Friday Favorites

 

 

Hi Friends and Happy Friday!  What a busy and fun week of blogging!  As always, linking up with the ladies for Friday Favorites HERE 

 

Here are some faves from our week...

 

 

 

Distinction

 

 

My absolute favorite of the week is Diana's RAD Exam Scores came in!  She scored "Distinction" again which is the highest honor to achieve in the Royal Academy of Dance BUT if you know Diana, she is not happy or satisfied...she wants a higher score...so being an over-achiever is definitely a blessing and a curse...we are proud of her but had to dry some tears this week too

 

 

 

 

Fun With Pidge

 

Just little every day moments :)
 

 and I have been flashing back quite a bit too...oh our little Pidge...she was so squishy!

 

 Fave MEMEs of the Week!

 

 

 

Halloween Fun

Our PTA improvised and did a "Drive Through" Fall Fest this year...I took Eva by and she enjoyed looking at all of the inflatables and grabbing a treat bag... 

and we carved our Jack-O-Lantern last night with help from Zach...the girls were so excited...they always get so excited when he comes to visit :)

 

 

and the golf carts have been delivered to our friends' house...we are ready for our socially distant Halloween and Trick-Or-Treating Fun!

Happy Halloween Everyone...hope your kids experience joy again!

 

Monthly Musings: Thanksgiving Preview Edition

 

Hi Friends!  Patty and I are glad you stopped by!  Hope you will join our fun linkup.  Today we are talking all things Thanksgiving.  If you blogged too, linkup with us at the bottom of the post...can't wait to read all about your traditions!  

 

 

Here are our questions this month....

 

 and here we go.....

 

1. Favorite Thanksgiving Traditions?

 

My favorite traditions happen all Thanksgiving Weekend Long...from our traditional breakfast with the Fournier girls to Thanksgiving Eve with Friends and Family, to the Turkey Trot Thanksgiving Morning with all of the kids to our small and intimate Thanksgiving Dinner with our parents to Black Friday with Cass to Nutcracker all weekend!

 

This year, things will look a little different...Nutcracker won't be happening so I am trying to fight that sadness...if all goes as planned, we will be taping the weekend of November 12th and it will be ready for viewing by December 4th....our Thanksgiving Eve will look much different and be MUCH smaller...but here is to modifying our events to keep our traditions going while we all try and stay healthy and happy! 

 

 2. Favorite Thanksgiving Recipe?

This would have to be Mashed Potato Bread Stuffing

My Mom originally cut this recipe out of the Boston Globe (newspaper) years ago!  You can find it HERE

 

 

 3. Football Game?  Yes or No?  In person or on  TV?

Oh this one...was one of my favorite traditions growing up...I cheered so the Thanksgiving Day Football Game was always my favorite and my family made it part of our Thanksgiving every year.  When Rob and I started dating, we took the kids to our rival game- our two high schools used to play each other on Thanksgiving every year- they don't anymore....

In NH, there are no Thanksgiving Day games...I tried to help our Athletic Director get one started when Zach was playing football but none of the surrounding towns would cooperate so boo....

Anyway, as a family, we replaced the football games with the Annual Turkey Trot in town...it is a walk/run that raises money for local soup kitchens and half of the town always shows up!  I have come to love this tradition when all of the kids are home and we get going in the cold!

 

*This year's trot is virtual so I am making it happen for our family- I have mapped out our route and bought some funny attire and the whole fam is super into it- can't wait!

So now...when we talk football...it is on tv...and the guys will watch the games

 

 

 4. Talking Turkey- White Meat or Dark Meat?

White all the way for me! :)

5. Do I call it stuffing or dressing?

Stuffing all the way...I think dressing is a southern thing right?

6. Three Things I am Thankful for during this Crazy COVID Thanksgiving?

 

Our Health, Our Family, Our Jobs...plain and simple...we have been on the other side of this, this past year and we are exhausted and just grateful...plain grateful to be where we are now

 

 

7. Pumpkin Pie?  Apple Pie?  Pecan Pie?

 

Apple...because Robby B makes the best one around!

 

 

8. Yes I celebrate Christmas AND ALL of the trees go up on November 1st...I blame the Nutcracker but this year, even more, we need all of the lights and JOY Christmas decorations bring

 

 

9. Black Friday Shopper?  Yes or No?

 

YES...never used to be BUT my bestie Cass roped me in one year and now we have made it our annual tradition and it is one of my favorite days ALL YEAR...we have so much fun...we start at 5am!  We grab coffees at Starbucks...shop...grab breakfast...shop and then end with a fun lunch....I CANNOT WAIT...we said if for some reason we are shut down this year, than we will make it a virtual day and shop from our computers...hey...we are all about keeping our traditions alive even if they may look different this year!

 

 

10. Do we sit at the table this year for Thanksgiving?  

 

YES...always...we are typically in the dining room because it is our small group of Rob, me, the girls and then our parents and my brother.  This year, we need to go to two tables because the Batsons will be joining us...so I am making an ever-famous "Kid Table" in the kitchen and the adults will be in the dining room...we are so excited to be able to share this holiday together...there has been too much stress and sadness in our families and we are looking forward to sharing gratitude and joy together!

 Can't wait to read all about your traditions!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

What's Up Wednesday (October 2020)

 

It's my favorite linkup of the month!  It is the post that helps us all to catch up with each other!  Linking up with Sheaffer and Shay HERE and sharing what's up with us....

What We're Eating This Week

Monday- Lemon Pepper Chicken on the Grill, Steamed Broccoli and Rice

Tuesday- Chicken, Corn and Broccoli Quesadillas

Wednesday- Pasta with Healthy Meat Sauce (Chicken and Spinach)

Thursday- Broccoli, Cheese and Ham Stratas

Find the recipe HERE

Friday Night- Pizza Night for the Fam- Mama is out with friends

Saturday- Halloween!  A Spooky Dinner at the Batson's and Trick Or Treating!  I am bringing THIS appetizer

  

What I'm Reminiscing About

 Past Halloweens...oh the fun we have had....and how fast my girls have grown...love looking back and hate it all at once :/

 

2008

 

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

 

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

What I'm Loving

Two Things This Month....My Saturday Morning "Date Walks" With My Hubby :)

and my early morning coffee in my Fall Leopard Swig Cup

What We've Been Up To

Eva was practicing hockey for several weeks and was getting ready to play in her very first game of her "career" and then our governor shut hockey down for two weeks due to several cases of COVID-19 coming out of hockey rinks...when they re-open next week, they are going to make everyone get tested...deciding if it is worth it to subject a child to unnecessary testing and may just start back up next year or when we have a vaccine...sorry for this long caption...we are just a little sad...more loss

Soccer continues...wish Eva was a bit more serious..watching her and her bestie on the field is like a comedy routine right now...they put on a show for all of the parents...embarrassing and funny at the same time ;)

Our Date Walks on Saturday Mornings are my favorite part of the week!

 

 

Diana continues to love all of her dance classes

This Hybrid Schedule isn't as bad as it seems...especially when we can share lunchtime together

If you can't play in the rink, then driveway hockey will have to do!

We went apple picking with our dance pals...

and celebrated Daddy's Birthday!

 

We decorated for Halloween!

Mama started another year of PTA!

We boo'd some neighborhood friends and had a blast doing it!

and Diana said goodbye to Sterling Baca- one of the BEST Ballet Instructors she ever had...

We enjoyed Harvestfest at Canobie Lake Park...it wasn't the same...but we made the most of it...

Mama and Cass enjoyed their Annual Risotto Night!

We practiced Diana's party curls for Nutcracker and she enjoyed a fun photo shoot

 

Eva is becoming a reading champ AND loving her CCD
lessons with Mama :)

 

Mimi and Papa came to watch Diana in one of her field hockey games!

 

We celebrated our "Captain Tom" turning 50...

and Eva enjoyed her "Halloween Play Date" with some besties!

We enjoyed a lovely dinner at Jess and Joe's and sang to Joe for his 50th- his celebration has been pushed out for obvious reasons- Austin 2021!

We practiced Diana's Hairstyle for Russian in the Nutcracker

and we loved doing our Annual Apple Picking and Lunch with the Fournier Girls!

Lastly, Diana and her Field Hockey team are headed to the State Championship Game tonight! 

I got to witness a special tradition after their game on Monday...the 8th grade players each presented a 7th grader with an award and said some special words about each one..it was so heart-warming and I have never seen a group of Middle Schoolers more inclusive...warmed my heart and gave me hope!

 

What I'm Dreading

Trying not to think about dread....praying...keeping the faith...thinking positive thoughts...we have enough dread right now in this world

 

What I'm Working On

My job...my overall health.....keeping my family organized and trying to live in the present....grateful for the freedoms we have right now

What I'm Excited About

Halloween....grateful our kids can Trick Or Treat....Thanksgiving Traditions...and decorating for Christmas!!

What I'm Watching/Reading

I finished the first two seasons of Cobra Kai...can't wait for Season 3 in January... Yup I was bitten by the bug!

Emily in Paris

Such a cute chick series....think Sex And The City only in Paris!

We finally watched our favorite family Halloween movie

Disney's Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

and I may have started my ever-favorite Hallmark Christmas movies...because we could use ALL THE JOY we can get this year!

and reading has been a challenge this month...work is so busy for me that when I go to bed at night I am almost instantly asleep!  Usually I will read for a bit to get sleepy SO I will still finish my two books to meet my monthly goal BUT it is a struggle to finish this second one this month!

My First one was

Murder At The PTA by Lee Hollis

Awesome little suburban thriller/mystery and it was for my Book Club...we enjoyed meeting up at Bethany's for a "Halloweeny" get together ...perfect book for this time of year and I flew through it!

and my 2nd book this month is Elin Hilderbrand's third and final installment of her "Paradise" series called

 

Troubles In Paradise

Just like the first two...I am fumbling through it...not my favorite series by her but still a big fan

What I'm Listening To

This week, when we have been in the car, we have tuned into Sirius XM SCREAM radio....it is only available two weeks leading up to Halloween each year and we love the spooky songs and scary sounds!

 

 

What I'm Wearing

My Fall Sweatshirt :) and other comfy gym attire

Check out Old Navy- snagged some great workout gear here because they are having HUGE sales!

 

My favorite piece this fall thus far....This fur cuffed sweater from Boston Proper.

I am a sucker for all things fur especially fur cuffs and accents (insert heart eyes emoji here)

 

 

What I'm Doing This Weekend

Don't laugh...we are Trick Or Treating on Saturday and doing all things Halloween AND THEN on Sunday, I start decorating for Christmas...give me all of the plush white fur and white lights this year...ahhhh....so excited!

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month

 

ALL of the Thanksgiving Weekend traditions...well minus the Nutcracker...hopefully I will be writing to tell you that the filming in mid November went well....please say a prayer for us!

What Else Is New?

I think I covered it...what have YOU been up to????