1. I can’t believe this is the 500th iteration of Friday Things! Amazing! I think I began writing these a little over ten years ago. Thank you for being a part of this special space and sharing in my joys and hardships, sharing fun recommendations and stories of your own!

2. Saturday morning, bright and early…

Boys sitting on either side of a chess board on a dining room table, smiling at the camera.

3. Joseph started basketball practices last week and with the time change, I’m totally transported back to middle school and being dropped off at practice after dinner, already dark, and freezing!

4. YES! I love sharing books I’ve loved with others; I always pass off something I’ve just finished to someone I think would enjoy it. I’ve even handed books off to nurses and hospital staff when I’ve finished them at the hospital. >> Why I Love Paperbacks

5. And speaking of books, I finished Happy Place this week and absolutely loved it. A great, light read, and I’d give it five stars. (To piggyback on #4 above, I’ll be returning it to the friend who lent it to me, and passing on to her The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek because she hasn’t read it yet.) Next up on my to-read list: Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover.

6. Okay, one more little nugget about reading… when I finished Happy Place and marked it as finished in Goodreads, it threw up a confetti screen because I had met my goal of reading 12 books in 2023. I felt ridiculously proud! I know some people read 50 or 100 books a year, so my very humble goal may not seem like much, but after being away from reading for so long, I am thrilled to be back into it and am thoroughly enjoying getting lost in stories and characters again!

7. Last week I asked for toilet brush recommendations and SO MANY of you messaged me and asked me to share the consensus, so here it is: the overwhelming majority of people who commented and sent me emails said that they use the Clorox ToiletWand.

8. Every year it takes so much self-control to not buy all of the JCrew Factory graphic holiday tees for myself, Isabelle, and the boys. I LOVE them!

9. A quick reminder that there won’t be a Friday Things next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and know that I am forever grateful for the time that you spend here and the community we have built together ❤️

10. TGIF! Judith is always snuggling, ALWAYS…

Golden Retriever dog laying in between two boys on a couch.