It looks like our weekend will be another low-key one around here. I have a baby sprinkle to attend today for my friend Laura’s second little bundle of joy (she’s expecting a baby boy in July) but other than that, our weekend is free of any plans. If we can get out on the lake in the day and watch a few episodes of the newest season House of Cards before bed, I’ll be a happy camper!
Before the weekend officially kicks off and we (hopefully) step away from our computers for a couple of days, I wanted to share a short roundup of some things I am loving this week in my usual Things I’m Loving Friday blog post. Feel free to play along in the comments section!
Things I’m Loving Friday
- Cold Brew Smoothie
Oh my gosh you guys, I have a new smoothie obsession and it is creamy, frothy smoothies made with cold brew coffee. After sharing a few glimpses at my latest smoothie obsession on Instagram Stories, a few of you asked for my exact recipe and I actually still need to measure everything out to share. (I’m on it, I swear!) In the meantime, here’s a little breakdown: I’ve been combining Chameleon cold-brew coffee with almond milk, whole milk, frozen cauliflower (you cannot taste it, I promise) and collagen. It reminds me of a Frappuccino I am in love.
- 500 Rep Workout
On Monday morning, I was feeling a little all over the place and knew I wanted to work up a sweat. I also knew a boring workout wouldn’t work for me at all, so while I did a short session of running/walking intervals on the treadmill, I began brainstorming a 500 rep workout to complete in my gym’s weight room. The workout incorporated a little bit of everything – plyometric, stability, strength and cardio exercises – and worked my whole body. It also flew by and I felt like it was worth of sharing with you guys here because I loved it so much! Total sweat fest!
Also, if you love enjoy higher rep workouts, you might also want to try my 50 Rep Workout (plus Part Two and Part Three)!
- Chase and Nemo
Oh my gosh do I have an adorable story for you guys today! On Wednesday night, after we finished reading Chase’s favorite Elmo book, we said our prayers together before bed. (Side note: Watching Chase clasp his hands together and say “Amen!” in his high-pitched little voice at the end of our prayers is just the cutest thing in the world to me.) We always say the same prayers (the same prayer my family said with me when I was growing up… “Now I lay me down to sleep…”) and once we were done praying for our family members, I asked Chase if there was anyone else he wanted to pray for before bed. Without missing a beat he said, “Nemo!” So we prayed for Nemo. That is one blessed little fish, let me tell ya!
- The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
This book was recommended to me by a few of you guys a while back and I finally got around to reading it this week. It was GOOD. Really, really good! The Kind Worth Killing was full of twists and turns and I absolutely flew through it and really looked forward to reading it at night before bed.
The book begins with Ted Severson casually meeting Lily Kintner in an airport bar not long after he catches his wife, Miranda, cheating on him. Through casual conversation, Ted jokes that he’d like to kill his wife and Lily offers her help with a deadpan expression on her face. From there, the book includes twist after twist as Ted and Lily plot Miranda’s death.
Segments of the book are told from different character’s perspectives which keeps the book incredibly intriguing as details slowly unfold and the reader learns new information along the way. I highly recommend this one!
***
Also, since I’m kind of dying to talk about this book with someone else who read it, if you have read it, what did you think of the ending!? I was reading it on my Kindle so it said I still had 15% off the book left when I was finished (because a preview of the author’s next book was included with the purchase) and when I realized it was actually done, I honestly said, “What the heck!?” out loud next to Ryan in bed! But then, as I sat there and thought about the book, I realized I actually really LIKED the ending. I thought it was pretty awesome and unexpected… Definitely not a typical book ending which was cool!
Nordstrom’s Half Yearly Sale is going on now through the end of the weekend and there are some seriously great finds out there right now! Here are some of my top sale picks:
CLOTHING
Off the Shoulder Romper (Only $27! Lovin’ the blush/palm print.)
Presley Shirtdress (Reminds me of my denim dress I love to dress up with wedges or down with Converse sneakers)
Cold Shoulder Maxi Dress (So feminine and gorgeous!)
Marley Off the Shoulder Dress (The breezy look of this one screams summer.)
High Rise Ombre Leggings (Totally digging the high-rise fit of these and the $35 price tag.)
Nike Power Run Crop Tights (Bright blue!)
ACCESSORIES + SHOES
Nike Roched Sneaker (I think the floral print on these is just so cool.)
Converse Chuck Taylor All Star (Great color that goes with anything!)
Marc Jacobs Crossbody Bag + Trooper Bag (LOVE the army green color of these bags!)
- Friday Flashbacks
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cereal Bars (I just made these again this week and they are so good and only require 5 ingredients!)
Upper Body Superset Workout (A workout that pairs upper body dumbbell exercises with resistance band exercises that hit the same muscle for an added challenge.)
Question of the Day
What is one thing making you smile this week?
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Awww praying for Nemo, now that’s adorable! And I LOVE adding cold brew to my smoothies. I need to try adding frozen cauliflower, usually I just use a banana, ice, and maybe some PB2.
I used to add ice for just a basic coffee smoothie but swapped the ice for cauliflower for some extra veggies and loved it!!
The kind worth killing left me feeling the EXACT SAME WAY! What the heck?! I loved the book and could not put it down and now I feel like I just need more! I know he was writing another book, it actually may have been released by now! I’ll have to check!
A sequel???? That would make a LOT of sense! I definitely felt like the ending set the book up for a sequel.
You’re the second blogger I’ve heard recommend The Kind Worth Killing as a great thriller! I’m definitely going to read it at some point.
Definitely going to read that book! I’ve loved all your recommendations so far! So right now I’m reading ‘The couple next door’. Have you read this yet? Oh my gosh so good. I actually just started yesterday and I’m like half way through already…I can’t put it down.
My mom just finished that one and said it was intense!!
I second the couple next door. Sooo good!!
Another recommendation for couple next door. Awesome!
The Cold Brew Coffee smoothie sounds so refreshing and ideal this time of year!
Thats so sweet that he wanted to pray for nemo haha!
That smoothie sounds so good! I happen to have Chameleon cold brew in my fridge right now and may have to turn that into a Friday treat now 🙂 Have a great weekend!
I love when you recommend books! I’m constantly looking for new ones to read and The Kind Worth Killing is something I would like for sure.
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A cold brew smoothie sounds right up my alley! And that book looks so good!
Awwww!!!!! Chase is so sweet praying for Nemo!!! What a cutie! I love that you guys pray with him every night! Last year when I was teaching in a private school I would ask my kindergarteners who they wanted to pray for, and sometimes they would pray for the sweetest things too..like a character in a book, or their animals at home. Kids can be so sweet! That workout looks so fun! I’m definitely going to give that a go this weekend! Thanks for that 🙂 Oh, and I am totally hitting up the Nordstrom sale! Thanks for the reminder! Have a great weekend, Julie!! Xoxo
I said the EXACT same prayer with my parents when I went to bed as a kid!
It’s a good one!! <3
Chase looks so grown up in that picture!!
That cold brew looks so delicioua right now! Also been loving the sale– pretty dangerous, but there are some killer deals! I’ve been loving ghee lately, so that’s made me smile hah!
Oh my gosh, that is so cute about Chase praying for Nemo! When I used to nanny one of my favorite parts of the job was putting the girls to bed and hearing what they had to say for their prayers. It was always so honest and sweet and simple – reminders I want to use in my prayers, too!
Your smoothie looks great, too. I will need to try that sometime! Have a great weekend – we are hoping to watch some House of Cards also 🙂 <3
I’m so intrigued by this book! The one I’m reading now is lagging a bit in the middle, but I hope it ends on an upswing!
Um, now I can’t wait to read that book!
Just downloaded on my Kindle! THANK YOU
Enjoy!!! And get ready to be sucked in!!!
Chase’s smile in that photo is adorable! I remember saying the same prayer with my parents as a kid.
I’ll have to add that book to my list. I just finished Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay which I really liked (I stayed up way too late last night to finish it). It’s about a Jewish girl in the Vel d’Hiv round up in Paris and a journalist 60 years later who is looking into the little girls story. I’d recommend it too if you haven’t read it.
I LOOOOOVED Sarah’s Key. Such a wonderful book!
I had the EXACT same reaction when I read that books a few months ago. I thought I had another 15% or so and then it just ended!!! I think I was more upset that I was mislead by the length of the book than the ending itself! Glad you liked it!
SAME! I kind of wonder if I would’ve had the same reaction had I NOT read it on my Kindle!
That Romper is so cute! I have been meaning to try cauliflower in a smoothie, I need to get on it. Hope you have a great weekend!
What type of Kindle do you have? I used to have the Fire, but the light bothered me, so thinking about getting one of the paperwhite versions!
I honestly have NO idea!! Mine is pretty old! My mom gave me her old one when she upgraded! I’m pretty sure it’s not a paperwhite though!
Praying for Nemo — that is SOOO adorable! Love it! I’m excited to start the latest House of Cards, but we’re finishing up 13 Reasons Why right now, which is also very good. Enjoy your weekend, Julie! 🙂
The kind worth killing was SO good- I read it a year or so ago and now I don’t quite remember all of it but I remember that I absolutely loved it and was recommending it to everyone I knew!! haha. Glad you liked it!!
That cold brew smoothie sounds good! I would have never thought to put cauliflower in it. Does the collagen act as a thickener? One of my favorite coffee creations right now is coffee + frozen banana + almond milk + a scoop of protein powder + 2 cups ice. It’s getting too hot here to enjoy hot coffee anymore.
yes!! it definitely thickens it up a bunch and makes it creamer than ice!
Thanks for the book recommendation! Going to add to my list now.
Have a great weekend!
Going to make that smoothie right now! What are the mason jar lids that you have?
Happy Friday!
They’re Cuppow lids and you can get them on Amazon! 🙂 http://bit.ly/2qIyKbs
Ohhh I may have to buy that book! I’m done with grad school now, so I have extra time to finally read for fun!
Congrats to you!!!
One thing making me smile is going to a friends wedding today that I haven’t seen in a few years! Also can’t wait to dig into that book!
Have a great weekend!
Annnnd now I just spent way too much money at Nordstrom thanks to your suggestions!
But with my bachlorette party and wedding coming up this summer, I think I needed a few new items 🙂
SO fun!!! Where are you headed!?
ok a smoothie with COLD BREW?! that is genius. i’ve been having an iced coffee most afternoons these days, but popping it into a smoothie sounds like the perfect summer snack! and i seriously need to browse that nordstrom sale…so many good finds!
I am totally into all the smoothies too!
I read The Kind Worth Killing and the same thing happened to me with the 15% left haha. I also thought it was really really good and I liked the not so typical ending! Recently I’ve read The Couple Next Door and Behind Closed Doors and both were good page turners.
The same exact thing happened to me with that book on my Kindle! I literally yelled “WHAT?!?!” out loud when it turned into the preview for the next book. I kept flipping back and forth pages thinking their must have been a glitch or something.
Still can’t decide if I love or hate that ending…
I read The Kind Worth Killing and thought it was so darn good! Just when you think one thing then BAM another happens. I’m reading Light Between the Oceans right now and I like it enough to keep going. Not a page turner but an interesting story.
That story about Chase is SO cute! He’s such a sweet boy!
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Oh that cold brew smoothie sounds good! Is that a special lid you have on the mason jar?
yes! it’s the cuppow lid & you can find it on amazon!
That nemo story is adorable! My parents said the same prayer and so do we. 🙂
I just finished reading The Kind Worth Killing last night and I literally had the EXACT same reaction as you! I was also reading it on my Kindle so I couldn’t believe that it was over. Although I was a little disappointed (at first) not to have more closure, now that I’ve let it sit for awhile I think it was the perfect ending to the story – the whole book was so full of twists and turns that it makes me appreciate the ending for how well it fits into the whole book. I would have loved an epilogue though! Happy weekend 🙂
Exactly!!!
I just finished The Kind Worth Killing!! I thought the end put a nice spin on the whole book. I did not expect all the twists and turns but loved the book! I would definitely recommend it to others. Dare I say the end put a comical twist on such a twisted book.