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Hi, friends! How was your weekend? We’re busy getting ready for the holidays around here, and we had plenty of festive excitement to share with you over the course of the last 7 days. But, before we jump into my cell phone pics, I have two quick things to mention. First, I was glad to see that Shape magazine included my Peppermint Nog Protein Shake in their list of 10 Healthier Ways to Savor Nog (you can check out all of the tasty options HERE)!

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And second…did you see Friday’s post? If not, you should pop on over there — the recipe is tasty, and the post includes the first video that I’ve ever made for the blog. You can watch the video here in case you missed it:

And NOW, onto our weekly recap!

On Monday morning we took a walk with Mollie while Casey and Gibbs were in school,

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and I spent plenty of time burning scented candles…

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and diffusing essential oils in an attempt to get rid of the horrible smokey smell that permeated our house after I burned a sweet potato in the microwave on Sunday evening (don’t even ask…let’s just say that I wasn’t keeping a close eye on the thing!).

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We took another short walk on Monday afternoon,

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and I loved looking at all of the holiday decorations on the homes that we passed in Charlottesville. How cute is this miniature wreath on the front gate?!

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Currently sipping on this (when I’m not drinking coffee…by the gallon):

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I spent the rest of the evening glued to The Voice finale. Love that show!

A Tuesday morning walk in the woods:

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Casey’s “Happy Place.”

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The 65-degree weather we had early in the week was just…weird. But with 3 little guys who love to be outdoors, I’m NOT complaining!

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For dinner that evening I made homemade pizza. It’s always a big hit, but I recently discovered this Pizza Crust yeast, which makes whole wheat dough quick and easy…no rise time, no planning-ahead necessary — just knead for a few minutes and then roll it out. We like to make individual-sized pizzas so that everyone can customize their toppings.

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On Wednesday morning my mom joined us for Gibbs’s Kindergarten Christmas program,

(he’s front and center on the first row…looking THRILLED to be there. Hah!)

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and then we drove the boys into Charlottesville for a lunch date at the mall and our annual visit with Santa.

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Unfortunately, not one of my boys was willing to go anywhere near Santa. The older two seemed apprehensive and shy, while Spencer was downright TERRIFIED. This is about as close as we got…

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That was a battle that I did not care to fight! ?

Instead, we headed home for another fun tradition — Gingerbread House decorating. The boys look forward to this each year (probably because my mom always has TONS of extra candy!). Hello, Sugar High!

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and the final masterpiece:

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That evening we returned to the school for performance #2 of the Christmas program. I’ll spare you additional pictures, since they looked (and sounded) exactly the same!

I was recently interviewed for an upcoming article on SheKnows regarding healthy breakfasts, and when I prepared my morning meal on Thursday I figured I should snap a pic to share here too. It was a pretty typical one:

{2 toasted wholegrain Kashi blueberry waffles, peanut butter, and an egg}

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Plus an almond milk latte (lots of foam!) and an unpictured apple that I ate earlier…

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Since it was a cool and rainy day, we made a quick stop at Walmart after dropping Gibbs off at school, and then stayed at home for the rest of the morning.

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We baked some of Molly’s favorite Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits to give to all of our favorite four-legged friends for Christmas, and Spence took a loooooong afternoon nap until I had to wake him up to go get Gibbs from school.

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That evening Gibbs and Casey both earned their first belt at Tae Kwon Do. They were SO proud!

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On Friday, both boys had their last day of school before the holidays. I snapped this photo to send to my mom to show her that I was wearing the new vest that she got me.

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My mother-in-law joined us for the day so she was able to see Casey perform in the preschool’s Christmas musical (maybe one of the cutest things I’ve EVER witnessed)!

{Casey was a cardinal}

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The star of the show then requested Mexican for lunch, so we headed to El Vaquero afterwards.

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Afternoon play:

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We were out of the house bright and early on Saturday morning to take Gibbs to the doctor to have his stitches removed (hooray!).

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Since we were already in town, I made a quick stop at the mall to buy my last remaining Christmas gift. Snacks at Starbucks!

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We also visited Costco to buy bulk quantities of necessities like milk, bananas, salsa, and salami! We had a quick lunch in the cafe before heading home.

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And look what was waiting for us when we got back to the house! Aunt Bee sent another one of her amazing care packages — this time it was all of our favorite cookies from Salem Baking Company. These really are some of the best cookies that you can buy…they actually taste homemade. We ripped into the chocolate dipped sugar cookies as soon as we opened the box!

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Everyone needs a fairy Godmother like Aunt Bee. We are so blessed! We’ll share some of this loot with our family for Christmas lunch, since the cookies will pair perfectly with a dish of peppermint stick ice cream!

We were home for the rest of the afternoon, and Spence was kind enough to take a long nap. I photographed a chicken quinoa dish that we had for dinner, and then made a dent in my Christmas gift wrapping (NOT my favorite part of the holiday prep)!

This morning I’m headed to the grocery store and changing bed sheets. The normal Sunday routine! Have a great week and a very happy holiday. I’ll be back next weekend to share more details from our Christmas celebrations!

blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

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Square overhead shot of hands serving a chicken pot pie recipe with biscuits
Overhead image of a bowl of chili mac on a dinner table with cornbread
Hands serving a platter of sheet pan sausage and potatoes

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  1. Blair I love the lasting memories your are building with your kiddos. My hubby and I used to live in Northern VA and it is SO beautiful this time of year. Can Aunt Bee send me some goodies too?! 🙂