As always, please feel free to join me and share a little bit about something you’re loving in the comments section of this post.
Have a fantastic weekend!
Things I’m Loving Friday
- Simply Balanced Watermelon Sparkling Water (+ Stainless Steel Straws)
I am low-key worried that the watermelon flavor of Target’s Simply Balanced sparkling water is a seasonal summer thing, so I’ve been buying a case of it every time I pop into Target these days. It’s so refreshing and I’m also a huge sucker for the beautiful turquoise slim can and minimal design. Just call me a marketer’s dream! I also love the sparkling black cherry flavor and actually first purchased these cans when I was shopping for drinks to have on hand for my friend Carrie’s baby sprinkle back in July. They’re pretty, refreshing and a great alternative to soda when you want something flavorful and fizzy.
Oh! And I also love the stainless steel straw you see in my can in the above picture! I bought a pack of the straws months ago (before I discovered my beloved Koffie Straw) and was hoping to use them in my morning coffee. Apparently I wasn’t bright enough to realize that hot coffee + stainless steel = HOT STRAW… So now these straws are my go-to cold beverage straws and they’re great!
- Strength Train Together
Yesterday morning I finally got around to trying Strength Train Together, a barbell-based strength class offered at a bunch of different YMCAs in the area. It’s been on my radar for months, mainly because what I heard about the format reminded me a lot of BodyPump and I’ve been a huge fan of BodyPump for years. The class was awesome and flew by and while I really liked it and would absolutely go back, it was impossible for me not to compare it to BodyPump which still has my heart. The room was completely slammed so clearly the class has a huge following and I loved the way it delivered a total body strength workout in only 50 minutes. I felt like the class was lacking some of the excitement of BodyPump (this doesn’t have anything to do with the instructor who taught my class because she was awesome) and I attribute this to BodyPump’s ability to consistently select great music that makes me want to dig deep during any given class. I missed some of those awesome jams yesterday!! Buuuut, when I strip away the BodyPump comparison, I can only say good things about this class. It felt like a great workout for people of all different fitness levels and the pace was easy to follow without feeling boring or overwhelming. I’ll definitely be back!
- Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
My love for historical fiction (specifically WWII historical fiction) meant I couldn’t resist downloading this book on my Kindle when I scanned the summary after it popped up as a recommended read for me. The book is based on the true story of Pino Lella, an Italian teenager who enlisted as a German soldier at the urging of his parents to help ensure his safety. Pino ended up as a spy for the Allies during his assignment as the personal driver for Hitler’s left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers. I am only about a third of the way through but already super into this one and cannot wait to get in bed early tonight and continue reading. The book has fantastic reviews on both GoodReads and Amazon, so I’m hoping it will end as great as it’s beginning.
- What’s for Sale? With a View on Netflix
Keep this show on your radar if you love shows like House Hunters and basically any kind of reality TV show that lets you peek into another person’s home. Ryan discovered this show on Netflix a while back and we’ll occasionally put it on at the end of the day when we don’t want to commit to a long show (episodes are around 20 minutes) but still want to watch something we both enjoy. It’s great because it’s the kind of show you can talk about while you watch it because you don’t really need to pay attention. It’s also oddly calming because the focus of the show is on homes with views that are absolutely stunning and it’s fun to see different areas of North America that are absolutely gorgeous.
- Around the Web
Food: 3-Ingredient Sweet Potato Pizza Crust / How To Build a Nourishing Bowl / Buffalo Cauliflower Wings / Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Fitness: 20 Minute Home Cardio Barre Workout / 300 Rep Workout / Sprint + Bodyweight Leg Day Workout
Extras: You Can Have Hard Days (Love Lindsay’s post following my post about sharing one of “those” days) / Living In Charlotte (Jen’s breakdown of what it’s like to live in Charlotte is a great resource for anyone considering living here)
- Friday Flashbacks
Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Fudge (A low-sugar way to enjoy a rich and creamy sweet treat. Simple to make and a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth, each piece of fudge contains a punch of protein, too!)
Walking Workouts (A compilation of walking workouts with everything from incline to interval workouts.)
Question of the Day
What is one thing that is making you smile this week?
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I just finished Beneath a Scarlet Sky and loved it!!! I’m also a WWII junkie, and We Were The Lucky Ones might be my all time favorite!! I highly recommend it.
oh awesome! i haven’t read that one yet and will definitely add it to my list. thank you for the recommendation, jess!
Another WWII historical fiction rec – Everyone Brave is Forgiven. It’s set in London and the romance part of the story is actually inspired by letters between the author’s own grandparents! I loved it!
Living all these suggestions! I started Beneath a Scarlett Sky last week, but decided to save it for an upcoming flight I’ve heard nothing but great things about this book!
My heart is smiling for all the love that is being shown to our country in a time of need!
I totally needed a new Netflix show!
So obsessed with sparkling water lately! That watermelon flavor sounds delicious. Enjoy your weekend with friends!
Beneath a Scarlet Sky sounds great. I always love your book recommendations!
I will have to look for those watermelon waters, I love seltzer and that sounds so refreshing. Hope you have a great weekend!
I’m loving reading, the leaves changing on the trees and counting down to Mitch’s third birthday!
aw! happy almost bday to your little guy!! and i cannot WAIT for the leaves to begin changing around here. it’s supposed to be back up in the 80s this weekend and i’m SO ready for fall temps!
I love WWII historical fiction and am definitely adding “Beneath A Scarlet Sky” to my to read list! Have you read “All The Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr? It’s the most recent WWII book I’ve read and loved it. If you haven’t read it you should check it out Julie!
I love the Target sparkling waters! They have a cucumber mint flavor that makes you feel like you’re at the spa!
You will not be disappointed in that book, it’s fantastic!
How have I not known about this target find? Thanks for sharing. I hope they don’t stop selling them soon!!
Love the walking workouts! I live in a super hilly city and there isn’t a gym nearby that I like, so I like to take walks since running up the hills just isn’t going to happen. I’ll have to try them! And I’m smiling because I’m flying home this evening to surprise my brother for his 25th birthday!!! Thanks for sharing, and I hope you, Ryan, and Chase have fun with your guests this weekend!
I use a stainless steel straw for my homemade iced coffee and love it! I swear it tastes better through a freezing cold straw!
Definitely going to look for that sparkling water! I’m not a soda drinker, but I’m kind of getting bored of the same LaCroix flavors all the time!
Hi Julie! Random question, but where do you get your muscle tanks (like the one in your gym photo)? I’ve been looking everywhere for some!
Also, we definitely have a love for the same types of books, so I love your recommendations! If you want two super lighthearted books that are funny and easy to read, I read Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes and Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan over vacation and enjoyed them both! If you want something more serious, I loved The Marriage Lie and All the Missing Girls.
That one (and the red one I was wearing earlier this week) is from Fabletics! I’ve also purchased a few from Nordstrom. 🙂
I need to try that sparkling water – I love watermelon anything! And I’ve never seen stainless steel straws before…I always use a plastic straw for my iced coffee in the morning but it’d be nice to have something reusable!
I miss bodypump so much! I used to go all the time when we lived near a gym but now I don’t really have that option living in a small town….I would also love to know where you got your muscle tank?!
I’ve been walking way more lately now that we got a dog..and she can handle longer walks. Walking can be a great workout!
Enjoy your weekend – can’t wait to see how Chase and your friend’s little one get along 😉
That watermelon sparkling water sounds delicious! I would totally be stocking up on it too just in case it’s a summer only flavor. Sometimes that hint of flavor is all you need.
Have you read any books by Kate Morton? She also writes historical fiction, if you like those kinds of books. I’ve read 3 or 4 of hers and they’ve all been fantastic so far.
Now I HAVE to go to Target and try that sparkling water! I love La Croix, but think it’s a little pricey, so maybe this one is cheaper? Or maybe not, but either way I want to give it a try! One thing that made me smile- my dog slept ON my stomach last night, which he’s never done! Have a good weekend 🙂
i’ve been meaning to order some of those koffee straws!!!! i’m always freaking out about how coffee stains my teeth and i heard they’re amazing! also WHAT is that show?!?! i haven’t heard of What’s for Sale but i think i know what i’ll be binge-watching this weekend…
I love that you are using a reusable straw! I live in Seattle, where the restaurant industry is transitioning to compostable straws in an effort to reduce the plastics in our oceans. I’m also addicted to straws but trying to find sustainable replacements!
I feel you on long Netflix episodes! I got sucked into Game of Thrones on hbo and my husband has been rewatching them with me and I’m hooked, but episodes are like an hour long!
Hi Julie! I love WWII historical Fiction as well! I post all my reviews on my instagram if you want to check it out. Some recent reads I think you would like:
– The Alice Network
– We Were The Lucky Ones
– The Lilac Girls
Happy reading 🙂
https://www.instagram.com/book0saurus/
Awesome!!!! Thank you!
Beneath a Scarlet Sky is on my to read list! And I need to check out that fudge 🙂 Happy Friday!
Do you think your stainless steel straw would work for a smoothie? I want to get some but I always feel like they look way too small for a thick smoothie!
My boyfriend is making me smile this week. It’s new, but we went for a hike yesterday and it was just so fun to explore and enjoy each other’s company in nature.
Thanks for linking back to your walking workouts!! I’m ready to get back into fitness after dealing with some health issues and this is a great place to start 🙂
Have a great weekend!!
My Y changed from Body Pump to Strength Train together a few months ago. It took some getting used to, but I really love it now. It offers a lot of variety in the movements (more than Body Pump I think) and more cardio. I like that it is so similar though too.
I use stainless steel straw for my coffee all the time and love them. The straw doesn’t get too hot for me. I need to try your Koffee straws sometime too!
I meant to comment on “on of those days” posts., but my life is all full of great things going on, planning a wedding, moving into a new home, seeing family etc. and I know how fortunate I am for all the happy/great things in life but sometimes even good things can cause an overwhelming feeling. I felt bad the other day for complaining but I was stressed with everything I needed to get done. So thank you for writing that post, because while I am far from having anything bad happen I was feeling anxious with life things.
One thing making me smile: work day is almost over (c’mon, 5 p.m.) and I can’t wait to go see my (new!) boyfriend after a looonngg week at work and away from him 🙂 dinner with friends tonight and a 5K tomorrow – our first one together! woo! hope you and the fam have a great weekend!
Love those straws. Careful that they don’t start to grow mold. I just noticed that my straws had black mold in them after rinsing it out last week and black mold came out the bottom.
So I know you are all in on Big Brother, and when a coworker sent me this link I thought you might appreciate it as well lol. http://www.cbsstore.com/big-brother-hoh-luxury-robe-and-fidget-spinner/detail.php?p=1453276&v=cbs-bigbrother-apparel
Apparently you can buy your own Big Brother HOH Luxury bathrobe (and fidget spinner)!
I lol’d and lol’d at this: “hot coffee + stainless steel = HOT STRAW… ” lol Ahhh ha ha…good stuff! I could see myself doing the same. Although I’m a weirdo who doesn’t drink coffee (*gasp*! I know, I know…)
Thanks for the great recommendations as always. And I too would totally be taken in by that can design. Great graphic design always gets me too! I bought a calendar I don’t need because of graphic design recently! I’m wondering if that simply balanced watermelon tastes like la croix and sparkling water, which people are obsessed with (and I am not. I know, i know……just like the coffee……I’m not typical…)
I hope you have an amazing weekend. Definitely going to check out that Netflix show tonight! (“toNIGHT!” – Aziz Ansari). Have a great one!
Thank you for including me!!!!
I’m loving getting out of town and leaving (most of) my work behind after one of THOSE weeks! I’m starting to wonder if there was a full moon or something. Everyone I’ve talked to has had a rough week!!! Have a great weekend!
That 3 ingredient sweet potato pizza crust is AMAZING!! I’ve made it at least 5 times now!
Sweet potato pizza crust sounds AWESOME. I feel like I’ve been living it up a bit too much with less-than-nutritional carbs lately (hello, scones, cookies, and pizza) so this would be a nice alternative for the micronutrients as well! Also, hellooooooo fudge! 🙂
comment on an old post! but would you mind sharing where your muscle T and leggings are from?! I cant seem to find a nice/flattering t liek that at all! 🙁