Friday Things
1. Joseph has been totally obsessed with cars for months now, and Dominic has started to love them, too. My husband started watching Formula One races this year and the boys LOVE.IT. It’s so cute watching them get so excited; Joseph has totally memorized every single car and racing team.
2. Isabelle starting smiling this week! Like huge, open-mouthed smiles, and it is the best thing ever. I still haven’t caught one on camera, though!
3. My maternity leave is officially over, womp womp. Thank you all for hanging with me these last couple of months, as I didn’t have tons of recipes done ahead of time to post while I was on leave. Instead of trying to rush back, I gave myself some grace until I could get a routine figured out for getting work done. I think I’ve got one and I’m hoping it’ll work well for me! (Think long recipe and writing days a few times a month vs trying to do things every day so I can free my mind and just enjoy the days with the kids!)
4. On a related note, I’m going to be doing some upgrades to the site over the next few months, so if you have any requests for features or just general feedback, please let me know!
5. I’m in desperate need of some new clothes; I did get new jeans a couple of weeks ago, but my summer shirt situation is dire. Unfortunately the pregnancy weight hasn’t magically melted off yet (HA), so I need to pick up some new stuff. I’ve been perusing the Nordstrom 40% off sale, but I’d love to hear if you have any stores you love.
6. I don’t think we talked about the royal wedding… did you watch? I did not since it was also the day of my cousin’s wedding, but I did catch some highlights. I was… meh about it. I LOVED when Price William and Kate Middleton got married since she was just a regular girl and they were friends forever. Marrying an actress didn’t give me the same fairytale vibe, I guess?
7. On the agenda for tonight – the Americans Finale. I’m dying to see how they ended it!
8. Speaking of TV, we flew through Cobra Kai on YouTube Red this week. It’s the revival/continuation of The Karate Kid and it is fantastic! I mean, we’re children of the 80’s, so take that into account… some of the stuff is borderline cheesy, and some of the stuff Johnny says sounds like it’s from Kenny Powers (Eastbound and Down, HA), but overall – if you liked The Karate Kid, totally watch it!
9. It’s been so hot and humid here for the last week that all I want is a huge vanilla and chocolate twist soft serve cone with chocolate sprinkles. Waffle cone, please.
10. TGIF! I hope you have a relaxing weekend!
I needed new clothes after my third baby and started buying some at thredup. It’s online consignment, but it’s nicely organized so it’s easy to search by brand, style, color, whatever. I hate spending a ton of money on clothes,. I also hate not liking my clothes or wearing something that’s not flattering. After realizing that none of my dresses fit well (I could zip them, but they didn’t look good) a few years ago, I ordered 5 from thredup, each under $20. I do best with tops, dresses and skirts because their jeans and shorts are listed by brand, but not style and I don’t have the patience to look any harder. It’s not the best clothing solution for everyone, but it may be worth looking at!
I give you a ton of credit for continuing to work with three little ones. I have three young ones myself, and I haven’t found the time to start or do anything besides my mom duties! As for clothing, I love Lands End. Their clothes last a long time, and their styles are classic while also being a little trendy. Also, check out Swap.com if you’re ok with consignment clothing. Their prices are awesome, and you can search by brand (I always look for Lands End, ha!).
Hey! I would love it if you could do serving sizes where I can change the amt easily! Also nutrition information would be great! Even it’s not fully accurate and the macros change depending on the ingredient I have a ballpark idea is always nice!!
I watched the royal wedding. Â I thought Harry and Meghan was far more of a fairytale than William and Kate. Â To me, what makes a fairytale is the improbability of it — it’s something that shouldn’t have happened, but did. Â Meghan is from a modest background, American, biracial, divorced and an actress. Â These do not make her a shoe-in for the royal family, in fact, Â quite the opposite! Â The one advantage she had was having a friend who also happened to be a friend of Harry’s who thought they should meet.Â
I would like to suggest LuLaRoe tops and leggings and skirts and dresses and……yeah, I’m totally addicted!!  But the reason I AM is because if the comfort and cuteness factor. I get it from FB and eBay sites.Â
The final photo of your furry kids made me smile. Duke looks so content now…no more sadness on his face now that he has a new buddy.
Isabelle is so sweet…chubby little thighs and all. I am looking forward to a smile photo.
Ahh… the royal wedding. I was all in because I can still tear up when I think of those young boys walking behind their mothers casket twenty years ago. It was heart wrenching. I have always felt that Harry needed to find a true love to heal the pain of such a loss.
I watched with my neighbors…in our PJ’s at 6am, ha. I made some heart shaped strawberry scones and I found a recipe for a cupcake version of the lemon/elderflower wedding cake so I baked those up as well. I had never had elderflower liquor so I was a bit nervous but gosh, it is delicious…it has a light, citrus flavor and paired so well with lemon. The cupcakes were delicious. I need to find an excuse to use it again…maybe in a mini cake.
Glad you are back and I look forward to your recipes and posts.
I didn’t noticed about the royal wedding till I saw it was aired on Youtube.
You might look for tops on Kohls.com. They have a good selection & prices are great when on sale. You can look online for coupons https://www.offers.com/kohls/?path=zzz-xr0g-gls-100a1a&adposition=1t1&creative=60075083464&device=c&network=g&source=s&a=25&mst=1
Hi Michelle,
Grace, grace with your work schedule. I hope you take all the time you need (and want) with your beautiful family!
The royal wedding caught me by surprise. I watched highlights/coverage of the wedding and did a lot of Googling to learn more about the couple. After what I read, I love Prince Harry! So glad he’s found love and joy in his life and wish them all the best!
I love your Friday posts and monthly Favorites posts. Your recipes are nice, too, of course. haha. I felt exactly the same about the wedding. In fact, I still haven’t watched my DVR’d coverage, just caught highlights. Glad you will be back somewhat regularly….have a great weekend!
Michelle, I always enjoy your Friday posts. Love reading all the updates on your family and your pups. Isabelle looks like her brother Dominic, all your kids are so cute. Take it easy!
Michelle, try to find a Chico’s Outlet near you. It might be worth a look for a post maternity, affordable summer wardrobe. The regular Chicos boutiques are too expensive,….so find an outlet store. They also have a larger/different selection than the boutiques. These clothes may not be your style at all, but I love the way they look, mix and match, launder, and last several seasons.Â
All look so loved and cared for,,,all of your babies, your furry babies—-they just wear the love all over them. You can see it. You are so blessed, but you also take care of the blessings given to you…thank you for being such a positive and loving role model.
Thank you for the incredibly kind words and compliment Sophia, xo
We watched The Americans finale last night! I know some people had mixed feelings, but I thought it was great. I’m SO sad the show is ending! Let us know what you think!
The pups in your closng picture!!!
Love them to bits!!!
Great picture…..
We stayed up late to watch The Americans in real time, it was worth it. Absolutely amazing episode, I’m still thinking about it 2 days later and want to watch it again. Would love to hear what you think!
I didn’t watch the whole wedding coverage, but saw the ceremony and when they left in the carriage. I felt a lot of joy for Harry who has really become a responsible grown man after a difficult childhood. You could see his happiness at having found a match that can likely withstand the glare of his life. Wish them well.Â
Michelle, love your Friday posts.  Isabella in this shot looks a lot like Dominic.  I think she is going  to be a mix of both her big brothers.  I have a question for you.  I am driving myself crazy with paint colors but like the wall color in the picture with your two pups.  Do you know what color that is?  many thanks
Hi Lori, They were painted that color when we moved in and the previous owner left the paint color names, but I could not for the life of me find the paper that they’re on. I’m going to keep looking though and will let you know when I find it!
Welcome back from leave, Michelle! Be kind to yourself & give yourself some grace each day.
Updates to website: a better search feature. If I do a keyword search, I get mostly the names of blogs that may or may not have the recipe I am looking for. It would be simpler to just have the recipe listed. (I used roasted potatoes). Ty!
Thank you so much, Laurie, and thank you for the feedback!