Hey friends! How are you!? Ryan, Chase, Sadie and I arrived back in North Carolina late last night after spending some much-needed time with family over Christmas. We extended our stay a bit to be in town for a procedure my mom had scheduled for yesterday morning (all is well, no worries) and I’m glad we were able to spend so much time together!
The post-holiday blues always tend to kick in for me after Christmas and extending our stay a bit helped fight the sadness I often feel once Christmas is over. Since we were quite busy with my family and traveling back home, I didn’t have many opportunities to sit down by myself and blog last week. I really missed chatting with you guys! Things should be back to normal around here next week!
For now, let’s dive right into my usual Things I’m Loving Friday blog post where I share a short roundup of small things that make me smile every week. (Be sure to scroll to the bottom and check out today’s sneaky $250 giveaway!)
Have the best weekend!
Things I’m Loving Friday
- Pie Heaven
When my mom and I planned my sister’s bridal shower years ago, we ordered quiche from Pie Heave to serve along with other brunch favorites and I’ve been dying to order quiche from the adorable local bakery again ever since. We prioritized a trip to Pie Heaven a couple of days before Christmas and ended up returning to the shop again a couple days later because my entire family inhaled our first round of quiche Lorraine and southwest quiche.
We ended up trying a few of their dessert pies for the first time as well (wild blueberry, peach and apple) and every single one was absolutely unreal. Pie Heaven truly lives up to its name and the pies are beyond fantastic. A must-try if you’re a local or ever find yourself in the Jacksonville area!
Also, I must give a shout out to the two women who own and run Pie Heaven because they were so kind and wonderful to our family. We arrived with Chase and they gave him a holiday bear Beanie Baby and he was beyond thrilled (hence the above picture)!
A new robe was one of the top items I had on my Christmas wish list this year and my sister and brother-in-law surprised me with the coziest robe in the world. I LOVE it. The robe is fluffy and soft and meets three of my biggest requirements: It’s long, has two pockets and feels incredibly warm and cozy when I slip it on. I also love the aesthetics of the fuzzy trim along the neckline and wrists and know this robe will be worn non-stop in the coming winter months. (I guess this means I can finally retire the hot pink Charlotte Russe robe I bought for myself for like $25 when I was in college. It’s borderline gross at this point with stains and singe marks on the sleeves from less-than-careful cooking mishaps.)
- Family Zoo Day
The weather in Jacksonville on the day after Christmas could not have been more beautiful – upper 60s and sunny – and we took advantage of the gorgeous day and headed out for a family trip to the zoo. I’m continually impressed with the large exhibits at the Jacksonville Zoo and love the way it feels spacious and clean. Plus, the zoo has a large train that choo-choos around the exterior of the park which is heaven-sent for a train-obsessed toddler. We rode the train for a solid 45 minutes during our visit and had a great time waving to elephants, giraffes, rhinos, coyotes, monkeys and more.
- Park Playtime + ChunkaBuns Pants for Chase
Chase cannot get enough of playing outside lately (nothing new around here!) and we’ve taken him all over Jacksonville over the past week. His favorite park is, without a doubt, Sunshine Park in Jacksonville Beach. It’s huge and fenced in (hooray!) and Chase had a ball exploring every inch of the park during our visit.
The super-soft pants he wore to play and explore came to us from ChunkaBuns, a company specializing in adorably soft, sustainable and organic eco-friendly pants. The pants could not be softer and they are made to grow with your toddler with a foldable waistband and cuffs on the bottom to give your little one extra length when you need it. These pants are fantastic and I find myself reaching for them right after I wash them because they’re so great.
- $250 VISA Gift Card Giveaway from RetailMeNot
Thank you to RetailMeNot for sponsoring the following giveaway!
And now for today’s sneaky giveaway!! A little over a week ago I shared a giveaway with you guys from RetailMeNot – the BEST site I use every time I want to find the most amazing deals, coupon codes and cash back opportunities when I do my online shopping – and the giveaway was such a huge hit that RetailMeNot reached out for Round Two! We’re teaming up today to giveaway another VISA gift card valued at $250 for you to use toward the amazing post-holiday sales that are popping up all over the place right now.
To enter this giveaway, simply click here to visit RetailMeNot and then leave a comment on today’s post telling me about a specific store/sale you’d be most excited to shop at should you win the gift card. I will randomly select a winner first thing next Friday morning. Good luck!
- Puzzle Time with My Mom
I don’t get many opportunities to kick back and work on a puzzle and the fact that my mom and I were able to complete one together in less than 24 hours this past week felt like such a treat! It’s such a great way to completely relax and unwind while sipping a hot mug of apple cider or hot cocoa. I need to do more puzzles in my everyday life. Now to find the time…
- Friday Flashbacks
Cold Brew Protein Smoothie (Just in case you’re craving a cold mocha smoothie but don’t want to down a total sugar bomb.)
Cardio + Core Burn Boot Camp Workout (This was the first BBC workout I ever did!)
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I think we will we will be using the Papa John’s coupon tonight for dinner! Glad you had a great holiday!
Their coupons for Ulta are great! I recently used RetailMeNot to score a great deal on big bottles of my favorite shampoo/conditioner that rarely goes on sale!
I’m glad you had such a nice holiday with your family, sounds awesome! I love retail me not, I would definitely use their tarte discount, I need some new makeup.
I’d love to buy some things on sale at Boden!
The up to 30% off Bed and Bath at Home Depot! I’m always impressed by their selection and they have things I wouldn’t expect. I need to fancy up the guest room before the holidays next year- it was a little plain this past Christmas.
They have a tarts coupon on there! I love their make up! I’ve used their mascara before and a few of their lip colors, I’m ALWAYS checking out their stuff when I’m in Ulta. Also they do not test their products on animals!!! ??
I’d love to use the Old Navy Coupon! My little guy had his two month check up yesterday, and he’s a whopping 13 lbs 9 oz!! Definitely time for some new clothes!!
I would love $250 for the Nordstrom sale!
20% H&M is great! Happy new year to you and your family!
Just ordered more maternity clothes from Gap with 40% off!!
For sure I would love to shop at Target with my gift card! The best shopping!!
Bed, Bath and Beyond. I would like to invest in higher quality bake ware when cooking for my family and the discount would help a lot! Happy New Year, Julie! 🙂
Your Christmas sounds wonderful! We are living in negative weather in Minnesota! I love retailmenot! I can’t wait to use some deals of clothes for after baby (due in a week) but right now going to use the redbox deal for an exciting night in this New Years!
I have my eye on some new running shoes, so the sales at Foot Locker or Famous Footwear would be great!
Old Navy for sure! 🙂 comfy fun clothes!
We have family in Jacksonville and with a new little one (we’ll hes a year old) we will certainly have to check that park out! I’ve been wanting to check out the zoo too! Both will be on it list for the next time we go down there!
I would say the Kohl’s or old navy one! I always find such cute stuff at both those places!
$10 off $40 at Bed bath and Bodyworks is a great deal.
I’d use the code and try Uber Eats!
I would love to use the Famous Footwear coupon for some new winter boots. Thanks for the giveaway Julie! 🙂
The Nike sale! I could use some new shoes to kick off a healthy new year!
$10 off of $40 at bath and body works is a great deal with their semi annual sale going on! I’m so jealous of your weather! It’s super cold in Boston right now.
Thanks this is great. Nordstrom Rack is where I am heading if I win this.
Happy New Year!
Sounds like a wonderful trip to visit family!
I’d love to use the gift card at Nordstrom Rack 🙂
Old navy coupon for some new jeans 🙂
I would use the gift card towards Old Navy, to stock up on some cute basic garments 🙂
The Tory Burch sale – I’ve been needing a new work purse for awhile. My ratty old gym bag isn’t cutting it anymore
That nike coupon is calling my name to kickstart the typical new years resolution!
I would love to use it at Ulta! New makeup would be great.
I’d love to shop the Tory Burch sale! Thanks for the giveaway!
I would use the extra 25% off clearance at Macy’s!
Mini Boden would be great for seasonal shopping and stocking up for next year!! Thank you for the reminder to use Retail me not. 🙂
Kohls- planning to do some shopping there today!
The old navy coupon would be great to use!!
I need to place a Target order so the free shipping/five dollar coupon helps. Thank you!!
I’d be excited to use it at famous footwear or Amazon to get some new winter work shoes!
Happy Holidays!!
$20 off $50 at Macy’s, and 15% off at Banana Republic Factory!
Also, so jealous of your cozy robe – that was one of my top Christmas wishes but it looks like I’ll be buying one for myself!
I would probably use it for the 70% off home items on Amazon since we are currently updating our curtains in our home!
Old Navy! I have been finding great deals there lately so would definitely use that coupon.
I’d shop the Nike or Tory Burch sale! Thanks for the giveaway 🙂
Glad you had a good Christmas with family! I’m liking the sound of Old Navy coupons, to get some new clothes for my little dude (around Chase’s age!) and maybe for myself too 🙂
What a great holiday!! I went to Daytona Beach FL for Christmas to visit my grandma. I enjoyed soaking up some sun before coming back to snowy NY. I love Retail Me Not and would use the Bed Bath and Beyond coupon.
So excited about the Best Buy sale!!
Good Morning Julie!
Happy Friday:) I would use the gift card towards Amazon. I practically buy anything and everything I can on Amazon, so it would be put to great use.
Have a great weekend!
-Christie Schnitzler
Can I say the Papa Johns 50% off 🙂
Thanks for hosting!
There’s so many choices! I would love either the 15% off at Kohls or one of the Target coupons. I could use some new clothes in the new year!
Julie, it sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas. Happy New Year! Thanks for hosting such a great giveaway!! I would be most excited to use the Bed Bath and Beyond discounts…I’m looking for some new bedding for the winter.
I’d use the 20% off old navy!
Old Navy! After not shopping there for years for myself, I find that it’s one of my favorite places to shop for my son.
I would love the buybuybaby coupon!
Ulta! I’ve been looking at upgrading my hair tools and shampoo 🙂
Glad you all had a great visit and time with family!