Hello and Happy Friday! This has been a short/long week. I only worked Monday – Wednesday but I was at school for 14 hours on Tuesday and it is Book Fair week. I am linking up with Erika, Narci, Andrea, and The Blended Blog to share my favorites.

Favorite 1 – SNOW DAY!! We had our first snow day of the school year on Thursday. It was a tricky call because the weather wasn’t supposed to start until after the busses were out picking up kids. Our county decided to close and they made the right choice.  We got about four inches of snow and some sleet/freezing rain.  The boys and I took it easy all morning and it was wonderful.  I made a crumb cake for breakfast with scrambled eggs and some fruit.  Luke was loving watching all the deer in the field behind us.

I gave the boys some iPad time while I ran on the treadmill and found them snuggled up like this when I came up stairs.

Jack and Luke gathered up some neighbors to play outside while I shoveled our driveway.

After dinner, we had some family time. Jeff and Luke were rebuilding a Lego treehouse set while Jack and I played about 10 rounds of mancala.

The only bummer of the snow day is that I didn’t end up going to see Natasha Solomons like I was planning. The event was held at my local bookstore and I just wasn’t sure that the big hills leading towards the store would be safe to drive on.  It just wasn’t worth it.  I know that Debbie, the owner, will keep bringing great authors to our town so I decided to be ok with it.

Favorite 2 – BOOK FAIR!! I really love the Book Fair. I loved it as a kid. I loved it as a teacher. And I love it as a media specialist/Book Fair chairperson.

The kids get so excited to get a new book and it warms my heart.  My own kids get really excited too!  We use it as an incentive system.  Everyone starts with 2 books when the Book Fair arrives.  Throughout 10 days or so, I take books away or add books based on their behavior.  They can go down to 0 books or up to 4 books.  It helps to manage the extra time that my kids have to spend at school while I am setting up and staying open for shoppers.

I also love to see and meet so many different parents during our family shopping time, even if it means I am at school from 7 am – 7 pm. It was really until 8 pm because we had a PTA meeting at 7 after the Book Fair closed for the night.

Favorite 3 – THIS OUTFIT!! I wanted to be comfy cozy on Wednesday at work after being there for 14 hours the day before.

When I buy clothes, I usually go to stores I know (online or in person) and pick out the styles I like. I’m not a girl who wears a lot of trendy clothes. I tend to stick with classic looks.  However, I picked most of the pieces in this outfit based on other blogger recommendations.  My jeans are from Target. They are midrise and from Universal Threads. They are so comfy and have just the right amount of stretch.  Narci recommended the midrise jeans a while ago and I am so glad I did. I actually bought 7 pairs of jeans to try on and ended up keeping 3 (these, a distressed pair, and a little bit shorter/not so skinny pair).

I told a few friends about them and they are loving the jeans too. So, thank you Narci! My cape and necklace are from Accessory Concierge. Sheaffer recommended them a few weeks ago too. I am so happy I jumped on the deal for the cape. Sheaffer had a half off code and I think it is totally worth the price I paid. I was warm and comfortable and looked pretty put together.  The necklace is the Incredible Holt. I love the brown beads with that stone.

Favorite 4 – RUNNING!! Jamie and I ran our Fellow Flowers Strength run on Saturday. We did something a little different this time. Instead of just running, we added some strength to our run. After every lap around the track, we did something with our weights or medicine ball.  I really love running with Jamie! Our schedules make it tricky, but I am so thankful for these runs to give us an opportunity to catch up in person and run.

However after shoveling our whole driveway today, I realized that running isn’t quite cutting it. I have been adding some weights to my workouts for the past week or so and shoveling was motivation to keep at it.  That icy snow was heavy today!

Favorite 5 – HALLMARK! I have been watching a Hallmark movie every night as I fall asleep and I just love how happy they are.  I always know exactly what is going to happen, but I am totally fine with that.  I love all the Christmas spirit and the decorations. I love the small town festivals.  They are a great way to end an evening.

Luke has up to 5 soccer games this weekend if the weather cooperates. That’s all we have planned and I couldn’t be happier! We have school Monday, Tuesday, and a half day Wednesday next week so I am thankful for a little down time to get ready for Thanksgiving.

I hope you have a great weekend full of sunshine and books!

☀️ 📚 😎