Friday Favorites: The Last Week of January

We had a great last week of month.  Though the weather has been pretty darn cold we have been making the best of it and sneaking outside when we can.  I've used the extra time inside cooking, cleaning, and organizing.  Ian started his first week of college (full time!) and it's been fun helping him navigate all this school work; he is so focused and banging out assignments left and right.  



It was too cold to hike on Friday so we invited one of the families we hike with to come over and hang out for the morning.  They brought a delicious coffee cake, still warm from the oven, to share and we all had a great time catching up with one another.


I had forgotten all about the press on nail kits I had mixed in with my Color Street wraps and used a set of them for doing my nails this week.  I love having long nails again (all my own nails have been breaking like crazy).  Later in the week my mom dropped off another 10 or so Color Street sets she had lying around that she never even opened! I am so excited to start doing my nails each week again.





Alec passed his driver's permit test over weekend and we went out to lunch to celebrate.  He's one step closer to getting his license. 





Saturday afternoon it "warmed" up into the 20's so my husband, Evan, my mother in law, and I all went on a nice long walk/hike.  We crossed the lake into the woods and hiked through the boy scout camp then down along the road and into our woods.  







My husband and Ian got our basement countertop installed and started putting in the sink as well.  I am LOVING it! 






Just before my check up at the Doctor's office on Monday, my mother in law came over and the 4 of us played Rummikub again. It is such a fun little weekly tradition we have started.


We made some homemade ciabatta bread and soup this week; it was delicious and really hit the spot!  We also tried our hand at making homemade pasta (both regular and whole wheat varieties)... it was fun but what a lot of work!
  












It had snowed Monday night and we woke to a few inches on Tuesday.  After dropping Alec off at school, Evan and I decided to hit the road and go hiking at Moore State Park. It was chilly but everything was so pretty and so quiet with the new blanket of snow. 











Linking up with: On the Edge, 







Comments

  1. What a lovely week. I love the photos of your walk. The snow makes everything so pretty and peaceful.
    Love your nails! They look fab. I need to paint mine today.
    And well done to Alec for passing his driver's permit test. They grow up so fast don't they?!

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    1. Thank you! They really do seem to grow up so fast.

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  2. So much coziness- even though the pasta was a lot of work, looks like it came out great! Have an awesome weekend :)

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    1. It did turn out great! We had lots of leftovers too.

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  3. Those snow scenes belong in a magazine! Yay Alec, watch out road! Your nails are so incredibly gorgeous!

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  4. The snow is just so beautiful! Makes me want to stay inside and eat pasta and bread :). Great job on the new furniture and countertop. It looks so nice. Have a good weekend.

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    1. Yep, whenever it's snowing I just want warm comfort food and ooey, gooey, chocolate treats.

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  5. Your nails look amazing Joanne. You have inspired me to do a manicure! I love those snow scenes and the homemade pasta look so good. I know we're gearing up for a big snow storm this weekend and hopefully it won't be too bad. Stay warm and cozy this weekend Joanne.

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  6. Congratulations to Alec! That is awesome! And maaaan, I can't believe y'all ventured out because it "warmed up" to the 20's. NOPE. When it's in the 20's here, we don't leave the house. Haha. Have a great weekend!

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    1. LOL. I used to feel the same way and it's really sad when 20 is warming up!

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  7. My mom used to make homemade pasta when we were kids. It was always an exciting day for us kids, but I'm sure lots of work for mom (She made extra to store for later use.) The bread looks delicious too! I too have been making breads recently. A few weeks ago I purchased a cast iron Dutch Oven just for that purpose and it's been working out so well, I've used it so many times already.
    The snowy pictures look so pretty, but I'm more than ready for spring!!

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    1. My favorite bread recipe is made in our cast iron dutch oven; I just need to remember to start making 2 loaves since one goes so fast in our house.

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  8. It looks like you had a joyous January! I like your nails -- and those nature scenes of ice and snow are beautiful. Stay warm!
    Carol
    www.scribblingboomer.com

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  9. Walking on the lake sounds scary! Your nails look great. Congrats on the permit!

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    1. It is! My family laughs at me because I am such a chicken on the ice. Though it is thick enough that snowmobiles and 4 wheelers have been out on it.

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  10. I love those nails! Congrats to your son in college and also your new driver. Why do new drivers look like babies to me these days?!! Your snowy walks look so pretty! I've never crossed a frozen lake! We took a snowy walk this morning and it was so pretty. We even saw a fluffy fox. Making pasta looks like fun--and a lot of work! Your last week of January looked great. I'm ready to move on and get out of January!

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    1. I've been seeing a few foxes on our road this year! Fox and quite a lot of deer.

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  11. Looks like a lot of exciting things are happening for your family! Getting a driver's license is a very big deal. Congratulations to Alec!

    The work on your house, the delicious food, and the pretty photos of the winter landscape all look great! :)

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  12. Learners permit! Very exciting. I love the color of your nails. Color street seems like they have great nails. And yes to all the fresh pasta! I want to do that with the girls soon.

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    1. Thank you! It was actually really easy to make fresh pasta it's just tedious to work it through the pasta maker over and over again.

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  13. Hooray for that learner's permit!! Boy, does that bread look yummy! I really should try harder to bake my own bread. Yeast seems to mock me - but, I need to try and try again!

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    1. I used to be pretty intimidated by making my own bread so I often started with easy, no knead recipes and worked my way from there.

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  14. What a great week you all had. The scenery in your area is gorgeous. I love your new countertop--very beautiful! My daughter loves press on nail color and uses it between manicures. I make home made pasta from time to time--it gets easier/faster the more you do it. I have an attachment for the Kitchen Aid mixer that rolls it out fast and then cuts it. Congrats to your son --it will be a milestone to get his drivers license soon!

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    1. I saw that Kitchen Aid made an attachment for pasta; I wish I had known that BEFORE buying the hand crank. We had a real hard time attaching it to the work station.

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  15. Wow! You packed a lot into one week! I have been waiting to see that new countertop installed. It's gorgeous! Congratulations to your son for starting college! And, the ice must be frozen pretty thick now, right? We've had cold weather but not for long stretches of time so not even the retention ponds in our neighborhood are completely frozen.

    https://marshainthemiddle.com

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    1. Yep, very thick. There were snowmobiles out on the lake... that's pretty much the ONLY time I'll venture out since I am a wuss when it comes to all the popping and settling sounds the ice makes.

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  16. The nails are gorgeous!! Love all the wintry hiking, the ice flows are so cool.

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  17. Girl..that countertop is absolutely incredible.
    I have those color street nails (not the exact same but close) and I keep forgetting to put them on. Maybe for V-Day.
    XOXO
    jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

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    1. Aw, thanks! We're hoping to get the sink hooked up this weekend.

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  18. It does make a difference making your own pasta doesn't it. The nails look very good! Enjoy your weekend!

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  19. What a lovely week! I enjoyed your snow photos and the fact that you get out in the cold to enjoy it! I need to do that more! We don't get much snow here compared to when we were in Nebraska and I really miss it!

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    1. Thank you! We're hoping to go snowshoeing later today as we just got another 1-2 feet of snow yesterday.

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  20. What a lovely week. I love the counter and waterfall pictures. You find the loveliest walks.
    Blessings, Dawn

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  21. You did a lot of fun stuff this week! Hiking and lots of baking/cooking always makes for a good week! I took a pasta making class with a friend one time (we made ravioli) and it sure is a lot of work! But definitely a fun activity!

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    1. They sure do! I want to make homemade ravioli at least once; maybe that should be next on my list!

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  22. It sounds like you have had a great week despite it being so cold. Your nails looks so pretty. Well done to Alec with his drivers permit and the basement is looking fantastic x

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  23. Congrats to your son for getting is driving permit! I'll be dealing with that in a few months with my daughter! Those winter waterfall pics are beautiful! The bread and pasta look delicious. I've made gnocchi before, but have not tried making homemade pasta. Hope you had a great weekend!

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    1. It's a bit more nerve wracking teaching him to dive in the winter but I figure if he can learn it now he can drive trough anything!

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  24. So funny you mention press-on nails—I just put on a forgotten pair of my own last week! Unfortunately, I also forgot how annoying they can be, haha. I’ve only tried the drugstore press-ons by Kiss, and I find that they always get caught on my hair. Is that just a thing you have to resign yourself to with press-ons? Haha I do love how many fun patterns/deigns they come in, though, like yours! Also, that homemade bread looks DIVINE!

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    1. I tend to file the Kiss nails a bit so they are smoother and less likely to get stuck in my hair or on anything else.

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