Sunday Sanctuary #36 Connecting

As our family came together for the Christmas holiday, I chose to focus on the things I could enhance in the house rather than all that we have to work on in the house.  Thus I created a wonderful table scape that my family and guest hopefully enjoyed.  Melissa over at The Inspired Room gave me a jump start on the holiday plates that I have been looking for over 15 years.  A tree, a sleigh, a house, and reindeer all red silhouette like on a cream background.  Thank goodness she mentioned that she found them at World Market.  

Anyway, I knew I wanted to combine these with my white dinnerware and the natural burlap place mats that I found at Target.  So, keeping it simple I headed over to Etsy for some inspiration in the vintage glassware department.  

I first came upon eight vintage highball glasses that were frosted and and green, white and red. RhapsodyAttic over at Etsy were very efficient in getting them to me in time.  So I knew I was having eight adults for dinner but what about the four kiddos. 

 From vinskord, another Etsy shop, I found these Happy Holidays shorts with a hint of blue.  They are even more gorgeous in person.  With a lot of red going on I thought I would layer some blue somewhere in the linens.

UrbanBirdandCo's Etsy shop was wonderful and full of humor.  I love that we could each receive a manner to practice during our Christmas feast.  We really made a game out of it, the kiddos and I.

To center the table and bring it all together, I found a chevron runner, again on Etsy from FantasyVintageBridal.  Gems to work with as well.

But the icing on the cake was these three red deer cocktail glasses that I chose to place candles in down the center of the table.

Dinner was wonderfully simple with only two sides:  hash brown casserole, and green bean casserole. Oh, don't forget homemade cranberry sauce too.  The star of the show was the TURDUCKEN, a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken and stuffed with pork sausage and cornbread stuffing.

15lbs of spicy smokey goodness!  We ordered it from the Cajun Grocer.

I know what you are doing, you are looking at the horrid wallpaper, well don't plans are in the works to make it disappear.  

Overall the holiday was a huge success and we are learning to live as a family in the same house day after day.  We are connecting to one another as individuals and making family a priority.  If you have read this blog for some time you may know that over the past five years my hubby has been gone for many weeks and months at a time.  My kiddos really missed him and you know what, I did too.  I find that I am more relaxed knowing that he is around to help.

Having extended family here was also wonderful too.  A new house, many new projects and a new year give me hope that the largest connection I will make to this home is to the family that lives in it.

Now I am off to prepare some deserts for the kiddos.

Happy New Year!