Thanksgiving at Mom & Dad's

When you are one of four kids who have spouses (who are one of three or four kids themselves), significant others, and kids of their own, scheduling is....well, CRAZY.  My parents worked around our schedules and planned a Thanksgiving meal at their house last Sunday. 

We had all the traditional fare; and for the first year, all of the kids brought something to share.  I happily contributed homemade sweet potato souffle (sans marshmallows, add pecans) and pumpkin pie.  I got too caught up in ogling over the adorableness of my niece and nephew (and eating) that I did not take any pictures of our elaborate meal.

I did, however, snag a few shots of my mom's dining room decor for any of you looking for last minute centerpiece ideas of your own.  This year, my mom went with simple, yet beautiful.  (I say simple, because decor in past years have involved such things as my mom drilling holes in over-sized gourds to make gourd vases to line the table.  There you go.  Now you see where I get my craziness creativeness.) 

She started with an over-sized wooden bowl and filled it with all things fall: extra large pine cones, deer antlers from our recent Scotts trip, cabbage planted in ceramic gourd pots, acorns, and decorative balls with fall-like textures (ie, twine, wicker, and feathers).

These photos are very deceiving in terms of scale.  The table the centerpiece rests on is a large square that seats 12 people with 3 on each size.  To give you some perspective, see that large wicker ball in the back?  That has about a 12'' diameter.  Those pine cones are about 12'' long as well.

My parents have a fantastically versatile dining room chandelier.  Essentially, the center is a glass vase that allows them to change out the look from season-to-season (or dinner party-to-dinner party in my mom's case).  I love that the seasonal decor is not limited to the table and sideboard. 

For Thanksgiving, she filled the bottom of the vase with horse chestnuts she collected while visiting my grandmothers in Michigan.  The green leafy stuff (sorry it's so dark!) is more cabbage to continue the look from the table.  She added a few sprigs of red berries from their yard to finish the look.  This room is so gorgeous when all of the surrounding candles (and the wall of candles behind it!) are lit. 

Finally, my mom had her china cabinet all decked out for her Halloween party Thanksgiving.  Note that your buffet or china cabinet need not be limited to the traditional items: dishes, candlesticks, and serving ware.  She has glass cloches, antique bottles, books, and interesting antique finds (such as that iron bathtub foot on the second shelf).  My favorite part of this display, however, is the top.  On the left, she has a grouping that includes a large wicker tray, a wicker covered glass jar, and beautiful green and white pot.  On the right, she has a beautiful antique scale weighing...what else?  A pumpkin!

Ryan and I are celebrating Thanksgiving with his wonderful family in Nashville this year -- with one dinner tonight and a Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow.  The turkey is currently brining in the fridge -- and we will drop it in our Big Easy Oil-less Turkey Fryer this afternoon.  Yummy!

I plan to get ahead on my blog posts while I am here.  A few upcoming posts to look for:

• What I Want for Christmas (I need to post this soon, as the list keeps growing!)
• Giveaway on CyberMonday from M.Elaine Beadworks
• Black Friday Finds

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!