Thanksgiving Tablescape

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year.  I clean, cook and decorate to make our home a welcoming place for my three sons, husband and furbabies.   I have always loved setting a pretty table and each year at Thanksgiving I use our "good" china,  but this year I thought I would break with tradition and try something new.  

I purchased a bronze orange tablecloth to coordinate with some of my favorite dishes.  I love the rich fall colors in these plates.

I purchased them several years ago at Target and display them in my plate rack in the kitchen most of the year.  

The pattern is by Tracy Porter and is from the Octavia Hill Garden collection.  I wish I would have purchased more of the coordinating pieces now.  I will be searching Ebay to complete my set.  

Since I do have three sons I wanted the table to be more natural and woodsy with less of a formal look.

The twig placemats from Pier One were the perfect beginning for layering dishes.  

Last year I found the chargers at Wal-Mart and I've seen them all over blogville.  I love that they are faux wood and the leaf pattern is perfect for any fall table.  I finished layering with a ceramic pumpkin

 from the Dollar Tree.

I love collecting elements for a tablescape.  Little wire placecard holders from Napa Style on our recent trip remind me of the beautiful valley we enjoy returning to each year.

The amber colored stemware belonged to my mother and she gifted them to me when she downsized her home.  They are heavy, not too daintly and

work perfectly for my men.

A centerpiece of pumpkins made from twigs was simple and completed a natural look on the table.

A few grocery store flowers and votive candles finishes my table.  

The table was a more casual setting and we enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal by candlelight.

Desert was a family favorite...a Ribbon cake.  It's a simple and delicious recipe.  I topped it with the last blooming flowers from my garden.

Hope your holiday season is filled with blessings of family, friends and much laughter!


I'm joining:
Beverly's Pink Saturday
Tablescaper's Seasonal Sundays
Marty's Tabletop Tuesday


Go by and visit all these great parties!

Fall Tea with my Favorite Scarecrow

Fall is my favorite season and I've been busy trying to get ready for the holidays and putting my garden to bed for the winter. 

I finally had a day to relax at home and time to 
start thinking about my Thanksgiving table.  I started playing with dishes - one of my favorite things to do!   My favorite scarecrow insisted we sit down for tea in the garden before the weather gets too cold. 

I got out my fall teapot along with some of the leaf dishes I purchased last year at Wal-Mart and put together a little tea table on the patio under our large oak trees.  

I started with my thrift store yellow tablecloth layered with an orange runner found on clearance at Wal-Mart.  

The chargers are from Pier One and I just love the natural element they give to the table.  The sunny yellow melamine dishes are from Target.

Finally I finished layering with the leaf plates 
from Wal-Mart.  

The teapot and cups were purchased 

last year at an antique mall.  I love the leaf motif. 
  

I filled my favorite cloche full of little pumpkins and used it instead of a centerpiece.

The sweet little chicken napkins rings were found in an antique store in Tulsa.  They are vintage and I was tickled to find them.

Scarecrow and I had a lovely time this afternoon as the weather was glorious and the leaves were gently falling all around.  

The cart my sons gave me for Mother's Day is filled with pumpkins and gourds sits near my patio so I can enjoy it everyday.

Next I will start playing around with my Thanksgiving tablesetting and making a centerpiece.  When we were in Napa in September I found some of the cutest wire pumpkin place cards and can't wait to use them. 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and remember to meditate and thank God for all the blessings he has given.   Hope you have a wonderful time with your family!

I'm joining 
Tablescaper's Seasonal Sundays
Marty's Tabletop Tuesdays
Susan's Outdoor Wednesdays
Susan's Tablescape Thursdays
and Cindy's Show and Tell Fridays

It's Finally Really Fall!

It finally feels like a fall weekend!  Pumpkins are out in the yard..leaves are falling and the fescue grass is a beautiful green color under the bluest skies.  

Halloween is almost here and much to do to get ready for our office extravaganza..but I had to snap a few pictures of my fall window boxes and garden cart.  My sons gave this cart to me for Mother's Day...they know me well..I loved filling it full of pumpkins, gourds, mums and kale!

Got to run and finish my shopping before the football game!

Go Sooners!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

I'm joining the Tablescaper's Seasonal Sunday
and
Susan's Outdoor Wednesdays
and 
Tootsie's Fertilizer Friday

Celebrate Fall-Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival

Fall is my favorite season!  I love spring and summer too but fall just feels cozy and comfortable and the  foliage colors are beautiful. 

Pumpkins, pansies,  football and sitting by a fire just makes me happy and I finally get the urge to "bake" something!  I actually "celebrate fall" with warm cinnamon rolls,  a cup of  hot chocolate or spiced teas.  This time of year I love to make homemade soups and chowders.

On our recent trip to California we discovered that the little coastal town of Half Moon Bay also celebrates fall in a big way!  The climate  is perfect for growing  gigantic pumpkins 
-some over 1,000 pounds!   




They have an annual Art & Pumpkin Festival complete with parade and the largest pumpkin contest.  The 41st festival is next weekend and what a great family venue it will be!  We were there a little too early for the festival but the little town was all a buzz getting ready for the big event!  Everyone told us about it and made sure we got a personal invitation.  
What a great small town to live in!

We have decided to plan another trip keeping this is mind. We discovered this charming little historic area of Main Street which parallels Coastal Scenic Highway 1 and had fun shopping and dining along the picturesque street. 

 I took some fun photographs along

 downtown Main Street.    A picture of the corner grocery...

A great outdoor cafe filled with art and pumpkins!

Tile mosaic of Half Moon and a 
signature pumpkin. 

Hand painted and decorated pumpkins.  I especially  like this couple..her hair is made from spray foam insulation and he is wearing the cap from the spray can.  How fun is that?!

The City Jail with the Haunted House in the background...can jails be cute?? This one is!

A purple garden cottage shed in the front 

yard of an artist's studio. 

Mexican heather in full bloom.

Beautiful old church from the 1800's.

A great indoor courtyard with beautiful hand painted murals.  We noticed how many wonderful artists display their work indoor and out in this beautiful area of inspiration!

An old spooky butler greeted us at the door of this gift shoppe. 

Another great mural...this one depicts all the landmarks around Half Moon.

Fabulous flower filled boxes in front of  Pasta Moon-

 a great Italian restaurant!

Side yard of  a Victorian home on Main Street covered in bougainvillea..love the fuchsia pink!

Harvested pumpkin patch on the outskirts of town.

Big brussel sprouts in the next field 

ready for harvest.

We  had a lovely stay at the Ritz-Carlton at Half Moon Bay -really a dream spot on the California  coast!  Bag pipes played at sunset as we sat with blankets next to the firepit listening to the ocean waves crash....

I love fall!

   I'm linking this week with 
The Tablescaper's  Seasonal Sundays
Susan's Outdoor Wednedays
and Tootsie's Fertilizer Friday