Happy Thanksgiving 2025

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday.  This is a time where I share something on my mind and invite you to link up and do the same.  Today I'm thinking about how grateful I am to all of you!

I’m always grateful for this little corner of the internet and for each of you who takes the time to read, comment, and share. Your visits truly mean the world to me.

On this Thanksgiving day, I'm reflecting on a few of the things I'm most thankful for ~

• Family—near or far, loud or quiet, chosen or biological

• Friends who show up, cheer you on, and make life brighter

• Good health and the ability to enjoy the everyday moments

• A cozy home that keeps you warm

• Food on the table and the people gathered around it

• Work that provides purpose—or rest when you need it

• Unexpected kindness from strangers

• Laughter that lightens even the hardest days

• Memories that remind you how far you’ve come

• Traditions that bring comfort and joy

• New opportunities on the horizon

• The beauty of changing seasons

• A community that supports, encourages, and inspires

• Faith, hope, or whatever keeps you grounded

• The simple moments—hot coffee, a good book, or a long walk

• Technology that keeps us connected

• The chance to learn, grow, and start fresh anytime

As we head into the holiday, I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with good food, warm moments, and the people who make your heart feel full. Wishing you a day of gratitude, joy, and maybe even a well-deserved nap after the feast!

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! 

Now it's your turn.  What are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!

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Gratitude, Gatherings, and All Things Thanksgiving

Hello and welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  This is a time when I talk about something on my mind and invite you to link up and do the same.  Today I'm sharing our newly created Thanksgiving tiered tray decor!

This past weekend, I pulled out all the Thanksgiving storage tubs and started adding a touch of the holiday throughout our home. It’s always so much fun to unpack the decorations and decide where each piece goes! Earlier this week, I shared a look at our fall mantel on the blog — if you missed it, you can catch up on that post HERE. Now that the mantel is complete, it’s time to move into the kitchen and show you how I’ve dressed up our window for Thanksgiving!

I started by placing a bundle of wheat in a vase to anchor the look and give it that warm, harvest feel. From there, I spread out some leaf garland to add texture and color. Once the base was set, I had fun layering in all the other pieces — a mix of seasonal accents that brought the whole Thanksgiving look together.

One of my favorite pieces in the display is a set of wooden Pilgrims and a Native American figure that I bought at a craft fair back in the 80s. They’ve been part of my Thanksgiving decor for decades now, and I love how they’ve held up through the years. Every time I unpack them, they bring back such warm memories — proof that some decorations truly stand the test of time!

We have so many pumpkins! I couldn’t resist scattering them everywhere — big ones, small ones, and everything in between. I like to say I spread them like glitter all over the kitchen window, adding a fun pop of color and a little extra festive charm to the whole display.

The Thanksgiving turkey stands proudly watching over the whole scene, tying everything together. It feels like the finishing touch — the piece that makes the entire display come to life. With the turkey in place, the kitchen window feels complete and perfectly ready to welcome the season of gratitude.

And that wraps up our little Thanksgiving corner in the kitchen! I love how cheerful and cozy it feels every time I walk by. The mix of wheat, leaves, pumpkins, and those nostalgic wooden figures brings such warmth to the space. It’s a simple setup, but it captures everything I love about this time of year — gratitude, tradition, and a touch of homemade charm. Let the countdown to Thanksgiving dinner begin!

Now it's your turn.  What are you thinking out loud about?  Link up and share!

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Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m so grateful you’re here for Thinking Out Loud Thursday, where I share what’s on my mind and invite you to link up and share your thoughts too. I’m especially thankful for each and every one of you who support this blog. That’s what’s on my mind today!

Our pastor, Shane Bishop, from Christ Church shared three keys to true Thanksgiving this week and it's too good not to share.  

    1) Focus on what you have, not what you don't
   2) Realize that all you have is a gift from God, not a trophy to your achievement
   3) Understand that others have contributed to your success, no one is self-made.

Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with love and tranquility.  

Now it's your turn.  Link up and share what's on your mind today!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day!

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  Today I'm thinking about how very thankful I am to all of you who pop in my little corning of the internet.  Writing this blog and reading your comments brings me much joy and I am truly thankful for you.

Today I'm thinking out loud about an opportunity I had earlier in the week to volunteer for Foodbank and hand out 1,000 Thanksgiving dinners to families in need.  I've been so fortunate in my life and need to remember that others struggle to meet the basic necessity of feeding their families.  

As we gather with family and friends this holiday to give thanks, let's remember those less fortunate and make a small gesture to assist those who need help.  I received the below email from Foodbank and would like to share it with you ~

In a few days, I will gather with friends and family to sit around a table, give thanks, and enjoy a wonderful meal. Isn’t that what Thanksgiving’s all about?

Meals are often the heart of holiday memories. But for the thousands of families facing hunger in Missouri and Illinois, the tables might be empty.

Please consider donating to the St. Louis Area Foodbank to help fill the tables for our neighbors in need. Just a $25 donation will provide 100 Thanksgiving meals to local families. [stlfoodbank.us7.list-manage.com] If you have already made your gift this Thanksgiving season, I am grateful for your kind and generous support.

No matter how you choose to make a difference, know you are helping give what matters this holiday season: a meal on every table.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Feel free to link up and share what's on your mind today.  I love hearing from you!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Weekending - November 8, 2019

Welcome to Monday!  Winter came along with Monday morning here in the St. Louis area.  After an absolutely gorgeous fall day yesterday, this morning we are getting snow and the temperature has fallen to a crisp 33 degrees.  I have a feeling this winter is going to be a doozy!

First order of business today - thanks to all our service men and women.  Your job is so important.  Hope you feel very appreciated today and every day!

Let's take a look back to the warmer weekend ~

Friday night was so low key and wonderful!  We picked up Chipotle for dinner and totally chilled in front of the TV.  I finished reading Olive, Again (review coming soon) and started watching a new series on Hulu - Four Weddings and a Funeral.  Have you seen it?  So cute!  It was 10 episodes of goodness and kept me entertained this weekend.

Available HERE

Saturday morning Eric had to work so I was home alone.  I decided to play some Bon Jovi really loud and conquer cleaning out the pantry.  What a job that turned into!  It was on my list of things to do before the holidays started, but geez, I really wasn't thinking it was going to be an 8 hour endeavor.  Thank heavens it's done and now I'm ready to move into the season of entertaining with only food that is not expired.  Ha!

While half the neighborhood was putting up their Christmas ornaments, I was happy arranging our Thanksgiving decorations.  I'm hosting a dinner with a few neighborhood girlfriends on Wednesday night so I didn't want to skip bringing out the Thanksgiving cheer.

This time of year hosts the most beautiful sunsets!  Saturday night I was able to capture this one (photo unfiltered).

Decorating for Thanksgiving bled into Sunday and I can happily report I'm done!  Thanksgiving is truly one of my favorite holidays so I know having the feeling of the holiday wrapped around me when I'm at home will put a smile on my face for the entire month.

This is going to be a busy week on the blog.  Tomorrow I'm taking part in a Soup Swap.  Be sure to stop by and see what soup I'm sharing and check out all the other links to people's favorites.  I'll be sharing more of the Thanksgiving decorations on Thursday, along with a couple other Thanksgiving tips. Five I'll be here with my usual Five on Friday. 

Have a great week and see you soon!

Thanksgiving - Keeping the Kids Happy

Thanksgiving is just days away and if you're hosting, you might be getting a bit freaked out about how to keep the kids entertained while you're busy in the kitchen.  With the help of Amazon Prime, I have a few suggestions to help make the day go a little smoother.

When things get tense (and you know there will be those moments), having a few jokes and riddles up your sleeve can really defuse the situation.  This handy book just might turn a stressful moment into one where the whole family is laughing.  Here's a sample ~ Why did the turkey cross the road?  He had to prove that he wasn't a chicken!  hahaha.  Click HERE to purchase.

Cover your table with this versatile chalkboard tablecloth and let the kids have a blast drawing until their hearts are content.  We used this last year and it was so fun watching the kids play tic tac toe with their grandparents on it.  Click HERE to purchase.  Don't forget to grab some chalk - available HERE.  

                        

While you have the table covered, now would be a great time to bust out a little craft project.  This kit makes 4 turkeys with 6 feathers each and is ideal to kids' busy hands occupied.  Pick up your set (or two) HERE.

Who doesn't love Charlie Brown?  You could always pop in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and let the kids (and probably some adults too) enjoy watching Peppermint Patty invite herself and her pals to Charlie Brown's house for a really big turkey party.  Good grief!!  Click HERE to add this DVD to your collection.

                  

Hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful!

Weekending - November 20, 2015

Hello - My name is Penny and I'm a procrastinator.  There, I said it.  I took off last Thursday and Friday to get totally prepared for Thanksgiving and, well, I'm honestly no further along being ready for Thanksgiving than I was last Wednesday before I took vacation.  But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy my last few days.  Here's what went down.....

My husband, Eric, works in a grocery store and you can imagine how busy he is this time of year.  He had to work on Saturday and Sunday, so I knew if I wanted to spend any time with him over the next couple weeks I needed to take vacation on Thursday and Friday to take advantage of his time off.  So that's exactly what I did!  Thursday we were going to clean and reorganize our pantry.  It's started, and over half done.  But not COMPLETE.  I thought I could finish it on Friday  Saturday  Sunday  sometimes over the weekend.  Nope.  Didn't happen (the procrastinating mentioned above).  Monday.  Definitely going to finish it on Monday.  I did get the front door decorated for fall.

Since Eric had to go to work in the afternoon on Friday, we turned the a.m. into date morning.  We headed to Panera for our favorite breakfast sandwich on asiago bagel.  Yum!!  Just what we needed to start our date.

Next it was on to our movie of the week - Mockingjay Part II.  Loved it!  After four years, the story is done.  If you haven't read the books, I would highly recommend them.

Friday when Eric left for work, I hit some shops looking for something to wear to our Saturday evening event.  I was trying to match a pair of pants I had purchased a couple weeks ago.  Like a fool, I didn't take them with me and brought apparel that didn't remotely work.  So I loaded myself (and the pants) back in the car for round two of shopping.  After trying on 1349385 items, I decided to ditch the already purchased pants and go a completely different route.  The final product was this gorgeous Chico sweater with a pair of black velvet pants hanging in my closet.

To purchase, click HERE

I paired it with a gold blouse and a statement necklace.  Round two of shopping was worth it -- loved the way the whole look came together.

To purchase, click HERE

Saturday morning I met some friends at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows for their Girls' Day Out event.  One of the rooms in the Shrine was set up with decorated Christmas trees from around the world.  They were so beautiful!  Take a peek at some of them.

From there, I headed out to meet some friends Sharyn, Eric and Audrey for lunch.  Sharyn and I have been friends since grade school and it's always a great time to get together with her family.

We dined at a place I hadn't been to before - Twister Ranch.  Loved it!  This is a cute little corner restaurant very close to Soulard Market.  Everything they serve comes with a side of ranch.  Not just any ranch,  They have their own secret homemade ranch recipe and it's in every dish on their menu.  In addition to their classic ranch, they also have dozens of ranch flavors.  Fun place!

Saturday night, Eric and I attended the annual NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Gala.  It's such a great organization doing so many things that it was an honor to attend.  Their mission is to improve the quality of life of persons with severe and persistent mental illnesses and their families, and promote and provide community support, education, advocacy and understanding.

They had several amazing items on their silent auction.  Have you participated in a silent auction lately?  This was the first time I participated in one that you could do on your smart phone.  What a great idea!  You bid from your phone.  If someone outbid you, you received a text and could rebid without leaving your seat.  This is how our table looked before the silent auction closed ~

Remember THIS POST when I talked about my fall goals?  One of them was to lay on the couch one whole Sunday afternoon and watch football.  Check that off!  Sunday I literally laid around all day watching TV.  Yes, the pantry chore was still needing to be finished.  But being the procrastinator that I am, laying on the couch watching TV just sounded like a better thing to do.  Thank heavens my husband is as understanding as he is!!

So how was your weekend?  Hope you enjoyed the weekend before Thanksgiving.  I'm going to have a fun week getting ready for company.  Thursday will be a fun day!  So let's get this week started!

Check out what others were up to this weekend.

Champagne and Suburbs

B Loved Boston

Life of Meg

More Pieces of Me
Bella and the City
A Cute Angle
The Quinntessential Mommy
How To Get Organized At Home
Tuesday Talk
This post contained affiliate links.  I may receive a small commission if you click on the link and purchase.  Thanks!

Thinking Out Loud Thursday

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  Vanessa at X-tremely V and I are so happy you stopped by.  Hope you link up below and share with us what you're thinking out loud about today.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the plans and preparations are weighing heavy on my mind.  Let me just lay this out there -- I like LOVE Thanksgiving.  I love my family being together.  I love the food.  I love the colors.  Yes, I love it ALL.  And I feel a little sorry for Thanksgiving because so many times people are more focused on Christmas by this time in November and poor Thanksgiving gets kind of forgotten.  

It's also around this time of year that I really miss have small children around my house.  When Ian was little, I used to love including him in all the holiday preparations and getting him as psyched as I was about each one.  So today I'm thinking out loud about one of my favorite holidays - THANKSGIVING and some things to do for those little ones in your house.

If you have school-age kiddos at home, check out these adorable Thanksgiving lunch box printables over at Coupons Are Great.  Just download the pdf and print.  You will be a pretty popular mom by dropping these in your kid's lunchbox.

Click HERE to print

Speaking of kids and Thanksgiving ~ are you planning to have a kids table at your gathering?  If so, check out this tablecloth.  It's full of mazes, word searches, riddles, and pictures to color.  I personally like to blend the kids right in to our dining room table for the main meal, but I'm thinking of putting this on a table for the kids (and maybe even some adults) to enjoy while we are preparing the main event.  Wherever you put it, I think it would be a huge hit!  Click on the "this tablecloth" highlighted to purchase yours.

(similar)

These little pilgrim hats would be perfect to hold the crayons for the Thanksgiving tablecloth.  If I have a spare moment, I'm definitely whipping up a couple of these.  So cute!!  Thanks Lil' Luna for sharing these on Pinterest.

If you're hosting (or have) some tweens, you should check out these Gobble Gobble Mad Libs.  This collection features hilarious stories about preparing and eating dinner, Thanksgiving traditions and Black Friday shopping.  You will be hearing their laughter all over the house!

Do you have fun ways to keep the kids entertained on Thanksgiving?  Would love to hear from you!

Hey -- as a bonus thought today, I'd like to invite you to join me and Vanessa in a Christmas Cheer Box Swap.  Swaps are so much fun!!  Check it out the details over at X-tremely V.

Now it's your turn.  Please join me and Vanessa at X-tremely V and share what you're thinking out loud about today.        

Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at

Home of Malones

East Coast Chic

Hodges Podges
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop
While I'm Waiting

The Deliberate Mom
This is How We Roll
Tuesday Talk
Brushing Our Way Through Life

Weekending - November 28, 2014

The last four days have seriously been a blur!  Thanksgiving was a wonderful day full of family and food.  We have so much to be thankful for.  I loved spending the day with family!  Here's a picture of our Thanksgiving table.

                                   

On Friday, my mom, daughter-in-law and I headed out to conquer Black Friday shopping.  We all did a pretty good job putting a dent in our Christmas gift shopping.  I still had some birthday rewards to cash in before the end of the month.  This reward stuff is getting to be a pretty sweet deal -- this year I received the following rewards for my birthday:

$15 from Ann Taylor Loft
$25 from Tommy Hilfiger
$10 Godiva (Have you ever had one of the chocolate drinks?  DELISH!!)
$5 DSW
$10 Kohl's
$10 World Market

See what I mean -- not a bad deal!  The Ann Taylor Loft coupon basically went straight from my mail box to the store.

Here's what the back of our vehicle looked like after our shopping day on Friday:

I honestly have no idea what I did on Saturday.  I know I was busy all day, but I really don't have much to show for it.  Ever have days like that?  Suddenly the day was gone and I still had a million things I needed to get done.  Welcome to the holiday season!  I did manage to whip up this banner. 

Sunday we were at the Rams game.  The game where the Rams won 52-0.  I know, we were playing the Raiders and they aren't having the best season.  But the Rams haven't really been a sure thing lately, so it was good to see them show up and play. I think Tre Mason might be my new favorite player.

                                                

Monday begins December.  How did that happen?!?!  This year has whizzed by!  We've got one more month in 2014 and I'm looking forward to making the most of it.  Are you with me!  Let's do this!

Check out what others were up to this weekend.

Join the Gossip

Champagne and Suburbs

B Loved Boston

I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Life of Meg

More Pieces of Me
Bella and the City

Happy Thanksgiving

                             

On this day of thanksgiving, many of us will hustle and bustle around trying to get our meals together or travel to someone's house to enjoy the day - never stopping to relax and reflect.  There are so many things in our lives that we take for granted or expect, we sometimes forget to be thankful for them.  As we celebrate today, please take a minute to reflect on how truly lucky we are -- not only for the things we currently have in our lives, but also for the opportunities we have to make our lives better.  

We will be celebrating with our son and daughter-in-law, my parents, my brother and his family and Eric's mom.  I love hosting holidays!  Here's a picture of our table.

The silver I blogged about HERE is making its first appearance (but definitely not the last).

I would also like to thank each of you for stopping by my blog.  I appreciate you, your comments and your loyalty.  Hope you have a glorious day!

Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at

Home of Malones

East Coast Chic

A Handful of Everything
Hodges Podges

Weekending - November 21, 2014

Eric and I flew back from Charleston on Saturday and we are experiencing a bit of an adjustment getting back into a routine.  I blogged about where we stayed HERE so you can imagine how it felt to wake up Sunday morning and realize there would be no quiche, hot tea or fruit being delivered to our bedroom.  Then when I sat up, the site I saw was our dirty laundry and unpacked suitcases everywhere.  The good news was it was Sunday and I had a day to get my act together before I had to head back to work.

We decided to ditch the responsible thing to do of getting things in order and instead headed to the theater to see Mockingjay since we missed seeing it on opening day because we were on vacation.  Popcorn and soda wasn't quite as good as the breakfasts we had on vacation, but it would do.

                                               

Both of us enjoyed this installation of The Hunger Games.  Did you see it?  What did you think?

After the movie, we headed to the grocery store for stuff to make chili.  We just wanted to get home, fix some comfort food and watch the Ram's football game.  Results of the game -- can you say DISAPPOINTMENT.  The washer and dryer could be running as we laid on the couch and I could still feel like I was getting something done.

Sunday was a cool, rainy day and perfect for me to wear my rain boots.  I love these things!  I first saw them years ago in Memphis when we were at the Memphis in May Music Festival.  Everyone there had fun rubber boots and I knew these had to be mine.  Perfect for a rainy day.  If you know someone on your Christmas list who might like a them, you can pick a pair up at Kohl's.

                                   

With Thanksgiving this week, like many of you I've got a busy few days ahead.  We are hosting the holiday at our house -- which I absolutely LOVE.  We'll have 11 people here for Thanksgiving and I can't wait for everyone to get here.  I'm going to Time for Dinner on Tuesday night to prepare my dressing with cranberries, apples and sausage and praline sweet potatoes.  Time for Dinner is located on Manchester Road in the Brentwood area.  If you're running short on time and need some assistance with your Thanksgiving meal, I highly recommend giving them a call.

                                        

Just a reminder -- you have until Wednesday to enter the giveaway for $250 in prizes.  You can enter HERE.  Pop on over there and enter -- who can't use $250 to spend?!?!

                                                

Okay, guys -- I need to wrap this up and get my head in the game to prepare for my week ahead.  I realize this post is pretty full of randomness -- pretty much how my mind is working today.  LOL

                

Check out what others were up to this weekend.

Join the Gossip

Champagne and Suburbs

B Loved Boston

I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Life of Meg

More Pieces of Me