Baby, It's Warm Outside

Hello everyone!  It's been a full month since I've written a post.  It was not intended but I think I just needed a little hiatus to catch up with life!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is enjoying the holiday season!  Even though the holidays are upon us and everyone is buzzing with end of year activity, it just doesn't quite seem like holiday season without cold weather.  I'm sure I'll eat my words but baby, it's NOT cold outside!  It's actually been rather warm the last few weeks in the Dallas area which is strange since I remember snowy Thanksgivings (at least a few)!

Okay, let me get right into pictures and catching up... This Thanksgiving Jordan and I went to my parents house and enjoyed a lovely meal!  There's nothing like a Thanksgiving cooked by mom, am I right?  The food was A-mazing and it was really great to spend some time with my parents.  The only bummer is that Scott and Elizabeth couldn't join us.  'Tis the season for illness too, I suppose.  We missed you guys!

Top Left: Green bean casserole.  I think this is one of my favorite dishes!
Top Middle and Bottom Right: Mom does it all.  The food was delicious and the table was decorated perfectly!  Mom used her beautiful dishes from Japan and the table looked very elegant!  There's a long story behind those Japanese dishes.  My Grandpa was in the Korean war and purchased a set of these dishes in Japan as a gift for my Grandmother.  I suppose that would have been around 1953.  We did not have the exact dishware that was gifted to Grandma years ago, but these are at least the exact same pattern!  I just think it's really neat to know those kinds of stories about the generations before me.
Top Right and Bottom Left: The turkey turned out perfectly!  This year mom used a cooking bag to help the bird cook evenly.  I'd say it was a success!  

Top Left: My place setting.  No judging people!  I was HUNGRY after watching/helping Mom in the kitchen!
All Others: Pie!!!  I haven't baked with my mom in years!  Like, possibly a decade?!  I had a blast making a cherry pie, chocolate pie, and pumpkin crumble with her!  All of them turned out great!  

I can't leave out the puppies!  
Left: Abby's hair was getting outta control so she got a little Thanksgiving buzz cut before the holiday.  She is such a happy girl.
Right: Sophie was in rare form when I took this picture.  She was complete exhausted from the Thanksgiving day's activities and was such a sleepy lady.

Other random pics:
Top Left: This pumpkin crumble was so easy to make!  I thought it looked yummy!
Right: Mom's china cabinet looked so beautiful with the lights on!  It's funny how I can remember specific holidays and meals that we ate as a family on some of that china!  Growing up, the highlight of the holiday meal (for me) was setting the table!  Mom would let me use ANY dishware, table cloths, and centerpieces that I wanted!  Yes... there were a few casualties (broken dishes) over the years, but they are meant to be used, right?  
Bottom Left: Randomly, we saw a blimp in the sky after dinner!  

These are pictures of our Thanksgiving table runner!  Years ago, Jordan and I wanted to start our own little tradition.  At the time, I think Jordan was just humoring me, but now that we've had several Thanksgiving's together, this little tradition has shaped up nicely!  
I bought a thick table runner that had a very plain design (I think this was 2012).  Whether we spend Thanksgiving at home or with family, each year we write a short note about what we are thankful for.  I just smile when I read our notes from previous years and remember special moments (the year we went to Europe, the year Andy retired from the Navy, etc. etc.)

Shortly after Thanksgiving, Jordan and I decided to go to At Home to buy a new Christmas tree.  Our usual tree is still in good condition (as far as I know) but it's rather large and heavy.  I love Christmas decorations, but I wanted to keep things simple this year so we found a 4 foot frosted tree.  It was VERY easy to put together and I've been very happy with it.  Since it's just 4 feet, I put it on a small table to give it some height.
Top Left: I wanted a peaceful dove to put at the top of the tree but couldn't decide which one to get.  In the end, I opted for these little guys.  
Bottom Left: To match our new living room rug, I decided a few peacock feathers and teal bulbs would be interesting.  Since it was such a small tree, I didn't have to invest as much, and I like the little change this Christmas season!
Right: The finished tree!

Happy December everyone!

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