the thanksgiving tree

I have been having a hard time concentrating on Thanksgiving this year. Christmas is so close, and I love Christmas. So here is my effort to give Thanksgiving it's due.

The Thanksgiving Tree.

This is a tradition I was unaware of until my sister started her own about five years ago. I don't remember exactly how she goes about it but the bottom line is there are colorful paper leaves that every family member gets to write something they are thankful for and hang on the tree.

This is a similar version to my sisters. Branches filled with thankful leaves.

I kind of like the idea of taking that concept and applying it to a Thanksgiving advent Tree. Put things you are thankful for in each day.

Do you have any Thanksgiving month traditions?

via skip to my lou, one more moore, pb kids

thanksgiving

I saw this banner on Spearmint (you can download a printable copy at the Bonjour Family). I think it is appropriate for the month November and it reminds me of something my Dad told me, although everything may not be going the way I would like, life is good. For that I am thankful.

thanksgiving plates

via That Home Site
My Mom and I bought some of these Thanksgiving plates at Home Goods last year, I love them. I have some salad plates and a serving plate. I wonder if I could find a serving bowl to go with them....

cranberry sauce

The cranberry sauce is done! I used the basic cranberry sauce recipe but substituted orange and grapefruit zest for the lemon zest. It smells good.

door decor

I like the simplicity of this Thanksgiving "wreath" from Country Living.

chocolate ganache tart

Pumpkin and berry pies are a Thanksgiving staple, as they should be. It couldn't hurt to throw one of these tarts into the mix, plus the instructions look simple. Famous last words?

cranberry sauce

I am in charge of the cranberry sauce. We figure it can be transported 8+ hours without going bad. Plus it will fit in my mini cooler. Here are two recipes I am mulling over.


Cranberry Chutney

Martha's basic cranberry sauce

thanksgiving gourds

I think these gourd decorations would be fantastic for Thanksgiving. For mantles or centerpieces.

thanksgiving centerpiece

I am going to my sister's house for her first big Thanksgiving. I can't wait, both of my sisters will be there! Since I am arriving the day of Thanksgiving we aren't sure if I can really contribute to the cooking festivities. So I am hereby lobbying for the centerpieces. Here is one idea I like.

thanksgiving apron

My sister is hosting her first real Thanksgiving this year, and by real I mean 10+ people. I can't help but think that such an occasion deserves a new half apron. It somehow seems fitting.

thanksgiving table settings

I love the blue. Maybe not traditional, but very nice all the same.

I love pears. So much so that I had marzipan pears made for my wedding cake. These would make wonderful place card holders.

I love the corn husk votives, especially with the purple roses.

I just really like this one.

You can see all of these and a whole lot more here.

thanksgiving decor

I love the wheat on the stairs. Easy, simple, fun.
Thank you Better Homes and Gardens.

circles of thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow! I am starting on the stuffing, rolls and pies tonight and then taking all of that along with two cats on a two hour drive where we will be celebrating. Have a safe weekend.
Circles of Thanksgiving found here.

thanksgiving centerpieces

Thanksgiving is almost here! I have started drying bread for the stuffing. I am not hosting Thanksgiving this year but if I were I would love any of these centerpieces. You can find these and more here.

thanksgiving in blog land

A picture of me with my husband and niece at the site of the first official Thanksgiving celebration. Enjoy the links of posts I found on other blogs.

Thanksgiving Books for kids

Green Thanksgiving

How early pilgrims celebrated Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Trivia

thanksgiving books

I was looking at Barnes and Noble to find a book that my Mom always has out around Thanksgiving. I didn't find the one I was looking for (the top two are other ones she has) but I found a couple of others that look great. You can see them here, here, here and here.

jim shore

I am pretty sure I have said this before but I love Jim Shore. His Thanksgiving pieces are awesome. You can see these here.

“My work is not a single statement, but a lot of elements mixed together. I use colors that I love – colonial, antiques, jewel tones and some unusual colors that I loved at the moment. Put together it’s a pleasure to look at. It doesn’t really matter what item it’s on. It’s just fun to look at—American Folk-Art.”

gourds and pumpkins

Finding decorating ideas for Thanksgiving is hard. I liked these ideas on how to use gourds and pumpkins. I found these ideas here and here.

stuffing

Stuffing is hands down my favorite thing on Thanksgiving! More specifically Grandma's stuffing. Unfortunatley for me Grandma has been making stuffing for so long that she doesn't use a recipe of any sort. Here are a few that look good though.

Apple, Shallot and Herb dressing

Pioneer Woman's stuffing

thanksgiving

Now that it is November we can change the mindset to Thanksgiving. That's right Thanksgiving, I am one of those people who tries to think as little as possible about Christmas until AFTER Thanksgiving. Here are some fun ideas from Martha.

Mayflower centerpiece and a mini boat for place cards (weren't there two or three boats that carried the Pilgrims?)