Vintage Christmas Monday

Welcome back!
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! I sure did, I put my slideshow with the "best of" shots from the day on Sunday, if you care to see it.
Can you believe we are already counting down Christmas? 
It seems like yesterday was summer! The years go by faster and faster each year.
But I love Christmas, it's my favorite holiday!
Did you notice the Christmas-y header and music? I will be in Christmas mode from now until Christmas Day!

Speaking of Christmas mode, my friend Joan over at The Potting Shed-Anything Goes Here is hosting a new carnival taking place Monday's from now until the end of December. This party is a great way to share and showcase some vintage Christmas decorations. And in case you aren't aware, Joan has a fabulous blog! I just LURVE her! She is always putting together fabulous vignettes with her vintage finds. She and I both have featured some of them on Thrifty Thursday's. I cannot wait to see what her Christmas vignettes will hold!
Be sure and check out Anything Goes Here and all of the participants of this vintage Christmas party.

But before you go to visit Joan, I wanted to share my entry for Vintage Christmas Monday.
I found these vintage Christmas balls a few years back at a little shop in Old Town Helena, that has since gone out of business. It was one of my favorite stores, so it killed me when it closed. The shop was full of delightful vintage and antique finds from furnitute to lines and Christmas decor.

I just love these pink and silver Christmas ball ornaments.They each have a different design.
A Merry Christmas Greeting.

A delightful winter church scene.

And the other two just have decorative designs:

And that is my Vintage Monday show and tell. Be sure to stop by Joan's at The Pottingshed-anything goes here and see all the Vintage Monday participants.

My Thanksgiving Day

Family+ Friends+ Good Food= Good Times.
And that's exactly what my Thanksgiving was all about. This year we had a change of venue, just up the hill from the former location of my cousin Glenda. This year, her son and his wife Christie built a beautiful new home and hosted. What an undertaking to welcome in sixty people into your home, thought things really ran smoothly. Michael said, ""{It was} Our Pleasure! We just wanted everyone to feel that our house  is just an extension of Mom's. Looking forward to many more to come!!!" And it was just that. It felt like home.
The food was delicious as always. And there was ALOT of it. This was just the food. It didn't include the dessert table.

It takes alot of food to feed sixty hungry people, most who go for seconds. It's the eating day of the year. Those in my family don't take that lightly. Both literally and calorically speaking.
We had our turkey toss. I am sad to report that my family had to surrender the turkey trohy this year to my cousin, Cal (Tom was the 2008 champ in mens division). My cousin Gina won the ladies division and cousin Lewis won the senior division (they toss cornish game hens, as do the children).

Speaking of the children, they are all winners. So all leave happy. The children also had other festivities to compete in this year, their own Dirty Santa game, a  pinata to break that was full of goodies and finally a "snowball fight" using marshmallows. After the fight, the kids were given fresh marshmallows to roast on at the outdoor fireplace. The big "kids" also took part in the roasting.
But Thanksgiving goes beyond the food...it's the being thankful that is really what it is all about.
I can say that I am so thankful and blessed to be a member of my family. I love them each and everyone.
"And a good time was had by all."
Here is a look at my Thanksgiving:

The pictures were taken not only by myself, but my cousin Jennifer contributed to the slideshow as well.
Between she and I we took about 400 pictures. This is just a very small portion.

Thankyou for dropping by Bloggeritaville today!!
Join me tomorrow as we officially kick off the Christmas season with a "Vintage Monday Christmas".

Turkey Testicle Festival (You Heard Right)

My friends all give me a hard time for the number of festivals I attend. They also get a kick out of the names of the festivals and the range of things that are "festival worthy".  It really runs the gamant.
I received this email from  my friend, "Momma Joy"...

"NOW HERE IS A FESTIVAL FOR YOU TO GO TO AND BLOG ABOUT LOL,,, I HAVE NOW HEARD AND SEEN IT ALL!"

She attached this video to the email. (Be sure to pause the music on the sidebar, not to mention my mother would say, "It ain't right" to be listening to Christmas music while watching this video.)

 This is one festival I haven't attended and really have no care to attend, Although I am sure many go and have a "ball". (snort, snort)
But I would love a t-shirt. LOL.
Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgving!

There are so many things to be said in response to the video.
But I won't. I just will not.
Ok. My only response, or the only one I will publish. Ewwwwww.

Keetha, maybe you can report on this next year?

Giving Thanks: The Menu

This week of Thanksgiving, I am republishing some post of the past, these are all relating to Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions. I am busy this week planning, preparing, and taking this time to visit YOU, my blogger friend. For I am immensley thankful for you!
Thank YOU for taking time from your day to drop by Bloggeritaville to visit me. I enjoy your visits, your comments, your emails. It means so much to me. I invite you back this weekend for a look back at my Thanksgiving celebration and on Monday, where Christmas will be in full swing, complete with a Christmas header, Christmas music and Christmas post! I hope that you will join me.

May your Thanksgiving be filled with good food and good company. May you relish your Thanksgiving traditions, or start new ones. I pray that your blessings are plentiful!
Thankyou friend!

Leigh


Thanksgiving Day is made special in my home. There is both an abundance of people and food, and everyone-I mean-everyone is welcome on Thanksgiving day (I have tried to convince my bug man to come for the past 7 years. He doesn't do anything for Thanksgiving. That bothers me so.) We come together and give thanks.

Our menu is quite large, and I listed it below. But I could not list everything. Some people just make whatever they feel and bring it. But here is a list of a traditional Thanksgiving meal at Grannie's house:
Thanksgiving Menu:
Ham and Fried Turkey
Salads:
Cornbread Dressing
Coca Cola salad
Potato salad
Cole Slaw
Oriental slaw
Pineapple-Walnut salad
Pasta Salad
Broccoli Salad
Vegetables & Sides:
Gueryre Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Squash casserole
Mashed potatoes
Broccoli casserole
Green Beans
Butter Beans
Dumplings
Corn
Wanda's Corn Casserole
Devil Eggs
Mac and Cheese
Sweet Potato casserole
Vegetable Lasagna
Rolls
Desserts:
Pecan cobbler
Apple Cake
Rice Krispy treats
Pound Cake
Chocolate Cake
Pumpkin Bread
Cookies
Spice Cake
Banana Pudding

And that's just a small portion. Seriously. Yes, it is honestly sinful the amount of food. But we do have a hassle of people to come on Thanksgiving Day, this year we are expecting 60 people. We eat both lunch and supper off of this spread. And what a spread it is.
What does you family serve on Thanksgiving?
Kellie, over at Kellie's House is hosting all kinds of fun as we count down to thanksgiving week. She is having giveaways based on Thanksgiving post. You can play along too for a chance to win-and join in the fun of the holiday. Go to Kelly's House, tell her Leigh sent ya!

Giving Thanks: Traditions

This week of Thanksgiving, I am republishing some post of the past, these are all relating to Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions. I am busy this week planning, preparing, and taking this time to visit YOU, my blogger friend. For I am immensley thankful for you!
Thank YOU for taking time from your day to drop by Bloggeritaville to visit me. I enjoy your visits, your comments, your emails. It means so much to me. I invite you back this weekend for a look back at my Thanksgiving celebration and on Monday, where Christmas will be in full swing, complete with a Christmas header, Christmas music and Christmas post! I hope that you will join me.

May your Thanksgiving be filled with good food and good company. May you relish your Thanksgiving traditions, or start new ones. I pray that your blessings are plentiful!
Thankyou friend!

Leigh



Traditions. It is what makes each family unique. Holidays are when we all often share our traditions with family. Mine, is certainly no different in that aspect. But in the traditions we have on Thanksgiving-perhaps.
We spend Thanksgivings in Glencoe at my cousins: "Grannie"' and Johnny's house (GOG). Everyone brings a dish to share. They take care of the meats. We have about 30-40 people come each year. We are talking some pull out the stops food.
After giving thanks and eating, we all gather in the living room for a game of Dirty Santa. Everyone brings a Christmas item to play with. It can get pretty scrappy.
After that, we go out to the front yard for the annual turkey toss, in which we have a contest to see who can throw a frozen turkey the farthest. You pay to throw and the winner gets the pot of cash. There is a children's division, women's, men and seniors. The kids throw Cornish hens instead of turkeys'. We are so serious that there is even a trophy!!
After that, we take a family hike in the woods. Some chose to go inside and sleep in front of the TV while it airs football games, while still others actually head out to the front yard to play a game of football.
Did someone say, football?  Ah! Alas, it is game time this weekend when rival teams (and my divided household) come together for teh Iron Bowl-Alabama against Auburn. Who will win? I have my ideas. I think you know who I am pulling for. It's a HUGE game within my household. And its one that brings us together (if you can beleive that-even though we are on opposite sides of the sideline) year after year. This year son, Bama will be traveling to pull for his school from the sidelines.
I love traditions!

They are great traditions. Fun traditions. Traditions that are every part Thanksgiving to me.


What does your family do on Thanksgiving? What traditions to you share?

Here is a look back at 2008's Thanksgiving at GOG"s!
Here is a look back at 2007's Thanksgiving at GOG's!

Kellie, over at Kellie's House is hosting all kinds of fun as we count down to thanksgiving week. She is having giveaways based on Thanksgiving post. You can play along too for a chance to win-and join in the fun of the holiday. Go to Kelly's House, tell her Leigh sent ya!
ROLL TIDE!

Giving Thanks: There's no Place like Home

This week of Thanksgiving, I am republishing some post of the past, these are all relating to Thanksgiving celebrations and traditions. I am busy this week planning, preparing, and taking this time to visit YOU, my blogger friend. For I am immensley thankful for you!
Thank YOU for taking time from your day to drop by Bloggeritaville to visit me. I enjoy your visits, your comments, your emails. It means so much to me. I invite you back this weekend for a look back at my Thanksgiving celebration and on Monday, where Christmas will be in full swing, complete with a Christmas header, Christmas music and Christmas post! I hope that you will join me.

May your Thanksgiving be filled with good food and good company. May you relish your Thanksgiving traditions, or start new ones. I pray that your blessings are plentiful!
Thankyou friend!

Leigh


There is no place like home. It's where the living is littered with the contents of the lives celebrating the children that live there....
a few wayward checker pieces, a pair of dirty socks (that kid #2 better pick up!), framed pictures of times celebrated and of generations past, paper,pens and markers in the middle of becoming an award winning novel. At least in the heart of the author's mother.

There is no place like home. It is where at first entry I am greeted by 5 happy pups, each dancing about and wagging tails and bottoms with delight at my face. You can't buy that anywhere!! It is guaranteed kisses and cuddles, always a warm lap and tug o war play.

There is no place like home. It's provided by a hard working man, who never complains about going into work-even on cold mornings when I know it's hard getting out of bed- before God turns on the lights. It's financial security, because the working man knows how to work a budget that most people could not live with. Even his wife sometimes. It's doing without materials but never love. It's a future that is visible and is on a straight and narrow path to our hopes and dreams for our family. It's a foot rub at night as we watch tv, it's a hug upon first sight of entering, it's a word of appreciation that the others live under it's roof too.

There's no place like home. It's handed down clothes, recipes, furniture and traditions.

There is no place like home. It's a southern momma's cooking, whose dishes are steeped in love. It's hot chocolate and marshmallows, hot soup on a cold day. It's Great Grandma Idabelle's recipe for cornbread cooked in a blacked iron skillet. It's a cozy bed with blankets on the edge of the bed to cuddle up in, knitted by grandma....Blankets that have the ability that each time the blanket surrounds you, you can feel Grandma's hug.

There's no place like home. It's good music playing in the background. It's antibacterial gel, Lysol spray, and Clorox and healthy bodies to fight off "ick". It's candles in the fireplace. It's laundry that needs to be folded. It's "lived in".

It is peace, even where there is not. It is chaos. It is wild. It's inside jokes. It is memories.

There is no place like home. It's warm in spirit, it's where we hang our hats.
And it's carried in our hearts.
No matter where home is literally, it is always there inside of us. In the eyes of our family.
It is there in it's spirit.
It's Love.
And I am blessed each time I drive up, no matter the chores that await me. I am blessed.
And I count those blessings as we approach Thanksgiving Day.

I hope you have many blessings to count too. May you be blessed.
What are you thankful for?


Kellie, over at Kellie's House is hosting all kinds of fun as we count down to thanksgiving week. She is having giveaways based on Thanksgiving post. You can play along too for a chance to win-and join in the fun of the holiday. Go to Kelly's House, tell her Leigh sent ya!