The First of the Holiday Decorating!

Wow! Can you believe it is December 1st? It feels like we were all just posting about Halloween! I don't think I am ready for it to be 2011 so soon! LOL

Now if you follow a lot of blogs out there, I am considered way behind on Christmas decorating. But, for me, I have always waited until December 1st to start decorating. I need the time between Thanksgiving and the first to take down and put away all my Autumn decor and clean the house. And, to be honest, just enjoy the holiday of Thanksgiving. It is a good time to reflect on all the things I am thankful for. All the blessings I have. And that is a good frame of mind to enter into the Christmas season.

And one of the blessings I have is wonderful friends. Last night a friend stopped by and gave me a poinsettia and a little bag of yummy treats. She wanted us to enjoy the poinsettia throughout the holiday and so delivered it early. What a sweet gift! Thank you Erin! What better "first" Christmas decoration!

I decided to use the new to me Santa pillar holder I got at the thrift store the day after Thanksgiving. Still in the box, this Fitz and Floyd Santa was marked $4.99 but, it was half off everything in the store day so, I paid $2.49 for it. Since I haven't gotten my Christmas decorations out yet, I just used this pretty red and white checked placemat.

I really love all the pretty and fun details of this Santa candle holder!






I like all kinds of poinsettias but, I have to admit, the deep vibrant red ones are my absolute favorite! They just make you smile!





That is my small start for Christmas decorating. I hope you all are having a fantastic day and don't forget, I still have a Feeding America Giveaway going on until December 1st at midnight!



I'm joining:


Rednesday


All Things Merry & Brite

Revisit~ Red & White Table

Hi everyone!

Well, today has been a busy and hectic day. I got all our Thanksgiving dishes and whatnots put away and then took down all the Autumn decor and boxed that up for next year. Before I start decorating for Christmas, I am doing a deep cleaning everywhere. So not fun but, it needs to be done.

I am revisiting a tablescape from last December. It was the first Christmas tablescape that I posted at Susan's Tablescape Thursday. I learned a big lesson after putting the pictures up online and seeing my table through photos. I was so surprised to see how different it looks in photos than in person. This is the tablescape that taught me that if you use a white or light tablecloth, you need to fill in all the empty spots. Otherwise, the camera picks up those white spots and magnifies them. So, you either need to fill those empty spaces up or you need to avoid taking pictures of that area of your table.

This table wasn't a full out table, it really was just a soup and bread dinner with some added Christmas flair to it. But, it was a good lesson for me regarding photo taking.

I'm joining Sunday Favorites and Seasonal Sunday. I hope you enjoy this post and check out what others are showing today!

Love to see beautiful tablescapes? Head over to Susan's Blog, "Between Naps on the Front Porch" for Tablescape Thursday.

I wanted to do a red and white tablescape so, I started out with the floral red and white plates I got at the dollar store. I used a heavy white tablecloth that has silver threads running through it. I bought it at Salvation army for $1.50. And I used my old "workhorse" quilted red placemats. I have had these forever!



The dinner plates and bowls were bought at the dollar store. I really like the fact that they are not Christmas dishes, but I think they can make a pretty Christmas table.



I then added an antique milkglass dessert/salad plate. I paid $1.50 for the two plates. I love the raised fruit design around the edge.





Then I added a red napkin (bought 8 of them at a yard sale this past summer for $1.00) matching red and white bowl and silverware. Yes, I know it is not set correctly. LOL



A couple of glasses. I used sparkly Christmas ornaments as coasters.



Just a pretty white and silver ornament from the dollar store for "picture taking" LOL.



I added a wonderful red and white ribbon across the center of the table.



A little Christmas floral tucked in here and there.



A couple of compote dishes. Both picked up at yard sales for less than $1.00. I love this polished glass chunks I got from the dollar store. It just looks so much like ice to me.







Just a pretty simple red and white table. If you want to see what we had for dinner, stop back by tomorrow for "Foodie Friday"!

Revisit ~ Buffalo Wing Soup

Hi everyone!

Soup and bread are major meals around here during the winter months. It is just that whole warm and comfy thing you need when you have been out. The easier and the faster the recipe, the more I really enjoy it! LOL

So, I decided to repost this recipe and join Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things , Holly for Tickled Pink and Beth for Weekend Cooking. Tomorrow for Sunday Favorites and Seasonal Sunday, I will revisit the tablescape that went along with this recipe!

I hope you all had a fun Black Friday. Did you get lots of Christmas shopping done? Don't laugh, but I think I may be the only Black Friday shopper out there to hit our local thrift store. They had everything in the store 50% off all day. I didn't even get over there until 4:00 this afternoon. LOL That was the only place I went. And yes, I got about 8 Christmas presents!

And now, here it s 8:00 on Friday night and I am going to finish this post and, make a pot of tea and get into my flannel pj's and read! I am such a party animal!

I hope you all enjoy this!

Check out some great recipes at "Designs By Gollum" for Foodie Friday.

Yesterday I posted my tablescape and I told you that today I would share what we had. Well, it was just a very simple dinner, soup and bread.

The soup was a new recipe to me. Super easy and pretty cheap. It was "Buffalo Wing Soup"



Recipe:

Buffalo Wing Soup

4 & 1/2 Cups of Milk
2 Cups of Shredded Chicken
1/4 cup of Hot Sauce
1 Cup of Sour Cream
2 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup

Mix all of the above in a pot and cook until everything is hot and well blended.

You could make this in a crockpot and cook on slow for about 4 hours.

This is a good "out of the pantry" meal. I used shelf stable milk and a large can of fully cooked chicken. I just wanted to see if it would work with shelf stable food items. It was very good. The one thing I would change is I would up the hot sauce to 1/2 cup instead of 1/4 cup when I make it again. I didn't taste a lot of heat or a lot of the hot sauce flavor.

I topped it with shredded cheddar and a dollup of sour cream.

I also made cornbread. Okay, I made a "cheat" cornbread. I had never tried Betty Crocker brand packets of cornbread mix and I saw them at Walmart for 50 cents a packet. However, I did decrease the milk by half of what was listed on the packet and I added a can of cream style corn. It came out very yummy! I also made a quick cinnammon honey butter (1/2 cup of butter softened, 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 cup of honey. Blend well).




So, a pretty tablescape and a quick, easy and inexpensive dinner!

Some Changes?

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Well, now that yet another Thanksgiving has past and we are heading into the Christmas season, that also means that we are almost at the end of 2010. Can you believe that! Where did the year go?

I have decided for 2011 that The Thrifty Groove needs a major facelift! I have had this same design and format since the beginning. And it is time to kick it up a notch.

I'm not talking about a new header or new background. I want to totally redo the format and style of my blog. A whole new refreshing look.

Oh, it will still be the same content as normal, I just need to update it.

So, what are your favorite blog site styles? I would love to get some input from all of you regarding what you like in a blog. What style?

Also, do any of you do blog designs? Do you know anyone who does? Yup, I actually want some one else to redesign my blog! I am no techie when it comes to this stuff. I am a "trial and error" kinda gal. And to be honest, it takes a long time when you do the whole hit and miss method. Especially for me when I have more "misses" than "hits" LOL

Please feel free to email any suggestions or if you are a blog designer. I would love your input.

Here is something that gave me a smile this morning!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3iFhLdWjqc&feature=player_embedded

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I want to wish you all a wonderful day filled with people you love.



And Blessings abound!

A "Giving Hand" Rednesday!

Hi everyone!

I don't normally do a giveaway post for a weekly party but, today I decided to do just that. And there is lots of red in this post. I am blessed to have some awesome sponsored giveaways on my blog. But, sometimes the giveaway is so much more than just something to win.

You may have noticed my "Helping Hand" badge on my sidebar. The folks at Hamburger Helper are participating in "Feeding America". What an amazing cause. With unemployment at such a horrendous level and so many people struggling, buying food to feed your family is not an easy thing to do. And with tomorrow being Thanksgiving, I thought this was the perfect time to post about this fantastic cause!

To raise awareness about the national issue of hunger, Hamburger Helper® is partnering with GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter and actor Tim McGraw to help Feeding America deliver millions of meals to local food banks through the Show Your Helping HandTM campaign. McGraw will lend his voice to the campaign through a Public Service Announcement which will be distributed nationwide.

Support the campaign by submitting codes from specially marked boxes of Hamburger Helper at http://www.showyourhelpinghand.com/ or by logging on to make a donation. Hamburger Helper has already donated more than half a million dollars and will contribute up to an additional $100,000 to Feeding America through this program. Don´t think one code will make a difference? The 17 cents Hamburger Helper donates per code is enough for Feeding America to deliver one meal to a local food bank.

This is such an amazing program and I am very proud to be part of it! And the wonderful folks at Hamburger Helper through MyBlogSpark Have generously offered one of my readers the chance to win this fun gift pack.

This giveaway prize pack includes:

1 box of Hamburger Helper Skillet meal
A Hamburger Helper foam "Helping Hand"
A copy of Tim McGraw's "Southern Voice" CD
A $10.00 Donation will be made to Feeding America in your name!

How to enter:

** Leave a comment on this post telling me something you are thankful for.

** I would LOVE for any of you to blog about this wonderful cause. You don't have to mention The Thrifty Groove. I just really want as many folks as possible to participate in helping feed the families in need right here in America. Please feel free to use any part of this post to write your post. Come back here and leave your link to your post. And enter it 5 times!

**Tweet and/or Facebook about this wonderful campaign and come back and leave 2 more comments with the links (2 comments per tweet or facebook. If you do both, then give yourself 4 comments!)

This giveaway starts now and will end on Wednesday, December 1, 2010 (midnight EST).

You do not need to be a follower to enter. This is not about increasing my numbers. This is all about helping our friends, families and neighbors!

Please just help the families in need!

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Disclaimer: I received a "Feeding America" prize pack as well as having the opportunity to give another prize pack away to one of my readers from the folks at Hamburger help via MyBlogSpark. ALL opinions are COMPLETELY my own. No other compensation was given to me.

I am joining Sue at It's a Very Cherry World for her wonderful weekly party, Rednesday!

Quiet Time to get My Thanksgiving Ducks in a Row

No, I am not having duck for Thanksgiving! I am just taking a moment to check my list of what I am making and what I need. I thought I would show you my table centerpiece that I made with the floral arrangements from yesterday. But, first, I have to fess up. I made a non-thrifty purchase! ::GASP!!::
...The Guilt...
...The Shame...
...The Shock...
...The Frivolity...
...The Joy...
...The Smile...
..The Happiness...

LOL, those were my feelings. But, now I am just happy I bought it. Just a little gift for myself. No second hand. No clearance. Not even on sale! It is just something I have wanted for a long time. Here it is....






Oooh, isn't she pretty? This teacup holds almost 2 full cups! I have wanted a large teacup forever and just said, "what the heck! I love this one! I'm buying it!" This is the very first brand spankin' new teacup and saucer set I have ever bought! I saw it a Home Goods Store and decided she was coming home with me! And this is the most I have ever spent on a teacup and saucer. $6.99! None of my antique ones cost this much.






Sometimes you just want a large cup of tea. You don't really want a pot full of tea and you don't want to use your everyday coffee mugs. You want to drink your tea from a pretty china teacup. Well, this is the one!

And this is just a little hint to Santa if he is reading....they have a beautiful teapot to match this teacup and saucer! That would be at Home Goods Store. Oh, and the last time I checked, they only had ONE left!

Okay, while I am sitting here enjoying my tea and new cup along with some cookies while I go over my Thanksgiving dinner list, why don't you check out the centerpiece I have on my table right now.

I started with this recent thrift find table runner. I paid $1.15 for it. I just really liked the colors, the embroidery and the fringe. I know, not the table runner you would think of for a Fall centerpiece. But, I thought it would work nicely.




With the exception of the leaves and little gems in the tray (those were from The Dollar Tree and the real gourds which were free), everything else on this table was thrifted second hand.






This retro wood bowl/stand and wood fruit were free from a going out of business sale.


(by the way, after I saw the picture of this bowl, I changed the arrangement. That one gourd was offending me! LOL)



I've had the little bird cage for awhile. I got it for.50 cents at a yard sale. The cross inside is a Christmas ornament I got clearanced a few years ago for .50 cents. I have never put it away. I love it. the leaf plate was an after holiday sale at the dollar store for .25 cents because it has a chip in it.



The ceramic pumpkins were part of a bunch of Fall items purchased at a re-sale store. Individually, I think we figured out .50 cents each.

I got the little filigree gold plate at a thrift store for $1.00 and the leaf candle was part of the group of Fall items from above. .50 cents.

And you know that I got the two vases for $1.79 (the pair) and the faux flowers for $2.00. So, the whole things was under $10.00 to put together.

I hope you enjoyed your visit! Now, check out these awesome parties!



Table Top Tuesday



Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

My Favorite Tea ladies....
Tea For Two/Tea Time Tuesday/Teacup Tuesday/Lady Katherine's Tea/