Thanksgiving — Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

Our theme for Thanksgiving this year, Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart, is the faith story of our family. We have so much for which we are thankful and blessed beyond measure. This year we did not count the empty chairs around the table but instead gave thanks for those who are with us and not in a place far away.

After a wonderful family Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, we traveled to Virginia to enjoy Thanksgiving with another part of our family. The food was delicious at both meals, the road trip was fun and relaxing, and the scenery was incredible, but most of all, being with our family is the thing I enjoyed the most.

The feast at both family Thanksgiving meals included traditional Southern fare. The cornbread dressing my daughter makes is fabulous. Both her grandmothers would be proud! My husband usually smokes our ham and turkey, but I baked the ham instead. It turned out more like jerky thanks to distractions and my forgetfulness. The ham at the second family meal turned out much better!

The Cranberry Relish we serve with cornbread dressing is one of my son’s favorites. I forgot to make it ahead of time, so no cranberry relish this year at Thanksgiving! I will be grinding those cranberries and oranges next week and it will be on the Christmas table for sure!

It was a blessing this year to have someone at our table celebrating her first Thanksgiving! Have I mentioned that we have a wedding planned in the spring? Yes, you will hear more about that as the plans progress!

The inspiration for the tablescape came from a visit to an antique store in Leeds, Alabama, a small city close by that offers several antique stores. In early Spring, while shopping for old windows for our new workshop, I found a set of dishes in excellent condition at Bama Antiques and Flea Market. Another store I discovered in Leeds and will share more about them in an article later is The Depot Architectural Antiques. It has become one of my favorite places to shop! They offer a selection of old doors and windows from homes as far back as the 1890s. If you are not familiar with Leeds, you might miss the shop which is located in the old section of town. It is worth visiting for your Pinterest-inspired projects! Check them out on Facebook at The Depot Architectural Antiques. You will see beautiful things they have created with old furniture, doors, and more!

What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had, and now, Christmas is here! I hear bells ringing. I believe Santa is getting his sleigh ready, bags packed, and he will be visiting some excited kids in just a few short weeks! Have you been good this year? Santa is checking his list, and he knows!