Friday Things
1. Duke is EXTREMELY proud of himself. He’s been picking up and carrying around two tennis balls in his mouth since he was pretty young, but it took me until last week to actually get a picture of it! He never stops moving and as soon as you try to take a picture, he drops the tennis balls and walks toward you ;-)
2. This past week I had my glucose test, which I passed with flying colors, woo! The drink didn’t taste bad (it pretty much tasted like Sprite), but having to chug the entire bottle in 5 minutes left me totally nauseous, ugh. I also had a hemoglobin screen, which came back borderline low for anemia, which might explain why I’ve been feeling totally and completely run down the last two weeks. The doctor prescribed a daily iron supplement, so hopefully I’ll perk back up soon!
3. When you were a kid, did you participate in the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! program? As a kid who loved to read and loved pizza, this was pretty much the best thing ever. Read books… get free pizza. Plus, pins and stickers… what’s not to love?! To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the program (I didn’t even know they still had it!), they launched a BOOK IT! alumni site where you can register for free pizza.  You can read all about it here.
4. I am absolutely loving my new ballerina pink Tieks! October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month – a great time to remember to schedule your yearly checkup or mammogram. When detected early, there is a 95% survival rate. DO IT!
5. This list of 65 Books You Need To Read In Your 20s has me yearning to pick up a good book again (although, as my husband reminded me, I’m well into my 30s at this point!). I think next on my list is Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Has anyone read it?
6. I recently got the 2 Sues Bag in walnut from Kelly Moore and, while it’s technically a camera bag, I am LOVING it as my everyday fall purse. As it turns out, all those little dividers for lenses and an iPad make organizing the inside of a purse a cinch. Seriously genius! There’s a place for everything and I’m never fumbling around looking for something that’s sitting at the bottom of my bag.
7. This week I got to share some of my favorite hockey-watching snacks with a local hockey blog, Pens Initiative. If you’re as excited as I am about the official start of hockey season next week, head on over and get some snack ideas (it goes without saying that these are excellent food choices for ANY sports-watching!). I can’t wait to feel the chill coming off the ice next week at the home opener! I figured I won’t be able to make it to many games this season, so I’m packing a couple in early this month :)
8. The weather has been nice and warm here during the month of September, but it’s slated to turn very chilly and rainy over the weekend, which means it’ll be time for my inaugural fall trip to Starbucks for some hot chocolate! I LOVE their hot chocolate, and it’s one of my favorite cold-weather traditions.
9. I finally watched last week’s episode of Scandal a few days ago and now need to catch up on last night’s. I have to say, I’ve been totally spoiled by Netflix and on demand… binge watching TV shows is so much better than having to wait a week between episodes! That being said, I am absolutely counting down to Sunday night’s Homeland premiere. I can’t wait to see where they take the series, and hope it’s just as good as it’s been up until now!
10. TGIF! I hope you have a snuggly weekend!
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I haven’t been on your blog in quite a few weeks either. Duke is such a handsome boy, and together, the dogs are adorable. Thanks for the tip on the Starbucks hot chocolate. I’ve never tried theirs, but if you ever happen to go to the Columbus Zoo for their Christmas lights, get the hot chocolate there. I discovered it last December. YUM!
congrats i haven’t read this in a while and didn’t realize you’re pregnant. anywhere from 28 wks? and holy crap the goldens are so beautiful
Thank you! :) I am 26 weeks!
How many weeks pregnant are you? It sounds pretty gross to have to drink an entire bottle of that glucose stuff. Ergh! Your pups are as adorable as ever! I’m sure you new baby will have great company!
Hi Margaret, I am 26 weeks now, will be 27 come Monday! And yes, it was very gross ;-)
Duke is precious! & that’s a great shot!! Anyway both ur boys are wonderful. Congrats on the bun in the oven!! Take care
Yes – I so remember BookIt. We used to have a pizza party at school for everyone who participated. My mom would go pick up the pizzas for us and we got to watch a movie. Good times!
What did you think of last season if Homeland? I wasn’t a fan, so I’m eager to see if they can make a comeback.
Hi Laura, I was STUNNED at the ending (don’t want to give away too much in case someone is still binge watching)… I kept thinking up until the end that someone was going to intervene. I’m curious to see what direction they’re going to take the show.
Ooh I did Book IT as a kid. I get such a kick out of the fact that my son is doing it in school now!
Your dog pictures make my week! :D
I read Unbroken; wow what an amazing life that guy had. It’s a good read.
Michelle,
I love all the photos of Duke and Einstein and look forward to them every Friday.
Annamaria
I love your site and have made many, many of your recipes. And, you’re the go to site for my daughters when they need inspiration or just a great recipe.
I love the photo of your Duke with the 2 tennis balls but when I saw it I was reminded of the time my brother in law’s golden was catching tennis balls and somehow got one of the balls lodged in his throat! The vet said it wasn’t that uncommon so we’ve always been careful when we toss balls to our lab. I thought you might want to know it can happen. My sweet brother in law even tried mouth to snout resuscitation while his wife drove him to the vet. The vet was able to get it out in time, thank goodness!
I just put the Two Sues bag on my Christmas wish-list!
My dad was stationed in the Sough Seas during WWII and told us about some of the Japanese atrocities he witnessed. I was sure it couldn’t have that bad until I read “Unbroken”. He didn’t even get CLOSE to the brutalities the Japanese did to the Allied soldiers & airmen. My father wouldn’t buy any product made in Japan. And now I won’t either. It took me 3X as long to get through this book. When I finally finished, I told my husband that it should be required reading for ALL high school students. Very powerful read.
That should be South Seas.
Duke :)
Another vote for “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand. I read it for my book club, and I remember being afraid that it would be too haunting. There are some disturbing parts, but overall, it was so much more amazing. It made me want to read Seabiscuit, which I haven’t yet, but I’m sure that it’s just as good. Ms. Hillenbrand is a gifted writer. She has a pretty amazing personal story herself.
I recently read Unbroken also! It is def a “must read”. I could not put it down. It is unbelievable what goes on in the book. I also got a history lesson which made me realize how much I really don’t know. It touched my heart immensely!
Unbroken is an amazing book. . It does get intense in some parts and long in others, and I admit it took me longer than usual to finish…but I was sad when it ended, I felt that I had made a friend in Louis.. I am waiting to see how Angelina Jolee interprets it into the movie… I love the 2 Sue’s bag..out of my budget right now, but I did mark it for later.
omg– camera bag as a purse is an awesome idea! i never have enough pockets!
Unbroken is a great book that left me speechless so many times, that man led an amazing life
Yes to Unbroken – as all have previously said, wonderful book, great writing, definitely pulls you in. I’ve been meaning to ask you, though, have you read Edgar Sawtelle? If you haven’t, you MUST, must, must! It was one of those that the moment I turned the last page, I wanted to turn the book over and start it again. Be prepared to squeeze and hug your pups even more when you read it :) As for Duke, tell him that Heatley has mastered a lacrosse ball + a tennis ball + a hockey puck all at once…it’s a classic and hysterical face when those things are all stuffed in it!
TGIF! I can’t live without my Starbucks Chai Tea Lattes!!! I drink them hot all year long, even on the hottest days of the summer. But I so love buying them this time of year, it’s just so much nicer drinking those warm drinks in the Fall! I also love them from Panera…so good! Have a wonderful weekend!!!
Love seeing pictures of your guys-they are soooooooooo cute!!! Regarding the Iron Supplement, you may want to take a stool softener at the same time just in case to prevent discomfort. That is the best way for me to put it without being graphic. Glad you are feeling well-hope the rest of your pregnancy is smooth and easy.
Unbroken is definitely a Must-Read! It is an amazing true story that moved me to the core!
I read Unbroken. Beautifully written, & an amazing story, but I found the end of it very difficult to read. The horrors of war were very vividly depicted, and depressed me.
Unbroken was a wonderful read.
Glad you passed your test! I hate that drink, I had the orange one though! BOOK IT! I am checking that out:)
I enjoy Einstein & Duke on Fridays :) I, too, have a hard time of capturing my Golden on camera for the same reason you do . . . they just love their people! I have a question for you on your Tieks: is there arch support? So many times flats lack a really good arch support. I’m really tempted to purchase a pair b/c all I hear is how comfortable they are & people just love them. But I haven’t yet due to wondering about their arch support. Also, Unbroken is an incredible story! I was not in the least expecting the ending . . . so, hurry up and start reading; it’s hard to put down once you start.
Hi Michelle, There’s isn’t a built-in arch, and I admittedly don’t have any arch problems to begin with, so I find that they are more than enough in the support area – I can walk around in them all day without my feet getting sore, which pretty much NEVER happens. I think they have a pretty good return policy, so you could order a pair and wear them around your house for days on end and see how they feel. They do stretch and get more comfortable after you wear them 2-3 times.
I thought Unbroken was an outstanding book. I was born in 1942 and enjoy reading about that time period. I think it gives an accurate picture of what being a soldier, prisoner of was really like. I hope the movie is as good.
Billie Rosene
Unbroken is amazing and so inspiring. I listened to it on a road trip. I highly recommend the audiobook. I think if I had to forge through some of the more heavy duty parts of the book as a hardcover, I might have too easily been able to put it down, unable to take more of the relentless hard life that man endured. It would have been a terrible move on my part, as the outcome was so incredibly inspiring!
Unbroken is AMAZING! Read it!
Yep, Unbroken is a great book! It opened my eyes to the horrors of what went on in some of the Japanese prison camps during WWII (so much attention, I think, is focused on Hitler’s activities). I hope to watch the movie when it comes out, but it may be tough (I couldn’t watch Sarah’s Key even though I had read the book).
Love your doggie photos as always! And congrats on passing your glucose test!
I subscribe to quite a few food blogs, but your “Friday Things” is my favorite and I look forward to reading it each week!
I also highly recommend Unbroken. My dad was a nose gunner on a B-24 during WWII so I read the book with that perspective. Amazing story.
Unbroken is one of my all-time favorite books, right up there with A Thousand Splendid Suns. It’s so unbelievable that it’s a true story, too. I can’t wait to see the movie. I think you’ll be so moved by it!
Oh, those dogs are so adorable!
Unbroken is an incredible book! It’s amazing that it’s all based on a true story too.
Your dogs are just too cute!
I recommend Unbroken to everyone who will listen to me. I couldn’t put it down and read it in just 2 days!
My sister told me to read Unbroken so I did. It was a great book. I keep trying to talk my dad into reading it. I can’t wait until the movie comes out in December.
Can I say that your goldens are so cute? Definitely my favorite part of Friday Things.