Friday Things
1. This sweet boy turned 2 months old on Sunday! We’ve been seeing a lot of smiles and tons of cooing. Last week, my husband was holding Dominic while Joseph was sitting next to him on the couch. Dominic turned and was just staring, transfixed on Joseph, then broke out into huge smiles. He kept staring at his big brother and smiling over and over. It made my heart absolutely burst.
2. And then there’s this big guy! Can you believe he’s going to be TWO next month?! Craziness! His current phase is saying “yes!” to almost everything, which is so cute and sweet, and sooooo much better than the “no!” (with emphatic head shaking) phase he was in previously.
3. How is your Christmas shopping coming along? I am wayyyyyy behind the eight ball this year, so I need to get going rather quickly! What are some of your favorite places/ideas for unique gifts? I need to think outside of the box!
4. Speaking of gift-giving, I just came across this four-word rule for gift giving, and I’m totally digging it.
5. This map of the ultimate road trip is going straight to my bucket list!
6. I used to love doing massive puzzles, but I don’t think I’ve put one together for over 10 years. I’m thinking of getting one and setting it up on a big built-in craft table that’s in one of the rooms in our basement so I can work on it whenever I have a free handful of minutes. Do you do puzzles? Any recommendations?
7. What’s on your baking list for the holidays? I’ve already made a batch of peppermint bark, but I’m not sure how realistic it is to make a long baking list this year. I might just eat the fruits of everyone else’s labor ;-)
8. I am in love with this laundry room that has a built-in dog bed and a little doggie shower. Seriously functional. (I also love the gray!)
9. Why on earth do network shows take “winter breaks” now? I don’t remember them doing that before, or maybe I never really paid much attention because I was too busy watching Christmas shows?
10. TGIF! I hope you have a laid back weekend!
So much good stuff!
As a TV addict–they’ve always taken winter breaks (because people don’t usually watch much TV during the holidays) but they are usually much longer of breaks than they used to be!
That smile on Joseph’s face is priceless! Â You’re boys are adorable! Â Merry Christmas to you & your family & best wishes for a healthy, happy, New Year! Â Think I may just enjoy the baking labors of others this year as well :) LOL
Oh me, those precious boys! What else can I say? I have done nearly all of my shopping online this year but still have to go out and get a few gifts that I can’t order online. I have been all over the web with Amazon, Macys, ordered some wonderful barbeque rub from Texas and so on. The only company I am at war with is J Crew, there reason for being so late with their deliveries? They said cyber Monday took them for a loop! My very first order with them and it has been a bad experience to say the least. They need to hire someone from Amazon to help them get it together, ha!
My husband is telling me the reason for no new shows this time of year is because they are out of sweeps and that people do other things with their holidays, so not so much TV..
Baking is the last thing on my to do list, I am still thinking about what to make. My husband and I each pick our favorite to make and then we will be on the lookout for something we haven’t tried. My favorite are the Snickerdoodles on your site and my husband loves the little shortbread type cookies that are rolled in powdered sugar, Both addictive to say the least. Thanks
Gosh, Michelle, your two boys are precious! And I love Dominic’s smile. He seems to be a content baby.
As for puzzles, I love to do the 3D ones. For the last few years, I always get myself one, and so far I got the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, Lady Liberty, the One World Trade Center (aka “Freedom Tower”). This year, I added another famous building in New York, the Chrysler Building. What I love the most about them is that, with the exception of Lady Liberty and Freedom Tower, they all can be illuminated with a small light source at the bottom of the puzzle, shrouding them in a multitude of beautiful colorful lights. They are also quite easy to assemble, since the pieces are numbered on the back. I think they all are available at Amazon, or in a toy shop close to you.
here’s a link for Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=3d+puzzles+ravensburger&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3A3d+puzzles+ravensburger
Happy Holidays to you and your boys, and give your lovely Golden Retriever a cuddle from me.
All the best from Austria
Sandra
Check out the Vermont Christmas Company for great puzzles made in Vermont. One of my aunt’s always had one on a table when we were kids and it was always a fun gathering spot during visits. We hadn’t done a puzzle for years but I saw the Vermont fall squash puzzle in our local bookstore and bought it for Thanksgiving weekend. It was a huge hit – even with football watchers worked on it during halftime. It’s a reborn family tradition. Received “Purrfect Christmas” as a gift and plan to get it started this weekend.
I like browsing uncommongoods.com for gift ideas…and then buying the items somewhere cheaper.
I am so glad they take winter breaks on shows now. No, they didn’t used to do that. Instead they would have about 5 weeks of new shows and then 2 weeks of repeats. That drove me nuts! I’d much rather they take a break while I’m busy with holiday events and watching holiday shows.
Merry Christmas to y’all! So far as a great idea for puzzles, there are places where you share a photo and they create a puzzle from that picture. You can make then from around 500 to 1000+ pieces. I’ve never bought from one, but have considered it. The prices seem reasonable to me. A family Christmas photo would be fun, and when done, frame it and hang it :)
Have you ever seen such a great idea? Â I wish this was around when my 3 were babies. Â You were the first person I thought of when I saw this on FB. Â Have a great weekend! Â The boys – all 3 – are A.DOR.ABLE.
.https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?url=search-alias=fashion&field-keywords=aternity+Multifunctional+Kangaroo&linkCode=ll2&tag=thesloroait06-20&linkId=edfc4e1375e5780b02e399c5210902ba
P.S. Â Meant also to say that is one serious laundry room. Â I LOVE the doggie shower. Â We are considering remodeling one of our rooms on our first floor into a mud/laundry room and I will now be considering a doggie shower for my Golden girl. Â What a brilliant idea!
You have two sweet boys. Have to get busy and get my sons favorite cookies made and in the freezer.
I love his cutey little smile!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/honey-bunches-oats-almond-treats/
I sure do puzzles! Love them…I hate the ones that all the pieces same shape tho… mostly all H’s… I do 500 to 1000 piece puzzles.
Your boys are so adorable! I can’t believe Joseph will be 2 either! (or that Dominic is already 2 months!) Got a party planned?
I’m almost done with my Christmas shopping…shock shock! I’m usually frantically running around Christmas Eve….I should have all my gifts wrapped early this year. That laundry room is
neat!
Hi Michelle-
My online store – https://www.thepickleballboutique.com has gifts and gear for pickleball lovers, but there are also a number of items that anyone could use. Â The Lucy hat – a great brimmed hat for hiking, walking or golf, Packit coolers, sterling silver jewelry by Shira Jewelry, Quilted Pear totes and more. Â Take a look – maybe you will find a great gift for someone on your list!
Amy
If you are looking for cool puzzles, check our liberty puzzles! IÂ just discovered them last Christmas, and they have been a go to gift for both myself and friends. They are incredible puzzles, made from laser cut wood, and also each piece is shaped like an animal or person or something. They can be a tad expensive, but it is totally worth the quality and fun.Â
Here’s a link: Â http://www.libertypuzzles.com
Buffalo Games (Amazon has a great selection). Â The Las Vegas puzzle–can’t remember if it had 1500 or 2000 pieces–was really challenging but a lot of fun! Â Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family.
Oh my, Dominic looks just like you, so darn cute. Guy Harvey has some great puzzles. 500 pieces is about my limit and they’re so pretty. Of course, being from Florida I love the ocean so these fit me perfectly.
White Mountain makes great jigsaw puzzles! Â We do one every Christmas….you can buy them from Amazon.com. Â
Michelle, look on line for Puzzle Stow and Go or Puzzle Mats. You can work on your puzzle then roll it up till next time and it all stays together. You could work on it in the kitchen during nap time and then just roll it up until the next time you have a few minutes of down time (ha ha). Your boys are adorable! What a fun Christmas Joseph will have this year!
Check out White Mountain puzzles. They are beautiful. We start puzzles on Thanksgiving. It’s a great way to spend the evening!
The boys are just too cute! I’m sure they will be the best of friends. Joseph seems to have grown up so much recently. I haven’t done any Christmas baking yet – will start on mine after my nephews wedding on the 18th. I love doing puzzles but haven’t done one in a while either.  The new TV “winter breaks” or “half-seasons” are really annoying…just as I’m really getting into a show …the put it on break.
I can’t believe how much Dominic looks like you! He’s so cute! My little ones are the same age as yours and I’m going to do the whole – want, need, wear, read gifts. I started last year with my first. I also saw someone added a 5th one as “play” which I think is good when they are little. It gives them 4-5 gifts, which is really all they need anyway. Hope you all have a merry christmas!
Michelle , Â you have handsome sons, including Duke. Â Thank you for sharing them with us. Â Â
Thank you so much Elaine, xo.
Hey Michelle, great photos, as always. I’m a recent third time mom (Lysander is 5 weeks now, Tristan is 2, and Juliet is 4) and needing to go dairy free. We realized this a few days before Thanksgiving which basically meant that I didn’t eat much of any of the dishes I prepared as making them dairy free seemed unfair to put the rest of the family through. As I’m prepping our Christmas Eve and Day menus I can better control that, but I’m coming up short on desserts that I actually want to eat and feel like fit the holiday… Any ideas? Oh, and vegan pumpkin pie didn’t work for us! Thanks!
Oh that’s a tough one! Although I’ve never made them, I’ve seen chocolate mousse and pudding recipes that use things like cashew milk or soaked cashews that are pureed in place of dairy. I’d also check out some Paleo books – that diet doesn’t do dairy, and I know my mom has made some Paleo desserts for my sister when she was eating strictly that way. My husband and I LOVED these last year: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/paleo-snowball-cookies/
I am absolutely addicted to a puzzle app called “Magic Puzzles”. I love it! It allows me to do puzzles without my cats messing things up – so it could be good for toddlers in the house, too! You can download it for free and, if you want, pay for more puzzles you can, but don’t have to. I like it!
Thank you, I’ll have to check it out!
I have a baby that is one month older then your sweet Dominic, and I absolutely love the little hat you have him in. I can’t find one that fits so perfectly, do you mind sharing where you got it from? Thanks!
Oh my gosh, it’s actually the little hat from the hospital! It’s a bit small for him now, but I just ordered one of these:
http://www.hannaandersson.com/pdp.aspx?from=SC&pcid=47&styleid=44437&simg=44437_FZ2
My baking starts tomorrow, I cook all weekend and bring it to my office as my way of saying Merry Christmas to all my co-workers. I’m doing multiple batches of chex mix, Christmas crack, caramel corn, crock pot candy, malted milk ball cookies, bacon cheddar crackers and club crackers with bacon.
Oooh what is Christmas crack??!
Christmas crack is addictive is what it is. And it makes a lot so it’s great to take somewhere. 1 (12.8 oz.) box of rice chex, 1 (12 oz.) box of golden grahams, 7 oz. shredded coconut, 4 oz. slivered almonds, 3 sticks of butter (not a typo, you read that right) 2 C sugar and 2 C corn syrup. Combine cereals with coconut and almonds in a large bowl. Cook butter, sugar and corn syrup to soft ball stage (234°). Pour over cereal and mix well. Spread on two large cookie sheets to cool, stirring occasionally to keep from clumping. Store in an air tight container.
Ooooh thank you for sharing! Totally going to try it!
I do much of my holiday shopping at Ten Thousand Villages. Â (At the store in Squirrel Hill, but you can also shop online). There are hundreds of beautiful items by artisans from around the world, all fairly traded.
First of all, your boys are absolutely ADORABLE!!!! And no, I can’t believe Joseph is going to be 2 already!!!!! I know I don’t personally know you, but I’ve been reading your blog for as long I sure feel like I do ;) Secondly, I’m with you on all these shows taking “winter breaks”…I don’t like it!!!!! LOL
Love the little guy’s smile in that hat :) How adorable!
Come visit our store for unique gifts. Everything we offer is one of a kind. Something for everyone.
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I mean Michelle, for some reason I was thinking your name was Rachel like my best friend.
Hello Rachel,
If you are looking for unique gifts I would suggest my shop! :)
Aisling