The Simplest Thanksgiving Centerpiece Ever...and #RedCups

 Are you a cool, calm and collected hostess?

I most certainly am not,
although in my head, I always think I'm going to be.  

   No matter how much time I give myself to do the food shopping, the prepping, 
the house-straightening, the table setting and the cooking 
-- we're talking days here, not hours -- 
I'm always down to the wire in getting it all together.
 
Think "Quickfire Challenge" on Top Chef just before the buzzer sounds...

Pots in the sink, 
Spills on the counter, 
Drawers and cabinets open...
 
I guess you could call my style Say Yes To The Mess. 

But somehow, I manage to clean it all up,
leaving me with about four minutes to shower and dress 
before my guests come.
As the doorbell is ringing, I'm running down the stairs,
 putting on my mascara, and zipping up my pants.

 My favorite part of hosting dinner parties is setting a pretty table. 
I always start out with grand visions 
of designing a beautiful dining table centerpiece, but,
 either the execution of that vision ends up looking like a four-year-old made it...
or I just don't have the time to create something extravagant.

I've learned that I am better off keeping it simple from the get-go.
You may recall this centerpiece, or this five-minute one. 
Both are super-easy to throw together for a Thanksgiving table. 

Today's centerpiece may be the simplest yet. 
We're talking 3 minutes, here -- maybe. 

Here's what I used:

1 cake stand
2 pumpkins (one flat, one round)
1 faux berry garland
A few real leaves
A few walnuts
A few pinecones

Stack...Wrap...and you're ready to Roll!

 This centerpiece is so easy, and so quick to put together,
that not only will you buy yourself time to take a proper shower,
you'll have enough time to run out to Starbucks, 
and enjoy a grande Caramel Brulle Latte...
in a #starbucksredcup.

Can you believe that this red cup business is really a THING?
I mean, wake up and smell the coffee! 
There's a lot of other things to be upset about in this world,
and a cup that doesn't have snowflakes or reindeer on it isn't one of them...
in my humble opinion.
If anyone needs a few suggestions of things to stress over, 
I'm a gold medalist in "worrying" and I'll be happy to supply a list...
which may or may not have bad hair days somewhere on it.

Sorry for the rant -- I had to venti. I mean vent. 
It felt good, and I'm done.
Just call me Ms. Toody Brew Shoes. 

Now, I'm sure that you are waiting with bated coffee breath
 to see how I put together this centerpiece.
I'll tell you faster than it takes the barista to misspell your name 
on that #starbucksredcup...

Ready?

Stack two pumpkins on a cake stand.
Wrap the berry garland around the pumpkins.
Scatter the leaves, walnuts and pinecones around the pumpkins.
Place it on the table.  
Relax, and have a cup of coffee.

 Rocket science, right? 

The moral of the story is, that sometimes,  
a plain cuppa joe in a simple red cup  
is a lot more satisfying than a  
gingerbread peppermint white chocolate decaf skinny frappumacchialattecino.

If you want the simple stuff, you've come to the right place. 

**************

One more thing before I go:
Thanks to Brenda from Cozy Little House 
for visiting me on her "virtual bloggers tour." 
If only it were for real! 
And thanks again to the very same Brenda 
for doing a post on how to center Blogger blog post titles, 
 Gadget Sidebar titles, and more, 
 on her other blog, Brenda's Blog Tips.
It took me two seconds to do it, and it worked! 
Thanks, Brenda!  

LINKING WITH:
 Wow Us Wednesday
Share Your Style 
Home and Garden Thursday 

  Let's Get Real