For our week, it’s been a good week and winter break officially begins in our home when we pick up Chase from school this afternoon! I think everyone is getting ready for some slower and a little less structured mornings as Christmas approaches. Have you finished your holiday shopping yet? I think I have everything wrapped up except for a few small things. In case you need any last minute gifting inspiration, here are all my gift guides from this year in one place:
Our weekend actually looks pretty full but it’s packed with cool stuff so I’m looking forward to it! I’m sure I’ll share more on Monday but until then, I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy today’s favorite weekly series, Monday style. Six I Love!
My favorite things on Friday
I have been using this wand to curl my hair for many years. I love it gives my hair waves like the ocean but recently I found myself wanting to change things up a bit and ordered 1 inch double ceramic bending iron in the hope that it will make my curly hair a little softer. It only costs $14.99 on Amazon and has over 22,000 positive reviews, so I thought it was worth a try. I’m about to use it for three weeks and am so impressed! I heat up quickly, are easy to use and comfortable in the hand. For the price, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a better curling iron and I know this will get a lot of use over the years!
The Christmas Expressway at the Charlotte Motor Freeway is one of our favorite local holiday traditions. The boys get a lot of attention about it every year because they love the possibility of driving on a real NASCAR track and seeing a lot of light – Four million of them!! We try to go during the week because it can get crazy busy and put on our Christmas pajamas and carry hot chocolate in the car for the whole Speedway Christmas experience earlier this week. The wonderful light-filled four-mile track is synced with Christmas-themed music, and we loved every second!
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Decorate the gingerbread house
On Tuesday afternoon, I went to his school with Chase to decorate the house with gingerbread (ahem, graham cracker). It was a sweet activity and also really great to be able to see some of Chase’s classmates in person again. I feel very attached to Chase’s preschool since he went to the same school as many of the same kids for four years (and now Ryder is there with a lot of their siblings!), so any chance to attend an event where we can meet his new kindergarten classmates and their families feels great. However, we have to laugh because most of the kids can’t be less concerned that the family is always there to help them. They still just want to laugh and hang out with their friends! Even if Maddie, Hadley, and Miller were much cooler than I was at the event, it was a great afternoon and I’m always grateful for any face-to-face meeting with the boys and appreciate any chance Which association do I have to feel more immersed in their schools.
My sister was incredibly caring and surprised me with this devotion earlier this month. It quickly became something I really looked forward to reading when I went to bed at night. It’s a very simple devotional – just a page or two a day – but helps direct my heart and mind back to the reason for the season. It’s so readable that I often find myself reading a few days at a time that I really enjoy because I can then go back and consolidate what I’ve just read the next day, week, etc. the way the book incorporates tips. about simplifying the holidays and finding gratitude and joy in the right place. (One such tip revolves around checking your traditions to make sure they really bring you joy. Do you really enjoy baking Christmas cookies? If so, bake! If not, Store-bought cookies are great too.)
I shared one of my favorite excerpts from the book above because it’s the one I find myself thinking about a lot this holiday season. “Seek a blessing and you will be blessed.” How wonderful would it be if we all went out into the world to bless others?
Chocolate Corn Flakes (For those of you who are making holiday baking this weekend and are looking for a unique cookie recipe to try!)
Cheese Puff casserole holiday (Our family’s favorite Christmas morning breakfast!)
Question of the day
What’s your favorite thing this week?
