Rustic Candelabra

 The decor style in my home leans toward farmhouse/rustic/casual/eclectic. I prefer a neutral color scheme - to me it's calming and soothing - and I can add a splash of color here and there if I want. Many of the home decor accounts I follow on Instagram are neutral farmhouse as well. This candle centerpiece was a popular addition to many Thanksgiving tablescapes posted last month, and I really liked it. This first photo is from Liz Marie Galvan's blog, and I suspect was the inspiration for this popular DIY. 

We happened to have a couple of 4x4 beams lying around back by the garage, so I asked Greg to cut me a section. They had some warp, but there was a decently long straight section. My dining room table is 72" long with the leaf in it, which we just leave in so the table is always ready for the grandkids to join us for a meal. The section he cut is 37". He used the air compressor to blow off dirt and potential bugs hiding in the crevices of the wood. I used a palm sander on all four sides to smooth out the rough spots and make sure there would be no splinters. 

We got out the Forstner bits and I tried to drill holes by hand, but I got two done and knew my wrists weren't up to the rest. We put that bit on a drill press and I got all my holes the same width and depth. 

I spaced the holes randomly, but first found the center of the 4x4 and moved from there in each direction. There are 18 holes. The random spacing bothered me after I was done, and I wished I had just gone in a straight line up the middle. 

It took a few days for the candles to arrive, and they were the most spendy part of this project. Once those went in the holes, I liked the randomness of the spacing much better. There are a few inches on each end of the beam, in case I wanted it shortened. For now, the length is good. 

Here it is filled with candles and on our Thanksgiving table. 

This was a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving when we celebrated virtually with family in a few other states. We did have a candlelight dinner that night, and there was plenty of light for us to still be seen on Zoom. And the heat. It didn't set off the smoke alarms, but I had to quick change out of long sleeves for a summer shirt - sitting at the table with all of those candles was too hot for long sleeves. 

I wish I had a photo of this all lit up, but I currently do not, and it's late, so I'm not going to clean off the table and set it up right now. That just means there'll be a part 2 to show you just how pretty it is tomorrow night. 

I realize this might be a bit too rustic for many, but it fits right in here. I like it much more than anticipated. 

As for the rest of the table, placemats are from walmart, as is the flatware. Plates are Mikasa French Countryside (from our wedding registry), napkins are Amazon. The napkin rings were purchased from a small shop online. Those crystal glasses were 99¢ each at Goodwill last winter. I got them out and washed them as I set the table. Then, while we were eating and chatting, I tried to pick up my glass, but the bottom fell off the stem and spilled my drink all over the tablecloth. We figure it had been broken previously and glued back together before being donated. Just a tip to check that glassware next time before purchase...

Okay, that's it for me tonight. It's posting late, but three days in a row. Woo hoo! 

Be Thankful, Eat Pie

 

My husband's favorite holiday is almost here! 

Thanksgiving is always celebrated before any Christmas decor can be displayed - this year included. So many homes are decking the halls early this year because we all can use all the festive feels. We, too, are weary of the heavy load this world bears right now. We pray daily for relief and safety and peace. Not just next week on Thursday at dinner, but every day, we are thankful that we have each other and a home and meals on the table. That we are able to share what we have with those who might have a need or could use a helping hand. That we have the means and brains to follow CDC guidelines and our current DHMs to keep ourselves and others safe. That we are able to reach our extended family for virtual celebrations and games and stories and cooking together. That is something good that has come from this time.

Something good that comes from Thanksgiving at our house is pie! We keep a very traditional menu for Thanksgiving with the usual turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, etcetera, and I always make three kinds of pie. Of course, we have pumpkin, a favorite of the grandchildren. Simple, flavored with quality pumpkin pie spice from Penzey's (it's easy on the nutmeg - yea!), then slathered with the whipped cream. Sometimes it's more like whipped cream with a bit of pumpkin pie. I shall not apologize for that, nor for teaching that to my grandchildren. It's once a year. We need something to look forward to.

Then there's pecan. I love pecan pie. The recipe I use is from the Centennial cookbook put out by the community association of our little village. It was submitted by a sweet elderly lady named Mercedes. Everyone called her Merc (Merse). Merc was kind and funny and generous. She lived alone in a little house a few blocks down the street. Whenever it snowed, my husband and his brother and father would clean sidewalks and driveways for those in town who couldn't do it themselves. A few days later, Merc would deliver a couple of pecan pies to their house as payment. This continued into Greg's and Randy's adulthood - they'd go clean Merc's sidewalks and driveway, then a couple of days later, she'd drop off a pie at their dad's house... Something we'd find out about a few days later...  😉

My husband was very happy when her recipe was in the cookbook, and it's the only one I've ever used to make pecan pie. I also use it for another offering in the pie category, and that's chocolate pecan pie. It's been several years now, but I remember hearing about or reading about CHOCOLATE pecan pie, and that just sounded so perfect. I did a little research and with just one tweak, was able to produce a new family favorite.

Let's make a chocolate pecan pie:

Here's the page of the cookbook with her recipe. You can see it's been well-used. First of all I melt the butter so it has a chance to cool a bit before adding it to the eggs. The one tweak to make it chocolate, is that I add about a quarter cup of chocolate chips to the butter, and melt them together. 

Then proceed with the recipe just as written. 

I use a deep dish 9" pie plate and that holds the batter perfectly. After 50-55 minutes in the oven, and our Precious is ready.

Let it cool completely before cutting. Serve with whipped cream or not. Enjoy for dessert and/or breakfast. Enjoy and be thankful. 

Our new pie server is actually a piece of vintage silver acquired from The Sassy Barn shop. Each one is hand-stamped, and are available in her shop for about a minute and a half each Sunday. Not even kidding. Her stuff sells out quick, but it's full of charm and vintage vibes.

Let's talk just a sec about the corn syrup. In case you're worried about it, here's an excerpt of an article I found: 

"According to an FAQ published by leading corn syrup manufacturer Karo, both the light and dark varieties of their product, which have been around for over 100 years, have never contained high-fructose corn syrup. At some point in the 1970s, HFCS was added to the reduced-calorie Karo Lite as well as to Karo Pancake Syrup. Due to consumer requests, the HFCS has now been removed from the Lite product, although it is still included in Karo Pancake Syrup."

Let us go forth into this next week and give thanks - wear a mask, celebrate virtually if that's the safest way for your family so you can all be together next year, and eat pie!