Not Your Usual Thanksgiving Blog Post...

I know...Thanksgiving?

On MY blog...

the lady who basically skipped Fall and went head on into Christmas?

Well, this is Thanksgiving Day, after all.

 So I thought I'd share a few Thanksgiving memories...

and maybe these will tell the story of why it's not my favorite Holiday.

And before you say it, YES, I am grateful and all that good stuff:)

So here goes, in no particular order.

Good Memory...or should I say the BEST memory:

~A big family...aunts, uncles cousins, sisters...

CRAMMED around a verrrrry long table in my Grandma's basement.

The mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy, rolls and pumpkin pie were amazing.

The cranberries...not so amazing, at least to this kid.

And news flash...I NEVER liked Grandma's famous "ambrosia" salad.

I mean, a fruit salad with whipped cream sounds great.  Throw in marshmallows...kinda yucky.

And throw in nuts...REALLY yucky.  

There...I admitted it.  But everything else was SO good!

Best of all...the memories of our family together before everyone sort of scattered.

Lots of people crowded around a big table...that's Thanksgiving to me!

Good Memory:

watching football.

But girls are in the kitchen doing dishes.  Didn't you hear?)

 However, if my beloved Dallas Cowboys or Miami Dolphins were playing...look out:)

 Funny Memory...

The time my mother-in-law visited us over Thanksgiving and made a BIG deal about her cooking the best turkey.

I graciously gave in and let her be in charge of the turkey.

When my husband tried to slice it, we were shocked that there was no meat.

Then my husband looked at me and mouthed the words...

"She cooked it upside down.  This is the back, not the breast.

DUH!!!!!

Rather than admit what she clearly did and have a good laugh, she kept saying through the WHOLE dinner that I must have picked out a bad turkey.

Uh yeah...RIGHT!

BAD Memories:

Okay, the first time I MET my mother-in-law was when Phil took me over for Thanksgiving.

AWKWARD.  

Even worse was when my future sister in law and I went in the kitchen after dinner to do dishes...

she washed and I dried and put away.

When my MIL came in to see how it was going,

she found that I had DARED to put away the dishes and pots and pans WITHOUT

placing a paper towel in between each layer.

What the heck???  Who does that??? It wasn't even china, for pete's sake!
Oh well...needless to say not a good start.

WORST Memory:

One year my friend Deborah told me I hadn't lived if I didn't order a fresh turkey from a local, upscale meat market.

You know..."everyone who is anyone in Palm Beach orders these turkeys.

So I ordered my fresh turkey and invited my parents over for Thanksgiving.

The food id on the table, grace is said...and I take a big bite of juicy white meat.

And oh my gosh...I nearly puked on the table.

SERIOUSLY!!!!!

It was so gross!

And that, my sweet friends, is why you hear me say I hate turkey.

Oh, I'll eat it. My favorite sub at Publix is  turkey sub.

But the smell of a roasted turkey reminds me of that fresh turkey.

And THAT makes me want to be sick:)

Okay, that's enough.

What I DO believe...and the reason I don't make a big deal out of turkey day,

is that I AM BLESSED every single day...

 and being thankful IS important...and I AM!

So, rather than listing what I am grateful for, let me cut to the chase here and say I am GRATEFUL to God, because all that I am and all that I HAVE is because of HIM.

So on that note, HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone!

Have fun with family, make some memories, eat some turkey if you must, be happy...

and THANKFUL!!!

Now can I focus on Christmas?  

Please?????

PINK Favorite Things...

Did you see Oprah's Favorite Things show?

Pretty AMAZING!!!!!

It got me thinking...what are a few things I'm LOVING right now.

Pink things...of course:)

First up...

Philosophy shower gels...

they smell sooooooo good!

 Snowflake cookies...

tied with a pretty pink ribbon.

YUM!!!!!

Pretty pink earrings...

so sweet!

 This gift tag...pink velvet ribbon and a clockface....

Beautiful!

 And last but NOT least...this ADORABLE pink mini cooper...

Taylor's favorite car and somebody was genius enough to paint theirs pink!

Tell me, WHEN will these car makers realize there are TONS of pink ladies out there to buy a pink car?????

That's it for today.  Wish I could do more but a nasty cold is messing with me:)

Please visit Beverly, our gracious hostess, to find a list of all the lovely pink ladies at the party today!

Shabby Chick's Gift Picks...

Ho, Ho, Ho...

in the spirit of keeping things simple this year,

let's talk about JAR gifts.

We've all received them...

and personally, I LOVE em!

I mean...a cookie or brownie mix in a jar, eliminating most of the work...

NICE:)

To borrow a line from Paula Deen, these are 

NOT YO MAMA'S JAR GIFTS!

Read on...

First up, Red Velvet Cupcakes in a Jar...

MMMmmmmmmm!

Now, I LOVE, red velvet cake...or any cake for that matter...

and you could use any cake you like.

It's just that it's red...Christmas...you get it:)

These might fall into the hostess/party favor/neighbor gift category as it is 

all baked and ready to eat fairly soon, you know?

But how pretty and festive...and YUMMY!

For instructions, go to MYCAKIES...

and FYI...I bet you could use a box mix if you like.

Okay, PIE anyone?

How cool is this?

PIE in a JAR... GENIUS!!!

For instructions, go to Our Best Bites...

and save me some:)

By the way, I like cherry, blueberry, pumpkin...

pretty much love it all:)

And now that we've all gained about 10 pounds...

(hey...it's the Holidays so who's counting, right:)

How about a gift for the Blogger in your life...

or someone who has always wanted to keep a journal but

gets frustrated trying to think of what to write about...

A JOURNAL JAR!

This is a GREAT idea.

Some people don't need writing prompts...but I DO!

Tell me what to write about and I will ramble...as you well know:)

I read how someone made one for their teens to help 

them with their journaling.

I do believe some of the luckiest people around are those

 who have kept diaries or journals.

We all get stuck once in awhile...just like this cutie... 

so how cool would it be 

to reach in and pull out your daily writing prompt.

You could actually make a journal jar, put it in a gift basket with a few pens/pencils and a hardcover journal...maybe add some tea or hot cocoa for those cozy moments spent journaling...a great gift!

Journal samples...

Write about your favorite job.

Write about leaving the nest and the first time you lived away from home.

 If you had to live in a different time, what would it be and why?

You get the drift...

You could use any decorative jar or using scrapbook materials, decorate one yourself.

http://quazen.com/recreation/crafts/how-to-make-a-journal-jar/

If you search for "journal jars", you'll find tons of sites

with ideas, questions, tips...

They don't have to be fancy or complicated...

just strips of paper with various thoughts on them.

thequeenofcreativity.blogspot.com

All you have to do is copy and paste the writing ideas on to a document and cut them out.

And you could change this up a bit and make a MEMORY JAR,

SCRIPTURE JAR, UPLIFTING THOUGHT FOR THE DAY JAR...

So that's it!

I'm actually just starting to Christmas shop so 

I"LL BE BACK

with shopping ideas very soon...unfortunately, the kind that cost $$$$...

but this year, I'm going to try to keep it REAL SIMPLE!

Happiness is...

...PINK Saturday!

And today is a special one for this shabby chick...

because Beverly from How Sweet The Sound has FEATURED me on

today's Pink Saturday.

THANK YOU Beverly...

can you see me blushing...PINK, of course:)

As always, it's so wonderful of you to take the time to create a special day for us pinkies!!!

Now...I always thought if this happened I would have the most AMAZING

pink post ready to go.

What is it they say about the "best laid plans"...

they do go astray sometimes, don't they!

In between getting my house painted and just generally running on empty,

I'm afraid this is NOT the PINK blockbuster I had planned.

And to all who visited my blog for the BARN party and

ALL THINGS MERRY & BRITE PARTY, 

I WILL be by to visit...

just a bit late, as usual.

My bed is calling me:)

Okay, okay...enough rambling!

On with my happy pinks for today...

Happiness is TEACUP CANDLES...

made by Taylor. 

 Cute, huh?

Happiness is an adorable feather tree with...

pink starfish:)

Happiness is Jordan's "cashmere" pink tree 

and stocking 

 with the CUTEST ornament EVER.

 (tree...Walmart...$20...not too "shabby":)

Happiness is a fluffy pink tutu...

 just like a Southern BELLE!

And last but not least...

Happiness is a yummy PINK cake ball.

 These are sooooooo good!

(visit Bakerella.com for recipes and instructions)

Well, that's it for my pink pretties today.

I hope you like them.

Grab a cup of tea (or light a candle) and make yourself some cake balls.

You'll be so happy you did and your PINK saturday will be even more special!

PINK XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Nutcrackers, Barns and Christmas...Oh My!

I know what you're thinking...

I've finally lost it!

Well maybe...maybe not:)

We have a lot going on at the Shabby Chicks place today...

White Wednesday...

A barn party with the Barn Chicks...

and we're getting ready for Christmas with

All Things Merry & Bright!

So let's get started...

White Wednesday is a cool group who link up with 

Kathleen at Faded Charm

This is where the Nutcrackers come in.

Would you believe I am painting my house tomorrow just to go with the

9 ft. WHITE Christmas tree that is arriving on Friday?
Yes, I am crazy!
My girls say this is my "Martha" side coming out...
everything has to be "perfect".
Whatever...
not perfect, just kind of perfect:)
So I found some beautiful Nutcrackers this week.
The first one is from Joann's and is 20 inches tall,
dressed in cream and white glitter...

 GORGEOUS!!!
The next 2 guys are a silver and champagne color from Michael's.

 (Don't you LOVE the coupons from these stores?)
Anyway, I wasn't sure how to decorate this year until I found these guys and it hit me...
it's my GLAM Christmas with metallics (even pink:) and glitter!!
(I still love Pink for my pink friends...
but it goes better in the rest of the house:)
And speaking of Nutcrackers,
my daughter got a pic of the tutu she will be wearing for the Nutcracker last night.
This is it...

 a real tutu fit for the Snow Queen,
white with silver stitching, cream sequins and crystals.

Okay...moving on to barns!
Karen at Brayton Homestead Interiors is hosting a
Barn Chicks Party!!!

 If you like barns...or anything fall/winter/decorating...check it out!
Okay, so my husband recently met someone who lives on a ranch out east
and even he was impressed by the life this guy has.
He said to me "what do you think, could you be happy living like that"?
Ummmm...yeahh!!!
Especially if I can live in a BARN!!!

 (He thinks I'm joking...NOT)
 I mean, Christmas is coming and can you imagine coming home to your BARN
decorated like THIS???

 Or how about a winter wedding in a barn...

(flickr photos...green weddings)
not too SHABBY:)

Speaking of Christmas,
Robin is hosting the
All Things Merry and Brite blog party
on Wednesdays and we
are allowed to post old OR new posts for the Holidays.
I should have SOMETHING here, wouldn't you think?
 I decided to re-post a recipe for Amish Sugar Cookies.

These are so good, so white and sugary and look pretty wrapped in a
clear cellophane bag and tied with a pretty ribbon.
Oh my gosh, I'm making myself hungry for sugar cookies at 8:30 in the morning!
The full post is here but I've included just the recipe for you below.

AMISH SUGAR COOKIES:

Beat Well:

1 C Sugar

1 C Powder Sugar

1 C Butter

! C Corn Oil (We used Canola Oil)

Add and Beat together then add to above mixture:

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Cream of Tarter

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

4 1/2 C Flour

Directions:

Drop a heaping tsp on greased or parchment lined cookie sheet.

Flatten with a glass bottom dipped in sugar.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 min. or till edges are golden.

(Yes, we add a sprinkle of sugar when they come out too...

and do not let them stay on the pan too long or they get too crispy/crumbly)

All I can say is ENJOY!!!!!
And Happy White Wednesday, Barn Chicks Party and
All Things Merry & Brite Day!

Seeing Pink Stars and Cake Plates...

So, I chucked the dishes, laundry and cleaning 

to have some fun with craft projects...

just in time for Pink Saturday. 

I bought a little iron scrolled candle holder and found a pretty plate at a thrift store...

glued them together with epoxy and voila...

 a lovely little cake plate!

I know...kind of basic but for my first one, not bad:)

Then, inspired by one of my favorite blogs,

Tales from an O.C. Cottage,

I started playing with some shells and starfish.

 A bit of paint, glue and glitter...

and they're pretty in pink!

 They look good enough to eat.

Even Freddy think so...

(Now if you visit the O.C. Cottage, look at all of her beautiful glittery goodies...

but please don't compare.

She has made glittered starfish into a fine art form and clearly, 

mine are simply an afternoon craft project:)

But it's a start...and I DID have fun!

And we all need a bit more fun in our lives, right?

Hope YOU have fun visiting all of the ladies from Pink Saturday.

You can find the list of everyone participating at the beautiful blog of our host, 

 Beverly from How Sweet the Sound.

Thank you Beverly! 

A Few of My Favorite WHITE Things...

...for White Wednesday.
(I know...I'm posting this on Tuesday. But for ONCE in my life I would like to be ON TIME for the party!)
Anyway, it's been awhile since I joined Kathleen and the other ladies at Faded Charm's White Wednesday...
And it's so good to be back.
I have a few favorite white things hanging around my house that I want to share.

First up...some white for the kitchen...







I LOVE crowns...and sweater pumpkins;). HomeGoods made me soooo happy wihen I found this crown platter, coffee canister and I also got a crown serving bowl...too. And HomeGoods being HomeGoods...I got them for cheap!!!;)

How about a sweet recipe box with the middle insert made from vintage ceiling tin...for $1.00;)






Moving on...
This used to be a black wrought iron tray. A bit of spray paint later...and it's a chippy white tray. I LOVE the look of mercury glass. Everything but the clear jar with the glass flower shaped topper came from Michael's. Gotta love Michael's!






This is what the little tags reads...






Okay...we started with pumpkins so how about a few Christmas whites...
First up, a fab "Believe" ornament.






Next...my beloved moose. Ever since our summer in Maine where it's ALL about the MOOSE, I've been hung up on them. So when I saw these cuties at Lowe's, I just HAD to bring them home. Hey..."moose" is my Maui's middle name;)






At least I have a little pumpkin in there too.

And since we ARE in the Holiday season now, I can show you a sneak peak of my Snow Queen preparing for the Nutcracker...





















Happy White Wednesday my friends! To see WAY more amazing white goodies, head over to www.fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com