Good morning! As soon as this blog post goes up, we’re heading to the airport! Ryan, Chase and I will be spending the weekend at my mother-in-law’s house in Sarasota and I cannot wait to see Chase with is grandparents and great grandparents! It’s been waaay too long since our last visit and we’ve been counting down the days.
Earlier this week I received a text from my mother-in-law with a picture of the room she has set up for Chase and it looks like a new nursery/perfect play space with lots of toys and I’m kind of worried Chase may never want to leave!
I’ll be sure to recap all the Florida fun on the blog next week but until then, let’s stick with the usual routine around here and dive into your weekly Things I’m Loving Friday blog post where we all chat about the little things that are making us smile every week.
Have a great weekend, my friends!
Things I’m Loving Friday
- Fresh Figs from Our Fig Tree
Leave it to us to live in a house for almost two years and not realize we have a fig tree! It wasn’t until our neighbor pointed it out that Ryan and I noticed a rather large tree in our front yard was practically overflowing with fresh figs. What!? Considering the fact that I can’t seem to keep even the most basic plants alive, I was pretty psyched the former home owners of our house did the grunt work on this one and planted and maintained such a beautiful and fruitful tree. We’ve been enjoying fresh figs for two weeks now and I am loving it! The experience of eating fruit from our own yard has been pretty darn cool and I’d love to explore planting a garden but know I have a LOT to learn before that happens…
- Stranger Things
During my trip to Winnipeg last month, some of my blogging friends strongly encouraged me to watch Stranger Things on Netflix when I returned home. It sounded way too sci-fi for me but Ryan and I decided to give it a shot last weekend. I almost dipped out after the first two episodes (I am SUCH a baby and felt like the show stressed me out too much to be enjoyable), but I am glad I stuck with it because Ryan and I ended up loving it! The show is definitely different than the kind of shows we usually watch together but reminded me a lot of the dystopian books we both really enjoy. (Plus, the fact that it takes place in the 1980s is way too entertaining.) We’re almost done with season one (there are only 8 episodes) and I’m psyched to hear that a second season is in the making!
Whenever I share pictures or videos of Chase drinking his smoothies or water from this cup on Snapchat, I inevitably receive a handful of questions from you guys about it. I’ve briefly mentioned it on the blog before, but now that we’re using this cup all day every day, I supposed it deserves to be highlighted a bit more!
The Lollacup is, without a doubt, the best sippy cup we’ve found for Chase for a myriad of reasons, the number one being the fact that the bottom of the straw is weighted, so it follows the liquid at the bottom of the cup around. This means that whenever Chase takes a sip, he gets some liquid which helped him learn to use the cup with relative ease. (I say “relative” because I still had to offer it to him a number of times before it really clicked and now he chugs liquids from it!) The cup is easy to clean and we now own two because I always like to have one ready to go with water and another with a smoothie for Chase. The handles on the side of the cup also click on and off which makes it cup-holder friendly (and Chase usually prefers it without the handles anyway). We LOVE this cup and I have a bunch of my girlfriends hooked on it for their little ones, too!
- Pineapple Paradise Tea from Waterbean Coffee
I’m sharing this one here for any locals! Last night, I met up with a handful of my girlfriends to kick off a fall small group/Bible study at Waterbean Coffee. We sat outside and since it was quite warm and muggy, I wanted a cold, refreshing drink to sip on while we chatted away. The sweet barista recommended her favorite Pineapple Paradise tea to me and it was so ridiculously tasty that I knew I had to mention it here! The tea is bursting with flavor thanks to apple pieces, hibiscus blossoms, rose hip peel, pineapple and coconut and tastes like summer in a cup. I plan to go back to buy some of this tea to have on hand at home for an afternoon pick-me-up because it was so incredibly refreshing. A must-try if you live in the area!
- Country Boy’s Mustard Spice Num Num Sauce
A free sample of chicken dipped in this sauce when I was shopping at Whole Foods prompted this purchase a few months ago and I’ve been meaning to share it with you guys ever since. It’s so delicious and the ingredient list is a breath of fresh air compared to other grilling and dipping barbeque-style sauces out there. We’ve used it on chicken, burgers and pork chops and think it tastes great mixed with my favorite Bone Suckin’ BBQ sauce as well. Love this stuff!
- Friday Flashbacks
Oven Baked Rutabaga Fries (A healthy alternative to greasy French fries! They taste delicious dipped in ketchup and served alongside everything from hamburgers and grilled chicken to salmon and veggie burgers.)
Traveling with a Baby for the First Time (My takeaways after flying solo with Chase for the first time – What worked well and what I would change moving forward)
- Around the Web
Food: Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Muffins // Zucchini Banana Oatmeal Pancakes // Tart Cherry Cider
Fitness: 10 Workouts To Try from Around the Web // Stairmaster Workout
Interesting Reads: The Hardest Times // If Toddlers Had Facebook
Question of the Day
- What is one thing you are loving this week?
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I love Stranger Things! We have just watched the whole season. I usually also don’t like scifi, but I love this show! 😀
Stranger Things definitely makes my list this week as well. I was leary at first, but am glad I stuck with it. I’m also loving the first signs and scents of fall!
Omg so jealous you have a fig tree, I’ve just recently become obsessed. Have a nice trip in Florida!
So fun you have a fig tree! We had an apple tree but sadly it had to get cut down when we landscaped. Darn! Have a great weekend!
I love Waterbean Coffee! They have really good iced coffee too 🙂 I’ve heard so much about Stranger Things – that show is next on my list. Have a fun weekend!
Have so much fun in Sarasota!
The Zoli bot is also similar to the lollacup. It’s Alexander’s favorite cup. Have fun!
I’m such a wuss too, but everyone has been blowing up about Stranger Things! Maybe I’ll have to suck it up haha.
I’m loving that football season has begun! I’m planning on parking my tush on the couch and watching football all weekend 😀 Also I’m leaving for my vacation in a week, I can’t believe it!!!!
Happy Friday <3
Yay I’m so glad that you are watching Stranger Things–I didnt expect to love it but i really really did! Enjoy this weekend! 😀
Stranger things is sooooo good. We haven’t finished it yet so I am glad you didn’t post spoilers! Have fun in Florida!
I love list posts- thanks for sharing. The fries sound awesome! Safe travels!
I just started Stranger Things, but I’m having a hard time getting into it!! I’m not into supernatural stuff, so not sure how it’s going to pan out for me… we’ll see! Have a fun weekend!!
HA! Do you think your neighbors have been watching the fig tree for 2 years wondering if you were ever going to pick them? Then contemplating running over in the middle of the night to grab few?
Confession, I’m a Dietitian and I’ve never had a fig (except in a fig newton) and I’ve never had rutabaga anything… I think that needs to change!
I remember testing out that Rutabaga Fry recipe when it was first posted. It was SUPER tasty! I’ll have to put that back on the list.
Love that you guys have a fig tree! We have an apple tree randomly outside our building and, while it makes a mess, I love that we have fresh fruit right outside our door. (One of the perks of renting, too, I suppose. Ha!)
Have a great weekend and trip to visit family!
XO, Jessica
http://www.semisweettooth.com
That pineapple tea sounds really good! It’s definitely starting to feel more like fall than summer here in Calgary, so I’ve gotten a few cold weather drinks lately – steamed milk and apple ciders.
I finished it like 2 weeks ago, but The Night Of is still one of my favorite shows I’ve seen recently. It’s SO GOOD. I watched it all in a weekend (of course).
Ahhh… fig tress are so awesome. I’ve been wanting to plant one!
I love Waterbean Coffee!! I only drink tea so I am slowly making it through all the incredible flavors they have…I am putting that one on the top of the list and may go enjoy it asap this weekend!
Have a great time in Sarasota! I’ll be interested to hear how the flight goes with Chase. We are flying to Hawaii in a couple months and my son will be 14 months – his first flight! I’m not sure he will know how to sit still as he always squirmy and on the move. How does Chase handle flights now that he is a bit older?
I have been hearing so many great things about Stranger Things. What exactly is it about?
That “if Toddlers Had Facebook” tumblr has me literally laughing out loud!! Good find!
Just wondering why you’ve been traveling so much/having so many visitors since you’ve said a number of times how disruptive it is to Chase’s sleep? It seems like hardly a week goes by without some sort of trip or houseguest! I’d be tired by that point, and I’m sure Chase is too, if it’s causing him sleep problems!
So glad you’re enjoying Stranger Things! We LOVED it!! So good, and so much nostalgia!
I’ve always wanted a garden but have never started one, so if you ever do decide to go for it, I’d love to follow along, as I’m a gardening newbie too! The idea that you could walk outside and harvest your own yard seems very appealing to me. It’s good stuff!
I love all the fun travel you’ve been up to, and it’s so encouraging/inspiring! Looks like it will be a fun trip. Have a great weekend!
I LOVE your Friday favorites!!! I have seriously boughten things off your recommendation…and I still do because you’re right! I fall in love with it and don’t go back to whatever I was using before. Nursing bras, snacks, and now netflix! hahaha Thanks Julie!
OMG I am so glad I am not the only person who got super stressed out watching Stranger Things! It didn’t help that our living room light started flickering during the third episode…I had to watch Gilmore Girls as a “neutral” show before I went to bed that night…hahaha!
I am loving being home for the weekend and visiting with family.
Have a great time in Sarasota! We also hopped on the Stranger Things bandwagon and LOVE it. Can’t wait for season 2!
I think I heard about Lollacup on Shark Tank! (I love that show! lol) I think I’ll try it out once my son starts drinking out of sippy cups.
It’s so cool you have a fig tree! What a fun little discovery. I just had my first fresh figs this year and I’m definitely a fan! Have a wonderful weekend in Florida!
Totally off topic – but I’ve been reading your Blog Talk Tuesdays posts and wonder if you could possibly do a post about how to actually purchase a domain? I’m afraid of the whole process and what it all entails (past just picking the name). Thank you!!!
Have SO much fun on your trip! I love traveling with our kiddos…it’s a blast watching them soak in all the new experiences! 🙂 How awesome that you have a fig tree!! YUM!
You have a fig tree?! That is so cool! I just recently discovered I actually like figs- how convenient would it be to have a tree full of them. 😉
Stranger Things is AMAZING!!! I cannot wait until next year for the new season!
And, is that sauce a mix of mustard and BBQ? Because if so, I am going to Whole Foods NOW!
Safe travels!
Omigosh, fresh figs are AMAZING. So juicy, so sweet and so ooey-gooey decadent! And they’re a fruit so they’re healthy, of course! 😀