Annabelle turns ONE!

Happy Birthday Annabelle!

Someone pass the wine (aka: the night before)

The night before Thanksgiving we got together with some friends. We all crowded around my miniscule dining room table... with mismatched chairs and elbowing each other non-stop... and a high chair thrown into the mix. Somebody brought the wine. Somebody brought the pie. We had salad, tomato soup out of mugs, and spinach pizza. We drank three bottles of wine and laughed and talked and discussed the dreaded dealing with our families the next day. I couldn't think of a better way to kick off this crazy weekend. You friends are a fun bunch.

Thanksgiving.

The Menu

• Turkey
• Duck
• Sweet Potatoes (with and without nuts)
• Corn
• Peas
• Green Bean Cassarole
• Stuffing (regular & with roasted chestnuts)
• Cranberry Relish
• Mashed Potatoes
• Salad
• Rolls (three kinds!)
• Dessert (pumpkin pie, key lime pie, chocolate truffles, pumpkin roll, cookies, pecan tarts, & pumpkin tarts)

The Spread!

The Tables

We invested in off white table cloths a few years ago. If you start with a neutral color, you can add pops of whatever color you want in the accessories. This year I went with purples and oranges. We got four bunches of flowers from Costco and put a medium size and a short size arrangement on each table. I also used plum colored napkins and made plum and deep orange placecards on the computer using clip art and a fancy script.

My awesome friend let me borrow all kinds of clear plastic frames for the tables. I had about 40 pictures printed in 4x6 size of everyone in our family. I tried to find photos that had more than one person in them so that it would show the family aspect. I put pictures on the front and the back of the frame since both sides were visible. I also put one picture in between the gold charger and the clear glass plate at each setting. They were a big hit, everyone loved walking around to see which pictures were on the tables. Once dinner was finished, we put all of the photos on the table and everyone could take home the ones they loved.

I am THANKFUL

For my amazing husband.
For my beautiful son.
For my family.
For my friends!

I am thankful.

For pets that are loyal as can be.
For a warm bed to crawl into every night.
For food on the table.
For clean water.

I am thankful.

For a husband that facilitates me staying home.
For people who give to others who need.
For smiles from strangers.
For tolerance.

I am thankful.

For our new President and the HOPE he brings.
For our military men & women, doing an often thankless job.
For all of the LOVE filling my life.
For being able to see what is really important.
(And learning to forget the rest...)

I am thankful.

What are you thankful for?