WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!

On this Thanksgiving Eve, Don and I want to wish all of our blog followers a Blessed Thanksgiving.  We are spending today remembering the Thanksgivings from our past.  Cruising thru Google images we found some pics that reminded us of those days long gone.

The Norman Rockwell image was closest to my past.  Thanksgiving was usually at my Grandparents Nelson. There would be as many as could be squeezed around their dining room table. Although they never put the 'uncut' turkey on the table, it would be a hugh one (20+ pounds) sliced on platters (one for dark meat and one for white meat, [I am a dark meat person]). There would be cranberry sauce and a cranberry congealed salad (both homemade and oh so gooood!!). Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top,cornbread dressing,  greenbeans out of one of our gardens, sliced tomatoes,giblet gravy, hot rolls with real butter, ice tea, and for desert would be Aunt Mary's chess pies, Grandmother's pound cake, Mama's chocolate cake, and chocolate covered mints. 

Now tomorrow Don and I will have turkey (20+pounds) (I don't know how to cook any other size), turnip greens, canned cranberry sauce, dressing (Pepperridge Farms Herb dressing mix), cornbread muffins, mashed white potatoes ( I never had these for Thanksgiving or Christmas until I married Don and he never had one without it!!), giblet gravy, coffee or lemonade. Pumpkin pie for desert. Following in the American tradition I will spend the morning in the kitchen (starting around 6am) and we will eat around 2pm. The first Thanksgiving I fixed it took Don only 17 minutes to eat dinner.  8 hours work for me and 17 minutes for him to eat.  That's about right for us. HoHum.
I hope all of you are with your families and do take your time eating dinner even if it is only tacos or hamburgers.

I added Charlie Brown and Snoopy because I always watched their Holiday specials. And I am adding this next pic just because it is pretty.

I am linking this post to Vintage Thingie Thursday
http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/2011/11/vintage-thingie-thursday-vintage-recipe.html
and here is my thingie.  This little turkey dates back to the 1980's and I bought it go in a flower arrangement for Thanksgiving. Been using it every year (not always in a flower arrangement). To be mostly styrofoam he has held up pretty good over the years.

Enjoy the meal and remember to give thanks for all our blessing. We are looking forward to some peace and quiet.
Don and Mary

MORE LAST MINUTE

Well the vest is coming along. Today I laid out the red roses (her favorite color and flower) and started the background ribbon and embroidery.

I tried the roses with no extra colors and with yellow and blue flowers. I think I will stick with the red roses and other red flowers and will add some blue beading with the green and red beading. 

















I have done the background embroidery and used straight pins to hold the bulky flowers in place. I will not sew them on until I sew the vest together. I am pretty good at hiding the stitches and not going thru to the lining, so I don't worry about that.

I am holding down the ribbon with green seed beads and using a varigated green embroidery floss and my favorite stitch - the feather stitch to spread out beaded flowers and buds.

I have a collection of embroidery hoops. Some of them my mother and grand mother used 80 years ago.  They are the best, made with strong wood and brass screws.  They may never fall apart, atleast in my life time.  They  weigh more than the newer cheap hoops that fall apart and the rivets fall out that hold the screws.  They (the newer ones) are just chinese garbage. My older ones were made in England and the US back when people made things to last and were proud of their products.  I guess I need to get off of my soap box and get back to work.


Tonight we went to church. We had our Christmas service and communion. It was done in candle light and was so pretty.  It was just a simple service of carols and special music. John Tidwell played his guitar and sang some lovely carols. He has such a beautiful baritone voice and plays classical guitar style. He is a local disc jockey at 97.7 The Peach in Chilton county (our neighbor county).  Chilton is renowned for their peach crops and rival Georgia in production.  He did the music at our wedding last year and brought tears to my eyes when he sang "Annie's Song" by John Denver.  That is such a beautiful love song. Anyway, he always provides beautiful music at our little church. 
After the sevice we gathered in the kitchen and OD'ed on sweets and lots of out of this world food.  We have one lady that has a catering business and she always brings such scrumptious food.  All of the ladies are really good cooks and of course being Baptist we all try to out do each other in a friendly rivalry. As Don says: 'It makes for some fantastic food.' He never wants to miss a meal at church.  I guess this is all for today. I am going to get up in the morning and finish the vest.
PS they are using that 4 letter 'cuss word' that starts with s and ends with a 'w' for Christmas day.  That would really be something.  I have only seen one White Christmas in my life and I had to fly 5000 miles to Alaska for it. 
Merry Christmas to all and don't forget the real reason for the season. Our Lord and Savior's Birth.
Mary