Give it up for Thanksgiving

Two weeks ago I was standing in line at Walmart flipping through Star Magazine trying to tune out the Sunday afternoon shopping chaos when I had one of those "are you SERIOUS?" moments.

Eggnog. In the drink case. On October 16th.

I know everyone always complains about how early they put out the (insert holiday) stuff. So I won't bore you with the usual.

Instead, I think that we should all take a moment to give it up for the day we all say thanks. The day that all of the stores forgot. One of the best holiday's of the year... Thanksgiving! Move over Halloween, I've already got my eyes set on to Turkey Day.

1) Speaking of turkeys, they are very beautiful birds...

Feather 49 Turkey Feather

by Jody VanB

here

2) They are also very delicious.

Turkey Cookbook Page

Rendering by Samantha Beverly

Kalofos Studios

There is actually a lot more to the above work by Samantha Beverly than meets the eye. Samantha describes herself as a "bibliophile." She finds the illustrations in cookbooks beautiful but doesn't have the heart to destroy the books by tearing out the pages. So, she draws copies like this turkey from the 1897 White House Cookbook. She explains it on her Etsy profile and writes more on her blog. She's a girl after my own heart. Go read her blog... after you finish reading this post, of course. :)

3) The strange urge to buy things like this are the reason I need to live in a giant lodge somewhere:

by Glass Awakening

here

3) Poor Dog Farm's Creatures in Hats watercolor series will make your day. Here's his turkey:

A Dapper Turkey by Poor Dog Farm

here

4) Gorgeous Indian Corn:

Autumn by Kevan Aponte

here

5) This bowl is stunning. It would be a crime to put anything in it.

Asheville, NC based OneClayBead

PS. $26.00. I know! She isn't charging enough.

6) I'm not Martha enough to use one of these. But they are a really crafty way to recycle an old serving piece so I thought I'd share:

AZCreativeStudio

here

Are you hungry yet?

Happy Thanksgiving!

When I think of Thanksgiving I often picture this. I know I'm not alone, it is pretty iconic.

Freedom From Want, Norman Rockwell c. March 6, 1943

On the surface, it's totally unrealistic. If everyone was smiling like that around our table I would be worried that they were all on crack or something! This is typical Norman Rockwell--it's nostalgic and happy and very American. It's why he is so well loved.

But look closer. The look on the Grandmother's face says alot.


She isn't beaming. Her lips are pursed and she is concentrating pretty hard on that turkey (which must weigh a ton, it's huge.) She looks tired too, but not because of cooking she has been doing in the kitchen-- all that silver on the table clearly shows that this isn't her first rodeo! No, she looks like she is worrying about someone who isn't there.

She wasn't alone in her worry. The millions of Americans who saw this picture in the Saturday Evening Post on March 6, 1943 were worrying about the same thing. They would worrying about their husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers fighting in Europe, North Africa and the Pacific. They were worrying about the Germans as they marched across Europe, gobbling up both lives and precious liberty. The cost of such a wonderful American life is painted right there on her face.

So give thanks for our military this year and say a little prayer for those that are missing their loved ones today. They are fighting for our freedom and the freedom of those abroad, just as they were on March 6, 1943. We need to remember to be grateful for their sacrifice.

Happy Thanksgiving.