Happy Friday! This was another one of those weeks where I can’t believe it has only been 5 days. I am really looking forward to our weekend! I am linking up with Narci and the girls for Friday Favorites.

Favorite 1: BOOKS! I finished Let It Snow by Nancy Thayer this week and I loved it. It is everything I want in a winter book – quaint town, happy love story, friendship, and a little snow. This book was the perfect way to kick off my holiday reading season!

I picked a new book for my 5th grade Listen and Lunch this week. Crumbled by Lisa Harkrader is the story of a royal dung farmer and his family. It reminded me of Shrek with all the folktale, fairy tale, and nursery rhyme references. I had 30 kids sign up to come listen to the story while they ate. That is almost half of our fifth graders. I can’t wait to read to them again next week!

I got some reading time during the kids’ swim practice on Thursday and it was lovely! Christmas Shopaholic is shaping up to be an enjoyable read!

Favorite 2: MORNINGS!! Who says that??? I got up twice this week to exercise in the morning. That alarm rings pretty early, but it is so nice to be done my workout by 6 am. The evenings are more relaxed and I feel pretty productive when I start my day with some moving.

Favorite 3: NAIL POLISH!! I love to have polish on my nails. I usually pick neutral colors (light pink, beige colors, white, etc.) but this time I picked a shiny wine color. I love the festive fall color!

Favorite 5: DINNER!! I made two dinners this week that were so tasty! I made a modified version of Mississippi Pot Roast on Thursday. It’s so easy to throw in the crockpot in the morning and have an easy dinner. I cut the butter by 2/3 and leave out the peppercinis. I serve it over a little bit of rice with a bunch of steamed brocolli. My boys love it! I also made Mrs. Geiss’ dish. It is a family recipe that my mom made when we were little. Mrs. Geiss was one of my great grandparents’ neighbors and she introduced our family to it. They decided to name the dish after her. It is super simple – ground beef, tomato soup, worcester sauce, and egg noodles. My kids love this one too!

Favorite 6: PLAYING!! You know I don’t love the shorter days, but I do love how my boys have been playing together inside. They’ve been playing Clue like crazy.

They also started an epic battle with army guys and Lincoln logs. The battle started in the dining room and has traveled through the living room, up the stairs, down the hall, and into the bedrooms. Jack and Luke are having so much fun playing together!

Favorite 7: TURKEYS! Inspired by A Plump and Perky Turkey by Theresa Bateman, teachers at our school created turkey art. My team made the Candy Gobbler and decorated our turkey totally in candy. He’s so cute!

We have another fun weekend ahead. Our local high school is putting on their annual musical and we’re going on Saturday in a big group. I’m heading to meet up with some of my college roommates on Sunday and I can’t wait to see them!! Have a great weekend full of sunshine and books!