Friday Things
1. Last week, my husband and I went on a little pre-Christmas, pre-baby date to see the Christmas lights at Oglebay in Wheeling, WV. It’s a little over an hour drive from our house, and we had gone two years ago when the light display at Hartwood Acres here in Pittsburgh ceased operations (I am still so, SO sad about this!). It was such a nice little half-day getaway, complete with dinner at the lodge, some Christmas shopping at their glass museum shop, and driving through the light display.
2. I am now 36 weeks + 4 days, which is to say, I am now NINE MONTHS PREGNANT. Where did the time go?! I feel like it was just yesterday, still sun-kissed from a week at the beach in May, when we were staring at a “YES+” sign. It seems like a lifetime ago, and at the same time the last seven+ months have absolutely flown by. My official due date is three weeks from Monday, and I think we are just about ready for this little guy to arrive! Most everything has been assembled, clothes and blankets washed, hospital bags packed, and the car seat installed. I’m still doing some random organizing, but for the most part, we have everything we need! Now we wait (and enjoy Christmas!).
3. A number of you have asked about the progress on the rainbow blanket that I began crocheting for the baby over the summer. I’ve finished about 75% of the squares, but had to go on hiatus due to a nasty case of pregnancy-onset carpal tunnel syndrome. I plan on finishing it up at some point after the baby is born, when the carpal tunnel symptoms have (fingers crossed) gone away. It’s absolutely awful and I feel so horribly for anyone who is afflicted with it.
4. Let’s talk grocery shopping lists… do you use an app or good ol’ pen and paper? I’ve always used a handwritten list, but decided to try to use my phone the last time I went. I hated it. Maybe it’s a mental thing, but I just need to do lists (ANY kind of list) with a pen and paper.
5. What’s your favorite Christmas movie? My top three have to be Elf, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Charlie Brown Christmas. I could watch each of them over and over and over again.
6. Have you seen this video, This is How Beauty Has Changed Over the Past 100 Years? It just confirmed how much I adore the 1950’s; it was by far my favorite look.
7. Nothing says holiday like a big, decadent breakfast! I love this list of 15 Delicious Breakfasts to Wake Up to on Christmas Morning. I’d like a big pan of cinnamon rolls, please!
8. I would like to petition Showtime to air new episodes of Homeland 52 weeks of the year and I’d prefer them to be two hours long. Please and thank you. I can’t believe the finale is already coming up on Sunday. I feel like the little kid on the commercial that just repeatedly says, “We want more”.
9. If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to enter My Favorite Things Giveaway… it’s a biggie and it ends tonight! I packed in 10 of my favorite things… everything from Tervis tumblers to gift cards, ice cream, a Thermapen, Sonos sound system, and a Kitchen Aid mixer!
10. TGIF! This is what bedtime looks like at our house… hope you have a cozy weekend!
Hi friends, its wonderful paragraph about cultureand fully explained, keep it
up all the time.
Hands down, favorite Christmas movie is the While You Were Sleeping. But I also love the Christmas Story, the 1994 version of Miracle on 34th Street and Home Alone. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Michelle and a very Happy New Year!!!!! Thanks for all the recipes and sharing this past year, it’s been great!
Cute blanket! Love that it is so colorful and not just pink or blue for the baby, ya know? And I am definitely a pen and paper grocery list writer. I have tried my phone too, and I hate it… too much scrolling and I can’t cross anything off.
I use the app called Cozi for my grocery shopping list. You can create a master family account. My husband and I use it and love it. I have a grocery list; costco; trader joe’s; whole food; bed bath and beyond. Its great because you can organize by section.
Pregnancy carpel tunnel is no fun! With baby #3 I slept with a wrist brace on for relief. The good news is it goes away pretty fast once baby is here :)
I’m definitely a pen and paper kind of girl.
I’m a fan of pen and paper lists all the way. I love Elf ( just watched it tonight) and Charlie Brown, but I haven’t seen Christmas Vacation. Love Actually is one of my other favorites.
My favorite Christmas movies are It’s a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, and a very touching one called Prancer, which I highly recommend. Not a tear-jerker, but a nice heartwarming story of a little girl who loves Christmas, and her dad. Merry Christmas and take some well- deserved rest!
I used to write my grocery list on a notepad or posit-it note. I haven’t really changed my habit, just gone a bit more high-tech. Now I use a memo app that I write my grocery list on using my cellphone’s stylus pen. I had not considered using a specialized grocery app before now but I’ve already installed an app to see how it goes.
The rainbow blanket looks like a beautiful project and I very much hope your carpal tunnel symptoms go away! My favorite Christmas movies are Home Alone and Meet me in St. Louis.
My favorite Christmas movies are ABC family movies like Holiday in Handcuffs. I’ve never seen Elf, I’ll have to check it out.
I use pen/paper for lists.
Happy Holidays!
love the dog’s bed! where did you get that?
Hi Nicole, It’s this bed (in large) from Orvis: http://www.orvis.com/p/orvis-tempur-pedic-deep-dish-dog-bed/4×99
Thanks Michelle!
Michelle, I am so with you on Homeland, pen and paper and the cinnamon rolls (although Eggs Benedict with a Mimosa would also be good)! My fave Chrismas things to watch are the original cartoon version of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Shrek the Halls and A Charlie Brown Christmas. I have the first 2 on DVD so can watch them whenever but I have yet to get the CB one as I wasn’t sure if it would play here in Australia. I think I might order it from Amazon and take a chance as I’m told the new DVD players will play anything even the NA version. Enjoy your last Christmas with just the 2 of you…fun times ahead. xo
Pen and paper, 100%, though I’m the only one in my family – they use a handy app called Keep. Those lists disappear sometimes, however, so I prefer a list slid into my pocket ;-)
The Grocery IQ app has changed my life when it comes to making shopping lists!
I have tried using my phone for a grocery list and failed miserably! I will stick with pen and paper as well!
I can hardly wait to see “baby-boo”. He will be in the kitchen soon with you and the beautiful golden fur-babies
Oh man, I am always on the lookout for a new show, and I just could not figure out what show you are wanting more of, Homemade? Anyway, I am dense, I figured it out, Homeland……I need to start that show. I am a whore for a good tv show! I am not calling you out on a typo, I just thought it was funny that I could not figure that out!!!
I am so excited your you and your Hubby! I have followed your blog for a while now and feel like I know you! lol I hope you have a wonderful Holiday season and cheers to a Cappicorn baby boy! !
You are so organized it makes me feel guilty ….lol…I have to agree about the look of beauty too – I prefer the looks from the 1910’s, 1920’s and 1950’s….Favorite Christmas movies are A Christmas Story and Meet Me In St. Louis.
Well, seems you have everything ready, just take time to rest and relax, something you will not be doing much of later.
I love Elf and the Polar Express but my favourite one has to be Bing Crosby White Christmas..lost count how many times I have seen it.
Old fashion way paper/pen and scratching what I just got in the buggy..
I must say that yesterday I was packing granola, cookies for my stepdaughter in Victoria B.C and decided to try your hot chocolate homemade mix..WOW and more WOW … I sent some to BC.. but I think I kept most of it.. it was delicious.
I am getting nice jars and giving some to my neighbours with biscotti.. makes a great hostess gift as well.. sorry this is really getting long..
MERRY CHRISTMAS, and all the best for the best delivery of your life!!!
I tried to “Bring Your Friends” with the giveaway using email, but the link that was sent didn’t work. It just gives a “the webpage cannot be found” error. Thought you would want to know.
My favorite Christmas movie is, “It’s a Wonderful Life”. In fact, I would say that it’s one of my favorite movies of all time because I can watch it over an over again – always get moved at the same places, the performances are so great, and the message/meaning is so touching.
Do you happen to recall where you got the bed for the dogs? Our 2 guys really need a big bed like that! Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Hi Suzanne, It’s this bed from Orvis (size large): http://www.orvis.com/p/orvis-tempur-pedic-deep-dish-dog-bed/4×99
Pen and Paper. I actually use a journal to do my menu plan for the week, and have my grocery list on the opposing page. I tried an app for both, and I felt my time was wasted scrolling versus looking at one simple page. PS> “White Christmas” hands down best Christmas movie ever – especially given the beauty era you love.
Oh those cuddly guys. Where did u get the dog bed? Thanks
Hi Pearse, It is this bed (in large) from Orvis: http://www.orvis.com/p/orvis-tempur-pedic-deep-dish-dog-bed/4×99
Thanks Michelle for the info!. Wish U and yours a very Merry X’mas and a Blessed New Year 2015!
Maybe a New Year’s Eve baby? I am a paper list person, but I have never tried an app. Will give it a try. Favorite Christmas movie: “The Holiday” Love the pic of Einstein and Duke sharing. Holiday wishes for you and family
I never seem to see who the winners are to these contests and that concerns me that I could possibly miss out on a possible notification that I may have been chosen and therefore miss the opportunity to reply and claim the prize. Why am I not seeing the names?
Hi Vickie, The winners names appear in the giveaway widget.
I have the Paprika app on my iPad mini. It lets you save recipes, meal plan and make shopping lists. It’s great! Having said that, I still keep a pen and paper in the kitchen that my family has been trained to write down items that we’re low on or out of for my next shopping trip! :)
Sounds like you are already nesting — so babe might come earlier rather than later! I am a paper/pen list kind of shopper. Can’t quite get the phone list thing down. My favorite Christmas movie is “It’s a Wonderful Life” — reflecting just how much we touch each other’s lives when we are kind. Enjoy your Christmas and sleep as much as possible! :)
I use an app called “Any List.” Love it. It remembers previous lists, so when you start to type “f-l” it knows you want to put flour on the list. Then, in the store, when you put the item in your cart and touch the screen , it crosses it out and it disappears. So cool!. Also it organizes the list into categories, like dairy, produce, etc. My favorite Christmas movie is Miracle on 34th Street, the original. I still tear up when Santa speaks to the little Dutch girl in her own language.
Wishing you a fabulous birth, Michelle. It will be here so soon…….
I didn’t think I’d convert, but like Julie above, I use Paprika. Hands down the most amazing product/app ever, and I can’t imagine life without it. From menu planning to holiday planning to groceries, it’s da bomb! And, I assume you mean Homeland (not Homemade, right….?) – I’m with you there. Last week, I probably should have had a heart rate monitor on at the end – WOW. Totally in denial that the winter finale is Sunday. Enjoy your last quiet Christmas and New Years – the best is yet to come! By the way, has anyone pointed out to you yet that this little guy is going to have an awesome hockey birthday? But I’m sure you planned that ;-)
Total pen and paper girl here! I never go shopping without my list. The few times I have tried I think I bought everything but what I actually went to the store to buy! My fav Christmas movies are also Elf and Christmas Vacation but also A Christmas Story and strangely, Frozen! Not really Christmas, but my kids think because of all the snow in it that it qualifies as a Christmas movie! Best of luck with the new baby! My best tip is to streamline and focus on what’s really important-Your mental and physical health, your baby, and your husband. That’s all that really matters. Housework and your blog will always be there, but your baby is only a baby once. Merry Christmas!
Hand-written lists are the best! My husband tries to get me to make lists on my phone, but I’m stubborn and keep a tablet on the fridge for my grocery list and always have a little notebook in my purse. I like having something tangible, and there is something so satisfying about physically crossing something off a list.
Hi!
Just a little tip for something you might want to add to your hospital bag for the baby birth: some change for the future daddy to be able to buy drinks and snacks from vending machines and also a change for him…1st deliveries can be veeery long!
Wishing you a lovely christmas time and baby birth from France!
Wow, what hospital makes the dad buy his drinks? In my 3 births (2 different hospitals), they always had a pantry with cold and hot drinks and snacks available for both patient and father/close family.
My fiance and I use an app called Buy Me a Pie. It works across platforms (he is an Apple fan while I stick with a Droid). We like it alright because we both have access to it via our phones, tablets, and computers. You can color code your list to indicate in which section of the store the items can be found.
Pregnancy carpal tunnel is horrible! I wish I could say it goes completely way, but it doesn’t, or at least it hasn’t for me. It was so bad during my second pregnancy that from about 15 weeks on, I had to sleep nightly with wrist braces on, otherwise my hands/arms were always falling asleep and I wouldn’t get any sleep. They still occasionally have that issue now (almost 10 months out), but I also work in IT and am always at a computer, so I might’ve been doomed to get it anyway! Good luck to you!
I am a big list person, there is something so satisfying about crossing things off the list! For my grocery list I use my recipe app Paprika. I love this app, it is so easy to download recipes with no retyping. You can then make your grocery list from the recipe, it categorizes the list to make it much easier to shop from.
You must be the most organzied woman on the planet. Can you come over and help me? We can watch hockey together and do some trash talking (Die Hard Rangers Fan here). Sounds like you are ready for this little guy and there will be very little stress. Hope you are feeling great.
We just starting using an app called Grocery iQ. My husband and I both have the app and can both add items to the list and it syncs so we both have the complete list. While i used to be a paper and pen gal, both of us being able to add to the list is spey helpful! Also, the app sometimes gives us coupons for items on our list which is an added bonus.
Not only do I pen and paper the staples (yay! Aldi opened yesterday!) but I bring the printout of the recipes themselves. And still manage to forget stuff.
Susan, I have email subscriptions to the weekly sales ads from 4 of my supermarkets and the Walgreen’s in my town. Walgreen’s (Sunday through Saturday shopping period) and Jewel (Wednesday through Tuesday shopping period) give you a sneak peak into the following week’s ads towards the end of their sales date, Aldi gives you a full week’s notice. All of this is very helpful when compiling my list and planning my shopping/menu from home. You should try it. I do buy some groceries from Walgreen’s, this week their eggs are cheaper than Aldi’s. :)
Forgot to add, all of those stores’ ads have a shopping list feature you can print out and take to the store. That way, you won’t forget anything.
I have tried to use my phone for lists so many times over the past few years and I always get frustrated. Pen and paper for me!
Michelle,
I just want to take a moment to say THANK YOU for all the hard work and energy you invest in your blog and in us. It’s been another great year with BEB :-). AND thanks for this incredibly generous year-end giveaway. I wish you and your family a joyful and blessed Christmas season and a New Year full of happiness, good health, peace and prosperity in all you do. And all the best when your little boy arrives -so exciting!
Merry Christmas!
Bettina
I’m with annie who commented before – I’m amazed how organised you are and that you still manage to write long posts and still posting daily. I also hope you will be able to take some time off to relax and sleep in before the baby arrives.
I’ll check in before Christmas but for now – enjoy the last pre-christmas days!
xxx, G.
i am a paper and pen list kind of girl as well. I cannot seem to ever get comfortable with using an app or reminders or whatever my friends tell me to do on my phone. There is something so satisfying about writing out a list and then crossing things off it.
Michelle, you are so organized you put me to shame. Hope you’re resting up some before the little guy comes along, but I can’t believe nine months have passed so quickly (for me, LOL!) Duke and Einstein look too adorable. Happy Holidays.