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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Carter’s or Old Navy — I spend WAY too much there on my boys!
Bed Bath and Beyond for our new apartment!
With the cold and my lack of planning for meals this week – the Uber Eats coupon is calling my name tonight!!
AMAZON! They have everything. And I’m in desperate need for warm winter mittens to wear in these negative degree temps we are having in CT. Having a vizsla requires hikes even in the crazy cold! We all need to bundle up. (including my pup…he wears 2 coats and a hoodie!) I have yet to find a pair of mittens that can keep my fingers warm!
Nordstrom’s!!
I’d totally use that Target coupon for 25% off storage and organization…with the holidays, I feel like my house is a war zone and so disorganized lol!
Thanks for hosting such a fun giveaway again!
I would use the gift card at HomeGoods…I love that store! We are in bad need of some new sheets for our bed as well as for our guest bed!
Can I just say everything?? I’m too indecisive to choose 🙂
I am most excited about Buy Buy Baby because after over 4 difficult years of infertility, we are now pursuing adoption. I am hoping and praying in faith, that some day soon we will have our dream of being parents fulfilled and finally get our sweet baby, and be able to shop at places like Buy Buy Baby.
Nike, I need new sneakers and have been dying to try the Fly Knits you rave about!
I would love to use the VISA gift card to shop a new store I have never been to before!
Either the Nike or Homegoods coupon! I just Bought my first house(!) so now the fun of decorating and adding my own touches can begin!
Would love to stock up on some things I’ve had my eye on at World Market!
I always love the old navy and gap deals! I’m in serious need of new workout gear!
I found a 5% off from REI!
I would use the JC Penny coupon, buying clothes for two kids would break my budget if it weren’t for Retail Me Not. I don’t go to the register without checking my ap first!
Nordstrom or Target would be my top picks!
I would love the homegoods coupon to use to finally frame my wedding pictures (2.5 years later!)
I would love the homegoods coupon to use to finally frame my wedding pictures (2.5 years later!)
I have 3 robes in my closet and never wear them! I guess I forget about them but I need to remember them because they are comfy. Though I never could understand the big wide sleeves – they always drag in stuff.
I love to shop at Old Navy and would use all the coupons and discounts!
I’m hoping to decorate some of our bedrooms this winter – so I spy Bed Bath & Beyond deals 🙂
Nordstrom! Always Nordstrom!
Target! because I could literally spend ALL my money there! 🙂
nordstrom and express! i start my dietetic internship in February, so I’m in need of some cute, yet practical business clothes and shoes!
The robe looks super comfy!
I always love a free Redbox rental!
Target is always a favorite for me!
I love RetailMeNot – all of the other “coupon” sites are total junk. I would use RMN for Target coupons because those are hard to come by! I’ve never just browsed the site though – I see lots of others too! This could be dangerous haha!
A shoe store would be my first stop, I am in dire need of new winter boots and then a trip to sephora is always fun to splurge on myself!
Macy’s or Old Navy!
Love the Ugg deal! In this cold, I need a new pair of warm boots!!
Snapfish! I have been waiting for a deal to order a couple photo books!
I would use $100 off Big Lots in store
Ugg for sure!!! Give me ALL the warm boots!
Delete if this a repeat. I cant make it work
I would use the $100 off Big Lots
Nordstrom, for sure! Never a shortage of things in my imaginary online shopping cart!
Target would be fabulous!
Target!
We are about to do some home improvements so we can list our house for sale, so I have a feeling we will be hitting up Lowe’s frequently!
Ha I totally missed the mark on this, and thought I could just name a store. Picking from the retail me not sites, it would definitely be Target. Target takes all my money anyways!
If I was so fortunate to win the Visa Gift Card, I would go to Kohls or Big Lots or both. I would bring all 5 of my grand kids, so they could each pick out a few big things for Christmas bc the money that they received for Christmas was stolen! A relatives boyfriend was there too, the same one that had stolen alot from me when I let them stay at my house for 5 weeks!
I just can’t believe someone would be such a scumbag to steal kids Christmas money from them and watch them cry and be heartless!
Amazon, for sure!