We hosted our first Thanksgiving in our new home in Charleston this year and it was one for the books you guys! This holiday is one that holds a lot of emotion and meaning for us, but this year seemed different and mostly full of happy and joyful emotions. And that is what I was most thankful for this year!
I often get the question from engaged or newly married friends how we split up the holidays between our families. Quite honestly, it's a question I kind of cringe at getting asked. The decision was sadly made for us when Ryan's Dad, Bob, passed away Thanksgiving day in 2009. Ever since then, Thanksgiving is a day we gather together with Ryan's family to support each other, laugh, tell stories and do two of Bob's favorite things, cook and share a meal with those we love. I've always cherished this time with this side of the family and knowing that we'll all be together each year!
This year, we were so fortunate to have Grandpa join us along with Mom and Maddie starting Wednesday evening. We kicked off our time together with big belly laughs playing Cards Against Humanity. Let me tell y'all, hearing Grandpa read off some of those cards was just too much to handle, I couldn't stop giggling all night.
On Thursday, Ryan and I were up bright and early cooking the majority of our Thanksgiving feast, although we did cook some things on Wednesday this year which was nice to get a head start. I really lucked out, Ryan is a phenomenal cook and loves to spend days prepping menus and meals and feeding friends and family.
Oh and don't mind my half nakie child, her top was too cute to get stained with cranberry :).
Our menu consisted of:
Salad with goat cheese, cranberries and champagne vinaigrette
It honestly really was our best meal we've ever cooked together! And look how my tablescape came together you guys, remember when I planned it out here?!
We also spent some good quality time out at the fire pit, just catching up under cozy blankets and of course playing with sweet Sully. I have never seen her attach to someone like she did Grandpa, she was so smitten.
I also love how Thanksgiving brings folks into town we haven't seen awhile (like Liz & Josh), it was fun catching up with friends over our big rivalry game... which can we talk about that by the way?! GO TIGERS!!!!!
How was y'alls Thanksgiving?! Did you scoop up any fun stuff during Black Friday or Cyber Monday?
Also, my Beautycoutner social is still going strong, you can click here to shop and be entered to win a charcoal gift set with any $100 purchase! I'm seriously loving this company y'all!
Happy shopping on this Black Friday y'all! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and you're heart and bellies are still full as a tick! I shared a ton of our holiday on Instagram stories and as of this morning it's still up if you want a peek at more I'll share in a later blog post.
It's funny how my focus on what I shop for on Black Friday changes over the years and this time around I focused on deals for our home and added in my favorite sales for Sully. Never fear though, I couldn't help but pop just a few of my favorites in too. Let's get this shopping started...
All items linked up below!
First, don't forget to shop my Beautycounter social where today with a certain spend you can get a free lip sheer and body oil, plus be entered to win a charcoal mask and bar gift set!
They have THE best rugs, like this one similar to Sully's nursery rug, this one would be perfect for a preppy girls room and this is the one I've always loved that they're famous for
Happy shopping friends! What other sales are you loving?
Also, please know some of these links are affiliate links, so when you use them I get some change thrown my way at no charge to you. Thank you for supporting this little blog!
Tis the gift giving season you guys and I'm SO EXCITED! Each year I start this process early and actually keep an ongoing list on my phone throughout the year as I think of the perfect gift for someone, or they mention something they've been eyeing. I find I especially get some good shopping in during the Thanksgiving break (it's almost here!)!
UncommonGoods is always one place I turn for gifts each year and was so excited when they reached out to me this year to collaborate on a post. What I find really cool, besides the fact that the products are truly unique, is their focus on artisans small, large, near and far. They also highlight stories of these artisans and build a community of people (like us!) who care about the maker behind our products.
They even made it super easy this year and organized an entire gift section on their site, you can see all Christmas gifts, gifts for women and gifts for men.
We have a pretty diverse list of people on our Christmas list from little Sully at one and a half to my grandfather who's in his 70s, to a secret santa at work and UncommonGoods has me covered. This year I decided to round up a list of my favorites for everyone on your list too!
1. Hot Toddy Mugs // There's just something about sharing (and just saying) a Hot Toddy, I love this fun mug for the fun couple on your list
2. Succulent Wall Decor // I'm eyeing this for myself and love bringing something green and full of life to your space, perfect for a Mom or Mother in Law who has everything
3. Donut Dog Toys // Cute and perfectly squeeky for the special pooch in your life
4. Dog and Cat Earrings // I love these studs! A boston terrier and a sweet white kitty, one for each ear, perfect for your sister or even your babysitter
5. 2017 Bubble Calendar // Bubble wrap in calendar form, yes please(!), perfect for a co-worker
6. Moscow Mule Airplane Cocktail Kit // Great stocking stuffer or white elephant gift
7. My Life Story So Far // I was just talking to my Nana about gifting her a book like this to write down her life story so I can learn all about her prior, leading up to and during the craziness of welcoming her 4 kids, 13 grandkids and 1 great-grandkid into the world
8. Personalized M is for Me Book // Sully has this book and it is one of her go-to favorites from her shelf, perfect for the little one on your list
9. Pineapple Tumbler // I love the packaging and this gorgeous brass pineapple, perfect for your bestie
10. Bottle Cap State // Ryan loves this gift for all his beer loving buds (PS: couldn't help but look at this and think, Texas Forever, any other FNL fans out there?)
11. Llama Door Mat // Love this for neighbors, new homeowners and quirky friends alike
12. Construction Plate // Another gift for the little one on your list, anything to help out with meal time
What are some of your favorites? Have you tried out any of these?
And I mentioned it above, but just want y'all to know I was compensated for this post and it contains affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% my own. I really do love all the products above and have ordered or own some of them too!
I'm doing it y'all, I'm actually getting our Christmas cards ordered BEFORE Thanksgiving! Can you believe it?! I'm tellin' ya, there's something about writing down monthly goals that gets your rear in gear. And today I have the most exciting sneak preview to share with you guys, along with a special giveaway at the end from my new favorite card company, Dixie Design Collective!
image credit: Dixie Design Collective
I discovered the preppy designs of Dixie Design Collective (named after the owner's pup) on Instagram and just fell in love with all their designs. That's what prompted me to reach out with them to ask if I could share their beautiful work and goods with you all today! Tis the season of giving my friends!
image credit: Dixie Design Collective
So without further ado, here's a little sneak peek at our favorite preppy Christmas card options with a photo from our family holiday session with Jennifer Collins! These are all screenshots, so sorry if they appear a little wonky!
Is anyone else super indecisive when it comes to choosing cards though? I sure am. At least I could narrow one thing down though, I knew since we're now back down south, I wanted preppy Christmas cards this year. It's also really important to our family that it's a CHRISTmas card vs. holiday, even if it's just a simple "Merry Christmas".
Here's some other favorite options, in addition to the one above. Let me know your vote in the comments!
via (obviously not our family, but loved this one too!)
Now, here's the best part (and I have to say, I'm super jealous), you can win 50 cards from Dixie Design Collective just by following a few steps below! Make sure to comment and let me know which one is your favorite too. You can follow along on Instagram to see the winner when it arrives!
I've been hearing a lot about Beautycounter online and then most recently stumbling across their beautiful products in Target. Then my friend Nicole who visited last weekend brought all of her products with her and I used them all weekend...
...y'all, I fell in LOVE!
Can you hang on tight though? Because I'm about to get personal, probably offend some people, blow your mind with some facts and overall write a lot of words.
Ok so back to my newest discovery of Beautycounter. I was in L-O, L-O, L-O-V-E.
But wait. Pause. Let me stop RIGHT here. (And this is where I'm getting honest and hope y'all don't get offended.) Then I found out they're a direct sales company. Ugh. I did the eye roll, stomach tense of dread that I get every time a friend or acquaintance messages me about their direct sales company. We've all done that right?
And in all honestly after I get over myself, I really do absolutely adore all my Stella & Dot jewelry (it's really all I ever wear fashion jewelry wise), I love being on a routine and seeing results with Rodan & Fields, I couldn't cook without my Pampered Chef, you get my point...
So as you can guess from the above, this blog post is not some big revelation, buy everything from me, I'm now a consultant and I'm also going to hound you on Facebook thing. I'm not signing up to sell (although, never say never). I'm still skeptical. I definitely don't think I have the time. And so on.
But this time definitely was different, it was the first time I've ever been totally blown away by a company's mission, quality of product and price. Here's what got me thinking and ultimately made me fall into obsession...
Do you know what's in your skincare, beauty and hair products and how it's affecting you long term? What about that bubble bath your kiddo is so happy to see fizz up each night or the lovely baby smelling shampoo used on her since day one?
I couldn't answer those questions for my daughter. I mean, there must be some governing body at least controlling some of these things just like food, right?
Wrong.
There has not been a law passed regulating cosmetic and personal care products in the US since 1938. Think of all the changes in science and just our lives in general since then!
Ready for another... Europe has banned over 1300 toxic chemicals from being used in skincare. America has banned 11. ELEVEN (let's just insert an OMG emoji here please!).
Thank goodness Beautycounter took it upon themselves to ban 1500 from use at their company, even if they are super cheap to use and sell.
There are tons of other factoids, but those are the two that stuck out to me and that I didn't feel like could be dismissed as things I had already heard or that my hippie friends point out constantly.
I'll acknowledge those things I'm alluding to are still serious though. Things like studies are starting to show some chemicals used in our skincare are linked to reproductive and endocrine issues in women. We all heard about the scary Johnson & Johnson case where the talc powder was linked to ovarian cancer and they didn't disclose information. SO scary.
Here's the Beautycounter video if you want to see more facts and information:
This got me thinking... what am I really putting on my daughter's largest organ, her skin?
I mean we buy all organic, worry about her chicken and her milk and the plastic her sippy cup is made of, but not her bath items. And we all know toddlers are ingesting that stuff too when they play mermaid, among other bath activities.
So I tried out the kids shampoo, conditioner and body wash on Sully. I immediately told Nicole I wanted to buy it in bulk. The smell is wonderful, it's great being able to go to their website and look up what's inside and what it means and hello, the packaging is so cute too!
Kids Shampoo // Conditioner // Body Wash
Then I tried almost every other product she brought throughout the weekend. The stuff actually works you guys, it's not just a bunch of mumbo jumbo and pretty design. Oh and Beautycounter is walking the walk too, going to Washington and pushing to get our legislature to care what is allowed to make it into our beauty and skincare products (like in this letter). Love that - something we can all agree to no matter the political party!
I may have wanted to purchase almost everything I tried, but below are my absolute favorites (besides the kids line of course). I think you'll be really surprised by the prices too, the cleanser is only $26 for example. Not to mention, you can buy them piece by piece and there's no subscription.
Clockwise from top left: Body Wash in Citrus Mimosa // Peppermint Lip Conditioner // Rejuvenating Eye Cream // Nourishing Cream Cleanser // Nourishing Rosewater Mist // Purifying Charcoal Mask
Here's the full line Nicole brought with her, isn't it gorgeous?
Oh and they have baby items too, perfect for new moms and registries...
From left to right: Baby Daily Protective Balm // Baby Soothing Oil // Baby Gentle All-Over Wash
And here are the holiday gifts I'll be requesting and also buying for all my friends and family to try out:
So if you're interested in trying out Beautycounter, throw ya girl a bone, purchase through this link and I'll report back on everything I tried!
Also, we're doing a GIVEAWAY! If you make a purchase over $100, you're automatically entered to win (one of my favorites above) a charcoal mask and charcoal bar gift set! Thank you to Nicole for throwing this perk in!
Naughty to Nice Gift Set
Phew! So, what do you think of Beautycounter?
What are your favorite products?
Anyone here sell Beautycounter and want to make a convincing case why I should just bite the bullet and sell something I'm clearly passionate about?
Or maybe why I should just stick to my always-plan of staying out of the direct sales world?
I'm really curious to hear your thoughts! I loved hearing one of my favorite bloggers, Julia Ryan of Pawleys Island Posh, talk about why she joined.
White Plates // Table Runner (made from wrapping paper) // Antlers // Stripe Candles // Trees // Napkins // Starburst Napkin Rings // Leaf Napkin Rings // Chargers // Gold Silverware // Eat Plates (similar)
