Peanut Butter Fingers

Hi friends! How are you? How is your Friday going so far? The sun is shining here after two full days of rain that ushered in some cooler fall temperatures. I’m not sure if it’s the April birthday in me, but I love a rainy day so I was all about it. I’m also ALL about the sunny mid-70s weather we’re supposed to have this weekend which should be ideal for a weekend filled with kids’ sports. We have plans to see friends today but other than that, it’ll be a pretty chill weekend saturated in soccer and flag football games!

As for today, it’s time to dive into this week’s roundup of favorites, Things I’m Loving Friday style! Let’s do this!

Things I’m Loving Friday

NYC/CT Girls’ Trip

I got awfully sidelined from my initial plans to recap my weekend trip to NYC/CT with my college friends when I apparently needed to get out some swirling feelings I’ve been having about Pepper. (Thank you guys for being so wonderfully understanding about that, by the way.) I still wanted to, at the very least, share some snapshots and highlights from our trip even if I just do it rapid-fire style.

Up first: NYC! We spent all day last Thursday and Friday exploring the city, popping in and out of restaurants and cafes, shopping and exploring. One major perk of visiting a city two of your friends used to call home is that almost everything is planned for you… and planned well! We ate amazing food, sipped amazing drinks and thoroughly enjoyed being in the city together.

I joked that my single contribution to our NYC trip was the show we all saw together. Everyone agreed that we wanted to see a Broadway show and when I suggested SIX, a musical that reimagines the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII in a humorous, upbeat and incredibly catchy way, everyone was game.

The show ended up being a huge hit with our whole group, including those who aren’t as into Broadway and musicals. (It was also under 90 minutes which was a perk for the non-musical-loving members of our crew!) The talent was next-level impressive and the music was just as phenomenal as I’d hoped it would be after streaming the soundtrack non-stop for months. I LOVED IT.

Late Friday afternoon, we caught a train to Rowayton, Connecticut, a beautifully charming coastal town two of our friends now call home.

We loved walking around the town, popping into local shops and sipping afternoon cocktails aboard the Pearl, an oyster boat permanently docked in the harbor outside of Rowayton Seafood.

Our time aboard the Pearl was a highlight for all of us. We had a blast day drinking (day drinking > night drinking x 1,000!) and laughing so hard our stomachs hurt before making our way out to Roton Point where we spent the rest of our time by a firepit near the beach.

I left Connecticut on Sunday with tired eyes and a very full heart that felt extra grateful for this group of women I’d loved for 20+ years.

P.S. For outfit links + everything I packed, you can see it all rounded up here: NYC + CT Girls’ Trip Packing Roundup. Also, if you need a pair of nude heels that are walkable/not sky-high, I rolled the dice and wore these around NYC Thursday night without breaking them in and they were fantastic! I sized down 1/2 size. And this bolero sweater was PERFECT for draping over my shoulders in the weird in-between summer/fall weather.

Alec’s Culture Cup Probiotic Ice Cream

I have a raging sweet tooth (you’re not surprised, I know) and feel like I need a little something sweet after lunch and dinner every single day. I often grab some chocolate (and no, not just one piece — puh-lease), but lately I’ve noticed myself eating more and more sweets. I’ve been looking for something that would satisfy my sweet tooth but not set me off into “eat all the sweet treats” mode. I think I may have found it! These little cups of Alec’s ice cream are small enough to not feel like I’m deep-diving into a pint of ice cream but big enough to feel like a more satisfying sweet treat than, say, a square of dark chocolate. I like to take one out of the freezer to slightly thaw while I eat my lunch. The combination of the slightly-melty ice cream with the hard, chocolaty shell on top is just chef’s kiss.

My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney

Talk about a wildly twisty book! What a read! Alice Feeney’s books can be hit or miss for me and while this one isn’t a literary masterpiece, it’s a book filled with lies and deception that keeps you fully engaged and guessing. I read this one, but think it would be the kind of audiobook that would inspire me to clean my whole house or walk a million miles! And the ending!!! Phewyyy!

From Amazon: Eden Fox, an artist on the brink of her big break, sets off for a run before her first exhibition. When she returns to the home she recently moved into, Spyglass, an enchanting old house in Hope Falls, nothing is as it should be. Her key doesn’t fit. A woman, eerily similar to her, answers the door. And her husband insists that the stranger is his wife. One house. One husband. Two women. Someone is lying. Six months earlier, a reclusive Londoner called Birdy, reeling from a life-changing diagnosis, inherits Spyglass. This unexpected gift from a long-lost grandmother brings her to the pretty seaside village of Hope Falls. But then Birdy stumbles upon a shadowy London clinic that claims to be able to predict a person’s date of death, including her own. Secrets start to unravel, and as the line between truth and lies blurs, Birdy feels compelled to right some old wrongs.

Simply Happy Foodie’s Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

My sister and Ross brought this pot roast into our lives over the summer and it’s quickly become part of our regular meal rotation. I also LOVE that it can make a ton of food which is ideal for when you’re hosting or feeding others. I was bringing a meal to our dog trainer who recently had her second baby and made a gigantic batch of this pot roast for her family and our family on Wednesday night. It never fails! And I always follow the “notes” at the bottom of the recipe (the one that says you can just dump everything into the pot!) and it turns out perfectly with less steps. I also add carrots, onions and little potatoes to make it more of a meal.

Weekly Looks

Pants: Amazon / Sweater: Quince / Bodysuit Tank: Nuuds / Sandals: Amazon / Initial Stripe Tote: BaubleBar / Suitcase: Samsonite / Large Turquoise Necklace: BaubleBar

Top: Old Navy / Pants: Z Supply / Shoes: Nike

Sweater: Old Navy / Jeans: Old Navy (but old) / Rain Boots: BOGS / Bag: Aimee (gifted) / Rain Jacket: Lands’ End

Dress: Skatie / Sandals: Amazon / Bolero Sweater: Amazon

Pants: Amazon / Tank: EVEREVE / Sandals: Amazon / Bag: Clare V. / Large Turquoise Necklace: BaubleBar

Fleece: Old Navy / Pants: Z Supply / Shoes: Nike

Friday Flashbacks

Crockpot Chicken Corn Chili (One of the most popular recipes I’ve ever shared on this blog for good reason. SO easy to make and the flavor is 10/10!)