Catching Up: Thanksgiving + My Birthday

Howdy, folks. How are things?

Life is peachy here. I mean, there's always *things*, but really I cannot complain.

We had a whirlwind week that culminated in Thanksgiving and my birthday. I took a gamble and ventured to the mall with Will on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, and much to my surprise, it wasn't a shit show! In fact, it was downright pleasant. Most stores were already running their Black Friday promotions.

J. Crew had everything 40% off! I had a $25 birthday credit, and had an exchange worth double that, so between those and the promo, I walked out a winner! Plus I'm finally fitting back into my wardrobe, so that's incredibly encouraging.

I went outside of my comfort zone and bought a tomato red lace top that will be perfect for holiday dressing and Valentine's day. It's honestly the only red thing in my wardrobe.

Paired it with these black high rise skinny jeans. Not gonna lie, I was feelin' myself.

I found table linens for 65% off at Macy's, then stumbled upon a toaster oven for $7.99. Yup, eight dollars. An air fryer was marked down to $39.99, which just so happens to be on my list to Santa. It was fun maneuvering the stroller with Will, two kitchen appliances, a diaper bag and more, but we did it! I seriously lucked out and I NEVER seem to catch a break with steals and deals.

We just wrapped up a busy week with doTerra essential oils, hosting our beloved Buy One, Get One week. It made for an even more demanding Thanksgiving week, but was totally worth it and fun. I learned a lot about (new to me) oils and can't wait to add some to my collection.

In fact, as I type this, I'm sipping a mug of warm water with lemon, grapefruit and clove oil to ease my stuffed tummy.
Would you guys be interested to see my daily schedule and use of oils? I get a lot of question about how I actually USE them...

Ok, Thanksgiving. I personally love the holiday, partly due to the fact that my birthday falls on the day every seven years. I've helped my mom cook our traditional dinner over the years, but have never ran the show from top to bottom. Whelp, this year was it, and everything went swimmingly! I can't believe I didn't take practically any pictures! The leftover sandwich is the closest I've got to documenting the meal, which included green bean casserole, candied yams, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, bread, whole cranberry sauce, and a turkey fried by John! We also had several Trader Joe's appetizers and veggie and fruit tray. John's dad, his lady friend, and John's brother came for the day, so we had a nice crowd but nothing too big.

On a related note! I went into Total Wine with the task of getting a case (12 bottles) of wine to see us through appetizers to dessert, both red and white. A salesperson walked me thgouhout the store making suggestions in my price range and based on my preferences. Every wine was great and I was in and out in 30 minutes. The day before Thanksgiving! I'm a customer for life now.

The day after Thanksgiving was my 36th birthday. We didn't have any plans and it was so luxurious sleeping in, taking two naps, a steaming hot bath at 2:00 in the afternoon, and not having to lift a finger all day. Plus, the weather was overcast and chilly, so that further encouraged our hibernating. Family had all left by then and it was just me and my boys. A perfect birthday, indeed.

Speaking of the cool weather we've been having, it made me look into getting a pair of snuggly slippers for Will, as well as some cozy pants for lounging and playing around the house. Gap has a great promotion going on, and how cute are these slippers? And you know the Donald sweater had to come home with us for 60% off!