Things I’m Loving Friday #522

Hello from Banner Elk, North Carolina! We arrive in the mountains yesterday and will be spending a long weekend here with some of our best friends as the final end to our summer break.

We all have kids starting school next week and figured some time away where our kids could play and explore together and we could unplug a bit in the Blue Ridge Mountains would be the best way to say so long to summer. (We’re going to the same spot we went to last January with the same friends we love so much!) I’m hoping to snap some pictures and share a peek into our mountain fun on the blog next week but until then, keep on scrolling for a glimpse into this week’s roundup of favorites, Things I’m Loving Friday style!

Things I’m Loving Friday #522

• Jonny Pops

It’s been a Jonny Pops summer in our house! While I initially bought a box of the popsicles for the boys, after taking a lick, I was all-in on them, too. We have yet to try a bad flavor and they’re all so wonderfully sweet and refreshing. My personal favorites are the watermelon and cotton candy flavors (if you’re a sucker for cotton candy-flavored things, it’s a must-try!) and I love that they’re all made with simple ingredients. Also, when I shared our love for these popsicles on Instagram yesterday, I received a DM from someone saying to check inside the box because you can collect popsicle sticks to send in to win a prize so now you know our boys are all about that as well!

• Large Bead Necklace

Talk about a happy little gem of a necklace! You know I like a layered look with my necklaces (I’ve worn this gold necklace and this beaded necklace together since my birthday and haven’t taken them off yet) and loved the look of adding a chunkier necklace to the duo for a brighter pop of color. It’s also been a nice way to jazz up a plain white t-shirt or a more casual look with a little interest. And any piece of jewelry that makes me smile when I put it on is a win in my book!

• Ryan and Chase in Key West

One of Ryan’s best memories with his dad was flats fishing together in the Florida Keys. It’s been something Ryan has wanted to do with the boys for a while and when he floated the idea by Chase, he absolutely lit up. The two of them headed off to Key West last week for some father-son flats fishing for Chase’s 9th birthday and it was a dream trip for Chase. As a mom, it’s so clear when you see your kid come alive with joy and excitement that they’re in their element and that’s how Chase was on every FaceTime call and it’s how he’s looked every time he’s talked about their Key West adventures with me after he returned. And a huge bonus? The timing of Ryan and Chase’s trip allowed them to see my parents and all stay together in a condo! My mom and dad were in Key West for a spear fishing trip for my dad so Chase was able to have some special time one-on-one time with Mae and Pop as well, which is a rarity these days with six grandchildren now in the picture!

• Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

My rating: A / Genre: Mystery 

Wrong Place Wrong Time was my latest audiobook listen and you know an audiobook is good when you find yourself looking forward to end-of-the-day household chores so you can pop in an earbud and get lost in the story. You immediately have to suspend your sense of disbelief as the premise of the novel involves a main character who finds herself waking up the day after she witnesses a horrible crime. She’s confused and overwhelmed and also relieved. Did the crime not really happen? Is this some kind of a do-over? When Jen continues to wake up further and further back in time, she’s not sure what to do but slowly begins to uncover information about the victim of the crime and the involvement of those closest to her.

It’s so rare for me to find a book that includes a twist I did not see coming, but in this case, I was shocked and surprised in the best way. It’s a twisty novel and immensely creative and one I wanted to listen to non-stop, especially as I found myself further and further invested in figuring out the whos and the whys behind the mystery.

• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

My rating: B / Genre: Fiction

This book has been on my radar for a looong time, as it’s been recommended repeatedly by so many people. My expectations were sky-high, despite the fact that the premise didn’t really intrigue me. As I began reading, I felt the potential of this book begin to swell. I started to care for the characters and felt invested in them… and then I found myself thinking, “Okay, let’s get on with it.” Nothing big was really happening and I wasn’t sure where the book was going, despite appreciating the author’s skill for writing and capturing the complexity of relationships. The book felt unnecessarily long in parts but then, a little more than halfway through the book, something big happened which made me realize how much I actually did care for the characters in the novel. I was immediately roped back into the novel, fully invested and captivated once again.

From Amazon: 

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom.

These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

• July 2024 Top 10

I completely forgot to share June’s top 10 post in this space but I’m back in action with July’s top 10 blog posts and your top 10 favorite finds from July today! I started sharing these recaps a while back to help showcase some of the blog posts that are gaining traction and some of your favorite finds that may have been lost in blog posts + social media mayhem!

Blog Posts

• Breakfast Meal Prep Recipes
• Amazon Prime Day 2024: Favorite Finds
• How to Make Salmon Bites
• Best Paleo Chicken Thigh Marinade
• Recent Recipe Wins
• Simple Sides for Your Summertime BBQ
• Cottage Cheese Zucchini Breakfast Casserole
• 70th Birthday Celebration
• Meals I Make When We Have Guests in Town
• House of the Revolving Door

Your Top 10 Favorites

• Amazon Sports Bra (After ordering this one on a whim, I couldn’t wait to share because the quality is fantastic. Great reviews for small and large chests! I sized up.)
• Eufy Handheld Vacuum (So helpful for car clean up and getting crumbs out of cabinets and hard-to-reach places)
• Mesh Pouches (An organizational must-have with a million and one different uses)
• Londontown Illuminating Nail Concealer (Magic in a bottle. Blurs nail imperfections like ridges and peeling and makes nails look beautiful. I like 3 coats of the Milky color.)
• Diamond Sticker Painting (Our big kids’ latest quiet entertainment activity. At only $5, it’s been money well spent for us! They especially like the character diamond painting stickers.)
• Little Tikes Bounce House (Worth its weight in gold for toddler entertainment. We used this all winter long during Covid days when the boys were younger.)
• Tangle Teezer Hair Brush (Glides through tough hair knots and puts all other wet brushes to shame.)
• Waffle Maker (Bless this thing! Why it took me so long to get a legit waffle maker, I’ll never know. Now I make a whole box of Simple Mills waffles and freeze the leftovers to throw into the toaster oven for easy weekday morning breakfasts.)
• Striped Pullover (Slouchy and comfy and gets softer with every wash.)
• Portable White Noise Machine (Small but mighty! The best teeny little machine for those who like powerful white noise when they travel. Lots of noise options and holds a charge for a long time!)

 

• Friday Flashbacks

Easy Orange Juice Chicken Marinade (Sharing for anyone hoping to do a little grilling this weekend!)

Cookies ‘n’ Cream Ice Cream (The only cookies ‘n’ cream ice cream recipe we make in our house! It uses cream cheese but you’d never know it as it only makes it all the more creamy!)

Question of the Day

What is one thing you are loving this week?