Friday Things #343
1. Over the last week or so, Dominic has asked me to sit next to his crib after we say goodnight and he falls asleep in just a few minutes. And a few nights ago, Joseph got scared by some headlights he saw through his blinds and since then he has asked if I could sit by his bed and hold his hand. Within a minute, he’s sawing logs. A couple of years ago, both things would have stressed me out and made me wonder if I was creating some kind of sleep crutch and I would have worried that I was going to ruin their sleep habits forever. Thankfully, in just these few short years, I’ve learned that nearly EVERYTHING is a phase and will not last forever and to just savor the little moments, even if they come at the end of a long, exhausting, and harried day. So, I sit with Dominic and listen to his breathing rise and fall rhythmically as he drifts off, and I let Joseph’s little hand clutch my fingers until he falls asleep and naturally lets go, knowing that I’ll always be there to reassure him and make him feel safe. I want to keep these babes little forever.
2. And Isabelle has just seemed to grow into a little toddler almost overnight, it’s crazy. She’s saying tons words, understands SO MUCH (one day I reminded the boys to take their shoes off after we got home then looked over and she was sitting in the mudroom, took off her shoes and put them in the cabinet – I had no idea she even knew how to take them off herself, LOL!) and is very, ahem, vocal about what she wants, ha! I suppose as the youngest of three and the only girl she’s found her way.
3. What’s been your favorite cookbook purchase of the year? I’d love to get a good list going!
4. Do you have a dedicated hot chocolate mug for the holidays? I feel like I need one and this one could not be any more fitting for exactly how I like to spend every moment of Thanksgiving through New Year’s :)
5. I love this:
6. Have you made a holiday baking list yet? Do you always make the same things for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas? I can’t get peanut butter fudge out of my head!
7. I talked last week about not liking scary movies, but a haunted manor tour in Tennessee takes things to an incredibly insane level. Apparently, if you finish you get $20,000 but no one ever has. That would be a massive hard pass for me, eeeek!
8. World Series! Who are you rooting for? Me: Houston!
9. We’re still going through DCI Banks, but just saw that the new season of Peaky Blinders is up on Netflix – can’t wait to binge that one! Has anyone watched yet?
10. TGIF! Look at that face!
I haven’t purchased any cookbooks so far this year, but I’m thinking about Felidia by Lidia Bastianich. One I like very much is My Kitchen in Rome by Rachel Roddy. It’s a memoir with recipes.
We don’t do a lot of baking for the holidays. I make iced sour cream sugar cookies and someone will make pumpkin pie. Depending on who is here there may also be a pecan pie.
I like this Emerson quote:
Success
“What is success?
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch Or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Look at that face indeed! Sweet! And those kids of yours, precious beyond words! I loved the writing from Ralph Waldo Emerson, I may have to get that framed or make a copy of it and stick it on my refrigerator. Thank you!
Let’s go Astros👊👊👊
Somehow we had missed Peaky Blinders previously and after hubby’s surgery just binged all the seasons including the recent one. Love Cillian Murphy and the rest of the cast. Rhetorical question only: who has the best blue eyes, Cillian Murphy or Travis Fimmel (Ragnar in Vikings)???
One thing I will make again this fall is the Maple Brown Sugar cookies on Sally’s Baking Addiction:
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/maple-brown-sugar-cookies/
They are an ultimate fall cookie! People asked for the recipe
I feel like I could have written that first part myself…all the short little seasons of parenting go so fast. My oldest is 7 and my youngest is almost 2 and there are two in between so they’re close in age and it’s exhausting but I try to never say no to them asking me to sit with them at night. It’s not every night and it comes and goes but oh those nights I think to myself that they are so little still and all their problems and fears I can fix by hugs and snuggles. Someday I’m sure I’ll sit there when they are big and they don’t know it and I won’t be able to fix the problems they have. So I’ll embrace being able to while I can.
I so enjoy re-reading Friday posts at the end of the day too. I get to see all of the ideas, lists, cookbook faves. You know you’re getting older when you’re happy being home on a Friday night reading a cooking blog😊 my baking list is probably the shortest. I admire all of the incredibly ambitious lists below. I’m planning to make some banana bread this weekend. I have some super ripe bananas.
P.s.
Please pray for the people and animals by these fires out in ca.
My almost-3-year-old has been asking to hold my hand at bedtime too. And as much as I love it, like you said, I don’t want it to become a crutch… thanks for easing my mind a bit. :-)
I bought Bravetart (Stella Parks) this year and LOVE it. Highly, highly recommended. By far my favorite cookbook. Nashville Eats is another good one!
I haven’t made my holiday baking list yet. I usually do an assortment of 4-5 things for my husband’s coworkers – anything from apple cider caramels to oatmeal scotchies to puppy chow to M&M cookies to pumpkin bread… I just love to bake! I’ve been working on my laminated doughs and sourdough breads, so maybe those will make an appearance this year.
My favorite cookbook of the year is Cook once eat all week! But I think I heard about it from you so you must know already :)
Forgot to say I do make a lot of the same things for Christmas and Thanksgiving. It wouldn’t be holiday time without my mom’s cornbread/biscuit dressing, sweet potato soufflé with toasted marshmallows or toasted pecan topping (I alternate) and black cherry cola jello salad plus many veggies.
Thanks giving I usually do pumpkin pie and pumpkin cake roll. Christmas I do pecan pie, red velvet cake with French cream frosting, coconut cake, and my mom’s lemon pecan cake. If I don’t do lemon pecan cake I do Italian Cream cake w/black walnuts.
I use to make about 7 different kinds of candy at Christmas to give as gifts. Now I do just 3 different fudge recipes in 5 lb quantities- dark chocolate fudge, caramel/penuche, and peanut butter.
Kitchen always smell good when you are baking!😊
Enjoyed every word of this and those precious children… love the dog!!!! Enjoy them now…they will grow up….mine r 41/42… still call them my kids. Lol
Hi Michelle! I love your blog. I’m a long time follower. I know how busy you must be. I emailed you a couple of weeks ago. I was inquiring about Golden Retrievers!!! My husband are thinking about getting one. I just wondered if you use a breeder ? Or how you found your precious Einstein, Duke, and Judy? Thanks in advance. Hugs to you and yours❤️ Tina
Hi Tina, Oh no! I just went back through and don’t see an email from you. Can you resend it??
Can’t wait to start holiday baking! I usually stick to my usual:
Chocolate & Peanut Butter Fudge
Snowballs
Birds Nests
Mini Brownies with peanut butter cup in the middle
Iced Sugar Cookies
Gingerbread
Pizzelles
Spritz cookies
Peanut and raisin clusters
Speaking of Christmas – I have to tell you this. Dominic SO MUCH reminds me of the little boy Billie on The Polar Express. He has that same sweet, honest, adorable face!!
Thank you for your Friday Posts. They are so uplifting ( I Love watching the Children grow) and you always find something interesting to read or learn about. You and your family are the hope and future of our nation. Your devoted follower, Bebe
(We have watched one Peaky Blinders–Will Watch more.)
That little Emerson quote has been one of my favorites for a very long time. It has helped me through many days when I owned my own business and felt tired and a bit defeated because things didn’t go as planned.
So glad to see you post it.
Jean S.
Such a cute picture of your babies. I used to think isabelle was a near twin to Dominic, but she sure looks a lot like Joseph in this picture. I am buying less cookbooks (with a lot of trying to resist)…I love them but I would just get too many with nowhere to put them. My place is small. So I resort more to magazine recipes and a blog or two…your blog is my favorite always. Such a sweet picture of your sweet doggie. Soooo love that you freely let them be at home in your house.If only all pets had homes like yours and an owner like you…kids too. What a Mom…got tears to the sleep stories about Dominic and Joseph.
Hi!
I love everything about Brown Eyed Baker.
The only thing I get lately is maybe Friday Things sometimes. The daily ones? Nothing for over a month or two. Could you guys check this for me? You are in my Contacts, you are not in Spam, you’re not in All Mail either. I use an iPhone exclusively. Do not have regular normal internet. Just the cellular iPhone with an unlimited data plan. Thanks.
This website has some really cute mugs! I’ve purchased from her. She is a reputable small shop and the mugs are great quality. https://sweetminthandmadegoods.com/collections/christmas-mugs?page=1
I haven’t made a baking list yet, but recipes are running through my mind.
Between now and Thanksgiving I’m definitely making:
Caramel Apple Pie
Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin Pie
Mystery Pecan Pie
Christmas baking I’m thinking:
Kourabiedes
Mini Gingerbread Cookies (tradition with my now 28 year old daughter)
Oatmeal Craisin Dark Chocolate Chip
Date Nut Balls
Hershey’s Chocolate Fudge with Peanut Butter
Hershey’s Chocolate Fudge with Black Walnuts
and to offset the sweet…
A double batch of Chex Mix