Thanksgiving | Musings on Momentum

Ideas for a Unique Thanksgiving Tablescape

November 19, 2015

It is no secret that I am not one to embrace traditional holiday decor. Rather than go with customary pumpkins, turkeys or snowmen, I prefer to mix conventional touches in with surprising elements. With that in mind, I shared inspiration for elegant and natural Thanksgiving decor two weeks ago. Now with Thanksgiving Day just one short week away, it’s time to turn our attention to creating the perfect unique Thanksgiving tablescape. While I am not hosting Thanksgiving or a Friendsgiving celebration this year due to our jam packed travel and work schedules, I am still dreaming up all kinds of ways to adorn my fantasy table.

You’ll note that there is a common theme of richly colored florals and fruits accented by candles carried throughout these photos. That particular combination has a way of dressing up even the most casual of tables. With the addition of metallic touches and some elegant glassware and flatware, you can easily transform your every day dinner table into a swoon-worthy Thanksgiving tablescape.

My favorite table of the bunch. The rich fall florals and harvest themed fruit are spiced up by stunning gray candlesticks at this outdoor feast found on Happy Wedd.

The Best Yam Recipe Ever

November 17, 2015

Behold the glorious yams.

I am something of a yam connoisseur. I started perfecting my tasting skills at a young age and by now have yam consumption down to an art. For this reason I hold Thanksgiving in very high regard. For one glorious day I have a free pass to eat as many yams as I want! If I’m lucky there are even leftovers that I get to snack on during the week to come. Thanksgiving is my jam.

I have obviously sampled many a recipe in my day, but as far as I’m concerned the recipe I am sharing with you today is THE ONLY ONE worth bothering with. It is, quite literally, the best yam recipe ever. It was originally introduced into my life when I was a child by my “Auntie Barb”, a close family friend. Auntie Barb hosted an annual Friendsgiving gathering and made this every single year.

Auntie Barb eventually shared the recipe with my mom who started making it for our family Thanksgiving celebrations as well. This meant that I would get not one but two rounds of yams each year! Thanksgiving kept getting better and better.

After I moved to Southern California I no longer got to enjoy these yams each Thanksgiving Day. Last year I decided that enough was enough, I needed my yams! I resolved to start a new tradition that I could share with my husband and his family whom we spend Thanksgiving with and prepared my favorite yam recipe for the very first time. Needless to say the yams were a hit and will be what I contribute to Thanksgiving dinner for years to come.

This recipe is straightforward and probably impossible to mess up. It yields unbelievably delicious results, making it the perfect dish to share with your loved ones this Thanksgiving. It has been special to my family for years and I hope that it can become a part of your family’s traditions as well. Enjoy!

Elegant Thanksgiving Decor

November 5, 2015

I have admittedly not been one to decorate too extensively for holiday seasons of the past. This year however, thanks to post-wedding nesting perhaps, I am eager to begin new traditions that we can carry through our marriage and eventually share with our future child. Making each holiday feel special and like “us” is suddenly a high priority for me. My Pinterest addiction has taken on a new, focused purpose and I can’t get enough of looking at beautiful inspiration for the upcoming holidays!

Thanksgiving is feeling particularly special to me this year because there is SO MUCH in my life that I am thankful for. This past year has been a beautiful blur of change and happiness, the end result of which is that I am living the life of my dreams. I want to take the entire month of November to really relish in my reality and to be as grateful as possible for the beauty around me.

Though we are spending Thanksgiving and Christmas in Northern California with my husband’s family (it’s so fun to be able to call him my husband!) I still want to add festive touches to our Los Angeles home to get us in the holiday spirit prior to our departure. I was able to incorporate some dark and glamorous elements into our home for Halloween and am drawing all kinds of inspiration from these examples of light, natural and elegant Thanksgiving decor. The best part about each of these ideas is that they are relatively attainable, making them easy additions to incorporate into any home.

via HGTV