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How is it already the end of November? Thanksgiving is right around the corner and this pregnant lady is VERYYY excited for the best meal of the year. When I was pregnant and nauseous with Rowan I would crave Thanksgiving food and Ian would run around town trying to find me mashed potatoes and turkey in the middle of August. Let's be honest though, pregnant or not, Thanksgiving food is craveable.
Oh and time spent with loved ones being grateful is special too. But also, pie.
As promised, here are my random favorites from this month!
Kate and Grace's new winter collection is in and it is CUTE! I just got this rusty orange sweater for Thanksgiving and I got a size up so it is perfect for my baby bump- not to mention a big Thanksgiving meal. This bump is growing and I still have three months left so I need all the roomy sweaters!
Kate and Grace is currently helping Marisol Homes repaint their Childrens' Playroom! (You can follow @kateandgraceboutique on instagram for updates.) K+G is the perfect place to shop for the ladies in your life this Christmas because they have such a spirit of giving back to all these women and children in need!
2. Not-Your-Mom's Thanksgiving Pies
Actually I lied because these are the pies my mom makes for Thanksgiving every year. They just aren't your average Thanksgiving pies- if you want to *literally* spice up your dessert table, try out one of these recipes for Pear, Chocolate and Hazelnut Crostata and Apple and Cranberry Galette.
I am SO PALE in the winter. And I don't get beautiful porcelein skin- I get pale like I am ill and I live in Victorian times. SO I FAKE TAN, OK? And this magic is what I use. I have actually used this stuff for like 3 years. I do not know how it works this way, but you put it on after you shower and before you dry off, so your skin is still wet. Then you dry off. And then you have a sunkissed glow and it doesn't streak and it doesn't smell bad AND it's moisturizing. I use the medium to tan one because I get a better color with it but they also have fair to medium if you want to ease into it! You can pretty much get it at any drugstore. Happy fake tanning!
4. The Best Toddler Bib. EVER.
Rowan has almost always fed himself thanks to baby-lead weaning. BLW is insanely messy. I also find that most bibs are made for babies who are being fed (more control) and not for babies who are feeding themselves (NO CONTROL) because they just don't cover enough of your toddler's clothing. And I am not someone who likes to do a lot of laundry. I am very domestic like that.
Honestly Rowan needs a garbage man's jumpsuit to wear for meals but this bib is a close second. It's exactly what it looks like- a kitchen towel with two ribbons to tie around your toddler's neck. That's it. It covers all the surface area you need and when it gets dirty you throw it in the laundry with all of your other kitchen towels. And it's so cute!
To make you can buy kitchen towels you like and sew 2 ribbons on one end. I used about 8-10 inches of cotton woven ribbon.
Front
Back
These ribbons were actually wrapped around the towels I bought at HomeGoods but I'm sure you can find something similar at a craft store. Voila! These make wonderful gifts for the toddlers (and moms!) in your life!
5. The Office Ladies Podcast
If you are a nerd and you love The Office like me, this podcast is going to be your new favorite. Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey (Pam and Angela from The Office) go through every. single. episode. And they tell you all the behind the scenes! I think it's genius and I love it so much and I can't get enough. I feel like they are my friends. Ok I'll stop now.
It's soup season! Which means chopping a ton of vegetables. Very time consuming. I have better things to do than chop a million onions into teeny tiny pieces. Like binge Netflix or chase my toddler or avoid laundry. I bought this vegetable chopper for my mom for her birthday and I think I secretly got it for myself because I use it all the time and it makes meal prep go by way more quickly! I've used this thing for everything from carrots to cooked potatoes- but it's definitely the best for onions.
7. St. Nicholas Prep
Celebrating the feast of St. Nicholas on December 6th has been a tradition in our family ever since I was little. The idea is for St. Nicholas to bring little treats to children and leave them in their shoes or stockings. Chocolate coins are traditional treats to celebrate St. Nicholas since he was said to drop gold coins down the chimneys of those who were in need! I am so excited to celebrate with Rowan this year! In our family we always received chocolate coins, a candy cane, a chocolate orange, a Christmas book and an ornament. I think I'll continue that with Rowan- maybe just less candy and a real orange for now ;)
We've also decided to start giving our Christmas gifts to our young godchildren on St. Nick's Day! Since we don't always get to see our godchildren for Christmas, I think it's fun to send gifts early in December so that they can enjoy them during the whole month before Christmas, like PJ's or Christmas cookie supplies!
Thanks for reading the ramble and Happy Thanksgiving! This year we are spending Thanksgiving with my family and all eight of my siblings, will be home, which is rare! Check back in next week for a peek into our Sullivan Thanksgiving!
