Things I’m Loving Friday #394

Happy day after Thanksgiving to all of you! I hope you’re checking in this morning feeling full and happy and hopefully relaxed! I know the holiday season can be crazy and also challenging and I’m sending you all a little extra love this morning. We had a good Thanksgiving (more on that below) and are looking forward to a weekend close to home with our little family.

Our big plans today include heading out to get our Christmas tree (yes, we’re officially a family that has two Christmas trees now — one real and one fake) and the smell of the pine needles in our home never ceases to get me into the holiday spirit. It’s holiday music non-stop around here now, my friends!

Before signing off for the weekend, I wanted to quickly share my usual Things I’m Loving Friday roundup of favs with you below. Enjoy your weekend and, as always, thank you so much for making my blog a part of your day! I am grateful for YOU.

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Thanksgiving 2021

Thanksgiving 2021 was a good one! We initially planned to head south to Sarasota but my mother-in-law unfortunately hurt her back and thought it would be best for us to visit another time (we missed you Diane and Les!!), so we pivoted our plans and ended up celebrating with friends. Our friends Lauren and Tony invited us to their home to join in their Thanksgiving family fun and since their kids are some of our kids’ best friends, we knew it would be the perfect place to celebrate. Ryan, the boys, my father-in-law and I headed over to their house after Rhett’s nap and spent most of the afternoon and early evening chatting, enjoying some delicious drinks and food and watching the kids run around outside.

(Can you tell we waited until the last second for a family pic when the kids were D-O-N-E? Ha!) 

The dinner spread was fantastic and included a lot of typical Thanksgiving staples. We brought some of our favorite dishes to add to the feast including Ryan’s grandmother’s glazed carrots and my favorite pumpkin icebox cake, and left feeling full and grateful for some amazing friends in our lives. They make living far from most of our family a little easier.

• Annual Ornaments for the Boys

Last year, Ryan and I began a tradition where we gave our boys personalized ornaments that reminded us of them over the course of the past year. We figured this would be such a fun way to look back and remember their interests or sweet and funny stories related to the boys and I’m thrilled with the three ornaments we selected this year! They all arrived last week and via various small shops on Etsy and I think Chase, Ryder and Rhett will love them!

For Chase, we selected this beautiful custom fishing ornament featuring bluegills. Since “sunnies” are the fish we catch most frequently in the lake near our house, I was thrilled to find an ornament that featured them!

Ryder’s ornament is a puzzle piece with his name on it since he’s our puzzle master. He absolutely loves doing puzzle after puzzle and we’re so impressed with his passion and patience for puzzling.

For our little Rhett man, I couldn’t resist a double-sided ornament featuring the two nicknames we call him on repeat in this house: Rhetty Roo and Rhetty Spaghetti! After a small error with our first order, the shop owner was so incredibly kind and quickly shipped out a replacement along with a gold wire name ornament. I love them both so much!

• Black Friday Sales

FASHION

Madewell: 30% off everything with code OHJOY. Love the look of this puff leather crossbody bag and their classic transport tote is timeless and makes a wonderful gift.

Old Navy: 50% off everything + free shipping with code SHIP. So many cute sweaters and I also love their extra high rise wide leg jeans! I ordered this dress thinking it will be great to dressed up or down this holiday season. These unisex skinny pull-on jeggings are my fav for our slim boys. Their holiday slipper socks always find their way into the boys’ stockings from their Elf on the Shelf during the holiday season. I also ordered these joggers for Ryan for Christmas based on the positive reviews. And I know it’s kind of silly but I love this one-piece pjs in a thermal knit for women. I have the black and red buffalo check and ordered the solid red for this year. And I couldn’t resist these sherpa clogs which I ordered solely to wear to and drop school drop offs in the winter months. Ha!

Athleta: 20% off everything. I cannot recommend their Run With It 3.5” shorts enough. They’re crazy flattering and the thicker waistband doesn’t dig into your sides at all. Pregnant friends, I loved these when I was pregnant, too, and just ordered them in a size up.

LOFT: 50% off + Extra 15% off + Free shipping with code FRIYAY. Lou & Grey loungewear is a dream and I love the look of this sherpa and this duvet coat. This sherpa eyemask would make a fun stocking stuffer.

Amazon Fashion Deals: I compiled a lot of the good ones here but please note they’re changing regularly! My fav find is the Columbia Mighty Lite Hooded Jacket! I’ve had this one in black for years and love that it’s a slim-fitting puffer jacket that’s warm and packable.

Aerie: 30-40% off everything + 10 for $35 underwear. Their modal boybrief underwear is my fav and so comfy.

Gap: 40% off everything + 50% off select items. I love their outerwear for kiddos — winter jackets, puffer vests, denim jackets, etc.

BOMBAS Socks: 20% off with code MERRY20

Lululemon: Lots of discounts, including their black Wunderunder leggings and scalloped-hem Align leggings. They always seem to exclude black leggings from their sales so this is awesome! I love the Wunderunders for workouts whereas the Aligns are my preferred everyday lounging leggings.

Target: 30% off apparel and accessories for the family.

thredUP: Up to 40% off. I just ordered two pairs of like-new sneakers for the boys and a pair of black AGOLDE jeans for myself. Woop!

KIDS

LOVEVERY: Their biggest sale of the year! $30 off a new Play Kit subscription with code PLAYKITS30. These are, without a doubt, our favorite children’s toys. My mom got Ryder a subscription to their play kits when he was a baby and they blew us away. The quality is fantastic and they’re incredibly engaging and encourage imaginative and creative play. They’re some of the only toys we’ll be keeping as heirloom toys and I cannot recommend them enough, especially for anyone looking for a quality gift for little ones (ages 0-4) in your life.

KiwiCo: Up to 4 months free with code MERRY. This is a subscription for kids ages 0-14 that delivers art and science projects to your door! A great interactive gift and my affiliate link should get you an additional $10 off.

Bitty Brah: 25% off everything. Our favorite hats for the boys. They look like baseball hats but float and have a drawstring so they don’t fall off.

HOME

Our Place Always Pan: This gorgeous non-toxic pan gets a TON of love and is on sale for $99 (originally $145). Use it to braise, sear, steam, strain, sauté, fry, boil and serve!

Serena & Lily: 25% off everything with code ITSHERE. We have the La Jolla Lidded Baskets and I cannot recommend them enough for a discreet way to hide kid toys. The teak step stool is a pricey but beautiful step stool that isn’t a total eyesore to keep out for the kids to use.

Branch Basics: Use my code pbfingers for 20% off premium starter kits, laundry kits, glass bottle starter kits and travel kits + a free tote bag. These are my favorite natural cleaning products and pairing a starter kit with Branch Basics glass cleaning bottles makes an excellent holiday gift for those who love natural cleaning supplies in their homes.

Anthropologie: 30% off sitewide.

Boll & Branch: 25% off orders $200+ of this high-quality bedding. I’ve gifted the waffle blanket before and it was a big hit!

Minted: 20% off orders $150 + or 15% off everything + Free shipping with code BF2021. A great time to order custom holiday gifts and holiday cards!

Target: Up to 50% off select furniture and up to 40% off select bedding and bath.

Question of the Day

What is one thing you are feeling extra thankful for today?