Next week my little family will consume two huge Thanksgiving feasts.
Southern cornbread dressing. Squash casserole. Green bean casserole. Copper pennies (marinated carrots ~ also very Southern) . Ham. Yeast rolls. And two gigantic roasted turkeys.
All within 6 hours of each other.
The first meal will be with my Daddy’s huge family. There will be hugging aunts, running children, and heavy dishes passed down the very long table. You can read more about them here.
Our second meal will be a little less overwhelming. But not much.
By then the children will be crying from exhaustion. And the mamas will be hunting in the kitchen for the largest wine glasses we can find.
But before the feasting festivities begin, I want to have a little Thanksgiving of our own.
A meaningful Thanksgiving.
The inspiration for the table came from the turkey salt and pepper shakers. Since they are green, I gathered everything I could find that might coordinate.
The heavy gold tablecloth was a bit too formal. I was grumbling about wishing I had some burlap when Honey offered me some of his burlap.
“What? You have burlap?! Why do you have burlap?”
Turns out one of the hottest trends in decorating is also used to build hunting blinds.
Who knew?!
Fancy wedding china was layered with a gold charger then a linen napkin. A small piece of Amber glass with a faux pear was added. I love the simple twine bow.
What makes it meaningful for me are the photographs of our family. It makes us smile to remember our children so small. The children love looking at themselves and hearing stories from when they were little.
See the picture of me and Honey? That was our first Thanksgiving.
At my grandmother-who-has-nine-children’s house. Honey must really love me.
For fun I created a few Thankful question cards for us to answer as we enjoy dinner together.
“What is one thing you do with Mama that makes you happy?” I think I already know the answer to that one. Bet it involves baking.
“What is the yuckiest food at Thanksgiving?” This one is for Little Boy. His gag reflex kicks in at the sight of green bean casserole, so the answer he gives should be interesting.
Big Boy will roll his eyes at having to read during dinner but I want start the discuss of how blessed we are and how grateful we should be.
Other questions are…
Who is your favorite relative to see a Thanksgiving?
What is one thing you do to help our family?
What is your favorite food we eat at Thanksgiving?
What is one thing you do with Daddy that makes you happy?
Why is our town a great place to live? (This is important because Big Boy is still upset about having to move last year.)
Remember to take the time to make your Thanksgiving meaningful with the ones you love.
I love to share my projects with these fabulous blogs:
Get You DIY On {A 16 Week Fall Party Challenge} @ Just a Girl and Her Blog, Make Monday @ Kitchen Table Art, Inspiration Monday Party @ I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Too Cute Tuesdays @ Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Pin Me Linky Party @ Diana Rambles, What I Whipped Up Wednesdays @ Sugar and Dots, BeBetsy, It’s a Party @ A Creative Princess, Southern State of Mind, What we love Wednesday @ Soda Pop Avenue Work, It Wednesday @ The Blissful Bee, Give Me the Goods Monday @ Rain On a Tin Roof & So Much Better with Age, Shine on Fridays @ Young and Crafty, Inspire Me Tuesdays @ A Stroll Thru Life, Savvy Southern Style, Crystal and Co. with The Mommy Club: Share Your Resources and Solutions , The Chic and Crafty Linky Party with The Frugal Girls & Share Your Creativity Saturdays with Aimee at It’s Overflowing, My Love for Words Lovely Ladies Linky Party.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE as always! That is a wonderful way to engage the kids in some dinner conversation! Love the photos, too! Great for place cards! But, where is the blog on great Christmas Gift Ideas for Teachers? 🙂
I know. I know. I do need to do a post about teacher gifts!
Hope you and your family have a wonderful, meaningful Thanksgiving!
xoxo, Ashley
I LOVE this post! The question cards are a great idea and I love having pictures on the table to decorate.. It’s so easy and anyone can copy it! Great job!
Copy away, girlfriend! And spread the word about how fabulous the blog is to all our teaching buddies!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Ashley
What a great way to reunite the family traditions. I have older kids and plan to add some photographs and questions to make our Thanksgiving more meaningful. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Nancy!
Thanks so much for stopping by! I know your children will love having photographs of themselves on the Thanksgiving table, too. I’d love for you to follow along so you can see all the fun I’m planning for Christmas.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Ashley
Such cute ideas to use at your Thanksgiving table Ashley- I love the cards and the photos are precious:)