Ryan and I have some fun plans on the agenda this weekend because Ryan’s cousin Daniel arrived in town last night! Daniel and Ryan lived together in college, so the three of us became really, really close after Ryan and I started dating during my freshman year. Daniel was the best man in our wedding and is truly the funniest person I know so I cannot wait to spend quality time with one of our very best friends this weekend!
But let’s keep to the traditional schedule and tackle your usual Things I’m Loving Friday blog post where we chat all about what we’re loving most each week. As always, feel free to weigh in below and share something that’s making you smile with everyone in the comments section!
Things I’m Loving Friday
- Polar Black Cherry Seltzer Water
I bought a giant bottle of this stuff at an airport a long time ago and have since looked for it everywhere. I was so, so excited to see a 12-pack of the seltzer water for sale at Earth Fare this week and immediately put it in my grocery cart. The bubbly water reminds me so much of Dr. Pepper, but without the syrupy sweetness. LOVE it.
- Stitch Fix Maternity Clothes (!!!)
Talk about perfect timing!!! Stitch Fix announced earlier this week that they are adding maternity clothes and petite sizes to their styling services and I could not be more thrilled. Woo! I updated my Stitch Fix profile last week to tell them I am pregnant and when I got an email from my stylist informing me about their new maternity option, I was so pumped!! I cannot wait to see what new maternity styles find their way into my monthly fixes and will be sure to share any highlights with you guys on the blog. I love that they asked for my due date when I updated my style profile and am hopeful that this will help them do a better job of styling me and my growing bump each month.
- Spinning with My Dad
Before my mom and dad left yesterday morning, my dad took my Thursday morning Spinning class!! It was the first time I’ve had a family member in one of my group exercise classes and it was so great to have him join me!
I know I’ve talked about this local coffee shop a few times on the blog, but it really is my absolute favorite. The owner is so, so friendly and this week, after he found out I was pregnant, he gave me my usual decaf caramel almond milk latte on the house. So sweet! (Also, for any locals who prefer decaf, I think their decaf coffee is the best in town. It’s so smooth!) And a quick shout out goes to the generous blog reader who added my name to the coffee shop’s Pay It Forward board. I was so surprised when I walked in and saw my name on the board earlier this week and really appreciate your kindness! Thank you!
Ryan, Daniel and I hit up this brand new barbeque restaurant in Birkdale Village for dinner last night and walked away giving it rave reviews! We all loved our entrees and gave the shrimp and grits, barbeque pulled pork, mac and cheese and barbeque chicken salad two enthusiastic thumbs up! And the brownie sundae dessert was the perfect way to end our meal. I hope to return for another meal there soon!
- Vizsla Puppy Pictures
I cannot handle the cuteness. Give me all the vizsla puppies!! (As a side note, the number of vizsla-related Instagram accounts I follow is getting ridiculous. I’m sure I creep some people out when I go through and like 20 pictures of their dog in a row…)
My fellow So You Think You Can Dance fans may remember past winner Fik-Shun. This is a rockin’ video of him absolutely killin’ it during a past dance competition. He is so darn charismatic and talented.
- Two-Pound Bag of Sour Patch Kids
My friend Brittany clearly knows the way to my heart. Gummy candy has been one of my strongest pregnancy cravings (along with sandwiches, anything salty and sparkling water) and she gave me a two pound bag of Sour Patch Kids earlier this week. I’ve already made a rather embarrassing dent in the bag and love them a little too much.
- Giveaway Winners
Congratulations to…
- Vanessa D. – The winner of the Gemvara giveaway!
- Kristin – The winner of the Blue Apron giveaway!
Both winners were emailed right before this blog post went up. Hope you love your prizes! And thanks to all who entered!
Question of the Day
- What is one thing you are loving this week?
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I always loved Pi day in school – my math teachers used to always bring us Pie in class!
Also – tomorrow’s Pi day is EXTRA special because it’s 3/14/15! And it will be even better at 9:26! (3.1415926 – total nerd over here!)
🙂
Love it!!
WOW that brownie looks amazing! And what a nice cafe 🙂 have fun this weekend!
Kim
http://trendkeeper.me .. Travel tips and How YOU can be featured on my blog tomorrow!
That dessert just literally made my mouth water!! I am also loving Border Collies of Instagram and I feel the same way about liking everyone’s dog pictures..haha. I am loving the warmer weather here in Springfield, MO. Every day this week I have been able to take the dogs on a run after work! Hopefully it isn’t raining too hard this afternoon–There’s just something about running in rain <3
I just did a recipe roundup of Irish desserts on my website and these “sour patch” grapes made the list. I haven’t had the chance to make them yet, but they look good! I thought you might like them since you’re all about the sour candy! http://sweettreatsmore.com/2012/03/sour-patch-grapes-leprachaun-candy/
Happy Friday!
Yum! Thanks for sharing!
What a cute idea for a local coffee shop! I love when small town actually have something like that. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Starbucks. But there is something so nice about going into a smaller, local coffee place that just feels like YOURS. 🙂
This week in loving the new Jeep commercial song! As you may find being pregnant, some things will oddly make you smile or cry more than usual, & this mystery song has a line “two kids, you & me” which makes me soo excited for my twin boys to come…& to get back to vacations and driving my Jeep, lol!
I’m so shocked that you have Polar down South! It is a New England favorite and I can never find it when I travel! The plant is actually in my home town of Worcester, MA. 🙂 If you ever get the chance, try the Cape Cod Cranberry Dry. It’s a little sweet, but if you mix it with the Cranberry Lime seltzer it’s amazing!!!!
I’ll look for it!! I cannot get enough of the black cherry right now!
I follow SO many dog IG accounts too! So adorable! Have fun this weekend 🙂
This sounds silly, but I’m loving that I’m going to be having wine this weekend! I hadn’t been drinking for a half marathon I was training for, but I finished the race Sunday. 🙂
Jealous!! 🙂
haha I always give one of my bffs that big bag of sour patch kids for her birthday– it’s the best!! also that is so sweet that your dad took your spinning class! That is so cute 🙂
I used to eat Sour Patch Kids by the pound when I was pregnant. They were one of the only things that curbed my nausea!
The vast majority of my instagram friends are fellow Australian Cattle Dog owners/lovers. As a fellow crazy dog lady, I’m pretty sure I show my hubby a new ACD puppy every single day. They are just too freakin’ cute!!!
That dessert looks absolutely incredible!! And it’s been way too long since I’ve had Sour Patch Kids! They’re my favorite gummy candy and a two-pound bag would be such trouble for me as I study for finals 😉
i’m loving that it’s SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!! and yes at 29 years old i’m just as excited as i was when i was 9 🙂
The amount of Great Dane IG accounts I follow is definitely getting out of hand! I’m loving that it’s finally warming up in Texas and hopefully will be able to have a pool day this weekend (*cross fingers*)
I am NOT looking forward to all of the SXSW traffic starting…
I totally love that idea of the “Pay It Forward” chalkboard at your local coffee shop! And how sweet that a blog reader added your name?! Those small acts of kindness go such a long way!
That brownie sundae is calling to me through the screen! Looks so good!
Polar is my favorite brand of seltzer! You need to try the orange vanilla flavor if you like creamsicles!
PS congrats on expecting!
My favorite puppy instagram accounts are: husky_quartet and samoyedhappy. Well, and pugsofinstagram. I follow way too many. I also like samhaseyebrows who is a cat.
I’m LOVING the spring weather! The Big 12 basketball tournament is in KC this weekend and that means day-drinking with friends on PATIOS. Possibly my favorite thing ever 🙂
Since you are into the sparkling water right now, you should try Sparkling ICE water, the flavor cherry limeade is my favorite! They have a black raspberry flavor you may like, not sure if they have a black cherry flavor though. And what I am loving this week is the weather, finally able to run outside again!
This week I am loving BODYPUMP! I’ve read about BodyPump a few dozen times on here over the past few years :), and finally decided to try it last month – with my wedding looming a year away, now is the time! I am now going 3 times a week and am addicted to how strong it makes me feel, and how challenging it is (talk about those squats!) I never would have considered my new “favorite thing” if it weren’t for this blog, so thanks!
Love BodyPump so much!!
Love Polar Seltzer! It’s made in the town I live in and it’s everywhere here in Massachusetts (3 for $10-12 packs are what I live for 🙂 ), tastes delicious and is all natural – can’t beat it! My favorite flavor is the pomegranate sangria and the classic Lemon – so good!
Sour Patch Kids are my weakness! Every time I see them at the grocery store, Ryan has to literally pull me away like a child! Because if he doesn’t, he know that like devour the entire bag that night (I have no self control when it comes to these). I also always save the red and blue for the end because they’re my favorite flavors!
So happy StitchFix is starting a maternity line too! The more options the better!
So not the healthiest of obsessions, but I’m not even ashamed…Coffeemate coconut creamer! I don’t know why I got a craving for it last week; (I’m a black coffee girl, through and through) but, here I am drinking my coconut coffee creamered coffee every morning. I think I’m just craving summer.
Love Polar Black Cherry Seltzer. Boy, does that sound good right now! 🙂
I am loving taking our pup for morning walks now that the weather is finally warming up! My husband and I found the most beautiful, quiet roads where we can walk Maple for hours. It’s my new happy place.
I love the coffee idea, that is so cute and makes a neighborhood shop that more friendlier! This week I am loving being on vacation and taking time off from work, honestly it makes me miss work even more and more excited about what I do! Thanks for sharing all of your favs xo C
Tomorrow is an extra SPECIAL Pi Day because tomorrow’s date is 3.14.15 (which are the first five digits of PI!) <Nerd alert!
This week I'm loving on my step daughter (Kaylyn). My husband had sole custody of her when we met, but a month before our wedding Kaylyn decided to move into her mom's house. Because as a senior in HS, who wants to live in a house of rules, chores and homework schedules … when you can live with the polar opposite parent?(sarcasm) Anyway, last summer Kaylyn and her mom decided to adopt a lab/pit mix puppy named Mya. Mya is a VERY good dog, but she's a busy body, and these are two women that don't like to exercise outside. Thus….Mya is chewing everything in sight, because she gets NO exercise. (which makes me SO mad!) This week, Kaylyn's mom told her that the dog needs to go and my husband and I are thinking about bringing Mya into our home. I'm nervous about this because we both work 9 hour days and are too far away to come home at lunch to let Mya exercise. We started looking into doggie day care options, which only makes me more nervous (hello, expensive!) But I started to go through your Sadie posts and know that as Mya grows she will thrive in our home with us. Yes, we are busy people – but we love to walk, run, hike on the big sand dunes on Lake Michigan …. I THINK we're gonna be okay. And a week FULL of dinners with Kaylyn and working through some hard decisions has actually been pretty great.
I’m just as guilty as you about following dogs on instagram. I have a wheaten terrier and I can spend hours going through #wheatenterrier pictures!! Gah, dogs are the best. Also, I’ve purchased that bag of sour patch kids by myself for myself a time or two… no shame in my game!
I found stitch fix last year thanks to you and absolutely love it. I’m 22 weeks and also having a boy! So excited to be able to read about your experiences! Stitch fix has been knocking it out of the park with my fixes since I told them I was pregnant. I bought the entire last box!
So happy to hear this!! March will be my first “pregnant fix” now that I updated my profile!
Hey Julie! Congats on the pregnancy. I think becoming a new mom you would love my new youtube channel. It’s recipes for every holiday along with DIY’s. I incorporate my kids a lot. I hope you check it out. Here’s my newest video! https://youtu.be/D8xlD6yI9h0
That viszla puppy is soo adorable! Can’t wait to see you rock some cute preggo clothes!
That dance video!! Had me smiling the whole time. LOVED it thanks for sharing!
So jealous that stitch fix has maternity now! There is also BUMPstyle Box as well that does a Stitchfix like service for maternity clothes.
Congrats on having a boy! You will love it – I have a 5 month old son. Can’t wait to hear if you are going to reveal the name early or not.
Hi Julie! I LOVE having my friends or family members in my classes, but it doesn’t really happen all that often. It’s great your dad could join you. And as far as friends visiting for the weekend? AWESOME! Enjoy it! After a trip to Key West last weekend, I’m laying low this weekend. Happy Friday!
Can you believe I’ve never tried spinning? it sounds so fun but my thighs are quite weak, not sure id be able to do it! x
That is awesome that stitch fix has maternity now!
One of my faves this week is House of Cards! Just finished season 3 last night, SO good 🙂
Yesss!!
Love Polar as well, wish I could find a decent cup of decaf coffee near where I live! (Manhattan has a LOT of exotic/unique/overpriced coffee, and also lots of $1 cups on the street, but apparently New Yorkers can’t fathom life without caffeine, which I cut out due to insomnia and headaches).
I am loving the fact that I’m running the NYC Half Marathon this Sunday, the 1-year mark of my first half and 2-year mark of when I started running!
I normally only eat Greek yogurt now but my husband got me hooked on:
http://liberteyogurt.com/en/Products/Mediterranean/Mediterranee-Lemon
it’s AMAZING……..tastes like Lemon Meringue Pie yummmmmmmm
I loooooove their coconut flavor!
My ONLY pregnancy craving was Sour Patch Kids. My BOY still loves them to death! I think I went through three 2lb bags.
So good!!
Okay, how adorable is that coffee shop?! So cool.
I love Fik-shun! He’s one of my all-time favorite dancers from SYTYCD. His smile is so adorable!
This week I’m loving the warmer weather of course! In PA it was absolutely beautiful the past few days (minus a bit of rain). I hope it’ll stay around for a while!
I’m loving butternut squash soup! I’ve been under the weather lately and this homemade creamy goodness has certainly help me get back on track!
Mmmm sour patch kids, I ate those all the time when I was pregnant!
Julie!!
I have been reading your blog for about a year now!! I am only 16 but I just love all your posts and I was so so so happy to see your pregnant!
Thank you, Sara!
black cherry is definitely my favorite seltzer flavor!
My husband follows @jubjubthedog on instagram and it’s hilarious! He’s a GIANT slobbery dog and so cute!
That coffee shop sounds really cute. There was a similar one here that I used to go to with some friends and knit. Every week the owner would come over and see how our projects were coming along. Unfortunately they closed awhile ago. I still miss it whenever I drive by.
I’m loving that it’s finally SPRING in Minneapolis!! Although I was in Wisconsin at the beginning of the week the Midwest is finally melting and it’s warm enough for t-shirt runs outside!! Vitamin D goes a long ways too.
What a cool idea to have a pay it forward board! Love little acts of kindness like that. 🙂
And oh my goodness, that vizsla puppy is WAY too cute.
My favorite things this week has to be the beautiful weather! The warmer temperatures and sunshine has been such a mood booster lately.
Have a great weekend!!!
Julie!!! Polar water is the best! My mother-in-law and I are sparkling water junkies and she introduced it to me. My favorite (so far) is the orange vanilla. It tastes like a Dreamisicle! (<— I have actually never had a Dreamsicle, but my mother-in-law swears that's exactly what it tastes like. To me, it tastes like orange-vanilla sparkling water, but it's delicious nonetheless 🙂 )
TGIF…like your note about Spinning with My Dad! For me it’s a favorite to have my daughter come to my class or go with me to another class. Have a great weekend!