Last week was very busy and stressful for me, so this weekend was a nice break. I left the city for a birthday party and then came down to Rhode Island to be here for the week. It’s so refreshing to have a change of scenery and a break from my normal routine! This week I am gearing up for a big family party on Saturday, plus the madness of Thanksgiving. - D

Getting ready for our Thanksgiving trip has been so exciting. I’m happy to be back to traveling and seeing family and I’m some warmer weather sounds like heaven right now! Trip prep mostly involved trying to wrangle my children out of their sweats and into more attractive clothing, which was not an easy task. (Have anyone else children completely lost the ability to wear anything with buttons??) I’m going to need a spa treatment when we get there just to recover from that, haha! -E

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What We’re Reading and Watching

• I have been so busy with my Real Housewives (Jen Shah’s arrest and Meredith’s bath! Watching Candiace finally get called out-although not nearly enough IMO-on Potomac! and the start of Girls Trip!) that I have not been able to keep up with any other shows this week. The girls did watch Princess Switch 3 this weekend and gave in an official verdict of “Awesome,” so I’m hoping that we’ll have time to watch it together this week! -E

• I’ve been reading Clean by James Hamlin for my morning nonfiction fix while I drink my coffee and I’m really enjoying it-it’s all about the way that the concept of cleanliness has evolved over history and what that means for our current soaping routines (hint-capitalism and class issues are definitely a driving force!). I love a good face mask routine, but this definitely has me seeing the other side of the coin as well. -E

• The Great is back on Hulu! I watched the first few episodes of the new season and it’s just as wild as ever. Catherine is four months pregnant, back in her war with Peter for power over Russia, and while she is trying to keep her optimism and not give into the brutal culture, Peter is still in love with her but just as insane as ever. I can’t wait to see how these two spar for the rest of it. - D

• Gossip Girl is coming back this week! Season 1 wasn’t perfect, but I’m still excited to see what they do in Season 2. -E

What We’re Buying

• I may have been diving too deep in my new found affection for Hobby Lobby this weekend. My car trunk is currently full of pastel bottle brush trees, all the plaid wrapping paper, and semi-insane amount of gingerbread house decorating supplies from a run on Saturday morning.-E

• I’ve been on a quest for the perfect white button down and just got this one from Frank and Eileen to test. I love the slightly textured fabric and boxy shape, but I need to see how it holds up over the course of the day. I’ll let you know how it goes! -E

• I started a new job recently and have been making a big push to get up in the mornings and walk/run early, so that I’m not stuck in my apartment all day. Unfortunately it’s been so cold that I really need to step up my outerwear game! I ordered this quilted anorak from Amazon, thinking it would it be the perfect layering piece on chilly mornings. - D

What We’re Making

• Ina saves the day! In a last minute dinner panic, I made her Lemon Chicken out of what I had in the pantry, added some noodles and green beans on the side and everyone was happy. A tear-free dinner with the kids is always a win! -E

• On Sunday, we had a perfect lunch of Ina Garten’s creamy tomato bisque, with grilled cheese sandwiches. It was so cozy and yummy, and I’m excited that there are leftovers for lunch this week. - D

• We’re traveling for Thanksgiving this week, which means that I don’t have to do all the cooking. I’m kind of happy about that, but I’m also sad to miss the soup that’s always the first course of the day, my dad’s signature stuffing, our mom’s baking, and the sweet potato casserole (lot’s of marshmallows please!) that Dinah and I both love. -E

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