A Small Start

I had a wonderful holiday weekend, as I hope everyone had. A lot of cooking, a lot of eating, a lot of cleaning, a lot of shopping (for me, anyway). Some time spent on Saturday helping mother-in-law out with shopping and cleaning. By Sunday, I was bushed!  As in, even if I was seriously planning on beginning the Christmas decorating I would not have had the energy to do so.  So I didn't. I did, however, pick up a couple of poinsettias I saw Saturday. One for me, one for mom-in-law. This picture doesn't do it justice, it's a lovely plant.

Then I remembered that my Santa snowglobe I picked up at Home Goods last year was tucked safely in my curio cabinet, quite easily accessible.

I now officially have a Christmas vignette on my livingroom table, a small beginning, but a good start. I suppose it may be better balanced with a third piece just to the right of the snowglobe, but let me tell you, I need to keep the coaster placed and available for when someone puts their ever-present soda there. (Sorry these pictures are so light, they always look so good on my camera display screen!  My hubby might be picking up on my hinting for a new camera for Christmas, shhh!)

Since I made a start, I finished the prep work by putting away the Thankgiving and fall decor. Obviously not quickly enough, the gold chargers I had wiped clean and stacked on the staircase to be stored under my bed found a new use by my kitty, Ms. Missy. 

Who knew that plate chargers could do double duty as a kitty bed?

Linking up with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

and Marty at A Stroll thru Life for Table Time Tuesday.

Thanksgiving 2011

We gathered around the table Thursday for Thanksgiving 2012.  My hubby and I prepped and plotted and got the traditional turkey on for the five of us. My hubby also did a ham this year, as he's not a big turkey eater. In fact, the large turkey platter I scored at Goodwill this summer got confiscated for the ham presentation, as it needed a large one. No matter, I always carve the turkey and serve slices on the table, so was able to use a smaller platter for it.

I had showed my planned table setting earlier this week, and lamented that I didn't have another plate to use for bread. Well, on Wednesday I made one more super quick pop into the GW, and found the perfect 6-pack of bread and butter plates for $3.

I pulled out our Reed & Barton flatware to use for the dinner, and was very pleased with how everything worked together. Ultimately, we were all seated together over a predictable but well appreciated Thanksgiving meal, and enjoyed the day and each other.  I hope everyone enjoyed all the blessings of the day.

Note:  I had to go back and edit this a week after posting. I am in the middle of scrubbing pots and pans when it occurs to me.... I put Thanksgiving 2012 on the header instead of 2011. Bwahahahaa! (And yes, I am one of those people whose lightbulbs go off at odd hours concerning random things, like just when I'm drifting off to sleep I'll have an epiphany about a project at work, and I wasn't even thinking of it.)  So I am now typing with my nitril gloves on, as those pots are still awaiting scrubbing.

 

Thanksgiving Wishes

I did a trial run of my Thanksgiving table tonight. I have been for the past few weeks trying to accumulate fixings for making a lush tablescape for Thanksgiving. I had mentioned in a previous post that due to plumbing issues our wedding china is packed away, so I purchased these white plates at Goodwill.

I am working with a couple of handicaps trying to put together a nice table. One is of course, budget as always. I have been haunting my favorite discount and second-hand stores a lot.  The other is storage, with an eye for packing in the not-too-distant future. We hope to sell and move across country this year (more to come on that as it develops) and I am supposed to be eliminating possessions, not adding to them.

I couldn't resist some few items, tho. Besides the plates, which at $1 each for 6, will cover both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and cost cheaper than nice disposable dinnerware.  The gold chargers were gotten at Bed, Bath & Beyond, I was so proud of myself for getting the 6 for $8.  I've since been seeing them at all the dollar stores. Well, they'll last a good number of dinners, at any rate.  The chamois soft leaves that so many of you have in your stock were purchased at Big Lots, I wish now I had gotten 6 instead of the 5, I might stop on my way home tomorrow. Big Lots is also where I got the nice table runner. 

 Something I had a surprising amount of trouble finding were cloth napkins.  My hubby doesn't care for cloth napkins, but I really wanted to use them. In hunting for them, I was surprised at the prices. I finally broke down and paid $9 for 6 plain cotton green ones at Walmart. An hour later at Ross I found this bundle of beautiful russet damask napkins with a leaf pattern on it, clearanced at $6. Yay, just the price I was looking for. The green ones will still work for Christmas.  At Annes Linens next to Ross I picked up the napkin rings for 50 cents each. 

I really, really wanted to find a set of those lovely leaf dishes people all over blogland are using as salad plates. The ones I saw were priced too much to validate them for this year's table, tho I might make that investment next year. In my now daily stops at Goodwill I've been fantasizing about finding a set of 6 amber or sage green glass salad plates at a killer deal, but somehow those have not materialized on their shelves.  So the place setting is rather simple, a single dish on a charger, but it works. The flatware I have here on my sample setting is our everyday stuff, I don't even know who makes it. I'll pull out our fancy stuff for Thursday's dinner. The stemware is my wedding crystal, Mikasa Park Avenue. I'm sure an assortment of everyday glasses will join it later, my family will be wanting soda with dinner, and I don't have the more appropriate iced tea glasses. Ultimately, that family around the table is much more important than what's on it, so it will be as it should be.

May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving, and a wonderful weekend.

I am linking with Marty at A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday.

I am also linking at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.