Cheers to Friday and the first Love List of 2021! After a brief hiatus to squeeze in some extra holiday-related content, I’m excited to bring this series back as my weekly Friday post. I have been sharing some updates and things I’m loving through Instagram Stories (I have so much fun chatting with y’all over imaginary coffee/mimosas there!) throughout the past few weeks, but to me, nothing beats this easy-to-save/reference/go-back-to home for my favorite things. Let’s jump in, shall we?
1. One action step toward my “delight in hobbies” goal is baking a sweet treat from scratch every month. Any excuse to pull out my 30th birthday present KitchenAid mixer :) As my January dessert, I made Elisabeth and Butter’s Oatmeal Cream Pies and they are glorious. Dave declared them his favorite thing I’ve ever baked! Tip: be sure to make your dough balls pretty small–maybe 3″ balls? I made the mistake of using my ice cream scooper for the first batch that went into the oven and they spread out so much, they were almost covering the cookie sheet.
2. On another sugary note, two of my dearest friends have been coming over to my back porch for socially distanced hangouts once a month since the fall. For this month’s chilly gathering, everyone came with a blanket in tow and I served this easy hot chocolate. I used almond extract in place of peppermint extract and two parts almond milk and one part heavy cream instead of all almond milk. It got a thumbs-up rating, so I’ll call that a win!
3. In case you too had your eye on the green mockneck sweater in the January Edit, but didn’t find your size in stock when I posted it, just a PSA that at the time I’m typing this, they have some smalls available! I usually opt for medium sweaters, but since the fit looks loose/boxy, I went ahead and ordered the small. I’ll keep you posted on how I like it! It also looks like my second favorite color option, the light blue, is stocked in all sizes.
4. I think I looked at literally hundreds of options for Azelie’s first Christmas ornament, but didn’t find anything remotely like what I was picturing (basically, if Riley Sheehey painted baby’s first Christmas ornaments…a tall order, I know!). I ended up ordering this one in frosted acrylic with a champagne pink ribbon. It arrived this week and I think it looks really sweet.
5. I didn’t even read the description before checking out My Oxford Year on the Libby app–the general concept of a year at Oxford sounded convincing enough for me–but I have been delighted by how much I’m loving it. I thought it was going to be kind of light-hearted and predictable, but there’s a huge twist, and now I have no idea where the story is going (I have about 20% left to read). For an enthralling, well-written story, go ahead and just grab this one without reading any reviews in case of spoilers!
Happy weekend!
E&B’s oatmeal cream pies are ABSOLUTELY the best thing I’ve ever baked, too!! Everyone who’s ever had one agrees, and they’re always in very high demand! We freeze them in individually wrapped plastic wrap, and since there’s so much butter in them, they are perfect to eat straight from the freezer — we actually much prefer them frozen.
And cozy deck hangouts with hot chocolate or hot apple cider are our favorite, too!! I’m glad NC winters aren’t usually too brutal.
We took your advice and froze a bunch of them! I think I prefer them defrosted and soft, but Dave LOVED them straight from the freezer! Thanks for the tip! :)
I definitely like having your love lists on the blog, I don’t have Instagram! I’ll have to try the oatmeal cream pies, since baking is my stress-reliever of choice.
Thanks so much for that feedback! Keep me posted on how you like them! :)
Making those oatmeal pies ASAP! They sound delightful. Thank goodness I’ve given myself the grace of moving my Whole30 to February instead :)
Oooh, good luck! We haven’t done a Whole30 in a few years but will probably do one when I’m done nursing!
The thumbs up rating never lies!
I LOVED My Oxford Year! I hardly ever reread books, but I’ve read this one twice in the past two years. It hits the perfect balance of fun and meaningful fiction – much needed this month. ❤️
If you haven’t read American Royals, I also recommend that book. It’s a little lighter and fluffier than My Oxford Year, but still delightful.
Ooh, I loved American Royals and Majesty! I really want them to be made into movies–it would be fun to see how they would be cast!
The ornament is so cute!
Thanks for the book recommendation!