Thank you for finding That Old House amidst the chaos of the Internet. We are delighted that you are here.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Countdown to Thanksgiving


Okay, I've done it.

I've put a Countdown Clock in my sidebar,
and it's ticking down the very seconds
until it's time to take the turkey out of the oven.

2010

You know what this means?
It means making sure Howard's turkey shirt is hanging, all ready to wear, in the closet.
2010 -- He looks good in red, doesn't he?  Ladies, don't be jealous
because my hubby has a shirt with turkeys printed all over it.
It means pulling out the menus and shopping lists from years past,
saved on the computer, and tailoring them to 2011.

It means freshening up the linens and the napkins, renting those extra chairs, polishing the silver,
getting the white Thanksgiving china out of the breakfront, figuring out who is going to sit where
and, most of all, it means trying to check off at least some of the
To Be Done By Thanksgiving list.
The dreaded T.B.D.B.T.

It means, in short, that another Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner.
It's our favorite time of year.
2009

Last year, I forgot to plan a centerpiece for the table in the dining room, and ended up with this,
which was pretty underwhelming:
2010

So this year, I'm planning ahead.
This is hard for me; I work best under last minute pressure.

This morning I denuded the conservatory table of its Halloween decor, and just left Fall.
Including a big red Cinderella pumpkin, nestled in the middle
of that twiggy wreath that has come in so handy this season.


What do you think?
Can black crows stay through the Autumn, or must they be banished after Halloween?

Anyway, I'm thinking this wreath will be making an appearance on the buffet table on T-Day.
With either a plump pumpkin cradled within, or the big turkey that I used last week in a tablescape,
or even a cornucopia.  Or, possibly, Howard in his turkey shirt.
Wow.  This planning ahead is pretty neat.  I could get used to this.
Remind me of this comment when it's 30 minutes before people are supposed to arrive,
and I'm realizing there's no centerpiece on the main table.

It's a gorgeous sunny day in The Garden State,
and I am motoring south to New Brunswick for lunch with my daughter Anne, and some shopping.
That will be way more fun than staying home and watching snow melt.

I took this picture about 8:30 this morning; those are the steps right behind our house, up to the driveway.
It's been mild since the snow fell on Saturday, but there's just so much that it's still hanging around.

Happy Wednesday, my friends.
By the end of this week I'll have an announcement about a new venture,
and by then I should have the dreaded T.B.D.B.T. List written out.  
But today?  I'm having fun; hope you are, too!  -- Cass

Link Parties!

Susan at A Southern Daydreamer sponsors Outdoor Wednesday ...  Click here!
Kathleen at Faded Charm is the hostess for White Wednesday ... Click here!
Sue at It's A Very Cherry World sponsors Today Is Rednesday ... Click here!

16 comments:

  1. Hi Cass, The picture of the turkey makes me want to bake one right now...yummy! Love your husbands turkey shirt and Thanksgiving photos. Thanks for the sweet note you left me on the DIY chalk paint. Isn't it funny how some people can get so upest over something like "paint"? LOL
    xo,
    Sherry

    ReplyDelete
  2. You have me thinking of Thanksgiving!! And your mosaic of pictures from last year are very inspiring!

    Love Howard's turkey shirt, I need to get hubby one!!

    XO,
    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  3. WAiting for your new venture!!!! ..... I want to have a Thanksgiving Day too, hugs, Flavia

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, I plan on trying to find a turkey shirt for my hubby. Nice collage from last year.
    Joyce M

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'd pay money to see Howard in his turkey shirt sitting on a big ole pumpkin in the middle of your Thanksgiving table!! LOL!! (Not a LOT of money, you understand, but at least a quarter....what can I say....I'm cheap!)

    You're a funny lady!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice shirt! I guess I can come back to your blog any time I want the count. It's coming quickly, but before that, a 90th celebration for my mother, which may trump Thanksgiving in its eventness.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love the shirt , the husband is o,k too but a slice of that turkey would be the tops

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sounds like a lot of busines is going to be going on at That Old House. I can't think about Thanksgiving yet. Soon though.
    Glad the snow is melting for you. We have rain here today. FINALLY!

    Thank you and Dion for the lovely Birthday wishes. It was sooo good to see you today.

    Melinda

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great shirt. What a list. You are motivated!
    Love your photos from last year too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cass...I'm not jealous of that shirt but MY hubby might be. I mean, what man doesn't need a turkey shirt? Of course, if that man can cook I would let him cook in his turkey UNDERWEAR if he wanted to...but that's just me!

    Your table looked pretty nice last year...but it looks like you might top that look this year. As for the crows? Well....THIS old crow has hers lined up on the table to be put away in the dreaded BLACK Halloween box. Crows in- turkeys out...that's MY motto! xo Diana

    ReplyDelete
  11. Howard looks delightful with his turkey shirt. I am jealous, I must confess. May I suggest a slow and gradual transition from Halloween to Thanksgiving table decor? The crows can migrate at their own pace to their native storage areas, the pumpkin can be baked into a pie, then leisurely eaten... Our tradition is to unwittingly leave out a little bit of something from each holiday, only to discover it when decorating for the next.

    ReplyDelete
  12. My post today is about getting ready for thanksgiving. Howards shirt is too cool. In our family it is not Christmas unless my husband wears his red cardigan!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Snow? Snow? It's way too early for snow!


    NO RED?

    Imagine a world without red
    For either a robin or sled:
    How drab it would be
    No scarlet to see,
    But only grey shading instead!


    © 2011 by Magical Mystical Teacher

    Red Oak Leaves

    ReplyDelete
  14. Awesome shirt! You're way more organized than I am...the week before Turkey Day is my deadline for starting The Lists. Oh well...it's worked so far!
    Jeanni

    ReplyDelete
  15. Cass, now I'm going to have to sew Carl a turkey shirt for he will be jealous if he sees your husband wearing his. Can it really be that we have to start counting down for Thanksgiving already? I am in complete denial of the holidays approaching this year. I still think I should mow the lawn one more time. And you still have snow; I was hoping it would melt immediately if not sooner.

    I, too, do my best work under pressure. I wonder why I can't just do things ahead of time, but then, where would the fun be in that.

    Love all the tablesettings,I told you I live vicariously through yours. I have no tablesetting expertise at all, it's really, really sad. It would be fun to set up my computer and have a slideshow presentation of Cass's Wonderful Tablescapes while company is dining off of my best mis-matched plates and silverware. Oh, and I'll be sure to wear a cloche. We have a really big one here, one that will fit even over my humongous head.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love Howard in the turkey shirt, but not sure he belongs on the buffet! I think maybe I'd just put the ceramic turkey over there. We don't do a lot for TGV here because we have many relatives, so it's always fun to see a big old-fashioned blowout by those who really do it up right. Your house is the ideal setting for such a traditional feast -- just beautiful.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting That Old House; it's always exciting to find new comments -- they are treasured! Because of increasing spam, I have reluctantly eliminated "Anonymous" commenting. Legitimate anonymous commenters, please forgive me! You might try using "Open ID" instead. Blogger's spam software worked for a good long time, but, sadly, no longer.