Hello and Happy Friday!
Shew the first week back after break…#IYKYK
It’s been a great week, but we are ready for a pretty slow paced weekend…which is one of the things I love about the month of January.
It’s great to be back linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some recent favorites:
When I shared my Christmas decorations, I didn’t share the cross stitch my mom made because it wasn’t back from getting framed yet. Over the past year, she made of these Santa cross stitches for both my sister-in-law and me. It’s super cute, and as I went to pack up my Christmas decor, I realized I hadn’t shared it yet.

Hadley’s volleyball photos *finally* came in right after the season ended, and I couldn’t love them more. It’s her first official (professional) photo without her braces.

I picked up this Ramen bowl at TJ Maxx as a Christmas gift for Hadley. As soon as I saw it, I knew she’d love it. Well, the night we got back from KC she couldn’t wait to use it. Insert a run to Walgreens for Ramen, and Hadley made her own dinner!

One of my favorite gifts from Travis is this cedarwood wick candle. I’ve seen them on some websites, but I didn’t know they had them at Kroger. Apparently, that’s where Travis got this one. It smells so good, and the flame flicker sound is so soothing.

I spent Christmas money on some new shoes, and they arrived yesterday! I have two pairs of Golden Goose sneaks, but have heard great things about Shu Shop. I wanted to try this Paz style and decided to try the Shu Shop. Well, I’ve only had them for a night, so I can’t give a full review…but the minute I slipped them on my feet, I knew they were more comfy (less stiff) than my GG. This is the pair I got, and I got my regular size 9.

2023 Reading
Trav’s cousin shared this on Facebook, and I think I may try it for a reading plan this year. I’m not going to be strict about it. I think I will just go with the flow and see how the year progresses. That being said, feel free to share book suggestions…especially with the bottom row!
It just looks like a great way to pick and choose books…change things up a bit.

Favorite Mom Meme:
Y’all, we’re still in the post-Christmas organization process and I’m really hoping we *all* get the house back together this weekend.

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:
It’s the pinchy cute cheeks and pigtails for me!
I always love when this January 2013 photo pops up of the kids.

Weekly Recap:
The last week for the year is typically a quiet blogging week. That being said, I shared some of my favorite posts of the year:
Here are this week’s posts:
Bloganuary:
Well, you might receive a few extra posts from me this month. In December, WordPress shared the “Bloganuary” writing challenge, and I’ve been receiving the prompts. I pretty much have my Monday-Friday content, but I might give some of the prompts a shot on the weekends.
Since I’m always planning and taking quite a bit of time to write my regular posts, I just thought it might be nice to write a bit more informally every once in a while.
Not Just a Mom:
On Monday, we’ll have our first Not Just a Mom post of 2023!

Here are our topics for the year. We’d love for you to join us the second Monday of every month.

What are your weekend plans? I might just be in my pjs by 7:00 tonight! We don’t have a ton going on this weekend, and I’d like to get some errands run and get this house back in order.
Thanks so much for reading.


That cross stitched picture is a treasure! Regarding books, I simply go to the library and grab a stack off the shelves. I read mostly mysteries and will look for certain authors but also just enjoy the luck of finding something good by chance. Since I forget the titles and authors as quickly as I finish the last page, I am thinking I should keep a list (like several of you and your readers.) I have no idea how many books I read in a month so it might be an impressive number. I can’t imagine a life without books!
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I know what you mean. I donโt know what itโs like to not have multiple books on my bedside table ๐ I do love the good reads app but I also keep a note on my phone of the books I read every year ๐
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Your candle and sneakers look fun! I love that Hadley is so excited about ramen ๐
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I feel like she will be really prepared for college ๐
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Our library did an A-Z challenge last year and it was fun to pick books (or authors as our library allowed both/either for each letter). I read a few books I might not have otherwise given a though to!
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Thatโs what Iโm hoping to do too! ๐
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Thanks for the recommendation on the candle…I’m going to look for it at Kroger. Have a good weekend!
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Now I want to see if they have other scents too. Haha but I do have quite a few candles right now ๐
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First week back is ROUGH! I was in pjs by 5:30 today. I know what you are feeling.
When my kids learn to do something that will prepare them for college life – ramen, cup pong, corn hole, flip cup, etc. – I always feel great about it being educational and remind myself that the Common Core curriculum says โCollege and Career Readyโ. ๐ Hadleyโs got the college readiness down pat!
I missed the blog January from Word Press, Iโll have to look for it. I am always looking for new ideas to keep posting. I love the new NJAM graphic and am marking the topics on my blog calendar.
I love the idea of a reading challenge but I am such a mood reader that I struggle with them sometimes.
Your mom is SO talented. That is gorgeous!
Have a great weekend!
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I was in pjs by then too! So tired. CCR I love it ๐ I received the Bloganuary on email in December. They send a daily topic. I just thought if i like the weekend topics, I might go ahead and write. Thanks for joining us for NJAM. I try to do Hello Monday when I can. Iโm no good at book club because I donโt like being told what to read haha I just curious to fill this in as I go to see how I end up at the end of the year. I will always treasure the Santa. It turned out beautifully. Have a great weekend.,
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That cross stitch is so good! Love it! Love Hadley’s ramen bowl! She looks like a senior in high school – sorry! Ok, I love those shoes and the laces. I have heard GG are not that comfortable? I have been wearing sneakers to work with my jeans and dressing up on top and my feet have been so happy.
I hope you get the low key weekend that you need!
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