The Little Things Newsletter #239 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

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Welcome to the weekend, my friends! We’ve made it to the final week of 2020 and it feels like an actual accomplishment. Who knew that just getting through each day of the year would feel this way? While I know that the first day of 2021 isn’t going to flip a switch and reset everything that feels off-kilter these days, it is still a fresh beginning and I’ve always loved January for that.

I’m well aware that I’m not in the majority with my love of Mondays, but there’s just something awesome about the promise of each new week. January gives me that feeling in abundance. It’s fun to look back at the previous year and set goals while looking forward to the new. I’m not a resolution kind of girl, but I do love setting goals and my notepads are already filling up with personal plans and business goals for the year to come.

ON THE BLOG this week: Holiday Oatmeal is filled with fresh apples, dried fruits, nuts, creamy oats, and brown sugar to create a deliciously filling hot breakfast. Barely 15 minutes from start to finish and a piping hot, warm, and creamy breakfast can be on your table.

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Palmiers, Elephant Ears, French Hearts, Palm Leaves: whatever you like to call them, these cookies are in the running for my all-time favorite treat. These are light, airy, buttery sugar sprinkled cookies that only require two ingredients.

Peppermint Bark is the classic holiday treat that everyone loves. Smooth, sweet chocolate combines with cool peppermint to make a delightful homemade candy that people just can’t get enough of.

What I’m CRAVING: My friend Tricia never fails to tempt me with her foods, both savory and sweet. Her Lemon Crumble Breakfast Cake caught my eye yesterday and now I need to try it. I adore lemon desserts and she’s never let me down with a recipe.

My FAVORITE THING this week is this very simple $10 planner/calendar. Over the years, I’ve tried really fancy planners, simple to-do lists, and basic calendar notebooks. I’ve moved back to a very simple one that allows me enough space for a to-do list and/or appointments without a whole bunch of other things added into the book.

I know a lot of people love meal planning or budgeting or gratitude journaling in their planners, but for me, I really just want somewhere to track my to-do lists and make notes for when deadlines approach. This style works for me.

What I’m READING: Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. Oh, this book was so very good. I laughed, cried, sighed, grew anxious, and truly enjoyed this one. The story is told as a series of letters written between friends throughout WW1. There is a very small amount of current-day mixed into the book, but more than anything else it is a story told through letters. (Side note: that is not a writing style that I typically enjoy, but this was so very well done.)

A bit of it was predictable towards the end, but in a good way, as you figure out the story. While the book doesn’t gloss over the ugliness of war, it also doesn’t dwell on that portion of the story. There is hope and joy throughout the book as they look toward their dreams for the future after the war is past.

What I’m WATCHING: Four Christmases. This is one of my favorite Christmas movies and I’ve watched it every year since I first saw it in the theater about 10 years ago. It never fails to make me laugh. Between Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, the acting is terrific. Just a heads up, depending on the age of your kids, it may or may not be family-friendly.

“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day.” – Andy Rooney 

Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile!

Mary

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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