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November is coming to a close, can you believe it?! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! After working to some capacity every day since March, I decided to take a much needed 4 day weekend. I didn’t even turn my work laptop on even once. It was glorious. So, so glorious. I worked my ass of Wednesday to make it happen, and it was totally worth it. I am going to kick ass the next few days so I can try to be more present on Zoe’s birthday Friday as well. I can’t believe my baby girl is going to be 4!!!

We spent Thanksgiving at home, just the 3 of us. I made up a charcuterie board and we watched the entire Macy’s parade together. Even though it was a little underwhelming this year, I really enjoyed our banter and commentary on it all. It was really cool to see the Goo Goo Dolls! Even if they only showed them for like 30 seconds. Loved Dolly as well!

Of course, we had to get in some family photo time. We got 2 years wear out of this Thanksgiving outfit. Last year we had to wear a long sleeve shirt under it, this year it was warm enough as is. Funny, since the high today is 41!

It was my first time ever making a whole turkey. I was terrified, but spoiler alert – it all turned out just fine! I even made my own homemade cherry pie! Pie crust is way easier than I made it out to be. On our menu was turkey, ham, sweet potato casserole, pineapple casserole, macaroni and cheese, green beans, creamed corn, cranberry, gravy and cherry pie.

We obviously ate off this all weekend, and still have so much left over.

On Friday I placed a pickup order at Target, and was shocked at how many people were out Black Friday shopping. I am not sure why there were restrictions on Thanksgiving gatherings when it was a free for all on Friday. Seriously, it took us several minutes just to enter into the Target shopping center and get to our designated pickup spot. I am not looking forward to seeing the number of cases surge in the next few weeks. It is so frustrating, because I want my life back and am doing everything I can to do my part in it.

Friday evening, my sister stopped by with the biggest cookie you ever did see for Zoe. She also surprised her with some LOL sunglasses that obviously needed modeled immediately. It was nice to get to see her for a few minutes. We were visiting outside in the rain, so we couldn’t hang for long.

Saturday morning, we had our welcome breakfast for our elf, Jerry. Zoe had no idea he was coming, so she was extra excited to wake up and see him! She has been carrying him around all day every day, and gets sad when she has to put him up at night so he can send Santa his daily report and work his magic.

Jerry brought Zoe some Santa pajamas and two books. I cannot recommend All the Colors of Christmas enough. This is our third book by Matthew Paul Turner, and they are some of our favorites. His illustrations are gorgeous, and the message of his books are so good. Bookstore.org supports local, small bookstores and is offering free shipping for cyber Monday, so it is a great day to grab this up! I got creative and made Santa hats with strawberries and bananas, and reindeer cinnamon rolls, which Zoe thought was so cool.

My mom came by in the afternoon before to kick off Zoe’s birthday week with us. We gathered in our driveway 6 feet apart and just talked and enjoyed watching Zoe try out her new scooter. It is the third time I have seen her this year. It makes me sad to think of all the missed time together, but am so thankful for the bits we did see her. Just more to make up for next year, you know?

The rest of Saturday was spent painting our porch pumpkins before discarding them, picking up an order from Lowe’s for all the electrical logistics we need to make winter wonderland happen in our front yard, and watching Alabama beat the hell out of Auburn. ROLL TIDE!

I drove Zoe through one of the neighborhoods near us that goes all out for Christmas. My favorite house is always the Home Alone one. They have a Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal sign, Kevin and the wet bandits, the iced steps. I just love it so much. Zoe kept saying over and over, “thank you so much for doing this!” So clearly, we need to make several drives through there the next few weeks.

It rained all day Sunday, so we spent the day inside hanging out. We ordered a delicious lunch from Farmhouse. Everything was so good. They have the best fried pickles! It was nice to not have to cook all day yesterday.

And just like that, Thanksgiving has come and gone and now it is all Christmas all the time over here the next few weeks. And Zoe’s birthday of course. I ordered some super fun things to decorate up our dining room to make it special for her. I think my sister plans on coming by next week for a little bit to celebrate, so that will be nice. I know that she is bummed out about not getting to have her party with her friends this year, but hopefully next year we can do it up extra big for her.

How is your Christmas shopping coming along? Are you planning on getting anything for Cyber Monday? I haven’t really looked at too many sales Friday or this morning yet. We only have a few things left to get for Christmas, which is huge compared to waiting last minute on stuff in previous years. And now to wrap it all. Yikes. I like to wait and do it all in one night! How do you like to wrap?

I love making Christmas wish lists every year. I don’t really do the whole gift guide thing. Honestly, it is rare that I ever purchase anything from gift guides as gifts for others. But I often bookmark some items for later, or they spark ideas for something I do end up getting. What is on your wish list for this year?

I wear the silicone watchbands most because they are comfortable. I really love this Louis one and it would be so cute stacked with some bracelets. I have seen ones like it in local boutiques, and they go so quickly I have never been able to snag one. I think it is gorgeous and timeless.

Bum Bum cream is one of my favorite indulgences. I love the way it smells and how soft my skin feels after. Having an entire box of these products is what dreams are made of!

I have always wanted a pair of Hunter boots but have never pulled the trigger because I have super muscular calves, and the original tall boots were too snug. They now have an adjustable back version that gets great reviews for my problem. Also, the 50% off Black Friday sale is running now making them much more affordable. They are on sale here as well.

We need to replace one of our non-stick skillets that is getting bad. I have a stainless steel skillet that I love and is much more sustainable, but not everything cooks great in it. I still definitely need at least one or two nonstick ones. I read great reviews on All-Clad. What is your favorite skillet?

Who doesn’t love a fancy candle?

The simple nativity art is my favorite. How gorgeous is this piece from a local boutique.

I want to finish up the wall in our hearth room and I think this Cinderella picture would compliment the Beauty and the Beast one we have in there.

I have lots of recipes that I made regularly from different blogs, memory, etc. I really want to have some recipe cards and a box to keep them in one spot. I am so worried a site might disappear. And sometimes my mind isn’t always super fresh. Also, my mom and I have been trying to figure out what happened to my grandma’s cookie recipe. I would like to make sure I have a place for all our family recipes in the event that something happens to me, Zoe can have them.

There are so many recipe boxes out there. They are all so gorgeous! I love the heart in the “i” of this one.

I have always loved Ell And Emm’s stuff, but never pulled the trigger. I live in sweatshirts right now and both colors available are so cute.

If 2020 taught us anything, it is what is important. Our health, the roof over our heads, our family and friends, the time we have together. Thanksgiving week is my favorite week of the year behind Christmas. I feel like it is the kick off to the Christmas season. In a normal year, I am excited to spend some time with family on Thanksgiving and then going shopping on Black Friday with my mom. We have been shopping every year since 1993, except 2016 when I was 38 weeks pregnant.

I can sit here and be sad about all the things that we missed out on this year, but I am not going to do that. This week, I want to be thankful for all the memories we have created this year. All these months of extra time I got to have with Zoe when she was young. Daily parties celebrating anything happy. All the outdoor walks and play. Our crafting, sidewalk chalk drawings. The ability for Chris and I to work from home and keep Zoe out of daycare during a pandemic. This week I am going to focus on the fact that I get to spend Thanksgiving with my two favorite people, cooking our favorite things, watching the Macy’s parade in whatever form it will be. Maybe creating a few new traditions of our own.

I took some pictures around our house to send to my mom of our Christmas decor. I thought I would share them here. Don’t mind the rocket mess on the floor in our living room. I think it is Zoe’s favorite purchase that Chris made. Girlfriend has been entertained for hours by it. If you are looking for a Christmas idea, this would be great for a boy or girl. Honestly, I have been having just as much fun as her.

We have a little village and nativity scene on our entertainment center. I love this Snoopy popcorn scene. It plays the Snoopy song, lights up, and pops popcorn. It is SO cute!

I never really did a house tour after we moved in. Mostly because we never got to fully decorate before the pandemic hit. We had just gotten settled in. I feel like we have a good handle on Christmas though! I plan to put out all our outside décor on Friday, so I will share that next week!

This past weekend, we spent a lot of time just hanging out. The weather was nice, so a good chunk of it was outside. Saturday we watched a little football, and Zoe wanted to watch the Nutcracker Saturday night. I pulled the smore machine out while she danced around the living room making up her own ballet.

Yesterday, I secured a turkey and ham yesterday, and am planning out the details on how to actually get these things cooked along with all our sides at one time with only one oven. Fun times. We watched The Grinch before bed last night.

I think we wore Mac out this weekend. He couldn’t keep his eyes open last night.

Speaking of finds, Target had a box of macarons with red velvet cake, salted caramel and pistachio. Yum!!! Definitely be on the lookout for these.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Please stay safe this week, especially if you are traveling to spend time with family. I know for a lot of us, Thanksgiving is going to look different this year. That doesn’t mean that we can’t make it great!

Happy Friday, friends! I am going to be honest with you, this was a tough week. I don’t know what it was with the moon cycle, the way the wind blew, something in the water….but parenting was an uphill battle this week. I am never anything but honest here, so I wanted to share that. It isn’t always rainbows and butterflies…though sometimes it is literally. Girl mom life.

I went and picked up BBQ Stop for us yesterday for lunch. That was a nice break from soups and salads. My stuffed potato was bigger than my head. Challenge accepted.

Do you guys have any plans this weekend? I need to track down a turkey. I was going to order one from HoneyBaked, but its too late to have one shipped and thawed in time. I called our local store to ask about curbside pickup, and the guy was rude AF to me so I was like you know what…I don’t need this. I am going to try to make one on my own. The thought is terrifying. I feel like I have some really great dinner recipes, and I can bake some really good cookies. But I have never made a large bird before. Or a huge ham. I should have sorted this out before this week, but I guess I was in denial.

Favorite Song: I haven’t shared a song in a really long time. I used to every Friday. Truth is, I don’t really listen to much new music. But Hi-Rez is one of my favorites and he released a new song this month that is so awesome and very relevant. You have to go about 1:20 in to get to the actual song. The idea of the video is really cool.

Favorite Purchase: It’s 2020 and I am ordering family Christmas pajamas and mommy and me pajamas. These were delivered yesterday and I LOVE them. I cant wait for the family ones to come in too!

Also, because I am old AF and am having all kinds of foot problems with my right foot…I ordered a pair of orthotic slippers. A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with acute plantar fasciitis and pes deformities (high arches). I bought a pair of slippers a few months ago that I absolutely love. And they really help with plantar fasciitis because they have memory foam in them. They don’t exactly do anything to support my arches though. The pain has been so awful lately, that its shooting up my entire leg. I have had these slippers for a week. They aren’t near as cozy as my first pair, they are heavier and clunky, but that is because they have support for both my heel and arch. They are still cute, not that it matters. They have a hard rubber sole that you can wear outside to walk the dog or whatever too. I am alternating between the two pairs I have. Barefoot is no longer an option for me.

Favorite Recipe: I made thai chicken soup the other day, it was so yummy and delicious. It was the perfect comfort I needed. This doesn’t take a million ingredients, and you literally throw it in the crockpot and forget about it. Until about 3 hours in, when you kitchen starts to smell like the best thai restaurant ever.

Favorite Workout: I did this POP HITT workout on Wednesday and it wore me out! No jumping does not mean easy. Not even a little.

Favorite Reminder:

Favorite Funnies:

What a title. I mean, I don’t really want to call it weekend things on a Wednesday….or shove this all in a Friday post. You know? It has been a long week and it is only Wednesday. Work is nutso, there must be something with the moon because Zoe has been testing my every last nerve that I have left, and just other life things that make you wish you weren’t an adult.

We did have a fabulous weekend. We watched some Christmas movies and made homemade hot chocolate and smores.

I have found my new favorite adult beverage of all time. Half apple cider, half amaretto, dash of cinnamon. Freaking amazing. Don’t take my word for it, a few of you messaged me that you tried it after seeing it on my stories and are in love as well. Don’t sleep on this. How much longer can we find apple cider in stores?? I am stocking up!

Zoe goes through cycles with her toys. She got Violet last year for Christmas, and while she has always liked her and she makes an appearance fairly often for a few minutes at a time….she is in heavy rotation now. I think it is really sweet to see her brush her teeth and put her to bed every night.

I cant wait to take Zoe to the American Girl store in Atlanta sometime next year. Given that things calm down. I think that it will blow her mind.

Saturday night, Chris and I poured some drinks and got busy in the basement unpacking the million boxes of video games that we have. We got them all unpacked, and I think he is still working out some placement of things down there…but the games are done!

Now to find the time to play all of them!!!

Sunday morning, Zoe and I were up early making a white chocolate oreo pie with homemade whipped cream. Zoe said it is the best pie she ever had. It was pretty damn delicious.

We then got started on breakfast, making biscuits from scratch (what a labor of love!!!) and gravy for them with a few other things. I declared that the kitchen was officially closed after that. But we all knew I was bluffing and I ended up making homemade fettucine alfredo for dinner later that day.

It has definitely cooled down here this week. We had to turn our heat on, as it is dropped in the 30s overnight! I am pretty sure my neighbors think I am nuts, outside walking at 6am in the weather…but I am not quite ready to give up my morning walks just yet. That fresh air has been so good for me before the start of my work day. I still have that northern blood running through me, the cold never bothered me anyways.

I didn’t realize that Thanksgiving was next week until I looked at the calendar Monday morning before my meeting. I can hardly believe it! This will be the first year ever that I do my own thanksgiving meal. It is really depressing to think about. It will just be the 3 of us. Not family late lunch. No Black Friday shopping all night and the next day with my mom. I hate this pandemic so much sometimes. It has taken so much from us all. I am going to focus really hard on remaining positive and making the most of our day. Maybe we can make some new traditions. Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions? Are you planning on spending it alone this year, or are you braving a larger gathering?

So many decisions this year that I have not enjoyed making. As we round the corner after next week, we are coming up on Zoe’s birthday and Christmas too. I wish people would have taken things more seriously this year. I wish everyone would just wear a damn mask and do their part to help contain this shit. This is my absolute favorite time of year, and I am trying to do everything I can to make it as fun and normal as I can. But inside it kills me a little more each day. Then I look on social media and see all the hate and think to myself, maybe I am glad we aren’t going out places and seeing all these assholes. It is nice to live in our little bubble and ignore a lot of the stuff going on.

This guy isn’t mad about it…