Five on Friday

Happy October Friday! It’s fall and it’s lovely and I’m just enjoying every morning walk so much right now. Things have been bustling around here this week; we sawThe Children’s Theater of Charlotte production of Narnia (so good!), started our new read aloud (Catching Fire), and have been working on some personal projects.

This weekend we have some kid soccer to watch, but that’s about the extent of our plans. Having some time to build a fire outside, turn on some football, and watch David smoke a 14 lb brisket that he picked up at Costco sounds like a rejuvenating way to spend a weekend. What are you plans? Projects? Relaxing? …kid sports? 🙂 I hope it’s something that serves you well! But before we jump into the weekend, here are five things I wanted to share with you on this Friday.

1. Top 5 Reader Favorites

I always like seeing what you find most helpful/relevant; here are the top 5 reader favorites from the last month.

Japanese Chef Knife – one of my go-to kitchen knives because having a good knife makes all the difference in enjoying cooking!
Clay Bead Bracelet Making Kit – a great gift idea for almost any age because I have just as much fun with it as the girls.
Organic Castor Oil – my favorite 2023 add to my health/beauty collection.
3D Doodler Pen – another great gift! This one is a good choice for young kids because it doesn’t have any parts that get hot to the touch.
25 Piece Drawer Organization Set – 25 pieces! This set helped me organize my make up drawer and there were still enough pieces leftover for H to organize her desk drawer and K to organize her vanity drawer.

2. Kitchen Countertops and Backsplash

We are upgrading our kitchen in the beginning of 2024! We have done some small tasks ourselves like upgrading the pantry and installing a new counter depth fridge. We were going to try and renovate this fall but I got too nervous with the timeline and didn’t want my kitchen to be a construction zone during the holidays. Because of that, we have the gift of some extra time to pick things out.

We are reshaping and extending our island, getting new cabinets, a new stovetop, new countertops, and redoing the backsplash. I’m very excited about how this will transform the look and functionality of our kitchen. At the same time, picking out countertops and backsplash feels daunting. What is in style? What’s in style now but will be out of style soon? What is timeless? I know the common advice is to pick whatever I like, but I also want something that is pleasing to others just to keep resale value in mind. If you have a designer eye, I’d love your two cents.

3. Polymer Clay Kit

I’m always on the hunt for new craft activities for the kids. They’ve loved bracelet making kits and card making, but this polymer clay kit is proving to be a big winner right now! I bought it for them to use while we did read aloud time (busy hands also help my kids listen better), and they’ve been pulling it out every downtime chance they have. They’ve made the cutest creations and then you just bake for 15-30 minutes and they harden. It comes with the accessories you need to make earrings, keychains, hair clips, and more. Highly recommend!

4. Spa Day with Mom

Mom came up to visit this week and we got to experience the 40th birthday gift she gave me- a spa day!! I savor the occasional massage or facial, but I’ve never had multiple treatments in one day and I felt like a total pampered princess. We had massages, facials, and a body scrub experience where we floated in a dry, heated water bath. It was wild! Ultimately though, the best part was getting to have this opportunity to do something like this with my mom; not something I take for granted.

I wore this half zip sweater (rust/small) and I really like it! It’s midweight, loose, and the half zip and the ribbing give it some fun detail. Perfect for running errands or watching a soccer game in this fall weather. I forgot to take a picture so here’s a screenshot from a video I took of it wrinkly and fresh from the packages instead- ha 🙂

5. Three Meals to Make

These are three meals that have just hit the spot lately for this beautiful fall weather we’ve been having. If you need some meal plan additions, consider these!