Our week passed by in a flash of doctor’s appointments (we had Chase’s 18-month visit and it went well), play dates, food photos (I was totally off my game and had to reshoot two different recipes that initially turned out pretty horrific) and plenty of chocolate thanks to Valentine’s Day treats.
I am looking forward to a weekend at home and hope to fill our days with playtime outside, long walks with Sadie and some chill time on the couch during Chase’s naps. Sometimes weekends with no plans are the best weekends!
And now, in keeping with Friday tradition around here, it’s time for Things I’m Loving Friday, my weekly post where I highlight a few of the small things that make me smile every week. As always, I’d love to hear a little bit about something that you’re loving right now in the comments section.
Have a great weekend, my friends!
Things I’m Loving Friday
My candle obsession continues and I owe a big thank you to my friend Melanie for introducing me to my latest favorite! I’ve been a fan of Voluspa candles for years and the Goji Tarocco Orange candle is bright, clean and citrusy. It is the perfect candle to transition away from the holiday season and into spring and I’ve been burning it non-stop.
- Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark
My reading streak continued this week as I finished Always, the latest Sarah Jio novel. (I liked it but felt like she wrapped up the ending WAY too quickly and left one big question unanswered.) After Always, I began reading my first novel by Mary Higgins Clark. I know Mary Higgins Clark is one heck of a popular author and my mom has been a fan of her books for years so I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to read one of her books. I read Just Take My Heart this week and loved it! Mary Higgins Clark is called the “Queen of Suspense” for a reason and this book kept me intrigued and flyin’ through the pages the entire time. The book follows the high-profile murder trial of a famous Broadway actress and while the trial is interesting, the story that develops around prosecutor Emily Wallace is also quite intriguing. The book bounces around and follows several different characters but still felt cohesive as the plot developed. Loved it!
During a play date at my friend Danielle’s house on Monday morning, I noticed she had a bunch of flashcards in her playroom for her son. I asked her about them and when she said they’ve been a big hit with Caleb, I was on a mission to find some for Chase since he loves pointing at everything these days and is quite the chatty little guy. The flashcards were an instant success and we’ve been having a blast asking Chase to identify the pictures on the cards and he seems to have fun trying to find certain cards in a big stack. Chase gets a big kick out of it and I feel like he’s learning a bit through a fun playtime activity. Win, win!
- Latest Thrive Market Delivery
My Thrive Market obsession continues! Ever since I began paying for an annual membership to Thrive Market a couple of years ago, I find myself consistently using it as a great resource to stock up on affordable (mostly) healthy goodies, household items, toddler food, cleaning supplies and more for our whole family. I have my sister and brother-in-law hooked as well and now it’s a go-to site for all of us for high quality (often organic) shelf-stable food staples.
My latest delivery contained some old favorites (coconut oil, hemp protein, coconut aminos, Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, ghee) as well as some new-to-us finds, like coconut nectar (so excited to begin baking with this!), spirulina, Paleo-friendly coconut wraps and avocado oil salad dressing. Yum! If you want to check it out, this link (affiliate!) will give you a free jar of almond butter with orders $50+ and a free 30-day membership. We absolutely love Thrive Market in our house!
- Friday Flashbacks
Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Fudge (Just in case Valentine’s Day has your sweet tooth raging and you’re looking for a healthy way to indulge in a creamy, chocolaty treat!)
Meal Planning Tips, Trick and Favorite Recipe Sources (Some of my favorite meal planning recipe sources, along with a few tips and tricks to make finding and saving recipes a little easier.)
Question of the Day
- What is one thing you are loving this week?
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Love all your photos!
Izzy |https://pinchofdelight.wordpress.com
Thank you!!
So I totally bought that Whole Foods spice you recommended last week LOL! I put it on pizza and it was delish!! I’ll be trying it on potatoes hopefully this weekend!
We are also having a relaxing weekend. It is definitely needed!! Hope you enjoy yours 🙂
-Sarah http://www.thefrugalmillionaireblog.com
Yum! So glad you liked it!
I forgot about thrive market! My husband and I are planning to try Whole 30 soon and I think I may need to sign up!
I have a serious candle obsession too, you can never have enough in my opinion! I am loving that it’s a three day weekend and we’re going to have 60 degree weather in February, crazy!
I am loving that this weekend they are releasing a version of the Broadway musical NEWSIES that they filmed live during the National Tour! You can see a Broadway show in your local movie theater 😉
Love that romantic smoothie sharing that those cuties have going on in the picture haha! 😀 My mom and sisters and I love Mary Higgins Clark!! I think my ultimate favorite author of that genre is definitely Sandra Brown…I’d HIGHLY recommend reading Chill Factor by Sandra Brown it’s one of my favorites!
I second the Sandra Brown recommendation!
Re shooting recipes is the worst! Ugh! Sorry that happened!
Thanks for the book suggestion though- I always need them!
I’ve seen flash cards like that in the Target dollar spot!
Love Thrive Market! I’d love to hear how those coconut wraps are after you try them, those look interesting.
I’ll be sure to report back!
I’m always interested to see what people find at Thrive. I looked into it a few months ago, but ultimately didn’t want to pay that membership along with Amazon Prime, and found that prices were pretty similar for everything I was looking at. The coconut wraps do sound good though!
Loving that the weekend forecast is 60+ degrees! So anxious for spring and warmer weather!! Have a good weekend. 🙂
That picture at the top of Chase with his friend is so cute! I’ve been wanting to try Thrive Market for a while now but never have. Everyone I know that uses it only has good things to say. Thanks for the book recommendation too…I might try that one out!
This week I am loving how warm it’s been in Michigan and that it’s supposed to be sunny and in the 60’s this weekend; unheard of for February! I’m also loving the fact that I get to work from home today.
Have a great weekend. <3
Mary Higgins Clark is the best!! I know that once I start reading one of her books I won’t be able to stop until I’ve read the entire book!
That photo of Chase and his friend, too cute! Something that is making me smile this week- 60+ degree weather in February! I’m planning on spending a lot of time outside this weekend 🙂
Enjoy your weekend, Julie! 🙂
18 months already?? So crazy!!!! I’m loving The OA – so many questions!!! I wrote about it on the blog today, and am reading ALL THE ARTICLES about it, haha! It’s crazy!
I love that peanut butter chocolate protein fudge! Have some in my freezer currently that I’m working my way through. Yum!
So glad you like it, Lauren! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. <3
Yesss Mary Higgins Clark is the best! I can’t remember all of the ones I’ve read but the ones that stand out are A Stranger Is Watching and While My Pretty One Sleeps. I’ll have to add Just Take My Heart to my reading list!
Thank you for sharing these books! I can’t wait to give them a try!
I found Dr. Seuss flashcards in the dollar spot at Target- just a heads up!
Have you every posted tips on food photography? I rarely post recipes anymore because I feel like I’m so behind the curve!
I love Mary Higgins Clark! All of her books are great – I love the newer ones more so than the old ones. (Example: after reading a lot of her bestsellers from recent years, I went back and read an old book from the 80’s – and while it was still suspenseful, a lot of the dynamic with the characters fell within really outdated social conventions. I.e. women were definitely not independent in those earlier books, there was more of a “helpless damsel” element to them. Hard to explain, but I didn’t enjoy those characters.)
Happy Friday!
Thought it’s technically not a thing, I’m excited that I don’t have classes next week because it’s spring break. Having a bit of a break is going to feel so good!
I recently finished reading How Will I Know You? by Jessica Treadway and really liked it!! People magazine recommended it. 🙂
Love that pic of Chase and his little friend. So sweet! I will need to check out that candle. I am such a die-hard Yankee candle loyalist, but I feel I could be missing out on other great ones. I know you are on a reading kick lately….check out my new blog post with my ten favorite authors if you get a chance!
Have a great weekend Julie!
I’ve been going back and forth about joining Thrive Market. Thanks – now I’ll try it! Have a great weekend!
Hope you love it as much as we do! It really is great for saving money on certain household and food staples!
I hope you had a really nice weekend with lots of down time and chilling on the couch 🙂
Danielle
Adding those flashcards to an Amazon wish list for my daughter.
Hi Julie-
What do you your ghee for? I put a tiny bit of a vanilla one in my coffee but need more uses for it! TIA
They often (saw them last week) have flash cards like that in the target dollar section! They have great ones with numbers, shapes, matching etc! Also sites like sparklebox, scholastic, starfall have great downloads especially as he gets older for preschool/pre-k, k. Also, can search on pinterest for free downloads..I do this often for my preschool classroom and recommend it to parents who want activities at home. 🙂
Hey Julie!
I have read many Mary Higgins Clark novels, it has been awhile though. I recommend A Stranger is Watching, or Where are the Children?
She is a good author, a nice easy read. Take care!
awesome! I am loving iced coffee mixed with chocolate milk! so good and so simple haha