Friday Things
1. I honestly cannot start this Friday Things without taking a moment to acknowledge the awful tragedy that occurred in Pittsburgh last Saturday morning. I received SO MANY emails from you telling me you were thinking of me, praying for our city, and hoping that my family was safe (we are, thank you!). No one we know personally was there, but I still cannot believe that something so horrific happened in this city that I love so much. It has definitely left us rattled and profoundly sad.
2. On a much lighter note, life went on and Halloween was this week! Joseph and Dominic dressed up as race car drivers :) Joseph had a Halloween parade and party at school, and he had so much fun! Isabelle was a little under the weather with a stuffy, runny nose, and a bit cranky, so we gave her a pass on forcing her into a costume (it was going to be Minnie Mouse). So instead, she rocked a festive Halloween outfit with a black tutu :)
3. I don’t know who these kids are, but they absolutely win Halloween dressed up as Ina Garten and Jeffrey… they nailed it! Ina posted it on her Instagram and it totally blew up, naturally.
4. Did you hear about the Reese’s vending machine where you can put in the Halloween candy you don’t want, and can get a Reese’s peanut butter cup out? (Spoiler alert: there is only one such machine, and it’s in NYC.) I mean, if this existed when I was a kid, I would have traded every last piece for peanut butter cups! However, as a mom, I feel like maybe it’s better to just explain to your kids that it’s good to be grateful for what you received?
5. If you DO have a lot of leftover Halloween candy and would like to repurpose it, don’t forget about my Leftover Halloween Candy Chocolate Bark! It’s one of my favorite candy concoctions :)
6. As I was handing out candy on Wednesday night, a group of older elementary kids came to the door, then when they were walking away, I heard them saying to each other: “that lady looked JUST like Mrs. so-and-so” (a teacher at their school). Apparently I have reached the age where I am seen as “that lady” and can pass for a teacher lol.
7. And on THAT note, I went for a routine eye exam a couple of weeks ago and while I still have 20/20 vision, I have become a bit farsighted, with things being slightly blurry closeup (but I’m not 40 yet!). The doctor suggested some glasses that would make it easier on my eyes while I do computer work, so… I got glasses! They are actually in already, I just need to pick them up.
8. Joseph is learning how to write his letters in school, and each week show and tell is something that begins with the letter that they’re learning to write. Joseph is SO into it, and he always asks what letter things around the house starts with, and now he goes the whole way through the alphabet and asks me to name as many things as I can that start with each letter. I feel like I am living in the game of Scattergories. Have you ever played it? I was OBSESSED with it when I was younger, and now I want to play it again. At the very least, Joseph is making me flex my brain muscles!
9. I talked about the BBC show Bodyguard last week after we watched the first episode… We finished the season and it was PHENOMENAL. Great, great show – highly recommend! I hope they make another season.
10. TGIF! I hope your weekend includes some time for play and fun!
My condolences to those affected by the shooting at the synagogue. Â
The Ina/Jeffrey kids are too cute. Â Your boys look great as race car drivers. Â We used to play Scattergories frequently, but I don’t think we’ve played in years. Â
BEB has become my go-to blog. Â If I’m looking for something, I start here. Â I trust that your recipes will work. Â Typically the only changes I need to make is to cut them down since I usually cook just for myself. Â Thank you for the consistently good recipes.
Cute pics! We love Scattergories too! We have the old version, updated version and Scattergories Jr for the kids! We just played it this weekend when we had company!
Another idea for letter learning is to buy the magnetic letters and then use a cookie sheet/baking pan to build words in. Have a great weekend!
The kids are adorable in their costumes. Joseph and Dominic are growing so tall! So sad about the shooting in your city. The world needs to take a deep calming breath. On a happier note, I just watched the trailer on Netflix for “The Christmas Chronicles”. People..KURT RUSSELL AS SANTA!!! OMGosh he makes for one sexy Santa. If you haven’t seen the trailer check it out. It is already in my watch list. It will air on November 22. Love to you and your beautiful family!
Hi Michelle,  Joseph, Dominic, and Isabelle look absolutely adorable in their Halloween costumes😊 .  Your fur babies look very happy and content. You and your husband are very blessed.  BTW:  A big thank you to you and your husband for the tip regarding refrigerating raisins.  It worked well.  Great idea!  Â
Where did you get the Ferrari costumes? My nephew will be looking for one for his newborn – in a couple of years.
To help Joseph with his “letter of the week” write the letter on small Post-Its & help him go around the house putting them on appropriate items. It’s a fun game!
Hi Martha! So they were actually just generic race car costumes that my husband found on eBay… then he bought the Ferrari patches and the hats separately (also eBay) :)
Can I make your nut rolls now; don’t bake them; freeze them raw, and bake when I need them?  This will be my 3 rd year that I am using your recipe, they are excellent , my family wants me to make them for our church bazaar, but it is smack right in the time for my Christmas baking, so I was wondering if I made them now, and froze them , just bake them fresh when they are needed.   If I bake them now freeze them , the people won’t be able to refreeze again will they? Â
Hi Ann, I have never tried freezing assembled, unbaked nut rolls, so I can’t speak to how they would bake up. I’ve only frozen them after they were baked and cooled.
Your dogs always looked so beautiful–clean, and brushed out–loved and taken care of..just like your beautiful children. I don’t know how you do it to be honest, you keep them all in such love and care–and you look lovely as well. Proof of how much lives can thrive in love. Thank you for your example not only to love and care for the ones you love, but also for the animals. May others step up and adopt some puppies (and kitties too—they need love :)
OMG your boys are so cute as race car drivers! I will have to show my hubby as he is into all racing! So sad about the situation in Pittsburgh.
Scattergories is my FAVORITE party game, but no one ever wants to play because it actually requires a lot of thinking ha! Also, I just signed up for a free month of Netflix and am looking for shows to watch so I’ll check out Bodyguard.
Try Line of Duty as well.
I bought this for my great nephew and he loves it. https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/language/alphabet/write-wipe-alphabet-practice-cards/p/JJ539
They have a million different ways to learn letters..you might check it out: Lakeshorelearning.com
I LOVED Scattergories! I have that game somewhere in my house and I should dig it out!
Oh My Gosh. Â Just finished the last episode of Bodyguard last night. Â During my binge sessions, I found myself at times just holding my breath and fingers were practically white knuckled realizing I needed to stop and take some moments to unclench my body.
I wouldn’t even hit the pause button to go the bathroom  LOL Â
As I got closer to the end of the season I kept saying to myself…..I really do not want this show to end……..yet I couldn’t stop moving on to the next episode. Â AGH.!!
However, I really love the way it ended and hope they do another season.
The whole reason my husband and I started watching it was because you mentioned it on your blog and I said to my Husband……..The Brown Eyed Baker recommended this show and I’m gonna check it out…….and we were hooked from episode 1. Â
Love your Halloween pics of the kids. Â When they are older, they’ll appreciate all the photos you took as they look back through the years. Â ;-) Â Â
Those boys look so handsome. God’s blessing on them. I had a good laugh at Ina and Geoffrey. Lovely 😊Â
So funny that those kids dressed up as them!!
Rebecca | http://www.peppermintdolly.com