Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who is celebrating today.
Whether you’re celebrating or not, feel free to talk about anything you like: what fragrance you’re wearing today, what you’re going to eat for dinner, what you’re planning to buy on Black Friday…whatever you like, so long as it doesn’t conflict with our comment policy.
We are traveling to be with family later today; I will join in when I can!
Note: top image is Roasted American Turkey [cropped] by ralph and jenny at flickr; some rights reserved.
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Wearing Rochas Man today. We do not celebrate Thanksgiving here, so… Happy Thanksgiving day for those who celebrate it. I didn’t have idea of the importance of this day on the countries it’s celebrated. Now I’m imagining the foods! Oh Lord! The foods! The fat inside me is clapping his hands and licking his chops!!!
In the US, it marks the beginning of the holiday overeating season, and the day after — Black Friday — marks the beginning of the holiday spending season. Then Cyber Monday is when those of us who would rather die than go into a mall around the holidays start our online shopping. I’ve already started so I’m ahead of the game this year. I hope to finish by 12/1, we’ll see if I manage it.
My husband is in the kitchen right now starting on the stuffed mushrooms, but luckily for us that is all we have to actually produce today.
Funny. I like all those things: sales, foods, cooking.
Mushrooms!!! I love them in any kind of food! I also like to cook despite I know how to make few fine dishes.
I wish we had a Black Friday in here. On the contrary, in this season products duplicate their prices due to Christmas! Have nice purchases!
I’m waaay ahead of the game. I finished my Christmas shopping last month, and I have everything wrapped. I did most of it online, so I got it done in a couple of sessions.
Can I hire you to do and wrap my Christmas shopping? Wow!
You’re finished!!! I am so jealous of you right now I can’t even put it into words.
I guess I’m finished, too, since I’m a Christmas slacker. My preference is to feed people than to give them things. So, I make calendars with photos from the year, and otherwise, I just give people food–jams and sauces I’ve jarred that year, or make a big meal for family on Christmas day. Sometimes I get really inspired and bake some fruit cake, cookies or homemade fudge. Since there are still boxes in the kitchen (and everywhere else!), I will probably not be doing that this year!
ROFL. I haven’t bought anything yet. I have no idea on what to buy to my brother!
And don’t forget Small Business Saturday where people are encouraged to patronize their small, local businesses rather than the national chains.
LOVE the idea of your fat cells clapping!
For me, Thanksgiving is a harvest festival, which seems to be a more universal idea, even if we call them different things. Traditional foods are turkey, cranberries, potatoes, sweet potatoes or yams. Lots of butter. Pie for dessert. Sorry I can’t send you some!
My brain is fat! I can feel the taste by miles away!
I started the day badly getting gouged and scratched when I tried to dose one of my cats with flea prevention on the back of her neck. Now I have so many Band-Aids on that whatever I wear out to eat today will have to be long-sleeved. (I mention this because the forecast is for 80 degrees here in Houston today.) I will go out with a friend to a nice restaurant where the menu choice is extensive. Shall I have butternut squash bisque or scallops or salad for an appetizer? Turkey with traditional trimmings or sea bass, or lamb, or ham? Pecan pie or pumpkin cheesecake or apple bread pudding? I will be wearing Ramon Monegal’s My Patchouly. I tried samples of his line recently and fell hard for that one, bought a full bottle at Neiman Marcus and have not stopped wearing it for a week. It goes with everything!
Only bad part of going to a restaurant for Thanksgiving is: no leftovers. A friend is having a Thanksgiving Leftovers dinner on Saturday night. Since I won’t have actual leftovers I am making something I traditionally ate and love to make and eat, a corn souffle, with a nice white sauce/egg mix, some onions and peppers sauteed into it, and a good crumbly topping. Yum!
So sorry! But that menu sounds fabulous. Eat a scallop for me
Ouch, you have sympathy! One of my cats needs eye drops to be applied 6-8 times a day at the moment! He’s not aggressive but very wiggly so it’s a lot of fun for both of us.
Cats can be so difficult. I hope the rest of your day is better.
Thankfully, only one of my three beasts fights me in such scenarios. I’ve mostly just decided to pay other people to clip his nails. It’s not worth the biting and scratching! (But I admit that I delay longer when I have to pay for it.)
Some weeks ago a street cat gave birth in my garden. She was agressive and I was making her trust me. One day I was stroking her and I believe she thought I would strangle her (I was passing my hand through her neck). She bit me and I had to observe her for 10 days. Now I have a beautiful scar in my hand!
All cat owners should keep a bottle of lavender essential oil on hand for bites and scratches. It’s very healing and antibiotic too. I got scratched badly about a month ago, so I know how it hurts! I hope you heal quickly!
Thanks for that tip, I will go buy some, and thanks for the well wishes.
Thank you! Now it’s just a brown stain. I always keep home a bottle of antiseptic soap and as I was bitten I quickly entered home and washed the wound thoroughly. As later on it didn’t have any signal of infection or I had fever, I didn’t take any med.
That menue sounds delicious, now I am hungry!
Am sitting in the airport, returning home after a couple of days visiting my brother and family–he got really cheap flights for me–so. I flew out at 6:30am on Tues ….At least we celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday and I am bringing home some of my Dad’s stuffing and a check from my brother to cover rent since I didn’t work for several weeks because of Hurricane Sandy. My SOTD is Liasons Dangereuses since it’s one of the samples in my purse
How nice of your brother and I’m so sorry to hear of the aftermath of the hurricane for you. PBS had a special on it last night and it was heart-rending. I love that By Kilian scent and bought it in the travel sprays. Mmmm.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!
I will be eating roasted vegetables, a huge salad, steamed greens, and baked tempeh. I am a vegan eater, but I will enjoy the veggeis and appreciate my loved ones.
I am wearing Champagn de bois, and a vintage Diane Von Furstenberg dress with Chloe boots (I am not a vegan dresser
)
Happy Thanksgiving, Arline! My mother has recently become (nearly) vegan–a huge change for a traditional, Donna Reed, Leave it to Beaver kind of mom! She’s hosting Thanksgiving this year, so she’s gonna make a turkey, but everything else will be vegan. Although I’m not even a vegetarian these days, I’m still really proud of her. I’m hoping it will be a real boon to her health!
Although she makes me laugh; I had to reassure her that we’d all be fine with roasted sweet potatoes without any marshmallows! Honestly, we’d been putting up with those marshmallows for years, just to appease her traditional sensibilities!
Yaaay for your mom!!!!! That is hilarious about the marshmallows.
I hope you and your family enjoy your almost vegan feast.
No Thanksgiving in Poland but happy time to those who celebrate!
Today I’m wearing Vero.Profumo Kiki EdP. Just returned from classes but I’m having French classes at language school later this evening too!
Lol. I should take French lessons so I stop mangling the names of the perfumes I try. I can’t speak a word of it and my attempts at it are quite laughable I’m sure.
Not sure how helpful it is to speak French, to be honest! There are times, especially at the mall, when I think I reduce their understanding of me when I pronounce the French names more like a French-speaking person than an English-speaking person. Not to mention, for me anyway, it can be hard to switch between languages mid-sentence!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates!
It’s not a holiday in UK but, bizarrely, an increasing number of retailers here are starting to do Black Friday promotions. It does mean that I’m about to order a Diptyque christmas candle (or two!) with a 20% off so I’m not complaining.
No scent yet, can’t quite decide what I fancy. It’s pouring down outside so need something cozy but not too distracting since I’m trying to be productive this afternoon (so, really, I shouldn’t be posting on NST and looking at candles either).
Which Diptyque candle are you getting/? I am thinking of buying some for friends as Christmas presents. I wish they would put out a candle of Volutes!
Probably Amber Oud although I’m also tempted by Oliban. I’d totally get Oliban if it came in the mini size but, for some inexplicable reason, out of the 3 Christmas candles, this is the only once that only comes in full size.
Hi Abyss Diptyque have a Christmas version of ambre i believe…
Yup, that’s the one I ordered :0
Second that wish!
Oh, interesting about Black Friday! I didn’t even think about that part of the tradition not carrying over! I wonder if it’s the increased interest in internet shopping that’s making it cross the pond? I’m not a mall-shopper in any case, so I mostly avoid shopping the day after Thanksgiving.
I could be completely wrong, but my theory is that the American retailers like Amazon, Appple, etc started it and now the UK retailers are joining in simply because they don’t want to miss out on the sales. Traditionally, the sales insanity here started from Boxing Day onwards and it’s only fairly recently that prices started getting slashed in the run up to holidays. The economy also played a role in that, I would imagine.
There’s a lot in our newspapers, etc. this year about the huge number of Canadian businesses also going all out for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, even though we celebrate Thanksgiving in October and our economy has done surprisingly well, relative to the US, over the last few years. In our case, Canucks do so much cross-border shopping that Canadian businesses just don’t want to lose the customers to the US sales before the holidays. And lots of our businesses – Amazon.ca for example – are just US businesses in disguise.
It all makes me wonder how viral that shopping frenzy mentality can be. Once a big retailer starts it, their competition are practically required to do the same to compete, and then suddenly, it’s what everyone does! On my drive home from supper, I saw a line of cars literally a mile long coming from the parking lot of a popular mall outside of town. Hard to imagine it could get much crazier than that!
We will be meeting my in-laws at a restaurant later today. I prefer it this way–I can order whatever I want, as much as I want, and I don’t have to worry about transporting food items long distances in the car. I think the traditional family get-together where everyone brings a dish works best when people live reasonably close together, not hundreds of miles apart. I am wearing SSS WInter Woods, since this seems like the time of year for warm, cozy scents, even if the weather today isn’t exactly wintery.
Ha ha, living near you in Texas I appreciate the point about the weather! It is always a bit worrisome, yes, to transport food over a distance when you aren’t sure if it’s going to go bad… Giving people food poisoning isn’t a good holiday treat! Which restaurant are you going to? We are going to Mockingbird Bistro in Montrose.
By the way if you know the store Charde on Kirby somewhat in the Rice Village area (near Sunset), they have fabulous artisan jewelry, some of it $$$ and some more $, and have a Black Friday 20% off sale tomorrow. I plan to go!
I hadn’t heard of the Mockingbird Bistro, but it sounds wonderful. Our dinner is going to be a lot less fancy. We are just going to the Cracker Barrel. I really do like Cracker Barrel, though. It is the kind of food you wishe you got at home everyday.
We used to have the family gathering at someone’s home when most of my in-laws lived in the San Antonio area. I always fretted over what to bring that could survive a four hour car trip without spilling or spoiling. Then there was the time that my MIL prepared the entire meal, no donations required, only she didn’t cook enough, and the traffic was worse than we anticipated, and by the time we got there, there was hardly any food left. I never thought that if the family started eating at noon, the food would all be gone at 1 P.M.
Oh no! I think the restaurant option is wise!
Ooh I’ve never been to Charde though I think I know where it is.. I’ve passed by it many times. Have you ever been to the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft? They have some really fantastic artisan jewelry as well. I can’t afford most of it but it’s fun to look.
Oh yes I’m a regular visitor there too. Some stuff at Charde is relatively inexpensive, although they have stuff going up into the thousands. It’s also just fun to go look. I know Heidi Gerstacker who is a goldsmith who sells jewelry at the Craft Museum. Beautiful things (also quite expensive, alas). They always have such gorgeous scarves there too. I confess I have gotten some of those. The Museum of Fine Arts has 20% off now if you are a member in their gift shop too, through Sunday, and also has a good selection of jewelry.
I’m just sitting here preparing myself for an afternoon with the family. Hubby is eating a bologna sandwich because heaven forbid he doesn’t eat at his regularly scheduled times. I haven’t picked my SOTD yet. Looking at the sales flyers in the paper is daunting today. I’m not shopping tomorrow because I have to work and even if I didn’t that whole black Friday craziness is not for me. There’s really nothing I need that bad. I truly don’t get how people are camped out already in line waiting for stores to open. What could possibly be worth doing that for? I’ll spend a few dollars more and avoid sleeping on the sidewalk.
Hey, Poodle! Sympathizing with you about preparing to be with family, and with hubby about not eating at scheduled times! I will certainly be eating a snack in the car, since I’ll be HUNGRY at my usual time, a few hours before the Thanksgiving meal begins!
Morning, all! I’m enjoying the quiet coziness of my house for a few hours before I have to get on the road. My mother has offered to host Thanksgiving this year, and it will be a break from tradition in many ways. Usually my dad hosts, but he has been pretty depressed, I think, since the death of my younger brother last year. In any case, he didn’t want to do anything this year. Not even sure he’ll be there today, sadly.
And, as mentioned above, since my mother has switched to being nearly vegan, the foods will be less traditional, as well. She’s gonna make a turkey, mostly to appease her sense of tradition, I expect. But the rest will be salads, cole slaw, roasted sweet potatoes, boiled potatoes, etc. I will miss the dressing, but I can make some for myself over the weekend (I already bought a turkey so I could have “leftovers” this week!).
That’s sad about your dad. It’s tough to deal with a loss like that. Try to enjoy your day.
Thank you, Poodle! I think there’s no way around the fact that this will be a difficult holiday season for all of us. I *do* think it would be better for my dad to be with family, even if it makes a point of my brother’s absence. I think it will be helpful, in some ways, that this will be a very different holiday than we usually do–at Mom’s, different foods, and all that. Not trying to act like everything is the same will hopefully be healing!
So sorry. Hope the day went well.
All’s fine. It’s a process, as I’m sure many know, that takes the time it takes. Dad *did* come and have supper with us, although he left pretty much right away afterwards. I’m glad he made an appearance, anyway! My fingers are crossed that I can have a family gathering in my new home for Christmas.
Just want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! I think we should celebrate here in the UK too.
It is stormy, wet and windy here and the last leaves are being whipped off the trees. To put myself into a festive mood, I have been setting out my Christmas diffusers, candles and pot-pourri and the house is reeking of orange and cinnamon. It’s lovely, but I can’t now bear to put any perfume on me!
Hope that you all enjoy your day, and we’ll raise a toast to you tonight.
It sounds like your house is festive and cozy. Enjoy your day!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Here in Canada we have lots of time to burn off all those Thanksgiving calories before the Christmas over-eating-season begins.
For anyone who wants/needs a good laugh today I recommend the short story “Dave cooks the turkey” by Stuart McLean. I’ve read it a good dozen times and I still can’t help laughing each time.
Have a great one.
Yes, it’s better to move the 2 big eating holidays farther apart!
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American NST friends! Enjoy the celebrations.
SOTD is Une Voix Noire.
Will be going on a business trip shortly. Destination: Berlin. Just for a couple of days
Hoping to find time to test some fragrances at Frau Tonis near Checkpoint Charlie 
Oh, what fun! Hope you find something good.
We’re going to a potluck at our church, and then to the Big Game. Excited because I haven’t been to a football game in about two years!
Not totally sure what I’m going to wear for perfume, but likely Hové Bell Chasse – a lovely carnation scent.
Which Big Game? My hubby and kids are going to UT game today…
Oh, us too – University of Texas vs. TCU.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
I had Thanksgiving Breakfast with family this morning. I wore Portrait of a Lady because I like it and the fruity-woody aspect is not offensive to anyone, including my mom who usually comments “Are you wearing perfume again? It smells so bad……” — I sat next to her and she did not say one peep about it.
This evening, we are going to a friend’s place for Thanksgiving Dinner with about 30 of her nearest and dearest friends and family. I am bringing a brioche brie wheel (from Costco) and will have to borrow her oven to warm it up. The food spread at her place is always ginormous so there is usually enough leftovers for everyone to bring something home for another full meal. SOTE is probably going to be ELDO Tilda Swinton Like This.
I happen to be off from work on Black Friday and since I live near a mall, I will walk there and not have to worry about parking. I haven’t written up my list yet and I am actually thinking of simplifying gift-giving (everyone gets the same thing OR gift cards OR lottery scratch off tickets). The “For Me” shopping will be something from the Beauty/Fragrance of Lord & Taylor since I have a $20 off of $40 purchase coupon.
And for those of you who are part of Nordstrom Rewards, I just saw a postcard that mentioned Cyber Monday is a 10-points day for all online purchases.
Lol I am sorry buth your mum sounds like a real charmer
That’s a great Lord & Taylor coupon. Get something good.
My SOTD was Like This too. I think it’s a great fall fragrance.
Ooo, thanks for the Nordstrom reminder!
3rd on Like This as the Thanksgiving go to fragrance 2 years now. Its also one of my all time favorites and a contender for signature scent for me, but for whatever reason, (the orange packaging? the spicy gourmand, home-y comfortable but not food-y scent?) it was a no-brainer for Thanksgiving SOTD for me.
Having Thanksgiving dinner at my parents’ house. We have the traditional stuff- turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc. I’m wearing TF Tobacco Vanille .. I figured it wouldn’t clash with all the food smells.
We decided to postpone Thanksgiving this year, spending the morning with Operation Turkey instead of tied to my stove. We were blessed to be able to pick up 20 meals through this organization, then we were “sent” to a housing area to hand out meals. So wonderful to take part in with our children. On our first year involved with OT, we had a group of people “storm” our car as we handed out meals. One man reached into our trunk and grabbed a bag out of the back. We watched as he peered inside, found he had taken our daughter’s scrapbooking supplies, and disgustedly brought it back to our trunk!
My family will enjoy going to a football game tonight while I get started on our Thanksgiving meal, then tomorrow we will decorate for Xmas as I cook. So far, we have 1 tree up and decorated, 1 to go…
So great of you to help feed others! I know you find it fulfilling.
My household is just my husband and me, and today we are starting Dr Oz 3 day detox juice cleanse. So far so good, but NO COFFEE. That part is making me pretty darn crabby. Wearing Youth Dew Amber Nude. Enjoy your day, everyone!
Oh my, you are dedicated to start a 3 day cleanse on Thanksgiving! Good luck.
Happy Thanksgiving all! I had a wonderful meal with some of my family. My SIL is a wonderful cook and hostess – we even had place cards!
SOTD: Spiritueuse Double Vanille. It goes great with food.
Great pick, and glad the meal was good too
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
And to you!
I’m wearing Costume National 21. I love it. I really like this house as scent intense is in my top 10. My mother in law gets on my nerves. She came to babysit one day while I had an appt. when I got back she had decorated my house with HOME INTERIOR BS and just dared me to say a nigh word. Well she’s gone and its going in a box. She killed my 7 yr old Christmas cactus, said it bothered her sinuses. Really? She thinks its ridiculous that I collect perfume but she has 4 (four) from floor to roof shelved curio cabinet monstrosities that house the stupid-est figurines you cannot even see them there are so many of them they are so close together and she thinks I want those when she dies? Uh uh eBay!ill take the diamonds. Don’t I sound like a bitch. Had the nerve to tell my husband he did a good job on Thanksgiving dinner. He did nothing. I’m furid. Tomorrow I’m going to my best guy friend’s funeral. He killed himself. I’m wondering what perfume to wear of all things. I haven’t cried yet. I feel numb. Mother in law incinuates that we had an affair because I’m driving two hours to a funeral. Demanded to take my three youngest children they screamed no right in her face. I need to grieve I guess I haven’t accepted it. I think I’ll wear a crazy hat like the royals. I have a black one Michael loved my fashion sense, he’s my departed pal. We were insuperable. High school would have been so boring without him. The first time I slept in the bed with a boy was on our senior trip. Nothing happened. It wasn’t til years later that we kissed that night he begged me to ride home from this club. On the way ( I didn’t ) home they were drunk and hit a semi head on killed everyone but my guy. We had gotten close after a few years of butting heads he wanted more than friendship and I was and am a happily married woman. I don’t know when this numb feeling will fall away and the pain set in. But I know I’m not prepared for it. Tomorrow when I see his dead body I might faint. My hubby is going with and our class will all be there. I haven’t made plans for my death don’t even have life insurance.
Now I’m babbling. Say a prayer for my friend’s soul. I believe prayer can change people’s destiny. Naive or misinformed? No, I just have faith. But which perfume will suit this occasion? La Chasse of the Pappillions? Or whatever it’s called? Or Al Oud or wild pears by Montale? Idk
Dolcesarah, I am really sorry. I am a female and I lost my best male friend two months ago. He also killed himself.
It is hard for me to write about it here, but I just wanted to tell you that I really know how it feels.
I wore Chanel Cristalle for the funeral.
My thoughts are with you and actually I am going to say a prayer for your friend, although I do not pray very often these days.
And, btw, you need to distance yourself from your mother in law. It can be tough, so maybe you will need some support. A good therapist maybe?
Have a good Thanksgiving.
very sound advice behemot
I am sorry for you both
life can be so tough…we need to find all the positive in the negative things …
prayers are a way to go…Please G-d you should find comfort
Thank you so much for your kind words, hongkongmom.
I feel better, but it was a horrible loss.
I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s hard enough to miss loved ones who have passed on at holidays, but to have just days in between is unbearable. If you wear a fragrance to his funeral you are going to think of his death from now on every time you wear it. You might want to consider not wearing any if the memory will be troubling. Or perhaps you could wear a fragrance he really liked on you since it will make you think of him anyway.
This weekend will be tough and I’m sorry you have to deal with your MIL. She sounds like a real treat. And even though you are grieving and stressed…you have at least three kids that you mentioned. Start shopping for life insurance on Monday.
Best of luck. I’m rooting for you!
I’m so glad that your husband will be there with you for the funeral. My condolences.
I’ve got it DZONKA , that’s fitting.
I ended up wearing Speakeasy to cook Thanksgiving dinner in. It was admired but wore off in the heat of the kitchen.
Had a lovely day, and I hope all my fellow United Statesians had the same! I’m sending you all virtual versions of the pumpkin chocolate chip bars in the oven!
Oooooh – is it possible to share the recipe?
Oh yes! I made them with butternut squash instead of pumpkin (as I needed to roast some for soup anyway!) They’re yummy but took more like 40 minutes to bake (Elana’s usually better with times). This recipe author cooks paleo/gluten-free so sorry for the weird ingredients but I recommend her recipes, she’s got a great touch with paleo baking!
http://www.elanaspantry.com/paleo-pumpkin-bars/
Thank you for the link. I hadn’t heard of the paleo diet before, my ignorance or maybe it hasn’t made it over here to UK yet, very interesting, especially as I’m gluten intolerant. I shall now go on a forage for coconut flour. I love this blog-I learn so much from it!
Yes please share. Pumpkin chocolate chip bars sound wonderful!
Recipe response above! I hope someone from here makes and enjoys them. (Awesome with vanilla ice cream on top.)
As Jewish South African we never had thanksgiving.(no thanksgiving in SA) My parents and siblings live in USA and have embraced the thanksgiving celebrations. They were all together yesterday:-)We have really good American friends and so have been going to a thanksgiving dinner for quite a few yeas now. However, this year we celebrated at agood friends wedding…they are friends, so no thanksgiving either…but we did mention how great ful we all were for the joy and happiness their wedding
Was watching black friday events on cnn..It is really disturbing to see how people can resort to such crazy behaviour over a good deal…they can beat and trample each other…imho…it needs to be controlled. ie: only let small groups in at a time…or split up the deals throughout the year..really it seems people resort to very bad behaviour…could just be cnns coverage…
A very happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate, and wishes for a wonderful and very fragrant weekend to all!
Took advantage of STC’s Thanksgiving sale (ordered my first Amouages, eep) and just polished off the remaining green bean casserole and some hard cider, so life is good. I don’t know why, but I love that gawdawful casserole.
I made the whole spread. Strange Days here. Contemplating divorce and a lover. Life has dealt me a [ed: word deleted] hand of cards and I’m tired of being a victim. Making a change. Choosing life long love over a cheater and manipulator. The kids will be happy. Happier To finding joy!!!!
I wonder what the perfume in the bottles on the dust covered dressing table in this article smell like ?
http://www.messynessychic.com/2012/05/09/the-paris-time-capsule-apartment/