Being Thankful

It might have been noticed that I skipped my blog on Wednesday.  I have to admit that I was a bit overwhelmed!  Between trying to clean the house, decorate for T-day, play child taxi, and chaos at work, I was bubbling a bit.  However, I'm hoping that this post will make up for the lack!

I have added our latest family pictures to my pictures page, but here is my beautiful family in one shot!

Darin, Tori, Charlie, Stacie
Damien, Airian, Jaidyn

It was an amazing Thanksgiving!

The living room is set and ready for entertaining.

Its amazing how painting a couple of bottles, adding a tea candle in a bowl of dried corn and a thanksgiving sign (here) can give a table a whole new look!

For the kids, I found these awesome placemats (here) and I broke out my bucket of 'good' crayons.

The hutch is finally an asset to the decor rather than an eyesore.  I'm glad that I don't have a before picture; just imagine it as a catchall of everything!!  The printables are here: Thankful, Leaf, Gobble

Here's the table - it's a pretty bird.  The cards and menu were found here.

Last but not least, the veggies, fruit and rolls.  Who new the dog crate could double as a banquet table, huh?!?  The printables were found Autumn Luster and Hello Fall.

Another thing that I got accomplished this weekend was my awkward nook above my TV. Again, another thing for which I didn't have a 'before' picture.  It was very cluttered before.  The bottles that are now painted orange and tan were up there, as well as some other knick knacks that have been rehoused.  I am excited to get the lights hooked up - there isn't a plug in up there so I'm thinking a string of lights with a battery pack that is on on special occasions would work just fine!

The most exciting thing that has happened, at least according to the children, is that the antics of the elf have started!  He greeted them yesterday with a letter explaining his purpose.  They went round and round trying to figure out a name for him and finally came up with 'Smith'.  So, we now have Smith, the elf, at our house!

Day One - Welcome, Smith!

Day Two - Creeper Smith

The children haven't seen Creeper Smith, yet.  I'm sure they are going to be upset that he stole all the marshmallows out of their cereal!!!!

So now that it is officially the Christmas Season, I can break out the decorations and have a hay-day.  We are getting a tree next Friday and will decorate it next Saturday.  I hope to have all of my other decorations out by then as well.  That way I have a couple weeks to enjoy them, rather than a couple days.