Things I’m Loving Friday #562

Friday is here and I hope your week was a good one! We’re slowly adjusting to our new back-to-school rhythm with two kids in school and one awaiting the start of school after Labor Day. Activities are also picking back up but slowly trickling in so we’re easing into fall craziness. Speaking of fall, I’m feeling increasingly ready for sweater weather and all things fall and cozy but you better believe we’ll be milking every last second out of warm summer nights, swimming and lake time.

This weekend should be a fun one with two birthday celebrations on the agenda (one for the boys’ friend, one for one of our friends) and I’m sure we’ll also get in a decent amount of water playtime considering the forecast looks warm and sunny. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and appreciate you stopping by the blog today!

Now it’s Things I’m Loving Friday tiiiime!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Two Ingredient Marinade: Japanese BBQ Sauce + Dijon Mustard

Outside of a bottled marinade, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an easier marinade in my life. The recipe calls for Japanese BBQ sauce and Dijon mustard — that’s it! It originated from @madeline_moves and is blowing up for good reason. It makes the most delicious chicken (and apparently it’s fantastic on pork, steak and even salmon, too). I’ve never measured anything when I’ve made it and just use enough Japanese BBQ sauce to coat the chicken and then add a decently large squirt of Dijon mustard. I mix it all up, toss the chicken in the marinade and then let it soak up the marinade overnight. I’ve only used it on chicken so far (both grilled and cooked in the air fryer) so I cannot speak to any other meats but is is next-level delicious and SO EASY. Did I mention it’s easy? Because ease + flavor will have me making a recipe on repeat!

• Revision Skincare YouthFull Lip Replenisher

You know those lip balms or lip treatments that are goopy and sticky and barely last on your lips for more than 5 minutes? This Revision Skincare YouthFull Lip Replenisher is the exact opposite of that. I bought this during Amazon Prime Day back in July and have used it every single evening before bed (and throughout the day sometimes, too!) as it very quickly surpassed my love of any other overnight lip treatments. The texture is smooth without feeling sticky or thin and stays ON my lips for a long time! It works to restore lip volume (gimme that) while smoothing lip lines and hydrating lips with peptides, vitamin C and antioxidants. Bottom line: It feels good, works well and lasts.

• Oak Essentials Dew Body Oil

Oak Essentials Dew Body Oil is heaven in a bottle. It’s a product I’ve used for a while now and one of those special ones I tryyy to stretch out as long a possible because it feels so wonderfully luxurious. I’ve used body oils in the past that feel greasy and too thick but Oak Essentials nailed the formula with this one as it’s lovely on its own (lightweight and quickly absorbs into the skin) but it also combines well with body lotion on days when I’m looking for more moisture/hydration. I’m a bit of a lotion/hydration freak after showering as my skin feels tight and desperately in need of moisture and the Oak Essentials body oil + luminous body lotion combo is a dream! Together they’re a dream team — silky and soft, gentle and deeply moisturizing with a calming, clean scent I adore, especially as someone sensitive to smells. (Note: If I want/need seriously intense hydration, hanni splash salve in-shower moisture treatment is still where it’s at!)

• The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

Genre: Historical Fiction / My rating: B+

Fiona Davis has a true gift for writing historical fiction novels that evoke such vivid imagery in your mind. Her stories are well researched and interesting and though she’s undoubtedly a verbose author (I do think some of her books are a little unnecessarily long), her novels are always stories I thoroughly enjoy. I’ve never read a historical fiction novel that centers around Egypt and absolutely loved the way the author made me feel like I was on an archaeological dig in the Valley of the Kings. From her detailed descriptions of the dust and heat to the palpable excitement when a new discovery was made, I loved every word. I am also a fan of dual timeline books and while I much preferred Egyptologist Charlotte’s timeline, the chapters centering around Annie, a 19-year-old girl struggling to find herself, included fascinating insight into the Met Gala back in the late 1970s. (The ending, however, I felt wrapped up a little too perfectly but I was okay with it overall.)

I also love the way Fiona Davis’ novels inevitably inspire me to dive deeper into history when I’m done with her novels. In this case, I was fascinated to read that Hathorkare, the fictional female pharaoh mentioned in this novel, was based on Hatshepsut, a real female pharaoh who ruled ancient Egypt. (Just sharing in case you read this book, as I found that incredibly interesting!) 

From Amazon: 

Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. That is until an unbearable tragedy strikes.

New York City, 1978: Nineteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.”

Meanwhile, Charlotte is now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art. She’s consumed by her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

The night of the gala: One of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing, and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening. Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, and a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.

• Around the Internet

Weekend Sales: Our beloved Target tank is on sale for $5!!! Lots of color options! And I love the new cropped version — also only $5! — as it’s the perfect level of cropped (not too short + easily covers my belly button and it hits right at the top of my pants/skirts waistband) / 40% off Fré Skincare with code PBFINGERS (My code was majorly increased!!! The C-Me Serum is so velvety smooth and part of my morning clean beauty skincare routine I never, ever miss.) / 20% off at Kohl’s with code SHOP4FAMILY / $130 off Bose QuietComfort Headphones (they’re incredible and made my list of favorite finds of 2025 so far!)

Food: Tuscan Kale Salad / Instant Pot Spaghetti / Challah Bread Recipe (I loooove challah and cannot wait to make this!) / Dense Bean Salad

Fitness: Jen’s TransRockies Run recaps have been so interesting to follow if you’re looking for an inspirational read!

• Friday Flashbacks

Best Ever Morning Glory Muffins (The exact recipe from Charlotte’s Sunflour Bakery — Ryan and I joke these muffins made us want to move to NC after we tried them when we first visited the Charlotte area)

10+ Pumpkin Breakfast Recipes (Because pumpkin season is almost upon us!)