For now, it’s time to dive right into this week’s roundup of favorites, Things I’m Loving Friday style. As always, I’d love to hear about something making you smile in the comments section of this post if you would like to share. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Things I’m Loving Friday
You know those little things that annoy you but you never really do anything about and then once you do, you’re like whyyy did that take me so long? That was me with the syrup situation in our house. We use maple syrup quite frequently for waffles and pancakes but also in recipes (especially my whole wheat pumpkin muffins + these spinach banana muffins) and I was always a little annoyed by the way it would drip all over the sides of the container and then harden into a sticky mess. During a summertime trip to Florida, I noticed a syrup dispenser in my sister’s fridge and immediately ordered one for our family. Why didn’t I ever think of this before!? I’m happy to report that this thing works like a charm with zero drippy maple syrup messes.
I know I could just say “look, I got a new phone case” but the words “phone makeover” popped into my head and I had to lean into this ridiculousness. I recently swapped out my old phone case for a deep burgundy case (+ this matching battery pack + MagSafe grip ring) that felt more appropriate for fall/winter months and it’s making me so happy. Can a phone have a cozy/eclectic aesthetic because that’s what I feel like my phone is giving right now.
I also ordered these beaded gemstone cellphone wrist straps (in this rainbow color + this adventurine green color) mainly because I thought they were so pretty but they’ve been such a great addition from a functionality standpoint, too. Love it all!
One of you recommended R.E.M. Beauty Glossy Balm to me when I mentioned how much I like ph-activated lip balms. I think the way they work with your body’s natural chemistry to give you the perfect shade of pink for your lips is just the coolest and this gloss very quickly blew me away. It transforms from a ph-adaptive sky blue color to a gorgeous, glowy pink within 15 seconds and the color LASTS. I’m also super sensitive to lip glosses and lip stains/lipsticks feathering as I notice the lines around my lips increasing with age and this one keeps color on the lips and looks so fresh and beautiful. It’s one of those products I never would’ve ordered had one of you not recommended it so highly (I mean it’s BLUE) but I will 100 percent be re-ordering this one when it runs out.
(Rainbow Beaded Charm / Gold Initial Charm)
I’ve never been one to shy away from color in my clothing an accessories but sometimes I find myself reaching for neutrals because they mix and match well and aren’t as memorable as, say, showing up in the same red jumpsuit day after day. Still, when I’m wearing neutrals from head to toe, sometimes I feel like my outfit is a little boring and like to jazz it up with jewelry, accessories, and, more recently, bag charms! I first noticed bag charms when I was browsing the Clare V. site (a dangerous place to browse because their bags are gorgeous) and was thrilled when my friend Lauren gave me an adorable Clare V. yellow flower bag tag/fob for my birthday.
(White Top + Jeans Outfit Links here / Track Pants + Tee outfit links here)
This unlocked my love for bag charms and I’ve since added a few more to my collection, including this rainbow beaded charm and this gold initial charm. They add a perfect pop of color to my bags and I love the playful, happy look they add to a crossbody, a purse, a tote, etc., especially when the color is otherwise a little plain or neutral.
We went apple picking with friends during our mini mountain vacation last weekend and unfortunately the orchard was hit with a hail storm so their apples were all covered in blemishes. They still taste great and work well for recipes but aren’t the best for snacking. This means we’re making a LOT of apple recipes in our house and, for the first time ever, we gave homemade apple cider a try! I followed the Instant Pot version of this recipe from the blog Gimme Some Oven and it made our whole house smell amazing. It tasted like fall in a cup and we all loved it! I kind of thought we’d be able to get away without adding much sweetener but we definitely needed the recommended amount of sweetener as our apples were rather tart!
Genre: Romance / My rating: B+
Abby Jimenez’s books are so darn enjoyable to read. Her characters are funny and likable and I will forever sing her praises as the queen of dialog because the banter between her characters is funny, sweet and not-at-all cheesy like so many other romance novels. While Say You Remember Me was not my favorite of her novels, it was still a book that made me laugh and felt like a great little escape, especially after Broken Country which was certainly a heavier read.
Synopsis from Amazon: There’s no such thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediate yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong . . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake.
But after one incredible and seemingly endless date, Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be. Only no amount of distance or time is enough to forget what’s between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.
Genre: Mystery/Suspense / My rating: B
This book is one of those books I liked enough to keep reading but enjoyed slightly less the further I got into the story. I thought the premise was really interesting — a college student interviews a man dying of cancer who was convicted of murder decades ago and begins to believe he might be as innocent as he insists — and really enjoyed the way the author weaves elements like complex family relationships and a main character you cannot help but really root for into the story. The book started to lose me when it felt a little too predictable and almost sloppy (like too much happening all at once or something?) however I read that this is the author’s first novel and it intrigued me enough to read more from the author in the future.
Oatmeal Apple Crisp (We went apple picking with friends during our trip to the mountains last week and this was the first thing we made! Forever and always our favorite, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!)
Cinnamon Apple Pie Ice Cream (The recipe we’ll be making with our remaining apple haul this weekend!)
Question of the Day
What is one thing you’re loving this week?
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