Thankful and Blessed

Blessings to everyone today! Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. Today, I am joining Rita @Panoply and a sweet and talented group of bloggers for a Thanksgiving Tablescape Blog Hop. Thank you Rita, for organizing this tablescape hop. I appreciate all your hard work.

At the end of this post, there will be links to bloggers participating in this Thanksgiving  Tablescape Blog Hop. Give them some love and leave them a comment.

 I named my blog post, Thankful and Blessed because I am very thankful and feel blessed to be a part of this group of table stylists as well as the myriad of blessings we have every day. I am setting a more casual table today, and everything can go in the dishwasher except the bamboo cutlery.

Years ago, when brass candlesticks were all the rage, I just had to have this Baldwin Brass lantern. It has a finish that never needs to be polished! I was also attracted to the beautifully curved handle. Years later, I was excited to find another lantern just like it at an estate sale. I  have used both of them in separate rooms on shelves. This is the first time I have used them in a tablescape. It does pay to shop your house!

A white-handled urn holds autumn shades of mums, daises, white carnations, white hydrangeas, and variegated pittosporum for the centerpiece. Faux bittersweet, white pumpkins and silk leaves accent the arrangement.

I love to arrange fresh flowers, but sometimes shopping for flowers where I live can be a challenge. I found out one package was not enough because this one had two lily buds that had not opened. Fortunately, I had more hydrangeas to add from another occasion, so I had enough flowers.  Note to self: don't buy bouquets with lilies. Do you set your table first and then look for flowers? This time I did, but ended up with entirely different flowers than I had in mind. I originally wanted rust alstroemeria and could not find them. I think the assorted colors added more color and variety than one color alstroemeria! I am always learning, which is fun!

The warm tones of the burled wood grain of the table, burlap runner, shiny brass lanterns,  and assorted kinds and colors of fresh flowers provide lots of texture for the season.

My plate stack consists of Mansard by Spode white dinner plate, Walmart charger, Crown Linen cream-colored velvet placemat, Fostoria amber footed goblet, a multi-color cotton damask napkin, and Southern Living bamboo cutlery.

"Hem your blessings with thankfulness, so they don't unravel." Unknown

"An attitude of gratitude is a never-ending prayer."

"All which we behold is full of blessings."William Wordsmith~ 1798

The only day I had to photograph my table was very cloudy, so I had to open the shutters and turn on all the lights and lamps!

🦃🍁🦃🍁🦃🍁 As we look forward to traveling to Colorado to visit our son and family this year for Thanksgiving, I  am remembering a particular Thanksgiving memory that still pulls at my heart. The memory took place in 2007, when my son was stationed in Del Rio, Texas, in the Air Force. Stationed at Laughlin Air Force base, where he was an instructor pilot, he met a young enlisted African man with no family and invited him to have Thanksgiving dinner with us.  He was from the central African country of Cameroon. He told the story of the long struggle he had experienced to immigrate to the U.S. My husband, who loves maps and geography, poured over Google Earth on his iPad with Romeo and found his actual village and very own house. It was very touching to share his joy of seeing his home and village so far away. That was his first American Thanksgiving. I wonder where Romeo is now. That experience truly made us realize how blessed we are to live in a free country and have opportunities for education and advancement. Romeo joined the U.S. Air Force to better himself and allow him to work toward U.S. citizenship. 

So from my house to yours, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. 🍁🦃🍁 We are indeed very blessed. 
"Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving And His Courts with Praise. Give thanks to Him and Bless His Name."Psalm 100:4

Below are the links of those participating in the Thanksgiving Tablescape Blog Hop.

Me and My Captain - Those Were the Days and I Am Very Grateful

Pandora's Box - Thanksgiving Brings Back Memories

Living With Thanksgiving - Thankful and Blessed

Everyday Living - Thanksgiving Traditions

My Hubbard Home - Pumpkins and Pears Thanksgiving Holiday Table

Thrifting Wonderland - Give Thanks...Thanksgiving Tablescape

Panoply - Homeland Merriment Thanksgiving

Home is Where the Boat Is - Porch Dining with Plaid & Proud Tom Turkey

Corner of Plaid and Paisley - Give Thanks

My Thrift Store Addiction - In Everything Give Thanks - Garden Tea for Two

Life and Linda - A Copper and Blue Pumpkin Table

Karins Kottage - Come set an outdoor Thanksgiving table with me

The Painted Apron - Grateful Gathering

Belle Bleu Interiors - A Time to Give Thanks

Dinner at Eight - Patterns in Blue for Thanksgiving

Red Cottage Chronicles - A Cozy Cottage Thanksgiving Tablescape

The Bookish Dilettante - Thanksgiving Table in the Breakfast Room

The Little Yellow Corner Store - A Northwoods Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving!🦃🍁🦃Living Thankfully,

Blessings At Thanksgiving

Today, I am joining a group of table stylists for a Thanksgiving Blog Hop. This group of stylists always amaze me with innovative ideas for table styling. The links to each blogger's table can be found at the end of this post. A special thank you to Rita @ Panoply for coordinating this hop in the midst of packing and moving. We appreciate you, Rita.

Thanksgiving is less than three weeks away. I hope my tablescape will give you an idea or two for your Thanksgiving table. We will be going to my daughter's home for Thanksgiving. However, they will be here this weekend and I am hoping the flowers will still be nice. 

Fresh bittersweet is very hard to come by here. So finding this faux bittersweet that looks very real made my day a few years back.

Candlelight creates atmosphere. The soft glow is calming and cozy. Your guests instantly feel special. A pair of brass candelabra on each side of the flower arrangement provides light and adds ambiance and symmetry.

The centerpiece container is a soup tureen from a set of Eschenbach Bavarian china sitting on the platter from the game bird set. I used Costco roses in reds, corals, and yellows along with Sasanqua greenery cut from my garden.

Arteitalica flutes were a special splurge for our 50th wedding anniversary this August!

These game plates found at Brimfield antique show years ago are used every Thanksgiving at our house. This is the first Thanksgiving to add the round velvet placemats. The gold chargers and gold flatware pick up the gold in the border of the antique game plates.

I am enjoying the gold budding leaf napkin rings my son's family gave me for my birthday. For different look using them, you can view here.

The roses are continuing to open. I have added flower food several times and sprayed them with Crowning Glory to help the flowers last longer.

I consider it a blessing to have been a part of this tablescaping group since 2016! I have learned so much from all of you. Thank you Chloe, for inviting me to participate in this blog hop.

I also count this cabinet as one of my blessings this Thanksgiving. It was made by my husband's great grandfather. It holds many dishes and linens I use for tablescaping.  Also, in this room is a painting by his great grandmother.

The Chinese lady in the background was painted by my husband's great-grandmother. I feel very blessed to have these two family pieces.

I moved the flower arrangement after I photographed my table to our family room where I would see it more often. 

It would be very easy to get used to fresh flowers in your home all the time! They add so much! We are so blessed! Thank you, my readers, for your kind comments and friendships. Thank you tablescaping buddies for your inspiration and friendship. I look forward to reading and viewing all your tablescapes. .🦃🍁🦃
"Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving And His Courts with Praise. Give thanks to Him and Bless His Name."Psalm 100:4

Visit the bloggers below for Thanksgiving Tablescape Inspiration

Debbee's Buzz - Liberty Blue Thanksgiving Table with Turkey Napkins

My Hubbard Home - Thanksgiving Table With Brown and White Traditional Colors

Everyday Living - We Gather Together

Home is Where the Boat Is - The Softer Side of Thanksgiving

Panoply - Thankful

Tablescapes at Table Twenty-One - Home for the Thanksgiving Holiday 2021

Pandora's Box - Leopards and Checks

Hyacinths for the Soul - A Place at the Table - A Harvest of Ideas

Celebrate and Decorate - Set a Heartwarming Thanksgiving Table with Neutral Colors and Natural Elements

My Thrift Store Addiction - Vintage Thanksgiving Breakfast Table

The Little Yellow Corner Store - Celebrating Thanksgiving a Little Differently

Me and My Captain - Football AND Thanksgiving

Life and Linda - Thanksgiving with Elegance

Sweet Sensations - Dining with the Gents for Thanksgiving

The Painted Apron - Pumpkins and Pickups

Corner of Plaid and Paisley - Thanksgiving 2021 - A Bit Boho

Living With Thanksgiving - Blessings at Thanksgiving

Belle Bleu Interiors - A Heart Full of Thanksgiving

Bluesky at Home - 9 Steps to Set a Thanksgiving Table

Dinner at Eight - A Seasonal Table at Thanksgiving

The Bookish Dilettante - We Gather Together

Zucchini Sisters - Vintage Thanksgiving Table Setting

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Happy Thanksgiving

I am glad you have joined me and a myriad of other talented tablescapers for a Thanksgiving blog hop sponsored by Chloe Crabtree from Celebrate and Decorate. A complete list of posts you will want to visit can be found at the end of this post.

Welcome to our home for a simple, almost plain family Thanksgiving dinner tablescape. The dishes and cutlery I chose all go in the dishwasher for ease and more family time. There are ten of us so that's important and they will be here for several days. I usually fuss with fresh flowers, which I love, but this time a fresh real pumpkin graces our table for a centerpiece with a touch of southern cotton, faux bittersweet and fall leaves with a few smaller pumpkins added in.

This year, I chose to use a simple burlap runner and let the burled grain of my table show. I usually use a tablecloth which does photograph better but decided to change it up this time.  Rattan chargers add an organic feel juxtaposed with the crystal goblets and crystal candle holders that add a touch of glam. The candle holders are special to me as they graced my beloved mother-in-law's table for years. I get emotional just thinking of the many family dinners at her home.

Now, the scripture on this paper napkin sums it all up to me. Thanksgiving is about being thankful to our Creator for all our blessings. 

You can view last year's Thanksgiving blog hop table here. It was more dramatic and also included a family tradition of using a set of Pilgrim salt and pepper shakers.  I forgot them this time. A prior typical Thanksgiving breakfast can be viewed here. I usually do a full breakfast in the kitchen and then a late lunch in the dining room. We are all ready for a long walk after the big meal. 

Here's my casual table for ten and you can see my little nest where I blog in the other room complete with clutter and the lamp on, that I didn't notice until now. 

I couldn't resist including some shots of our food from last year. That is my son, a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. Now, how did I get that old? Where did the years go?

Well now you know, I have been preparing this tablescape all year for viewing in 2018. This a real Thanksgiving table that was curated and photographed for you in 2017. As you can see we had finished eating when I realized I didn't get a picture of the food. So, I quickly served another plate just for you! (No time for styling!)
Turkey and cornbread dressing with gravy Green beans Roasted Butternut squash Fresh Cranberry sauce Lady Finger Peas Pumpkin pie with whipped cream
It is so much fun to see all the different tablescapes for an occasion like Thanksgiving. Thank you, Chloe, for organizing the blog hops. They can be formal or casual, simple or elaborate but they reflect the personality and mood of the designer on a given day. That's why I like blogging and tablescaping and blog-hopping.  I enjoy the challenge of using what I have in a different way and seeing my other blogging friends doing the same thing with their creations.
Speaking of blogging friends- Do you ever reread your comments from old posts? They grab my heart. Bloggers are so encouraging and kind. I'd like the world to be so kind.
Have a wonderful day. If it is your first time reading Living With Thanksgiving I hope you will come again. Please enjoy reading the other bloggers posts listed below.
Living Thankfully,

Monday

Knock it Off Kim
Home is Where the Boat Is
Everyday Living
Living With Thanksgiving

Tuesday

Panoply
Corner of Plaid and Paisley
Red Cottage Chronicles
Home and Gardening with Liz

Wednesday

Me and My Captain
Bluesky at Home
Life and Linda
Our Crafty Mom

Thursday

The Painted Apron
Debbee's Buzz
Loveland Lodge
Celebrate & Decorate

Friday

The Painted Hinge
Sweet Sensations
Zucchini Sisters
a casa di Bianca
Follow the Yellow Brick Home

Joining: Metamorphosis Monday   Show and Share  The Scoop  Celebrate and Decorate  Inspire Me Tuesday  Wow Us Wednesday  Tablescape Thursday    Share Your Cup 

  Dishing It & Digging It   Calypso in the Country Sunday's At Home