We don't have a lot of Thanksgiving books, but here are the ones we do love from our collection:

 The Night Before Thanksgiving-- all the excitement getting all ready for the big day!

I love Thanksgiving -- it’s a time between busy holidays to take a breath, to give thanks to those who have served our country (Happy Veteran’s Day!), reflect, be grateful, and be with family.

Here is our front porch -- I would love to find a cozy plaid throw and a pillow to put on the rocking chairs but I haven’t found anything I love (at a decent price!)

a Thanksiving silhouette pennant with free printables at Cottage in the Oaks:

Happy Shopping and have a wonderful weekend ~

Fun Facts -- if you don’t want to do a separate letter, this is perfect!

Family Album -- clean and classic.

Hello and Happy November! We made it through 31 days of posting in October -- I wanted to share some highlights from the posts that you liked best:

Windows with Dark Trim:

Happy Halloween and last day of 31 days!!

I love this new construction home with character:

* Mommy, someone needs you.

* did you know Anthony Hopkins wrote a (beautiful!) waltz??

* the coolest table ever.

and DEALS -- these are the prices when I hit publish, they can change or run out at anytime.

This post may contain affiliate links – full disclosure here. Thanks!

Welcome to day 30 of 31 days! I have been a crazy cleaning girl because I have been trying out the HomeRight SteamMachine.

I’m going to show you some things I’ve been trying out -- it steams curtains, fabric! Here are the IKEA ones I am trying out in the bedroom. You know what a pain they are to take down and iron or throw in the dryer,

I’ve shared with you how I use calendars to remind myself of yearly sales, things I don’t want to forget. Well, now my phone is my best friend. I didn’t think I would convert but it really is SO handy. I send myself notes and reminders constantly of things to remember, what went well, what I would do differently for random things. Here is one coming for the first Monday in November when I really get serious about Christmas planning --

I jumped on the “3 Gifts of Christmas” bandwagon last year and realized it just wasn’t for me. I’m better with having a budget for each child and doing what I can with it. Plus, we have 2 December birthdays and sometimes we get a larger gift by putting the Christmas/birthday budget together. I tried to pick outfits out for my girls and it was disaster. I thought I knew their tastes, but they are always changing. I should have just given them a gift card, we love to go out shopping together over the Christmas break anyway when everything is on clearance.

 Anyway, it ended up being more stressful for me and I was wondering why I was trying to do what everyone else was doing. So I use my phone to send myself helpful messages like -- don’t do the remote control cars you see everywhere again, they were broken by afternoon but the art sets would have been perfect for the boys.

It is also fantastic to remind yourself about great sales. For 2015, I have reminders set for the huge Forever 21 sale 50% off plus free shipping on Columbus Day for jewelry stocking stuffers for the girls. I LOVE the Gap Outlet friends and family in August where it is 40% off everything, plus you can use coupons on top of it.  My husband loves Jos A Bank traveler shirts, so I have a reminder set for when the sale usually is. I have a reminder next week that Target Halloween went 90% off on November 5. It saves time and money because instead of randomly shopping, you can know the best sales and wait for them.

Let your phone be your helper, and send yourself handy messages! Any other helpful phone tips that help you out or sales that you wait for every year?

Here are some highlights from our party last week -- thank you to those that joined!

Easy sweater pillows at the Craft Patch

Hello! It’s the last week of our 31 days! I can’t believe I’m still going :)

I wanted to share another dinner staple at our house. It’s super easy, and about as much effort as opening a box of macaroni & cheese, except you will use REAL cheese, not the powder. It’s the ultimate comfort food and perfect for a cold fall or winter night. It is adapted from a recipe that I received from a dear reader, Elisabeth Beutler. She also gave us upside-down pizza which is a big hit.

We have been making applesauce this morning, so I thought I’d show you how we do it. We got the apples from my sister-in-law Kristine -- it makes most sense if you can get them for free. If you notice a tree full of apples that don’t seem to be getting much attention, ask the owner about picking some. You never know-- they may appreciate the help getting them off the trees. Golden Delicious, Fuji, and McIntosh make great applesauce.

Look at this newlywed home in Columbia, SC from Southern Weddings:

For my little under $10 under 1 hour project this morning, I took the skirt off of a chair I got for my boy’s room back in Virginia for $10.

I used to think that windows with black trim were for sleek, ultra modern homes. Now, I’m seeing them pop up everywhere, even in traditional settings.

Hilbre windows

It’s $430.95 for a queen size. Let’s see if that is a good deal.