Friday Things #406
1. We got snow on Sunday and Monday this week and the kids had such a blast playing outside in it! They also loved the hot chocolate once we got back inside :)
2. Now that itโs totally possible for school to be done virtually, most schools do an online learning day instead of just canceling for the snow, which makes me so sad! I hope they start to reverse course next year and give kids the thrill of waking up to a snowfall and finding out that they can just play all day long. I remember being SO EXCITED as a kid, waiting by the radio to see if our school would be called for a cancellation. Then, playing in the snow if it wasnโt too cold, puzzles, movies, etc.
3. This sweet girl really loves her dolls and stuffed animals โค๏ธ๏ธ Her favorite thing lately is lining them up on the steps; sometimes she says theyโre at school, sometimes she takes them for a ride, sometimes she is the doctor and gives them all checkups (sheโs very into Doc McStuffins right now!). I just adore watching her pretend play.
4. Iโve been seeing so many air fryer recipes pop up lately; do you have one and love it? Our toaster oven has an air fryer setting but Iโve only used it a couple of times for things like frozen chicken strips and French fries. Am I missing out? What do you make in yours and love?
5. I saw this meme about The Wonder Years earlier this week and my gosh, I canโt believe it was on THIRTY years ago. I loved that show so much. And also, the bit about having a show today about things 20 years ago being set in the year 2001 kind of blew my mind. And made me feel pretty old, ha!
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
6. On that note, my husband bought this Ten Magic Butterflies book for Isabelle for Christmas, and I was ecstatic when I saw it was written by Danica McKellar. She played Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years and then went on to get a degree in mathematics and has since written math-based books for kids and teenagers. I love it!
7. Whatโs your favorite food to eat during the Super Bowl? Do you go full-on buffalo chicken dip or something else? Weโre usually a queso house :)
8. And on that note, who are you rooting for on Sunday? Are you even watching? I really have no rooting interest, but I guess Iโll pull for Tampa?
9. I got the materials for my next crochet project! Ideally, this one wonโt take me six years to finish ๐ I am doing the gray-tone version of this blanket: Crochet Afghan Block-of-the-Month Club.
10. TGIF! The pups had a real snuggle fest during the kidsโ bedtime last night, ha!
Friday is really a happy day, thinking of a beautiful weekend, full of snacks, delicious meals, happy
Do you like the Crochet Afghan Block of the month? ย Did you know how to crochet before you got this or did you learn from it?ย
How much is it in a monthly basis? Thank youย
Hi Peggy! This is my first month doing it and Iโve completed 2 of the 3 blocks so far and I really liked it! I did know how to crochet, but each packet comes with detailed instructions, and then you can go online and they have a full video tutorial of making each block. The first two blocks are made with the basic crochet stitches that most others are built on โ the single crochet and double crochet โ so you are kind of starting from the beginning in terms of stitch difficulty, which is nice for beginners! As for the cost, the first month is $9.99 and then I believe itโs $19.99/month after that (there are 10 months, I believe). Hope that helps!
My 5th graderโs (public, fairly affluent) school district made the decision that snow days will remain snow days. I really hope more schools become enlightenedโit has nothing to do with the magic of a snow day. But rather, everything to do with unequal resources. A lot of poorer families might lose power or internet when the weather is rough. Most lower-income jobs donโt come with the luxury of working from home when the weather is bad, and therefore those parents may rely on a hodge-podge of emergency care situations that might not be at all conducive to learning. I hope more parents who live in such districts start to push back at school boards making these decisions to make sure they are considering these issues and to help amplify the voices that of those that need help even if their particular circumstances (like mine) make a virtual school snow day no big deal.
Awwwwwโฆsuch a sweet picture of the 2 furries. It has been awhile since weโve seen the two of your pups snuggled close like that. Iโd forgotten a bit how sweet these pics are when theyโre laying by one another.
Your kids are so sweet together. Look at Dominic touching Josephโs arm.๐ such love.
Michelle, Iโm curious. If your last crochet project took six years, and you belong to the Afghan Block of the Month Club, you get sent yarn every month, right? Is your house attic bursting with yarnโฆ?
Hi Judy, Ha! No, itโs not. I used up almost all of my yarn from the rainbow blanket (it took awhile but I didnโt buy extra yarn!), and for this new project, yes you are sent yarn once a month, but there are specific patterns/blocks to do with that yarn. So not much extra laying around!
Go CHIEFS! Thanks for the tip on Ten Magic
Butterflies โ will buy for my great-nieceโs birthday. As for the airfryer, I got a 6 qt. and use it for tater tots, chicken breasts. For a family of four, I donโt recommend buying another if youโve got a toaster oven with that option. It probably is bigger than 8โณ and would cook more at once rather than having to cook multiple batches since you can only cook one layer of food.
Thanks again for Friday Things. Re. The Wonder Years, I loved it, and had I been a bit younger might have developed a crush On Danica/Winnie. Thanks for the author info on her-with 3 great-nieces between 4 and 11, Iโm always looking for book ideas, especially educational by a woman. Re. SB Iโm rooting for TB12 and TBB. Nothing against Mahomes and KCC, but Brady gave us here in NE 19 incredible seasons, and if he can increase his likely unbeatable career stats, good for him. And bringing yet another sports championship (or near) to the Tampa area , and to a downtrodden team (as he did for my Pats), fine.
Go Chiefs! Born and bred in KC and still here,
Michelle โ if Annieโs give you a discount code for all the months to share with your readers it would be AMAZING. Iโve been wanting the knit version (in grey too!). Canโt wait to see your progress :)
I think this is my favorite pic of Duke and Judith ๐ฅฐ
MINE TOO! ๐
I got a Ninja 8 in 1 for Xmas and it has become the household favorite. I think Iโve turned on my oven twice since then! We love, love, love it. We use it for everything โ air frying, baking, roasting, toasting, etc. When air fryers became really popular a couple of years ago, I bought a small one and was SO disappointed with it. Not good quality and it took FOREVER to cook enough food for our family. Huge mistake to buy one so small. This time I really shopped around before choosing and Iโm so glad I did. Great capacity and it does more than just air fry!
I saw that post re: The Wonder Years on Facebook and oh my did that make me feel old! People turning 20 this year were born in 2001! Mind blown.
My son and I took a cooking class together a few years ago and learned to make homemade empanadas. They have become our traditional Super Bowl food ever since. He doesnโt do the traditional flavors though โ he makes pizza and/or chicken, bacon, ranch empanadas! LOL Our home is struggling with whom to cheer on. My son is a HUGE Patriots fan (he named the dog Brady) so obviously he wants to support Brady and Gronk but VERY unhappy Tampa picked up AB. He does not deserve to be playing in the NFL, let alone win a SB. :( But we always like pulling for the underdog so there is that too. Honestly, Iโm just hoping for a good game!
P.S. Per usual, your kiddos (and pups) are beyond adorable!
Every time I see Danica McKellar in a Hallmark movie, I feel old. ย Fred Savage was a male romantic lead in a Hallmark Christmas/Hanukkah movie this past season and it took me close to an hour in to place him. He looked so familiar but so mature.ย
I, too, hope kids get to experience snow days once the days of Covid are in the rear view mirror. As a former teacher, I anticipated those days with just as much excitement as my students.
Judith clearly hit the jackpot when she was adopted by your family. She and Duke seem to be such a sweet bonded pair. ย Have great weekendโฆGO BUCCS!!!
I can imagine virtual snow days are not very much fun for teachers, either! They need to come up with some sort of plan knowing kids donโt have any materials at home, and do it quickly. True snow days would be better for everyone!
I love the idea of a subscription box to make an Afghan. My daughter and I can do together (but separate houses). Have you used that subscription service before? We are both beginners. (She wants to knit. I want to crochet) Any advice you can give for us beginners?
Hi Eileen, I have not, but my aunt has used it and really liked it! I donโt know how to knit (something else Iโd like to learn this year), but up until doing the rainbow blanket, I just knew some very basic crochet stitches that my grandma had taught me when I was young. YouTube was my best friend; you can find anything and everything there! Sometimes I had to watch a few different tutorials on specific stitches multiple times, and sometimes I messed up and had to redo part of a row, but thatโs how we learn, right?!
OMG, how is 2001 twenty years ago?!
Iโve thought about getting one of the Annieโs Kits โ if you get a chance, do a follow-up post about how you like it! One of my coworkers and I are doing a temperature blanket crochet-along (https://www.fiberfluxblog.com/2019/01/2019-temperature-cal-part-1-intro.html) on our lunch breaks this year and Iโm kind of excited about the little bits throughout the year adding up to a whole afghan when all is said and done. I tend to get overwhelmed by large projects and not work on them because I feel like I donโt ever have enough time to make any progress โ hopefully this will be a good lesson for me that doing a little bit often adds up to more success than trying to tackle big chunks infrequently. Iโm actually finding that I wish I had MORE to do on it every day โ maybe if it keeps going well Iโll think about adding a block-a-month project to the mix!
Canโt wait to see how your afghan turns out!
I will definitely update you on the project! My aunt said she did it last year and loved it, then made two more. I just checked out that temperature blanket; Iโve heard of them but had just seen them crocheted in rows. The one you linked to is GORGEOUS! I might save that for next yearโs project!!
This temperature blanket is the FUNNEST idea! How fun would it be to have a group from all around the country and compare the different colors of the blankets????? Seems like Florida might be a little boring ;)
Hello Michelle,
Iโm so into your Friday Things newsletter that I dreamt about your family this week!!! :-)) You lived in what looked like a ski resort and we were having a very friendly gathering. I even spoke with Jospeh in french!!!
I was laughing when I woke up and realised !!!
Very interested about the air fryer opinions. I considered buying the Instant Pot Air Fryer but I missed it and it was never back in stock in France. So I bought a regular IP but Iโm still considering also buying another air fryer. I hate frying things and it seems so simple with thisโฆLet us know what your readers said.
Have a nice weekend!
Oh that is so funny about your dream! I love it!