Friday Things
1. Joseph had a great birthday yesterday! He watched Sesame Street, I took him to story time at Barnes & Noble, and I made him mac and cheese for dinner. It doesnโt get much better than that! (Also, how does he look like a teenager?!)
2. Dominic continues to be an incredibly happy baby that just loves to be around his people. His smiles are so infectious, and heโs becoming more active when laying on the floor โ he spins himself in circles and rolls to his side. So close to rolling over! Heโs also slowly losing his baby hair โ in patches and in no particular pattern, which is HILARIOUS, ha! And heโs rocking a serious double chin โ finally filling out a little bit!
3. I still canโt get on board with coffee, and I so wish I could, because my caffeine fix comes from Diet Coke and I have this crazy aversion to drinking it before 11:00 or soโฆ some mornings I could really use a boost much earlier than that!
4. Currently craving: biscuits with sausage gravy.
5. Joseph got a sled and snow gear for Christmas, so of course we havenโt had more than a dusting of snow since then. Iโd love one really good snowstorm this season!
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
6. Love this >> how to prioritize when everything is important
7. I went to The Container Store for the very first time this week, and it might officially be my happy place. I had ordered a few things from there over the years, but never stepped foot in the store. They opened one in Pittsburgh a couple of months ago and I finally made my way there. O.M.G. I could have spent DAYS in there. I picked up some things to try out in my pantry in anticipation of my big reorganization/overhaul, but after that, I want to organize ALL THE THINGS.
8. Itโs a big football weekend here! Cheering on our Steelers in Sundayโs AFC Championship game!
9. So Homeland came back last week, but holy heck were we disappointed with the first episode. Hereโs hoping it picks up! On the contrary, Sherlock continues to be AMAZING. I wish they made more episodes!
10. TGIF! Ever since Dominic was born, Duke lays at my feet every single time I feed him. Such a sweet, sweet boy! (Donโt mind the early morning hair and no makeup!)
Love all your posts!! Kids are so adorable and fun to watch grow!! Would love to see you pantry when you get done organizing. I have a walk in pantry, but a little narrow so I really need organization which I donโt have ha ha! I know I am so fortunate to have a walk in so not complaining for sure! Just need to make it work the best it can!! Thanks so much and Happy Sunday!
Iced coffee was a game changer for me. For some reason I really hate hot coffee, but I started drinking iced coffee when I got my first real 9-5 and now I kind of love it. I still put a decent amount of milk in it, but Iโve definitely cut down on the sugar in the 6ish months Iโve been drinking it.
Would you drink loose leaf tea? Davidโs Tea has some really yummy mate teas that give you energy without the crash of caffeine/coffee. Jumpy Monkey is my favorite!!
I buy my mom Davidโs Tea every year for Christmas โ she loves it! I just am not a big tea fan.
Your boys are the cutest! I just love seeing their photos. I canโt function without coffee. I love the container store. I was also disappointed in the first episode of Homeland. Duke is such a sweet boy.
I love the pictures of your adorable boys. ย ย I have never been a coffee drinker but love hot tea. ย My favorite is PG Tips which comes with or without caffeine and they have a delicious chamomile for bedtime. ย I enjoy mine with a bit of lemon or honey and occasionally a pinch of stevia or truvia. ย Iโm a huge fan in finding the perfect tea cup as opposed to a thick mug but that is a personal preference. Also make sure you start with water at a rolling boil before you steep your tea. ย It really makes a difference. ย There are lots of great flavored tea options but I really enjoy tea pigs among many others. British teas are usually a standout over American lines. ย As you can see I take my tea seriouslyโฆ.we didnโt even have a coffeemaker growing up but even as a young child my mom would fix us tea during afternoon tea which was basically milk and a splash of tea in a china teacup but we loved the tradition. ย Invest in a tea kettle if you can as it just adds to the experience. ย Hearing the kettle whistle and making a lovely cup of tea takes a few short minutes but it can become a very comforting part of your routine. ย Give it a try and let us know!ย
Thanks for sharing your beautiful family and birthday pictures. Loved the Cookie Monster cupcakes! Thanks for Duke pictures, too. Love the fur babies.ย
Your boys are beautiful and always lookย
forward to seeing what yummy recipesย
you will post too. ย Thank you for all
your helpful ideas and love the newย
format to your blog too!!ย
Such sweet pictures. Your boys are so adorable! Thanks for sharing. If it makes you feel better, you are in good company on the coffee thing. I canโt even stand the smell of the aisle at the grocery store! Bleh!
Dominic is beginning to look like a mini me version of Joseph.ย
I think so, too!
Your kids are so cute as always :)
I thought everyone knew that having coke in the morning is gross, lol. Have you tried tea?
Yeah, I DONโT drink it in the morning, which is the issue โ I need some caffeine! I donโt like tea either, unfortunately.
Oh! The boys are so cute. I can see why you love them so much. They grow so fast. Continue to keep us posted on the family and recipes. Love your blog.
We love Sherlock tooโฆdidnโt that episode feel like the series finale??? Benedict Cumberbash has become quite popular since the series beganโฆafraid he has outgrown it?
Havenโt gotten a chance to watch the last episode yet, hopefully tonight!!
I canโt stand coffee- neither the smell or the taste- but I love a good cup of tea. I love British brands, Ahmed, Taylorโs of Harrogate,and Edinburgh Tea and Coffee Co are a good starting point, because itโs a slightly smoother finish than an American brand of tea. I drink black tea (English Breakfast, Scottish Breakfast, Tea Room Blend, Yorkshire Goldโฆ) and dress it up with Demerara sugar and some milk (your choice โ nonfat and half & half are what Iโve tried). Can give you a nice caffeine boost without the yuck of coffee.ย
Let us know if you try tea- itโs its own world with just as many options (if not more) than coffee.ย
I love swing your boys grow and change- they are both adorable! Thank you for sharing pictures :-)
Even Duke looks different โ bigger โ this week! ย Dominic and Joseph are looking more and more alike. ย
The weather this winter has been ok with me. ย The last bit of snow we had was perfect, just enough to make everything clean and beautiful, but yet not enough to really need to shovel anything more than the front walk. ย But being that weโre in Pittsburgh, Iโm sure there will be a โmajorโ storm in store for us โ probably when weโre all ready for Spring to pop.
I am a huge fan of tea. ย Have you ever tried a cup of tea for your morning source of caffeine? ย I like mine pure, but a tiny bit of sugar and some milk (not half & half) is delicious and I like it that way later in the day or evening. ย I can drink coffee and really do enjoy a cup every so often, but it took me a long time to develop a taste for it. ย Having it in the morning is rough for me though, just canโt do it.
Here We Go STEELERS!!
Unfortunately, Iโm just not a big tea fan :(
Joseph is growing up too quickly! Heโs such a handsome boy and Dominic is cracking me up โ heโs so happy in all of his pictures and just such a cutie pie! Iโm glad that Duke is sorta bonding with Dominic via lying on the floor near you when you feed him. Yay for Dominic gaining some weight and yes his hair is hilarious! I have never been to the container store either and frankly wouldnโt trust myself there! And yes we are rooting for the Steelers this weekend! They have to win!
Iโm with you on the pop instead of coffee, although I have become a fan of iced coffee, and will drink it first thing in the morning. I load it up with cream and sugar, just to be sure I get as many health benefits from it as I do Coke Zero.
You should try watching Reign on Netflix. I just finished season one and itโs great. ย And Iโll also be watching the afc game, but from the other side of the aisle ?
I cannot believe the big change in Dominic. ย I enjoyed seeing the pictures from Josephโs party and loved the cake and the adorable cupcakes. ย You are so talented. ย Seeing these special moments warms my heart. ย
My youngest will be leaving for grad school and moving clear across the country. ย I am left with mixed feelingsโฆI donโt want to see him go but this is what we raise our children to doโฆspread their wings. ย I donโt have to tell you that it goes very quickly!
If you want snow, you should move to Erie. Not to far away, but we seem to get DUMPED whenever there is snow in the forecast. We had a huge amount of snow right before Christmas and right afterwards. Now, Iโm enjoying this warm cycle! One of our friends from Pittsburgh visited in early December and she could not believe how much snow we had โ a couple feet! But, I hope that Joseph gets the chance to use his sled. My kids also got snow gear for Christmas and havenโt really used it lately thanks to the warm weather. But, there is still a LOT of winter left!
Your boys are adorable. I would like to make sour dough bread. Do you have a recipe for it?
Hi Diane, Thank you! I am still working on sourdough, but hope to have something to share in the next couple of months!
Such sweet pictures of all your boys โ thank you for sharing. ย I look forward to seeing them every Friday morning. ย Sounds like Joseph had a great birthday. ย Yes the Container Store is so cool. ย This weather has been so crazy that it makes me forget that it is actually winter and that it may actually snow. ย I am sure we will see some one of these days.
Have a great weekend Michelle and GO STEELERS!