Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas by Angela Wenke

Today I thought since Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching
it might be a great timet o start talking about how to decorate your home and
table for the holidays! The great thing about Thanksgiving is that a lot of the
decorations can be for FREE and found in just the outdoor elements such as
gourds and pumpkins and leaves and acorns and so one!

 

If you are in a quick pinch and need a simple centerpiece
idea you can take either treenware bowls or vintage pots and pans and line them
down the center of your dining table and then taking fresh fruits, leaves,
acorns, ghords, squashes, cinnamon sticks, mini pumpkins and dried flowers you
can fill with a beautiful assortment of fall autumns! And you cost you next
nothing to create but it will fill your house with beautiful autumn colors and
textures and scents.

Want to add some pizzaz to your candles for your
Thanksgiving dinner? Take a couple of pillar candles in white or autumn colors
and some floral wire and autumn leaves and you are on your way to a fancy
display! Using tall pillar candles of any width put autumn leaves on the sides
of the candles so that it forms a nice row of leaves around the base of the
candle and hold into place with floral wire. Make sure there is a couple of
inches from the top of the candle and the top of the leaves to allow you time to
burn your candlewithout ruining the leaves.

Don’t’ forget the lighting this year! You need some abience
and to do so fill your home with autumn scented candles, the smell will fill
your home with wonderful autumn aromas and the candle light will give your home
a certain ambience! If you don’t have or don’t want to use candles you could
always use carriage lights or lanterns also.

Another idea is if you grow your own herbs In your herb
garden think of picking your herbs and adding them all around your home in small
baskets in your kitchen and living room filling your home with wonderful aromas!
And we don’t want to forget to decorate the all fun Kid table! You will want to
decorate the kid table to keep your little ones entertained while they are
waiting on everyone to finish up their meals. Since our theme is Thanksgiving
you could add a map the table as a tablecloth and add some small boats to
represent the first boats to discover

America, to add another fun touch you could have handmade
headbands for each of your kiddos laying on top of their plates! Just take
construction paper and scissors and stapler and create your headband don’t
forget to adorn it with a colorful ribbon now you have a table full of Indians.
And lastly offer small boxes of crayons so your little Indians can chart their
path on the map of where they plan to sail off too.

Everyday Magic

~*~Living For the Last Time~*~

The Russian poet Anna Akhmatova declared to fate that......"I warn you, I am living for the last time." How does that sound to you? Can you stand up right now and say to yourself that this is your one and only life and that by all means necessary you are going to enjoy it?

I don't know if you believe in past lives, that we are destined to continue to live the same mistakes, the same regrets, over and over again until we get it right. I don't even know if you need a speech like this. But, I know I do. I am at a point in my life where the road forks and I'm standing in the middle, looking from left to right, wondering which way will lead me to my authentic self.

If I've learned anything from my mistakes, from my regrets, it's to be happy. To "seize the day" with everything I have and not let one second go by without acknowledging that it very well could be my last. Do I adhere to this as often as I should? Probably not. Do I have moments where I just feel like quitting and giving into my doubts and fears? Certainly. But to know these things, these miniscule delays in my journey to happiness, makes me even stronger. Helps me carry on, helps me to pick up the pieces and put them back together.

It also helps me to know when those pieces need to stay apart. When some things just can't and don't need to be mended. Because, let's face it, sometimes destiny gets in the way of our plans. Much like the old saying....."God laughs at your plans." When something does fall apart, I've learned that sometimes it's the universe's way of forcing you to come into the light. You go kicking and screaming every inch of the way, but when you finally get there you understand why you're there instead of where you "planned" to be. And as much as I'd like to say that I'm a planner, I am not. Although a year ago I had a very different picture in my head of where I would be right now.

But, guess what.....I understand why I'm here instead of where I thought I would be and I'm happy. Life can throw you lemons but you don't always have to make lemonade. Sometimes it's more fun to throw them away.


"The past is not only that which happened but also that which could have happened but did not." ~Tess Gallagher~

*written by Missy Sue of Whisper Moon