Simple Abundance
Thanksgiving is a time to slow down and be thankful for the simple abundance in life. Even if you’re eating rabbit. 🙁
A story of simple times with an abundance of simple food and laughs.
Simple Abundance
This year I’m doing a buffet for our Thanksgiving. The photos are what I have planned to embody simple abundance.
Thankful at home.
My grandparent’s old farmhouse in Oklahoma was the home that held my heart. The four simple rooms held an abundance of love and family.
I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to read my grandma’s journals several years ago. What struck me the most was how modestly they lived. As a child, there was an abundance of food, family, cousins, places to have a playhouse, animals and red dirt!
Thanksgivings in the old farmhouse was full of simple abundance. Food was wholesome, spiced with salt and pepper and piled high. And we used the fancy soapbox dishes.
We had an abundance outhouse
The old farmhouse didn’t have indoor plumbing until the mid-1960’s. Before then we would trudge outside to the two holer. As a child, I thought grandpa and grandma were lucky because at our home we only had one hole, inside!
Thanksgiving or just Sunday?
My grandma would start before daylight peeling potatoes for mashed potatoes that would stay warm in an old crock with a plate turned upside down for the lid. The dough would be rising for dinner rolls and my job was gathering canned vegetables from the cellar.
She did this on Thanksgiving and on Sundays. The family would arrive for the day every Sunday. She never knew if 6 would show up or 26. But there was always enough food and nothing went to waste. I don’t know how she did it.
Now when I think about those times I not sure if it was Thanksgiving or simply Sunday.
Turkey or rabbit
Thanksgivings that we spent at home with mom and dad were the same. I can remember having a platter of fried chicken placed before my 6-year-old eyes. With fried okra and mashed potatoes and gravy.
What I didn’t know was the “chicken” was really a rabbit dad shot that morning!
It was around Thanksgiving that dad made a bunk bed for my room. My little brother was outgrowing the crib and my small bedroom would not hold two twin beds. Someone gave dad 4 by 4 rough lumber that he piled into our little room. He made the sturdiest bunk bed ever!
Then using leftover paint from the garage…
…he painted it black.
I was secretly happy when we moved and it wouldn’t fit through the door.
My dad taught me an abundance of simple things. Most importantly, there was not a problem that couldn’t be solved.
We solved that problem by leaving it in the house!
On Thanksgiving weekend 3 years ago dad passed away at 76 years old. I spent the week of Thanksgiving with him at Hospice. I learned much during that week. He was surrounded by a simple abundance of love and family.
Single Parent Thanksgivings
When money was scarce, as a single parent to my awesome son, we still had simple and abundant Thanksgivings.
Even when the centerpiece caught fire and the freezer broke, and the pies burnt. Lesson learned; don’t place candles too close to flowers, don’t try to defrost the freezer with an ice pick and burnt pies…
Well, I’m still trying to learn that one. 🙂
Thanksgiving is now a time to reflect, share, laugh and love.
I planned our buffet with an abundance of thrift shop finds and handmade decor. Anxiously waiting for the family to arrive…
…shopping and preparing simple food. No rabbits!
Growing up with simple abundance and our home is what I’m thankful for.
You can click on the photos below to see the details of the projects in the simple abundance buffet table. Because like Mike says, “You never throw anything away and have everything you’ve ever owned.”
I spent under $26 dollars on my buffet decor…
…including flowers!
I hope you enjoyed reading about my Simple Abundance Thanksgiving.
What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?
I had the fantastic occasion to join a creative group of 24 bloggers on this Thankful at Home blog tour. Please take time to visit, comment and follow each for amazing Thanksgiving projects, stories, and traditions.
Here’s the list. Now go get inspired. 🙂
Monday:
Savvy Southern Style
Finding Home
Lilacs & Longhorns
The Inspired Room
The Crafty Woman
Tuesday:
Stone Gable
Debbiedoos
What Meegan Makes
Maison de Pax
Confessions of a Plate Addict
Wednesday:
Thistlewood Farm
Eclectically Vintage
My Soulful Home
Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Southern Hospitality
Thursday:
The Lilypad Cottage
A Little Claireification
Fresh Idea Studio
Pennywise
The Rustic Pig
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What a beautiful, heartfelt post! Simple abundance brought me back to wonderful memories, thanks! Your Thanksgiving buffet is gorgeous!
Jeanette what a truly beautiful post. Thank you for sharing! I loved seeing the old picture of the farmhouse, that the simple abundance made u unsure if it was a regular Sunday or Thanksgiving… And your Daddy, well he knew as many designers say, every room needs a bit of black. May your rabbit always taste like chicken & your thanks always be abundant.
xx
Kelly, I never thought about Daddy understanding the black! Thank you for putting together this great thankful blog tour! ~Jeanette
Beautiful photos and beautiful sentiments! The idea of Simple Abundance seems like something we forget all too often these days. Thanks for sharing your wonderful memories and I’m so sorry to read of your fathers passing. I’m sure he is so happy that you are passing on his wise and grounded approach to life.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Christina
Happy Thanksgiving to your family too! ~Jeanette
that is just beautiful. flameless cabdles good idea no flames to burn the centerpiece. the story is amazing and each time I hear it theres more that I catch or you add something to the story. your awesome thankful you and your wisdom.
Joanna, thank you so much. You’re very sweet! ~Jeanette
This is so beautiful, inspiring and so very heartwarming! Thank you for sharing your Grandmother’s journal that you are continuing to add chapters of your own to with your traditions of Simple Abundance 🙂
Thank you Andi! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! ~Jeanette
Jeanette, What a beautiful story of your childhood. Loved that simple abundance! Both of my grandmothers were just like yours…always plenty of food for everyone, nothing fancy but just wonderful! And they finished every single scrap of food they cooked. It was a wonderful post and I loved reading every word! Thank you for being a part of this tour!
Julie, thank you for visiting and reading. This tour has been wonderful. I glad we did it with enough time to get some of the inspiring projects done. Have a fun Thanksgiving with your family. ~Jeanette
Fab buffet styling and loved reading about your Thanksgiving past. My husband grew up in a house just like that one.
Thank you Kim, I’m about ready for to move back into an old house like the old farmhouse. Coming full circle. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! ~Jeanette
Jeanette, where do I begin? What a gorgeous, personal and sentimental post. I hung on every word… EVERY word! What a blessing to have those journals so rich in simple abundance! What a great glimpse into your ancestral family life… filled with common sense and love!
Thanks so much for sharing this with me today. My heart was touched!
Beautiful buffet… again so full of simple abundance!
I so happy you enjoyed! I have thought about doing a collection of posts on Grandma’s journals and life on that magical farm. It can be hard to open up and be so personal, but this post was a joy to write. ~Jeanette
Sending my condolences for your dad. Gorgeous pictures! Happy Thanksgiving.
Beth, thank you for the condolences. Dad was sick for a while so for him he was ready and a blessing. I have not wanted to change one thing about that last week. It’s was beautiful. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! ~Jeanette
First of all, I am so very sorry for the loss of your father..I love your description of simple abundance…something of which I grew up to…always enough food for that unexpected guest. I loved reading about your wonderful memories of your family…and let me tell you, my father did the same thing to us about “the fried chicken”…never knowing we were eating rabbit … a meal we had after he went hunting with his cousins in Iowa…We “city kids” from Florida thought the pheasants and rabbits were just “trophies”…Your buffet is gorgeous…can’t stop looking at the many details so beautifully placed on the buffet….Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family!!
Thank you Shirley! We are the lucky ones to have had basic and simple childhoods that we take into our lives today. I now recognize the cuts of rabbit! 😀 ~Jeanette