Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving! This year, Joe and I are celebrating Thanksgiving for the first time together in our little New York City apartment! After years of long distance and months of apartment hunting, I am so grateful for our little space and our relationship! I'm excited to celebrate together, along with my mom and brother this year in the city. We have a delicious menu planned and I've been prepping my tablescape, so it's sure to be a lovely day here (despite the rain!). I'm also excited to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!!

This year, of course, I have so many other things to be thankful for as well: my health, my family, friends, job, and community here! I started this blog 12 years ago never knowing it would become such a big part of my life. I absolutely love sharing my life with this community - it brings me such joy! I truly don't know where I'd be without this part of my life, so thank you for following along.

Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you!!

xo

Fran

Happy Thanksgiving & 10 Things I'm Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving! I got to my Dad's new house in Palm Beach on Wednesday night, and it's been a fun and warm Thanksgiving weekend so far down here. I wanted to write up what I'm thankful for yesterday, but between the Turkey Trot, and honesty, finishing the Harry Potter book (couldn't put it down - I decided to start the series on Wednesday! I'd never read or seen any of the books or movies!), it was a busy holiday!

Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely day yesterday. I am going to try and round up a few of my favorite sales today, but you can shop my gift guides here if you want to get started!

Before further adieu, here are 10 things I'm thankful for this year:

Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas

If you're anything like me and you still haven't figured out what you're wearing for Thanksgiving next week, I've gone ahead and created a few outfits that I'm sharing here for inspiration! Whether your family or friends dress up, run a turkey trot, or just throw on a cute sweater, hopefully, this serves as some helpful last-minute inspiration!

I tried to include a lot of pieces from many retailers that have fast shipping, so if you order today, there's a good chance things will arrive by Thanksgiving. The best part? Many brands are already having sales, so even if you're shopping for occasions beyond Thanksgiving, you'll be able to snag many of these pieces for a great price.

Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas

Happy Monday! I can't believe Thanksgiving is already NEXT WEEK! I am very excited about Thanksgiving this year because I am heading down to Oak Island, North Carolina with my mom and brother. My mom lives in Raleigh now but rented a beach house for the Holiday and I am so looking forward to spending Thanksgiving on the beach in warmer fall weather.

If you're like me and kind of forgot about Thanksgiving until now, I rounded up quite a few pieces and ideas for Thanksgiving outfits for today's post. I feel like I've just been finding the cutest things lately and I am so excited to share these adorable looks for the late fall / early holiday season.

What I'm Grateful For

Hello, hello! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving yesterday surrounded by loved ones and delicious food! I am in Boston with my dad's side of the family and we had a really nice, lowkey Thanksgiving day yesterday. My brother, aunt, and I ran the Turkey Trot in the morning, and then we just cooked all day, had our feast, and then went over to my cousins' house for dessert and games! We played lots of Scrabble, which of course I couldn't have been happier about, and overall it was just a really nice day with family.

What I'm Thankful For...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This year in particular, I have so much for which I am thankful. (I am trying to use prepositions less at the end of my sentences... I think of my high school English teacher (shoutout Mr. Grandy!) and just know if I started this post with "I have so much that I am thankful for," he would send me a virtual side-eye...)

Anyway, I am especially thankful for my health, my new job, and my family this year. It has been an emotional year for our family... from my gramma on my dad's side being very sick, to my mom and dog moving to Charleston last month... so many changes. I am so grateful to have such a fabulous, loving, wonderful family whom I cherish so much, and to personally be very healthy right now, as I know so many people in our country are suffering from the pandemic.

My Friendsgiving

Yesterday afternoon I hosted a small Friendsgiving at my house for five of my close girlfriends. Everyone was COVID tested a few days beforehand, so we all felt safe getting together to celebrate. I spent the last few weeks running around gathering things for the tablescape and the party, and I am so pleased with how everything turned out. I am excited to share the photos and recap it for all of you today!

17+ Casual Chic Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas

click here for the 2023 Thanksgiving outfit guide

this post was updated on 11/1/2022

oversized camel sweater // tweed pants

When I think of Thanksgiving outfits I immediately think of the Gossip Girl scene where Nate is playing football with his family and they are all wearing bougie little sweaters. I love the classic vibe that comes with not only the food and activities of Thanksgiving but the outfits as well. This year, even though we are all probably tempted to stay in the lounge sets we've been collecting throughout quarantine, it's kind of fun to have an excuse to actually get dressed up. I, for one, plan to get dressed this Thanksgiving! In what? Not sure yet. Hopefully, this post will help you as much as it's helping me get inspiration for Thanksgiving outfit ideas.

Thanksgiving in Boston Recap

Happy Thursday! It's hard to believe Thanksgiving was only a week ago. It somehow feels like it's been forever since I've had a break from school, but I know it's just because this time of the year gets so crazy with finals coming up. I mentioned my Thanksgiving a little bit, but I wanted to share a full recap of what my weekend looked like in Boston because it was so much fun.

Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas

How is Thanksgiving next week?! I'm so excited to spend the holiday in Boston this year with my dad's side of the family. Although my brother is abroad and neither of my parents are coming along, I know I'll have such a fun weekend in New England with my aunts, grandma, and cousins. I can't wait!

My Favorite Black Friday Sales

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that one of my favorite things about spending Thanksgiving in St. Louis every other year is the shopping we do on Black Friday. St. Louis has amazing shopping and three really big malls, which I consider a luxury coming from Wisconsin where we only got a Nordstrom as our first "high end" department store this year (not kidding). As usual, there are some amazing sales going on this weekend (you're probably just shocked to hear that ;) so below I'm sharing the ones I especially hope to be shopping!

Thankful

our Turkey at thanksgiving last year

Happy Thanksgiving! Today is one of my favorite holidays, no surprise there, not only because of the amazing food but the without-fail gratefulness that radiates around the holiday and makes me feel extra blessed for all of the little (and big!) things in our lives. It also always turns out to be a big event when I look back on the year or remember where I was at that time the year before. 

This Week's Top 10

1. THANKSGIVING IS SIX DAYS AWAY!!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. Pictured above is the delicious salad I made for Thanksgiving last year; I can't recommend it enough (soo good). If you need any ideas of what to wear, check out my Thanksgiving Outfit Guide with casual options, dressy options, and options in between!

2. Mango, one of my favorite online retailers, is having 30% off all of their sweaters this weekend. I shared my favorites in this blog post yesterday. I ordered this one and this one, but I especially love this one and this one too. All are under $100 with free shipping and returns!

3. I shared three more gift guides this week: perfect ideas for your mom, girlfriend, or friend who has everything! AKA: the three hardest girls to shop for :)

Thanksgiving Outfit Guide

I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is two weeks away. I feel like I say that every year, but the holidays are just so anticipated all year long that when they finally arrive it's like a dream come true! Thanksgiving is, of course, one of my favorite holidays. I'm excited to spend it with my mom's side of the family at my grandparent's house in St. Louis this year. Our Thanksgiving celebrations in St. Louis are always super casual, but I love wearing something cute and festive for the holiday. Below I am sharing casual, semi-dressy, and dressy outfits to indulge you in the ultimate Thanksgiving Outfit Guide (warning: lots of velvet, denim, and leather down below!)

My Thanksgiving Salad Recipe

You guys... How is it December first?! This year has flown by like crazy. I'm excited that in just about two and a half weeks I'll be all done with exams and en route home for a month of winter break, my annual cookie exchange with friends, and lots of relaxation. For now, it's another weekend away from school for me! I'm leaving this evening for Long Island where I'll be staying at my aunt's house tonight before we make our way to Rhode Island for the weekend to celebrate my Gramma's birthday. I'm so excited to see my aunts, my grandma, and a few of my cousins on my dad's side of the family this weekend because we missed them at our Thanksgiving and I'm spending Christmas with my mom.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I made a delicious salad for our dinner that I really couldn't have enjoyed more! I am not always the biggest salad person, but this baby could've been a meal on it's own because I couldn't stop eating it! I shared the recipe on Snapchat (@ franacciardo) last Thursday as I was making it and it turned out so, so delicious. Like, I seriously want to make it all the time once I get home and I can cook again! I originally planned to follow a recipe, but when you get to Whole Foods the day before the holiday and they're all out of Brussels sprouts, ya just gotta improvise, ya know? 

Anyways, this salad is incredible easy, healthy, and delicious. Triple threat; win, win, win! I loved tossing together a bunch of random autumn ingredients and witnessing the magic happen. 

What you'll need...

1 large bunch of lacinato kale, chopped into bites

Butternut squash, cubed and cooked

Pumpkin seeds

Pomegranate seeds

Feta cheese crumbles

Dried cranberries

Dressing of choice! I used Cindy's Kitchen Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Vinaigrette

What to do...

I hoped up my kale into bite sized pieces and did the same with our squash. I only used about half the squash and that worked out to be enough, but I do love squash and wouldn't have minded using more!

Tip on cooking the squash: Once you've cut the squash into bites, toss in a pot with water and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce to a simmer and remove the squash once you feel that the bites are soft/tender/basically: cooked.

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl, using as much or as little of each as you'd like. Finally, drizzle on a little dressing and toss again. I really didn't use a ton of dressing because the cheese, pomegranate seeds, and squash all already have some moisture and I didn't want the garlic in the dressing to overpower any of the natural flavors.

Let me know if you try this salad or something similar, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

xoxo

Our Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a lovely weekend with your family, friends, and loved ones! Heading in to the holiday, admittedly I was both sad not to be home yet eager to visit Texas for the first time. However, after returning from my trip Sunday night I feel nothing but gratitude for the weekend I had in Dallas with my dad and my brother celebrating one of my favorite holidays and at my most favorite time of the year.

I mentioned that I was excited to be able to cook a lot this weekend, and that's exactly what I did. I spent a ton of time on Thursday in the kitchen and the dining room, both cooking and setting our table. My dad and I picked up two colors of tulips at Whole Foods, along with mini pumpkins for our decor, and the 10-pound turkey that headed the table. I made my brother and my favorite traditional sweet potato casserole, caramelized green beans with shallots and almonds, roasted potatoes with sage, a delicious autumn salad, and our grandma's oyster stuffing. We had brioche buns on the side and pecan and pumpkin pies for dessert! Everything was delicious, and I'm so happy with how our celebration turned out!

Expect a few recipes coming up, and if you're sharing your Thanksgiving table on your blog/Instagram/social channels, comment the link below!! I'd love to hear/see what you ate and how you decorated and celebrated.

Happy Monday,

xoxo

BLACK FRIDAY ULTIMATE GUIDE!

Before we get down to all of the sales and steals going on today and this weekend, I hope you all had a very delicious and blessed Thanksgiving. If I say so myself, our meal was pretty delish, and I'm thankful for that because I didn't know if I'd be able to pull off all of that cooking, especially since I have never done something like this before. An added stressed that I didn't even think about beforehand: we only have one oven! At least now I've got this Thanksgiving experience under my belt and I can hopefully make this a tradition; I really do love cooking that much!

A little less about me, moving on to the gooooood stuff for the weekend! The sales this year are incredible!!! Here are all of the ones I could find and then below are my personal picks!!! At the bottom of the post you'll find my other shopping guides too, which you can just click the graphic to be taken to that post. 

Happy shopping!

TUCKERNUCK: 20% off site wide, 25% off $500 and 30% off $1000+ with codes GIVE20, GIVE25, and GIVE30
*I basically live in my Barbour. It's a staple! Tuckernuck also carries Jack Rogers and Loeffler Randall, both included in the sale.

J.CREW: 40% off everything in stores and online with code HOLIDAY 

J.CREW FACTORY: 50-60% off everything, prices as marked

MADEWELL: 25% off your entire purchase with code THATSALE
*If I were you, I'd just buy everything in their gift guide #hearteyes

ABERCROMBIE: 50% off everything

KATE SPADE: Surprise sale, up to 75% off

TORY BURCH: 30% off $250 or more with code THANKS
*Most shoes and bags are at least $250, so this is the best time to pick up a more expensive gift! You'll hit the $250 mark before you know it and that's $75 off right there!

NORDSTROM: Up to 40% off men's, women's and children's, no code needed

BLOOMINGDALES: 15% off $100 and 20% off $200+, no code needed

SHOPBOP: 15% off orders of $200, 20% off orders of $500 and 25% off orders of $800+ with code GOBIG16

ASOS: 30% off everything with code THANKFUL30

OLD NAVY: 50% off almost everything, discount applied at checkout

GAP: 50% off everything with code TGIF50

DOGEARED: 25% off site wide with code SHINE25

BAUBLE BAR: 30% off site wide with code THANKS30
*I wear this necklace every. single. day.

FRENCH CONNECTION: 40% off site wide with code F40BLF
*They have an incredible shoe collection, which includes my prom shoes (only $50 after the discount!) and this pair that I really want...

SERENA & LILY: 20% off site wide with code THANKYOU

URBAN OUTFITTERS: Buy one, get one 50% off all apparel, no code needed

MARK & GRAHAM: 25% off site wide + free monogramming with code FRIENDS
*You all know that I'm crazy about M&G. In particular, I love my everyday leather tote and my little leather zip case (both are simply essentials!)

 

Gift Guide for the Traveler // Gift Guide for the Hostess

 

Best boots under $200 // Cozy Holiday Pieces

 

Thanksgiving Style Guide // The HOLIDAY SHOP!

I'm heading to UT Austin today from Dallas for the UT-TCU football game, which I am really excited about! I've only heard great things about how fun Austin is, so I'm eager to visit!! I won't be shopping in stores today as a result, but I'd rather just shop online later, miss the lines, and enjoy family time and the warm Texas weather!
xoxo

Sales Currently ON!

Good morning from the airport!! If you're thinking about gifts, make sure to start shopping some of the great sales that have already started! Don't miss out, I've compiled them all below for you right here:

TUCKERNUCK: 20% off site wide, 25% off $500 and 30% off $1000+ with codes GIVE20, GIVE25, and GIVE30

J.CREW: 40% off everything in stores and online with code HOLIDAY 

J.CREW FACTORY: 50-60% off everything, prices as marked

MADEWELL: 25% off your entire purchase with code THATSALE

ABERCROMBIE: 50% off everything

KATE SPADE: Surprise sale, up to 75% off

TORY BURCH: 30% off $250 or more with code THANKS

NORDSTROM: Up to 40% off men's, women's and children's, no code needed

BLOOMINGDALES: 15% off $100 and 20% off $200+, no code needed

SHOPBOP: 15% off orders of $200, 20% off orders of $500 and 25% off orders of $800+ with code GOBIG16

ASOS: 30% off everything with code THANKFUL30

OLD NAVY: 50% off almost everything, discount applied at checkout

GAP: 50% off everything with code TGIF50

Happy shopping!

xoxo

Find more things to shop with...

Gift Guide for the Hostess



Gift Guide for the Traveler



Best boots under $200



Cozy Holiday Pieces



Thanksgiving Style Guide



... and the HOLIDAY SHOP!

Thanksgiving Outfit + Recipe Ideas

How is Thanksgiving just one week away?!

I'm heading to Dallas on Wednesday, which means we are celebrating the holiday at my Dad's new house for the first time! It's going to be a small one, just my brother and I are flying in. I've actually never been to Texas before, so this whole trip will emulate a lot of "firsts" for me.

Thanksgiving specifically will also be the first time that my dad has hosted for just us, so my aunts and my grandma won't be there to take charge of all of the cooking. Don't be fooled, yours truly is probably going to wind up doing most of the work, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't super excited about that. I've missed cooking a lot, and having a chance to cook whatever I want now that I'll be away from school for a few days is really giving me something to look forward to! I've already started looking up recipes and getting excited to be back in a real kitchen with real ingredients all at my fingertips... 

This is just a taste of what I'm thinking of doing for our Thanksgiving:

Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots and Almonds

Honey Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries and Feta

Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

Shredded Kale, Brussel Sprout, Cranberry and Almond Salad

How yummy do all of these recipes look?! I'm so excited just to eat healthy foods with clean and real ingredients again... ugh, my mouth is watering!

Another fun part of the holiday is having the whole family look festive and cute at the table in fall outfits. I pulled a little Thanksgiving outfit inspiration today as well:

plaid wrap // velvet watch

mock neck sweater (also love this funnel neck style) // v-neck sweater // bell sleeve sweater

ripped black jeans // black corduroys on sale! (also love this corduroy skirt)

heeled booties // over-the-knee boots // velvet flats

Omg, I want. it. all. The velvet trend is killing it right now, and imagining those pretty lace-up velvet flats with corduroys and a gorgeous bell sleeve sweater sounds like the most chic outfit ensemble you could do! That outfit is also a dressier way to wear pants if your Thanksgiving is nice but still on the casual side of things. 

Of course, with all of the eating to be done, oversized sweaters are the way to go. I love both the funnel neck / mock neck style, and a good, classic slouchy v-neck .. I definitely have overdone it in my wardrobe when it comes to cream colored sweaters, but I just need to conclude that the limit does not exist for those babes. Pair with casual ripped denim and booties or over-the-knee boots  and you've got an easy combo. Everything also would be so, so cute cozied up with a plaid wrap and that sleek velvet watch... I need!!

What are you planning to wear on Thanksgiving?

xoxo