Years of having to make do have turned me into a?"There must be someway I can do this cheaper type person."
My old new house needs total make over. We are thinking about moving into my MIL's house. So I am walking around looking and thinking, my goodness, this will be way too much to do and then the old, "There must be someway I can do this cheaper type person" kicks in and I think, yah, there must.
First curtains need to be put up on the windows. I will check all of Grandma's fabric?and she has tons, and see if some of it can be salvaged for window treatments. Gee, today all you really need is a nice wooden Venetian blind and a swag or scarf.
I am thinking about sticking with the umbers I see outside this time of year (November). I already bought my border for the kitchen at a B&B we went to a couple of weeks ago, and it kind of has a sultry tone to it. You can do the same thing with fabric. Just take a quick trip to Wal-mart's fabric Dept. They are always getting rid of material at bargain prices. If you are doing a dining room for Thanksgiving, do swags/scarf for the windows and a table cloth, placemats and napkins.
It really wouldn't take as long as you think. Put up some lace curtains and make a scarf from the fabric you use for your table cloth..or maybe you have a plain white table cloth already available. Just make a runner that matches your window scarves,napkins and placemats.
Now what about the centerpiece? I like this idea on about.com Just has some greens and Fall leaves, candles?well, take a look: The Centerpiece, It's one where you can just remove the fall leaves and replace with berries for Christmas. Saving time is what it's all about. Put up some wreaths on the doors and over the mantle. A simple grape vine with dried flowers in fall tones is nice. Use some wire ribbon to make a bow.
Put up plain candlesticks with fall colored candles and don't forget the whole theme of Thanksgiving is giving thanks for our bounty. Use displays of fruit and gourds, pumpkins and mums. Get out an old watering can and fill it with leaves to place on the porch, any old galvanized buckets? Put wheat or tall dried grass display in your bucket. Don't forget the grapes. Take a nice glass pedestal compote and cascade different varieties.
If you have a garden, pile the day's garden harvest into a wheel barrow at the back door.
Just remember ?you don't have to use all these ideas. You don't want to have to take all this down to prepare for Christmas that's just around the corner.
Complete Thanksgiving Menu and Recipes by Lorrie Ann Danner Copyright 2004 Caroline Shaw
Caroline Shaw holds a B.S. degree from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA in Secondary Education, English. She is a mom to six children. She is Editor and Publisher of the Online Magazine,"A Mom's Love." Each issue contains informative articles for WAHMs, their children, single moms, working moms, and more. She lives with her husband, three "still at home" children, a collie, an australian shepherd and two kitties in Western Pennsylvania. Her hobbies are writing, cooking, gardening, decorating and crafts. Visit AMomsLove.com
AP - New claims for unemployment benefits jumped last week to a 16-year high, the Labor Department said Thursday, providing more evidence of a rapidly weakening job market expected to get even worse next year.
AP - With weekly jobless claims benefits at a 16-year high, the White House said Thursday that President George W. Bush would quickly sign legislation pending in Congress to provide further unemployment benefits.
AP - Barack Obama is likely to choose Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano for the job of secretary of homeland security, top Obama advisers and several Democrats said Thursday as the shape of the president-elect's Cabinet begins to emerge.
AP - A federal judge Thursday ordered the release of five Algerians held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the continued detention of a sixth in a major blow to the Bush administration's strategy to capture terror suspects without charges.
AP - A bipartisan group of auto-state senators reached a last-ditch compromise Thursday to throw Detroit's Big Three a government lifeline worth billions, but the plan faces an uphill battle in a reluctant Senate.
AP - Hopes that lawmakers could extend relief to the troubled auto industry eased some of investors' worries about the economy Thursday. Stocks pulled off of steep losses but remained volatile after aides to a bipartisan group of senators said they have reached a compromise to funnel emergency loans to Detroit's car makers.
AP - Astronauts ventured back outside the international space station to perform more repair work on a jammed joint Thursday and promised to keep a tight grip on all their tools so nothing would get away this time.
AP - A judge will likely grant Madonna and Guy Ritchie an initial divorce decree on Friday, according to the schedule for London's High Court.
AP - George Steinbrenner's 35-year reign as boss of the New York Yankees ended Thursday when he passed control of baseball's most famous team to his youngest son, Hal.
Reuters - Four senators have reached a bipartisan agreement on a bill to assist the struggling automotive industry, the lawmakers announced in a joint statement on Thursday.
Reuters - The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits surged last week to their highest level in 16 years, Labor Department data showed on Thursday, as a harsh economic environment forces employers to cut back on hiring.
Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama is considering Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano to be U.S. Homeland Security secretary, heading a sprawling agency formed to bolster civil defense in the wake of the September 11 attacks, a senior Democrat said.
Reuters - California's Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a legal challenge against the state's voter-approved ban on gay marriage and let the ban stand in the meantime.
AFP - Governments scrambled to cushion the impact of the financial crisis Thursday with France launching a 20-billion-euro sovereign wealth fund and China unveiling a jobs protection plan as the car industry made huge new cuts.
AFP - Somali pirates who hijacked a Saudi oil super-tanker demanded a 25 million dollar ransom Thursday amid calls for tougher action to end threats to one of the world's key maritime routes.
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