Welcome to the latest series on the blog! On Around the Table, you'll find products I'm loving lately, family updates and/or stories (aka adorable pictures of my kiddo), hospitality stories about the times we host guests in our home, what we're eating lately, and more. I'd love to hear what YOU want to hear in this series, so please feel free to comment or reach out on Instagram!
1. Pumpkin. I don't know why it seems to be a rule that when it hits November all of a sudden pumpkin is out. I'm still enjoying all the pumpkin things. We just made these pumpkin muffins from Pinch of Yum for the second time and they are just so good. I'm also dying to make this pumpkin cake roll. I've also been working on my holiday pie crust recipe!
2. Thanksgiving. This year, I'm hosting almost the whole family, including my father-in-law who is flying out for his 60th birthday! There will be 11 people around our table, which may seem small to some but it's the largest Thanksgiving I've ever hosted. I'm thinking we'll probably opt for a pretty standard meal, including my father-in-law's recipe for Stovetop Sausage Stuffing and my fave Whipped Cream Fruit Salad, but I may have to mix it up a little. I'm thinking about making a big slab pumpkin pie instead of a regular-sized one since my family is a bit obsessed with pumpkin pie. Have you ever made a slab pie?
3. Christmas! Okay, I know it's SO controversial these days when you start decorating for Christmas. My husband is very firmly on the day after Thanksgiving side of things, but this year I'm forcing him to let us put up the tree the weekend before Thanksgiving. Last year my father-in-law got Greyson a train set and I want the boys to be able to set it up together this year.
4. Toggl. If you run any sort of business OR are just curious how you spend your time on tasks, Toggl is for you. A friend recommended it to me and I have loved getting to see how I'm spending my time. At first, I thought it would be discouraging to see my "wasted" time online, but I've found that I actually focus better knowing I'm being "timed" even if I'm not billing those hours to anyone. They also have a desktop version that can track how much time you spend on any website (not just the tasks you are specifically setting a timer for) that I really want to get set up.
5. All the holiday baking. I really can't stop you guys. It's not even really the holiday season yet but it seems like every day I'm wanting to bake something. Luckily, Steven has an office full of people who will eat the baked goods I send in, otherwise, we'd be in big trouble trying to eat all of them around here. I've also been working on this year's recipes for The Sweetest Season hosted every year by Erin from The Speckled Palate. I've got some seriously yummy cookies coming up after Thanksgiving for y'all.
6. Family Photos. We're taking our family Christmas photos next week and I can't wait. I'm mostly excited to dress Greyson up in his favorite boots and get some professional photos of him. As we're getting ready for baby #2 I find myself looking at older photos of Greyson all the time and it just keeps reminding me how important those documented moments are!
The one thing I'm not looking forward to as much is figuring out what to wear! Maternity "fashion" is so tough, y'all! I'm thinking about some jeans, a burgundy shirt, and my favorite fall wedges. But we'll see what ends up feeling right that day.
7. The new year! One thing being a food blogger has taught me is that you have to think ahead. Since I'll be taking most of March off on maternity leave, I am already starting to think ahead to what content I want to start sharing in the new year. A while back on Facebook if there would be any interest in a new ebook with recipes for the entire family (think similar to this toddler-friendly no sugar added blueberry muffins, but with all types of meals!) and a lot of people were very interested! I'd love to get that together.
Another idea I have is to share a whole slew of meals to bring people. Whether it's someone who just lost a family member, had a baby, or is just going through a rough time, I know it's always tough figuring out what to make. I may turn the maternity leave into a time to share those recipes! If there's anything specific you want me to share, let me know!
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