Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Grateful

 
 We had a big crowd for Thanksgiving.  It was wonderful to have all my kids home, and the extended family and friends with us to celebrate Thanksgiving.
 I set several tables for 25.   We had 28, but 7 of these VIP's were children under ten! The color your own place mats are from Paper Source.
 The centerpiece is oranges with cloves on a bed of seeded eucalyptus.  The smell is Thanksgiving itself.  My Mom always made a few studded oranges when we was young.  Smells bring back vivid memories.
 We used every chair available, including the chairs from the deck outside,
 I cozied them up with a throw and pillow and they worked.  Much more comfortable than a hard chair for after dinner lounging.
Dinner was a little late, but everyone was filled to the brim.  My son in law Doug made the turkey breasts, covered in bacon and sitting on carrots.  There is a french term for this which I have forgotten, but all our turkey eating guests were wowed.  (I am not a fan of turkey and so appreciated not having to make one this year.) I always forget to photograph the table, and remembered when everyone was already through the buffet.  Never even got a photo of the desserts, where I went overboard.   We spent a quiet Friday and Saturday recovering and putting back all the serving pieces, chairs and tables.  Bed never feels as good as it does after a full house and the hard work of hosting is over.  Thankful for our wonderful family and the many blessing we have to share.

When the dinner was over I helped make a tent with the tablecloths and chairs,  The kids had the best time, cousins and friends.

 Sunday and Monday we had our baby grand for an impromptu sleepover and she helped me with a project.  I have lived with this terracotta tile surround for long enough.  I took down some of the trim...(Be careful Grandma, that's dangerous, you could fall backwards!) and painted the mantle with chalk paint.  Then I watered down some paint to cover the tiles.  A couple of weeks ago I started the process by painting the brass surround black. Why would I start this project while caring for a 4 year old?...  I wanted it done before I started to decorate for Christmas, and I have plenty to do in the weeks ahead. After a busy and fun day together on Sunday, Penny was happy to watch movies and help Grandma.  She really is the best!
 Just a wash, not a solid painting.  I will sand down the mantle a little and maybe wash off some of the paint after it's all done.
 Those two bottom tiles were painted by Penny.  She has the crafty gene.
This is what my house looks like right now.  A mixture of Thanksgiving, home improvement and Christmas.

Will this project come out the way I envision it?  Will I ever get all of the Autumn stuff put away?  Stay tuned! ;-)

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy this beautiful day!
Love, Penny


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