Good morning! Are you in full Thanksgiving prep? My sweet sister is hosting this year so we are not setting a big table. Having said that, my husband’s favorite meal of the year is Thanksgiving dinner so we may be setting a small table for the four of us and I’ll show you that soon. Our table last year was one of my all time favorites. This year I think I will keep the color scheme a bit more simple. I hope you all had a lovely weekend. We have packed a lot in over the last few days and will enjoy a quiet rainy day today.

AROUND TOWN

I was able to kick off the weekend with two darling bloggers turned friends. Tammy from Pink Peppermint Designs and Laura from Meaningful Spaces are the real deal. Both ladies are just so fun and easy to be around. I can’t wait to make the hanging pinecone succulents that Laura created. Gorgeous.

We’ve been trying to get together at least once a month to just grab a coffee and chat the morning away. I broke out of my mold and tried a fancy Latte. Not my thing. Gorgeous to look at but this boring girl is going back to black coffee with cinnamon. Some things never change. But if you find your self in San Juan Capistrano, the Hidden House Cafe is a gem. Can’t ask for a cuter spot to spend time with someone special.

SISTER TIME

Speaking of someone special, I snuck out of the house the other night to meet my sister and her friend at the San Clemente Winery. If you are a wine drinker you may have heard of Justin. The owner of Justin came to chat all about his experience with starting the winery in Paso Robles and had so many fascinating stories. We enjoyed a dinner paired with his wines and the best part was spending time with this cutie. So lucky to call her my sister. And stay tuned for some exciting news!

HOLIDAY NAILS

 

The family then packed up and headed to Temecula for a couple of days. We were due for a little getaway after some crazy events in our lives. I absolutely love traveling with the children right now. They are so independent and fun to be with and make each adventure really memorable. I had taken a few months off from having my nails done but wanted to add some color for our trip and Thanksgiving. This is a good one. It’s called “Thank Grogg it’s Friday” by OPI in case you are on the hunt. It’s a pretty shade of red without being fire engine red.

WEEKEND GETAWAY

similar dress | tote | similar bomber jacket

I’ll be wrapping up our trip later this week, but it was nice to be able to pull out a jacket and my fall plaid bag. This is a fantastic Christmas gift by the way. The zippered Savannah tote is by far my favorite. One of my all time favorite dresses (especially for traveling) is no longer sold but this one is almost identical, including the racerback.

One of our favorite stops on our trip was The Peltzer Family Cellars so I will be sharing all of the fun details soon.

DECKING THE HALLS

While we normally wait to deck the halls until after Thanksgiving, we are getting a jump because we are hosting a holiday party very soon. My kids LOVE getting everything out. I always like to see how other families handle this process. The first thing that goes up is our nativity scene. We actually have two. One that is soft and made from fabric to be played with and another that is more delicate. After that, my daughter takes each ornament out each year and places it on a white blanket. The rule is that no one is allowed to step on the blanket because there are so many breakable ones.

I am enamored with this time of year and cry every time I decorate the tree because each ornament brings back so many memories from the years that have gone by. The tree is done and now we can truly enjoy it and the family this coming week.

DRESSING UP

If you are not on Instagram, you may not have seen a dress I chose for the holidays. It’s actually the gold one below but this one was so pretty, too.

I wanted you to see an up close shot of the lace. So so beautiful. The A-line shorter dress just isn’t made for me.

This gold sequin dress was my favorite. Very comfortable and lined with a soft fabric. I love the cap sleeves and subtle draping across the chest. Two thumbs up. I think it runs just a tad big so keep that in mind. I sized down one size.

Can you believe it’s Thanksgiving week now?! How did that happen? I hope it’s a great week for all of you. I am so thankful to my readers and love that you take a moment out of your day or week to pop in. To all of you experiencing major snow and cold, stay warm and cozy.