Good morning and happy almost weekend! I am really looking forward to the next few days, as I will be driving to Raleigh later this afternoon for my family baby shower! I cannot wait to see my mom, sister, aunt, uncle, grandma and cousins and know a good time awaits. Iām ready to get the party started!
Before I head out for the day, I wanted to take a little time to dive into your weekly Things Iām Loving Friday blog post where we all share a little bit about what weāre loving most each week. Feel free to comment below and tell me about something that is making you smile today!
Have a wonderful weekend, my friends, and Iāll see ya on Monday morning!
Things Iām Loving Friday
Iām officially 1,000 years late to the whole midi ring thing, but now that Iām on board, I canāt stop wearing them! I picked up a few inexpensive Lauren Conrad midi rings at Kohlās (pictured above) and love their delicate look. I also always assumed midi rings would be annoying to wear since they donāt slide all the way down the finger, but I usually forget about them the minute I put them on which is a great thing in my opinion!
Yes, I know these shoes are all kinds of ridiculous but I kind of love them and want a pair with Sadieās face on them. So, so great. (And yes, this is the kind of stuff I fall in love with while scrolling through Instagramā¦)
This week has been a little cooler and the dreary weather in Charlotte made me crave a hot cup of tea every day. Though I chose a different kind of tea to make almost every day, I repeated one kind a few times that surprised me a bit! Have you guys heard of Traditional Medicinals Pregnancy Tea? My mom sent me some a while ago and I finally got around to trying it last week and was surprised how much I liked it! It has a slight spearmint taste that I really enjoy.
Iāve been adding these crunchy nibs to everything from oatmeal and Greek yogurt to smoothies and trail mixes and cannot get enough of them!
- Enya
Oh Enya, how Iāve missed your calming music! I used to listen to Enya when I was younger (a former dance teacher got me hooked after I first heard āSail Awayā) and recently brought one of her CDs out of hiding and have been really enjoying the way her soothing music relaxes me. Itās great background music to play in the kitchen while making dinner after a long day.
This hair highlighting spray from OGX Beauty is quickly becoming a favorite of mine! The company sent it to me a few weeks ago and Iāve been spraying it on my hair before Ryan and I head out for a day on the boat with the hope that it will naturally lighten my hair a bit. I donāt know why, but Iām still so nervous to color my hair (I keep going back and for about trying balayage after so many of you recommended it!), but this spray is a great compromise for me right now since I like it when my naturally blonde hair lightens up in the summer and really do believe the spray is helping my hair achieve a little bit more of a sun-kissed look!
- Around The Web
Where To Get Free Donuts TODAY for National Donut Day
Perfect for Summer: A Roundup of Delicious Fruit Salads (Thank you to Fitness Magazine for including my recipe for Tropical Fruit Salad!)
24 Dogs Stealing The Spotlight In Their Ownersā Pregnancy Announcements
My First Orangetheory Class (Iāve been dying to try this workout and Lindsay makes it sound amazing!)
Questions of the Day
- What is one thing you are loving this week?
- Any fun weekend plans on your agenda?
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The personalized shoes are absolutely hilarious! If I had a pair with my dog, Oliver’s face on it, I think it would be silly, but fun! Also, that is exciting about your baby shower! I hope you have a great time and I look forward to seeing pictures!
I’m jealous you can rock midi rings, girlfriend. My big knuckles are *not* flattering with that look… I’ve tried.
A lot of these are old favorites of mine as well! Love that tea, the spray and Enya (best music for work when I have a ton of stuff to do!) I’m heading up to Lake Erie this weekend for a race, can’t wait! Have a great weekend š
Hi Julie!
I became a coach at a new Orangetheory Fitness near me in the Bay Area a couple months ago and LOVE it! Here’s a little more about it if you want to know, including all of the wonderful options for people of all levels: http://aladygoeswest.com/2015/05/14/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-orangetheory-fitness-workout/
Have a wonderful time at your baby shower! š TGIF!
Oh my gosh, Enya!!! I just laughed out loud because Enya CDs defined my childhood – my parents loved her music and played it all the time.
Hi Julie! Happy Friday – have a wonderful time at your baby shower. I so miss Enja – I used to play that CD on repeat constantly. Need to find it in my collection!
Love OGX products! I didn’t know they even had that product, I might have to look into it! And yes to Cacao Nibs!! The perfect combo of crunch and chocolate!
Love the midi rings. I have been listening to a lot more music lately when I’m around the house because I hear it is enjoyable for the baby. It also causes me to dance around a little more and talk to the baby. š
This week I am loving Olaplex hair conditioner. It might be the best hair conditioner I have ever used.
I am loving how fast this week is flying by, since I have a fun triathlon coming up this Sunday in Atlanta!!
Do you have any recommendations for Raleigh? I am going next weekend for the Mumford & Sons concert and have no idea what to see/do there!!
I have been loving granola as a desert lately so I definitely think i’ll have to try out the Cacao Nibs! š
I have a baby shower to attend tomorrow as well. Looking forward to some pool time this weekend now that it’s finally stopped raining in Texas!
Those dog shoes are pretty cute!
I’d never heard of midi rings until my Jamberry upline started sporting them in her “Jammicure” pictures, and they look really awesome. I rarely wear jewelry, but I might need to try them. They’re just so cute!
And Enya has been on my evening playlists lately. Just something quiet to calm the head after a long day. <3
I’ve been wanting to try Orangetheory for a while as well. I just need to get my act together and just go! No set plans this weekend although I was told my boyfriend is treating me to a surprise tomorrow night! I’m also late on this mid finger rings. I feel like they’d be uncomfortable. Have a fantastic time at your baby shower!! Hope you have a fabulous weekend : )
Try adding the cacao nibs to date/cashew balls! So yummy with that extra crunch!
those rings are so cute!! I’m excited for this weekend because I think my bf and I are taking a mini-roadtrip to virginia beach tomorrow! wooo!
Totally love cocoa nibs! Never had them sprinkled over oatmeal, will have to try! Yes those shoes are beyond ridiculous, but if I saw someone wearing them, it would totally make my day haha!
I love the rings (and nails and shirt)! Gorgeous.
Those shoes are amazing. Are they only for pets or can you do anything you want? They would definitely be a conversation starter, which is always fun.
I’m heading to Santa Cruz this weekend. So excited for some time with good friends and warmer weather!
Side note — I’m 32 weeks today! Total craziness.
thanks for the share!!!!
Clicking through to get that lightening spray for Travis – long blond hair and a beard!?!! That’ll be hot! š
I mean, it’s hair dye. It’s not like it’s permanent if you hate it. It will grow out haha. And I’m willing to bet the second you do it you’ll be all WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG!
I have yet to jump on the midi ring train, but I DO love them! The delicate look of them and adding a little bit of “extra” to your hands without it being overly bulky or big is appealing to me.
Have a fun weekend with your family!!
the sun is out today!!!!!!!! we’ve had a ton of rain in st louis lately so i’m excited the sun is shining – i’m going to try to get in a run while william is at school for a couple hours! and i just sent that hair lightening spray to my sister for my three year old niece saying it is more natural than sun-in….. lol
Midi rings are the best! I’m going to have to find a bottle of that lemon highlighting spray! I remember something similar from my childhood called Sun In and it was pretty awesome then! Can’t wait to see the recap from the baby shower! š
Love all of these! I’ve been on the lookout for a good highlighting spray to use and the OGX one looks perfect! I recommend the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner. They work really well to lighten your hair in the summer months!
My 20th birthday is tomorrow so thatās what Iām loving this week!! Hope you have a wonderful time at your baby shower! š
I’m loving that I finally got off my lazy butt & offered to host shabbat dinner tonight for my family. I created a dining room out of an unused space & have never really used it. I pulled out my grandmother’s china & crystal & it looks beautiful! I can’t wait for them to get here! Happy weekend Julie!
My sister in law gave me some pregnancy tea, and some raspberry leaf tea, and I feel like maybe the pregnancy tea was actually one to help with your milk supply later on? Either, I’m excited to use them in a few months! Have so much fun at your baby shower!! Make lots and lots of sweet memories!!
The highlighting spray reminds me of Sun-In when I was a kid š I wouldn’t recommend bayalage for you since your natural hair color is so pretty! It’s expensive and can be very damaging, and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it right??
I totally see where you’re coming from, but I 100% disagree about balayage! I’m 25 and have always had naturally very, very blonde hair (with a similar texture to Julie’s), but I started feeling like it was getting darker now that I spend less time outside, even in the summer. I LOVE it! I did it for the first time in January and instantly felt more like myself, if that makes sense. It’s SO subtle and honestly just looks like how my hair looks when it lightens up in the sun. Totally recommend it! (It’s also given my hair a bit more texture, which is a welcome change!)
Those midi rings are so cute and that highlighting spray sounds great! I shared some of my favorites on my blog this morning, one being Lush’s Enchanted Eye Cream. Have you tried Lush products before? They honestly rock and are animal and cruelty free!
Have a great weekend and enjoy your shower!!
I wanna try that spray!!
If you have time in Raleigh, have a Char-Grill chocolate shake for me. I miss them so much!!
For starters, I’m loving this list. Midi rings are a must, check out the shop Catbird NYC.
I’m loving the Lara Croft Relic Run game for the iphone, it requires little skill and is addictive.
I had my mom in town last weekend, we did our annual outlet mall trip so I’ll spend my weekend drafting my blog post about that.
Those shoes are awesome! I’m just imagining my Rhett’s face on them… and the look my hubby would give m if I got them… hahahah!
Loving those shoes! And traditional medicinals is great especially their Throat Coat tea – it does WONDERS for sore throats š
I need to try that natural highlighter, my hair is pretty blonde in the summer as well but would love to try it out! I am really looking forward to some antiquing this weekend with my mom and a fun dinner out with my sister!
I LOVE midi rings!! they always fall off when I’m rummaging through my purse though, haha!
I’m from Boston and I’ve been dying to go to “The Lawn on D” – tonight I’ll be sitting outside watching the movie, Hairspray sitting in one of these cool chairs —> http://lawnond.com/about-the-lawn-on-d/ š
Oooh I’ll have to try that highlighting mist!
I didn’t know that brand made a Pregnancy Tea, but I loved their Mother’s Milk Tea when I was breastfeeding! I don’t know if it hugely affected my supply, because I never really had too many issues (thank goodness) but I really liked having at least a cup of it everyday. It made me feel like I was doing something good for my little one, but it also tastes delicious! I give it to all my nursing friends now š You’ll have to get some!
P.S. you are looking amazing and adorable!!
I love adding cacao nibs to snacks – especially a banana + peanut butter + cacao nibs.
This week I’ve been loving popsicles…it’s been so warm here and they help me cool down! I imagine that since the last part of this pregnancy is through the summer, there are many more popsicles in my future.
I really want to get some cacao nibs to mix with my nuts for a little trail mix!
Awww yey! Have the best time ever in my adopted hometown! I love it here just as much as St. Augustine š
Thank you for posting these Friday posts. They are always my favorites of the week. I love checking out all of the links you share!
While in Peru (Thank you for your referral to Dayanna by the way!) we went to the Coco museum and tried chocolate tea…. holy moly it changed my world š
hahahah i saw a picture of sean lowe the bachelor wearing those shoes!!!!!!
i have a 10k trail run this weekend in honor of national trails day! and one thing i’m loving today (besides free donuts) is fresh cherries <3
When I was in grade 11 my ballet class did our recital dance to Sail Away by Enjya. Ah, memories!
One thing I am loving this week: Almond milk mistos from a local cafe near my work. It is great yet dangerous all at the same time.
One thing I am looking forward to this weekend: The Goddess Run! It’s an all women’s event that offers the 5k, 10k, and half marathon distance. My mom, sister & a family friend are doing the 5k and I will be doing the 10k – and hopefully going shopping after! š
Where did you get your chevron ring? I have been looking for one like that!
Cacao nibs are SO good!! I love adding them into baked goods š
I would very proudly wear a pair of shoes with a picture of my dog on them!
After years of damage to my hair from coloring, I grew it all out and use lemon juice in the summer to bring out my natural highlights and it absolutely does the trick! Leaves the hair a tad sticky and you might attract a bee or two, but it’s a great alternative!
I love those Rings too! The more I wear them, the more they grow on me.
This weekend we have a wedding on my boyfriends side of the family. And it’s no small family. This will be my first family event of this caliber since we began dating 4 years ago.
I am flying to Raleigh tomorrow! I am going to visit family and watch my cousin graduate! Have fun!
Have so much fun at your baby shower! I bet you are going to have a beautiful party- you and your family always knock it out of the park. š
One thing I”m loving this Friday is getting approved for a beautiful high rise apartment complete with a rooftop pool this week! I move in three weeks from now and couldn’t be more excited.
And this weekend I’m looking forward to getting all fancy and working our annual Washington National Opera Ball at the German Ambassador’s residence. š
As someone who’s been highlighting her hair since she was 16…I say if you haven’t yet, don’t start now!