It’s crazy to this this will be our LAST weekend in the first home we’ve ever owned. If I let myself think about it too much, I am hit with some seriously intense sadness. I am trying to save my tears for the final few days before we leave otherwise I could see myself walking around crying non-stop thinking about the fact that we’re leaving the home we shared with Sadie and the home we brought each of our newborn baby boys home to after they were born. I know it’s going to hit me hard. We’re moving for a good reason but home is my favorite place in the world and this one has been so good to us.
Before I totally disappear into moving mayhem, I wanted to take a moment to blog a little bit this morning and share this week’s roundup of favorites, Things I’m Loving Friday style. I hope you all have a great weekend and hopefully my American readers out there will get to enjoy an extra day of summer fun on Monday! Happy (almost) Fourth of July, my friends!
Things I’m Loving Friday
I’m not lying when I say I wear bralettes 98 percent of the time these days. I’m not sure if motherhood is to blame or just the fact that I’m getting older and feeling less tolerant of wearing anything remotely uncomfortable but I reach for soft underwire-free bralettes over “real” bras almost every single day of the week. Years ago, I recommended these Amazon bralettes to you guys and they’ve been my go-to ever since. More recently, however, I found myself on a mission to find bralettes I could wear with lower-cut tops and wanted bralettes with super-skinny straps that looked cute when they popped out underneath tanks, rompers and summery dresses. Enter this 3-pack of deep v bralettes.
(I’m sporting the bralette in the above pic underneath this Free People romper!)
They officially outrank my previous favorite bralette and I’ve worn them non-stop since I ordered them this spring. They are padded and flattering for smaller busts and comfortable enough to sleep in. Note: For those with larger busts, I had someone on IG recommend these bralettes since the above bralettes I love are only available in a small and a medium.
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The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
My rating: B+
After a few of you recommended Abby Jimenez’s books to me when I shared my blog post about recommended beach reads and I’m glad you did because I enjoyed the first book I read by this author quite a bit! It was *this close* to receiving an “A” rating from me but the first half of the book was a little redundant at times. I felt like a solid 100 pages could’ve been removed since a lot of the book seemed to reiterate the same back-and-forth between the two main characters with the same internal struggles surfacing over and over. (Also, for anyone facing infertility, this book talks a lot about infertility and, without sharing any spoilers, I can see how this book might be one you may want to avoid if your heart is in a vulnerable place right now.) The second half of the book, however, flew by!
Now onto the story… It’s been a hot second since I genuinely liked the main male character in a book as much as I did with this one. Josh is set to be the best man in his friend Brandon’s wedding and when he meets the maid of honor, Kristen, he’s immediately intrigued by her wit, intelligence, humor, ambition and “cool girl doesn’t care” vibe. Kristen, however, is in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Tyler, who is deployed but set to return any day.
What Josh doesn’t know is Kristen has mixed feelings about Tyler’s return and their plans to move in together for the first time. As Kristen and Josh grow closer, she’s determined to keep him at an arm’s length for a myriad of reasons, beginning with her commitment to Tyler and ending with her knowledge of the fact that Josh wants a big family, something Kristen is all-to-aware she won’t be able to biologically give him after she undergoes surgery to finally give her body some relief after years of pain and struggle. This book is romantic and witty and fun but has a little depth, too. I’d recommend it for anyone looking for a beach read who isn’t bothered by a little redundancy.
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Throwback Photo Finds
Moving is undoubtedly stressful but one of the major perks of moving is uncovering some long-lost gems. I had quite a few laughs over some of the random things I found over the course of the past week but nothing made me smile more than discovering some old photos from the early days of my relationship with Ryan! For any newer readers, we met in early 2004 in college and the throwback pics of our time together at UCF — Ryan’s long, blonde hair! My makeup! — made both of us laugh out loud!
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Fourth of July Sales
Below you will find a roundup of some of the holiday weekend sales that caught my eye!
Free People: Up to 50% off summer favorites
Madewell: 40% off shorts, tees and swim + 25% off everything else (Love this textured jumpsuit and this cut-out one piece)
Old Navy: Up to 60% off sitewide (For anyone looking for shorts that aren’t too shorts + have more room in the hips/thighs these are some of my favorites: Higher High A-Line Shorts, Extra High Waisted Lounge Shorts, 5-Inch Vintage Sweat Shorts)
Abercrombie: 25% off everything (So many cute summery dresses!)
GAP: Up to 50% off + Up to 75% off sale (Includes my fav high-rise barrel jeans — the ones pictured here!)
Revolve: Up to 60% off sale
LOFT: 50% off + Extra 20% off sale
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Friday Flashbacks
Berry Frozen Yogurt Pie (Sweet, festive and delicious!)
Healthy Fourth of July Recipes (For anyone looking for yummy yet healthy eats to make this weekend!)
Question of the Day
What is one thing making you smile this week?
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I’ve been following your blog for so many years, and you have constantly been a go-to resource for me. Thank you for sharing so many great recommendations. From clothes, to books, to recipes, I really can’t thank you enough. Also, we’re still in the house where we brought our three babies home, so I completely understand your feelings around moving out of your home. Good luck to you!
This is very kind of you to say — thank you Laura!
If you liked The Friend Zone even remotely I highly recommend reading Abby Jimenez other books. IMO they’re much better by a long shot. Especially life’s too short! I also loved In A New York Minute by Kate Spencer.
Life’s Too Short is on my radar!! Thank you for sharing these recommendations!
Happy Friday! Would love any tips you have for trying to move with three kids in the mix! Feeling so overwhelmed. You are amazing!
Oh my gosh it really is SO overwhelming. When are you moving? We basically really hunkered down two solid weeks before our move and I just wish I would’ve started organzing/really packing things we don’t use all the time a little earlier. And labeling is SO important!! I’ve already found myself frustrated by the boxes I didn’t label when we first began boxing things up as we were selling our home. I was muchhh better about labeling this time around for the move and it’s so helpful! Detailed labels are key for locating important boxes and especially for finding the right place for a misplaced item that pops up as you pack!
Love the bralettes! You have to read the next book in that series, The Happy Ever After Playlist, it is SO good! This book series is one of my favorites. Good luck with the move!
Thanks for the book recommendation!!
Aww, Julie, two years ago I moved out of be home where I brought both of my sons home from hospital. I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to leave! We still love looking at the house pictures on redfin! Lol. And I’m thankful for all of the pictures that we have in that house. But now we are settled in our new, forever home, and it is such a better fit for our family! There’s nowhere else I would rather be and I know once you are settled in your new home you will feel the same way, but your previous home will always have a special place in your heart! I’m very excited for your family!
This is random but I think it would be so fun if you did a blog where you talked about how your makeup has changed over the years! It almost reminds me of the blog you’ve done about how your fitness has changed over the years!