Renningers Recap & Thoughts on Thanksgiving
Today, we’re sharing our Renningers recap and thoughts on Thanksgiving!
I’m getting ready to head into the kitchen to prep a few dishes for the holiday weekend, so I wanted to check in to see how things were going.
It seems weird for Thanksgiving to finally be here after a year of so many ups and downs. I’m grateful we made it though.
How are you holding up?
Prepping for Thanksgiving…
When the pandemic first started, each day seemed to drag by slower than the last.
But as we’ve gotten closer to the end of the year, the days seem to be moving at lightning speed.
It makes me want to grab each hour and say, “Slow down, I’m not quite ready yet.”
I feel the same way about good books, heartfelt conversations, ice cream, and purpose-filled projects too.
One more page…5 more minutes…an extra scoop…I’ll put on another pot of coffee….?
In so many ways, this year has been an invitation to stop, reassess, and grab the moment, you know?
Renningers Recap…
Late last week, my Mom, baby sister, and I had a chance to attend the last Extravaganza of the year. We’ve gone to this mostly outdoor antique event across 117 acres for as long as I can remember, and we always have the best time.
Despite only a 15% chance of rain in the forecast, it rained almost our entire drive down. Not a heavy rain, mind you, just a constant drizzle that was enough to make the ground and road slick.
The sun was shining at the same time though, and for hours our drive was dotted with rainbows.
At first, we thought it was just a strange coincidence because none of us had ever seen that many rainbows in one day.
But on the way back, the rain and the sunshine reappeared again, as if right on cue, and we knew the rainbows were meant for us all along.
While there were plenty of vendors and lots of goodies to shop, we didn’t buy very much.
I don’t know if we’re getting more selective or if there weren’t as many special pieces available. It was obvious the vendors and pickers hadn’t had a chance to scatter across the country to find as many unique wares and treasures to bring home and sell.
Still, we had a great time. So much so, I barely took any pictures and had to borrow several of these from my sister.
A Few Things We Brought Home…
I found two ironstone tureens
and a set of really cool darts.
I’ll probably put them in a gravy boat I recently picked up for $1.
My baby sister found a fantastic light fixture for the house she’s building and an old school poster for the study.
Both of my sisters will be moving into new homes next year and have a completely different style than I have. So, I’m super excited to see how all their choices and finishes come together.
My Mom found 2 large watercolors with jockeys and racehorses that were totally her. They’re both framed and have a beautiful vintage green colored mat.
She passed them up at first but kept thinking about them while we were shopping.
As the afternoon wore on, we could tell the rain was about to settle in for good. So, we dropped by the booth one last time to see if they had been sold.
They wound up to be the last purchase of the day which felt like a win, a visual reminder of our time spent together.
Thoughts on Thanksgiving…
All week long, I’ve tried to remind myself that while we won’t be together for Thanksgiving, it doesn’t make the day any less meaningful.
We can still honor old traditions while creating new ones, try new recipes to share, and find new ways to communicate when a hug would have spoken for us.
Of course, things will be different.
They’ll probably feel different too.
But different gives us all a chance to step out of our routines and remember what’s important.
And an opportunity to celebrate the unexpected rainbows and blessings we’ve been given along the way.
Even the ones we almost missed from a wild and crazy year.
I hope you know how grateful I am to spend time with you each day whether you’re reading an entire blog post or a few lines on Instagram. You mean the world to me and I appreciate you so much!
May love show up for you today when you need it most.
With thanksgiving,
CoCo
Wishing you a lovely, albeit different, Thanksgiving, CoCo! It has been a difficult year, but one all filled with wonderful blessings, as well.
I’m totally with you, Linda, we have so many things to be thankful for this year! I hope you and your family have the best Thanksgiving. Sending you lots of love and hugs, CoCo
Happy Thanksgiving to you as well, Coco. It has indeed been a very strange year, but I agree with you that the blessings have been part of it as well. May the day and the rest of the holiday season be wondrous for you. Thank you for your lovely blog. Cheers, Ardith
Thinking of you today, Ardith! I hope you and your family have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving. Hugs and thank you for all your sweet support, CoCo
Thank you, Coco. Things are different this year. It will be just my husband and I for Thanksgiving and probably Christmas. But I am thankful that we have each other. We know so many people who have lost loved ones this year. None of them from Covid, but other health issues. I pray for our country to heal from it’s division and of course, for Covid to go away. I wish you and your family a very blessed and happy Thanksgiving.
Sending you lots of love and hugs today, Ellen. I know it’s hard to be away from your family and you’ve experienced loss this year. I just wanted to let you know I’m lighting a candle for you and I’ll be lifting you up all day. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your husband, CoCo
Hi Coco,
I’m grateful for your cheer and all of your good thoughts from throughout the year. Thank you for helping me through this heck of a year. Although we are separated by decades and miles I count you as a friend. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Fondly, Vee from New Mexico
Thank you so much, Vee, I feel the same way about you. I’m definitely blessed to have you in my life and if we lived closer I’d be giving you a big hug 🙂 I hope you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving. I’m so grateful for you, CoCo
I love the darts you scored and they are going to look great in your gravy boat. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
It was definitely exciting to find them, Paula! I hope you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving as well. Hugs, CoCo
Hi Coco, a sweet and thoughtful post. Yes, it is different, and I envy you—having an event to go to…seriously everything in Chicagoland has been cancelled. I only venture out to two thrift stores and food stores. Everything else, I have to order online. Love your choice of goodies to bring home, who can pass up a tureen…which reminds me I should make an arrangement in mine for the buffet. It’s way up in a cupboard and I forget I have it.Hugs, and hope you have a cozy Thanksgiving. We are delivering dinner to our kids, since we are the least exposed, and that’s what it is all about!
That is such a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving and to see your family, too. I hope you guys have the best time! Going to Renningers this year was definitely a different experience. Most of the counties in Florida have mask and social distancing mandates but we’re still in phase 3 for everything. I’m not sure how long it’s going to stay that way though so I was beyond thankful to be able to see my mom and one of my sisters again. Sending you lots of hugs today and blessings to your family this Thanksgiving as well, CoCo
So fun to see the treasures you found at the Extravaganza! Love that light your sister found! I hope you and yours enjoyed a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving.
Thank you, Christine! It was nice just to have a somewhat relaxed kind of day and forget about everything that’s going in the world. We all decided it would have been a fun day even if we hadn’t come home with a single thing 🙂 Hope your family had a blessed Thanksgiving too. Hugs, CoCo