Happy Thanksgiving!

May we all be grateful for our many blessings. Please know that I am thankful for you! I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Tuesday's Tablescape

Is your Thanksgiving table set?

Mr. Turkey, some Indian corn and an autumn candle serve as the centerpiece. 

Let the Thanksgiving preparations begin! 

Happy National Bundt Day!

November 15 is National Bundt Day and I have just the recipe to share in honor of the occasion. This is a deliciously moist and flavorful cake. It goes together very easily, which is a bonus.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

1 yellow cake mix

1 can solid-pack pumpkin

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil (I use canola)
2 T. white sugar

3 T. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Place all above ingredients in a large bowl and beat on low speed just until well incorporated. Then beat on medium speed for at least a minute. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes before removing. After it's fully cool, garnish with frosting (vanilla or cream cheese are good) or dust with powdered sugar. 

For a printable version, click here.

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend. 

Simple Thanksgiving Centerpiece

It's time to be thinking of Thanksgiving centerpieces and here's an easy-peasy idea. All you need is a basket and a few pieces of fresh produce right from your refrigerator. Grab a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. I used two green tomatoes, a carrot, a zucchini, a cluster of red grapes, a red apple (buried) and an acorn squash. It took two minutes to layer them in the way I wanted before adding a couple of sprigs of faux autumn leaves.

 I happened to buy some Indian corn at our local produce stand a few weeks ago, so I stacked it in front of the basket.

I placed everything on top of the autumn leaf runner that I am using on the dining room table this fall.

Using the same items, I was able to fill a cornucopia that someone gave me as an alternative idea. It had been the base of a professional floral arrangement once upon a time. 

 The same fruits and vegetables were tucked-in quickly and easily. 

You can create a centerpiece using things you already have on hand and, best of all, you can consume the produce after you're finished using it!

Ta-da! How simple is that?

Alpaca Box...Will You?

Operation Christmas Child National Collection Week is right around the corner. ALPACA box, will you? 

My friends found this adorable stuffed animal and generated 

the sign for the display that they made at our church.

If you aren't familiar, Operation Christmas Child is a program sponsored by Samaritan's Purse (a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization headed by Franklin Graham) which sends shoeboxes filled with gifts to hurting children around the globe. The shoeboxes are filled by individuals who volunteer to do so. Those of us who wish to pack, select for either a boy or a girl from one of three different age ranges. Boxes are then donated at designated sites where they begin a journey that ultimately lands them in the hands of children who need them. In addition to receiving a shoebox, each child is also given a copy of The Greatest Gift, which shares 11 Bible stories. That book is published in more than 80 different languages!

If you have followed my blog, you may recall reading about Operation Christmas Child each year. Since the beginning of the program in 1990, my husband and I have been filling and donating shoeboxes and since 2015 I have been volunteering at my church's drop-off center. We accept filled boxes from other churches, groups, organizations and individuals and then pack them into cartons. It is rewarding and something I enjoy immensely.
If you would like to show God's love by filling a shoebox, now is the time! Individiual churches are already accepting them and drop-off sites will be open beginning November 18 for National Collection Week. If your church doesn't participate, but you would like to pack a box you can click here. You will find lots of information and there is also a tab where you can enter your zip code and be directed to a local drop-off site.

If you participate, you will be able to say

ALPACA box, too!

Pancakes and Pines

Although completely unrelated, I wanted to share these two things today. 🥞🎄

Hotcakes hit the spot on cold mornings and we are very fond of these sweet potato pancakes. Made from a just-add-water mix from Walmart, the flavor and color seem perfect for this time of year. 

A girl can never have enough Christmas trees, right? 😉 In our personal line-up, we have a variety of green pines, a white, a cashmere, one silver and one gold. We did not have any flocked in our collection, but now we do! I found this 7 foot pre-lit pencil tree at Walmart and love the size. This type of tree fits perfectly in a corner and adds Christmas class without compromising floor space needed for holiday entertaining. I found this same tree at two other stores and it was a minimum of $20 higher elsewhere. I should add that I got mine within the store for $79. I'm not sure of its online availability. I mention this information in case you would like a flocked tree (which is trendy this season) for your home.

Which do you prefer...pancakes or pines?!

Tuesday's Tablescape

Today's table is in honor of Veterans Day which is, of course, next Monday. This year is the one hundredth anniversary of this special day that we set aside to honor the men and women who served our country, both past and present. In some cases, those individuals gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

Have a great day!

Thankful Tree

Wow. I find it hard to imagine that it's the first Monday of November already! Now is the time to tweak the harvest décor with some Thanksgiving touches, so I put up our little five foot "thankful tree". 

My topper is from Dollar Tree. Last year they sold a three-pack of these script words and I felt this one, of course, was perfect.

The glass acorn ornaments were purchased at Hobby Lobby a few years ago.

I ordered the engraved ornaments from a friend who offers the service through their family business. All I did was request the pumpkin and maple leaf shapes, select some favorite Bible verses and they did all the work. I love the way they turned out.

I filled in the branches with faux fall leaves and bittersweet.

I used a scrap of burlap for the tree skirt and clustered three pumpkins I had.

 The mercury-looking one lights up at nighttime, as shown below.

All of us, of course, have so much for which to be grateful. May we count our blessings each day and not just during this season of Thanksgiving.

...Your life should be full of thanks to Him.

                                                                                                                          Colossians 2:7