Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas

Hi and happy Monday! I know Monday's aren't usually the happiest day of the week, but I'm stoked to be writing this post from Georgia! I decided to take the entire week of Thanksgiving as vacation and really couldn't be happier with my decision. I've been working too hard lately. So, I'm taking this week as a much needed break. Additionally, traveling so far in advance makes it easier for me- especially since I drove home this year!

I just love Thanksgiving (as you could probably guess from this post). I love to help cook, eat all of the different dishes, spend time with my family, and just be home. My family lives north of Atlanta, but I'm hoping to pop into the city to spend time with friends and visit some of my favorite spots! I love walking around Piedmont Park- I think it has one of the best views of the Atlanta skyline. There are also some new things that I need to check out! And of course, I can't forget about grabbing a bite to eat at some of my most missed restaurants. It's going to be awesome!

Packing for Thanksgiving is pretty easy for me, as we do a pretty laid back dinner in my family. We've always done a casual meal and I prefer it this way. I've attended more formal dinners with old boyfriend's families, and it really threw me off! I wanted to share 2 outfit inspirations if you're still on the fence about what to wear for your dinner. One is similar to what I'll be wearing and the other is similar to what I've worn to dressier dinners in the past!

top // jeans // scarf // earrings // boots

This is the perfect casual Thanksgiving outfit for me! I love to keep things simple, especially when I help with food preparation before dinner!! A simple shirt paired with jeans, matched with my favorite black boots, a colorful scarf, and simple sparkles. It doesn't get much better in my book.

dress // tights // necklace // heels

As I've mentioned, this is not my norm- but I would totally wear this if the occasion called for it! You want to be warm yet meeting the dress code, so tights are a must! I love pearls and think they really glam up a simple outfit. This spotted dress would be perfect if you're going to a significant other's house- conservative yet pretty!

I hope these inspirations are helpful and that each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Do you have your outfit picked out already? 

Thanksgiving Table Settings + Free Printables

Hey y'all! Can you believe that Thanksgiving is so soon?! I absolutely love Thanksgiving. Everything from the food to the atmosphere to the company just makes me so happy. Similar to last year, I will be attending Thanksgiving at my sister's house. But that doesn't keep me from obsessing over decor ideas for the holiday! Although it's stressful, I dream of hosting Thanksgiving in my own home one day. These table settings are absolutely GORGEOUS and are wonderful inspirations for my dream dinner some day.

Photo: Griffanie

Photo: A Homemade Living

Photo: The Perfect Palette

Photo: Spoon Fork Bacon

Photo: Eleven Gables

 I love a sleek, glam look- but nothing beats a beautiful rustic table in my book. While rounding up these beauties, I came across some lovely FREE Thanksgiving printables around the web that might come in handy for y'all next week. Enjoy!

Leaf Printables

Thanksgiving Kit

Gift Tags and Note Cards

Coloring Placemats

Utensil Holders

"I'm thankful for.." Placemats

Have you ever hosted Thanksgiving? What's your favorite part of the holiday?

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday! {what an oxymoron, right?!}

Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope you had the most relaxing and fulfilling Thanksgiving. I absolutely loved going home to be with family- and truly enjoyed my resolution to stay "unplugged" for the day! I really didn't realize how amazing that would be for me and I am definitely looking for other opportunities to have dedicated "unplugged" time moving forward. My sister hosted Thanksgiving for the first time at her new home, and I had a blast helping her prepare. We did as much as we could on Wednesday: set the table, folded the napkins, cleaned the floors, brined the turkey, put up decorations, peeled and cut potatoes, and created a cooking schedule so the dishes could be started at appropriate times. Although we ran into a few stressful points on Thursday, we had a mostly relaxing day and I look forward to incorporating that planning aspect into my future Thanksgiving. One of my favorite details of the day were the "I'm thankful for..." sheets my sister made for our table. We put one at each place setting, and had the guests fill them out as we reflected on our blessings over the past year. It's always a great reminder to step back and remember how blessed we are! Thankfully, my sis snapped a photo that I can steal to share with y'all! :)

At midnight on Thursday night/Friday morning, we set out to do a little Black Friday shopping. Let me just say this now- I think I am getting too old to battle the crowds. Especially since you can get all of the same deals online in your pjs at home! It has been a long standing tradition in my family to head out at midnight to shop until we drop and I will say that I enjoyed spending some sister time with my sissy.. but we were both tired around 2 and headed home to sip on some hot chocolate until we went to sleep! It was a great night. We did decide to wait until midnight to go out for our own form of a protest against shops opening on Thanksgiving day. I do not agree with plucking the employees out of their homes and away from their families to set up the store and work 12 hour shifts starting at 4 or 5 on Thursday. I have had to work on Black Friday in the past, and whether you are earning holiday pay or not you are almost always required to come in for a shift to keep your job. Thankfully, I got out of retail before Black Friday bled into Thursday but I still feel the pain for those who don't have any other choice. Thanks for helping us out with a smile on your face! I am happy to share that I did come away with some great deals for myself and some of my loved ones! {I am a huge fan of getting my Christmas shopping done early}

On Friday, I met up for brunch after a nap with my mom and sister to do a little more shopping at some of my favorite local shops. We found a few great deals, but it was so good to have one last day of girl time! Friday night I headed over to Athens with my dad and step-mom to get ready for our state rivalry game on Saturday. I am still in shock that GT won! It is always a fun game for me because my step-sister attended UGA and I attended GT, so we have a great house divided thing going on! Although we tried not to rub it in, it felt great to enjoy that win with my dad instead of unite in loss against the rest of the fam. This particular game kept me on my toes the whole time. Unfortunately I was only able to attend one game this season, and I unknowingly picked the best game of the season to be at!

What did you do this weekend? Did you host Thanksgiving this year? What did you do to relax during the holidays? Please share your thoughts in a comment below!

xoxo,

T

On my horizon

Happy Wednesday, y'all! I am so excited for Thanksgiving tomorrow!!! Any holiday solely devoted to carbs and eating is a-ok in my book! I love spending dedicated time with my family, and it makes me oh so happy to get everyone in the same place at the same time. Because Thanksgiving is so heavily on my mind, I decided to dedicate this post entirely to a Thanksgiving theme! So here's what's on my horizon this week...

1. Unplugged Holidays

Every day I have been more and more aware of my dependence on my phone. I always find myself holding it, checking it, and constantly having to know where it is. I am sure some of y'all know the feeling I'm talking about that you get in the pit of your stomach when you can't find your phone. It's a terrible attachment to have and I am quite honestly embarrassed by it. I like to be wholly in the moment when I am with people I care about and I don't like to be distracted by my compulsion to check my technology. Because the holidays are supposed to be about family and quality time, I have made the decision to go "unplugged" and be without my technology on Thursday. And keeping in the theme of being wholly present with my family, I am going to be "unplugged" from posting as well through the remainder of the weekend. So look out for one hefty weekend recap at the beginning of next week! :-)

2. Thanksgiving Tablescapes 

My Pinterest feed has been bursting with yummy Thanksgiving recipes and decorations, as I'm sure your is as well. One of the things that has been catching my eye are the beautiful table arrangements and place settings! I will probably not be hosting my first Thanksgiving for a while, but it doesn't keep me from looking at what others have done for ideas. I have a collection of my favorites on my Pinterest board, but I'd like to share a few top contenders here with y'all!

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3. Black Friday Shopping

Recently, I have realized that Black Friday has become a strategy game. Over the past five years, the experience has changed for me. There are so many people out to take advantage of the great deals, I think you have to be extremely strategic if you are going to go out to fight the crowds and get the items you want. Thankfully, many stores have given you the option to get the savings simply by shopping online in the comfort of your home. How amazing is that?! I haven't decided if I am brave enough to fight the crowds this year, but I do have a few places I am going to check out {whether online or in person} this Black Friday. I love to get my Christmas gifts early when there are still plenty of sizes/colors available. Plus, I just like to check people off my list early so I don't have to stress about it later! That helps me to better enjoy the holiday season.  I definitely want to check out J.Crew, Target, Brooks Brothers, Best Buy, The Body Shop, and Loft.

Where are you shopping on Black Friday? Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? Do you choose to unplug around the holidays? Please share your thoughts in a comment below!