More To Love

Some pretties to warm your soul on this cold December day...

Pretty Plates

Conservatory Chair

Blue Stripes

Perfect Hallway Bench

Mirror, Mirror, On The Staircase?

How awesome is this!?
What a fun way to add dimension and interest to an otherwise boring part of a room.

Photo from here

What To Wear, What To Wear?!

You have all been fretting over this, I know. Which pair of stretchy pants should you wear for Thanksgiving? It's a dilemma. I like to be fashionable, yet comfortable. It's a difficult balance.

Try these ideas on for size....

Photo from here

Love high-waisted jeans! I know they are not for everyone but they hold in a tummy wonderfully.

I want this soooo bad! 

The whole outfit all put together for you. I love the blog, Fashion Under $100.

Cause I still gotta be a fashionista even in the middle of no-where Idaho! I would wear this in a heartbeat. (And the pants are stretchy:)

But let's say you have to dress up, wouldn't this dress be perfect?

Perfect mix of sexy and chic. My kind of dress.

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

 I am so thankful to have such great blog friends, those I have met and those I have not, you equally bless my life. Be safe and enjoy the amazing food and company.

What Up, Playas?!

Every Thanksgiving, before the dinner and after, we play games. It's seriously one of my favorite activities. I love the family bonding, the laughing, the competition, I love it all! Here are some of my favorites...

Mexican Train
Very fun game for a large group. And good for all ages.

Photo from here
Hand and Foot
This is a super fun card game similar to Canasta. In my family we play with Rook cards but face cards work just as well.

Blockus
A game perfect for a smaller group.

Pit
WARNING!!!! This game can be very loud and occasionally violent. But soooo fun!

Perfection
Still awesome!

Movie Suggestion For Your Long, Lazy Weekend

The weekend is still a few days off but if you are like me there will be no time for last minute preparation. So I thought I might as well give you ideas to help make your holiday flow smoothly. So here is my suggestion for your Thanksgiving evening entertainment.

I just watched the amazing movie, The Young Victoria. Simply beautiful. I felt like royalty just watching it. And it made me very interested in Queen Victoria and her husband Albert. I need to find a good book on them. Any suggestions?

Photos from here

"You're the only wife I've got or ever will have. You are my whole existence, and I will love you until my very last breath."-Prince Albert

And how timely is this with the announcement from The Royal Palace? I'm so up on my Brits!

The Perfect Turkey

Photo from here

Now, I'm not a skilled turkey preparer by any means. I have cooked a few turkeys in my time but not enough to know exactly what I'm doing. I prefer a traditional turkey. Nothing too fancy. Maybe a little herbs rubbed on the outside to give it a little more flavor but that's it. And I'm not too keen on the stuffing inside the bird. Too mushy. In my search for the perfect turkey I came across this little handbook that gives you every bit of info on turkeys you will ever need.

Hope your turkey is a success this year!

Just Desserts

Mmmmm....Dessert!

The part of Thanksgiving we all look forward to, right? I make sure I have plenty of room left for a sampling of all the desserts that strike my fancy. I love to have a bite of every pie, just to make sure it was cooked properly. A nibble of fudge to test the creaminess. A tiny wedge of cheesecake to compare to my own. And by the end of the night I'm on a sugar high to rival a 4 yr old on Halloween.

I love it!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Photo from here

Lemon Meringue Pie

Pecan Pie

Sour Cream Apple Pie

Fudge

Whet Your Appetite

If you're like me, and you probably should be because I'm cool, you start eating snacks and appetizers at about 9 or 10 in the a.m. and don't stop until right before the Thanksgiving meal is served. I'm usually so stuffed I can't even look at the dinner table. But somehow I manage to eat an entire meal.

Here are some yummy appetizers. Some I've tried and some I want to...

On the "try" list. At the top, actually.

Baked Brie

The best snack food EVER!!!

Original Chex Party Mix

Sooo yummy!

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Photo from here
Stuffed Mushrooms

I love these! Stuffed mushrooms need to be served hot, or at least warm, in my opinion. Usually they are gone before they have a chance to cool down, so that works. I prefer mine stuffed with a blue cheese or gorgonzola stuffing. Mmmmm!

Zippy Cranberry Appetizer

I wanted to share something using cranberries and this looks really yummy despite it's crazy name. It will be on my "try-before-Thankgiving-Day" list.

 

Cheeseball

Please don't forget to make a cheeseball! This is necessary for any Thankgiving celebration to be successful. Really, what's a party without a cheeseball?

And Now For the Food

Let's start off with side dishes, shall we? You can make a lot of these in advance and freeze them to have ready for your feast. This first one I'm considering trying...

Green Bean Casserole

This is one of my all-time favorite dishes. True Southern soul food.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Every year I want to try a really fancy stuffing, but I never do. Maybe this will be my year!

(Probably not, though)

Sausage, Apple, and Cranberry Stuffing

And not just regular mashed potatoes, but fancy mashed potatoes.

Holiday Mashed Potatoes

Ok, the name, not so good, the recipe, sounds AMAZING!  I just may have to rename it before I try it.

Broccoli Pudding

Sittin' At The Kids' Table

My kids love it when they have their very own table. That was kinda said in sarcasm. My teenagers think it's humiliating but the younger two don't mind at all. Especially if I give them activities and their own decorations. Here are some really fun ideas...

Photo and instructions here

Photo and instructions from here

This should keep them quiet for a while. If you fill them up with candy everybody has a better time!

Photo and instructions here

To remind them what the day is really about.

Free printable from here

They can work on this activity while waiting for their dinner and then enjoy the glow later when it's time to pass out from the turkey-induced coma.

Photo and instructions from here

 If you need some fun coloring pages go here or here.

And here are some Thanksgiving word puzzles for the older kids.

Silverware Chandelier

I know this isn't necessarily Thanksgiving-y but I just saw this and had to share. And it would look fantastic above your perfectly placed Thanksgiving table, would it not?

Photo from here

Set It Up

Now you need to surround your beautiful centerpiece with matching place settings. Or if you are like me, mismatched vintage china picked up at thrift stores over many years. Which I think is just as pretty.
 Just please try and avoid the traditional American Thanksgiving place settings of Chinet and red plastic cups.

Photo from here

Photos from here

Photo from here

Centerpieces

I know the centerpiece is the least essential part to the Thanksgiving celebration but it sure makes the table pretty.  I'm especially loving the centerpiece with the old family photos. Wouldn't that be a fun conversation piece? It would be even better with little stories attached to the pictures. Eat yummy food and get to know your ancestors. That's something to be thankful for!

Photo and instructions from here

Photo from here

Photo from here