Things I'm Loving Friday #578 - Peanut Butter Fingers

Hi friends!!! Thank you so much for showing Comet so much love! I cannot tell you how much we are loving having a vizsla in our home again. We’ve talked about Sadie a lot over the past few days as Comet is taking us right back to the very best parts of having a vizslas sidekick. Comet is reminding us so, so much of Sadie, though they’re certainly very different dogs. While Sadie had a lot of little princess tendencies we loved and embraced, so far Comet seems to be a less particular, more floppy-friendly kind of guy. Again, think Buddy the Elf in dog form.

Also, he FELL ASLEEP at his first vet appointment and slept through the whole thing. What in the world!?

“Oh sure, doc, you can check out my entire body, but I’m just gonna take a little nappy nap, if ya don’t mind.”

And can we all please check out Comet’s massive paws!? I think we’re going to have a big boy on our hands!

And here’s little Pep-Pep pic because she deserves a lot of love, too!

I’m very happy to report we’re seeing some major progress in the Comet-Pepper dynamic. Woop!

Our week certainly centered a lot around our newest furry family member but we also managed to sneak in some holiday fun, too. More on that below! Hope you all have a wonderfully festive weekend!!

Things I’m Loving Friday

All the Holiday Fun

Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens

I adore this time of year so much and we’ve been able to fill our days with a decent amount of holiday fun! We have a tradition of checking out the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden lights with some of our best friends and it’s always a hit but it was even better this year!

They added more lights, an adventure trail, an incredible castle playground that was a huge hit with the kids, and a mini cafe with hot chocolate and chai lattes.

It’s an event I will always recommend to people of all ages, as it was one of our favorites with toddlers as well because it’s outside, moves at your own pace and even when it’s crowded, it doesn’t feel too busy because there’s so much space to wander around and explore. Forever one of our favs!

Holiday School Events

We also had the chance to attend some events at the boys’ schools included our final Christmas preschool performance EVER. Ooph. That one hit hard! Rhett was Joseph in his school play and did such a great job. For being such a little guy, he has a mighty voice on stage and sang his heart out.

I was also able to help out in Chase’s classroom for his class holiday party on Thursday which was so fun! I always joke that Chase always asks me to help, volunteer and attend events in his class but largely ignores me in favor of hanging with his friends the whole time I’m there. I am not in the least bit offended by this because he’s always been our social butterfly and you better believe I’ll keep showing up as long as he wants me there.

Christmas Lights

We also piled into the car (with two pups in tow!) to look at Christmas lights as a family. Our town shares a map of some houses that go all-out and we love driving around to check them out because they’re spread out and not at all crowded with lines of cars trying to see all of them. The boys helped make some little holiday pretzel treats to leave at the house’s whose lights they especially loved and while I’m fully aware they may have been tossed because not everyone trusts homemade treats these days, hopefully they still helped spread some joy!

Basil Seeds

Fellow fans of chia seeds, have you tried basil seeds??? These little chia-like seeds recently came on my radar after I saw @pinchofyum highlight them on Instagram for their ability to morph into gelatinous chia pudding-like texture much faster than chia seeds (less than 5 minutes versus hours). I was instantly intrigued and ordered a bag to try. As someone who makes chia pudding for breakfast regularly, I cannot tell you how much I’ve been loving swapping basil seeds for chia seeds so I don’t have to plan ahead. I use my go-to chia pudding recipe — 1/2 c Greek yogurt or skyr + 1/2 cup milk or almond milk + 2 tbsp basil seeds — before adding my favorite toppings and mix-ins and it works perfectly! Plus, 2 tbsp basil seeds has 15 grams of fiber!!

Puppy Chow

My goodness, this stuff is a little TOO good. We made a gigantic batch of puppy chow as part of our neighbor gifts for the holidays earlier this week and had to make a second batch the next day because our family ate too much from our first round of holiday treats. If you like chocolate and peanut butter together but have never made puppy chow before, add it to your holiday must-make list. I followed this recipe but I measured the amount of powdered sugar with my heart and added some red and green M&Ms in at the end just to make it look a little more festive.

Weekend Sales

Sharing just incase you’re squeezing in some super last minute shopping!

$50 off $150 or $100 off $300 site wide at Anthropologie: This even applies to their sneakers!! I think Anthro does the best job at curating some of the cutest comfy yet trendy sneakers — New Balance, Gola, On Cloud, Reebok, Veja, etc.

Up to 40% off women’s clothing at Target: Includes these jeans I love and have in two washes — size down! / I also have and love this red bow sweater — festive and cute for the holidays but also wearable for Valentine’s Day, too!

20% off slippers and socks at Target: Includes these little kid slippers ($12) and these big kid slippers ($16) our boys love

Up to 70% off Wayfair: Some of the home favorites we’ve had for years are on sale including our welcome door mat (we have the 30” x 48” size to fit in front of 2 double doors and love the XL size), rectangle wall mirror (great price point on the mirror we have in our boys’ bathroom), arched mirror (another well-priced mirror we have in a bathroom), our play loft rug, the big kids’ bedroom rug, Rhett’s bedroom rug and Rhett’s big boy bed (he has the green corduroy)

2 for $80 Electric Picks Jewelry: Some pricier jewelry items are on sale for basically 50% off when you buy two. Some pretty finds that caught my eye: After Party Earrings / Holden Hoops / Two Chains Bracelet (because I love a layered look!) / Harper 1MM Necklace (the kind of necklace you never take off)

Amazon Holiday Deals: This page is continually updated with Amazon’s latest deals if you need anything last minute that ships fast. This UGG throw blanket is currently on super sale!

EVEREVE Jewelry: Some beautiful jewelry finds on sale including these criss-cross earrings, this colorful bracelet duo, this stone heart bracelet and this $16.99 statement bracelet

Amazon’s Creator Favorites

At the end of every year, Amazon sends an email with a recap of what items were “creator favorites” from the past year to everyone who is a part of the Amazon influencer program. I am always so intrigued to see what ended up being the most popular finds every year and just in case you’re the same way, here are Amazon’s top creator favorites from 2025:

Top Sellers

Top Fashion Finds

Top Shoes & Accessories

adidas Court Women’s Sneakers
Arch Support Flip-Flops
SOJOS Retro Aviator Sunglasses
AllSwift Women’s Slip-On Walking Shoes

Top Home & Kitchen Finds

Top Beauty Finds

Friday Flashbacks

Red Velvet Cake Mix Recipe (In case you’re on the lookout for a festive and delicious dessert!)

My Mom’s Monkey Bread (The breakfast my mom makes every Christmas morning!)

Question of the Day

What is one thing you’re loving this week?

Things I’m Loving Friday #578

Things I’m Loving Friday