Five Cyber Monday Picks

This faux shearling poncho (also available in black) is now 50% off until noon. I think this is such a beautiful gift for your Mom, sister, MIL, whoever! It's a touch of luxury at an affordable price. J.Crew is running the extra 40% + extra 10% until noon today and you can see my favorites HERE. And, I will be calling to see if I can get my order adjusted from Friday!

This Instant Pot is on my Christmas list and majorly marked down today. For the cook that has everything, I think this would be a fun gift! You can do basically everything in this pot- its a pressure cooker, slow cooker, sautes, makes rice, yogurt, eggs...I mean we all need one!

These Sorel boots are an amazing deal! In my size they are 62% off. I love this rich brown color too!

Both of the kids now have their own Amazon Fire. Frances Ann just couldn't handle not having her own and my parents went ahead and gave her one as an early Christmas present. Basically, this helps entertain when Mommy is all out of energy for the day. Game changer! Don't judge!

They are on sale today, and if you buy 2 you save even more. The case is so good for little fingers that don't understand not to touch the screen when a video is playing, making it easy for them to hold!

Ok, you might be tired of me talking about this next item and I'm sorry about that. I think I own possibly 5-6 pairs of these leggings and if you haven't tried them yet, now is the time! They are on sale at such an affordable price. I don't waste my time with any other black leggings. They are just THE best. I wear them for runs and I wear them with boots and sweaters! They are so flattering and feel so good. They are slimming. Enough said!

What is on your list for today?! What is the best deal you have found?

Black Friday Sale Picks!!

I hope you all had the Happiest Thanksgiving yesterday. We had a wonderful day and spent it split up between our two families and had double the food, as usual! We have so much to be thankful for.

I wanted to pop in this morning to show you what was on my radar for the Black Friday sales. I am not headed to the mall today, but I love browsing right here behind this computer screen. I actually think the small shops are better and more fun to shop in person at than the big box stores! Anyway, here is my roundup! Starting off, I am loving ALL the things at J.Crew and at 40% off you can't get much better than that! So many pretties for fall. Treat yourself :)

v neck sweater // bow sweatshirt //  faux shearling poncho // ruffle top plaid //  velvet tie front top  // gingham bell sleeve top // ankle wrap pumps // tartan scarf

Anthropologie - Take 30% off storewide (cutest salt and pepper set, gorgeous measuring spoons, a pretty cake stand!)

Nordstrom - Extra 20% off sale items (the best leggings in the world, these sneakers, this gorgeous watch is a splurge but such an amazing deal!, adorable slippers, and great jeans!)

Gap - 50% off storewide (bought these plaid pajama pants and haven't stopped wearing them, love this workout top)

Banana Republic - 50% off storewide (love the ruffle details on this sweater, a pretty clip dot blouse)

Tuckernuck - 20% off everything, 25% off over $500, 30% off over $1,000 (this Barbour vest, obsessed with this poncho, own this luggage and love it, asking for these boots)

Gift Guide: For the Entertainer/Cook

Hey everyone! One thing I really look forward to this time of year is seeing gift guides circulating. I swear, it is such an easier way to shop and get ideas going instead of going straight to a stores site and browsing for endless hours! I hope you will find them helpful (and fun!) as well and get some ideas going of your own. To start off, I thought we would talk about the entertainer/cook with Thanksgiving this coming week. Sometimes it's hard to get gifts for this person because you don't want to just end up giving them more "stuff" but you want it to be useful! I personally love all of these ideas, and have put a few on my wish list!

I make a lot of Skinnytaste recipes and she uses her instant pot frequently. I am intrigued so this instant pot is on my list! Seems like the one pot wonder, but quicker than a crock pot.  // We have this garlic press and I swear its the best! I use mine multiple times a week. // These little gingham oven mitts would make the cutest gift for a good cook! // I love this sleek cocktail shaker, it would be pretty on the bar cart year round. // When in doubt, basics that are highly useful always work! I love this dish and hand soap set that comes in the caddy to keep your counter neat. // For a lady that loves fresh flowers or pretty candles, this glass vase with gold wrap is perfect. // This little salt cellar is so cute and under $10. // Pretty napkins are nice for the hostess that has everything and loves to entertain in style!

I hope this helped you out a bit, perhaps even giving you an idea for visiting family this week and needing a little hostess gift! I have started to make my list of guides I want to offer this Christmas, but would love to hear any requests as well. Have a great weekend!

Fall Into the Holidays - The Dining Room

For our last installment of Fall into the Holidays, we are moving into the dining room! Definitely an important space for so many entertaining needs, so I'm glad we are touching on this with Thanksgiving just a week away. For our dining room, I wanted to maximize the use out of the space and create a few different "stations" for entertaining purposes. To see what the rest of our dining room usually looks like, you can see it here - I did this room for the One Room Challenge this past Spring! On the vintage sideboard, I wanted to make use of it as a bar. I already had the drinks and bar tools in place, but I swapped out the coffee table books and decor that I usually have there (primarily for looks), and added straws and glasses instead. Like most people, we rarely use this room so it doesn't have to be totally functional for serving/entertaining 365 days a year! 

I tied the plaid ribbons to the liquor bottles as a fun touch! I know its a simple thing but adds a lot to the little space! I have been adoring this simple plaid this year. I think it's the cheeriest, classic that takes you from now through Christmas!

I pulled out a few of my favorite wine glasses and low ball glasses and set them on top of a marble cutting board. We have plenty more glasses stored in the china cabinet if we need them, but this is sufficient to have out for now. I also realized I needed to clean them because they had gotten a little dusty not being used! Tip - It's a good to clean them before company arrives, even if they have been stored in a china cabinet!

On the opposite wall we have another small glass door cabinet that I wanted to stack some favorite serving pieces on as a reminder. Does anyone else go through a holiday or event, only to open a cabinet and realize you completely forgot to pull out a favorite serving piece? For right now, I pulled out my chargers, some china, tartan napkins that I got as a Christmas present last year, gold flatware from an estate sale this spring (just the forks are out now, the rest is stored but at least with them in sight I will remember to actually use them!) and then a small monogrammed bowl that is perfect for snacks.

I highly recommend visiting your dining room and tweaking it to make it the most functional for your needs over the next couple months! It's a great feeling to know the dining room is ready for guests whenever that may be!

This series has been a blast and I have walked away with so many new ideas from the following ladies for prepping our homes for the holidays. I hope you all have enjoyed it too!

Shine Your Light

Dimples & Tangles

Crazy Wonderful

Less Than Perfect Life Of Bliss

This Is Happiness

Simple Details

Fall Into The Holidays- The Living Room

This week we are back with another post for prepping for the holidays ahead. We've hit the kitchen and the bedroom, and now are headed into the living room! I'm going to let you all in on a little secret of mine, I love a clean slate right before the holidays hit. As soon as Halloween is over, I pack up a majority of the pumpkins and fall decor and do a little cleaning of the house. Usually our living room/kitchen is free of seasonal decor a few weeks right after Halloween and before Thanksgiving. It just feels good to do a freshen up and have a sense of calm before I add more seasonal decorations. I want the twinkling Christmas lights and sweet mementos to be the spotlight of my decor and not have to worry about clutter that has been tagging along from season to season. However, once I take away a little I add a little back that is going to get me closer to being ready for Christmas! Does that even make sense? Take a little away, add a little more back in a more sensible way...ok let's go with it!

So, for the living room prep today, I have two parts to this post. 

Part one: Simplify or clean up existing room. For me, this meant pairing down on the bookcases. I took out all the paperback books and stored them out of sight. Something I had been planning to do for a while, just never took the time to do. This cleaned up the look of the shelves so much!! I did a little rearranging here and there, but nothing big. 

Part two: Add in fresh greenery (to be added onto later in the season), switch out pillows and throws, and wash slipcover on the sofa. This year I wanted to use a few larger ginger jars on the mantel and keep it fairly simple. I added fresh magnolia stems to each jar until they looked even. (tip- I like to rinse the leaves off and wipe them down with a damp paper towel before I bring them inside) Anyway, I just love their vibrant leaves that have that heir of "Southern"...and they last so long. I don't even stick them in water, they will sit like this for weeks until I switch them out. After Thanksgiving, I will add a faux magnolia garland to the mantel as well. But, for now the greenery in the ginger jars is a great stepping stone for what is to come! 

I have to tell you too- one of my great friends - ((I know you are reading ;) )) sold me five(!) of her ginger jars this week since she just moved. You know I was on it! I have been looking for more double happiness jars for so long but couldn't pull the trigger! I'm loving my new jars!

I didn't break out any of my true "Christmas" pillows yet, but I did put away a few that leaned towards summer. These red pillows were supposed to go in Weeks' room but the red doesn't match his headboard anymore- however, they are SO perfect for Christmas! I love the bold pop of red. It has instantly transformed our living room into a cheery holiday space! The white slipcover on the sofa got washed (again) and I'm sure I will do it several more times before Christmas. Can I just say I don't know what I would do with out that slipcover?! Kids!

This weeks update was so simple but I hope it inspired you to get thinking about your living room for Christmas! Once again, it feels so good to be ready for the day I pull out those Christmas totes from storage and be able to enjoy the season to come!

Make sure to check out these lovely ladies sharing their spaces today:

• Becky of This Is Happiness • 

• Lisa of Shine Your Light • 

• Julie of Less Than Perfect Life Of Bliss •

• Jennifer of Dimples & Tangles • 

• Shelley of Crazy Wonderful • 

• Pam of Simple Details • 

Recent Pics - Halloween + Football

It's been a while since I shared some pictures so I thought we were due for a little catchup. Weeks and Frances Ann were THE cutest little cowboy and cowgirl for Halloween last week. My MIL pulled out one of Stephen's old costumes a few months ago (the chaps and vest) and I knew right then and there the decision was made for costumes this year! In true Katie fashion, I waited until the last minute (week before) to try and find a cute costume for Frances Ann that would be equally as cute as the sherpa was for Weeks (this was a high quality costume y'all- nothing like what you see today!) After many searches on Amazon and not wanting to spend $100 on a plastic-y costume that would arrive on time, I resigned to make hers on my own! This picture was the idea behind it, and I followed this tutorial to make her little skirt. I used extra fabric from the skirt for their bandanas just by cutting them in 18" squares, I made some for the pups too! It really was so darn adorable and I'm so glad I made it for her. Weeks' costume was so authentic and he was so darling in it! 

 on me- plaid shirt (similar colors) // AG jeans // boots // vest (this years version)

This weekend we went to Raleigh for the NC State/Clemson game. This time we just brought FA and Weeks got to stay home with Grandma and Granddaddy for some spoiling! The weather really was not ideal with chilly wind and light drizzle from time to time. FA was a good sport, but since Weeks has been sick I'm so glad he didn't have to be out in that weather!

AG jeans // utility blouse // leopard belt // shoes (not pictured here but see them a few pictures below)

Stephen made a boston butt that we slow cooked on Friday night so it was ready for pre-game nachos on Saturday afternoon. If you haven't tried pork nachos, do yourself a favor and try them! We use Santitas chips and layer them queso (key ingredient!), jalapenos, sour cream, salsa, guacamole and the pulled pork. You can also add your favorite beans, chopped tomatoes and lettuce. So good guys.



Someone had THE best time cheering at the game. I won't mention any names.



On Friday on our way into town I convinced Stephen to swing by the mall so I could run in Loft to try on a few tops. I ended up getting the one above which I love, it is so classic and will be a true staple in my wardrobe. It was 40% off and I'm now considering a few other colors. Just so easy for layering having that sense of polish. I couldn't help but snap this photo of this velvet turtleneck I tried on too! I was instantly transferred to Limited Too in 1995...but the crazy thing is I didn't hate it! Laughing to myself over here. I think it would actually be pretty for a holiday party. I think it runs a little big, so size down. PS-What are your thoughts on velvet tops?! You can see my fave shoes here too! This pair is lined with sherpa and they are super comfortable, yet completely adorable. I haven't stopped wearing them since I got them.

Hope you had a great weekend!