A Jewel Tone Thanksgiving 2023

I love to host Thanksgiving! I love the planning, the prep, and most of all: the table scape! When planning for this year’s table, I could not get the brown zebra tablecloth from Mrs. Alice out of my head. The second it went on sale I snatched it up! Who even am I?

That tablecloth has sold out, but here are some similar options.


My “wedding china,” if you will, is the mint Old Havana line from Anthropologie. I say that because Anthro started doing wedding registries a month after I got married… So I would buy myself a few plates during sales or with extra money I had saved, and now have enough dinner and salad plates for 14! I love how the mint goes with so many color schemes. Mint and Lime, Mint and Red, Mint and… Fuchsia!


Bam! There it was, the most gorgeous combo for a fall table: Brown, Mint and Fuchsia. I immediately began the search for napkins. I love World Market napkins, so that’s where I went first. They had the fuchsia I was looking for. I linked a few different options, including disposable if that’s your flavor, below.

While looking around, I saw these adorable Table Dare cards from Anthropologie. I loved this idea! Since I had more guests than cards, I opted to make my own. I scoured the internet for appropriate, and non-humiliating dares (which was a little hard to find) and came up with the rest.

“Recite a Haiku about your favorite Thanksgiving side dish”

“Place a roll in your mouth and let Finn [my dog] take a bite.”

“Draw a turkey using either your teeth or your toes.”

We had so much fun with these!

I attached them to place cards made from marbled paper and dispersed them randomly (making sure that the ones for guests or older family members were the easiest and least humiliating, of course). Then I made sure no one peeked before it was time to play. I love the way the marbled paper adds a little more texture to the table.

I added little coupe glasses, also from Mrs. Alice, with little stars etched on them. They are so adorable pared with my favorite goblets from Belk. And how perfect are these dessert plates from Anthropologie!? They have long since been discontinued, but I’ve found some on FB Marketplace and eBay over the years. You can collect the whole alphabet!

My coworker was kind enough to make the floral arraignment for me. Thanks, Katie! It was so good until I had to rush home for an emergency, causing the flowers to dump over in my car… While cleaning my car, I sat the container on the floor and my dog Daisy ATE MY HYDRANGEAS. Well, didn’t eat them, per se, but they were shredded. Why?? So I had to adjust them the next day sans the hydrangeas.

It was certainly an… eventful Thanksgiving Eve. But Thanksgiving Day went off without a hitch. I desperately needed fun, laid back family time this year and that’s exactly what it was! Beauty can always be found in the midst of suffering, and somehow it’s always sweeter.

xo, Amanda

Thirty-Five and Feelin’ Fly

Kinda.. Oof, is anyone else starting to feel their age? Do we do this -feeling like life is over- to ourselves, or is it the external voices feeding us Botox and snake oils? Either way, the week leading up to 35 hit like a ton of bricks. So, what did I do? I baked a cake. Well, two actually, arranged some flowers and lit some candles.

The morning of, Austin took me to my favorite local spot for breakfast. I love the Very Berry Crepes! While we were there, we saw two sets of friends and got to catch up for a minute. As we were ending our crepes, our waitress said someone had paid for our meal, and then someone else tried, too! But since it was paid for, they sent us a treat to-go. Isn’t that so sweet!? Needless to say, we both felt very loved!

That evening, we took my family to dinner and then came back to our house for dessert. We talked and laughed, and decided that neither cake tasted all that good… And suddenly, surrounded by love and candlelight, 35 didn’t seem so bad after all.

xo, Amanda

Coronation Party: God Save The King

Being in England during the Coronation prep was such a memorable experience. What a special time in history to get to watch something unfold that reaches back to the very same Abbey in 1066. How incredible that we have been invited to be a part.

Did any of you get up to watch on TV or attend in person? I tried to talk some friends into a 5am Coronation party, but surprisingly, no one took me up on it! I was wide awake awaiting the family’s arrival to the Abbey. My sweet husband joined me a little later and I had tea and biscuits waiting for us, prepared the night before. Peep the little crown spoons 🙂

The ceremony was powerful. The music, the choir, the seriousness of all involved. I was grateful for the information we got from the exhibit at Blenheim Palace, and on the TV show, The Crown. At one point in the ceremony, the to-be monarch stands before God wearing plain clothing; no embroidery, no signs of State or wealth. That moment is between them and God, where the Divine meets Earth. All kingdoms and principalities belong to Him, after all. I cried, to no one’s surprise. My husband was surprised at how moving it was, he didn’t realize it was a religious ceremony.

Later that afternoon, my family came over for a Coronation Party. I prepared Coronation Chicken, tea sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, Berries on a Cloud trifle with the Union Jack on top. And tea, of course.

We love sharing about our travels with food from where we went. It’s one of our favorite things to do! My brother or I will set up a slideshow to have our own show and tell, and hand out souvenirs. This is something we started after our honeymoon to St. Lucia, where we made Caribbean food for dinner (including handmade coconut turnovers). It’s now tradition!

How do you share your travels? I’d love to hear!

xo, Amanda