Hi there! Well, it’s been quite a while since the last Friday Five but I wanted to bring it back this week because I know how much y’all love it! I’m going to start asking y’all ahead of time what categories y’all want because I always want them to be more geared toward what you’re looking for from me. But, I did my best and geared this one towards you the best I could based on questions received on Snapchat, email, etc. Enjoy! xo.

I’m so excited that the holidays are upon us and I’ve seen so many amazing garments that will help you celebrate the season in style! I love this tartan button-up top and this adorable ‘ugly’ Christmas sweater! I may or may not wear it ice-skating in Somerset House in a couple weeks, hah! Can’t wait to bundle up with some cider in this buffalo check blanket wrap by a fire when I head out to somewhere super fun this coming week! It’s literally MASSIVE and so warm! Stay tuned on where that is .. 😉 

When I need a little mental break during the day, I often go to Pinterest to just get lost in some great inspiration. Here are five recent pins that really caught my attention:

[original source | see it on my pinterest page here]

This living room is such a dream! I love the mix of metals, the pastels mixed with neutrals, the girly and cozy qualities of it all but, especially, the brick wall. I think it’s [unexpectedly] what pulls it all together. 

[original source | see it on my pinterest page here]

I don’t know where this is but, it’s beautiful. I will never get tired of how beautiful the leaves are when they change in the Fall.

[original source | see it on my pinterest page here]

I love clean and simple. I love bright white with gray and gold in a bedroom. That’s mostly what I have. So, this bedroom really got my attention. I think it’s so pretty!

[original source | see it on my pinterest page here]

This resonates with me and what I’ve got going on in my life right now. I think We all just need to believe that it’s all going to be okay.

[original source | see it on my pinterest page here]

I mean … swoon! This is actually a dress you CAN buy for your wedding. Find it here.

Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks away and, even though I am so sad I won’t be with my family, I have some exciting plans to celebrate one of my favorite American holidays here in London. My friend, Sarah, is having a Thanksgiving feast. Her and I went to college together, although she was a few years older than me. Every year since her and her husband have lived here, they have had their closest English friends come over for Thanksgiving dinner to help them make London feel a little more like home. My sweet photographer, and friend, Victoria, is also having a Thanksgiving feast to celebrate, as well! And, then … Whitney and I are going to have people over on Thanksgiving, as well. Thankfully, all of these are on different days … so we’ll be eating really well ALL week hah! 

I’ve started to get a few recipes together to whip up for all of these feasts and, if you’re like me, you like recipes that are delicious but pretty simple to make! I am no Martha Stewart in the kitchen! Plus, I am working with limited means being that I am renting a flat and they might not have EVERYTHING that I would at home. So, the simpler the better!

With all that said, I thought it would be fun to share five fairly simple recipes I have found on Pinterest to help me either thank my host for having us or wow my guests and cause them to feel a food coma coming on! Here’s what I found:

• CINNAMON HONEY BUTTER – I’ve never tried this recipe but it sounds SO delicious and would be great to drizzle over croissants or biscuits! I’m planning on making this for Sarah & Victoria as a thank you for hosting such a fun and festive feast!

[credit]

• SOUTHERN STYLE MACARONI & CHEESE – Aside from Ruffles Original Potato Chips, macaroni and cheese is my other guilty pleasure in terms of food! The women on my mom’s side of the family have always made THE BEST macaroni and cheese. I don’t have that recipe with me nor do I know it by heart, but this Southern Style Macaroni & Cheese is essentially what it is. For me, it’s all about the cheese you use. While I like trying different kinds, my absolute favorite to use is Sharp Cheddar cheese so, if you use that, you’ll do a great job with this recipe!

[credit]

• SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE – This recipe is a staple on most people’s tables for Thanksgiving and, while it isn’t my personal favorite, it is super easy to whip up to help the host have one less dish to make! 

[credit] 

• BACON WRAPPED GREEN BEAN BUNDLES – When my mom was alive, she knew the way to our family’s heart: BACON. She would make these bacon wrapped green bean bundles for every major holiday. However, she used a dijon mustard to garnish them instead of the brown sugar garlic wash. I’m sure this recipe is just as tasty. I can’t wait to try it!

[credit]

• NO BAKE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE – Anyone else love pumpkin? Anyone else love cheesecake? This is literally the easiest cheesecake recipe and so delicious! I’ve used it before. TIP: Make sure you take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator a few hours before making this dessert in order to make mixing easier. 

[credit]

You’ll have to let me know if you make any of these for your feasts and how you like them! xo.

This is my favorite time of year to shop. I may be from Florida but I will take cold weather clothes over warm weather clothes ANY DAY. I love bundling up in sweaters and scarves and jackets and boots. Most of these items are affordable and you will likely be seeing me style them at some point soon! 🙂

 • Donald Trump is going to be our President. What?! I’ll say it. I was surprised. I couldn’t stay awake to watch it all unfold in real time. Senator Clinton called Trump around the time that my alarm went off at 7:30am, and Whitney had already been up and heard the news. This election was absolutely crazy and historic in so many ways, and it was so interesting watching it all unfold here in London. 

Don’t worry. I won’t discuss the in’s and out’s of my personal beliefs on specific issues or opinions on individual candidates here on the blog. And, honestly, it doesn’t really matter to me who you voted for. We are all entitled to a choice and we all made our individual choices on Tuesday.

Now that I’m 30, I have been voting long enough to have experienced both excitement and disappointment by the outcomes of the past four elections but, at the end of the day, I think respect for that outcome and respect for each other and our future leaders is so important. Also, remember that the way we respond is seen by the world. Literally, everywhere I go, the minute that a London-er realizes I am an American, they either treat me differently or they ask me about the election. The behavior of Americans right now translates into how they view us as a country. Wouldn’t it be amazing if they viewed us as loving, gracious and full of respect? xo.

• Brrr! This week, it has been absolutely freezing! I need to find some warm gloves. I think I’m going to invest in a good pair, like these. 

• Things won’t always go according to your plan, and you just need to get over it. While my London experience has been absolutely amazing and I really do NOT want it to end, there have been some hiccups along the way that have gone against the way I thought things would go. The latest was the fact that I was supposed to move in to this flat on Monday, but due to a super slow bank transfer, I had to wait until Tuesday – which messed up a photoshoot on Wednesday and meant I had to move all by little self because Whitney already had plans to go to Cambridge that day. While that doesn’t seem like a big deal – and it, honestly, really isn’t – it frustrated me because if it had just gone my way, my week would have been more productive, or whatever. I also had some annoying SPAM / Hacker issues this week that pushed back blog post production and took up a lot of time. Again, not the biggest deal in the world. I am grateful these issues weren’t any worse than they were because I know they could have been. 

But, this has always been something I’ve struggled with, and after a long time, it seemed to resurface this week, which can be frustrating. I first realized this was an issue of mine when I was a nurse. Unexpected events come up ALL the time during your 12-hour shift and you’re still responsible for getting all your orders taken care, administering all of your patients medications, drawing all their labs, documenting all appropriate items that need to be, etc. Eventually, I got over it and knew that anything goes on your 12-hour shift and you have to just get over it and roll with it. I need to start applying that to daily life, especially living in London, where new and unexpected things are and will continue to happen all the time. Ultimately, I believe God is challenging me to remember He is in control, and not me. ‘Jesus take the wheel … You know better.’ What have you been struggling with this week?

• Change can be good. I think a lot of us let fear prevent us from making changes in our lives that we either want to make or know we should make. Waiting for the bank transfer to clear was frustrating and moving in to it all by myself this week was stressful but, after I got all unpacked, it was so gratifying to be able to experience and enjoy what I sought out … a more spacious flat for the last five weeks of my stay here in London. Change isn’t going to be easy but, eventually, it will be worth it. 

• My two obsessions this week are ‘The Queen’ on Netflix & ‘Girl On The Train’ by Paula Hawkins. I’ve been reading ‘Girl On The Train’ for awhile but it’s just now getting really, really good. I am still not sure who I think did it and I can’t wait to find out! I want to see the movie. Has anyone seen it? ‘The Queen’ on Netflix makes me think of my mom. As some of y’all may know, being that I’ve shared this before, she loved the British Monarchy and British & European History. I know she would have been so excited about this series and there are so many facts that I remember her telling me about the royal family that are shared in it. I sure do miss that woman, and I am thankful her loves have rubbed off on me. 

And that does it for the latest edition of The Friday Five! Sorry it was a bit late … doing the best I can over here 😉 Love you guys!! Enjoy your weekend! xo.

SALE ALERT: Gigi New York is offering 20% off site wide + $8.00 flat rate shipping on all orders!