Things I’m Loving Friday #399

The first Friday of 2022 is upon us! How are you guys doing? Things are starting to feel a little more normal around here now that winter break is officially over. We managed to get all of our holiday decorations put away and clean up the house which was no small feat since we left our home looking Christmas threw up all over the place when we high-tailed it to Florida in the afternoon on Christmas Day.

Chase and Ryder started back at school on Tuesday and seemed excited to be reunited with their teachers and friends. (Rhett loved having free rein over all of the toys in the house and one-on-one mom attention!) After two weeks of non-stop brother playtime, I think a little separation of the three boys was a good thing and now we’re trying to find our groove again. As for the weekend ahead, our agenda is wide open. I’m sure we’ll fill the next few days with some family fun and I hope to have a recap of the weekend to share with you guys on Monday.

Before unplugging a bit over the next few days, I wanted to dive into my weekly roundup of favs, Thing I’m Loving Friday style! Let’s do thiiis!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Rhett’s Baby Book

Sixteen months later and Rhett’s baby book is done! I set a deadline for myself to complete Rhett’s baby book by Christmas because I’ve given Ryan our boys’ baby books for Christmas the year after they’ve all turned one (even though this is really a gift for all of us) and knew he’d be excited to flip through Rhett’s on Christmas morning, too. (The boys’ baby books capture pictures from newborn days to their first birthday.) I love having Rhett’s all done and looking back on the memories from his first year takes me right back to that crazy time in our lives. I’ve used Mixbook for all of the boys’ baby books and stand by this recommendation because they make photo books a breeze and have a lot of themes that are beautiful, simple and not too cheesy. In case you’re in the market for a photo book for you or your family, this referral link will give both of us $25 off our next $50+ order.

• Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Lewis

My first book recommendation of 2022 is here! I downloaded this book on my Kindle after seeing Gina recommend it on her blog and got around to reading it this week. I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first but thought it was overall a good read, especially if you’re looking for a beach read without the beach. The author also incorporates an unexpected twist of sorts into the novel that had more depth to it than the average breezy read.

Eight Perfect Hours begins with an unexpected snowstorm that shuts down a highway and causes the chance meeting of Noelle and Sam, two thirty-somethings who end up spending eight wonderful hours together before parting ways. They leave without exchanging numbers but somehow continue crossing paths, causing Noelle to wonder if the universe is telling her something.

• Instant Vortex Air Fryer + Instant Pot Pro Crisp

My Ninja Foodi broke a month or so ago (Rhett pulled the lid out of the cabinet and it cracked and would no longer seal) so I had to look at my pressure cooker situation and assess what I wanted moving forward. I loved my Ninja Foodi so much and used it for years but I was a little frustrated by the fact that the large crisping lid did not detach, meaning I could not pressure cook/slow cook underneath my cabinets. This time around, I opted for the Instant Pot Pro Crisp 8 Quart Pressure Cooker because it comes with two interchangeable lids and it basically does everything! The reviews were fantastic and I can already see why! I’m loving it and have found it easy to use and not as cumbersome as expected for such a large machine.

I was also recently gifted the Instant Vortex Air Fryer to add to our kitchen appliance arsenal. I wasn’t sure if it would be used a ton because the Instant Pot Pro Crip also air fries but I already LOVE this thing so much! It makes quickly air frying veggies, salmon, chicken nuggets, etc. a breeze and I’ve used it almost every single day since it arrived. I love its smaller profile (very countertop friendly) and its no-nonsense approach to air frying. I find that I’m turning to this instead of the oven because it preheats in almost no time at all. I also love that it cleans easily (I just quickly wash the non-stick basket) and even the boys have fun “helping” me with this one. Apparently I can even use it to bake sweet treats so that’s next on my list of things to try with my new air fryer.

• Clams

We’re basically Instacart’s number one fans in our house these days but on Sunday we took a family trip to Whole Foods to replace some items I can only find at Whole Foods and grab some food for the week. Chase and Ryder love the seafood counter because they think seeing whole fish on ice is really cool but Chase surprised all of us when he said he wanted to try some oysters and clams. I would never call Chase an “adventurous eater” so I was admittedly super psyched by his interest in trying something that was pretty far out of his usual comfort zone. (Perhaps there’s some Florida genes in there somewhere?) We left with a bag of fresh clams and Ryan prepared them in a large pot with butter, white wine and garlic — he loosely followed this recipe — and we LOVED them! Ryder ate one and said that was enough for him but Chase and Rhett both ate a bunch! Rhett said “Mo! Mo!” (“more”) over and over again. My seafood loving heart was soaring!

• December 2021 Top 10

In an effort to be better at taking the time to analyze some of my analytics, a few months ago I began sharing a monthly recap in my Friday posts highlighting my top 10 blog posts and your top 10 favorite finds from the blog + Instagram. Hopefully this will also help you check out some blog posts you might have missed or help you easily locate an item I’ve mentioned in the past that got buried in blog/social media mayhem.

Here’s a peek at was you guys liked best in October 2021!

Top 10 Blog Posts:

Note: This roundup does not include Things I’m Loving Friday posts. 

• Not The Weekend We Planned
• Oreo Peppermint Ice Cream Dessert
• Orange Juice Marinated Chicken Thighs
• PBF Gift Guide 2021: For Her
• Book Recommendations By Category
• Enjoy Them
• PBF Gift Guide 2021: For Him
• Chase’s First Race + Light the Knights
• Holiday Pretzels
• Three-Minute Egg White Oatmeal

Your Top 10 Favorites:

• Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree (One of our family’s favorite Christmas books. The hardcover is currently on sale for $7.99!)
• Portable Charger (A slim charger with built-in cords for charging multiple devices simultaneously.)
• 1-Inch Curling Iron (A steal of a deal for a quality curling iron! I’ve been using this to create softer, more romantic curls.)
• Caviar Stick Eyeshadow (One of my fav beauty finds of 2021. I find myself grabbing this over eyeliner more and more frequently because it has a softer, smudgier look I adore.)
• Cozy Sherpa Mule Slippers (I bought these to wear out of the house to and from school pickups. No shame in my slipper game!)
• VOLO Hero Microfiber Hair Towel (Soft and gentle on your hair and the plush microfiber material makes it incredibly absorbent. It dramatically reduces drying time by 50 percent and reduces frizz and breakage.)
• Tineco Cordless Wet Dry Vacuum (BLESS this vacuum! It’s the best thing that’s happened to my hardwood floors EVER.)
• Stars Above Women’s Pajamas (The more affordable Target version of Nordstrom’s beloved Moonlight pajamas. Super soft and comfy.)
• Daily Page Notepad (A staple for my daily to-do lists! It makes feeling organized going into busy days feel a little easier.)
• Baby Einstein Takealong Tunes Toy (The ultimate baby toy! All of our boys have loved this one.)

 

• Friday Flashbacks

10 Healthy Oatmeal Recipes to Make for Breakfast (So many tasty favs in this post!)

Exercise Ball Ab Workout (Time to light that core on fiiire!)

Question of the Day

What was your favorite gift you gave to someone or received over the holiday season?