a very vintage thanksgiving

Before we're too far into 2012 let's quickly time travel back to November 24, 2011. This Thanksgiving was extra special because we had the honor of hosting Adam's family in Denver! "Hosting," you ask? Yes! Adam and I hosted our first Thanksgiving. Those Andruses are brave souls - they were willing to give me and Adam a shot at the biggest meal of the year!

But let's start at the beginning. About a month before Thanksgiving, one of my dear friends was married at her parent's country home. Might I say, not only was my friend a beautiful bride, the entire wedding was like a fairytale. Jamie and her mom, Susie, had an extraordinary vision for making the wedding incredibly special. The ceremony and reception took place under a big white tent strung with lights. It was simply enchanting - think vintage-romance meets country.

Beautiful

There were so many things that made Jamie's wedding unbelievably perfect but one of the most unique touches was the decor. Susie had spent months going to antique stores looking for ways to make each table's centerpiece look different. Everything from old books to milk glass vases with fresh flowers were used. Along with the centerpieces, Susie also purchased antique plates for guests to use for dinner and dessert. What makes this so amazing? Almost all the plates were different! I found myself at the head of the buffet line distracted by which beautiful plate I wanted to pick!

It was the vision of both Jamie and Susie that served as inspiration for my Thanksgiving table. "A Very Vintage Thanksgiving" would be the theme of the day! I shared my plan with mama Smith and she instantly took to the Wichita antique malls hunting for the perfect antique china plates. Meanwhile, I began my hunt in Denver for centerpiece items.

The week before Thanksgiving my sweet mom drove to Denver with a car full of china and other goodies. It was go-time! Over the next week we managed to pull together a vintage table inspired by the beautiful settings at Jamie's wedding.

Along with dressing the table, my mom and I spent hours in the kitchen making our family's traditional holiday brittle, candied pecans, shortbread cookies, check mix and other goodies. Late in the week I shared my traditional Thanksgiving menu with mom. She then patiently walked me through each recipe to ensure I felt comfortable making all the dishes by myself. She even helped me make an oven schedule (a must when you only have one oven!) World's greatest mom, right?! Thanks mom - love you!

So with the table set and the prep work completed, Adam and I were ready to host our first Thanksgiving. We were ready for the Andrus family arrival!!

Thanksgiving Day was so memorable! We munched on appetizers, made pies and stuck to the oven schedule. Adam tried his hand at a fried turkey and was absolutely successful. Dinner was delicious! All of this was accompanied by a delicious batch of Adam's Pumpkin Ale (a British style ESB infused with pumpkin and spices). This special blend is now called the Union Jack-o-Lantern! Did I mention that Adam is a homebrewer? One of his many talents!

Appetizers!

My adorable sister-in-law, Anna.

Mom Andrus

Prepping the turkey!

The boys!

Dinner is served!

Union Jack-o-Lantern

Apart from the food, we were so blessed to have a few days with mom and dad Andrus, Anna and Ethan. We missed Abigail and Micah but thought of them often. Every year we have so many things to be thankful for but without a doubt, I'm always most thankful for family. We are certainly blessed!