I expect this weekend will include a lot of the same but with some more yard work and house work thrown in the mix. We still have to put down more mulch and pick up all the tiles we need for our kitchen backsplash. I am seeing a few trips to Lowe’s on the agenda which will make Chase one happy little camper.
I’ll be sure to recap the weekend on the blog on Monday but until then, I wanted to share my usual Things I’m Loving Friday roundup of favorites with you guys today. Have a fantastic weekend!
Things I’m Loving Friday
I was looking for a creamy tahini salad dressing to make to drizzle on top of my lunchtime lentil salad on Tuesday afternoon and Google led me to this recipe from Cookie and Kate’s blog. The ingredients were simple — tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper — and after pouring everything into a small glass jar and shaking it up, I had a wonderfully creamy dressing on hand. It was so good I found myself licking spoonfuls of it before I could drizzle it on my salad and even used it as a dip for carrots and cucumber slices later in the week. Give this one a try if love love tahini and lemon!
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Ryder’s First Haircut
Look at that little man! My heart! Chase and I took Ryder in for his first haircut earlier this week and I swear he left Snip-Its looking like a toddler. As if I wasn’t emotional enough about the thought of Ryder turning one next month, his haircut made him look all the more grown up. He did great during the trim — Snip-Its knows how to entertain wiggly kids — and I kept some of the baby hair they snipped off the top of his fluffy mohawk because I couldn’t let them go. I almost forgot how dark Ryder’s hair used to be until I held the ends of his little mohawk hairs in my hand. His hair has definitely lightened up a LOT since his birth but his beautiful hazel-brown eyes remain the same. This kid melts me.
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thredUP Kid Shoes
Chase recently went up a size in shoes and I figured Ryder could use a pair of shoes that weren’t hand-me-downs in seriously rough shape, so I recently perused thredUP and was so excited by my recent finds! I found a pair of blue Converse sneakers for Chase that I knew he’d love because they’re similar to Dad’s shoes and a slip-on pair of gray and navy sneakers will work well for summer camp shenanigans. The little pair of soft blue camo shoes for Ryder are too cute to handle and easily slip on and off. All three pairs of shoes I ordered seem brand new without any signs of wear and I have a feeling the boys will get a lot of use out of them!
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The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams
I finally finished reading The Wicked City! Phew! Quite a few of you have asked how I find time to read as many books as I do and my answer is that I get into bed ridiculously early (we don’t watch TV much at all) and unwind with a book nearly every night before I go to sleep. Sometimes this looks like several hours of reading before I fall asleep but lately I haven’t been able to keep my eyes open at the end of the day so it took me a few weeks to get through The Wicked City because I kept falling asleep! That’s NOT to say the book was boring because it was really entertaining and I was honestly frustrated when I couldn’t seem stay awake to read it!
Now that I finally finished this book, I wanted to highlight it here because it was another good one by Beatriz Williams, an author whose books are quickly becoming must-reads for me. The Wicked City follows the lives of two women, Geneva “Gin” Kelly, a quick-witted flapper in 1924, and Ella Gilbert, a woman living in modern-day Manhattan whose marriage is falling apart.
After Gin is caught up in a raid at her favorite local speakeasy, she meets Prohibition agent Oliver Anson, and agrees to help him on his mission to catch her bootlegging stepfather, Duke Kelly. Decades later, Ella’s life becomes entwined with Gin’s as she rents an apartment in the building that was the former home of the Gin’s favorite speakeasy and comes to discover a family connection to the place she never knew existed.
I love the way Beatriz Williams writes her characters with so much personality and I found myself loving Gin’s story line in this novel. My one complaint is that the ending of the book had a few too many loose ends. While I could imagine how everything wrapped up, I like a more definite ending and there were some questions in my mind that were left unanswered.
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Friday Flashbacks
Healthy Berry Banana Ice Cream (Dairy-free, naturally sweet and kid-approved!)
Bodyweight Tabata Workout (This workout is fast-paced and SWEATY! A perfect at home or travel workout!)
Question of the Day
What is one thing you’re loving this week?
Sally says
Oh my gosh! I had to do a double take because at first glance Ryder looked like chase – so grown up! Always love the little glimpse into your real life.. thanks for sharing.
Ps I could have sworn you and Ryan have blue eyes, no?? Where did the hazel/brown eyes come from for Ryder (I find genetics super interesting :)).
Julie says
Isn’t it nuts!? My mom said her phone is now mixing up Ryder & Chase in photos when it tags them! Ha!
And Ryan and I both have greenish eyes! My dad and father-in-law have blue eyes, my mother-in-law has green eyes and my mom has a brown/hazel color which is closest to Ryder’s color but his are definitely the darkest of anyone in our family!
Kristin says
I need to make that tahini dressing! Like you, I am always looking for a way to use the big jar of tahini I have
Julie says
Yes — I swear that jar glares at me from the fridge! All the recipes that call for tahini never need that much so it seems to take forever to get through it!
Emily says
Fellow Beatriz Willams fan here! Her new book, The Golden Hour, is a book of the month so I’m dying to get it. Not sure if you know about this book subscription (addicting!) but if you sign up using my referral code you can get a book for free! https://www.mybotm.com/2aqk8g42jna
Happy Friday!
JP says
Oh my goodness, I did one of your workouts (10 to 1 bodyweight workout) and I am SO sore today. Haha! Thank you!
Julie says
That one is one of my absolute favs! Phew!!
Kimberly says
One thing I am loving this week is oatmeal- pretty basic I know. Oatmeal is comfort in a bowl for me. I like mine topped with raspberries and a dollop of almond butter.
Megan Ruth Rowlinson says
Omg Ryder is so adorable and looks like a little man with his new haircut! 🙂 Have a great weekend! Wilmington, DE
Sue says
Ryder looks more like Chase every day!
Sara says
Ryder is soooooo cute! (Chase too!). Love his smile getting his first big boy haircut and I adore his mohawk! Isn’t life with two boys so fun?! I get soo many comments from strangers about my husband and I having two boys (we are done having kids!) And I always think, “you must not have two boys or you’d know how truly wonderful it is!”. Just as I am sure it is to have two girls or one of each! All combinations are so special and I just love seeing your happy blog about life with boys! 🙂
Julie says
totally agree!! love being a mama to two little dudes!
Destiny Ervin says
Ryder is so cute!!! At first I thought it was a through back pic of chase. I was wondering how you read so many books with out it getting so pricey. I was getting gem from my library but had to wait so long. I must be way behind the times and wondering how you read your books? Paperback? kindle? Through a app? Also how do you read them at night with light when you have a 9 week old in a bassinet next to you? I have a 9 week old and not sure the light is helping them sleep but I would love to just read a few pages before I fall asleep.
Julie says
Hi Destiny! I use my Kindle and LOVE it. Thankfully my Kindle allows me to get discounts on books but I also get some e-books through our local library. I swear by my Kindle for nighttime reading, especially with a baby! You can opt for a black background with white text so it doesn’t glow much at all in the darkness which is what I started doing with Ryder and now it’s pretty much the only way I read at night!
Jan says
I’m loving that Friday was my last day at my job of almost 30 years! Starting a new one Tuesday.
Julie says
huge congrats to you!! i hope the new job is a wonderful fit!!
Rach says
RYDER IS TO DIE FOR ADORABLE
Kelly says
Your book reviews are one of my favorite parts of your blog!
rachel says
I think Beatriz William has a new book coming out this month that features the same characters as “The Wicked City.” I like her books, too!