I am thankful for all of you today!
Thank you for sharing your stories with me; they remind me of why I write.
Thank you for sharing your successes with making ends meet.
Thank you for sharing your tips on saving money that help all of us.
Happy Thanksgiving
I’ve lived in Las Vegas for 18 years, and every year, the wind comes in on Halloween or the day before, bringing a drastic drop in temperature and signaling the end of warm days for the year. According to the weather predictions, the same was set for this year. Sunday it was 84°F. Wednesday it…
I am thankful for good friends and acquaintances who influence me in positive ways. What are you thankful for today?
Today, I’m thankful for my husband’s patience as I drew and redrew part of the garden plans both inside and outside. We discovered that our wall on the east side of the garden is not straight; we had measured it along the back of the garden near the fig tree, but it is considerably shorter…
Today marks the 200th day without rain in Las Vegas. Our normal rainfall here is 4 inches (10 centimeters) a year, and we’ve only received 2 inches (5 cm) this year. We had a very wet spring, thankfully, but a very dry winter is predicted. We’re also having record heat for this time of year!…
It’s the last day of the month. There are so many things I had hoped to accomplish this month: sew presents, work in the garden, and organize things in the house. A few are done; most are not yet. Tomorrow starts a new month, and I will continue to work to accomplish my goals. I’m…
I’m thankful that I was able to deliver photos that I took of my great-nephew’s baby blessing to his parents today. It was my first time using the website to transfer photos to someone and it was a learning curve for me. I offered to take photos of a few families locally for free…
I am thankful for a very full belly tonight. And we still have apple pie in the oven.
Thank you Brandy for always working so hard and sharing with us all that you do on such a lovely website. I learned a lot about saving and being frugal from you. 🙂
I’m thankful for YOU everyday! You are always on my mind and in my thought processes. I’m so thankful that you have taught me so much about what is really important in this life. I hope you and your family have had a blessed Thanksgiving!
Today I am thankful for many things; for friends near & far who support & help me when I need an assist, for the bounty of the garden with which the Lord has blssed us, and most of all, for my dear family. Today as I cut what will be the last of the tomatoes from the ripening bowls, & simmered them on the stove, I was grateful not only for the tomatoes themselves, but for the knowledge that my oldest daughter’s homemade tomato soup is her youngest daughter’s very favorite meal. As I put the tomatoes thru the food mill, I was thankful once more that my own mother taught me how to preserve the bounty of the garden, to feed us thru the winter. We have so much for which to be grateful. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thank you for you inspiration and determination to lead a beautiful life with what resources you have. You always keep me thinking outside the box to do more for my family.
I’ve been spending some extra time here since you moved your blog and it seems like I’m finding more useful information than ever before–and more inspiration too! With no more flowers in my garden I was looking around to find a small centerpiece for my Thanksgiving table. I looked in the china cabinet first—but no nice candles were appropriate colors, so I went to a couple small keepsakes in there—a cranberry colored shot glass, inscribed from 1901, my late father in law’s momento that probably never saw liquor, and a small glass “bridal basket” in clear. My only choice was some pink dried flowers, which I cut much shorter and put into the tiny “vases.” They were a hit, they were noticed, and the cost was zero–the flowers had been a long ago gift and it’s probably time to get some new ones soon anyhow. Your influence—to use what I already have in a new way! I could splurge on some new candles before the next holiday meal too!
Thank you for the time you share with us here.
I am thankful for all the love in my life and how wonderful small things are when i remember to look. Thanks to everyone on this blog for their ideas and support. Brandy, I am especially thankful for the time you take to keep posting, even when I know you must be super tired. Your optimism and inventiveness come through loud and strong.
I am thankful for all the small and not so small blessings that are so abundant in daily life. I am thankful for the kindness and wisdom shared by those around us. I am thankful to have learned from past mistakes and for the opportunity to rebuild a better future for our family. I am thankful for all that life has to offer.
Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving from your northern neighbours.
I usually buy flowers and arrange them when I host holidays. I usually get 4-6 bouquets for the same price as 1 already made up one at the grocery store. That is very economical, but I decided to save even more this year on decorations.
This year, I decided to do what you did and look in the cupboards, basement and garden for inspiration. My daughter found a pumpkin candle holder decoration in the basement. I surrounded it with a piece of silk fall leaf garland I’ve had for years. I used an old candle and cut the top straight to get rid of the old burnt part. She also found quite a few candles stored in a box from long ago, which I put in places where I can begin to use them.
I washed mini pumpkins I grew in the garden. My husband used his drill to bore holes in them and we used them as candle holders. I had a few 6″ candles. They were dark green (different shades).I bought 2 burnt orange 8″candles (that’s the shortest they had). I used 2 squirrel decorations plus 1 pumpkin candle on one end, the large pumpkin candle holder in the middle, and 2 glass votive holders on the other end. I just randomly mixed the colors in each grouping, and it looked great. I then put the remaing small pumpkins, some with curly tendrils, along the tables and a few acorn squash that were super small and not developed enough to eat. I wanted fall leaves along the table and couldn’t find any, due to not being near a JoAnn’s, so I picked up a few brown ones from the ground, dried them overnight and used them on the tables.
I used the dark green tableclothes with white or cream overlays I use every holiday. One table was one my grandfather constructed at least 40 years ago. It is rather small and we used it as our regular table until we needed more space 1-1/2 years ago when our family grew again unexpectedly. The middle, huge table was my other grandmother’s. (It has leaves and usually lives in a corner with the leaves put away.) My mother made the green tablecloth and lace overlay for that at least 40 years ago as well. The other tableclothes are from yard sales, gifts, etc. over the last many years. The 3rd table in the row is our every-day table, purchased at a garage sale for $75, including 6 chairs, 2 summers ago. The overflow tables are card tables covered with the printed vinal tableclothes I buy at JoAnn’s when they are 70% off.
For dishes, I used my Pfaltzgraff that I received for my wedding over 30 years ago. Over the years, we have purchased more pieces when we can find them, and recently, we have been given boxes and boxes from someone scaling down. Since it is the common white with blue-designed pattern, it’s easy to find. I have around 40 plates with the last gift, and this box held lots of matching glasses and a pitcher I used for water today. Although it has blue designs, I think it goes with the autumn decorations as well as Easter, the next holiday I will host.
My out of pocket cost was $4 for decorations. I paid that for the candles. Also, there was a coupon for buy the candles, get another package for 1/2 price, so I bought a package of Advent Candles to start with the kids on Sunday. We have a book we are going to read each day.
I am thankful for your blog and all the wisdom it shares. I am thankful for kind and gentle women who rejoice in others’ successes. I am thankful for my Lord Jesus Christ and all of God’s mercies and blessings.
Brandy,
The photos of your Thanksgiving table and flowers are simply exquisite – pure eye candy. You are absolutely a talented photographer and composer. The Dusty Miller and the white flowers are harmonious. After reading your blog I will never have a negative thought about Dusty Miller again. I used to pull them up and throw them away and never thought of putting them in an arrangement until I saw your blog! They also look good with marigolds. I have a eucalyptus tree and try to keep it pruned as a bush. I put eucalyptus branches in with my flower or foliage arrangements – they are almost the same color as Dusty Miller and they make any arrangement look beautiful too.
I am so thankful for my family. I am also thankful that my mother and MIL felt well enough to join us for the Thanksgiving meal at our home yesterday (they are old and have some severe health issues).
Since it is the day after Thanksgiving, I am thankful that I won’t have to prepare supper tonight and can enjoy the entire day.
I was surprised at how abundantly the dusty miller grew, and at first I was a bit worried about it, bu the I realized how wonderful it was in arrangements. Now I keep it in check by using it for floral arrangements, which is wonderful!
Oh! By the way, thank you for the tip about cooking the turkey until the meat falls(or easily pulls) off the bone. I did what you said and just pulled the meat off and served it up that way. It was so much easier and saved loads of time. I’ve been trying to carve a turkey right for years – the way you showed us how is so much better! You are such a blessing – I am so thankful I found your site.
I am going to try your recipe for Chicken(Turkey) Devan.
Marivene, I think we are much alike 🙂 I just finished up the last of my inside-ripened tomatoes 2 weeks ago,
simmered them, food-milled them and got 4 last quarts “of deliciousness”, as my youngest says.
I’m thankful the recipes I make for Thanksgiving aren’t well-known here so nobody knows if I screw them up! I’m actually not a bad cook; but I’ve agreed to bake a pumpkin pie for a friend of mine who is a chef, and I’m oddly relieved she doesn’t know what they should look or taste like so she can’t really find fault with mine – if it’s a complete flop, well, I can pass it off as “Oh yeah, they’re supposed to look like that.” 😉
I am so thankful for a meaningful Thanksgiving, food a-plenty, and being with my family.
Beautiful table setting, Brandy. I am thankful for so much this year. Answered prayers are what come to my mind first. We have been provided for in times of struggle. We are safe and healthy and loved. Thank you for your inspiration and knowledge, Brandy. You are a blessing to me.
I have kept a gratitude journal for years as recommended by Ann Voskamp and others. I believe the key to an abundant life lies in being grateful to God for our blessings and focusing on them rather than our problems and issues. I can tell that you and many of your readers do too, Brandy. I read once that what we focus on magnifies in our life. Thank you for the example you set of an attitude of gratitude for what you have and the contentment that comes when you know it’s “enough.”
What a gorgeous table! You are gifted.