THANKSGIVING: Getting Ready for the Big Day

*This post is created in collaboration with Macy’s, but all opinions and holiday countdown excitement are my own. Thank you for supporting Southern State of Mind sponsors!* #macyslove #ad

Hi friends! Hope you had a wonderful fall weekend. And more importantly that your children have decided what they will be for Halloween. And that they won’t change their minds 10 times over the next few days. #amiright?

Y’ALL! In just a few days it will be November and I have Thanksgiving (and let’s be honest- even Christmas!) on my mind.  I like to take this time of year to start prepping for the busy days ahead. I know since we are in a new house this year, holiday decorating is definitely going to be a fun new challenge and my wheels-are-a-spinning. 

Do you have your plans for Thanksgiving yet?  Are you hosting your family? Or maybe you are having a Friendsgiving this year? Whether you are hosting family or friends, I thought I would share a few tips for how I reduce my stress level when hosting during the holidays. I hope you feel inspired to start getting ready now! (You will thank me later when you have more time to eat pie and shop…)

1. Set the Table-COMPLETELY.  No matter how big or small and formal or informal our Thanksgiving is, I always set the table before the actual day. This goes right down to the glasses and silverware. I find that it is SO much more enjoyable to turn on some tunes and pull out the china and dishes when you are not trying to cram it in the day of. This way I can spend some time tweaking it and even pull out fancy-schmancy name cards if my heart desires! When you see a beautiful table set, you better believe that the holiday hostess did not wait until the last minute. My guess is that it took a couple days to get it right. 
   
2. Prep the Kitchen.  One thing about moving is that you are forced to evaluate everything you own before you pack it up into a box. As I packed up our kitchen at the last house it became apparent that our mismatched collection of pots and pans looked more appropriate for a college apartment. This Christmas we will be married 13 years and even some of our really nice wedding gifts were really showing their age so it was time for some new kitchen items. This new set of Rachael Ray pans will be great for preparing all of our food! I love the muted sea salt gray color with the new kitchen.   Slow Cooker  |  Rachael Ray Pans  |  KitchenAid Mixer  

    

3. Simplify the Menu: When planning a bigger meal, I like to choose at least one menu item I can set and forget.  It’s no surprise that I rely on my slow cooker year round, but this time of year I especially love it. This year I can’t wait to try to make a Butternut Squash soup with my new Crux Slow Cooker. It is so elegant and I love the copper details. It is so much bigger than my old one AND it has a timer. #lifechanging 
                                                          Slow Cooker  |  Rachael Ray Pans  |  KitchenAid Mixer But that isn’t even the best part. Check out the built in lid holder. BRILLIANT.
   Yay for new technology on a classic!

   
   

4.  What to Wear. This may sound odd, but believe me there have been way too many times I wait until the last minute to get dressed and then I end up with a bigger mess in my closet than in the kitchen. I find that deciding what to wear beforehand is a huge help! Bonus points if your pants are stretchy 🙂
   
   
5. Playlist. I can’t say enough about this one. Find a station you love or create a playlist on your phone.  And if you haven’t heard Leon Bridges yet go ahead and ask Alexa to play it for you. #youarewelcome
6. Find Ways to Keep it Simple. It can be easy to get carried away with lots of homemade menu items but my vote is to keep it simple. Listen, if you enjoy making home made pie then go for it. But if you want to grab a prepared one, go for it! One trick I do is to make homemade whipped cream for the top of my prepared pie.  Yay for semi-homemade.  And can we just talk about this blue KitchenAid Mixer? It’s currently on sale at Macy’s and I am not sure how I lived without if before.  
   
7.  Go Big- Once. I cannot stress tip 6 above enough and I do think keeping it simple is the way to go but I find that making one big statement goes a long way. There is no need to decorate every nook and cranny but guests will take notice with one pretty centerpiece or floral arrangement. As you will see up in my table setting picture- I spray painted my pumpkins gold for my Thanksgiving table setting. Here you can how I am using them in a centerpiece with sunflowers and hydrangeas. If you are like me, you can’t resist these little pumpkins for Halloween. There are lots of simple ways you can use them to make a statement piece for your centerpiece or floral arrangement for Thanksgiving too! Slow Cooker   |  Rachael Ray Pans  |  Kitchen-aid Mixer

What are you doing now to get ready for the holidays? Have you taken a look in your cabinets lately? Right now Macy’s is having a Home Sale perfect for prepping your kitchen. You can save 30-50% off and an extra 10-15% off with promo code Bday. The sale runs from 10/24/17-10/29/17.

Here are some of the items included:

1. Save $100 Off Hard Anodized All Clad Sets! The Main Course The Cornerstone of the Chefs Kitchen- All Clad Stainless Steel 7 PC Set
2. 30% -50% off Select Cookware sets featuring $119.99 after $30 MIR featuring NEW RACHAEL RAY GRAYCOOKWARE E-V-O-O AND Sea Salt Gray Holiday Meal Essentials 
3. Calphalon Sets are an extra 15% off their sale price

We see you Thanksgiving, and we will be ready!

xoxo-

Heather