Book Club. Okay, hello... if you love friends and food and reading, you should be in one of these stat. I joined one this past summer and it has been such a favorite thing! I look forward to it every month and leave feeling refreshed and encouraged and full of new book suggestions. It has also expanded my reading palette, because if it were up to me I would probably just read memoirs all the live long day. So far we have read Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, A Fierce Love by Shauna Shanks, The Summer Before The War by Helen Simonson, The Road Back To You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile, and My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier and I cannot wait to see what 2018 brings. And let's just talk about my book club's Christmas party because it was amazing. Not only did our lovely hostess, Lydia, make the best food of my life (things like a cranberry goat cheese dip, orange and pomegranate pavlovas, bacon wrapped butternut squash, toffee bread pudding, pear and brie crostinis with a honey, balsamic, and thyme drizzle, parsnip fries with curry mayo and let's not forget the (virgin) bubbly with floating pomegranates... basically what I'm saying is that I died and went to heaven), but we also ended the evening with a Blind Date With A Book exchange which is my new favorite kind of party because I'm cool like that. Here's how it works: Just take a book you currently have or (if you’re greedy and don’t want to give yours up you can hit up Half Priced Books) and wrap it up. Then on the wrapping paper or an attached tag you give some hints as to what your book is about without revealing too many details or, obviously, the title. When it's party time, you draw numbers to see who gets to pick a book first and from there it basically plays out just like a White Elephant Gift Exchange. I'm telling you: Genius. Host one and invite me, okay?
The Big Sick. Definitely one of the most charming movies I have seen in a while, which might not say much because when on earth do I ever go to the movies?! Almost never. But still, I adored this film so much. I watched it without DJ which was a big mistake because it's totally one we would have enjoyed together, but it worked out in my favor because it allowed me to rope him in less than a week later and watch it all over again. Score. A huge plus to this movie? I think it might have been the first ever appropriate Judd Apatow production. I honestly didn't think those existed and I was pleasantly surprised. Sex was alluded to but nothing inappropriate was ever shown, and while language was bad at times, it was done realistically and well rather than inappropriately and unnecessarily crude like all his other movies. Way to go, Judd. This movie rocked. I would watch it again and again.
Hinge: A podcast about doubt, identity, and the search for the real Jesus. Let's be honest: podcast time in my life is super limited these days, but this one peaked my interest so I threw the kids in the car for a car nap and gave it a go. And I am so glad I did. One of the things I love most is that it is put out by a pastor and atheist friend duo who incredibly, beautifully, deepen their friendship by seeking out evidence for Jesus together despite their polar opposite views. Together they interview both Christian and secular historians, psychiatrists, theologians, and various other experts to try and find the answer to one of the most polarizing questions in human history: Who is Jesus Christ? It is fascinating. And an even bigger plus for those of you with limited podcast time: it's only ten episodes long and episodes are roughly 30 minutes in length. A totally doable commitment. You're welcome.
Audio books and headphones for Moses. You guys. These things are the best. When we moved Moses and Jones into the same bedroom, I had to figure out a way to keep Moses occupied from the time he wakes up (a horrifying 6:30am) until the time I am ready to function (an appropriate 7:45) all without waking up Jones (who sleeps until like 9:30... who does that?! I'm jealy.). Enter audio books, which we were already doing, but also... headphones, which was a new big kid privilege we introduced him to! He listens quietly each morning, and then AGAIN at Jones' nap time, which gives me an excuse to nap too and I will hang on to this glorious trend as long as I can...read: until like, tomorrow, when we have a newborn. But it gets even better. I thought this would solely be a way for me to engage his mind and encourage rest at various times throughout the day, which it absolutely does. But you know what else it does? It tricks him into napping which is good for this pregnant momma AND IT ALLOWS ME TO SNEAK SNACKS WITHOUT HIM HEARING. He seriously has a hawk eye and impeccable hearing and a sixth sense when it comes to food, so I am for real when I say that this is a huge plus. He gets rest and I get to eat chocolate out in the open and in peace. Score. Double Score.
Lush. I discovered this store earlier this year (thanks to my awesome sister & brother in law!) and I can't get enough of it. Here are a few of my favorite products that you have to check out because they are wonderful:
- Bath Bombs... my favorite being this Sex Bomb, and just excuse the name because really it just smells amazing and leaves your skin feeling like a thousand babies bottoms.
- Imperials Face Moistorizer... I don't think I'll ever use anything else ever again.
- Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter, great for both the hands AND the feet.
- Handy Guru Hand Cream. Love.
Winter Recipes! Here are two of my favorite soup recipes for these cold winter nights:
- Butternut Squash Soup (seriously, there is so much cream cheese it will melt in your mouth and put the cellulite right on your thighs, it's just that delicious.) This is also why I need the Rump Booty Rub that I mentioned above. Obviously.
- Bean and Chicken Sausage Stew... because YUM. Add crushed red pepper for heat and it'll warm your body right up.
- And, just because it's Christmastime and I can't NOT post about these..... Oreo Balls. So easy, yet so delicious.
Last but not least, our Christmas was wonderful and we have a new glorious plan that I hope lasts forever. With both boys having December birthdays, we had a front row seat into how crazy and overstimulating all the presents could be with young kids. The five year old wanted to "help" the two year old open all his presents....and then play with all his presents. Gifts were torn open and then hastily thrown aside to hurry up and get to the next best thing. Trash was everywhere. Meltdowns ensued (perhaps even from me). If it sounds crazy, it's because it was. All the excitement can be overwhelming and overstimulating for me, much less a kid, and opening their birthday presents honestly just felt more stressful than fun. And I totally get that some people enjoy the chaos and excitement and activity of Christmas morning, but I am learning that I am totally not one of those people and our boys' birthdays made me want something more slow and leisurely and calm for our Christmas day. I was hesitant that we could pull it off, but we did and it was more magical than I imagined. Moses woke up late that day (7:30... what, what!) so we had him cuddle in our bed and watch a Christmas movie until we were ready to wake up Jones. Then we made our coffee and and gathered the boys around the tree and told them the plan: Each person would open one gift at a time and we would all watch and rejoice in one another's gifts. Then, we would spend time enjoying that present before moving on to the next thing. And you know what? It actually worked. And was heavenly. We don't even get our boys many gifts at Christmas, but between gifts from other family members and all the leisurely breaks we took throughout the day, Christmas gift giving literally lasted from 9:00am-6:00pm. The boys would open a gift and then play with it for 20-30 minutes until we told them it was time to open another one; we were even pleasantly surprised when we told the boys that it was time to open another gift and Moses responded that he wanted to wait because he was having so much fun with his current toy-- this was what we hoped for and we were overjoyed to see it come to fruition! We took breaks to make breakfast, eat breakfast, drink all the coffee, devour oreo balls, and even took a family nap, and between all of that, we did not get to the big reveal (our family's famous scavenger hunt for the best gift) until evening. You guys, it was just the best. It was slow and calm and peaceful for me, and the boys got to practice patience and gratitude and enjoying what they were given in the moment. It was such a neat thing to experience the joy of gift giving all day long... because when I was a kid, I would wake up at 4:30 and all the gifts were opened by 5:30 and it felt like Christmas was over before the sun came up. My poor mother. Seriously, this way was the best it was the merriest Christmas for our little family. I hope we can make it a tradition.
What things are YOU loving this time of year?
Happy Christmas!
courtney
courtney
