Friday Favorites

F R I D A Y   F A V O R I T E S 

 It's almost the weekend (hallelujah!), and we are in full party-planning mode around here. Nolan has invited some of his favorite friends over for a camping-themed soiree at our house. His September birthday seemed perfect for the outdoorsy theme. We are donning our flannel, gathering up some rustic decor, and setting up a firepit for s'mores in our backyard! To say that he's excited is an understatement!

Nolan Bruce turned FOUR on Wednesday! We celebrated his birthday in a very simple way, and we'll celebrate BIG this weekend for his party. He really wanted a Duplo "Blade Ranger" set from Planes Fire & Rescue, and he was so thrilled to unwrap his gift!

He has since taken Blade Ranger everywhere with him, including his bed. And he's showed everyone his new favorite toy, including family on FaceTime.

 

Nolan and I made some chocolate birthday donuts in the afternoon while Ephraim napped, and we waited for Daddy to get home from work before Nolan blew out his candle.

So happy! He lucked out with dinner at Wendy's and some time with his grandparents.

I wrote this on Instagram:  Happy 4th Birthday, Nolan Bruce! I am so proud of how smart, energetic, funny, and caring you are. I love that you referred to yourself today as Donut-Making Pirate Nolan and you've been calling me Pirate Mommy for days. I pray that God continues to grow you in wisdom and stature. You are my biggest adventure. XOXO.

It's a shame his birthday party is camping themed and not pirate themed ;)  

Things I've heard him say this week:

"It's a beautiful pirate day in the pirate neighborhood with all the pirate houses."

"Arghh!" 

"Thank you God for my pirate family."

"Good morning, Pirate Ephraim!"

And Steve is officially, "Captain Daddy".

No one give him a pirate costume this weekend, okay? He would never take it off :)

On Wednesday, I shared my love of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and my excitement for the theme this year, "A Fierce Flourishing". If you're at all interested about what MOPS is, read this post! :) 

 

Steve bought me my new favorite mug for my birthday, and it says, "Coffee is the best of all earthly drinks" in Swedish. A few of you asked where to find one, and Steve got it here. I was going through some of my old recipe posts, and I noticed the same mug in this photo that I took at my Aunt Meg's house last summer.

This reminds me. . .  it's about time I make this Baked French Toast with Praline Glaze again! It's one of my very favorite breakfasts. Thank you, Paula Deen!

There are only four days left to sign up for Astleigh's and my Autumn Scarf Swap! We are happy to have a good group of ladies already on board!

Send either Astleigh or me an email committing yourself to send a scarf to another blogger. You'll need to include your mailing address and blog URL. By September 21, you will have received the gal you'll be sending a scarf to. Please have the scarf in the mail no later than September 28.

Scarves should range between $12-$15 in price. We'll all share our scarf exchanges the following week in a blog post on October 7!

Astleigh and I are so looking forward to it, and we hope you'll join us for some festive fall fun!

My email: racheljulia31@gmail.com

Astleigh's email: hillcollectionblog@gmail.com

 

 

 

Well, you guys, I hope you have a great weekend, and I'll be back again on Monday! :)

Keep up with us on Instagram @floralandfudge!

Linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci.