Guess what I’m doing today? Driving back to NC! The fun part about our new home is that I’m really not all that far from my old one and can make a quick trip back in town for a lunch or coffee date, which is exactly what I have on the books today. Every few months I was meeting up with Julie, Lexi, Stef, Caitlin, and Molly to catch up on life and blogging, and I’m thrilled that I can still partake in the festivities.

I don’t mind the driving, especially since I am alternating between my audiobooks- Good Energy (fine so far but doesn’t have me hooked the way Outlive did) and Winter Street (I listen to one book of the series each December and feel like I’m old time friends with the Quinn family). I look forward to chatting with my friends and still making it back home in time for our planned neighborhood hangout- in parkas because it’s going to be COLD. But enough about all that, let’s jump into the Friday FIVE.

Five on a December Friday

ONE: Reader Favorites

It’s holiday shopping in full swing and your favorites reflect it- minus the tongue scrapers. 😉 Those are just an awesome deal, though I did get a giggle from a DM telling me they were going into her husband’s stocking for Christmas.

• Tongue Scraper (stainless steel, 2 pack)
• Glitter Stretchy Strings (not messy and so fun)
• Reusable Sticky Dots (for wall decorations)
• Fav Electric Lighter (for candle season)
• Compact Light Up Mirror (in many colors)
• Wellness Formula Capsules (germ season staple)
• Chronicles of Prydain (for adventurous readers)
• Bow earrings (trendy and cute)
• Ornament Storage Box (game changer)
• Clear Magnetic Picture Frames (for card display)

TWO: Star is back!

Our elf, Star, feels like an old buddy at this point. We’re so glad he didn’t have any trouble finding our new home and he’s having a good time exploring new places to hide and explore. Kaitlyn wakes up every morning eager to find our elf, but Hailey must feel like he’s an old friend at this point, too, because her enthusiasm to discover his hiding places isn’t quite what it used to be. She still smiles when Kaitlyn shows her where he’s hiding though.

THREE: Natural Food Coloring

The girls and I kicked off our holiday baking with a kit sent to us from Vital Farms. Included in it was natural food coloring that turned out to be AWESOME. We have used SuperNatural’s sprinkles before with great results, but getting to use their food dye was a treat. It’s only made of turmeric, beets, and spirulina and the color saturation is impressive. If you sniff the open packet it might give you pause but your can’t smell or taste any of natural dye elements in the finished product. We were very impressed!

Also, if you need an easy icing, King Arthur’s White Icing mix is a great go-to. It has powdered meringue in it, so when you beat it (according to the directions), it gets fluffy and dries well.

FOUR: Being the Newbie

I never moved as a kid. I lived in my childhood home from age 2-19 (mom and dad gave me one summer at home after I graduated high school). I bounced around in college, then to Atlanta for a year, then to Charlotte. David and I moved to our home soon after that and lived there for 14 years before this move.

All this to say- I don’t have much experience in being the new girl on and block and am realizing it can be a little tiring. The people I’m meeting are all really kind and I’m sincerely enjoying meeting so many new folks, but I’m a little exhausted because I always want to be putting my best foot forward. Also, I’m not one for excessive small talk and have a tendency to jump from “hi, my name is” directly to “so tell me about your childhood.” I’m using this new experience as a reminder to cherish old friendships that feel comfortable and easy and also to encourage myself to just be my true self and hope someone likes the real me enough to be my friend- ha! But truly. I’m 41 now; no more playing chameleon just because I can.

FIVE: House Update

We were full crazy level energy getting all the boxes unpacked and things put away, and now we seem to have taken a collective pause. It’s warranted, but I am a little curious how stark things will look once we take down the Christmas decor in a few weeks. I believe the pause is because we accomplished all the obvious tasks (unpack and organize) and the next step will be the personalization part which will naturally take more thought. I’m interested in wallpaper for the laundry room and the powder room to start, but having never done wall paper before, I’m wondering- go the peel and stick route? DIY? Have some help and use paste? Any tips?

I really want this new house to feel like us and always admire my friends whose houses feel welcoming and cozy the second you walk in. I just am not quite sure how to create that myself. We have a couple fun things happening in the next couple weeks- our scullery freezer should arrive, David is going to install our RO Filters (see review), we are having shades installed, and our back patio concrete stained. Looking forward to sharing these with you as they happen- new pictures soon!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and include something that’s just for YOU (a long walk, a hot bath, a special coffee…ah :)). Thanks for stopping by and saying hi!