What's Up November!

Hello & Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

I'm linking up with Sheaffer and Shay today to recap the month of November!

What we're eating this week...

This week I'm keeping our menu super simple ;)

Monday - Spaghetti & Garlic Bread

Tuesday - Breakfast for Dinner

Wednesday - Steak & Potatoes at my in-laws' house

Thursday - Sunday - All the Thanksgiving goodness!

What I'm reminiscing about...

My baby is going to be 8 years old in a week!

I can't believe it!

Time please slow down a little bit!

What I'm loving...

All the fun times we have been having with friends!

We just went to our first Friendsgiving and had the best time!

What we've been up to...

Celebrating birthdays!

Cheering on the high school soccer team

Basketball practices

Celebrating babies on the way

What I'm dreading...

Nothing right now :)

What I'm working on...

Christmas lists!

I need to get things ordered ASAP!

This list is a perfect way to keep things in order.

What I'm excited about...

Having the next 4 1/2 days off work to spend with family and friends :)

Bring on all the food, fun, football and more!

What I'm watching/reading...

I just finished Dancing with the Stars this week and I am SO bummed about the results :(

I still think James, Kel or Ally should have won.

Still watching This Is Us, A Million Little Things,

The Blacklist and Blue Bloods too!

I've also been adding in all the Christmas movies on the Hallmark and Lifetime channels.

And don't forget about All The Football!!!

What I'm listening to...

I started pumping the Christmas music since the week of Halloween and I haven't stopped!

What I'm wearing...

This super cute Bomber Jacket (named after me..EEK!),

Walmart is killin' it once again!

This tunic style sweater is currently just $10!!!

What I'm doing this weekend...

Getting things ready for Xavier's video game themed birthday party next week at the trampoline party,

and watching two big football games on Saturday and Sunday ;)

Hyde Graphics shared this on Instagram and I thought it was pretty perfect ;)

What I'm looking forward to next month...

Oh my goodness! Everything! lol!

Celebrating X's 8th birthday

Basketball games officially begin

Heading to Cleveland to watch the Browns take on the Bengals

Friends-Mas!

My birthday

Christmas

New Year's

Yep, pretty much everything!

What else is new...

The home remodel/rebuild is going strong!

Everyday new things are happening which definitely puts a smile on my face :)

You can check it all out here!

XOXO ~ Vanessa

The Friday Faves #47

This week has been straight up crazy to be honest.

We had a huge software update over the weekend for work, and now it is like learning to ride a bike all over again.
Add all the normal life things to that and I am completely exhausted and in need of a drink 😉

But it is Friday!
And that means it is time to celebrate the good moments of the week with Andrea, Narci & Erika!

We kicked off the weekend a bit early watching the Browns take on the Steelers Thursday night.

It was such an odd and unsettling ending to what was a great win by the Browns.

Moving on...

I saw this on Instagram and knew I had to reshare it!

100% my life these days :(

Due to that big software update at work, Mic and I took advantage of an afternoon off.

We headed to Columbus for some lunch and to hit up a tile store we really wanted to check out.

We might have found our black tile finally! 🙌🙌🙌

That evening I swung into Walmart for a couple things and decided to check out the sweaters.

This black tunic style sweater came home with me (and I might be going back for those plaid pants),

as well as the purple one in the pic below.

They are both so soft and super cheap!

On Saturday I attended a super sweet and intimate baby shower.

It was full of laughs, stories and maybe a little bit of wine ;)

I'm not typically a lemon fan, but this blueberry lemon cake was so good!

By Saturday evening I was home enjoying a cup of coffee, rockin' my holiday leggings, and watching some Hallmark Christmas movies :)

#thisis40 🤣

We have been on a kick of watching Christmas movies each night together.

We watched The Christmas Chronicles (which we love), The Grinch, and Arthur Christmas.

In blog news...

I shared this super soft, amazing bomber jacket that the lovely ladies at Belong Lifestyle named after me!

Make sure you check out their site and use code VANESSA for 10% off your order!

And don't forget about that exchange rate us US gals get to take advantage of!

I also shared another mini home update!

Head here to check it out!

This week has been full of basketball practice for X!

Last night I headed north for a little pre-Thanksgiving celebration with my aunt at her nursing home.

So glad I was able to see her ☺️

I'm looking forward to an evening of nothing tonight after a busy week!

Tomorrow we are cheering on the Buckeyes against Penn State, and then attending our first Friendsgiving!

Sunday afternoon is all about Cleveland Browns football again!

Do you celebrate Thanksgiving with friends?

I would love to hear all about it in the comments below!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Have a great weekend!

XOXO ~ Vanessa

Our Home Renovation | Mini Update #4

Today I have another little update for you :)

In case you missed any of my home renovation posts, you can check them all out below.

Let The Remodeling Begin

Update #1

X's Bedroom

X's Bathroom

Laundry/Mudroom

Pantry

Update #2

Master Bedroom

Fall Decor

Master Closet & Bathroom

Exterior

Mini Update #3

Family & Dining Room

Kitchen

A few weeks ago our garage doors went in!

I absolutely love them!
It makes such a difference looking at the house now!

They also poured the cement in the garage, the driveway, and the walkway up to the front door.

A few other things have also been completed.

Furnace, propane tank buried and filled, and water and electric are being run this week.

Next up, dry wall! 🙌🙌🙌

I know it isn't much to look at, but it sure is exciting!

We still don't have a possible move-in date, but we know we are much closer than we were :)

And that's all for today!
Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO ~ Vanessa

The Vanessa Jacket

I am so excited about today's collaboration!

I "met" the lovely ladies who started Belong Lifestyle way back in 2014 during a style challenge we all took part in.

While I haven't met them in person...yet (2020 is our year), I know they are genuinely the nicest of people!

And they definitely have an eye for fashion! 

When Lana contacted me (and a few other ladies) about doing a collaboration with them we couldn't say YES fast enough :)
We each were able to select a few pieces that we thought might be "us".
From there, those wonderful ladies narrowed it down to the final piece.
 I honestly didn't know what the actual piece would be until right before my package arrived.

I am excited to have the suede-like bomber jacket named after me!
It is so soft, so stylish, and so ME!!!
Thank you Lana, Deena & Abbie for this amazing jacket!




Now on with how I styled it!

For work I paired it with a black top and pants, and the jacket was easily the focal point of my outfit :)

For a afternoon of running errands I threw the jacket on with a fun graphic tee, some skinny jeans, my go-to combat boots, and sunglasses :)

You could easily style this jacket with a dress or leggings too.
It really is a go with anything type of jacket!

I think you would love adding The Vanessa Bomber to your wardrobe as well!
Belong Lifestyle is offering all my followers 10% off your order with code VANESSA.

But don't stop with just this jacket...
Lana, Deena & Abbie have done an amazing job hand picking new pieces, as well as some gorgeous consigned pieces to add to their shop.

One more thing before you go....
The shop is based in Canada which means all of us US residents get to take advantage of an amazing exchange rate!
Plus, they offer $5 flat rate shipping.
Which again is less for us US gals :)

So what are you waiting for?
Head over to Belong Lifestyle now to check out all the wonderful items they have to offer!

Thank you again to the amazing ladies at Belong Lifestyle for naming this gorgeous piece after me!


XOXO ~ Vanessa

Linking up with Nancy's Fashion Style.

The Friday Faves #46

It's FRIDAY!!!

Linking up with Andrea, Narci and Erika for another week of...

Over the weekend we celebrated my Grandma's 85th birthday!

So glad we were able to be there :)

And I loved getting to catch up with my cousin :)

X and my youngest cousin (14 years old) Kalen :)

While celebrating my Grandma, my mom made me a cup of this delicious coffee!!!!

I don't typically like flavored coffees.
I usually just add flavored creamers instead.
But this stuff is GOOD!
Just a little bit of some almond milk (or whatever you like) and it is yummy!!!!

I saw this on Facebook and couldn't agree more!

 More basketball practice for X this week!

The coach even had them playing shirts vs. skins! lol! 

I headed south to Columbus for a Stella & Dot party at a friends' house.

I took 0 pictures :/

I made a quick run to Target for a gift and couldn't help walking through the women's clothing section.

So many cute coats and sweaters!

This camo puffer is only $30 (online it is $25)!

Look at all these sweaters/pullovers on sale for just $15!
Shop all sweaters here.

All the heart eyes for this buffalo plaid coat ($35).

My Target was fully stocked on holiday pajamas and Ugly Sweaters for the whole family!
Make sure you check out your local store or hop online soon though, because they are sure to sell out quickly!


On the blog this week I shared some tips on hosting a party or family gathering.

And I shared a little peek into our plans for our kitchen in my home renovation series.

As I am typing this (Thursday afternoon), my fingers are crossed for another big W for the Cleveland Browns tonight as they take on those stinky Pittsburgh Steelers for Thursday Night Football.

GO BROWNS!!!!


And that is it for the week!


XOXO ~ Vanessa