FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW ---

At our church's Thanksgiving dinner a couple of Sundays ago, we sang "The Doxology" as a blessing for our food.

Growing up and into our adulthood, this praise was sung every Sunday during church service.  It seems we never sing it anymore, which makes me sad.

It is such a beautiful melody dating back to the 1500s with lyrics from the 1600s.

So, it was with joy that at our dinner we all joined hands, and all 100 people sang this to bless our food.  Everyone seemed to pull the words from out of their memory bank, singing harmony and without accompaniment.  It was beautiful.

The words say it all, "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow."

May you have a blessed, thankful, and joyful Thanksgiving.

GIVING THANKS

Yesterday was our Thanksgiving dinner at church. The Women's Committee fix the turkeys, dressing, potatoes, and gravy. Everyone else brings a side dish and a dessert to share. You can only imagine the wonderful food that was served! Various women also bring their dishes and centerpieces to each host a table of eight. I was busy and only managed to take these two pictures of my table. I regret I didn't get around to take pictures of the other tables.

Nothing too fancy on my part - I used my Johnson Brother's Friendly Village dishes and a centerpiece of blue Ball jars filled with beans, etc. to be used later in a Harvest Soup with leftover turkey next week. I loved the look with the candles lit making that wonderful blue of the jars sparkle.

May all of you have a wonderful week with your family and/or friends giving praise of Thanksgiving!!

I'll be joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday. Please stop by her wonderful blog for a bunch of inspiration.

AFTER THANKSGIVING DINNER!!

THE FEAST IS OVER!!!!

WHERE ARE THE THANKSGIVING ELVES WHEN YOU NEED THEM?????

THANKSGIVING 2008

By this time on Thursday, Thanksgiving 2008 will just about be over. The dishes will be done, the leftovers put away, the turkey carcass boiling for broth, and everyone gone home full and contented. Another Thanksgiving in the books!! Bob and I have spent 53 Thanksgivings together.

The very first Thanksgiving together was one I will never forget. We were in high school, had been dating for awhile, and were "going steady". Bob asked if I would like to go to his Aunt Nelllie's farm about 50 miles away for Thanksgiving dinner. I remember thinking this might be serious business as he wants to introduce me to his extended family!

What an experience it was! I came from a small family, very serious; not at all into loud, fun occasions. Thanksgiving (or any holiday) dinner in my family was almost always at my paternal grandparents, where my Grandfather reigned. He carved the bird at the table, serving each plate with great pomp and circumstance at a formally set table.

Well, we arrived at Aunt Nellie's; and there were so many people of all ages - probably about 50 people. The kitchen was a beehive of activity, women laughing and cooking. The kitchen table was covered with dishes of food. When we ate, you filled a plate and sat wherever you could find a place to light. Men were outside sitting on wash benches, logs, and the cistern cover; and didn't seem to notice that it was a cold, Colorado November day. Kids and women were eating all over the house. I was shocked - they were even sitting on Aunt Nellie's bed. I wasn't even allowed to sit on my own bed; let alone, someone else's!

Everyone had a grand time! Over the years, I gradually became used to all of this. We have spent the majority of those 53 Thanksgivings with his family. The generations have changed over the years. Now, Bob, his sisters, and his mother have gotten older. Our kids and their cousins are spread from coast to coast. It isn't easy to get together any more. I know that Bob misses it.

We have now gravitated more to my family's type of Thanksgiving, small and quiet, only without the pomp and circumstance. This year it will just be our immediate family - seven of us. The one constant over the years has always been the fact that we are grateful to God for everything He has blessed us with.

FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS, MAY EVERY HOME BE FILLED WITH GRATITUDE THIS THANKSGIVING!

TABLESCAPE TUESDAY

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is hosting Tablescape Tuesday once again. Please check out her blog for a list of the most delicious tablescapes!

This past Sunday, we had our annual Thanksgiving dinner at our church with 40 tables hosted and decorated by the women of the church. I thought Tablescape Tuesday was a great opportunity to share some of them with you!

For my contribution this year I used my Johnson Bros. red transfer ware with my new turkey salad plates, also from Johnson Bros. The centerpiece was simple and inexpensive with the pilgrims from Hobby Lobby, the pumpkins from Dollar Tree, and the paisley scarf from Ross's.

I included my mother's Fostoria stemware and my great-grandmother's sterling silver.


My daughter decorated her table with Fall leaves, a quilted table runner, candles, her grandmother's Fostoria American, and my red Fostoria Argus ice tea glasses. Her silverware was a gift to her from her grandmother.


At the last minute, I was roped into doing a second table. Because of the time crunch, I used my everyday Blue Willow dishes and the red Fostoria Argus glasses. The centerpiece is a cornucopia using a red wooden bucket on its side. Going with the red, white, and blue theme, I included an antique Thanksgiving postcard showing a turkey with an American flag!


There was such a wide variety of creative tables; I've included some pictures of a few. I loved this turkey tureen centerpiece with four different Fall colors of Fiesta ware.


Look at this cute pilgrim couple.


Festive dishes in beautiful Fall colors!


Beautiful antique dishes with inspirational place cards!


This woman involved her granddaughter in making turkeys full of candy corn.


More pilgrims with a colorful tablecloth and centerpiece.


A black turkey centerpiece with a striking tablecloth!




Hope you enjoyed our church's Thanksgiving dinner as much as we did.



Thanks for stopping by,

Sally