Setting the Thanksgiving Table

I can’t believe it’s that time of year already and the holidays are here. Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. It celebrates a few of my favorite things: eating, shopping, and of course, being grateful (especially that I get to do both of the above). Plus, we get an extra day off.

I grew up eating our Thanksgiving meal on paper plates sitting on the couch in front of the TV. Now that I’ve been hosting Thanksgiving the last few years, I get a chance to use all the dinnerware that I’ve been accumulating since our wedding registry. This year, there will be 19 adults and 5 kids at the Thanksgiving table. Make that 3 tables: Our main dining table for the adults, the breakfast table for parents of small children, and next to it, the kiddie table. Our home decor is a mix of vintage and modern, so my tableware reflects that, even on a traditional holiday like Thanksgiving. This is our Thanksgiving table set up this year.

A couple of quick & easy inexpensive ways to dress the table:

Paper napkin rings: Using scalloped edge scissors, I cut strips of black construction paper, wrote the guests name using a white gel pen and wrapped around a napkin, fastening it with scotch tape. There’s something special about having a napkin ring and a name written for each placesetting, even if it’s just made out of paper.

Tin can flower vases: Since we have a long table, I think it’s better to have a few small flower arrangements in a row, rather than a big centerpiece. I like recycling my jam jars and cans to use as small flower vases. They’re free and versatile to dress up for any occasion. I wrapped the cans in brown paper and wrote messages of thanks. It lends a rustic and handmade feel to the modern setting.

Check out more Thanksgiving ideas on our Pinterest page.

-Catherine Lo

Kid-Friendly Halloween Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

It’s that time of year again – Halloween! It’s my favorite holiday after Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love dressing up, trick-or-treating and getting bucket loads of candy! I also love all things pumpkin: pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, even pumpkin beer. Every year, I pick up the Halloween issue of Martha Stewart’s Living magazine to see what “good things” she (or her staff) comes up with. I’m not a big MS fan, (or rather, I’m a closeted MS fan), but there’s always something good in the Halloween issue. Here are some of her Halloween ideas that I like:

http://www.marthastewart.com/274565/halloween-cupcake-recipes/@center/276965/halloween#211107

These are the ones I made http://www.marthastewart.com/274565/halloween-cupcake-recipes/@center/276965/halloween#211107

Here’s what our neighbor did with her homegrown pumpkins last year when the Giants won the World Series. Cool, huh?

I enjoy making jack o’lanterns, but carving pumpkins is no easy feat. It takes some muscle to cut through a pumpkin. As I stab away at the pumpkin, I’m always afraid I’m going to miss and cut myself. When the pumpkin is finally cracked open, there’s the messy task of pulling out the seeds and stringy pulp inside. If you want to roast the pumpkin seeds, it’s tedious sorting the seeds from the tangled mess. And once you’ve carved your jack o’lantern and light it up for Halloween night, it sits on your doorstep for a week max, before rotting away into a moldy mass. Last year, my trash was so heavy being full of rotten pumpkins, the garbage collector wouldn’t even take them. I had to hide a couple in my yard waste bucket every week to finally get rid of them.

The kids were home sick with me the past few days and to occupy their time, we decorated Halloween pumpkins. First they painted the pumpkins. Then we had to wait for the paint to dry, which is the hardest part for my kids. I’m teaching them patience. Once the paint is all dry, the kids stick on self-adhesive foam eyes and teeth, making funny faces on the pumpkin. Now comes the adult part. Using an awl, I poke holes at the base of the pumpkin and insert pipe cleaners for legs: 8 for spiders, 6 for beetles. It’s a good lesson in numbers and entomology too.

Voila! Creepy bugs and spiders ready to scare away trick-or-treaters at our doorstep. Can you tell which ones the kids made? My daughter’s has a tail and my son’s pumpkin is “on fire.”

The best part is that there’s no knife, cutting, glue or messiness to deal with. It’s an easy way for kids to decorate pumpkins and they turn out pretty darn cute too. And that’s a very good thing!

-Catherine Lo