Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Thanksgiving Dinner, 2015

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November has been a sad month here at The Gazebo House.
  It started off on November 1st, when my husband's hospital held a Memorial Mass for him on All Souls Day. 
The Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland officiated & at the end, read a portion of Ern's obituary.
  I cried, of course.

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They gave me these beautiful flowers &
this lovely candle to bring home & I
enjoyed them for days until the fluffy gold stuff
in the arrangement started to make me sneeze!
It was all very touching but sent me into a blue funk for days.   


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However, keeping busy is the antidote for
wallowing in sadness,
so I dove straight into making an elaborate
EARLY Thanksgiving dinner
for my daughter & family.

  My oldest grandson was invited to spend
Thanksgiving with his girlfriend's family in Boston,
so we decided to hold our gathering a little early
so they could be together here with us
to celebrate ahead of time.


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This is the first year I've ever been able to cut some
of my own flowers to use as a centerpiece!
We've had an extraordinarily warm autumn
plus that fact that the celebration
was a week early allowed me to cut
the last of my yellow mums,
plus a few yellow roses, too!  

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Ms. C. immediately noticed that one of the blossoms
had PINK on it! 
She has loved PINK since she was a tiny toddler &
said "My PINK",
every time she saw it anywhere.



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You've seen these pinecone adorned napkins,
placemats, wooden chargers &
my Eternal  by Lenox china all before.
  I think I even used them
last year for turkey day, too.


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However, the flatware is new!
I've always wanted a touch of gold to go
with the gold trim on my china &
when Mary (Home is Where the Boat Is)
featured this Mikasa "Cameo Gold" pattern,
with 24 karat gold trim,
I jumped at the chance to buy it
with her discount. 
Thanks Mary!

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I must also thank Mary for the idea to make these
goofy turkey cupcakes with Nutter Butter cookies,
candy eyes & red licorice.
They were a HUGE hit with the kids....
of all sizes.
  The only thing I did differently than
Mary was I used orange Tic Tacs
for their noses.

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They look so silly, perched upon my antique
Americana cut glass square cake pedestal. 
Thanks for the inspiration, Mary!

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I used both the dining room table
as well as the little round table
off to the side to set up the desserts...
pumpkin & pecan pie,
chocolate chip cookies (DGS#1's favorite),
along with cashews &
chocolate covered almonds (MY favorite)!
Of course, per tradition,
my Mom's little after dinner mints
were on the table in my sugar scuttle as well.
She ALWAYS had those mints out
for every occasion &
this is my way of remembering her on holidays.

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My daughter bought me this
beautiful leaf-embossed oblong
serving dish by Hallmark.
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It looked so pretty with its copper colored ribbon
that I didn't have the heart to unwrap it!

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She knows I have a serious addiction to dishes!!
My collection of milk glass
continues to grow, thanks to my friends, sisters &
their families' contributions.

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I wish for each of you a very Blessed & Grateful Thanksgiving holiday. 
I'm counting my blessings & one of them is that my sweetheart went to Heaven before me,
because this grieving process would have been
so much harder on him!
  I'll be glad when this year of "Firsts"
without him are in the past. 

Thanks for stopping by The Gazebo House today.


18 comments:

  1. How nice to see a post from you Rett. It's like hearing from an old friend. Your Thanksgiving celebration looked great and so delicious. I know that this has been a long hard year for you, please know that your bloggy friends are thinking of you.

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  2. Oh Rett, such a lovely post. What a difficult year this is for you. All these firsts. I'm glad the hospital held the mass for your husband and remembered all the good he accomplished in his life.
    Your early Thanksgiving table is beautiful and I admire you for forging ahead in the way you do. Those turkey cupcakes are the cutest!

    Hugs,
    Lorrie

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  3. How sweet that the hospital had a memorial Mass for your Ernie. I know it was hard all over for you, Rett, and my heart goes out to you.
    Your Thanksgiving table looks so pretty, and I love your new flatware, and the cupcakes turned out so cute. Our friend Mary is such a inspiration for us, isn't she? I love that you use the mints to remember your own sweet Mom.
    Happy Thanksgiving to you. I'm thinking of you when I'm here in Ohio with my mom. I'll give her a hug from you!

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  4. Rett, it was wonderful the hospital had a memorial Mass, you are so right about getting busy and you did a beautiful job of setting the spirit of Thanksgiving. Giving thanks does not need to be on a certain day. You are such an inspiration.
    Nonie

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  5. Aww Rett, I feel for you. No one should be alone for the holidays. I know you miss your precious love, Ernie. The hospital was wonderful having a memorial Mass for Ernie. Your Thanksgiving table is gorgeous. I love how you served those little mints in honor of your Mother. The nutter butter cupcakes are the cutest. Here's a big hug from me to you. xo

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  6. So good to see you posting. Your Ern was sucha respected and special man. You know that but it is wonderful to see the honor others have bestowed on him. You will get through this year of firsts, with the help of family, but he will be at your side evermore. Wishing you the best Thanksgiving and Christmas and lots of hugs sent your way. Take care, friend.

    PS: those nutter butte turkeys are a hoot!

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  7. Rett, what a beautiful photo of the gazebo, water and colorful trees! Your table is also beautifully set. Love those napkins.
    The turkey cupcakes are adorable...I bet they were a big hit.
    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  8. Dearest Rett..first off, thanks so much for coming by and laughing with us over the FLOWER vs FLOUR post...LOL
    Your table and food look so sweet..I love the turkey cupcakes...I love anything that brings smiles to your face..I know this must be very hard...all these FIRSTS. I have thought so many times that if I go first, Mr. Sweet will have such a hard time...but I know we just do what we have to do to get thru these hard times.
    Love to you...xoxo

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  9. Rett, so happy to see that you did a post. I know the first year is always so hard, but he will always be with you.
    Your table looks lovely and love the cupcakes.
    Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving.
    Hugs,
    Mary

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  10. As always, you've created the most beautiful Thanksgiving setting, complete with silly cupcakes. :) You chose a wonderful way to help you through yet another "first" without Ernie. How special that the hospital held a remembrance mass for him. I know that you still miss him terribly and pray that the days ahead will be filled with joy as you reminisce over the wonderful memories of the times you had together. You'll get through these "firsts", though they are so hard.
    May you have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

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  11. Your Thanksgiving table is beautiful, Rett. I hope you enjoy your holiday with family and look forward to a happy 2016. I think keeping busy is the best way to get through sad times. First are always hard. I'm looking forward to your posts in the coming year.

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  12. It is wonderful to see you back online!! Your table is beautiful. Thoughts and prayers coming your way this Thanksgiving season!

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  13. What a lovely post, Rett. The table is beautiful and all the wonderful memories are so sweet! Yes, the year of firsts...so hard but you are getting through with the garce of God. Have a beautiful Thanksgiving, may God bless you!

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  14. Hello Rett. I'm commenting here because you are a no-reply blogger so I can't respond to your comment on my blog. You asked about the red and white dishes - they are from Winners in Canada (I think you call it TJMax? or Marshall's?). The company is 222 Fifth, and I think Andover is the pattern. Made in Indonesia. Hope that helps.
    I hope you are having a simply lovely Thanksgiving Day.

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  15. Rett, honey, you have no idea how often I think of you. So nice that you posted for the holiday......everything is just gorgeous (like we expect anything else???) So glad you got to celebrate with the family. Soon, the years of "firsts" will be over.....until then, honey, chin up! As you can tell from all these comments, you are loved!

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  16. Dear Rett:
    I have found myself thinking of you often. I knew that this time of year would be difficult, and I've prayed that you'd find strength through your family. I wonder how Miss C has grown, and know that she continues to be a bright light in your life.

    I love seeing your holiday home and all the touches that make it so special for your family.
    Sending long distance hugs, my friend.
    xo
    Donna

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  17. Hello Rett! I've been missing you on the Cookie Table and came looking :). Your table is gorgeous - we share that dish addiction but since we've downsized and redid the kitchen with no upper cabinets, there's no place for extra. So far I haven't been able to bring Bruce around to the idea of finishing the basement to store pretty dishes... but I'm not done with him yet. Hope you're doing well, thinking of you often and we've never even met, ha. The power of the internet, I guess. Have the merriest Christmas you can muster - God Bless ♥.

    Cindy

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  18. Rett, I'm JUST now getting by to see your Thanksgiving table! We were out of town the week before Thanksgiving and then my MIL went into the hospital the following week and I've running back and forth to the hospital and then had her little dogs underfoot. She came home yesterday and we returned them to her, so hopefully they'll boost her spirits as she does her therapy and heals... *fingers crossed* . Our Thanksgiving turkey is still in the freezer with plans to bring it out for Christmas.

    I'm sorry your November was understandably a sad month, but your plan to stay busy sounds like it was a success. I love your flatware with your table and seeing your gobbler cupcakes elevated in such grand style on your glass pedestal! I think they make anyone smile, using the Tic Tacs was so smart for their beaks!

    I hope your December is as warm as your fall without any snow showers yet. We're looking at temperatures in the 70s this weekend. ♥

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I read them all & each one is so very special to me & I try really hard to return the visit!

fondly,
~Rett~