Friday Things #383
1. Isabelle lounging on the side of a car with sunglasses and eating a popsicle makes me feel like she’s 16 already. She’s certainly acting like it lately! 😂😭
2. I feel like these two being born just one day apart makes them serious soul mates; they actually have super similar personalities! 😍
3. Joseph has officially ditched the training wheels! He wanted to try a few months ago and he was kind of scared and wobbly and asked for them back on. Then he wanted to try again a couple of weeks ago and he literally just took off… he was ready! The first few times, he wanted to ride with his hockey elbow pads and shinguards but then got rid of those, too. He’s so proud of himself and has been having so much fun.
4. Do you have any requests for September’s bake-along recipe? I have a number of ideas but I’m not particularly sold on any of them… share your suggestions in the comments below!
5. I remember when we were young, at the end of summer, my mom would start rolling back bedtimes a couple of weeks before school started so that we’d be ready. Well, our kids’ bedtimes don’t change in the summer and they get up at the same time in the morning but hoo boy, a couple of days ago I realized that we really need to reign back in our morning routine before school starts. Ever since we’ve been home, without the rush of having to get out the day, we really ease into our mornings, with the kids playing, not eating breakfast or getting dressed right away, etc. Need to get back on a routine!
6. Have you tried my quick and easy refrigerator dill pickles yet? They’ve been super popular this summer!
7. Unlocked another quarantine badge this week – I had my husband cut my hair! It had gotten so long (over 6 months since my last haircut) and I couldn’t take it anymore. He did a great job! 😍
8. This is so true >> How Covid-19 Killed America’s Favorite Diet. I’m not one for diets but I definitely DID eat way more bread than usual when quarantine started!
9. And on that note, it seems so surreal to me that we’ve gone from cold and snowy early March when quarantine began, all through the spring and now almost done with summer, on the cusp of fall and school starting in this strange limbo-like state. Earlier this week I was cleaning out my closet and found the kids’ swim bag, which had been packed with mine and Isabelle’s suits and towels, ready for her lesson the day before everything shut down. It was like looking at a time capsule, just so crazy.
10. TGIF! Lazy dog days of summer…
Did you use a tutorial for the hair cut?? And what scissors did you use? I miiiiight let my husband do this too. It has been almost 9 months for me.
September bake-along… baguette?
Hi Erica, No tutorial! My husband cuts the boys’ hair, so he was fairly comfortable doing it. I didn’t ask for anything special, just for a couple of inches to be cut off the bottom. I didn’t have him to try trim the layers ;-). I’m not sure what type of scissors they were – he’s had barber scissors for years for cutting the kids’ hair :)
Good Afternoon Michelle,
I thoroughly enjoy your Friday Things and look forward to them each week. You are so kind and generous to share your family with everyone and your recipes. My wife got me involved with your blog years ago, so now I am on your mailing list.
I have a question; my wife loves Grandma’s Original Macaroni Salad. Do you happen to have a recipe that replicates it? If so could you share it.
Thank you again for all of the fun
Frederick
You and I live at just about the same latitudinal degree on the map, so I am going to assume you may have the same last-days-of-summer happenings that may spark a recipe idea: when I was a child, I walked home from school along a gravel path through the woods. The grasshoppers would be flying like rapid ping-pong fire as I tried to avoid one of them striking my face, so that’s what reminded me of “grasshopper” things. I also noticed the September honey bee population appears in full force, so maybe a honeycomb or honey-flavor dessert would work. I know these aren’t exactly autumnal flavors, but that is what I think of all those days ago. Your blog is everything I wish my life could have been. Thank you for sharing. Best to you.
Thank you for your Friday Things and The Weekend Dish posts. I love them! I haven’t had my haircut since pre-pandemic (I just looked in my calendar, but couldn’t find the date), and I think I may ask my neighbor to cut my hair. He dyes his daughter’s hair and is good at everything he does. I’m going to wait until September so most of the hot and humid days are behind us here in the Northeast and I don’t need to put my hair in a ponytail. But I’m definitely counting down the weeks until happens. In terms of the Bake-Along, what about a Boston Cream Pie or a Boston Cream Pie cupcake? I have had a recipe in my “to make dessert” file for a BCP cupcake for a long time, and haven’t made them yet.
I sooo look forward to your Friday emails. Love seeing your little family! Thank you for sharing!
You will treasure that picture of your little girl in the years to come! It is precious! September bake along suggestions….. brioche rolls? There is a local bakery in SW PA that has THE BEST sandwich buns – I think they’d be called brioche, definitely an egg dough. I’d love to have some success making egg sandwich buns at home. Also – love butternut squash and spaghetti squash in the fall… oohhh. Maybe a butternut squash risotto??? Also something I have been struggling with – curds! I’d love to master the art of making a good curd! (Lol – that seems a little weird… sorry!)
Thank you! Whatever you decide on I’m certain it will be enjoyed by many! 😍
Yes, the limbo-like state! I’ve got my bag still packed for AquaZumba and I miss it so much. Hard to plan ahead for much with the pall of covid19…it’s putting a damper on my retirement travel plans! But we still have much to be grateful for…friends, family, pets, food, shelter, warmth etc. So many others have so much less and are suffering right now. I finally had a haircut last week after 4 1/2 months and I usually do every 8 weeks. Stay safe!
i have a relative that used to ‘ease up’ on the kids sleeping hrs during summer and during holidays. it got out of control quickly. Now no matter what kids go to bed at the same time, school or no school and she gets to spend adult time with her husband….which i think is hard to get sometimes with kids involved.
All of the kids have grown so much this summer! Covid has definitely done a number on what we consider normal these days and has definitely impacted my food intake/desires. I remember my parents getting g us back into a “school routine” and going to bed earlier from when I was a kid…Yay on the haircut.
I just want to send heartfelt kudos to you for your wonderful, kind and thoughtful parenting. Your three children give me, and I think all of your readers, hope for a much kinder, gentler future. Keep doing whatever you’re doing!
Routines are really important to get back into as the school year gets closer. I remember that from my younger days 😉
Can’t believe how grown up the kids seem lately – I remember Joseph as baby…lol…
Yeah these strange times have really messed with how and what we eat…
I haven’t had a haircut since January and I am getting a bit desperate myself!! I cut my sons hair (he’s 24) and have asked him repeatedly to return the favor. I told him to look up a YouTube video for cutting long hair and get an idea. He’s pretty meticulous about things, so I figured he was a safe bet, but he won’t do it. :( I’m not sure if I trust my husband… haha
I’ve always wanted to try to make a napoleon… classic! Maybe September?
Thanks for asking!
Refrigerator bread and butter pickles are the bomb! They’ve never lasted a month in the frig – unless you count that i start a new batch before the ‘old’ one is gone. SO good!
Isabelle does indeed look like a teenager leaning against the car with those sunglasses. All she needs now is a pony tail she can flip and a poodle skirt! Love seeing the kids and dog pics!
I’m already thinking fall soups & I love quiche. If you have any quiche recipes or ideas that would be good.
I so enjoy your Friday posts! Have a wonderful weekend.
Yes!! Love the idea of a nice stew or quiche!