Almost Turkey Day!

I am so excited this year!
While we have hosted Thanksgiving for the past four years or so, this is our first big holiday in the house. Instead of the usual 6 or 7 for dinner, this year we're at 12 plus Mo.
My mother-in-law came to visit yesterday and while Mo napped, she babysat as Bry & I braved Wegmans yesterday. I had visions of elbows being thrown over turkey or shin kicks for sweet potatoes, but honestly, for the Sunday before Thanksgiving, it wasn't too bad! We were able to get everything (we think) that we need for the feast in under an hour and a half. The 20 lb. bird is now taking up residence smack dab in the middle of the fridge, leaving little room for anything else. Needless to say, we're doing either pasta or take-out until T-day.
I have BIG NEWS on the house front!
***drum roll please****
Just in time for Thanksgiving, we have purchased a dining room table.
Purchased a dining room table is such an understatement. We went to this HUGE ASS auction this past Saturday that Bry had discovered in the home & leisure pages of the Inquirer.
Yes, hold your laughter please. Bry checks out the home & leisure section.
Anyway, back to the auction. I know very little about the exorbitantly wealthy social scene. I've never went skiing in Montana or summered in the Hamptons. I have never purchased any art from a notable artist, nor do I have any collectibles that would warrant actual t.v. time on Antiques Roadshow.
I say this because this auction was from a former billionaire (yes, Billionaire) divorcee who had filed for bankruptcy and formerly opened this gated community in Montana where the likes of Bill Gates would vacation. Over 800 items (or lots in auction term) were up for quick sale with zero reserve. Meaning, something like 8 wood chairs with leather seats in decent condition could sell for as little as $10 per chair. This actually happened! There were many unique things available:stained glass windows of varying size and style, heavily ornate Victorian sideboards, marble statues, a plethora of carpets- Persian and native American, a moose head and a set of hand carved stairs to name a few.
We got to the auction right as it began and purchased the catalogue. With so many items, it was a necessity. Being our first auction, I won't lie, I was a little nervous, thinking what if I scratched my nose and they thought I was bidding and ended up purchasing some expensive doorknob without even realizing it. I could just imagine the glare from Bry, so my eyes stared far away from the auctioneer and my hands remained stuck in my pockets for the first hour.
After some time, I found myself getting quite interested in the goings on. Furthermore, I began to get excited about the prospect that we could actually walk out of there owning something.
And that's what happened!
We are now the proud owners of a 10 ft. long, 4 ft. wide, simple arts & craft style table that happens to weigh between 500 and 600 lbs!! We are using a moving company to pick it up and move it in on Wednesday, so we'll have it by Turkey day! Grant it, while the table will be awesome, the chairs surrounding it will be a combination of folding and our kitchen chairs, but hey, we got ourselves a huge table!
We also went in looking to purchase rugs. The auctioneer mentioned that it was a typical to have so many large size rugs in one auction and I think that's what brought out most of the buyers. We had eyed up three rugs in the catalogue- thinking we could get something for the dining room, living room, and master bedroom. Plus, the estimated worth for most of the rugs fell between $100 and $300.
That was a gross underestimation!
The rug I LOOOVVVEEED the most ended up going for $2400! While it would have looked fabulous in our dining room, there was no way we would (let alone could) pay that much! We were outbid for numerous rugs, including a few that we were only lukewarm into. BUT, we did get a large Persian Ker man rug for the dining room. It should look fabulous under the new table (and folding chairs) for Thanksgiving.
Like I mentioned, they're scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday afternoon. Nothing like cutting it close, and I will most definitely post some pictures once they have arrived and make it into the dining room.
Until then, my favorite picture from last Thanksgiving
Mommy's Little Carnivore!