LIFE IN THE SIX O: THANKSGIVING: 2020

Happy Thanksgiving week! My very favorite holiday. This year is weird, to say the least. We always host a big Thanksgiving at our home and obviously that is not happening this year, we will still make our usual feast but a lot less of it for just us. We're having a Zoom party instead, that should be interesting. On the upside I can invite my east coast family too, and people can pop in and out with whatever works in their time zone.

Every year Christmas starts to get closer to Thanksgiving but this year it seems like it started in October! Have you noticed how many people have already hung decorations and lights?! (Ahum, my neighbors across the street). Not to be a Scrooge but those moving images of giant neon snowflakes is kind of annoying. I get it, everyone is craving joy. Personally, I have a thing for pumpkins and I'm just not ready to give them up yet! Pumpkins are still popping up around my house. And since my table this year won't be so elaborate, here are some of my past Thanksgiving tables, (sorry if you've already seen these), and some new pics's of my dining room and a few fun DIYs. Let's make the best of it!

This year, Thanksgiving 2020, is like no other. People are grieving lost loved ones, people will be sad because they will have to be alone, there are people who have been evicted or on the verge of having no home, and those who won't have enough to eat. So for those of us that are in a better position here's a few giving ideas to help those less fortunate.

You can make a contribution on line to your local mission, you can choose how many people you'd like to feed, even $1.00 helps feed a hungry person.
You can donate on line to your local food bank or buy a little extra and drop it off. You just drive up and pop your trunk and they will take it out so you have no contact.
At the check out in most markets they have pre-holiday brown bags with holiday meals. At my local Sprouts Market they cost about $8-15 and all you do is pay when you check out with your own groceries and they deliver the food to needy families.
Cook a little extra and drop it off for an elderly neighbor or someone you know is alone.

WELCOME

This is my dining room on a regular day. A good day, when there's no mail, lap tops and general crap on it. We recently painted it a creamy white from a faded terra-cotta kind of clay peachy color, evidenced by the painters tape still on the beams, (oops). I usually have apples or lemons on the table which I swapped out this month for gourds and pine cones.

Took my curtains off to wash them and realized how much I like the window without them. Not so good at night with neighbors across the street and the afore mentioned giant moving neon snow flakes. The curtains are back up.

This was a really fun TG floral arragnement table project. I had picked up a bunch of galvanized buckets at the Dollar store and my daughter and I went forgeging through the neighborhood. So each arrangement cost $1.

I Love making charcuterie boards. Although it took a trip to Paris before I learned how to pronounce it right. (Shaar-koo-ter-ee)

And painting pumpkins. And dining alfresco, because we can!

Before and after of two side dishes. On top is sliced sweet potato towers with melted marshmallow, agave and cinnamon. On the bottom Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and garlic cloves roasted in olive oil until they all caramelize, so good!