Friday Things
1. We’ve been having so much fun with these rascals lately! Dominic walking around is a total game changer; he chases Joseph, and is generally MUCH more interactive with everyone, which is so much fun. Yesterday I got to be a surprise “mystery reader” at Joseph’s preschool class; he had such a sweet sheepish grin when he saw me and was so happy. Such a fun opportunity! (I read The Going to Bed Book, which has been a staple in our house for ages, and Joseph has it pretty much memorized at this point. He actually pages through it and says the parts of the book that correspond to each page, which amazes me every single time he does it!)
2. I mentioned in The Weekend Dish last Saturday that my husband and I were headed out of town for our first overnight away since having the boys. We went to Baltimore for a wedding and had a fabulous time! I was much less nervous about leaving them than I thought I would be, but was so sad that Joseph came down with a cold while we were gone. We were definitely thrilled to see their faces when we got home :)
Oh another note, the bride and groom gave out favor boxes filled with goodies from each of their home states and their adopted hometown – Maker’s Mark Bourbon Balls (bride is from Kentucky), salt water taffy (groom is from New Jersey), and Berger’s cookies (their adopted hometown of Baltimore). SO! I finally got to try original Berger cookies and I was… underwhelmed? After making a copycat version recently, I was excited to compare them. Their cookie has more of a firm/sponge cake texture, while the recipe I made had a softer, fluffier, more sugar cookie like consistency. I was also surprised because a few people commented on the recipe and said that Berger cookies had way more frosting, and well, they just didn’t. The ones I made had WAY more frosting, easily double. That said, their frosting was good, too! So I think it’s totally personal preference in terms of the type of cookie base you like and how much frosting, but I definitely preferred the copycat version to the original.
3. On Sunday I’ll be 20 weeks along, which means I’m already at the halfway point of this pregnancy – insane! I’ve started to feel little flutters and pops of movement over the last week or two, which I just cannot get enough of; I think feeling the baby move is my very favorite part of being pregnant. I’ve never experienced any of the crazy smell aversions that I’ve heard so much about, but I’ve been making my husband some “big salads” with chicken, apple, feta, cranberries and pecans, and for the last few days, all I can smell is feta if I’m sitting near him, and it’s SO STRONG OMG.
4. Let’s dish about Thanksgiving menus… what all are you making??! Here is my tentative menu:
- Turkey! We will deep fry again this year (read about how to do it here); I’m going to try a dry brine for the first time and will report back.
- Cranberry sauce
- Cider bourbon gravy
- Mashed potatoes
- Sweet potato gratin
- Sausage cornbread stuffing
- Traditional stuffing
- Dinner rolls
- Pumpkin pie
- Pecan pie
- Chestnuts for roasting
5. When do you start your Christmas decorating? We usually do it the weekend after Thanksgiving, but had been kicking around the idea of at least getting our tree up before Thanksgiving. I’m not sure if we’ll get around to it, but basically our house will look like the North Pole ASAP. I can’t wait!
6. I went to the post office yesterday to drop off some returns and get stamps. One of the stamps available on the display had a Golden Retriever on it, and I asked for two books in a heartbeat. The woman held up the book, which had all sorts of different animals like frogs, birds, rabbits, etc. I guess I was noticeably disappointed and said, “oh that’s okay, I’ll just take the flags then” because the woman working said I was the third person already in the morning that said they were hoping it was just a whole book of Golden Retrievers. AHEM… U.S. Postal Service, please make a book of stamps full of Golden Retrievers! :)
7. Currently craving: Italian Hot Chocolate
8. Has anyone tried this OXO lint roller thing? I’m curious if it works well!
9. What is currently on your holiday baking list? I can’t wait to start! I always kick it off with a batch of peppermint bark and keep it stocked in the fridge :)
10. TGIF! I love cozy days with my boys (and I offer no apologies for dressing my child like an Elf before Thanksgiving, ’tis the season!)
The boys are so cute and it’s adorable to see Dominic dressed like an elf…lol…our Thanksgiving menu will have both turkey and ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, salad, broccoli casserole, crescent rolls, cranberry sauce, cornbread stuffing and several different kind of pies plus a Texas sheet cake for the chocolate lovers. Have a good weekend!
Thank you for sharing your delightful pictures! The one with Duke right there with Dominic and you is super!
The “Going To Bed” book is one I give as a baby gift — I can recite most of it from when my guys were little.
Thanksgiving Menu includes Turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, bread stuffing, roasted cauliflower, roasted sweet potatoes, green salad, rolls, pumpkin and apple pies. Probably the blasphemous canned cranberry sauce as my kids won’t eat the homemade version.
Enjoy the sweet flutters of that new little life and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
My husband prefers the canned cranberry sauce too, but I still make a small batch of homemade ;-) And yes, The Going to Bed Book is one of a few that I have memorized!
Gorgeous shot of you and your elf! :D
Awww thank you Sara :)
Adorable elf! Happy Thanksgiving, Michelle, and abundant blessings to you and your family!
Thank you Kathy, a Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family as well!
Hopefully, I’m not posting this twice. Have you seen this Golden Retriever pillow? It’s on my Christmas list. Love it! https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/pedigree-poem-pillow
Oh my gosh I have not seen that, I love it! Thanks for sharing :)
Precious babies!!! As to that lint roller: I don’t have that exact one, but I do have a very similar one made by Fuller Brush and it works wonderfully!!!
I don’t know if it was the OXO brand, but I did try a lint brush with the fuzzy red side once. I like the sticky rolls better bc the sticky simply picks up pet hair and lint where it is. I found the fuzzy red brush to do just that – brush the lint and pet hair down my clothing. Not bad if it’s a short item, but not my preference for pants or a long jacket.Â
Have you seen these? The Golden Retriever Pillow is on my Christmas list. https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/pedigree-poem-pillow
Hi Michelle, I am so excited for your and your family, you really make the holiday’s special for your family!!! I’ve looked forward to this holiday season and have been counting down the days literally, since last New Years day. I have done little things around my house each month to make this the most special of all holiday seasons. But this past Tuesday a big part of me was taken away. My beautiful, adorable and lovable Cavalier King Charles spaniel passed away. It was me and him always, all the time. I have been divorced for many years and live alone, 13 years ago, before my daughter moved out and got married, the two of us bought little Freckles. He was so delightful, I swear we read each others minds, how that was I don’t know but it was a special bond. About a month ago, Freckles decided he did not want to come upstairs with me at bedtime but wanted to sleep in the kitchen. For the last 13 years he has either been in my bed or if it was too hot, on the floor beside me. I started noticing little things that were out of character. He had arthritis so it was hard for him to get around, he also had problems with his eyes so I would take him outside to go to the bathroom and let him walk, (which he did very slowly) and then carry him back in to save his legs. This past Sunday night, I can’t explain it but a huge wave of depression and a horrible feeling came over me, it was if a black cloud was looming over my house. I noticed Freckles was acting much different. That night he seemed ok but I called the vet the next day to get an appointment with our favorite doctor but she was not available until Tuesday. Well Tuesday early morning, he cried several times in the night and I came down with him. When we left for the vet early that morning, I was hoping his doctor could give him something and make him better. I had no idea that I may be having to decide on his fate. The vet thought he was in a lot of pain so I had to decide to put him down. I have never, ever, felt this strong relationship with a dog ever in my life. He was not a dog but my child. I used to call him my child all the time. I know you experienced this also so you can understand the huge whole in my life. Even my beautiful grandchildren can’t seem to fill that void. I now have to put up my tree and get the house ready for my annual Christmas dinner for all of my family, it’s so hard to do that now, and I’ve looked forward to it all year. I simply don’t know what to do with myself anymore. My whole life revolved around that furry little guy…walking him first thing in the morning, giving him a big hug and a kiss, coming home from work at lunch to let him out and give him a snack and then every night when I got home from work, he was there to greet me and his favorite thing was a big hug. I woke up early this morning and found your posting from when Einstein passed away. It helped to read your post and all the posts in the comments section on others that had to deal with the loss of a pet. I wanted to reach out to you and let you know, it gives me a sense of comfort since you are also a dog lover. There are a lot of people that don’t understand that special bond, but as much as it hurts, I am so glad for the time we shared and the companionship and love we had.
I am so sorry Lucy. I cried when I read this as I know your pain so well. There is nothing more loving and comforting than a wonderful pet to love on and be loved back so completely. My sympathies and prayers are with you.
Thank you so much Nancy, it really helps to read your kind words.. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.Â
Lucy, So sorry for your loss. Our fur “babies” are so dear to us — I hope you are able to grieve and still find some joy in the holidays. Wishing you the best.
Thank you Emily, oh yes, our fur babies are so precious and provide us with that special love. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!Â
Oh Lucy, I am so, so sorry for your loss. I’m glad that the post about Einstein brought you some comfort; I know that words are useless right now and I know how hard your heart hurts. Know I’m thinking about you and that time will lesson the ache, though it will never go away. xo
Thank you Michelle.
I’m excited to try the Italian Hot Chocolate but I am going to add either Amaretto or Nocello to mine!
My daughters loved the Going to Bed book as well. My brother and his wife recently had their first baby and that was the book we got them to add to their collection, it’s a must have!! I think we might try to decorate this weekend so I can start my Christmas baking next weekend!
Chestnuts for roasting? Can you share more? Thanks!
Hi Joyce, It’s a tradition in our family… on Thanksgiving evening, we roast chestnuts… just buy them at the grocery store in bulk, score the bottoms with x’s with a paring knife, put on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 425 for 15 to 20 minutes, until the skin starts to peel back. Cool a little bit, then peel and enjoy!
That is so funny about the stamps, I buy them for the Golden Retrievers too and I’ll use every stamp but the Golden stamp so I have a bunch of books with just one stamp on it :) – I love my Golden – Madison. She will be twelve years old on the 28th!
Ahhh. My daughter loved The Going To Bed Book too. We read it every night she did the same thing Hoseph does. I think we read it so much she memorized it…lol
Yes, Joseph totally has parts of it memorized!