Christmas Books ULTIMATE list!

I've been collecting Christmas books since Luke was a baby and we get them out every December and have the best time reading and enjoying them.  I love hearing the kids go, "ohhhhh! This one is my FAVORITE! No... THIS ONE is my favorite!" and reminisce about reading them year after year.  

It's one of my absolute favorite Christmas traditions and I so enjoy picking out a few new books to add to our collection each year.  Today I'm going to share ALLLL of our faves and hope that you find a new good one (or two!) to add to (or start) your collection.

Sounding Joy is my new FAVORITE!  "Does it sound like falling snow, or a kiss on your cheek? Award-winning recording artist Ellie Holcomb explores this question through a delightful collection of Christmastime scenes, leading up to the discovery that joy sounds like the angels singing that Jesus had been born."

North Pole Breakfast 2022

Well - the happiest morning of the year at our house has happened and it was a little EXTRA happy this year ;) Griffin asked Buddy last year if he could bring a girl elf back with him this year and I HAD to oblige since this will probably be my last year to have a kid who actually believes.  So Buddy arrived last   Friday morning and brought his little sister, Trixie!

 

Thanksgiving 2022

Happy Monday, friends!  Today I'm catching y'all up on some of the happenings around here including Thanksgiving!  We had a slow morning prepping a couple of desserts and green bean casserole and then headed to my parents for lunch.  They recently moved from their property in the country to a really great neighborhood MUCH closer but still "tucked away" off some country roads.  It's PERFECT and we were so excited to spend some time over there with them!

Friday Favorites

  Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

I feel like we have a lot to catch up on, friends!  Gift guides have been fun this week but I am ready to resume my regularly scheduled programming around here ;)

Last Friday was Grandparents and great friends day at school and I was all kinds of sentimental because G was our only elementary-aged kid this year.  The kids sang...

Gift Guide - Younger Kiddos

EEEK! I am so excited about this post - gifts for younger kids are my absolute favorite to buy and while I don't have littles in my home anymore I definitely have some recommendations based on so many fun years of shopping for my own kids.

This mail carrier kit is DARLING and I LOVE anything that encouraged imaginative play. My kids would have eaten this set UP!

Loving Lately - Walmart Fashion

Today I'm sharing some Walmart fashion finds that I'm LOVING!  Everything ships straight from Walmart or is even available to order and pickup at your local store.  Great reviews, great price points and super fun looks - let's go!

Gift Guide - Adults

Hey, friends! Keeping the gift guides coming today with the very general category of "adults" ;) hahaha  Moms, dads, husbands, wives, sisters, friends - pretty much anyone.  The end. 

This set of chirp wheels was a purchase I rationalized a month or so ago with my "well, it costs less than a chiropractor visit" reasoning and Y'ALL!  I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!  I wasn't sure which size I would like but turns out I like them all.  I usually start with the second to largest one, then the second to smallest and then the largest.  I like the small one for my neck and I can honestly say that I've seen a lot of improvement in my upper back tension. 

Gift Guide - Boys

 

Okay, y'all.  Boys are up on the agenda today and I feel like I covered all my bases when it comes to tween/teen boys.  Mason has never been big into toys (he has always played with people, not toys) and Luke has aged out so, honestly, a lot of their picks are the same.

First up - the teen boy wardrobe staple items.  White crocs...

Gift Guide - Griffin

 Happy Monday, friends!  This week I'm going to be trying to cram in as many gift guides as I can as we all get ready to (hopefully) take advantage of some deals this week!

Today I'm sharing what I'm calling "Griffin's Gift Guide".  I feel like she's at this weird kind of "in between" phase where she still plays with American Girl dolls but is also asking for hoodies ;)

First up are  these DARLING Sanrio pouches.  If I'm being honest I really just want to order the set so I can steal the Keroppi one for myself ;)  She uses pouches like this for pens, pencils, little American Girl pieces when she's going to a friends house, etc.  I have a set of these myself and the quality is GREAT!  They wipe clean and are generously sized.

Friday Favorites

  Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

This Little Turkey had her Thanksgiving party this week and it was her FAVORITE!  (Sweatshirt)

Gift Guide - Favorite Things Party Ideas

Today I'm kicking off gift guides with some of my FAVORITES!  I know lots of y'all are going to favorite things party, doing gift exchanges with co-workers, looking for something under $20 for a friend, etc. and today I thought it would be fun to share some of my all-time FAVORITE under $20 gifts!  

First up are  these nylon bags... now hear me out ;)  They're CUUUUTE, incredibly sturdy and I've used mine daily since August to tote my lunch and other gear back and forth to school and they look brand new.  They're $36 for the back of three which makes them a great price point to split up and they each fold up into their own little carrying pouch.  There are TONS of patterns available but I'm partial to the smileys ;)

Chicken and Rice Casserole

This recipe could not be simpler and while it's not lighting the world on fire with flavor if you're like me and running around like a chicken with your head cut off this week - hot and easy may trump gourmet at this point ;)

Teacher Tuesday - Ornament Color by Number Activity

 Hey, friends!  Today I'm sharing a fun project I did with my students that doubled as Christmas decorations...  LOOK HOW FUN!!!  These pics are from last year - I felt like I shared the post too late in the season for y'all to plan to use it in your classrooms so I'm hoping that this year you have more time if you'd like to do this with your classes ;)

Weekend Recap

A cold front blew in this Friday and Saturday morning was FREEZING!!!  A highlight for me was getting to break out this darling coat I rented from Nuuly.  Isn't it precious?!?!

Friday Favorites

   Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

Mason has been learning euphonium this year and I think it's safe to say it's not Rosie's FAVORITE...

Thanksgiving-spiration ;)

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is almost here!  Today I'm sharing a few previous posts to give you some inspiration for crafting in case you're going to be entertaining kids at your house on the day of or the week leading up to Thanksgiving.ur house.  

 Click  HERE to read about these Thankful Pies that were so simple to make and a fun exercise in naming things we're grateful for.

Apple Crisp

Today I'm re-sharing one of my most favorite Fall recipes of all time.  It's simple, easy and completely acceptable as a breakfast ;). When it gets super chilly out I like to warm it up in a mug and bring it with me to school to eat.  If you make this I'd love to hear what you think!!!

Amazon Lately

 I use  this cleaner for all the things - counters, appliances, wood surfaces, etc.  Love it so much!

Thanksgiving Decor

 Happy Monday, friends!  This past weekend I packed away Halloween and got out a few Thanksgiving touches.  Fall colors are my FAVE and so I can't pass up an opportunity to have them out!

Friday Favorites

  Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

I don't know how I missed posting these here on the blog but they're some of my FAVORITE pics so even though Halloween has come and gone I'm sharing them anyway ;)

Thanksgiving Books

  Today I'm sharing some of our favorite Thanksgiving themed books in case you're like me and like to get a head start on priming things (or reserving books at your library!)  so you can enjoy them the whole month :) 

This first book isn't technically a book BUT it is SO SO SO GOOD that I had to share.  I'm super picky about coloring pages (they can't be too detailed because then they're not fun and they also can't be too basic because also not fun and the pics have to be cute!).  You can find it  HERE.

Lasagna 2.0

I came across this recipe for lasagna and despite having a pretty tasty one already on hand I decided to give it a try and OH MY WORD is it yummy?!?!?! I didn't even have a chance to take a great picture

Here's what you'll need...

For the Sauce

1 pound Italian sausage mild or spicy, casings removed

¾ pound ground beef extra lean

1 small onion chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

28 ounce crushed tomatoes 1 can

6 ounce tomato paste 1 can

8 ounce tomato sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

4 leaves basil chopped

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste

¼ cup fresh parsley chopped

Cheese Mixture

16 ounce ricotta cheese

1 large egg

2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped

Lasagna

12 oven ready lasagna noodles

1 pound mozzarella cheese fresh, grated

1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated

What You'll Do...

• Make the sauce: Brown the sausage, beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until the meats are fully cooked. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer, covered, for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
• Prepare the cheese mixture: In a medium size bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, and parsley together.
• Assemble the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread about 1½ cups of the meat sauce in the bottom of your lasagna dish. Arrange 4 noodles over the sauce, then spread ½ the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Layer ⅓ of the mozzarella, another 1½ cups meat mixture, ¼ cup Parmesan, then repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients finishing with mozzarella and parmesan.
• Bake the lasagna: Cover the lasagna with foil. Spray the side of the foil facing the lasagna with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Bake for 25 minutes, remove the foil, then bake for another 25 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

This turned out SO WELL and my family all loved it.  It's been placed on our rotation and I can't wait to make it as again and again as cooler weather approaches. 

HAPPY Wednesday, friends!!!

Halloween Fun 2022

 

Happy November, y'all!  I am currently up way too late snacking on candy and looking through pics of the past few days.  I can't believe Halloween has come and gone!  

This year G decided to be an "Egyptian princess" and she said it's her favorite costume EVER!  She looked DARLING in it and I love how much she loved it!