Things I’m Loving Friday #503

Our whole family is back under one roof and it feels wonderful! Ryan and the big kids arrived home from Park City on Wednesday and they were all what I’ll call exhausted-excited after their ski weekend away with my dad and my brother-in-law.

I loved hearing their stories (They saw two moose! It snowed every day!) and watching their videos but most of all I’ve loved having them home. Our reunion time is short-lived, however, because today I am off to Scottsdale, Arizona for a weekend away with three of my best friends from elementary school. We’ve been trying to get together for nearly two years and finally found a weekend that worked for everyone. (I told you the first couple months of 2024 are a little crazy for our family but things slow down soon.) I’m so excited to see some of my very best friends in the entire world in a few short hours.

I’m hoping to take some pics and share a little bit of our Scottsdale trip with you guys on the blog next week but until then, keep scrolling for this week’s roundup of Friday favs!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Lemon Garlic Seafood Pasta (The Recipe Critic)

Last night I was in the mood for a simple, buttery, lemony seafood pasta. Every recipe I stumbled upon seemed to overcomplicate things until I found this one from The Recipe Critic. It seemed perfect in its simplicity and it ended up being exactly what I was craving last night! I used a mix of seafood in the recipe rather than only shrimp and loved the way the recipe allowed the seafood flavors to shine. (I also omitted the parmesan and added a bit more butter but that was only because we didn’t have any parmesan. I didn’t miss it!) The dish was bright and buttery and delicious! Add this one to your dinner meal plan the next time you’re craving seafood and pasta!

• Suits

I realize I am years behind when it comes to watching Suits but seeing it regularly pop up as one of the “most watched” shows on Netflix makes me think I’m not the only person just now discovering this show. I started watching it on a whim after checking out a preview on Netflix and after about three episodes, I found myself getting really into it. It reminds me a little bit of the show Scandal where there’s a new problem or crisis to address within every episode but overarching drama and bigger character/relationship development throughout the show, too. As I’ve continued watching, I’ve found the humor of the show increasing and love that it’s interesting and funny at times, too. I’ve just started season 2 and am enjoying having a show to look forward to watching again!

• Two New(ish) Portable Chargers

A few months ago, one of my favorite portable chargers broke when one of the boys yanked it out of something that was charging. Womp, womp. I was initially going to replace it with the exact same charger but then this one caught my eye because it looked similar but I liked the fact that you could press a button and see how much charge was remaining on the charger. After several months of use on multiple trips, it’s been fantastic! I’ve also loved this mini charger to use to charge my phone on the go when I’m using a smaller bag. Two great charging finds!

• Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

My rating: A

This book! The ending! What a ride. I’ve been waiting for Iron Flame to become available at my local library since it came out (I always have a million books on hold and typically just read whatever becomes available first) and dove in when the audiobook version became available first. I listened like crazy during any available moment (travel to and from Vegas helped a lot with this) and finished all 28+ hours of the audiobook earlier this week. It was a rollercoaster of a novel and as intense and gripping as Fourth Wing, the first book in the series. Rebecca Yarros has a talent for writing novels with no downtime or boring pages, that’s for sure. I also adore her secondary character (honestly, I like them more than her main character) and the way she throws in unexpected twists throughout the novel. (The biggest one came at the very end for me!) I don’t want to share too much in terms of a plot summary about this novel since it is the second in a series and anything I write here would spoil the first book but if you’re at all intrigued by a fantasy novel that will have you speed-reading like crazy, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame need to make it on your must-read list.

• Friday Flashbacks

High Protein Oat Bran (Fans of Cream of Wheat, you must try this protein-packed recipe!)

Life with 3 Kids 1.5 Years In (Part One + Part Two)

Question of the Day

What is one thing you’re loving this week?