Can you believe how fast November zipped by?? Crazy! It's been a fun month, though. I loved having this long weekend to end it…it was so nice and relaxing (and very much needed). We played lots of games, ate lots of pie, and hung out with lots of friends. We also ordered a rug on Black Friday which I cannot waaaait to get, and saw Catching Fire! I loved it--I thought it was a lot truer to the book than the first movie (although maybe it’s just that I haven’t read the book as recently). Here are the rest of the things I did this month--well, not everything, just the things I posted on Instagram:

1. My new boots with red zippers in the back--and a new haircut. This is short for me (I only cut my hair once or twice a year...I'm lazy and cheap like that!) / 2. Sweetgrass flowers from Charleston gracing my dining room table / 3. Red cups return to Starbucks! I love holiday drinks and I love the red cups--they always remind me of when Ben and I started dating (our first date was on November 19th) / 4. Adorable woolen pillows from an Etsy pop-up shop I went to in Seattle / 5. Trying to recreate New Orleans with homemade beignets--and eggnog! / 6. A moss deer with branches for antlers and a pinecone wreath and a frame around it? But of course! I love Anthropologie displays, and I actually think those branch antlers are a pretty smart idea for a DIY / 7. A cute felted ball napkin ring from a West Elm event I went to this month / 8. Yum! Roasted pears with nuts and granola at my friend Renae's house / 9. Playing Blokus and drinking hot apple cider / 10. Our ugly sweaters for Thanksgiving. Haaawt, right?

Do you follow me on Instagram yet? I’m @athomeinlove--say hello!

I hope you all had a great month! And don't forget to enter the 24 Merry Days giveaways that are going on today--there's a beautiful accent chair up for grabs over at House of Earnest and a $250 gift card to Anthropologie at Lovely Indeed!

So, how was your Thanksgiving?? Are you still stuffed? Doing any Black Friday shopping? I have to work in the morning, but I’m hoping to be off by lunch, load up on some yummy leftovers, and make a few purchases (online only for me, though…I did the whole get up early and wait in line thing a couple years ago, and that was enough for me).

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I bet you’re all thinking Christmas!!! Speaking of which, I’m excited to announce that this year, I’ll be a part of 24 Merry Days. Every day leading up to Christmas, there will be a different giveaway on a different blog, and you have one week to enter each one! And you guys, the prizes are so good. Like, seriously. I want them all! Head over to the website to unveil who the bloggers are and which day they’ll be posting their giveaway (mine is the 15th, so be sure you don’t miss it!). I’ll also remind you every day so you know where to go!

I can’t tell you exactly who is giving away what, but I can tell you that the prizes include a bike from Public Bikes, a pair of Swedish Hasbeens (so jealous of whoever wins that!), a large print by Max Wanger, $500 worth of dishes from Mud Australia, and gift cards to Anthropologie, Rifle Paper Co, Baba Souk, The Land of Nod, and so many more.

Thanks to Audrey of This Little Street for organizing this, and Gloria of Little White Whale for designing the darling website. Also be sure to like the 24 Merry Days Facebook page so you won’t miss a single giveaway!

I’m so excited about this! It’s a great way to discover some new blogs and new shops to love--plus hopefully win something awesome, of course. I already found some new favorites by clicking through everyone who is participating! I hope you’re excited too--and remember, it all starts December 1st.

Hello, lovelies! Wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving full of good food and good times. Ben and I are getting donuts and coffee in the morning, then getting started on making food. We already made two chocolate bourbon pecan pies last night, and today we are making mashed potatoes (my fave!) and deviled eggs. Ben thinks deviled eggs are a "must-have" for Thanksgiving, which I think is hilarious since I never had them for Thanksgiving growing up. What were your favorite sides when you were a kid? I always couldn't wait for the candied sweet potatoes and the stuffing. And of course, mashed potatoes and gravy. And crescent rolls (can you tell I’m a carb girl?). This year, we're going to Ben's parents' house, and we’re going to be deep-frying the turkey!! I'm really excited--I’ve never done that before but I've heard it’s the best. After dinner, some of our friends will be joining us for dessert and games...and an ugly sweater contest. I will be sure to share some photos on Instagram so you can see. What are your plans for the day? I'd love to hear!

I thought I’d also share a quote that has been inspiring me lately. I first saw it on Pinterest and knew it would be perfect for a “thoughts for a Thursday” Thanksgiving post. Especially at this time of year, work is crazy, and I've been pretty stressed since we came back from vacation. But I have so much to be thankful for! I'm blessed, truly, with a great family, great friends, and an amazing husband. There will always be stresses, but I don't want to let them ruin my day or distract me from the good stuff...

"Stop focusing on how stressed you are, and remember how blessed you are." Isn't that good?

And speaking of good stuff, I'm really thankful for all of you! I love interacting with you through comments, email, and social media, and I've been very grateful to see my blog traffic grow and have more opportunities come my way (announcing a fun one tomorrow). So thank you!

Hope you all have a wonderful day. Eat up! I know I will be.

Do you guys follow Joy Prouty of Wildflowers Photography? If so, I'm sure you saw the grand adventure that she and her family recently took, traveling all over the country in their 1950 Spartanette trailer. I was really inspired by the first post Joy wrote about their plan to sell their house in California, simplify their belongings, and roadtrip around the US, visiting national parks, experiencing new things, and spending lots of quality time together as a family. Her words really resonated with me: for the last few years, we have felt so tied down by the high cost of living, never having any money in savings, working so hard and never being able to enjoy the downtime because we are so tired and, just simply, being sick of always feeling overwhelmed and busy.  and we also realized how tied down we are here by all our stuff!  stuff that accumulates for years and before you know it you have piles in every corner and don’t even know what’s there!  we are ready to live our happy life!  Those sentiments echo the way that Ben and I have been feeling lately--so of course, I followed the Prouty's journey eagerly. When I saw these beautiful photos by Simply Rosie (from when they were in Montana), I immediately asked if I could share them here!

I adore the exterior of their trailer, which was hand-painted by Katie Daisy. So cute! I bet it brought cheer everywhere they traveled.

Artwork in embroidery hoops and yarn-bombed antlers made the walls cozy and homey.

Aren’t those kids adorable? I imagine they had some really good times in that trailer and made some great memories.

So sweet! The Proutys recently settled down and bought a farmhouse in Bellingham, WA, which is about an hour and a half north of where I live in Seattle (and a place that Ben and I have often considered moving to ourselves). So I'm still following their adventure, perhaps even more eagerly! I love the idea of moving to a little house on the outskirts of town, with acreage, fruit trees, and a big workshop for Ben. I even wrote a post about how I think I'm meant for the country life here. Who knows?

Do you think an adventure like this sounds fun? Or crazy and exhausting? One way or the other, I bet they have some great stories to tell!

If you don't already, you should follow both Joy and Rosie on Instagram--they have two of my favorite feeds. I've also featured Rosie's photography on the blog here, here, here, and here!