This season Judy is sharing with us her idea for a family party. For those of you that celebrate Thanksgiving maybe this will give you some ideas.
We love to get together with family
and friends during the fall – the weather here in the south is usually JUST
RIGHT – cooler, but not too cool to enjoy being outside in God’s creation. Back in the summer I began to plan a fall
gathering – knowing I wanted to host it in an outdoor setting – some of my
extended family [cousins] had been talking for months about getting together,
but no one was taking the lead, so I decided, why not? – We reserved a cabin in
a nearby town [many of us have moved away from ‘home’ anyway] and sent out the
invitation:
I knew a cabin would work if the
weather didn’t cooperate – We have a BIG family – my mom had NINE sisters – so
we didn’t know how many of the cousins might be able to attend… This cabin
provided plenty of indoor and outdoor space. You can see we planned a weekend
of it for those who wanted to visit and be together a bit more.
As the time I got closer I began to
make my list to be sure everything was covered – You can see a bit of how my
crazy mind works and how I break down the tasks by days, chores, etc.
I set up a nice little welcome spot
[thanks to my SWEET hubs who helps me
make my ideas happen] with a hay bale, old suitcase, chalkboard [hint: I did
not write on this chalkboard – instead, created the ‘welcome’ on the computer,
saved it as a jpeg and had Staples print it as an engineer print, then stuck it
on my chalkboard -- much easier], mums,
pumpkins, and a favorite photo of the sisters in a little wooden frame I got at
Michaels [for 80% off.]
I wanted the main table to reflect
our family so I scanned some old photos of ‘the sisters’ as we’ve always called
them, had them enlarged at Staples [so inexpensive] and put them in frames from
the Dollar Tree – I kept the glass in with clear tape, but wanted them to have
sort of ‘floating’ look – LOVE that we had beautiful view of the river!
Of course it looked much different once everyone brought their pot-luck dishes to share – We had SO MANY delicious dishes - chicken and dumplings, pinto beans and cornbread, sausage dressing, collard greens, corn casserole, and of course, bbq pork, and fried chicken – all the southern favorites!
We also had a little area for coffee
/ hot chocolate [thanks to my brother and sister-in-law], and tables set up for
the deserts and drinks –
Some of us opted to sit around the
fire pit while we visited and ate –
And others sat at the picnic tables
provided –inside and outside the screened in porch. [It really WAS a great
cabin!]
I had a thankful tree [something
we’ve always done in one form or another within our immediate family] where
everyone was encouraged to write things they were grateful for on leaves
[provided] and tape them to the tree – You can see it to the left, on the edge
of the porch – It was pretty full by the end of the day – oh, and that’s cotton
that I ‘gleaned’ from a harvested field on the way over. [Mama and her sisters
often share about how they picked cotton for spending money when they were
kids.]
kids.]
I also had a craft for those who wanted to do it – I printed out family quotes and provided wooden slates [re-purposed from old blinds] and modpodge to glue them on. I think they turned out cute – This one is hanging in one of my cousin’s home already –
Oh, and of course we had had a photo op – LOVE how my sweetie made the frame appear to be floating in the air [the magic of fishing line thrown over a VERY tall tree limb!] And we LOVE technology that allowed relatives vacationing far away to still visit a bit and be a part!
This is a frame that I picked up at a
thrift store years ago – I use it often for fun photos – for this gathering I
printed out a little sign and taped it in the corner –
We tried to get individual photos of
all who attended – but I’m sure we missed a few –
And a note – this was planned months
ago [I had to reserve the cabin that far in advance to be sure we had it in the
fall] with no thought that our mother wouldn’t be here with us. But my sister,
brother, and I decided we wanted to go ahead with it and loved visiting with
family and hearing stories about our mother who’d passed away just a few weeks
prior. We had a pretty good attendance and realized we don’t do it often
enough. – Back in the day many of us gathered almost every Sunday afternoon out
at my Mama Moland’s house and we all have sweet memories…
With the holidays coming up – I encourage you to take the time to gather together with family and friends. Do a pot luck and let them share in the preparation - and cherish the moment.
Thank you so much Judy for sharing your ideas and the precious time you spent with your family.
Do share your family parties - Thanksgiving or Christmas - with us by using the linky below.
