WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO!

I know I've been MIA for many, many days now but I promise, I have a good excuse. No time for a complete post now, but this picture is a little hint of what I've been up to. More to come in the next day or two!

THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS: TABLESETTINGS

Back with another Thanksgiving tradition and this one is really fun!

I love to set a beautiful table, but it's also really important that the setting be personal and fun. Thanksgiving is all about family and our family is all about the kids. So each year, among the fancy napkins, shimmering candles and beautiful flowers, each person's setting is embellished with something handmade. We have done so many of these, that I will surely dig out at least one or two from past years to show you, but this year it will be this turkey, lovingly designed by Pumpkin and Petunia. Peanut is sure to help with some gluing and decorating as well! The turkey is made from brown paper bags (for the body), scrap pieces of paper (for the beak and legs) and finally, beautiful leaves from the weeping cherry tree in our front garden. He is a masterpiece of recycling and 9 and 7 year old ingenuity.

Each guest at our Thanksgiving table this year will have a turkey placed on his/her plate to admire and add to the decor. At the end of the day, he will serve as a treasured favor to be added to collections of handmade treasures from years past. We have quite a collection gathering in our Thanksgiving box and I love looking through them each year. The best part is that our guests of aunties, uncles, cousins and grandparents look forward to these little creations as much as we do; adding them to their own collections as a fun little reminder of holidays together.

THANK YOU VETERANS.

Veteran's Day is the perfect day for my children to think about and honor their grandfathers, both Korean War Veterans. Discussions and assemblies at school peak their curiosity and their questions are the perfect opportunity to ensure that the memory of these two men live on in their grandchildren.

My father served in the Navy and was very proud of his service to our country, completing his tour as a decorated hero. I have always been proud that he continued to serve this country throughout his life as a champion of workers rights, long after his years of Naval service were complete. A legacy that I strive to live up to every day.

His love of country led him to enlist in the Navy and after spending those years at sea, his love of the ocean led him away from his midwestern upbringing to Boston. Whenever we asked him why we did not live near our cousins, whom we missed dearly and looked forward to visiting every summer, he would always reply: "This is the place to be. If it weren't, we wouldn't be here." and as a young girl, that answer seemed more than sufficient. Of course now, I cannot imagine living more than a short ride to the beach, so I guess he was right. Every time in these two years since his passing that we head down to the National Cemetery where he was laid to rest, I am in awe of the beauty of the site. Despite the sadness that the cemetery represents, I am always glad that it exists as a fitting and worthy tribute to those who have given so much for this country.

My father-in-law, also a veteran of the Korean War, enlisted in the Army. I cannot begin to comprehend the horror that he must have experienced during his service. I just know that it affected him deeply throughout his life. His courage and experiences during the war earned him more medals than I have ever seen, other than those displayed in museums and galleries. To have these medals in our possession is a great honor and a reminder that much was given on behalf of this country. We took the medals out of storage to display in my son's room when he was still a toddler. When my own father saw the medals, he was deeply moved by the honors received by the man he never met. He said that he would like to be the one to prepare the medals for display in the case that we purchased and we of course said yes. To see my father take the time to properly highlight each medal in the case with such thought and care made me realize what a precious piece of our family history was being created. My son is slowly coming to understand the valor and sacrifice that this piece represents. That is likely the greatest legacy that could ever be handed down from two grandfathers to a grandson.

Giveaway Winner: Congratulations czamama! You are the winner of the holiday print giveaway!!! 

HALLOWEEN DINNER: BATS AND COBWEBS

I plan my meals for the week on Monday. I know it's odd, since Monday is actually a part of the week I'm planning for and reason tells you that my meals should already be planned. The reality is that in the dinner department, it is actually a huge victory that I actually plan meals at all. So if you're like me and just planning meals for the week, I have the best ever Halloween meal. What makes it so great? It has the best of all worlds: quick, delicious, nutritious and fun!

Ever since Bats and Cobwebs (a/k/a bowtie pasta and mozarella) was featured in Everyday Food Magazine, it has been a staple in our house. Not just for Halloween (although we wouldn't have Halloween without it) but as a hearty meal all winter long.  You can find the recipe here (serves 4, I always double it to serve our family of 5 with leftovers).

The best part is that you can make it ahead during the day and then just pop it in the oven to bake about a half hour before mealtime. No crazy preparation while you're getting ready for trick or treating!

THINGS I LOVE/NEED/WANT: NEW CHAIRS

I am in desperate need of a new table and chairs for my kitchen. Desperate need. Despite the fact that party guy has made us countless craft and art tables over the years, we always seem to end up working smack dab in the middle of the house at the kitchen table. Sadly, our overzealous craft projects have finally taken their toll.  The table (which has been refinished three times) is speckled with paint and glue and glitter and who knows what else. As for the chairs, they have been knocked over so many times that they are falling apart, although the leftover paint and glue on them seems to be holding up quite nicely.

Which brings me to the point of this post: new chairs. In a stroke of brilliance I realized that if we were to buy new wooden chairs they would likely fall apart again. Then I remembered seeing a story on the aluminum chairs used on ships - Navy Chairs!  But at $400 a pop, it ain't happening.

Sooo, I decided to look for a copycat, and who corners the market on copycats of great design? 

Target, of course!

Here are the copycats in all their stolen glory at $259 for two. And they're 15% off to boot. Add my AAA target.com discount and I'll have 6 chairs for less than the price of two. But will they hold up to my gang of crafters? That is the question. 

So what do you think? Do I go for the bargain or find something else? 

Oh, and I still need a table...