Hey there- hope y’all had a great Thanksgiving, and that your post-holiday week hasn’t been too rough. I meant to have this post up several days ago, but it’s been a crazy week. It’s hard to believe that December is upon us, and we are in the final month of both the year and decade. I think that 2019 has definitely been the fastest year yet! It seems like we were just celebrating the 2018 holiday season. I’m so excited to share some Christmas content with y’all over the next few weeks. But first, I want to continue the tradition of recapping my favorite things from the previous month here on the blog. Keep reading for my November 2019 Favorites!
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Bonfire Season
I went to not one, but two bonfires during November. One of them was with the young adults group at my church. The other was with my BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) class. I loved bundling up in a cozy Sherpa and my Bean Boots, and enjoying s’mores and fellowship with good friends! Bonfires are definitely one of my favorite fall traditions. (For some bonfire style inspiration, check out this post.)
Tiger Cub Hugs
My friend Diane & I went to the Clemson game at NC State last month. In addition to witnessing a Clemson win in Wolfpack territory, we enjoyed random free Hardees that some food trucks were giving away for dinner in the parking lot, and some fun people watching. But the highlight of the night was getting to move to closer seats when all the NC State fans cleared out at half-time. This gave us the opportunity for a photo opp with Clemson’s mascots, The Tiger and The Cub. I got a big hug from The Cub, and love that it was captured in a photo! You can see some cold weather game day styling inspiration based on this game in this post.
Trip to Clemson
I finally made it down to Clemson for a home game in Death Valley! From 2016-2018, I went to anywhere from two to five Clemson home games, so it was a bit different only going down for one this year. However, I’ve had such a busy fall I honestly don’t think I could have made it down for a second game, and it was nice to save some travel money too!
My one trip down to South Carolina this year was a good one though. I took the day off from work the Friday of that weekend, and got to have coffee and run some errands with a good friend and mentor, who was my Bible Study leader when I used to live there. I got to see her sweet black lab as well. Although I’m not a dog person, I absolutely love labs!
Then I got to enjoy some fresh-baked cookies at the Hampton Inn. Pretty sure they are pre-made dough, but I always look forward to them! Of course, I loved getting to tailgate and be in Death Valley too. The highlight was getting a picture with the Tiger Cub, of course!
Lilly Pulitzer Swizzle In Pajama Pants
I am obsessed with the pair of knit Lilly Pulitzer pajama pants I bought during the September Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale, and had been wanting another pair. However, I definitely couldn’t justify paying full price! So when the “Swizzle In” citrus and pineapple print came out, I used a 20% off coupon to buy them from my local Lilly Pulitzer store, The Pink Pearl. I absolutely love them, and actually wore them most of Thanksgiving break! You can order them directly online here. I will definitely be on the lookout for another pair during the next After Party Sale. However, I’m glad I went ahead and bought these with my 20% off coupon, because it’s not always a guarantee that the print you like will be available in your size during the sale. And with the 20% discount, I only paid about $12 more than what I paid during the After Party Sale.
Friendsgiving at Cracker Barrel
The Friday before Thanksgiving, my BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) small group had a Friendsgiving meal at Cracker Barrel. This was my first time eating at Cracker Barrel in ages, and it hit the spot. Cracker Barrel was a nice location for this because we could eat Thanksgiving type food, but no one had to cook anything. My vegetable plate was delicious, and it was also fun to sit out in the rocking chairs while we waited for our table.
Thanksgiving
I have to mention Thanksgiving as a highlight of my November. I didn’t do anything major for Thanksgiving, but it was nice to have four days off work and a little break from the daily grind. On Thanksgiving Day I enjoyed watching the Macy’s Parade and Thanks-giving themed Friends episodes. My immediate family had a delicious spread of turkey, dressing, Mac & cheese, and green bean casserole. All the essentials, in my opinion. Dessert consisted of chocolate chess pie, which is actually the only kind of pie I really like!
Also, I was really thankful to get to spend some quality time with Blizzard, my family’s 15 year old cat. After losing Blizzard’s brother, Timex, less than three months ago, I’m really cherishing the time that God has given us to still love on our Blizzard. We definitely loved on Blizzard with lots of meat scraps over Thanksgiving. I mean, who can resist his begging face?!
DaySpring Goodies
One of the highlights of blogging this year has been working with DaySpring cards. I collaborated with them back in the spring to promote their Candace Cameron Bure line. Then they periodically send me items to share with y’all. In November DaySpring graciously sent me two items: this gorgeous cross necklace with promise box (featured in my Under $50 Gift Guide), and this Candace Cameron Bure (in)courage Devotional Bible. The cover of my new Bible is absolutely gorgeous. Even though the inside is what ultimately matters, I can’t help but love the cover. Special features of this Bible include a note from Candace Cameron Bure herself, over 300 devotionals written by women interspersed throughout the Bible, and women of the Bible character profiles. There’s also room at the bottom of each page for notes. The translation of this Bible is Christian Standard Bible (CSB), which is new to me, but I like it. (I’m most familiar with the NIV and ESV translations of the Bible.) Although this (in)courage Devotional Bible isn’t included in any of DaySpring’s sales, I still recommend picking it up for yourself or as a gift to encourage someone in their faith!
Candace Cameron Bure Coffee Table Book
Speaking of Candace Cameron Bure, one of my friends gave me this beautiful “Staying Stylish” coffee table book. This is a fun book where Candace shares her personal fashion, beauty, and life advice. I’m so thankful that godly role models like Candace Cameron Bure exist in the entertainment industry. She inspires me in how she never compromises her values to further her career, and she uses her public platform to share her faith. I also featured this book in my Under $50 Gift Guide, but just had to share it again here.
Duffy’s Turtle Friend, ‘Olu
If you’ve been following along with me for awhile, you know that I’m a huge fan of Duffy the Disney Bear. For those of you who are unfamiliar with him, he is Mickey’s teddy bear that Minnie made to keep Mickey from being homesick on a long overseas voyage. Check out this post for more about Duffy. Although Duffy is extremely popular at Tokyo Disney, he never quite took off in popularity in the US. Therefore, his meet & greet left Epcot back in 2015, and Duffy merchandise is limited in the US as well. Since Duffy remains popular in Asia, Disney has given him some additional friends in recent years, including a ukulele-playing turtle friend, ‘Olu, who is exclusive to Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii. So when ‘Olu became available for purchase on shopDisney at the beginning of November, I had to grab him while I could. At the time of publishing this post, my particular ‘Olu plush is sold out. However, you can still get a smaller ‘Olu who is wearing a Hawaiian outfit here. Now I just need shopDisney to make StellaLou (Duffy’s bunny rabbit friend) and CookieAnn (Duffy’s puppy friend) available for purchase in the continental US!
Billie Razor
In November, I also pulled the trigger and got a Billie razor. After seeing ads on my Facebook, I was intrigued, especially because my legs are really sensitive. The Billie Razor is encased in charcoal, so it’s not as drying or irritating while still giving a close shave. Since its no longer shorts weather, I am currently not shaving as often as I do during the warmer season. However, I’ve been very pleased the handful of times that I’ve used mine. The refill is only $9 for four razor cartridges, plus free shipping, which is less expensive than picking up a refill of Venus cartridges from Target. Although the Bille razor blade has the nice charcoal around it, I still use shaving cream. I actually tried the Billie shaving cream, because it’s free from artificial fragrance and other ingredients that I avoid in personal care products now. I’m pleased with it so far. You can shop the Bille razor here, and the shaving cream here.
Celebrating Blog Growth
My Instagram following hasn’t increased significantly since this time last year, but that’s okay! I’m celebrating having nearly three times as many monthly views on my blog, and an even bigger increase in traffic from search engines. I also made significantly more affiliate sales during weeks surrounding Thanksgiving than I did this time last year, and I’m so thankful for y’all’s support. Blog posts I wrote 10-12 months ago laid the groundwork for the success in affiliate sales I had during November. God is showing me that consistently showing up even when I’m not seeing immediate results will eventually pay off. You can read more about my thoughts on Instagram in this post.
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Hope you enjoyed reading all about my November 2019 Favorites. As always, thanks for reading! What were some of the highlights of your November 2019?
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-xoxo Liz
