Five on Friday

Happy Friday!

This week has been busy with lots of little things that might not be all that exciting, so I’m switching up my usual intro and going with a high-low-buffalo (a fun tradition we do at our dinner table):

• High: I had several highs this week! I won my tennis match yesterday in 45-degree weather, Matt and I had a wonderful date night at Mal Pan catching up with our longtime friends visiting from Atlanta, my friend Abby hosted a fun Supper Club mahjong night, and Matt and I have been bingeing The Haunting of Hill House (he watches all the scary things with me every October!).
• Low: Mabel chewed up the corner of my rug for the first time in a year (I think she’s protesting fewer walks this week). Thomas has had a tough week—what started as a cold turned into a trip to urgent care, a day of rest at home, and antibiotics for a double ear infection. The kids have mentioned everyone in their class is coughing and sniffling, so it seems like that time of year again! To top it off, everyone has slept terribly all week, and we have an emergency orthodontist visit this morning to remove a baby tooth dangling from Thomas’s braces.
• Buffalo: The funniest part of my week? We got our Christmas lights installed! Yes, our lights are UP! They’re not on yet, but all I have to do is flip the switch after Halloween. I couldn’t resist the October holiday light special, and since our roof is way too tall to do it ourselves, we hired an affordable company (Jua Jua Cleaning) that also cleaned out our gutters and washed our windows while they were up there!

In Case You Missed It

I had plans to write several fun posts this week, but ended up not having as much time in front of my computer as I had hoped to write them! I’m starting to work on gift guides too, which takes a ton of time, so if content feels sparse around here, it’s because it’s mostly being drafted behind the scenes right now!

• To celebrate slow cooker season, I re-shared my Crockpot Italian Chicken Sandwich recipe and made a reel on Instagram! I’m trying to get better about pulling recipes from the archives, and updating and re-sharing them. And this is one that deserves to be highlighted!
• I shared a few snippets of our life lately! Do y’all like these? Or should I save the highlights for the blog and stick to recipes on my Instagram feed?

1. Fall Family Photos

We knocked out our annual fall family photos last weekend — with Sprinkles and Mabel in tow, of course! There is always so much prep work that goes into this shoot, but it’s always SO worth it when we get our pictures back!

As promised, here is a round-up of everything we’re wearing! If I couldn’t find the exact item, I found a similar one! You can find everything linked HERE!

2. Starbucks Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai

I mentioned a few weeks ago that my Instagram algorithm is filled with Starbucks drinks right now and I am loving it. Lately, I cannot stop drinking the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai! I order mine with almond milk and dairy-free pumpkin cold foam. It comes very sweet, so I request only 1 pump of chai and it’s PERFECT!

3. New Fall Pieces

I scooped up a few fall pieces from Walmart recently and wanted to share! I am loving the denim dress trend and this one is fully stocked in 2 washes! You can wear it as is or pair it with a blouse or sweater for a warmer look! These cute and comfy ballet flats are under $15 and are available in 6 colors! And this cutout long sleeve maxi dress (available in 3 colors) is absolutely gorgeous — perfect for holiday photos or parties, and on big time sale for $12-16!!

4. Meal of the Week: Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls

This week everyone’s favorite dinner was make-your-own buffalo chicken rice bowl!

This recipe requires more chopping than I usually like to do on a weeknight, but I was able to use all the leftovers for lunches the next few days which made it worth it! I also did not make the ranch dressing from scratch and instead used our favorite Primal Kitchen ranch, so that saved a big step!

And here’s a real life look behind-the-scenes of what is usually cut out of my pictures…

5. Product Refill: Isle of Paradise Tanning Drops

A product I’ve been refilling since 2021! I use these tanning drops for my face every 3’ish days. I just add a generous dropper to my moisturizer and apply it all over my face and neck — it’s a gorgeous glow color!! I wear medium during the cooler months and dark during summer!

Happy weekend, y’all!