So there are weeks I bounce into Friday, obviously tired and SO ready for the weekend. But still bouncy. You guys, this week is not like that. I feel like I’m dragging myself inch by inch towards the weekend. Anybody else?

I’ve totally gone radio silent here these last couple weeks while I’ve been working like crazy on on a big publication for our school’s version of the PTA and all leftover moments on new designs for my Etsy shop. It’s been a couple weeks without bedtimes before midnight (or 1:30!) and this little lifeline was helping me through the last half of this week…

until I proceeded to spill it all over the couch. Obviously.

Ross just gets me.

I’m ready for you weekend. Haha! Like always, I’m linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea for Friday Favorites!

one

I have some brand new Christmas designs up in my shop just in time for the season!

As always, all of them are completely customizable with color or wording. Especially this family rules sign! If you have something fun you want to add to it, I’d be happy to do that for you!

I love this countdown to Santa sign. Just print, frame and use a dry erase marker to countdown the days with your kids on the brim of Santa’s hat!

These all work great as gifts for family, friends or teachers. If you are looking for gifts for grandparents or mother-in-laws, this family tree design is perfect.

I also love a family name sign as a gift for friends, grandparents or newlyweds! Just download, send to a local printer, frame and gift!

And of course, any of my dry erase calendars would be perfect gifts for any mom or woman in your life! I don’t even know what I would do without ours to keep all 6 of our schedules, what’s for dinner each night, school events, etc. in my head!

From now through next Sunday, November 26 – use code TISTHESEASON20 for 20% off your order!

So many more in the works! P.S. I also take custom orders! If you have something in mind but don’t see it in my shop, I’d love to create it for you! Contact me through my shop or email me at lovingourmessy@gmail.com

two

I saw these at our grocery store this week and had to snag a box. I’m not sure how you can go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter. They were everything I wanted them to be. I’m not a big breakfast person so I had these as a midnight snack this week which actually was the perfect choice. I’m hoping these are in store permanently and not a seasonal product! Is anybody else in love with these?

three

We took advantage of an early out at school to get outside and enjoy a beautiful fall day! We love getting outside every chance we can but super cold November weather and it getting dark so early now is giving all of us a bit of cabin fever. Our big beautiful tree in our backyard finally is starting to lose its leaves so I thought we’d go play for awhile and then rake up some leaves while it was warm.

We definitely played. And played. And played.

I started filling up some leaf bags while they ran around but it turns out the leaves inside the bags were way more fun to play with than the millions on the ground. And it’s true. If you cover your ears when I look at you, I can’t see that you have ripped open the leaf bag and pulled a bunch out. Haha!

four

When we bought our house last summer, I absolutely loved the space and it was clear that the old owners did a great job taking care of the house. It was also clear though, that we have very different design aesthetics so we are slowly going through and updating everything to our preferences. Our front door and shutters were a dark brown and it drove me kind of crazy because of how dark it made the house look. We repainted the door and shutters and a little paint has made such a HUGE difference!

We were limited in color choices to keep it coordinating with the brick parts of our home but I still love how it came out. It’s not easy to find time for DIY projects with four kids but little by little (slow as sloths) we are crossing things off!

five

I’m excited for this new Advent Devotional that I found. I’ve had a hard time finding quiet time lately with how crazy things have been. I absolutely need a jump start into Advent this year! I chose this one because it says it has ideas for family activities and discussions too. Are there any Advent Devotionals that you have tried with your kids and love or ones just for you?

Those are my favorites this week! I’m looking forward to reading everyone else’s. I hope you have the very best weekend!

Happy Friday! In my house, we are officially feeling the beginning of the holiday season and loving it! We have our thankful turkey going, we are getting ready to celebrate an early Thanksgiving with Josh’s family next weekend and I’m starting to watch all the Hallmark Christmas movies I can get.

Just like every Friday, I’m linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea for Friday Favorites!

one

Last weekend, we had family pictures taken in the cold, cold weather. It was 35 degrees when we started and our kids were such troopers to be marching around outside without coats! I absolutely LOVE how they turned out.

Our sweet photographer is so amazing that you can’t even tell we were freezing and Luke and Reid were really, really crabby.

If you are local and in need of a photographer, send me a message. I would love to recommend her!

two

I bought these boots for our photos on a whim and I seriously love them. I’m fairly tall (5’7″) so I struggle to find boots that don’t make me feel like a giant. These have enough of a heel that they are cute but I barely notice it’s there. Plus, I have never owned a more comfortable boot. I wore them all around the zoo the other day and loved them!

three

Last weekend we squeezed in all the Halloween fun we possibly could. We finally made it to the huge corn maze I’ve been wanting to go to even though it was freezing. We all bundled up and had a great time!

We made it through the 20 minute maze in only 5 minutes, so we figured we would try the 40 minute maze. An hour and four cold kids later, were still at checkpoint 3 of 8 and realized we made a poor choice. Haha!

We had Halloween movie night and watched Spooky Buddies. It was actually really cute and a little spooky without being too scary for our littlest boys.

The older boys and Josh and I hit up a Halloween parade and lucked out to find a perfect spot that was always thrown gobs of candy. Somehow, we only got a few trick-or-treaters on Halloween which ruined my plan for giving out the tons of candy we did not need to keep. I hid a ton of it in the freezer to keep myself away from it! (I clearly have no self control.)

We carved our pumpkins and watched football together on Sunday.

It was the coldest Halloween here since 2002 so our trick-or-treating was cut a little short but we still all had a great Halloween!

four

I’m a brand new contributing writer for Twiniversity and I wrote a post for them last week on 5 Simple Ways to Keep the Spark Alive in Your Marriage. Even though it’s written from our perspective of having twins, it absolutely applies to any couple in the trenches of raising children in any number ;). Josh and I have definitely struggled during different seasons of life with our children to find time for each other. We are always a constant work in progress!

We snuck in a shot of us while the boys were running around like crazy during our family photos. I love having pictures just the two of us.

five

Every year I sign up for Allrecipes Pie Countdown emails. They email you a pie recipe a day from November 1 through Thanksgiving Day. I always bring pies to Thanksgiving and I look forward to these emails every year for some new ideas! I have gotten some of my very favorite pie recipes from this countdown! Plus, I would never say no to 23 days of pie. Obviously.

Those are my favorites this week! If you missed my Confessions post on Thursday, you can find it here. I revealed a pretty ridiculous secret … it’s okay if you judge me. I judge me too. 😉

Hope you have the very best weekend!

Follow me on Instagram here!