THURSDAY'S THOUGHTS

VIA

FEELING: Four year olds at Christmas time are PURE magic! Don't get me wrong, Max is still Max, but OMG his genuine giddiness about Santa and snowmen is infectious. Last week we put our wily one to bed early because NO NAP, and as we got ready to watch our shows, we heard a siren in the distance. Initially we thought someone was hurt or there was a fire down the street, but then I remembered the family that sold the house to us mentioned Santa comes to the neighborhood each year on a fire truck and passes out candy canes. We immediately flew out of bed and grabbed Max so we could take in the impromptu festivities together and catch a glimpse of Father Christmas. The sweetest part about all of this is earlier that day Max kept begging me to buy candy canes and I forgot to grab a box at the store. You can only imagine the look on his face when he was surprised later that evening with the red-and-white striped candy. He looked up at me with the biggest grin and said, "SANTA KNEW I WANTED ONE OF THESE!!!"

THANKFUL FOR: The hair stylist I see in DC returned from maternity leave last month, and I got a chance to visit her a few weeks ago for a much-needed cut. It was straight-up fan girl status when I saw her because I knew I missed having bangs, but then she started to do her thing and I found myself talking way too much because I was so excited to have my hair styled again. Just think of a dialogue between Rory and Lorelai Gilmore, except for the fact that it's one-sided because I was the one doing ALL the talking.

THINKING ABOUT: I got to hang out with my parents while the boys were in Missouri, and I can't stop laughing about my mom and dad's knowledge of gypsy culture. Who knew, right?! Hahahaha! After watching a few hours of TLC's show, My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, one Saturday evening, they filled me in on the term "gorgers" and introduced me to the magic that is Sondra Celli's custom wedding dress designs. You guys, this is just TOO good! It *almost* rivals Teem Mom in terms of trash TV. Almost.

READING: Do you follow the Avery & Augustine blog? I swear it's like a treasure chest; there's always something new to discover! The site is created by the founder of the Little Lit Book Series, Michelle Sterling, who shares the BEST children's books. Whenever we have a trip to the library planned (just as we do today!), I like to reference her posts for titles to bring home.

LISTENING TO: Have you seen the new Grinch movie yet? Squee! It's absolutely adorable!! Max and I have been listening to the soundtrack nonstop since we saw it at the Alamo Drafthouse two weeks ago. Tyler, The Creator's remake of the holiday theme song is pure genius. Do me a favor and download the latest jingles and stat. You can thank me later.

WATCHING: For those of you who aren't fans of Bravo (Is that even possible?) or the rest of us that require a break from the feuds of Kelly and Vicki along with Lala and James, I highly recommend the series Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime and the movie Dumplin' on Netflix. Last weekend, I threw Flyboy a bone and watched John Krasinski not be Jim Halpert. Oddly enough, the thriller piqued my interest and I've already Googled whether or not there will be a season two. In the event you're looking for something a bit more feel-good and charming, promise me you'll give Jennifer Aniston's Dolly-loving pageant hit a shot. It's flipping precious, y'all!

EATING: On Tuesday night, I whipped up Art From My Table's Easiest Ever White Chicken Chili and it was surprisingly delicious. I mean, I knew it would be good (How do you go wrong with ingredients like this?), but it didn't seem that different than similar recipes I've tried in the past. Then again, I did improvise a little by using a some cream cheese since I underestimated how much shredded cheese we had available and had no intentions of going to the store. I'd go ahead and make that tasty little tweak again.

LOVING: I adore my sunny wool coat from J.Crew, but the yellow can easily get dirty and dull. As a result, I've had my eye on the Perfect Winter Parka for the past few months, but wasn't prepared to pay full-price for the wardrobe workhorse. I told myself I'd hold out for a great sale at the beginning of the new year, but much to my surprise, I managed to snag the coat for $80!! I rarely stumble upon deals this good, so it felt like I hit the jackpot!!

How are you feeling today? What are you up to? Thanks for stopping by!!