Happy Thanksgiving!

The Skeleton Crew awoke before the crack of dawn to get the turkey in the oven for Thanksgiving dinner. We all have different preferences when it comes to our beverage of choice in the morning and some choose more wisely than others but all that matters in the end is that dinner is served.

One thing I am grateful about at Thanksgiving is not having to make a lot of decisions about the menu, although including everyone's favorite side dishes can be tricky. Every once in awhile it's fun to add a weird veggie, if only to scare the picky eaters. I'm afraid putting this purple cauliflower on the table might be going a little too far. Maybe it will work better in the centrepiece?

Then there is the decorating. Let's face it, Thanksgiving decorations barely exist and there are only so many turkeys you can put around a house before it starts looking like a miniature poultry farm.

So creating a Thanksgiving atmosphere relies mainly on pumpkins. They look ok in a group and usually look better together than a flock of turkeys -  but once again, a little goes a long way.

 So sprucing up my house for Turkey Day basically comes down to removing the most spooky and overtly Halloween stuff and relegating poor Ivy to whatever closet she will fit into. Burt resumes his post in the corner of the living room with his hat turned around to show the Packers logo. For the most part he's well behaved, although I occasionally find an empty beer can in his hand. Hmmm...

  

I've always liked those cute fabric banners that have been around for awhile but I haven't come across the right one until this fall. I ended up choosing a wrinkled concoction in orange, black and purple. There was just something about it and the price was right so it came home with me. As usual, I had no clue where to put it but after a few tries it ended up in the dining room. Then all too soon Halloween was over and it was time to pack it away until next year.

 I'm embarrassed to admit that once it was gone I really missed that cheap mess. Even though it was always getting caught in the doors, it looked festive and who doesn't like jingle bells? It briefly crossed my mind that it might work for Thanksgiving - in some alternate reality where no one ever laid eyes on it - but eventually I came to my senses and realised I could just make one, duh! It could be in appropriate holiday colors (whatever they might be) and it would be fun. 

The whole thing turned out to be ridiculously simple, even for my limited sewing skills. Skipping the fabric store saved a lot of time thanks to a stash of material left over from making costumes for high school musicals and the odd reupholstery project. My vintage 1960's sewing machine was unearthed and miraculously worked so in a couple of evenings it was done.

Since it's only decorative I used a mix of fabrics but it's mostly inexpensive polyester trying to look like brocade. The rust tapestry-like material came from an old purse, the stripe is actually real silk taffeta (where on earth did I get that?) and the bells were survivors of a pillow Andy's dog ate. 

  The new banner hasn't come apart or fallen down yet, so it's time to get back to work. There's potatoes to peel, cranberries to cook and that table's not going to set itself!

Today and every day, I have so much to be thankful for

and I am most grateful for my family and friends, near and far.

Thank you for dropping by. 

Happy Thanksgiving!