I didn’t have the chance to put a blog post together yesterday but wanted to pop in today because my weekly Things I’m Loving Friday blog post is always my favorite to write. Below is a short roundup of things I am loving this week and, as always, I’d love to hear a little bit about something that is making you smile right now in the comments section.
Happy Holidays, my friends! And Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to those celebrating this weekend!
Things I’m Loving Friday
- BoomChickaPop Sugar Cookie Kettle Corn
I know myself enough by now to know that whenever I buy a bag of BoomChickaPop Holidrizzle flavored kettle corn it will be completely gone in less than 48 hours. Well, my latest defeat over this kettle corn occurred when I polished off a bag of the Sugar Cookie Kettle Corn in one sitting. Guys, it wasn’t even kind of challenging. I can’t be trusted around this sweet and salty magical treat, I’m tellin’ ya!
- Return of Afternoon Play Dates
For a few weeks there it felt like Chase’s naps were all over the place and many of my girlfriends’ kids were going through the same unpredictable sleep schedules. We can almost always count on a decent morning play date but the afternoons were a bit more challenging for a while and I’m not sure about anyone else out there, but the afternoons are usually a little harder in toddler land. Chase generally wakes up from his nap FULL of energy and ready to cause a ruckus so I am very glad naps are coordinating again and we’ve been able to get together with friends for a bunch of afternoon play dates over the past two weeks. Woo! My sanity has returned!
- Holiday Cards
Checking the mail is so fun this time of year! I absolutely love tearing into holiday cards from our friends and family and flipping through them with Ryan at the end of a long day. Also, is it just me or are more and more people using professional photos for their holiday cards? Holy gorgeous! I always just use a hodgepodge of pictures from the year (the picture on the front of our Christmas card this year was actually from our visit to The Biltmore in October) but I’ve seen some photographers in the area offer amazing deals for “mini sessions” so maybe it’s something to consider for next year?
- Painted Dog Ornament
On my Tuesday blog post, a few of you asked about the painted ornament of Sadie that my Aunt Laurie gave to me and Ryan for Christmas last year. I followed up with her and wanted to share the artist’s information here for those who requested it! She ordered it from Shawn Hart of Earth Muffin Studio in Raleigh, North Carolina and it looks like they also take orders online. (I’m also pretty sure you can see Sadie’s exact ornament and the painted ornament my aunt ordered for Leslie and Ross of their chocolate lab Kona on the website, too!) We absolutely love our ornament and thought it was such a thoughtful gift!
The slippers have been a TILF feature before and were a Christmas gift from Ryan last year (kind of… I pretty much ruined the surprise) but they deserve another mention because I’ve been wearing them non-stop this month and cannot tell you how much I adore them, especially when it is FREEZING outside. They are just the coziest slippers ever and I also love that they have a hard sole that works well (and keeps my feet warm and dry) if I need to quickly step outside to let Sadie out or something. It’s probably way too late to snag these as a Christmas gift for someone but maybe they’ll go on sale after the holidays? (I actually found them for nearly 50 percent off on Zulily last year.) So soft and so, so warm!
Oh, and I will probably highlight the pajamas you see peeking out of my slippers in another post when I have a chance to fully photograph them but holy cow how have I never tried Gap’s Pure Body line before? The fabric feels heavenly and I am LOVING my joggers and long-sleeve tee pajama set!
- Friday Flashbacks
Cardio HIIT Workout (I shared this one nearly four months ago but wanted to feature it again in case you’re looking for a no-equipment-needed workout during this long holiday weekend! P.S. I also fully support taking a bunch of rest days and soaking up quality time with family instead.)
Coconut French Toast Casserole (A recipe worthy of a holiday brunch!)
Question of the Day
- What is one thing that is making you smile right now?
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The candy cane Boom Chick a Pop is so good! It’s the perfect treat to have around the holidays… but I always buy a few bags. I’m loving that today is my last day of work this year!
Oooo that kettle corn looks amazing!!! One thing I cannot be trusted around is the Christmas Crack recipe you posted!! I ‘m pretty sure I ate it all (by myself) in two days :/
Hope you have a very merry Christmas!!!
Where do you find that popcorn at?! I can never find the holiday flavors!! Making me smile this week… The excitement of playing Santa this year for my kiddos! Merry Merry Christmas!
I’m loving the holiday cards too! I love putting them around our apartment as decoration as we get them. I hope that you have a great Christmas, Julie! This week I’m loving a shortened work week and extra family time!
Oh lord have mercy, Julie. I completely forgot about that Boom Chicka Pop popcorn. I went through BAGS of it last Christmas. I have to run to Publix today, so you can bet I’ll be grabbing some. I don’t know if I should say thanks or not for reminding me. 😉 Also, that ornament is beautiful. We had to put down our sweet Maltese (the true love of my husband’s life!) a few weeks ago and I had been looking for Maltese ornaments but not having any luck with them. None of them looked like her! I might have to order one as a late present for my husband. I know it would mean the world to him.
Hope you’re having a wonderful time with your family!
Merry Christmas Julie!
I’m totally with you on getting holiday cards. It’s so much fun to hear from people that you don’t necessarily get to see much throughout the year.
Happy holidays!
That Boom Chicka Pop popcorn is AMAZIG! I can’t get enough of it!
I can’t even buy that popcorn anymore, because I eat the whole bag by myself. It’s so addicting and delicious. One thing that’s making me smile is my road trip back home this afternoon! Driving from DC to New Orleans to spend the holidays with my family and close friends, and I am so, so excited!
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Merry Christmas, Julie! Love Angie’s popcorn! So good! Never tried the cookie flavor, might be dangerous for me! lol
On the slipper end of things – my Thing I’m Loving, spurred on by your reminder, are my Vionics slippers! I have high arches, and if anyone else out there reads this and has any kind of foot pain, as well as high arches (like plantar fasciitis <–not looking up the spelling right now), I recommend these! Eliminates all pain. 🙂
Yessss love Christmas cards! I need to find a cute way to save them/display older ones – I love having almost a scrapbook of family and friend photos from years past! They’re always too pretty to throw away! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! Angie’s popcorn, who makes boom chicka pop is a great MN company! They started selling their kettle corn at a MN Vikings training camp, then they Sold at the Vikings stadium and now look at the company today! I love their story!!!
I love that ornament! My beloved dog passed away this year, and this is a perfect way to remember her.
I love getting Christmas cards, too! People take such beautiful pictures and write such lovely notes, and it’s so nice to hear from such a variety of people.
That ornament is gorgeous. I think I’ll get my parents one of our dog next year 🙂 Merry Christmas!
Oh gosh, that popcorn flavor sounds awfully tasty! I definitely have a bottomless pit reaction to popcorn, so I’m sure I could polish that bag off pretty easily as well, lol. I hope you’re enjoying your time with family this weekend. I am looking forward to my daughter’s first birthday party on the 28th, and I’m especially excited about her first Christmas. Because she will be just shy of one year old when her first Christmas rolls around, I feel like she will actually enjoy opening presents and playing with the paper/boxes/toys. I’ve heard first Christmases with babies are magical, so I’m excited to see for myself!! Merry Christmas, Julie! ❤
Oh my gosh, my fridge is FULL of the holiday cards we’ve received. And what’s making me happy? I’m in Florida with my family right now too!
I love the look of that kettle corn- sugar cookies are the best!
The Painted dog ornament is really nice. I think i will be getting my dog parent friend a piece or two. this will absolutely look good on her Christmas tree! thank you, author!