grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Savoring November + Thanksgiving Decor

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savoring november

This year, I’m savoring November. On November 1, I began placing a few Thanksgiving decorations around so I can enjoy them all month. And I’ve been using my turkey dishes rather than pulling them down the day before Thanksgiving which is how it usually works.

There’s no rule against serving scrambled eggs on turkey dishes. Right?

This year, for whatever reason, I feel better organized, at least with my decor. And I cannot wait to have the whole family together. It’s been MONTHS since I’ve seen my kids (who aren’t kids but will always be kids). They are adults who live in Austin and Denver.

Every single day, I’m so incredibly thankful to be their Mom.

My "kids"

Every.Single.Day.

It seems the whole country has fast forwarded to Christmas, skipping Thanksgiving altogether. At least that’s what the retailers would have us believe. I hold fast to the idea that Thanksgiving deserves its own time separate from the hustle and bustle of Christmas. I never decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Don’t judge, I’m no Scrooge. I LOVE Christmas. I just happen to love Thanksgiving, too.

Thanksgiving is a time for reflective thankfulness. Quiet Thanksgiving helps me prepare for holly jolly Christmas. Its stillness and simplicity is like a prelude to Advent.

I think we all need a peaceful prelude.

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Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig.

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The view from our sleeping porch

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig. I’m back home after spending five days with Momma and my sister, Staci, at home-home in Mississippi County, Arkansas. (I’ve said this before, but home-home is where I’m from, and home [singular] is where I live now.)

When we were kids, Momma always said, “Home again, home again, jiggety jig,” every time we pulling into the carport. After a trip to the lake. After a trip to Big Star. After a trip anywhere.

You remember that nursery rhyme, don’t you? There are lots of versions. The jingle has been quoted in many television shows, movies, and books. (Stephen King, I’m looking at you and It.)

The version I know:

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.
To market, to market, to buy a plum bun,
Home again, home again, market is done.
(Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes)

Now I say it. Not always, but sometimes. Because I’ve turned into Momma.Continue Reading

Our House at Halloween

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I realized something this week. Decorating for Halloween is rather easy when I typically surround myself with antique, tattered, old things. Our house at Halloween is, well, not a far stretch from normal.

I’m not sure what that says about John and me.

Yes, we’re having a party on Saturday. I thought I’d give you a sneak peek inside our house at Halloween. I like to mix specific decorations I’ve picked up through the years with my usual decor. This plays right along into the spooky theme when “usual decor” includes vintage curiosities and antique furniture.

Entryway:

Halloween entry

I already had Nancy Drew books under this glass cloche in the entryway. I substituted a few to add Poe and Faulkner to the mix. A vintage postcard and a raven perched on a rusty bedspring adds to the overall moody vignette.Continue Reading

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