What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Sorry, I Already Ate

On Sunday, our little family of six had our Thanksgiving.  I made smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, cranberries, vegetables, pumpkin pie and pecan pie.  I set the most loveliest table - I used a red tablecloth then put one of my vintage tablecloths over it - it has big red, orange and gold fall leaves all over it. I used my white china, glasses with a gold lip and the famous gold silverware that we only use on Thanksgiving.  I had a centerpiece of a pumpkin, gourds and Indian Corn.  It turned out really nice.  But, did I take a picture of it?  Uh, no.  I forgot.  The hostess always forgets to take photos of the table, the food and the guests.  Whoopsie.  Anyway, since our Thanksgiving is over, I nearly forgot to share my Thanksgiving decorations.  And, I KNOW you are all just sitting on the very tippy edges of our seat waiting and waiting to see it.  (I KID!)
 One of my old windows and shelves with a big turkey and some other Fall-ish and Thanksgiving items.
Gurley Pilgrim Candles?  Check!

 Thi is the Squirrel, acorn and pine cone area.  I never set out to have a squirrel, acorn and pine cone area, but alas, here it is.  I kept finding cute squirrels and you know me, any excuse to keep something and I am all over it.  So, here they are - squirrels, acorns and pinecones.
The other window and shelf area.  The Bean was engrossed in "Sleepy Hollow" so I snapped this off to the side and it isn't a great shot.  

It features these uber cute Chipmunk pilgrims.  Every year I am happy to see thier fat litle chipmunk faces.  

This always, always, always has a place of honor.  The famous milk carton Mayflower by The Bean circa Kindergarten 2000.  Love this funny thing.

Turkeys?  BAM.  

Enamelware Turkey Platter?  Check.

Pumpkins, scarecrow, GIANT turkey and a honeycomb turkey.  Obligatory red pick up truck full of pumpkins?  Check.  (Expect to see that again full of bottle brush trees soon).

Vintage honeycomb turkeys on my Redmon picnic baskets.  
Wait...what's that to the left on the ladder?  Kneehuggers?  It's not time yet!  retreat!  Retreat!  
(I found them recently and I was just too lazy to put them with the Christmas stuff when they will go there eventually.)

More Gurley Candles - a bit mis-colored and apparently one of the Pilgrim girls has been in the hooch and fell over.  

Annalee Pilgrims.  I found the big one this year at Goodwill.  Love my Annalee's, you know.  :)

I bought all these Mercury Glass acorns after Christmas one year and never used them.  I found them this year and decided that the make much more sense to be used this time of year.  I put them on my little hutch and I love them.  

So, that's it.  I had a Happy Thanksgiving and I hope that you do too!  While you are eating turkey, I will be boxing up this stuff and bringing in the Christmas.  It is a HUGE exhausting job and I get NO help from The Breadman.  You might think that I don't enjoy it, but you would be DEAD WRONG.  I cannot WAIT to get it all in here.  Last Christmas was just so, so terrible.  It is time for a good fun old fashioned glittery decorations, gingerbread making, parade watching, listening to Carols, watching "Elf", having FUN Christmas.  BRING IT ON!

11 comments:

  1. Bring on the ELVES!!!

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  2. Love your Thanksgiving decorations! Especially the Annalees and the mercury glass although your whole display looks awesome!. I am cooking today, we are doing ours tonight. 11 adults and 5 children! Our oldest daughter has to work tomorrow and we are going to Raleigh for our annual getaway. Have fun with your un and re-decorating!!

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  3. I ALWAYS forget to take a photo of the table too! I was just thinking last night that I wished I had taken a photo last T-day because it was my grandpa's last one with us :(

    Bring on the vintage Christmas, I say! :)

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  4. I am pacing myself with getting out the Christmas decorations this year. Every year, I completely tire myself out trying to get everything out and decorate a giant 9' tree all in two days. Not this year. This year I want to actually enjoy decorating. So I am going to start Friday and make all my little displays then get my tree next weekend so I can take my time decorating it instead of just tossing ornaments on it to get it done.

    Love all your Thanksgiving stuff, especially the squirrel area. Who has a designated squirrel area?! Shara (and possible Magpie Ethel), that's who. My other favorites are the Gurley's that obviously got a bad spray tan.

    ~Erica

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  5. Your decorations are so cute! I also had my Thanksgiving already and now I think I'll work on decorating for Christmas! Hugs!!

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  6. Looking festive and onward to the Christmas bins huh? I will be dragging mine out and decorating soon too.

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  7. I cannot believe YOU forgot to take pics, you are the pic taking queen. Maybe we need to get into the "hooch" that the pilgrim girl found LOL

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  8. Your table sounds lovely! I have been putting a few little pieces in but hope to do more by the weekend.
    Cathy

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  9. It's so great! I love the squirrel area the best. But now you've made me want an enamel turkey platter. Greeeeat!
    Happy Thanksgiving to you!
    Erica :)

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  10. I know what you mean about the contrast between last year and this one. Enjoy your holidays to the fullest--you've earned them. We're feasting all weekend with three big meals planned in honor of being cancer-free. I wasn't sure what the year was going to hold for me and I am really glad to be able to do this. Happy T Day to you, the Bean, the Breadman, Hazel, the cats, the squirrels, the Gurleys, the bow molds, the Shiny Brites, the glitter, the vintage and everything else that inhabits your magic kingdom!

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  11. Great collection of thanksgiving goodies. Love it all and especially love the way you have it displayed. It looks great. My thanksgiving collection consists of a pair of the Gurley pilgrims like you have. I had a pair of the larger ones and they have disappeared. Can't, for the life of me, figure out where they ran off to! Back to pilgrim land, I guess. Enjoy your holidays, I'm so glad they will be happy this year.

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