Welcoming The Season......

The Thanksgiving Season is here. One of the highlights of the year is of children preparing their Thanksgiving feasts at school and also participating in fall programs about the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving.  Our rich history grounds us as Americans.Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because of so many wonderful memories I have of growing up in a community that truly celebrated the love of tradition, family, faith, and friends.  This is now a blessing I love to share as my own family gathers to share the beautiful traditions that my husband and I have created over the years of our marriage and homelife. There is a grateful praise that The Psalmist sings in Psalm 100 and this fills my heart in anticipation!

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before Him with joyful songs

Know that the Lord is God.

It is He who made us, and we are His;

We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with praise;

Give thanks to Him and praise His name.

For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;

His faithfulness continues  through all generations."

What a wonderful promise we are given and especially for the season of Thanksgiving!  For me and my family, this has been a wonderful year. My heart is full of gratitude.  We welcomed a healthy and precious new grandson, John Brian, in April and completed the year with a new daughter in law to love as our son, Steven, married Sara.  There have been other blessings too....another daughter, Kacie, and her family relocated to a new state and God's faithfulness and blessing have been in every detail of their relocation.  There have been difficulties we have known too but those are minor when placed under the grace and goodness of the Lord.  He has loved us well and we want to share His goodness with others.

The table setting above is ready for an early holiday dinner with a few friends.  I decided to stray from the traditional colors of fall and go with a few green plants in my tablescape.  The tablecloth is a new gift from someone special.  The linens are vintage and I had them monogramed  to give just the right touch.

Inspiration can come when we least expect it. I am always inspired by the outdoors, it's freshness and the variations of green.  What inspires you?  Who inspires you?  I am moved by kindness, by people I see helping and sharing with others, by acceptance, by smiles, by nature, by books, by The Lord God, by His gracious and ordinary blessings of the day.  I hope in this season of Thanksgiving that you will take the time to share your own blessings of life with others.  It seems these days we do not have to look far from our own front door to see or help someone in need. I hope we can all remember to  guard our hearts and guard our words.  Watch over your heart this season.........this beautiful and thankful season!   Blessings of love and thanksgiving to you my friend!!!

A Rehearsal Dinner Party

All who know me well know that I can plan a "Table Setting" for weeks!  From the moment Steven and Sara became engaged, my mind, along with my heart, started planning!  I wanted to plan an evening that would be special, intimate, personal, and joyful!  They picked their wedding location first at a farmhouse in Taylor, Mississippi and I almost immediately began looking online for places to stay....... since our family is so large! We were blessed to find the perfect location, The Southern Living Home outside of Oxford, Mississippi in Taylor!  (The pictures from the previous post were taken there)  Taylor is a quaint little place where artist have found a unique haven for their talents to be shared.  The Plein Air Community, just down the road (literally) has a town center which has the cutest place, Olivia's Corner Market and this is where we decided to host the dinner the night before the wedding!  It was a beautiful place to bring seventy family and friends together from out of state, out of the country, and some who were local!  I wanted it to be simple but elegant.

We decided upon white table cloths, white dinner napkins, simple flowers from Oxford Floral  (lots of them) in single vases and a wine and water glass, along with silver place setting at each guest seat.  We used white candle tapers for just the right light in room. It was perfect for Sara and for Steven and I think they enjoyed every moment.  Love was real for them in the room and the evening set the tone for the rest of the weekend, the Wedding Day breakfast and the Wedding!  God blessed every single moment of the weekend and to Him I continue to give honor, praise, and glory! 

 ~Most tables seated four or six~

Perfect for conversation!
I used a burlap runner and a scripture card at each place setting from I Corinthians 13

~Steven and Sara sat at the center, facing the rest of the guest, and all their friends surrounded them at a long table, just for them~

 

Each guest received a little gift bag filled with Hersey Kisses and stamped with:

S & S

and a birdcage stamped with two sweet love birds!

Before the Dinner, I prayed daily for the invited guest, each one, that they would feel love and feel welcomed. Since all good gifts come from God, we wanted to be real host for this wonderful and joyful celebration.  My heart in all I do is to serve God and His blessed son, Jesus.  To God be all Glory and Honor!

"The soul of one who serves God always swims in joy, always keeps holiday, and is always in a mood for singing."  St. John of the Cross

AMEN!