glimpse of our weekend

 

On Thursday we hosted Thanksgiving. This is our second year of doing it.  Since there are 12 of us all together with my parents and brother and his family we set up two long tables in our dining room.  We lit a fire and had candles glowing and it felt very cozy and warm.  For the centerpiece I glittered one pumpkin and painted another.  Both of them took less than 15 minutes to make and were perfect in the center of our table.  My daughter made the place cards.  She used gold ink and thumb print to make turkeys and then wrote every ones names with a gold sharpie.  We put all of the food on the dining room table and set up a drink station (with a delicious cider sangria) and a dessert station so that I was able to enjoy myself too!

 

 

 

I was planning on writing a quote or our menu on the chalkboard but when I went in to the dining room I saw that my husband had written a note instead.  It was too cute to erase so I left it and then later found that my dad had added to the sentiment! 

 

On Friday we went and got our Christmas tree.  We cut down our own and that had some hot cider.  It was such a beautiful evening.  Some friends came with us to cut down their tree and then they and two other families came over to our house for soup, baked brie, and tree shaped brownies.

 

 

On Saturday we decorated our tree.....

 And on Sunday my sister in law and I went into NYC with my daughter to see The Rockettes and the Christmas Spectacular! 

After the show we took a quick trip to the American Girl Doll Store so she could add a few things to her Christmas wish list and then had lunch at a restaurant in Rockefeller Center that looked out on the ice skating rink!

 

We had a fabulous (and very busy) weekend filled with family, friends and lots of fun! I hope that you did too. Today it is snowing and I'm listening to Christmas music.  I have beef stew cooking simmering in the crock pot and I am enjoying a quiet day to catch up and get organized for Christmas!

that's a wrap

I found some paper cocktail napkins that read "Gather Together, Give Thanks, Drink Wine." So I thought they would be cute wrapped up with a tiny bottle of wine.  These would be perfect with a big bottle of wine for a hostess gift or wrapped individually, as I did, for favors or small gifts for your guests and/or friends.  Today I will be cleaning, cooking and setting my table in preparation for tomorrow.  I have so much to be thankful for.  I hope that you all have a wonderful day tomorrow and that it is filled with delicious food and that you are surrounded by all those that you love. 

that's a wrap

Since my daughter's class is studying trees this year and it is also her first grade teacher's birthday this month I thought that I would organize a thankful leaf wreath like I did last year for my daughter's Kindergarten teacher.  I am having so much fun reading all the things that the kids are thankful for in regards to their teacher.  It makes me feel so lucky that my daughter is in her class!  To thank the kids and their families I am giving each of the students a pencil that resembles a piece of wood.  I put them in clear cellophane bags with a thank you note and tied them with twine. 

turkey pop

Today we are going to check out the colorful turkeys at Gozzi Turkey farm.  This week I am volunteering in my son's pre school classroom and always like to bring a craft with me.  I got these lollipops for 50% off after Halloween and thought they would make perfect turkey pops. I traced my son's hand and used that for the feathers, then added some googly eyes and a paper beak.   These would be adorable at each place setting at the kids table or as a favor for your guests. 

that's a wrap

 

An itunes gift card and some pop tarts (his favorite "food") for a little friend's birthday party this weekend.  I wrapped the pop tarts in some scrapbook paper and put both in a clear box.  Instead of ribbon I used some silver star wire to complete the gift.

burlap bags

Back in September I helped design and make the out of town bags for a friends wedding.  The bride loved the burlap bags that I made a few years ago so we did something very similar.  Inside were practical items that everyone seems to need when they are staying in a hotel; aspirin, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc.  Since I also happened to be a guest at this wedding I found that I used almost all of the items that were in the bag.  Later I also found out that one of the guests forgot his belt so he ended up using the rope from the burlap bag..... beautiful and useful!  Love it.

 

 

 

I am thrilled that my daughter's Halloween doll play date is going to be featured on Apartment Therapy today!  You can find it here.