Shades of Gray: Talk Turkey to Me....

I'm honestly surprised that Blogger even recognized my username & password to get on, seeing how its been a hot minute since I've written a post. These past few weeks have been utterly insane & filled with crazy work tasks & Turkey Day gatherings, so I apologize for my absence. I'm sure you all have just been dying to hear whats been going on in the world of the Grays, right? Bahaha, rrriiiight. Regardless, Lucky for yall, I'm fixing to fill you guys in...

So, first things first.... Our lives have changed DRAMATICALLY since my last post. (And no, I am not preggo.) Want to know why?

Why hello fence in Caroline & Kevin's backyard! How nice of you to join us right before the ridiculousness & unpredictability of a Kentucky Winter!!! So, lets back up a bit.... Kevin & I have debated on getting a fence ever since we got Hudson. After the first 3 estimates we received, we decided to put it on the back-burner because they were both sky high, which is crazy because we only had to fence that one side & add a gate on the other side. Finally, one of our neighbors had a fencing guy over, repairing some of the boards, so we asked him to give us a quick estimate. I am not joking when I say that this guy was 60% cheaper than the other 3 estimates- like not even in the same ball park. So after dealing with Hudson taking his sweet time to do his business on the first rainy, 39 degree day we had, Kevin & I agreed that we should just bite the bullet. Holy Amazingness. I cannot even begin to express my love for that fence. I seriously want to give it a hug for allowing me to just open the door & let Hudson outside with out having to endure any of the blah effects of icky precipitation. Worth. Every. Penny.
That little baby was completed in its entirety last Tuesday- just in time for our Annual Wednesday night Thanksgiving Meal at our house! You see, half my family lives in Western Kentucky & the other half lives in Central Indiana, where Kevin's WHOLE family lives within 30 minutes of Lexington. I'd love to tell you that I just decided to start hosting a Thanksgiving meal at our house out of the goodness of my heart, but thats not entirely true. To be honest, Kevin & I got super tired of spending our whole Holiday break running up & down the highway. So, 3 years ago, I offered to do Thanksgiving for my immediate family, plus my cousin Becca & her husband, along w/ her husbands cousin & his girlfriend- now fiance (who is also one of my good friends & was a Chi O w/ Becca & I), and its been a tradition ever since.

L-R: Kev, Me, Becca, BABY BANKS!, my older bro, Becca's husband-Jack, & the newly engaged couple, Molly & John!

What a good looking crew :)
Now, I may have mentioned before that my Mother & I are polar opposites when it comes to most things. And entertaining is no exception. We take completely different approaches, and it drives her mad. Jan likes to prepare for company weeks in advance. She has to iron the table cloths, polish her silver, design a center-piece, etc. Sounds exhausting to me. So what I deem as a direct result of listening to Jan's endless stress over her hosting preparations, I tend to get things ready either the day of, or if I'm over-achieving, the night before the event. It drives Jan absolutely nuts.

In turn, Jan usually begins bothering me about a month before Thanksgiving, over the silliest things, such as: What is the menu going to be comprised of, Caroline? (Me: Thanksgiving food, Jan. Duh.) or What is your table decor going to be? (Me: Well, currently, there is a stack of folded laundry sitting on our kitchen table, so I dunno.) or What does the seating chart look like? (Me: Similar to that of a State Dinner at the White House, Jan. Calm it down.).

Because I've grown more privy to her rampant fire of questions pertaining to my hostessing skills, I decided that I would go Martha Stewart on her this year. And then, perhaps she would leave me alone prior to any event I hosted at my home. So, allow me to show you my Thanksgiving Table Decor & Seating Arrangements, because you better bet that I was covered 110% with both aspects.....

The overall look of the table & bar

A closer look at the bar...

The bar design was completed with not 1, but 2 Caroline original decorative arrangements. And bourbon, of course. This is Kentucky, after all.

The main table

And a close-up of the main table decorations...

Yes, I handmade every flower on that table, using my skills with burlap. And yes, those are gold chargers via wedding style. And yes, those are also Pilgrim name cards. And why yes, I did hand tie every napkin bow, complete w/ curls on each side. Seriously, who am I? Moreover, what is wrong with me? OCD much, Caroline? Good grief.

I forgot to take pics of the other bar & food table, but I can assure you that they were both equally as decked out. Needless to say, I don't think Jan will be questioning my hostessing skills any more. Hell, knowing my luck, she'll probably start heckling me to come design her tables :) Then again, she would need to have her table set about 2 weeks in advance for her to be happy, so I doubt she'll ever ask me :)

Don't worry, my personal quest to appear Martha Stewart-like to my Mom didn't derail me from remembering what Thanksgiving is all about & what I am most thankful for. **Prepare yourself, because I'm about to get sentimental & such..** Personally, I am forever thankful for Kevin, my sweet husband that deals with me every day, who still willingly wants to hang out with me :) I am also thankful for our families. They are both so great & unique, but in completely different ways that help guide us in our life. And lastly, I am thankful for true friends. Its remarkably reassuring knowing that there are people in our lives, other than family members, who are always gonna be there for us when the going gets tough. I know my list is pretty standard, but hey, I grateful for those 3 large blessings on a daily basis :)

Oh! And I can't forget about being thankful for this little blessing...