A wonderful Thanksgiving

Me and the moms.

So you know those great tips I had for Thanksgiving hostesses? Yeah. I failed to listen to them for the first half of the day. I was frazzled and in dirty yoga pants all morning. But around noon, I regrouped and reread my own post. And guess what? It worked! Not only was dinner fantastic -- thanks to me accepting help from my awesome brother -- but I was showered, dressed, and relaxed (thanks to tip #9). 

So perhaps I do know what I'm talking about after all!

Hope your Thanksgiving was filled with delicious foods, wonderful people, and laughter.  

Lots of laughter.

My brother, Kevin!

Last minute tips for the Thanksgiving hostess

"Oh, look at me. I'm so fabulous. I cooked a turkey in a red hot dress. And my hair is perfect. And so are my kids." (Image via)

When it comes to the actual cooking of Thanksgiving foods, I don't have that much wisdom to impart on you. I just follow the recipes, cross my fingers, and hope for the best. In all honesty, the only food related tips I have are a. baste your turkey with beer, b. let your cranberry sauce simmer for way longer than most recipes suggest, and c. make these cupcakes for dessert.

I do, however, have some tried-and-true tips for keeping your sanity throughout the day -- and looking (semi) fabulous in the process.

1. Print all your recipes. I know -- printing is SO 1999 but it's much easier to keep track of everything you're doing when it's on paper. Tabs get a little bit out of hand, and since I do spill often and a lot, it's cheaper to recycle a piece of paper than an iPad, laptop, or smartphone.
2. Double check your ingredients TONIGHT.  Very little is open on Thanksgiving day, and there is nothing worse than realizing the morning of that you don't have enough potatoes. Even if you think you're all good, double check. I'm pretty sure you'll think of something (aluminum foil? napkins?), and if you don't -- you're my hero.
3. Prepare as many dishes as possible in advance. I think this is the most common tip people share but it's really worth repeating. Remember you're going to have a turkey in your oven for 3 to 4 hours -- where do you expect to bake that pie? I make all my desserts (this year it's pumpkin-cheesecake cupcakes and apple crumble) as well as a few apps (tomato soup -- ya, random.) the night before.
4. Get outside first thing in the morning. Run, walk, just stand there -- whatever your heart desires. You're going to be in a hot kitchen all day -- 20 minutes or more of fresh air will do you good. 
5. Shower before your start cooking. Yes, you may get gross and sweaty throughout the day -- and you may think you'll have plenty of time to shower later. But you probably won't. And if you do, you probably won't feel like it. So do yourself a favor and get clean while you can. 
6. Don't wear yoga pants in the kitchen. I'm not saying you should wear a red hot dress and heels (though if you do, you're also my hero), just wear something that's comfortable but that in a worst case scenario, won't be embarrassing at the table. While you're at it, wear your hair in a style that will hold up for several hours (High bun is my choice.) -- and waterproof mascara.
7. When someone offers you help, take it. Even if you don't need. This isn't the time to be modest. If they really have zero skills and seem like they'll be a real pain, make them pour water in everyone's glasses. 
8. Drink water. Oh who am I kidding ....
9. Drink wine.
10. Clean up as you go . But don't you dare those final dishes! Once the meal is cooked, you're done. One of your guests will definitely offer to clean up. Thank them, hand them a dish towel, and go sit on the couch with another glass of wine ... or three.

Alright, you fabulous hostesses, what tips do you have for me??

Me, too!

Jack and I spent the weekend preparing the house for Thanksgiving -- and it's still not quite done. We made a lot of progress, though -- it's totally clean and organized, we finally have a functioning bathroom door knob (don't ask) and T-day food shopping is complete. We spent all last night doing a photo collage in our living room -- we have the frames up and tonight I'm going to add the pics. It looks phenomenal and I can't wait to finish it (and share)!

In addition to the wall in the living room, my office/guest bedrooms also needs some sort of decor. I've been scouring the internet and I think this has to be one of my favorite finds based on its simplicity and ... awesomeness.

Via A Beautiful Mess

Those little squares?? They're paint swatches!! How cool is that?!

I'm hoping I can maybe get it done pre-Thanksgiving but I already have a lot on my plate (pun intended) and work promises to be just as busy this week as last so it may have to wait.

So much to do! So little time! Anyone else feel like these past few weeks have just flown by?!

(Note: I apologize for the lack of pictures. My camera didn't capture anything this weekend -- I think the point and shoot is on its last leg, which is a blessing in disguise since I've been craving a Nikon D3100. It's also a blessing because I wore yoga pants 24/7.)

My Thanksgiving plan: the food

{All pictures linked to below}

Thanksgiving is a week away and like I mentioned Tuesday, I'm hosting. I may have seemed nonchalant in that post but I assure you -- I'm stressing out. I have no idea what my table decor is going to look like (I have rainbow-colored plates and turquoise chairs!), my house isn't fully decorated, I've barely looked at recipes, and I don't have an outfit! I know I've done it all before but that doesn't make it easier! Especially when you're a perfectionist and you want to make each year the best one yet.

So I've decided it's time to get organized -- beginning with the star of the show:  the meal. Here's what I'm thinking of making for the main course (desserts and apps to come in a future post).

Cranberry sauce perfection

I promise this is delicious.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I'm hosting for the fourth year in a row. I love it -- it's so much fun to prepare such a big meal (OK there are only 5 of us but that's big for me!) and not having to travel is complete bliss. I'm not the world's greatest cook -- baking is definitely more my style -- but I do have T-day down to a science.

I recently perfected my cranberry sauce recipe and highly recommend trying it -- even if it looks like mush in the photo and you swear you hate cranberries. It's super sweet and has a jam-like texture.

I'm actually tempted to try it on toast.