I am feeling rather chipper because Ryan and I have plans to head to Raleigh this weekend and while we’re there, we’ll be seeing my aunt, uncle, cousins and grandma! Family fun!
But before I get too ahead of myself, let’s dive into our usual Friday post.
This weekly Things I’m Loving Friday blog post is my favorite post of the week to write because chatting about the things we all love is so darn fun and uplifting. Thanks so much to all of you for participating in the comments section and sharing a little bit about something that’s making you smile. I love reading them!
Things I’m Loving Friday
I have to work hard not to include Girls On The Run in every Friday post, but I just had to mention it today! I left yesterday’s practice 5K feeling so incredibly proud of our girls! They did so well and are more than ready for race day on December 13. (If you happen to be local, you can run, too!! The race is taking place at Catawaba College in Salisbury and is open to everyone. Come run with us!) Also, the goody bags I put together were a HUGE hit yesterday. I am still incredibly grateful for the generosity of Columbia, Reebok and Fabletics. The girls were so, so excited! Also, I am planning to do a big comprehensive post about my GOTR experience once this season ends, so if you’re interested in volunteering with the organization, stay tuned.
- Whole Foods Carrot & Ginger Dressing
I am always tempted to try new salad dressings but I hate buying a bottle only to taste it and hate it. Such a waste! I apprehensively bought a bottle of Whole Foods carrot and ginger dressing which caught my eye because it featured their Health Starts Here logo, meaning it’s nutrient dense and made with whole foods. I am happy to report that it is awesome. It reminds me a lot of the ginger salad dressings I’ve enjoyed at some of my favorite sushi restaurants.
- This Ridiculous(ly Awesome) Sweater
No, I didn’t end up buying it, but I do think it’s all kinds of awesome. I stumbled upon this sweater at a local boutique (Julie’s Boutique in Birkdale for locals!) when I was out with my sister last weekend and am kind of regretting not adding it to my winter sweater collection…
- Elfster Secret Santa Organizer
The holiday season is upon us and if you’re anything like me, you get a little too into shopping for holiday gifts for loved ones. Well, rather than buy a bunch of individual gifts, my friends and I opt to do a Secret Santa gift exchange which is obviously more affordable but adds an element of mystery and fun to the holidays, too! Every year, I use Elfster to set it up because it allows me to add everyone to the group and randomly draws names for me without telling me who drew whom. It’s great and totally free. You can also have multiple exchanges going on at once like I do and it never gets confusing because everything is very organized. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in setting up a Secret Santa gift exchange this year.
I AM SO EXCITED for this movie! If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ve probably picked up on my intense love for a cappella music. Naturally a movie that centers around a cappella music is going to be one I love and I thought the original Pitch Perfect was terrific. I immediately watched the trailer for the sequel when it debuted this week and I cannot wait for it to arrive in theatres!
Soulscarf scarves will be featured in my annual Gifts That Give Back gift guide, but I couldn’t wait until that comes out to mention them! These gorgeous and oh-so-cozy scarves first caught my eye at my local Pure Barre studio. When I found out that they give 20 percent of the proceeds from the sales of their scarves back to the charity that corresponds with the color heart on each scarf, I fell even more in love with them! The cranberry infinity scarf (pictured above) is my favorite, but they have a bunch of beautiful colors available including teal, black, cream, gray and more.
Okay, okay, I finally caved. I bought a pair of lululemon Wunder Unders. And I get the hype. They are ridiculously flattering and comfortable and I bought a pair that are reversible to help *kind of* justify the cost. (Very thankful for the trainer discount! FYI, if you are a trainer/group exercise instructor, you get 15% off lululemon apparel all day every day.) And yes, I definitely did bend over in the dressing room to make sure they weren’t see through before I bought them! While I was there, I also couldn’t help buy eye some of their adorable winter clothing and quickly fell in love with this studio jacket, this yoga jacket and this running vest. Please, lululemon, just take all of my money.
One guy shares his experience after he took Pure Barre with his fiance and it is hysterical. Thanks so much to a bunch of you for sharing this one with me. I passed it along to my local studio and shared it with my barre buddies and it had us all cracking up!
- Giveaway Winners
Congratulations to Rebecca, the winner of the Starbucks/American Express giveaway and Kristin, the winner of the three-minute snacks giveaway! Both winners were selected and emailed first thing this morning.
Question of the Morning
- What is one thing that is making you smile this week?
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I am really looking forward to hearing more about your experience with GIrls on the Run! Sounds like an awesome organization. The Pure Barre article from a male perspective was so funny. I laughed quite hard. Have a great wekend!
Oh man! I miss coaching Girls on The Run! I did it in grad school and it was just one of the best things ever!
I’m a Girls on the Run coach too – it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’m always so proud of them for finishing the 5k. Such a huge accomplishment!
Totally agree — I am so, so happy I got involved with GOTR this year. It has been WAY more amazing than I could have predicted. So glad you love coaching, too!!
I am sad for you that you didn’t get the sweater. Hopefully they still have it in stock! This week, I am loving the $1.00 Starbucks to-go mugs. And they just came out in Holiday colors!
I study in India right now and really struggle with the food at the mess. But this week I made my own breakfast creation, which is sooo good! It’s dosa (kind of like crepes, but thinner and still quite different), joghurt, chia seeds, honey, cinamon and banana. So from now on there is at least one thing a day, which makes me smile.
And I love your volunteering at the GOTR. I think it is so important that children get in touch with sports and have fun doing it. Great that you support that!!
Lululemon steals all of my money too! I am in love with the Wunder Under crops. Occasionally if you search really hard you can find something on sale!! And this week making time for friends has really been making me smile as work gets stressful and busy!
All of the love I got on my blog this week really made me smile. I finally feel like I have got my niche in the community and I love it. It makes me so happy to hear when others enjoy reading the posts that I enjoy putting together! Just like I enjoy reading yours. Have a great Friday!
Aw, love this!! So glad you’re feeling the blogger love! <3
You totally should’ve gotten that sweater! Because you, my dear, can actually pull it off! 🙂
This week Ben and Jerry’s is making me smile. The manager at the Waterbury VT replaced the souvenir penny we lost and really went above and beyond. Swing over and read the whole story but yeah, totally renewed my faith in businesses which is hard to do these days!
You need to go back to that store and buy that sweater!
I just saw the Pitch Perfect 2 trailer and it looked amazing! I LOVED the first movie so I can’t wait!!
I coached GOTR in college and loved it! My adult schedule is so all over the place I’ve been apprehensive about getting involved and afraid I can’t give it my all.
As far as the gifts that give back I actually became a Stella and dot consultant to do just that. I work with a little girl here on Charlotte who has Mitochondrial Disease. I held a Bowling fundraiser for her foundation in August, so before that I asked a family friend if we could do a S&D fundraiser mostly so I could use the free jewelry credit to raffle off. We had so many people buy that the stylists commission was close to $1,400 and we got that exact same amount in free jewelry. She donated $500 of the commission and we made lots more on the free jewelry. I was thankful for the $500, but soon realized that if I was a S&D stylist, I would’ve been able to donate even more of the commission. So now I am a stylist for fundraising purposes only. Lila, the little girl with Mito (www.facebook.com/life4lila) had an awful summer and we thought she was on the way to the beginning to the end for her until she went and saw the group of doctors that are in the process of opening and raising money for the Mito Clinic. They saved her life and she’s doing better than ever. So anytime someone buys S&D jewelry from me, I donate 20% of each sale to the Mito Clinic that’s set to open in early 2015 here in Charlotte. But I am also open to donating the percentage of sales to wherever the buyer wants the money to go. I have a Facebook page Stella & Dot: Shopping for a Cause and my S&D website is http://www.stelladot.com/juliefreed sorry for being so wordy. Not sure if it all makes sense!
The Pitch Perfect 2 trailer was one of my Friday favorites too! SO excited!
No-oil dressing! That’s awesome!
I love the soulscarf sounds so wonderful! That is an awesome idea!
Did you know that trainers get 30% off at Athleta?
WHAT!?!?!??!?!?! Seriously?? I had no idea!!! This is amazing! Online, too? Or just in stores?
I’m not sure if you can use it online, it might just be in store. To use for the first time you need to bring in proof of being a trainer, certification proof, website showing your name/picture, anything like that. Then whenever you go to that store they’ll pull your info from their binder and you get your discount! Only applies to yourself, not gifts for others. It’s a great discount!
Thanks for the Elfster tip, I passed that site along to mom so we can use it this year!
Also, I love the SoulScarf site! Definitely using it to shop for a few friends.
When I read the details about SoulScarf I immediately went to the web site to brouse around. I love their mission and the scarves are beautiful! I was sad to see that many of the scarves are sold out currently but I know that’s a wonderful thing for all the charities. I’ll be sure to keep checking back to see if more become available! I have 2 girls on my Christmas list that would adore scarves and it would make it even more special to them knowing the purchase helps the ASPCA! Thanks for showcasing them!
Aren’t they gorgeous!? I fell in love immediately and love that they donate 20% of their proceeds to deserving charities. Glad you liked them, too, and hope they get more in stock ASAP!
We had our last GOtR practice last night…the 5K is Saturday and I am so excited! It is such a fun organization. The Soul Scarves are a great idea! Perfect for Christmas and to give back!!
I just bought my first Lulu capris with the mesh in the back. They were pricey, but OMG so comfortable! I don’t think you get a discount though when you buy online or do you? I didn’t see it at least.
Awww, your Girls on the Run girls are ADORABLE! I bet they were so excited about the gift bags :). I’ve been meaning to go to Lulu (I have one about 20 minutes away from where I live) to pick up a new pair of workout pants! Best pants you’ll ever get. My last pair saw me through my first 2 years of college where I basically lived in them haha!
I just discovered Elfster yesterday and set it up for our gals gift exchange! Such a neat idea.
And even though Lululemon is expensive, I definitely think some of their staple pieces are worth it! The quality is amazing and they last a really long time. I wear my spandex capris more than I should admit.
That sweater!!! <3
This evening my husband and I are going to a charity event for our local Big Brothers Big Sisters. I can't wait to find out more information on how to become a Big. This is one of my goals for 2015.
I have issues with lululemon taking all of my money too. I get to go to their outlet store once or twice a year, and it has become one of my designated splurge days.
now I MUST find an outlet!!
The one I go to is in Burlington, WA (about an hour north of Seattle), but I’m sure they have one closer to you! It’s a very dangerous place. 🙂
Girls on the Run sounds like such an amazing organization! I had never even heard of it before you and Caitlin mentioning it. I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying it so much! I’m sure it’s so uplifting to make such a positive and healthy impact on young girls. Our society needs that! Great job, Julie!
I have yet to bite the bullet on Lululemon Wunder Unders… The price tag has steered me away so far, but I think I’m even more scared of the fact that I know I’ll love them so much and want to continue buying MORE. That’s cool to know they’re reversible though! Hmmm… 😉
A few things making me smile this week: my Hunter (ALWAYS…he’s a hoot!) and this cooler weather we’ve been having. It finally feels like fall around here!
I am in love with that reindeer sweater! It’s adorable!
And good to know about Elfster! My girlfriends and I are doing a white elephant Christmas exchange, but with bottles of wine this year. I’m pretty excited! 😀
love that idea!
THAT SWEATER is making me smile! Oh goodness I would have bought that in a heartbeat and felt absolutely zero shame. 🙂
That 15% is awesome to know, since I most definitely WILL be a trainer. Someday! 🙂
I LOVE that sweater!!! so so cute! your whole outside actually 🙂 Oh and have fun this weekend!
Coming back from an ankle injury and running PAIN FREE! We never appreciate our ability to work out until we lose it!
Happy Friday!
I’m so happy the girls loved their goody bags! I knew they would! The Pitch Perfect 2 trailer is also on my Things I’m Loving Friday post. Is it too early to start a countdown?
definitely not too early!! <3
Well I’ve been thinking about finally trying Lululemon, but feel bad for thinking of spending so much for a pair of leggings. I’m currently using athleta, but I’m happy to hear that you think they are soo good and worth it! I may just have to give them a try now 😉 . And omg omg omg, I’m so excited for Pitch Perfect 2!!!! I watched the first one for the first time this summer, and couldn’t believe it took me so long!
Love your reindeer sweater!!!
Hi Julie!
I think I remember reading that you’re a straight no chaser fan and there’s a new hilarious Kristen Bell song featuring them! Check it out!
http://time.com/3591987/text-me-merry-christmas-kristen-bell-straight-no-chaser/
LOVE it!!!! BIG TIME SNC fan over here!! 🙂
I love the scarf! Absolutely love the idea of giving back. I think that’s why I love Toms. I am also really loving the fact that I am no longer sick! It’s been three days since the last time I worked out and I can feel the difference.
One thing that’s definitely making me smile this week is that I looked into getting certified to be a spin instructor on Monday and got signed up for tomorrow!
Also,
I love that sweater!
Thanksgiving Food! My students are having a pot luck Thanksgiving feast today and there’s so much wonderful food 🙂
FUN!!! I want stuffing…
That Pure Barre link was hysterical! Loved it.
oooh that carrot ginger dressing sounds good! I love that stuff at sushi restaurants!
do you know the brand on the sweater? i looked on their site and couldn’t find it!
I didn’t look! I wish I could help! I bet you could call the store to check — they were really friendly when I was there!
thanks for the heads up about the group fitness instructor discount at lululemon!! love that store, don’t love the prices, so i’ll take any discount i can get! 🙂 happy friday!
I want some Wunder Unders! They sound amazing!
Hi Julie! Happy Friday! I love that sweater, you really should have it as your own. 🙂 I’m smiling from a lot this week, but most of that is for Thanksgiving excitement! Have a lovely weekend!
BAHAHAHA YES can’t wait for Pitch Perfect 2. Did you happen to see Rebel on the Ellen show? They played “Pitch Please” and it was hilarious! Definitely worth a watch.
My soul scarf is the warmest and most comfy thing I own. I love it!
Elfster! What a great way to organize the family secret santa!!
I love the soulscarf! What a great way to consider giving to a good cause!
One thing that made me smile this week was a folder sent from my husband’s grandma with her family history. I was wanting to know more about his family history and she sent biographies and pictures of ancestors!
Lol my husband sent me that pure barre article, I died! He told me he still doesn’t want to go to class with me! Ha
I would die…in a perfectly good way…if I received a Lulu discount. Lucky you! I love GOTR program and I’m hoping to get out and volunteer at their fall 5K this year! xoxo, ganeeban
YESSSSSS cannot wait for pitch perfect!!!
Aaahhhh I can’t wait for Pitch Perfect 2 either! And, yes, GOTR is the best! I worked with them last year in DC :). Happy weekend!
Oh man, that Purre Bar article. “My fiancee keeps looking at me and smiling. Borderline laughing. Can’t wait till she’s pushing out our child …” Too funny!
Catawba is my alma mater! (also, you put an extra “a” in it 😉 ) I think you and your GOTR team will love running a 5k around the tiny, but beautiful campus.
I love the face you checked your Lulu pants to see if they were see through, that is great. The one thing that made me happy this weekend, would have to be we had Thanksgiving last night in Australia. It was so much fun teaching Aussie friends about American traditions. http://www.eatallovertheworld.weebly.com