Thanksgiving 2023 Recap!

We had a wonderful long Thanksgiving weekend! Here’s a recap of our time with family. 

How was your Thanksgiving weekend? We spent time with lots of different family members, and it was a great feast. (My burnt orange dress was the perfect choice – so comfortable!)

Luckily, everything went smoothly and no one got sick! Our new kitchen and dining room were so lovely to entertain in. I can’t say how much the extra space shined with a dozen people in the house! From the extra areas I planned during the renovation to tuck away casserole carriers to the extra sink and drink station to the long bar area – the space was perfect. 

The new Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail recipe I’m working on was a hit!

I spent a good amount of time in my new sauna blanket (OBSESSED!), and did more shopping than usual this year too. The Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals seemed extra good this year! Beautycounter changed its offer from 20% off + a free gift to a flat 30% off the whole site yesterday, so if you’re on the market for some clean skincare, makeup, self-care gifts, or body product, this is by far the best deal offered all year. 

Here’s the recap rewinding back to Tuesday…

Thanksgiving 2023 Recap!

Mom + Dad Arrived

My parents arrived on Tuesday and it was so fun for them to get to see our new house for the first time!

Gus got his annual gift from Grammie and tore it apart in minutes:

Birch got a new Star Wars book that they read many times over!

Al Carbon

For dinner on Tuesday we ordered my parents’ favorite Cville takeout – Al Carbon chicken! It’s so good, and the sauces and plantains are the best.

Fitness + Sauna Relax

On Wednesday they babysat the boys while Thomas and I went to a gym class together. And then we took turns in the HigherDOSE sauna blanket. I bought it 20% off while it’s on sale this week, and it arrived on Wednesday.

We are both sauna people and like to sweat. We have both used it everyday since it arrived on Wednesday! I plan to do a review blog post, but the short review is that it’s VERY hot (and I’m only on level 5), easy to use, easy to store under a bed or in the back of a closet. It’s also just so relaxing with layers of infrared heat, charcoal, crystals (!) and clay – the benefits are not just about heat (check out their website for more inf0). We’ve been putting on guided meditations. I did end up buying the towel inserts to go with it because I know they will enhance the experience! 

Baking like a turkey!

Birch even loves it (but don’t worry, we have it on the lowest lukewarm setting for him!).

Lunch at Botanical

Dad and Thomas took the kids to Get Air trampoline park while Mom and I got a rare kid-free ladies lunch at Botanical! She loves cauliflower and naturally we had the sticky cauli bowls and split a jam bar.

Date Night at Conmole

After we did some Thanksgiving side cooking, Thomas and I dressed up for a date night at Conmole! (Mom and Dad took the boys to Riverside.) We had margs, tamales, empanadas, and a chicken mole that was fantastic. Plus a chocolate tres leches cake! 

Thanksgiving Prep

After all the talk of being prepared for Thanksgiving, this is what my dining table looked like at 10 a.m.:

But we fixed that right up! I love setting a table. 

While I did house things, Thomas did food things and roasted the turkey. 

Thanksgiving Dinner

Our guests arrived at 1 p.m., and we had a cheese board and champagne while we finished cooking and watching football. We had such beautiful porch weather that I do wish we had moved the table out!

The Crew

(minus Nash who came later!)

Late night pie selection!

Black Friday + The Rest Of The Weekend

Friday morning the robot vac was the first person up cleaning up all the crumbs! (The one I have is $300 off today!)

I had a cranberry sauce yogurt bowl for breakfast and then a turkey + sweet potato spinach salad for lunch. 

Kung Fu Tea

Mazen was dying to take. my parents to Kung Fu Tea for boba, so we made that their farewell stop before they headed home to Hillsborough. Mango slush for all!

Trolls Movie

Thomas went golfing for the afternoon, so I took the boys to see the Trolls movie! It was great – I loved it!

Thanksgiving Re-Do!

On Friday night we had Thanksgiving again, including some hot pie in a mug!

Saturday With Layton!

On Saturday I went to my favorite workout class, and then got dressed because Layton came to spend the day/night with us!

Turkey Sliders for lunch

Beef Stew

We went to the grocery store and picked up ingredients for a hearty beef stew. It took a few hours to simmer in the oven, but boy was it worth it. We used both stew beef and short ribs plus potatoes, leeks, carrots, celery, green beans, broth, and red wine. 

On Sunday morning Layton and I went to yoga together and had a low-key, relaxing rest of the day. I’m pumped to have a nice quiet week after the busy holiday. Until Christmas picks up in full swing!