a very many years. Why? It's across town. I know Lubbock isn't a big town. It's still across town. And then it was back to work. And then. I . Came. Home. In the kitchen, my geraniums were blooming. Now if that isn't a bright spot in a day, then I don't know what is.
Have you noticed the little things?

Today, I am thankful for... tablescape

Welcome to the weekly tablescape. I am sure you've seen every piece on this table before! There is nothing wrong with recycling, especially as the end of the year draws near and our lives seem to take on a flurry of activity. Tried and True is my motto when the going gets tough.

I am really thankful for our Sunday evening dinners. A time to connect the family. A time to recharge before the busyness of the week is upon us.

I did elevate the Princess (pumpkin that is) off the table with a low pedestal serving platter. It's been on the table since early October and I don't want to risk an unfortunate accident. Have you had a pumpkin kind of turn to mush before? It's not pretty, so I read last week. Thankful for the reminder!

See all the empty serving pieces? This is my way of making sure all the dishes actually get to the table. I have been known to forget something in the fridge or on a counter. If I have a dish in the refrigerator, I put the serving spoon on the table. Works like a charm!

Notice how the green in the madras plaid napkins is picked up by the dinner plate. Without the green in the napkin, these plates would seem out of place on the table. It's always a good idea to repeat elements, whether it be a texture or color.

The brass on the napkin ring works well with the rose-handled brass flatware. Another repeating element.

I did add some of the hugest acorns to the top of Cinderella. I found them in the World Market parking lot after they had fallen from the tree. Just gorgeous specimens.

Today, I'm thankful for Sunday dinners bringing family together. 

Cast:
Teak chargers - very vintage...
Dinner plates - Bordallo Pinhero
Salad Bowls - Ironwood
Flatware - gift from Mom
Gold wine goblets - Stein Mart
Water glasses - Handblown in France, found in Santa Fe, NM
Napkins - Autumn Madras, William Sonoma
Napkin rings - Stein Mart  

Partying at:
Cuisine Kathleen's Let's Dish
Stone Gables - Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits
Susan's Tablescape Thursday.
See you there!