HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope you have the most wonderful and safe Thanksgiving full of:
family, yummy food, and great memories.

I'm thankful for you loyal readers who love being festive with me!
Happy Thanksgiving.

*image from our pre-Thanksgiving thankful dinner. 

I'll be back next week with to kick off the Christmas season!

I hope you'll join me. 

thankful tablecloth [tradition]

Since it's my little guy's first Thanksgiving, I wanted to start a tradition that would capture what we were thankful for and the memory of him (and future children) growing up. 

There are a lot of great hand-print turkey crafts out there, but I wanted something that would last.

So this is what I came up with: A Thankful Tablecloth

I combined an idea we got from a wedding gift with this wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

We don't have many Thanksgiving traditions (compared to other holidays), so I'm glad we have a new one!

How to: We simply traced our hands on a white tablecloth. We decorated them like turkeys and wrote a few things that we were thankful for with permanent marker. Each year, we will pull out the tablecloth for our family's thankful dinner and add our hand-print turkeys and gratitude lists.

  

So Festive In The City::Thanksgiving Day Parade Survival Guide

Hey there. This is Melissa's sister, Emily, and I am excited to be starting a So Festive- In the City series on this blog. When I first moved to NYC almost 4 years ago, I decided that being festive was going to have to wait until I moved into a house in the suburbs somewhere. I never seemed to have time, craft stores were difficult to find, decorations were pricey, our tiny Central Park apartment had no space to store anything...the list of excuses went on and on.

I quickly realized that being festive isn't about doing everything perfectly. It's about finding what works for you where you live. And no matter what little festive touches you add to your life, it makes everyday that much more special.

So, first up, let's talk Thanksgiving.

While many of our friends leave the city for Thanksgiving, we love being here & have a tradition of going to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. What's not to love about sights like these:

However, we've learned a thing or to over the past 3 years. So, if you ever find yourself in New York City for Thanksgiving, I present for you:

"The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Survival Guide"

1. Plan ahead. The parade starts at 9am, but doesn't finish until nearly 11am & by the time you get out of the crowds and back to your apartment or hotel, it can be close to noon. Plan ahead so you are not stressed with your Thanksgiving Day feast preparations. Make the pies the night before, simplify some of your dishes, or just plan to start your dinner a bit later.

2. Go early. 5am may seem early, but it is worth it. As with most events in the city, the Thanksgiving Day Parade attracts a HUGE crowd. By going early, you avoid having to wander through the thousands of people with a risk of losing half your group. Trust me, it can be miserable. Plus, you score yourself front row seats-making the parade much more enjoyable to watch. Just FYI- the parade starts at 81st Street and gets much more crowded as it gets closer to the ending point at Macy's in Herald Square. 

3. Bundle up! Coats, gloves, hats...you'll want 'em all! The weather has usually started to get chilly by this time of the year. You don't want to be freezing the whole morning long.

4.Take folding chairs & blankets. After all, if you have to wait several hours for the parade to begin, it is that much more comfortable to have a place to sit.

5. Pack yourself breakfast. Now, you may not be hungry for anything at 5am, but the parade doesn't get over until around 11am, so we usually bring breakfast pastries or muffins, fruit, and other snacks along with hot cocoa. Just don't drink too much because you will not be able to leave to find a bathroom until the parade is over!

6. Don't forget your camera. The giant balloons, soaring through the sky next to the tall buildings along Central Park West are an absolutely amazing sight. You will want to be able to capture the moment!

7. The Pre-Parade Party. If you feel like the parade might be a bit too much for you, you can attend the "blowing-up-of-the-balloons-party" the night before. All the balloons are spread out around the block at the Museum of Natural History. Beginning around 5pm, they blow up the balloons so you can walk around and see them up close. Great for kids who may not be able to sit through the entire parade. Just be warned that this also gets crowded the later you go.

And for those of you far from this bustling city, cozy up in your pj's and slippers and flip on the TV to watch the parade from the comfort of your warm home. It's not quite as magical as being there in person, but it is still fun & look for me--I'll be waving!

Happy Thanksgiving from the City!

Stay tuned for more So Festive In The City segments. 

rainbow jello [recipe]

Rainbow Jello (or 12-layer Jello) is a favorite around our house. My mom was famous for this jello. We only make it for special occasions like Thanksgiving, family parties, or when someone requests it. However, I think it would also be perfect for a summer party, color party, or rainbow party. I'm always in charge of making it when we have Thanksgiving dinner with my husband's family. So, I thought I would share the recipe since Thanksgiving is this week. I can't believe it's already here.

I'll tell you up front, this is not a quick recipe to make. It will be worth every minute you spend, but you'll want to plan on it taking a good chunk of the day to make. It takes a few hours because you have to wait for each layer to set up before adding the next one. The good news is that you can do other things while you are waiting for the layers to set up.

Rainbow Jello
3 oz box of jello in the following flavors: lemon, lime, orange, cherry or raspberry, blueberry, and grape.
1 cup boiling water for each flavor
2 cups sour cream
12 Tbsp cold water
whipped cream or cool whip topping

 Spray 9x13 pan and set aside. To make, just do one layer at a time. Start with lemon. Boil 1 cup water and add it to the lemon jello powder. Stir will.  Then, divide that in half. To one half, add 2 Tbsp. cold water. To the other half, add 1/3 cup sour cream and mix. Pour the lemon with cold water into the pan. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Then pour the lemon jello with sour cream onto the first lemon layer.*Then, you will just repeat for all the layers. You can do them in any order, but I prefer lemon, lime, orange, red, blue, and grape.

To recap:       1st layer: lemon jello with water; refrigerate 20 minutes
                     2nd layer: lemon jello with sour cream; refrigerate 20 minutes
                     3rd layer: lime jello with water; refrigerate 20 minutes
                     4th layer: lime jello with sour cream; refrigerate 20 minutes
                     Repeat for all layers.

Right before serving, top with cool whip or whipped cream.
*Make sure the jello you are adding is cool so that it won't melt the previous layer. To speed up the process, you can make two flavors at a time and let the other one cool while the first one is setting up.

Serve this at your Thanksgiving dinner and I promise it will be a hit!
 

thanksgiving-eve pie night [tradition]

One of my absolute favorite traditions that my husband's family does each year is a 

Thanksgiving-Eve Pie Night. 

It's brilliant for lots of reasons.

It ensures that we have pies made before Turkey-day=less stress.

It allows us to actually enjoy the pies because we aren't full from a giant turkey dinner.

Since we switch off which family we eat Thanksgiving dinner with, it means we at least get one night with my husband's family. 

I know what you are thinking. What? You eat pies the night before?  Yes, we do. But that doesn't mean we don't eat them again on Thanksgiving. There are always plenty of leftovers to eat on actual Thanksgiving. This way, we just get to enjoy them more. Twice actually. And no one complains. :)

Does anyone else have this tradition?  

If You Want To Be Happy [thanksgiving story]

I know I talk about my mom a lot on this blog. But hey, she is the reason I started this blog in the first place. She made holidays so special and meaningful for us growing up. One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions was reading the "If You Want To Be Happy" story with her. She found the story somewhere and cut pictures out of magazines to turn it into a book. I always wanted to make my own version, but since I didn't have a stash of magazines lying around, I used images I found online and created our own copy. 

It is a sweet story and shares a little secret of how we can be happy this holiday season.

Click here or on the title page below for a PDF version that you can print and enjoy again and again.

 *all images in the story are not original.

my thanksgiving mantle

thrifted craft pumpkin :: diy turkey :: thrifted mirror :: mini pumpkins :: metal turkey
leaf garland :: twigs from the local park 

15+ festive activities for the fall

simple thanksgiving table decor

I was asked to teach a class on "Simple Thanksgiving Decor". The lady that introduced me said, "I once heard that as long as the table looks good, everyone will remember the food tasting good as well." Talk about no pressure to present some good ideas. 

My focus was on simple and cheap ways to decorate the table for Thanksgiving. Here are some of the ideas I presented.

Some simple place setting ideas...

And here is the handout I gave out with even more ideas! 

Elements of a Good Table Set-Up

-Table covering

-Place cards

-Centerpiece

-Correct Set-Up = BMW: Bread, Main Dish, Water. Remember knife blade should face plate.

Table Covering Ideas

-          Festive tablecloth

-          Burlap tablecloth or placemats

-          Brown butcher paper

-          Scrapbook paper placemats

-          Placemats or table cloth that you use every year. Write what you are thankful. Each year you’ll get to reminisce what you were thankful for.  

Place Card Ideas

-          Mini cellophane bags with festive candy. Leaf name tag.

-          Walnut with name on paper (http://www.marthastewart.com/274251/thanksgiving-table-settings/@center/276949/everything-thanksgiving#/856557)

-          Pear or pumpkin or fruit with name attached.

-          Thankful turkey (http://www.marthastewart.com/274251/thanksgiving-table-settings/@center/276949/everything-thanksgiving#/175204)

-          Mini Cornucopias. Steam sugar cones for a few minutes. Curl end up and fill with nuts or candy.

-          Scrapbook paper. Cut small pieces and write names on it.

Centerpiece Ideas

-          Try and use things you have around the house

-          Use things from outside like nuts or twigs

-          Candle in hurricane with leaves

For Kids

-          Cover table in brown butcher paper. Let them draw on it

-          http://simplifiedbee.blogspot.com/2009/11/thanksgiving-decorating-ideas-for-kids.html

-          Pilgrim hat http://www.marthastewart.com/274251/thanksgiving-table-settings/@center/276949/everything-thanksgiving#/276925

Other Table Décor Ideas

-          Mini pumpkins

-          Candles

-          Fake leaves

-          Things around your house!

4 Simple Things to Do with a $1 Bag of Leaves

-          Leaf garland: staple or use clothes pins to attach leaves to a piece of brown craft string

-          Place settings: use a leaf as a tag to attach to place settings

-          Attach leaves to branches. Use a centerpiece

-          Scatter leaves on table for instant burst of festiveness

DIY turkey craft

My cousins and sister made this festive Turkey a few weeks ago. 

I'm so excited to finally be able to put it out. 

It was pretty simple to make and only took common items to make.

For the full intstructions, visit U-Create

FOAD: Fall Dinner

Looking for a cheap way to spruce up your fall table setting? Pick up a bag of fake leaves from the dollar store. Scatter them across the table for a instant burst of festiveness.

Fall Place Settings

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving! I decided to make some simple place settings for Thanksgiving dinner. I wanted to use only things I had around the house. This is what I came up with:


What I used:

• small clear bags (from Michael's)
• Fabric leaves from a dollar store
• Rafia
• Harvest color kisses
• Brown crinkly paper from a gift

Thank you Notes

We started a new tradition this year. Its great being thankful, but its even more important to show gratitude in one way or another.

So...we decided to write thank-you notes to a few people who we are especially grateful for this year.

Thanksgiving Decor

This is the first year I've had different decor for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Its been fun changing from bright orange for Halloween to more earthy tones for Thanksgiving. Most of my fall decor came from a Big Lots 90% off clearance sale a few years ago. My motto--decorating can be cheap and still classy.

My mantle.

-Pedestal-thrifted $1
-Vine pumpkin- thrifted $1
-Leaf garland- Big Lots $1
-Pumpkins- fresh from a pumpkin patch- 50 cents each
-Cream turkey- made from foam board and painted
-Branches in vase- branches from a nearby park, acorns in bottom, and vase I had

Our sofa table is sporting a craft I made last year.

My friend and I used old 2x4s, cut, sanded, and painted them. Then we used various papers and mod podged it all on!

If you want to be happy...

Every year before Thanksgiving, my mom would pull out the Thanksgiving file folder to read us a story called, "If you want to be happy..." I'm not sure where she got it. It wasn't a published book. She had cut pictures out of magazines, glued them on to construction paper, and had the text correlating with the picture on the back of each sheet of paper.

Year after year, we would read this story. And the older we got, we loved it even more. Last year, I decided to make a copy for my own family. I didn't have a collection of magazines to get pictures from, but thanks to Google images, I was able to get just what I needed.

This story has such a great message that will help you get into the true holiday spirit and the secret to being happy. Click on the link to read it for yourself. Enjoy!

If You Want To Be Happy

{Feel free to print it for your own family.}

Thankful Turkeys

All to often Thanksgiving gets overlooked by Halloween and Christmas, so our family decided to start a little tradition to try and keep our focus on our blessings for the entire month of November. At the beginning of the month we put together what we call our "Thankful Turkeys". We each make a picture of a turkey and list things we're grateful for on the turkey's feathers. It doesn't have to be fancy. Just have fun with it! We hang them up somewhere in the house where we will see them every day to remind us of the things we wrote down. Then every day for the rest of the month we add a fall leaf with one thing written on it that we're grateful for. This has been such a great tradition for us and has kept our thoughts on our many blessings as we go through the Thanksgiving season. Here's some examples from the last couple years...

(Landon's 6 months old so he had a little help from us, ok a LOT of help from us!)

And here's a link for a PDF of the leaves and this year's Turkeys in case you want to use them for your families...
Turkey (print 2 copies of the feathers)
Leaves