Our Garden Gang   Presents...

A Thankful  Mirtha!

To some of you that greeting might sound out of place. But think about it! We are now living in a time of uncertainty.  September’s tragedy touched us in a way we cannot describe.  But, if you’re sitting and reading this – you do have at least one thing to be thankful for - and we have each other.  At OGG you can always say "I've got YOU babe"!  Think of the blessings of your family and friends as you gather together to give thanks.
 

Menus & Planning

Okay now – time to get busy.  Try to think of some foods that can be prepared ahead of time so you won’t be too exhausted the following day from trying to juggle everything at once.  And, "why?" you may ask?  Because it’s traditionally the start of the Christmas shopping season - you must conserve your strength!

And I do encourage you to shop, especially for some Mirtha Stuwort collectibles!  (Like my designer gold-plated wishbones that follow your cursor around on this page.)

How about these recipes to tempt your guests' tastebuds?  Turkey Giblet Gravy, Tipsy Turkey (with Grand Marnier ooh la la), Baked Carrots, and So-Easy Pumpkin Pie. 

Setting the Table

If you are hosting a large gathering, consider taking an instant photo of your guest and inserting that into a place card holder, which just might be a tiny pumpkin or gourd. Cut a slit into the tip and insert the photo. Tada! If you think that your guests won’t go for getting blinded by a flashbulb the instant they enter you home, try this – take some old photographs of them, scan them into the computer, resize them and print them out.

Use an autumn colored tablecloth in gold, red, orange, brown, or green.  For variety on large tables, mix and match the colors of your choice. 

For an inexpensive table runner, get out your glue gun and a bag of freshly raked leaves and go to town.  No. I don’t mean glue them to the table – tsk, tsk.  Use some thin cardboard as a base. This might be a job that you can palm off, er I mean, invite the older children to do. Then arrange candlesticks in clusters along the center of the table. 

Group some small gourds, squash and/or pumpkins - even use them as vases - to give your table that festive touch.  Mouse-over the pumpkin vase picture above to see more ideas for using pumpkins!

Fun & Games for All

Speaking of children...if you want to get them out of your hair, and sometimes we do, don’t we? I have a suggestion. If they know how to play a simple game of checkers – sit them down with an assortment of vanilla and chocolate crème cookies.

When they capture an opponent’s "man", they get to eat the cookies! Mouse over the milk and cookies to see the checkerboard!

One great tradition is, of course, making a wish with the wishbone of the turkey.  Interested parties can each grab a piece of the wishbone –  make their wish – and pull! 

The tradition says that who ever gets the larger piece will get their wish!  Mouse over the wishbone to see my wish for you!

For the adult and teen guests, try a rousing game of Scrabble.  Trivial Pursuit is another popular game.  Both go well with coffee and dessert! 

Mouse over the scrabble game to see the good old-fashioned round of Twister.. It's always a hit with the older children and the more "spry" adults present.  It's also a great way to work off the calories from dinner. 

If the weather's nice, go for a walk around the block and check out the neighbor's gardens!

But most importantly on that special day of giving thanks – after friends and family have eaten their fill and are chatting around the table, let them know how much you care.  As they leave, give each one a big hug to show them you love them too.

Love and hugs, Mirtha

Happy Thanksgiving

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