Sobremesa Stories

Letting stories unfold around the table

Five on Friday: Family Dinners and Amazing Guest Posts

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Happy Friday, friends! It is officially fall, even though the weather still feels more like summer, and I know I’m excited for all the stereotypical but still wonderful things that fall brings.  I’m excited for time this weekend for some fall crafting and cool mornings! Here are some updates from our week as we continue to transition from the lazy days of summer to the busier days of fall.

1) Reading, reading, and more reading!

I made the decision a few months ago to limit my Netflix and try to read more (and by that I mean I ran out of new shows, rewatched every episode of Gilmore Girls, and then gave up on finding something else to watch).  I finished For the Love by Jen Hatmaker this week and she had me laughing out loud on our couch (especially her rants about how leggings/tights aren’t pants – wish I could share that one with my 8th graders).  This week I’m starting Emily Freeman’s It’s Simply Tuesday and can’t wait to wrestle with the idea of what it looks like to find joy in my small, ordinary days.

2) Comfort food and family dinners

Morning sickness and general laziness this summer meant I didn’t do a whole lot of cooking.  But since the year started, I’ve loved my routine of coming home and playing with my puppy, taking a quick nap (#pregnancy…I’ll take any and all sleep I can get before we become parents and I don’t sleep for another 20 years or so!), and then starting to prepare and cook dinner before hubby gets home from cross-country practice.  This week I made a butternut squash quinoa salad, sausage with red beans and rice, a store-bought lasagna (because real life, y’all), and a chicken-artichoke casserole (see below).  I like finding hearty, healthy recipes that we’ll both love and I like the break in my day that I spend preparing them!

Five on Friday Spinach Artichoke Casserole

3) Puppy training

I love our sweet pup, but MAN does she have energy.  She’s been horrible at pulling forward on our walks.  I can handle it now, but I know when I’m super preggers or walking a stroller I’m not going to want to deal with that.  We bought her this special harness/leash called a Gentle Leader and oh my HEAVENS she is a new dog! She walks so perfectly and properly next to me (probably motivated by the huge bag of treats I bring with us) and it’s been so fun! I’ve taken her on a walk every night and then given her some good girl snuggles on the couch afterward.  I love our sweet girl!

I love this girl but she has NO sense of personal space.

“What are you doing, Mom? Why are you on your phone? Come snuggle me?”

4) Fall recipes

I’ve had a lot of fun finding and trying some different fun fall recipes this week.  I’ve been pinning a bunch of recipes and project inspiration on my fall Pinterest board (like this yummy butternut squash quinoa salad with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing), but I’ve also had some fun experimenting with my own recipes! I won’t give away all the secrets, but I’ve made three batches of pumpkin brownies this week to perfect my own pumpkin spice brownie recipe from a mix.  I’m excited to share it in the next few weeks! Here’s to fall and all things pumpkin spice!

5) Amazing guest posts on being “too smart” to be a stay at home mom and on sexual assault

I know some of you Friday readers mostly just pop by on Fridays, but I hope you’ll head over and check out my Womanly Wednesday series where different women share stories of their deepest struggles and fears.  This week, the amazing Anna of She is Joyful shared about her struggles with feeling like becoming a stay at home mom would somehow be a waste of her education and intellect (check out that post here).  Then as a bonus post on Thursday in honor of Suicide Prevention Month, my sweet friend Brittany shared about being sexually assaulted in college and how that led her to a deep, dark place of depression (see that post here).  These woman are beautiful and honest and brave and I hope you’ll take the time to check out their stories!

Thanks for stopping by, friends! Enjoy your weekends! 

Head over to  A. Liz Adventures, Fitting It All In, Life in Leggings, Grace and Love Blog, Momfessionals Friday Favorites, and Running 4 Cupcakes for more Friday favorites!
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Comments

    • I’m so excited to read it! For The Love definitely had me laughing and also had some good, real reflections about life and faith and marriage. Lots of good stuff there!

    • Hahaha I’m glad we got one now…my mom would never get us one growing up because she said she already had two pets to take care of: me and my brother! 🙂 And yes, those books were awesome! Feel free to share any recommendations if you have them!

  7. It sounds like you had quite a delicious week! Can I come over for pumpkin brownies this weekend? 🙂 I can’t wait to get my hands on For the Love. I’ve been resistant to buying the hardcover version, but I just don’t know if I can wait for the softcover edition to come out! Also, I love your little pup! So glad he is walking politely. That has been a big struggle with Riley. She’s a good walker for the most part, but when she does get excited and pull, it can really cause some pain on my poor core. I’m going to check out that Gentle Leader!
    Brittany Bergman recently posted…Cultivating Gratitude & Sharing Love // 19My Profile

    • Ha deal! I wish Chicago weren’t so far from us (you live outside Chicago, right?!). For the Love was good…funny and lighthearted, even if I didn’t feel like the more serious chapters were anything too profound or life-changing (gotta be honest). I really liked it overall! Olive has loved the Gentle Leader and she walks like a champ now. I bet it would be great for Riley too!
      Lauren recently posted…How To Make A Fall Burlap Bubble WreathMy Profile

  8. I love the puppy training! Our dog is about to be three, but he still pulls like crazy! He’s a pug, so he’s not huge, but he’s all muscle and he can still give you quite a jerk. We’ll have to look into the Gentle Leader 🙂

  11. Ah! Your pup is just so cute!! My love for cooking always reignites in the fall too. The summer always seems like it’s for playing, but when it starts getting cooler and darker earlier, I love being inside making a good meal!
    Julie recently posted…Is This What They Call Nesting?My Profile