Log Cabin Thanksgiving

My brother and sister-in-law are blessed to live in a REAL log cabin, and yes, out in the country, on 13 acres:

 

I was going to first do a peak at the inside “logginess,” but why wait? It’ll set the tone for you, for a Log Cabin Thanksgiving day…they’ve been hosting all 30-some of us for the last several years. Yes, it’s lovely to spend Thanksgiving there.

Of course this is the kitchen, but it’s the view from the great room, so it’s a very open, cozy floor plan.

How about these carved logs? They are the ones you barely see in the picture above this one, as the “entry” into the open kitchen.

Even the stairs are half-logs…and though I haven’t mentioned the decor, it’s perfect for the setting. They both have a lot of fun searching auctions and other interesting haunts for just the right pieces…

yes?

The island is of course the hub—with hors d'oeuvres on one side, and heavy cooking activity on the other.

And of course, the back of the cabin faces west…how’s that for a view from the kitchen table and the window over the sink? I may not mind doing dishes with this view!

Because my SIL also suffers from the same china-and-silver-and-crystal addiction that so many of us do, she could not…WOULD not…give up her formal dining room—it’s in the loft! (For those old enough to remember Green Acres…she’s the Eva Gabor to my brother’s Eddie Albert—the gentleman who plays farmer.) And yes, it’s lovely to have such beautiful, dainty things in this rustic setting. That’s another post, but one I will surely do, because I know you will love it.

To host our huge crowd they move the feast to the walkout lower level, and does.she.set.a.table—well, tables. Take a look.

Table #1 (round, front): Friendly Village

Table #2 (oblong, to the right): Whites Turkeys and Browns

Table #3 (top left): Cornucopia and Pinecones.

I know, I know…you want the details. Here are the close ups.

Table #1 – Friendly Village, with red and brown accents.

(and some silver too.)

Table #2 – White Turkeys and Browns

Would you take a look at the crystal? And the bread plates? And the Pottery Barn white turkey plates? Oh…and the silverware? A table for 12 with all the trimmings. I think this year I will sit at the table where these figurines are…I just love them. Do you think she would know where to look if they went missing? ;)

And finally, Table #3 – Cornucopia and Pinecones

Isn’t this an unusual (and beautiful) cornucopia? And a lovely mix she has incorporated into a centerpiece.

As I look through my pictures I realize I didn’t take pictures of our fabulous meal—we’re a big cooking family, and there’s always way too much food. I was either taken by the table (very likely), or very hungry (very likely). Note to self: Take pictures of the food this year!!

I leave you with Mr. Turkey—my cheese ball appetizer—and their darling little grandson, perplexed by this goofy-looking turkey! :)

Wishing you a blessed and happy Thanksgiving, surrounded by loved ones.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

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Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Thanksgiving Blessings Mix

I sure hope I’m not the last person in the USA to learn about Thanksgiving Blessings Mix! I don’t know how I’d missed this really cool mix…kind of like a Chex mix, but its ingredients represent various aspects of Thanksgiving. In the event that there’s one person left who hasn’t seen it, I wanted to hurry up and get it out there—especially for YOU, if you’ve missed it!

I found various versions, and after much searching I was unable to find the author, to make sure I wasn’t violating any copyright laws (if anyone knows differently, please let me know). At any rate, after reviewing various versions I tweaked it a little bit, so this is my version.

I also adapted the “recipe”—really, a recipe? It’s throw in some of this, and add some of that. I followed the ingredients loosely, and didn’t measure a thing.

My version includes:

Original Bugles

Pretzel twists

Candy corn

Craisins

Nuts and seeds: Mixed nuts, because that’s what I had at home, and sunflower seeds

M&Ms: Peanut M&Ms, because that’s what I like best. I didn’t think to look for some in fall colors, so I ended up with a mix that included bright blue—see them in the big jar on the left? They might as well have neon lights on them! I decided the blue had NO PLACE in a Thanksgiving mix, so I pulled those out (and you know what I did with those…well, there was no sense trying to find a small container to store them, right???).

Semi-sweet semi-sweet chocolate morsels

See what I mean about the blue? They could NOT stay.

We’re having Thanksgiving dinner at my brother and SIL’s log cabin. I’ll be taking this big jar of Thanksgiving Blessings Mix as one of the appetizers. I’m pretty sure it’ll be a big hit.

I put a scoop in the jar, to make serving easier (and yes, more sanitary). I have several of these scoops in various sizes and love them. The jar is one of three that we use to store our chips and other munchies, so it and the scoop won’t be hostess gifts.

  Speaking of scoops…this one came home with us when we met friends in Richmond, Indiana and went antiquing a few weeks ago. I’ve never seen one like it…on the inside it says that a level scoop equals a 1/4 cup. Pretty cool.

Our son and DIL and their three chickadees will be visiting some of her family in Indiana for Thanksgiving :(, so I prepared a jar of Thanksgiving Blessings Mix for them to take to her family, and one for her parents.

The “recipe” made enough for these three jars plus one medium jar for us to enjoy. I plan on buying more bugles (that’s the only ingredient that I used all of) and making more to take to our neighbors, our favorite lunchtime server and hostess at Max & Erma’s, and a friend whom we see there once a week.

This precious cup was part of an auction box lot…Love it. This fall it has held the acorns Baby Love and I picked up while her little brother played T-ball. He and I are planning on a picking those cute, tiny pinecones from their Canadian Hemlock tree soon. :)

I leave you with my best wishes that your Thanksgiving is filled with happy moments and Blessings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me and let’s talk!

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Sunday Creative Home and Garden Hop at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/

Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

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Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

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Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

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Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

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Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

Saturdays at I’m Only One Woman at http://iamonly1woman.blogspot.com

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Thanksgiving Dress Rehearsal

I haven't done a tablescape for a few weeks; afterall, we did have a wedding to prepare for--and happily.  But amazingly, I've missed my tablescape blogging friends, and since I'm new to blogging I have now realized that there are different friends for different types of posts.  I'll get this all figured out soon, I hope.  :)

I've done quite a bit with fall now, so I wanted to do something a little different.  I decided I wanted to do a fall table, but using my blue and white floral Spode...something that I could maybe use for our Thanksgiving table.  Hmmmm.  I usually think of blue and white as a cool, summer setting, or perhaps a winter one, but fall?  I really had to think on that one. 

Then it came to me--add brown.  Not orange (I'm kind of OD'd on orange right now).  I envisioned small twig pumpkins for each placesetting, but how many stores would I have to hit before I found them (I did hit 2--nothing of the sort).  So "shopping" at home was the next best thing, and here's the end result.

My first challenge was the table cover/linens, because I wanted the warmth of textile.
My pashmina/silk shawl, in blues and browns and golds fit the bill.
For the real Thanksgiving dinner I think I'll use a neutral tablecloth, and use the shawl as
an additional layer.

Because the shawl has gold in it too, I wanted to work with golds instead of silver...
and it just so happens that my dear grandmother gave me a set of gold flatware
years ago.  It was starting to come together.
I used our Lenox Eternal dinner plates as chargers, only to bring the touch of gold and
additional dimension.
Blue & white dishes:  Spode Delamere
Brown turkey plates:  Royal Stafford
Water goblets:  Pottery Barn, many years ago
Wine stems:  Pristine by Reizart/Gorham

Amazingly, my shawl has blue accents...perfect for the dishes.
Isn't it awesome how things sometimes just come together?
We might not know where we're headed with a tablescape, and it slowly begins
to evolve as we shop the house.  FUN.

More accessories falling into place...
The acanthus leaf centerpiece from my mother years ago, snippets of brown leaves
from the fall decorating bins, and candles and crystals from
our son's recent wedding.
Repurposing!

Remember Bombay Company? Much of my blue and white is from there...still miss that store.
The beautiful paperweight was a gift from our DIL's uncle--handmade by him!  What a beautiful piece!

Rumpled linen napkins (Crate & Barrel) to match the rumpled shawl.

See who's watching all the goings on??  Jack-o-lanterns!  They're making sure
I don't forget THEIR holiday and go directly to Thanksgiving!

Daytime...Chance to see what the REAL table will look like.

So tell me...will you be serving Thanksgiving at your house?

Do you know how you're going to set your table?  I'm glad to have my table setting

"issues" resolved!  But I'm wondering about the candles.  Do you light candles

during daylight meals?  And if no, do you still have them on the table?

I love to hear from you. Every comment goes to my email, so I won't miss it.  And if you're

kind enough to follow me I promise to follow you back.

I'm joining these fabulous parties this week, and I hope you will too.

 The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

 Homemaker on a Dime, Sunday at http://www.homemakeronadime.com/p/link-parties.html

 Motivated Monday at http://becolorful.typepad.com/  

 Debbie’s Newbie Party on Monday at http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/

 Marty's Table Top Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 

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 Susan's Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

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 Courtney’s, Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

 Honey's Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

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