As for today… it’s FRIDAY! The weekend is nearly here and it’s going to be a FULL but fun one for the Fagan fam. Tonight we have Chase’s second soccer game of the season and then on Saturday we’re going apple picking in the morning and have a birthday party in the afternoon. On Sunday we’ll be taking the boys to North Carolina Transportation Museum for a Day Out with Thomas and hope the event is as fun as it seems! It’s a full agenda but should be a good one! The onset of fall seems to bring about a million and one fun things to do and I’m all about it!
Before I get too ahead of myself, let’s slow things down and chat about some things that made us smile this week, Things I’m Loving Friday style. Keep on scrolling to see a roundup of this week’s favs!
Things I’m Loving Friday
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Pumpkin Chicken Chili from A Healthy Slice of Life
My blogging friend Brittany constantly inspires me in the kitchen. She’s always coming up with deliciously nourishing recipes and her Instagram Stories are flooded with healthy dinner inspiration. I knew I had to make her pumpkin chili when she made it look so easy! I whipped up a batch for our family to dig into during a particularly rainy weekend two weeks ago and made another batch on Monday night because we loved it so much. If you’re looking for a savory pumpkin recipe to make this fall that is packed with veggies and flavor, add this chili to your list! My only alterations were to add some riced cauliflower to the mix, omit the jalapeño and swap the water for chicken broth. I also used frozen bell pepper to make the recipe even easier and thought it was such a winner!
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Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
My rating: A-
This book was ALL over the place and when I was nearly 3/4 of the way through the novel, I still had no idea where it was going. Suffice it to say, Rock Paper Scissors kept me guessing and I was shocked by a reveal in the story in the best kind of way. It’s been a hot second since a book totally surprised me but Rock Paper Scissors certainly did and that’s a big part of the reason I enjoyed it so much. (One of the bigger twists was just so creative!) The plotline is jumbled and messy but all of it makes sense as you near the end of this thrilling suspense novel. My one complaint is that I felt like there were a few loose ends at the book but overall I really enjoyed this read.
Adam and Amelia Wright are a not-so-happily married couple headed off for a secluded weekend getaway to Scotland in a last-ditch attempt to save their marriage. Everything from the 8-hour car ride in a snowstorm to the creepy abandoned chapel where they’ll be staying is a disaster. When strange things begin to happen around them, concern for the state of their marriage becomes secondary to concern for their safety.
The Wrights’ marriage is full of secrets, fleeting desire and deceit. Adam is a workaholic screenwriter with facial blindness, a condition that blurs the faces of everyone he sees and makes them unrecognizable, even his own wife. Amelia is restless and increasingly frightened during their weekend away, wondering if the weekend getaway she won in a work raffle really was a too-good-to-be-true prize or something more. Will they live happily ever after? Or, a more pressing concern may be will they live through the weekend?
I previously recommended the Hoopla app in a past roundup of Friday favorites and had a handful of you encourage me to try Libby as well. Libby is similar to Hoopla in that it allows you to check out e-books, audiobooks and more with your local library card but Libby seems to have a larger selection of the kind of books and audiobooks I enjoy. Keep this one on your radar if you love Hoopla or if you’re looking for an easy way to read e-books and listen to audiobooks for free!
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Latest Thrifting Haul
(Sweatshirt: Amazon — the same one I mentioned last week! / Leggings: Lululemon / Bag: Freshly Picked / Shoes: New Balance)
I love a good thrifting haul and wanted to share my latest finds with you guys! Popping into thrift stores as seasons change is one of my favorite things to do because it seems like people clean out their closets during these times and I’ll find some gems that might work for the next season for our family. I ended up walking away with two long-sleeve tops, a pullover and a pair of slides for the boys and was ridiculously thrilled to find an oversize black denim jacket for myself for only $6.99.
I actually had the boys with me during this adventure and they all fell in love with random stuffed animals I went back and bought the next day when they were at school for a total of $1.75. I’m planning to save their stuffed animals to use as a surprise from their Elf on the Shelf when Fisbee makes his return on December 1!
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Friday Flashbacks
High Protein Oat Bran (A thick and creamy recipe for a deliciously filling breakfast.)
1o t0 100 Driveway Workout (No equipment needed for this at home and travel-friendly workout!)
Question of the Day
What is one thing making you smile today?
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Apple picking sounds fun! I haven’t taken my kids before. Any recommendations on good places?
Happy Friday! A book I highly recommend is All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers. She narrates Crime Junkies, one of the big true crime podcasts and this is her debut book. It constantly keeps you guessing and had an awesome twist. It was the first book in a while that I couldn’t put down ☺️
Hint from a very experienced thrifter — anything fabric should either go in the freezer for 72 hours or in a hot dryer if it won’t harm the item. You don’t want to bring pests into your home. Happy thrifting (while visiting MIL I found a gorgeous black leather Ann Taylor jacket for $6.99 in the GW you probably frequent).
I’m so glad you and the fam like the chili, too! It’s a staple around here now that the temps are dropping 🙂
I’ll have to text and ask you which stores you’re thrifting… I want to give it a try!