5 on Friday-Playing Catch Up

 

It's been a busy week, not necessarily with activities but with holiday prep and birthday prep and just all around stuff.  However, it's been fun and productive and I've been able to channel my susie-homemaker mode a bit, which has been fun for me! 

 

I'm linking up again this week for 5 on Friday with April and all the other hostesses!  I just love this link-up because it's the perfect excuse for an end of the week iPhone/Instagram photo dump! 

 

 

 

1.  Having a December baby is still a little hard for my brain to process.  While I want to be fully diving into all things Thanksgiving and Christmas...I'm also trying to make a distinct separation between Christmas & celebrating Elyse's birthday.  So...this year the color schemes couldn't be further apart and I'm trying to get into full-on party planning mode!  This is why my mom's kitchen table looked like last Saturday, and I've got some more DIY things in my head that I'm hoping to get accomplished before her big day on December 13th!

2.  We are season ticket holders for the Missouri State Men's Basketball Bears.  The first official game was last Saturday night and we also had a game on Wednesday night.  It's a fun night out with the family and since my parents' are also season ticket holders, they get some extra quality time with Elyse. 

My dad even got chosen to be participate in an on-course contest on Saturday night! 

 

3.  I woke up early Sunday morning with a horrible stomach ache and we all ended up staying home from church.  Nick & I were scheduled to have nursery duty during second service, so he took Elyse and my precious MIL filled in for me.  It's days like that when I'm so thankful that our church has an online presence and has live streaming.  I was able to worship covered in a blanket and curled up in the recliner. 

4.  I'm in charge of organizing the food for Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house and this year I gave myself the task of making the rolls.  I decided to get an early start and just freeze them.  Then I'm not rushing around the day before or the morning of  trying to get rolls made just right.  This was a new recipe from Our Best Bites and it might be my new favorite.  I let them rise quite a bit longer than the recipe said, but they were still really fast, really easy, and really yummy! 

 

I also made a batch into cinnamon rolls that I froze and will thaw for Thanksgiving morning breakfast!  It took all I had to keep from diving into one yesterday afternoon before dinner!  However, they are now safely in the deep freeze already for next week. 

5.  Along with Elyse's birthday party and baking, I've also been working on a Christmas project for Elyse.  I've seen the felt Christmas trees all over Pinterest and I knew that Elyse would love this.  So...a couple weeks ago I went to Hobby Lobby with my mom and stocked up on various colors of felt and also bought a yard of dark green felt.  I set to work with my scissors and glue gun and now I have a beautifully, colored felt tree for Elyse to decorate and undecorate until her heart's content.  I just know she'll love it once I hang it up in our dining room--which will be happening this weekend! 

 

Happy weekend everyone...it's turning cold here, but that just makes it feel more like the holidays to me!