Friday Things
1. We had a wonderful Easter Sunday with the kids! They woke up and hunted down their Easter baskets, enjoyed some candy, then dyed Easter eggs (better late than never!), and we all got ready and headed to my mom’s for dinner with extended family. Did you do anything festive over the weekend?
2. We kind of limped into Easter after a one-two punch at the pediatrician’s office on Friday afternoon. Joseph’s seasonal allergies were so bad – his eyes were so red and swollen, they were hurting him and he was exhausted. Literally 10 minutes before I was ready to leave with him, I picked up Isabelle and she felt warm, so I took her temperature and she had a fever. She had been extra cranky the last couple of days, so I brought her with us, and turned out she had an ear infection! After some antibiotics for her and allergy meds and eye drops for Joseph, everyone rallied for the holiday :)
3. I’m totally snatching up these bunny kids dinnerware sets from Williams Sonoma’s Easter sale – I think the kids will love them next year!
4. Sephora’s spring sale starts today! I need to replenish my Living Proof dry shampoo and I want to try the Laneige Lip Glowy Balm since I LOVE their lip sleeping mask. Do you have any favorites that you’re stocking up on?
5. Some great tips >> Multiply Your Time by Asking 4 Questions About the Stuff on Your To-Do List
6. We need to discuss earthquake cakes. Have you made one? Do you have a tried and true recipe? Here’s the story. I’ve made multiple earthquake cakes over the last year and, while good, they don’t “quake”, which is driving me bananas. There is no bumpy top with pillows of cheesecake, just a flat chocolate cake on top, and everything else is on the bottom. HELP, PLEASE!
7. If you use a Fitbit or smartwatch, how do you set daily goals? I let my Apple watch default the activity goals for me (calories burned, minutes of exercise, and standing). Also, I keep reading that 10,000 steps isn’t the *magic number* anymore; what do you shoot for??
8. Did you hear that beginning in July, you’ll be able to drop off any Amazon returns at Kohl’s? I still think it would be more convenient to drop my box at the UPS store, since it’s right next to the grocery store, and I’m ALWAYS there, lol!
9. Okay so I was definitely more into Game of Thrones this week; there was actually a little bit of humor, too, which is weird? Definitely a different vibe. We’ve also re-started Bosch on Amazon Prime since the latest season dropped last week!
10. TGIF! 3, 2, 1… staring contest!
Did you pick up those adorable bunny plate sets yet?
They are down to $11.01/set (free shipping!!!) right now!!! Wow.
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/damask-bunny-place-setting/?clickid=2vA148yNXxyJT%3ArwUx0Mo382UklTKa3VyTXb0Q0&irgwc=1&cm_cat=116548&cm_ven=afshoppromo&bnrid=3917500&cm_ite=&cm_pla=ir&irpid=116548
Hi, I am compelled to write to you as I made your Cream Cheese Pound Cake a week ago and then this past week-end made the Best Ever Potato Salad (not for the first time and it is the absolute BEST) as well as a No Bake Banana Split Dessert. All of which had grams or Metric available. I just printed the recipe for a Apple Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese filling and Praline Frosting for next week. Also available in metric….I answered your recent survey with a complaint about not being able to see grams in your recipes. I guess I never noticed before, I can’t explain it but want to apologize.
I appreciate your recipes and love your blog. Your children are precious and that little girl is so darn adorable….It’s nice to watch them grow up…Thank you again for all the great recipes.
For counting steps, the ideal number is different for everybody. When I first got my fitbit and tried like a mad person to get 10K everyday I felt defeated because I rarely met my goal on a weekday (my job has me at my desk most of the day…boo). I had someone tell me to try this instead: for 1 work week just follow your normal routine and take an average step count of that week. Then, for the next week try to hit that every day. If you are successful, then the next week, add 200-500 steps to your daily goal and keep gradually increasing your step goal each week you are successful in hitting that week’s target. The goal is to reach a step count that you can achieve but is also a challenge to keep you moving. It took me a while but I started a out at 3-5K per day (yikes) and by gradually increasing it I am now hitting 10K most work days. By gradually increasing my daily targets, I was able to feel successful since they were more realistic for me and I was able to slowly build in the habits and routines to really get my step counts up. I love my evening walks with my puppy and it is encouraging to feel the buzz of my fitbit letting me know I have reached my step goal and we are only halfway through the walk. Its how I stay motivated. Hope that helps anyone else trying to get in more steps but are intimidated or overwhlemed by the magical “10K per day” number.
Oh, the cuteness overload is hitting the max. In that second picture, Joseph looks like he is contemplating the philosophical worth of indulging in chocolate as he sits in a yoga pose; Dominic looks like he is trying to sneak one more chocolate in, but you caught him on camera; and all what Isabelle needs is a little white headband with a bow to resemble “Alice In Wonderland” at a tea party. You could place all three of them in each of those perfectly over-sized Easter baskets. I don’t know how you do it all–you provide the world with “the bomb-dot-com” recipes and you find time to set up an Easter
egg hunt, tend to your children’s medical needs, and DANG!–even find time to shop for high-quality products worth sharing. And then you go and try to create some Earthquake Cake! The Marvel Superheros don’t have anything on you–SuperWoman has arrived. Either you have some magical morning cup of coffee, an impenetrable immune system, or are just simply blessed to be able to do all that you do–and never once have I heard you complain about yourself. Talk about self-sacrificing. AMAZING.
(And on a side note–you–a Mom on-the-go–do not need to be “tracking your steps.” It takes all the energy in the world to do what you do at optimum performance. However you have been treating your body has helped you make it this far in life; don’t hold yourself to a daily number–unless it is counting your 3 blessings pictured above.) Just my opinion…
Love seeing how your precious family are doing, they are terrific and can’t believe how much they have grown!
Thanks again for all the delish recipes.
I haven’t tried it, but’s I think if you mix a package of cream cheese, an egg and a cup of granulated sugar, chill it well, and then dollop it over the earthquake cake, it might work. All of the earthquake cake recipes I have seen combine cream cheese, melted butter and confectioners sugar, which can’t possibly work.
Always look forward to reading “Friday Things”! Who is this fur child?? I am thinking Judith, but I can only tell them apart when they are pictured together. A precious picture!
That is Judith! :)
I LOVE the Kohl’s drop-off b/c I don’t need to package anything. They do it all. I just show the code on my phone, they scan it, and voila, done. Of course, I have a Kohl’s near where I grocery shop, so it’s extra easy for me.
so love the goldens at the end .. I have tried most of your recipes love them .. keep them coming .. love Friday things !
Your children are precious! Love all your pics 😍
Isabelle wore the same Easter dress as one of my granddaughters, Reagan (5). How did your little cutie do wearing it? Reagan’s dress, by the end of the day, had the top layer of the skirt almost completely torn from the ribbon waistband. She claims everytime she got up from a chair/the floor, part of the tulle layer tore…My son said, “Well,, there’s $30 bucks shot!! “ kids…gotta love ‘em.
Thank you, Janice! Isabelle’s dress didn’t tear at all, but she’s not even walking yet, and was out of it by her afternoon nap ;-)
Your children are adorable in the Easter outfits. Allergies can really get you down! Glad things are better. I so enjoy your Friday things!!
Hi!
Is the Sephora sale for Rouge only?? I don’t see it anywhere but I know they used to run one in the spring and I need to stock up on my hair things!!
Kids look adorable for Easter! Glad they were able to rally for celebration times!
I set my FitBit up to track steps, flights of stairs, activity minutes, steps this hour (with reminders), heart rate, and ounces of water. I strive for 8K steps a day. I have read 10K is optimal, but I just don’t often get it. I don’t often get 8K either, unless I get in a good walk or hit the treadmill. But I DO like to see trends for how I’m doing on it and it IS a reminder to me to get up and start moving.