Things I’m Loving Friday #534

Hey, hey! How are you doing friends? How was your week? It felt like this week was overrun with pre-Thanksgiving holiday parties and activities so I can only imagine how next week will feel! Thankfully all of our boys are done with school after Tuesday (the same day our family arrives) so it truly feels like the holiday season is in full swing over here. We decorated earlier than ever before and I must say I just LOVE it! Bring on all the holiday cheer, please!

Our big plan for the weekend ahead centers around one thing: Getting our family Christmas tree! Ryan talked me into getting a real tree a few years ago, relegating our previously loved faux free to our upstairs play loft and now that we’re a two-tree family (actuall four tree if you count the mini trees in the boys’ bedrooms), I don’t think we’ll ever go back. There’s something so special about the sparkling lights on a Christmas tree and if they can be found in more than one room of the house, I’m all about it.

I hope to have a weekend recap and my next gift guide coming your way next week but until then, keep on scrolling for this week’s roundup of favorites, Things I’m Loving Friday style!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Annual Holiday Mug Exchange

(Yes, three of us wore our Target MERRY sweatshirts! Loveee it!) 

Last night was my favorite night of the week! I got together with some of my girlfriends for our annual holiday mug exchange and it’s easily one of my favorite traditions of the holiday season. Years ago, we started getting together to exchange wrapped holiday mugs white elephant style! It’s been a wonderful way to give each other a little something at Christmastime without going overboard.

We each arrive with one wrapped mug and then draw numbers to determine the picking order. When it’s your turn, you can either “steal” a mug that’s already been opened or select a new wrapped mug from the pile. A few rules we’ve established over the years that seem to make the exchange more fun for all: Each mug can only touch hands three times before it’s “dead” — meaning one person opens the mug, and two more can “steal” it before it’s no longer available to be stolen. And then the person who draws the number 1 gets the final steal at the very end so they still have the ability to participate in a steal as well.

I left the exchange with an adorable winking Santa mug and love that each mug I have in my collection reminds me of a previous year’s exchange whenever I unpack my holiday mugs. For anyone who may be looking to do something similar with friends, we’ve had the best luck shopping for mugs at local boutique stores and I always check Rifle Paper Co. (this festive book mug was the one I gave last year — I bought one for my mom, too! — and this Christmas tree mug was one of my past favorites I’ve received), Sur la Table (I love their mugs because they have larger sizes), World Market and Anthropologie (though I didn’t love any of their mugs this year). I have so much fun shopping for a mug each year and it’s also a blast to see which mugs are most coveted within our group and why!

I am not a beauty guru by any means but I am someone who appreciates a simple beauty find that works well. This makeup brush checks that box x 1,000. I initially bought it because I was tired of sticky product-saturated fingers after applying foundation/CC-cream/skin tint (whichever I decided to wear that day). At only $10 (now $8 — yay early Black Friday!), I figured this kabuki brush was worth a shot, especially with such positive Amazon reviews. It quickly became one of my favorite items in my beauty bag and feels soft on my face as it smoothly applies my makeup. I found myself using in to apply not only my base layer makeup but also my concealer and contour stick (ya know, when I use it and pretend to know what I am doing). It’s soft, gentle on my skin and effective at evenly applying my makeup so it’s safe to say I am a fan. I also think this one would make a great stocking stuffer for any beauty lovers out there this holiday season!

I cannot tell you how many of these things I’ve consumed over the past few days. Rhett and I made them together to bring to our holiday mug exchange but we made them a few days ahead of time which meant I ate my bodyweight in them before the exchange even occurred. No regrets! They’re just the perfect combination of sweet and salty and continue to be one of our family’s favorite little treats to make and share during the holiday season.

I’ve had zero motivation to cook this week (I’m blaming hosting last week coupled with knowing we’ll be hosting again this coming week — I think I just needed some time off) but I still wanted to highlight a recent dinner we made a week ago that I forgot to share. It was my first time making baked ziti with cottage cheese in place of ricotta and we thought it was fantastic! You’d never know there was cottage cheese in the recipe, though I did take the time to whip it in our Vitamix before using it in the recipe to make the texture more ricotta-like. I also used hot Italian chicken sausage as our protein which I’d highly recommend for added flavor. We paired the baked pasta with rolls and an arugula and beet salad and will absolutely make it again!

• Amazon Black Friday Week Deals

Amazon’s Black Friday is officially Black Friday week and many deals were launched yesterday. I know it can be a little stressful to feel like you need to squeeze in all of your holiday shopping in the couple of days after Thanksgiving when the deals typically launch, so I’m all for a longer window of browsing/shopping time. I also know it can be overwhelming to sift through so many items, so I’ve added some of the deals I think are the best ones out there, along with products we have/love/use/personally bought in this list on my Amazon storefront: Black Friday Week Deals. (You may see everything I bought for gifts, replenishing some of our family favorites, etc. in this list: Everything I Bought During Black Friday Week.) I’ll continually update these lists for easy browsing throughout the week. And below you’ll find a few “call out” items I thought might be of interest this holiday season as we think about gifting to friends, family and loved ones.

HOME

• Beckham Hotel Collection Pillows: I’ve had these pillows on my radar for a while now and have been meaning to upgrade the pillows in our guest room. I took advantage of this deal after reading the thousands of positive reviews!
• Snuggle Sack Candy Cane Blanket: Such a festive, cozy find!
• Reusable Gift Bags: I bought these to wrap some of the boys’ presents this year and love that we’ll be able to use them again and again, especially on larger gifts.
• Blissy Silk Pillowcase: I’ve tried the knock-off silk pillowcases and they don’t hold a candle to the real deal. Blissy’s 100% mulberry silk pillowcase is a luxurious gift idea I think many would be thrilled to receive. I sleep on mine every single night.
• NodPod Gentle Pressure Sleep Mask: This changed the game for me for my middle-of-the-night wake-ups. I got one for my mom for Christmas, too, and she gave one away as one of her “favorite things” during her 70th birthday party. A great gift idea for restless sleepers.
• Skoy Scrubbers: I bought more of these for little “throw in” gifts!

KIDS

• Children’s Christmas Pajamas: On sale for $10! The jammies we bought for our boys last year that I ordered in the next size up because we all loved them!
• Lite Brite: Down to $14 but the deal is 80% claimed. Such a hit for Rhett (4) and Ryder (6).
• Tennis/Pickleball Net: This is going under the tree for the boys this year for driveway tennis/whatever other net games they like to make up!
• Tonies: A great time to nab this if it’s been on your radar.

FASHION

• Oversized Striped Pullover: Our favorite on sale for $14!
• Freshly Picked Belt Bag: I’ve had this one for years and the quality is fantastic. I was so over large diaper bags after Rhett was born and this was my transition away from them because it was much smaller but could still hold a diaper,wipes and snacks.
• True & Co. Convertible Strap Bra: My absolute favorite bras. Zero wires, still supportive, and comfy enough you could sleep in them.
• Hidden Butt-Scrunch Legging: You’ll be weirded out when they come out of the package but put them on an trust me! They are crazy comfy, make the booty look aaamazing and got two very enthusiastic thumbs up from Ryan. Ha!
• Our Favorite Amazon Hoodie: The lululemon lookalike we’ve all gone crazy for at the lowest price I’ve seen.
• Drop-Sleeve Sweater: The sweater I have in 3 colors! Pairs so well with skirts, cargo joggers, jeans, etc.
• No Show Athletic Socks: I’ve been incredibly impressed by these socks. If you love the no-show Bombas, these fit so similarly with light cushioning and compression around the middle of the foot. Plus, no sweaty feet!
• Amazon Sports Bra: The lowest price I’ve seen on our sports bra obsession!
• Fuzzy Memory Foam Slippers: 56% off and only $15.99!

BEAUTY

• IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream: The makeup I use for nights out or when I want more coverage/maximum hotness.
• Living Proof Triple Bond Complex: I use a pump of this everytime I wash my hair after I get out of the shower. I swear it has increased the strength of my otherwise fine and fragile hair.
• Large-Capacity Make-up Bag: The makeup bag I’ve had and loved for years that holds ALL of my makeup. I love the way it is sectioned off for easy organization and it’s stayed shockingly clean.
• Tangle Teezer: The brush you never knew you needed. Glides through knotty hair and would make a great stocking stuffer!

 

Pumpkin Breakfast Recipes (For those out there who are also pumpkin-obsessed!)

Healthy Thanksgiving Desserts (For anyone out there planning your Thanksgiving Dinner Meal Plan and hoping for slightly less-indulgent dessert options)

Question of the Day 

What is one thing you’re loving this week?