I started this the other evening when I was sitting by the tree with my little Buddy. The girls were asleep and I was catching up on work, as I often do a night. There was some online shopping (just ordered a few basics on sale) and watching my first Christmas movie of the season: While You Were Sleeping. It really is one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made, isn’t it? Here’s what’s on my mind this week: 11.29.21.

On My Mind This Week: 11.29.21

It’s now two days later. Our nanny is here for the first time in 5 days. We have a big day: a walkthrough of the new house! I’m starting my morning catching up on work in bed with a cup of coffee in my favorite little Christmas mug and need to get ready, so I’ll finish the last few points and get going. Here are 10 random thoughts on my mind this week. 

1. First, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Ours was slow and simple, and very sweet. This week last year, we were coming off two of the hardest months of our lives. We had just finished the hardest block of Margot’s treatment, so life felt very different (in a good way) this year. I know how lucky I am to wake up on a holiday with my girls at home. They’re happy and healthy, we’re together, and we were even able to be with my in-laws for dinner. To be together, with my girls, and family – that’s a gift. I’ll never not be grateful for those things. Ever. I baked with Margot (and my sister, thanks to FaceTime), we made cinnamon rolls and watched the parade, and Kate has been walking and talking up a storm. Life is a little weird right now since we’re in a bubble while most (not all, but most) don’t have to be. It’s ok though, and honestly, I’m just feeling immense gratitude for all of it. I’m loving this time all cozied up with my girls. 

2. Kate is turning into a little person.

Over the last month, I’ve noticed such a shift in our family. She makes jokes, repeats everything we say, walks (!!!), and is really engaging with us. For the first time, the girls are really playing together like little friends, and I’m getting glimpses into life with two little girls (vs a toddler and a baby). I love babies but also don’t. They’re sweet and so cute, and also very hard and exhausting. 

Some of my favorite things she says:

Her version of “I don’t know”
cucake
She handed me the remote and said “Daniel” (as in Tiger) then signed please.
All her animal sounds, especially “nooooow” (meow), her overzealous moo, and ribbit.
Oh, and the goat says “boo” like a ghost.
She knows santa says “ho ho”, a few colors.
She can sing parts of wheels on the bus. Just “shut” and “town” but it’s so cute.
For some reason, she really likes saying “hi toes” and knows all her little body parts.
She said “please” perfectly today but usually says “pees”
“Hummuh” (hummus) is her favorite food.
“paba” is her beloved pacifier
“pumuh” = pumpkin

It’s all so sweet, and she’s so so snuggly. Puts her head on my shoulder any time I pick her up. I never want to forget this stage. 

This just popped in my head and I think it’s really funny (or it is to me).

That’s what these random things are, right?

Margot asked me to play the song “Judy to know it” and I was like…what? I speak Margot and can usually figure out whatever she’s talking about but was lost on this one. Long story short, she loves Meghan Trainer and “Dear Future Husband” came on after “no” and it turns out the line “Dear future husband, here’s a few things you’ll need to know if you wanna be my one and only all my life.” Margot then tells me she loves “Judy to know it” and I’m like wait: you’ll need to know if = Judy to know it. 😂

I shared this on instagram but when I told her she couldn’t get a doll at the American Girl store she calmly walked away and told me she thought she was starting to not like me. She’s since told me every single day that she likes me again and is always telling me she loves me. Love these girls of mine so much. 

3. I still can’t believe I made this happen.

A few weeks ago, Artifact Uprising was having a big sale, so I put together the girls’ first year albums and our family 2020 album. I ordered the 8.5″ x 8.5″ in oatmeal with lustre (glossy) pages. My books arrived just before their Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale, so I put together a book for 2015-2017, and family albums for 2018 and 2019. I’m going to start working on 2021 and order in January. Going through old phots was fun and a little weird since we used to travel quite a bit. The photo at the top of this post is me on a 3 day trip to Denmark. I ended up ordering books and a family memory game for the girls Pinhole Press. 

You can find my other sale picks here. They all end tonight! 

4. I’m not sure why this came to mind, but this half-zip is really cozy.

It’s not on sale but it’s under $80, so I have it in the black and oatmeal colors. I have one color in small and another in medium, and prefer the medium since I like sweatshirts to be roomy. 

5. We close on the new house this week!

Cannot wait to start working on this restoration / design project. It’s a dream project and I can’t believe we’re doing it – 1920s house with the most incredible detail. 

6. The holidays are in full swing over here.

My gift guides are live, and all our decor is up. It’s not too late to sponsor a family going through childhood cancer treatment this Christmas. I signed up through Lighthouse for Hope’s Holidays for Hope. An email was sent over with some info about the family, their favorite things, and a wish list, and you just order 2-3 gifts per family member. Since a few people asked, wanted to share how I hung our wreaths. Our windows slide down from the top and bottom, so I just opened them at the top, tied a knot at the end of the ribbon, and closed the window on the knot. If your windows don’t do that I’d recommend purchasing outdoor command hooks, but you’ll probably have a casualty or two at some point. I wrote a post on hanging garland around a front door, too. 

7.  I’ve gotten a few questions about Christmas ornaments

some of my favorite ornaments are 25% off for Cyber Monday. I like the really traditional Christmas ones (snowmen, nutcrackers, Santas etc). I’ve purchased a few on eBay, too. I know I’m all over the place, but these are the first 10 things that are on my mind this week. Almost there.

8. Each year, I order our holiday cards from Minted.

They are gifted by the brand (I’ll always share when that’s the case and find it painfully annoying when people don’t). Everything is currently 25% off – I chose this design and got the sweetest photo of the girls in front of our tree. 

9. My new macbook pro shipped.

This one is almost 4 years old and sadly, has been dying on me for a while. It’s running so slow and hot, and the charger only works in one port, and sometimes, doesn’t charge at all. It doesn’t feel worth putting money into this one, so I’m planning to clear it and sell or donate it. 

10. Recipes

I made this recipe (it’s paleo!) a week or two ago, and am already making it again tomorrow. It was so easy and delicious. I’ve been talking about baking a really beautiful pie for years but it always feels like such an undertaking and I never end up bothering to do it. This year, I decided to start simple and made a cheesecake. This recipe was pretty easy and so so good.