As for the weekend ahead, we have a birthday party and a flag football game on the agenda and we’re considering hitting up the Renaissance Festival as well if we have the energy. Decorating for the holidays is also on our radar, too. (More on that below!) For now let’s dive into this week’s roundup of favorites, Things I’m Loving Friday style
I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
P.S. In case you missed it, here’s my latest Sticky Notes newsletter! It’s a hub for all things Peanut Butter Fingers and a great way to receive blog posts and weekly shares right to your email inbox. (And it’s free!)
Things I’m Loving Friday
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Slow-Roll Holiday Decorating
A few years ago, I realized pulling out our holidays decorations — something I used to love! — began to feel like a chore. As someone who LOVES Christmas, this majorly bummed me out and I was determined to bring the joy back into decorating for the holidays. Thank goodness a few super simple shifts brought all the fun and magic and joy back into holiday decorating. The #1 thing that helped? The slow roll, aka tackling one box at a time whenever inspiration strikes. (We start in early November because we host family for Thanksgiving and like to have our houe fully decorated by then.) Only tackling one box at a time feels lighte, more manageable and FUN.
Another thing that makes a difference: Labeling boxes according to the space where decorations go. I cannot overstate how helpful this is! Having a box that says “Christmas Living Room” or “Christmas Kitchen” makes it so much easier to know where to plop down a box and begin unloading. It also helps with the decision fatigue that can come along with trying to figure out where to put that dang Christmas tree figurine year after year.
And more more thing that helps: Getting everyone involved!!! It’s not just Mom’s job to decorate. Our kids truly LOVE getting involved in the decorating process and hearing their excited voices when they pull a favorite Christmas puzzle, book or ornament out of a box adds so much joy to the process. Bonus points for blasting holiday music, lighting a fire in the fireplace and making hot chocolate when tackling some of the bigger boxes!
(Pajama Top: GAP / Pajama Bottoms: GAP / Slippers: Brunch)
I’ve loved GAPs’s modal pajamas for years and the fabric is just as soft and lovely as ever. They recently expanded their line to offer multiple styles of tops and bottoms as well as three lengths (petite, regular, tall) in their pants. Hooray for options!! I couldn’t resist the red and pink striped pattern (pink + red and pink + orange are forever fav color combos over here) and love the way they look semi-holiday(ish) but still cute for winter, Valentine’s Day, etc. And, above all, they’re crazy comfy and the kind of pajamas I dream about slipping into at the end of a long day.
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Advent Calendar Recommendations!
I am not sure what it is about advent calendars, but I LOVE them. The anticipation! The little surprises! The daily boost of joy! They add a little sprinkle of fun into the holiday season and our kids adore them as well. Also, once Christmas is over, we typically box up the boys’ advent toys to bring out again the following holiday season which has worked so well to give them new life. (It also means our advent calendars are often not one-and-done purchases!) In case you’re on the hunt for an advent calendar heading into the holiday season, I wanted to share some of our favorites with you, including the one we ordered this year:
Squishy Advent Calendar: This is the one I ordered for the boys this year after watching an influencer’s 11-year-old daughter open a bunch of them. She said this was the best and I trust a tweenager’s opinion! Hoping it’s a hit this year!
3-D Printer Toy Vending Machine Advent Calendar: Our boys flipped for this one last year! It’s so unique and functions as a mini vending machine kids can twist for a prize. An egg containing a small 3-D printer animal/toy drops down for them to open!
Buildable Train Advent Calendar: This was a mega-hit last year, especially with Rhett (5 at the time) and Ryder (7 at the time). For kids who love to build and create, it’s a gem and packaged beautifully.
Playmobil Advent Calender: Such a gem during the toddler years! And Rhett and Ryder will still play with these festive little toys when we bring them out during the holiday season.
Elf on the Shelf Holiday Train Advent Calendar: Another hit during the younger years with longevity! We still have every piece from this advent and it still gets love from our kids!!
Surprise Inside Christmas Bath Bombs Advent: For kids who love bath bombs, this advent is extra special because each bath bomb has a mini Christmasy surprise inside that pops out as the bath bomb dissolves.
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The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
Genre: Contemporary Fiction / My rating: B
This book was a little rambly but intriguing enough to keep me engaged the whole time. It centers around a group of men and women in their 30s who grew up together and remain close. When Van, one of the men in the group, meets a woman who very quickly captivates him and becomes his girlfriend right around the exact same time he learns a casual hookup with one of his childhood friends resulted in a pregnancy, the group dynamic begin to shift and secrets are revealed. The story initially feels like it centers around Caroline, Van’s new girlfriend, but I enjoyed the way it rotated between multiple women’s perspectives, diving into the complex dynamics of the friend group and touching on everything from marriage and romance to parenthood and adult parent relationships.
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October 2026 Top 10
Sharing your October 2026 top 10!
TOP 10 BLOG POSTS
- Lasagna Recipe Using Cottage Cheese
- Cottage Cheese Baked Pasta
- Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
- Favorite Black Pants for Fall and Winter
- October 2026 Mountain Weekend with Friends
- How to Make German Pancakes
- Winning Cornbread Recipe
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Beef Stew
- Crockpot Chicken Corn Chili
- Cottage Cheese Zucchini Breakfast Casserole
TOP 10 FAVORITE FINDS
- Build-Your-Own Brodo Organic Sipping Broth Box: Hands down the best tasting sipping broth I’ve ever tried! (julie20 saves $20!)
- Eby Lucy Bra: The magic bra that works with small and larger chests — the perfect combination of cute and sexy! Currently 30% off through their early Black Friday sale. I also love their seamless briefs!
- Barefaced Toning + Exfoliating Pads: Unbelievably effective and you can FEEL these pads working. I also love the way it preps my skin to help it better absorb the serums I apply after using. 10/10!
- Rotating Makeup Organizer: This is saving my bathroom vanity and my sanity.
- Mini Light-Up Game: Another travel/road trip gem! And under $9!
- Rhett’s Corduroy Bed: Rhetty’s bed has received so much love and that makes me so happy! We’ve had it for a few years and its held up perfectly, especially for such a reasonably priced bed.
- Caramel Promix Puff Bars: My absolute favorite flavor. The closest to a Rice Krispie treat I’ve found and made without any artificial sweeteners as well as no monk fruit or stevia which I appreciate. (PBFINGERS10 saves 10%)
- Quince 100% Organic Cotton Cropped Cardigan: Flattering length, cozy knit. SO GOOD.
- Glass Air Fryer: My most-used kitchen appliance!
- REMEDY Hand and Cuticle Firming Whipped Cream: Super hydrating and designed to last through hand-washing. I keep one in my purse and one on my nightstand.
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Weekly Looks
Sweater: Quince / Jeans: Target / Booties: Nisolo (gifted) / Bag + Strap: Clare V. / Initial Compass Necklace: Oak & Luna
Pants: RUTI (they now come in petite and long lengths! I’m wearing the long in my true size 6. PBFINGERS15 saves 15%) / Sweater: Target (but old) / Bag + Strap: Clare V. / Initial Compass Necklace: Oak & Luna / Sneakers: adidas
Football Sweatshirt: Fanatics (gifted / love the ’90s vibes of this one! Also available in lots of other NFL teams) / Pants: Amazon / Rainbow Bead Necklace: BaubleBar
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