Friday, January 23, 2026
It’s been a cold week! I just want to sit by fires! It’s Friday and time to link up with Andrea and Erika to share some favorites.
I find that I need to write my winter goals and keep them visible. I have them on my memo board in the kitchen. See my attempt at a snowflake? A favorite this week was seeing them and being intentional.
I met my friend Victoria at Drake’s one afternoon. We were still home in time to cook dinner. Drake’s has a fireplace and two green leather chairs in front of it. Guess who has two thumbs and snagged those seats?
We had some amazing buff chik dip as the younguns’ say.
The fire was so toasty!
I also had a happy hour with my friend Beth and this place has a great atmosphere and some hh specials. We chose the big leather chairs.
espresso martinis and …
spinach and artichoke dip – yum.
Now I want to make both dips at home!
Favorite podcast of the week – Midlife Matters – they discussed home and fashion trends for 2026. I’m on board! Give it a listen!
Favorite tv of the week – I completed Love is Blind Germany and watched the reunion, I am re-watching Younger – seriously so good. I love Sutton Foster, Below Deck Mediterranean – still enjoying seeing the port in Barcelona. With Tom, we finished Seven Dials and are watching His & Hers and Best Medicine. He always has British tv on these days. I can’t keep up with all his “alone” shows. I am usually reading my book.
Favorite foods of the week at home – I took some grilled chicken from Trader Joe’s – I really like their already cooked chicken, some leftover Dave’s Hot Chicken Sauce, a ton of dill pickles, and made my own “fries” from some Yukon Gold potatoes on the air fryer setting. I can’t wait to have this again. Hear me out – Yukon Gold taste like McDonald’s fries. I am going to have to look up a copycat recipe for Dave’s Hot Chicken sauce. It is a new chicken restaurant here. Just did it – here it is!
I like to let my frozen fruit melt or microwave it and pair this with OIKOS Pro vanilla – yum! I’ve been trying to eat this as a dessert.
I added a bit of this.
I really like this for some added fiber. I just eat it without milk and it looks a bit like rabbit pellets but nbd.
Seriously good muffins! Adding a couple mixes to next grocery order! $1.19 for the mix!
I have eggs for either breakfast or lunch. I am obsessed with my new method. I was using a mug in the microwave and now I’m using a round glass Pyrex. It makes the egg mixture of one egg, liquid egg whites, cottage cheese, and whatever else you want to throw in spread out and create more “surface area”. I’m obsessed with my bowls. Molly gave me new bowls for Christmas and I am using them daily for my bowls!
This one had the Pyrex egg, regular potatoes, and bacon bits with a bit of Mexican shredded cheese.
This one was sweet potato, bacon bits, Pyrex egg, avocado, Mexican shredded.
Usually I use Amylu chicken breakfast sausage instead of bacon bits. Here is my In the Kitchen post with some ideas I’m using.
One of my winter goals was to hygge up my house. I finally got one of these candle warmer thingamajigs on Amazon and I love it! It has a dimmer switch so you can make the light part of it various levels and it came with two bulbs. I also bought a cinnamon chai candle. I saw on Instagram that you can use it as a queso warmer and I might do that this weekend to make Tom laugh.
But like why is warm queso funny? It’s freaking awesome! Just a snapshot into my daily life, though…See the candle lid? Eddie Otis stole it and I had to bribe him with pepperoni to get it out of his mouth. We do this many times a day with various things. Lots of fun!
I also got awesome pillow covers and a new blanky.
Did you catch my Best Buys of 2025? I talked about the frother and here is a photo:
I also am still making homemade creamer! Who am I?
I talked about Pavoi earrings and just smaller earrings as one of my best buys. I added these to my collection this week. I have lost a couple recently and decided to replace them with something different.
I needed a new brush and found this “unbrush” at Kroger. I love it!
This week I’m enjoying this lip combo – Clinique black honey and Selena Gomez Rare Beauty lipgloss.
I finished this and it was a cute story!
Despite the cold Eddie Otis and I get outside for a couple of walks each day.
So, this is not a favorite…
We were issued a winter weather advisory yesterday at 11:30 until Monday morning. I don’t think I can remember one lasting that long. But the snow isn’t supposed to start until mid-day Saturday. I have seen predictions of 5 inches to 24 inches for my area. I have also heard we could get sleet. I have plenty of food stocked – I think. I don’t want anyone to lose power in this cold.
I hope you had lots of favorites this week, too! Stay warm! Stay safe!
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
Yeah, losing power is the only thing I worry about with huge winter storms but my husband is already prepping the generator and stocking up on fuel just in case. Those pillow covers look so soft and you have lots of yummy food ideas here.
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Me too! We don’t have a generator!
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We pretty much have to; we lose power all the time… sometimes for upwards of a week and without power (since we have a well) we have no water, no flushing toilet, etc. I think we bought one a year or two after moving here. But I never had one growing up since we lived more towards town and were near enough to the hospital that our power was always restored rather quickly.
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I bet! We have talked about it and many of our friends do have one. Yes – they have to do hospitals first!
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Based on your recommendation, I bought the Secura electric milk frother. I LOVE it! I have used all of the settings so far. I especially like heating my milk with a little vanilla and cinnamon in it.
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Wonderful! Great idea to add those!
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I love that you met with friends twice this week – so fun and really important to get out and socialize.
Warm queso is the best! Great idea for the candle warmer – ha!!!
I cannot believe all the cold weather coming this weekend. We are having record highs which just seems ridiculous! Crazy weather!
Have a good weekend and stay warm and safe.
xo,
Kellyann
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It filled my cup!
Yes!
I am getting nervous about getting stuck inside for too many days! I am going to try to be out all day today and then as long as I can tomorrow.
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I giggled out loud at that map. It’s laugh or cry at this point at the weather. (Oh and we don’t have heat and very likely won’t through the weekend. I wrote, er complained about it just a bit). Up to 24 inches is CRAY! We could get up to twelve. Your week looks like a good one! Love that you got out twice for fun. Your new candle warmer is pretty and functional- can’t beat that in a buy :). Those lip colors are pretty, too. I will check those out. Have a great weekend!
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Right? Oh, no! Do you have a fireplace? If I have to be stuck at home this weekend I am glad I got out this week. I need a different candle scent but I love the warmer.
Thanks!
Stay safe!
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Happy Friday! It’s a great idea to keep your winter bucket list displayed on your kitchen counter. I might do that over the weekend, since I’ll be snowed or iced in, apparently. How funny that you and Marilyn shared the same weather meme, speaking of snow and ice. I’m hoping it isn’t bad for us; this makes me nervous! I love the candle warmer. I had one that broke, and I never replaced it; I’m going to work on that. I love those to cozy up a space! I love your happy hours this week! I’m hoping to get out after work tonight before the weather changes; Chris will be at home and may come here for the weekend in case he loses power. That may not happen until late tonight or tomorrow, though. I’m listening to the Midlife Matters podcast now, so thank you for the rec! I disagree with the color trends in the home for this year. Who wants muted greens and khakis? Bleh.
Have the best day and weekend, friend. Maybe we can chat sometime. xoxo
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I think so! Yes! So funny! It’s so nice. The scent of the candle I chose gives me a bit of a headache, though. Yes! Get out before you are stuck inside and I hope Chris can be stuck with you.
I liked the fashion part more than the home part!
That would be great!
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We’re expecting ice, which is a whole other animal. When I lived in Atlanta, we had a couple of bad ice-storms and I haven’t forgotten the impact. We do have a generator, thankfully. Everybody stay safe out there!
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Ice is the worst! We had a really bad ice storm here many years ago and didn’t lose power but our neighbor did and we ran a cord to help them keep some things going. We were on two different power lines or something. Losing power in winter is a whole different thing.
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Hope the storm isn’t too bad! We’re getting something here, but we’re not sure how much! Definitely it will be very cold!
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Me too! I hope you stay safe and warm, too.
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Good job on snagging the fireside seats and the happy hour sounds wonderful!
That chicken meal looks so good and so do your breakfasts!
I have just been reading about the storm hitting the US over the weekend and I feel cold just reading about it! Stay safe and warm!
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Thank you! It was some nice quality conversation with two good friends.
I am loving this simple chicken meal!
I know -all the hype gets me more anxious. Thank you!
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That happy hour place looks incredible as does the buff chic dip at the prior place. Stay warm- we are bracing ourselves here too!
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I love a good atmosphere! It was fun to get out early in the week this week – it set a nice tone.
You too! Eek!
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Loved seeing all your faves from the week. I have similar pillow covers and love them. It really coordinates my couch to have them matching. Hope you stay warm and cozy this weekend.
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They are so soft. I have them on my dark leather couch so it lightens it up a bit. Well, I have to keep them put away from Eddie Otis when he is wild man.
You too!
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Your breakfasts look delish. How long do you put the egg in the microwave? The candle warmer for queso – I laughed but also that’s genius 🤣I guess we are in the 12+ inches area so who knows. I hope you have a great weekend.
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I really love breakfast food. I would like to do that for lunch and have a lighter breakfast but I am eating breakfast around 10 most days.
Ha – I may make queso today.
Ugh – I am not happy about being trapped. Let’s hope it’s not that bad.
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oh – I do one minute and then usually it is still runny and I need 30 more seconds. It depends on how much cottage cheese and egg white you use. You really can’t mess it up.
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I love your pyrex eggs so much! I’ve always thought that Fiber One looks like rabbit pellets, too! Tastes a bit like straw, too, IMO! Have a safe weekend!
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Aww, I am so happy! It does! I like it in a weird way. I mean – I wouldn’t choose it over chocolate, but it’s not bad for a snack. It fills you up. You too!
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I keep telling Mike we should have put a fireplace in this house. At the time, neither of us wanted one, but now I really miss having one. The house is all brick so it would be ex.pen.sive to do it! I love that candle warmer thingamajig…may have to order one…gotta keep up with Amy! My best thing this week was hanging out with my new docent friends and having a craft day. One of them is crazy good at jewelry making so we all made epoxy earrings (I also made a pendant). We spent most of the time talking though! We’re supposed to get about a foot, I think. I’m just going to play it by ear. We have plenty of everything but eggs. There weren’t any to be found at Kroger. I may try WalMart tomorrow. Stay warm and safe!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
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I mean – we only use it for a couple months of the year so I guess you would have to consider that.
Ha – I need to stop spending now. I really love the candle warmer, though.
how fun is that!
If you can’t find eggs at Walmart, the little markets are stocked around here.
You too! Let’s hope this is the last of winter!
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Yum, the dips and the espresso martini look delicious! Actually, all your food does. The snowstorm sounds scary, so I hope you stay safe and warm this weekend.
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Thank you! I know – I am worried about it. I am hoping it’s not as bad as they say. Thank you!
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This weather system is messing up everyone, for sure. I’m grateful it won’t be *that* bad in KS.I bought a new brush last week because mine literally fell apart after about 3 years and I’m proud of that lol. My new method is to use everything until it can’t be used.
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I hope this means February won’t be brutal. I keep things like brushes way too long but then I am so happy when I replace something like that. I do that, too. I don’t “spend out” on new things until the old one is driving me crazy.
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Ooh that food looks yummy- I love a good “buff chick” dip lol! I recently got a candle warmer and LOVE it! I have seen people use it to soften butter, too! Funny but useful, and I may try it one day😂
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Me too! It’s so great! Butter! That’s genius! He he.
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