Things I'm Thankful For Thursday // 11.28.19

• Family - My sister-in-law and her family arrived early yesterday morning and my mother-in-law came yesterday evening. We are so happy to have a houseful for the holiday and grateful that they flew across the country to spend it with us.
  
  
  
  
  
• Friendliness - People who naturally and consistently make eye-contact and smile at others throughout the day have a special place in my heart. Throw in a "hello" and I'm liable to get weepy. 
• Coffee - I'm thankful for coffee. I'm especially thankful for my husband who preps the pot before bed in the evening and has a steaming cup waiting for me when I come downstairs every morning. 
  
  
  
• Clean Laundry - Our dryer broke last week. I'm thankful for the functioning one at our friends' house down the street! They generously offered the use of their set until our new one arrives tomorrow. Black Friday, y'all... good for appliances. A bonus to lugging the wash back and forth is the extra time throughout the day that I get to visit one of my favorite families. 
• Holiday Jammies - If loving these $16 Walmart pajamas is wrong, then I don't want to be right. These are so soft, it's unreal. I think they're some kind of velour with a little stretch and give. I love the red piping at the collar and cuffs. These will draw extra hugs from all of your family members --even the surly teenagers will want to be close to you again. They run true to size (check the chart in the link).
  
  
  
  
  
• Thyme & Table - Are you familiar with this Walmart brand? I'm hardly ever in Walmart and this week I visited to browse the holiday offerings. While I was there, I perused many aisles and came away with the awesome pajamas (above) --as well as some other fantastic finds. These measuring cups and spoons match my kitchen perfectly. I love the brass utensils too. 
  
  
  
  
  
• Better Homes & Gardens Acacia Serving Pieces - I also spent a lot of time in this aisle talking myself out of buying everything. These heavy wooden pieces are gorgeous, in person. This tray with brass handles was very tempting (in case anyone reading this needs Christmas ideas for me)... but I came away with the cake stand instead...
  
  
  
  
  
• Candy Canes - Simple and festive. I piled a bunch on the my new cake stand and set it up by the front door. I also added a sweet ceramic house that's also a (battery operated) votive holder and a little flannel tree that I found in the ornament section. (The house was $5 at Walmart --but not available online. Here is a similar one from Target, a red one from Walmart, these from Crate and Barrel, and cute speckled one from Kohl's.)
  
  
  
  
  
• Sales - Benefit is offering 25% off and free shipping in case you want to treat yourself to a new eyebrow system. Gap is offering 50% off (code BLKFRIDAY) and an additional 10% off (code BESTEVER) in case you want to pick up one of my favorite sweaters. The Body Shop has 40% off and free shopping if you're still considering the amazing Japanese Camellia Cream. 
• Kringle - This authentic Racine Danish Kringle is amazing. These usually make an appearance at Trader Joe's in the weeks leading up to the holidays. This year did not disappoint. Almond is my favorite but Raspberry is pretty great too. The crust if perfectly buttery and flaky and the filling is a great balance to the pastry. Please pick one up if you see this. Trader Joe's sells these for about $7; However, I've seen them at specialty shops for as much as $26. No worries if you find them too early --just keep them frozen until the night before you're ready to enjoy!