I am checking in after spending less than 48 hours in Raleigh visiting my aunt and uncle. Chase hasn’t seen them since his first birthday party but something about his Great Aunt Laurie and Uncle Drew set him at ease immediately and he had the best time playing with them! (I think the fact that they raised two energetic boys themselves may have helped!)
Our visit came at the perfect time for me since I was in need of a little distraction this week. I know grief comes in waves and this week I’ve found myself riding a few of them.
Chase and I had a good time during our short visit (some highlights are listed below) and the family fun will continue this weekend because my mom and dad will be in town. (My mom actually met up with us to visit her sister in Raleigh and my dad is flying in town this afternoon.) Woohoo!
I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy this week’s Things I’m Loving Friday post.
Things I’m Loving Friday
On Thursday morning, our first stop of the day took us to Sola, the cutest café and coffee shop located on Lead Mine Road in Raleigh. My Aunt Laurie knows how much I adore local coffee shops and this one is an absolute gem. The interior is light and bright and makes you feel immediately at home. Most importantly, the coffee and food is fantastic! I had a latte and a small omelet and shared a dozen of their perfectly sweet and pillowy hot mini doughnuts with my mom and aunt and absolutely loved everything.
- Goodberry’s Frozen Custard
Even though we had yet to sit down for lunch, we couldn’t resist popping into Goodberry’s in Raleigh for a sweet treat pick-me-up after we played for a while at a local park on Thursday morning. My mom and I shared a Hawaiian frozen custard and it totally hit the spot! Bananas, coconut and macadamia nuts and the creamiest vanilla custard. Yum!
- Chase’s First Piano Experience
Chase had his first piano experience on my grandma Mimi’s old piano at my Aunt Laurie’s house and it was so fun to watch. He was so into it and loved playing the really low and really high notes. We had to peel him away from the piano on numerous occasions because he just wanted to play and play! I still remember trying my best to play a few songs on the very same piano when it was set up in my grandparents’ living room in Gettysburg when I was a little girl.
- New PBF Books Page
I’ve had a few of you ask me to put all of my past and current book recommendations in one place and, as I briefly mentioned on Wednesday’s blog post, I’m happy to report that I finally did! You may now visit the new and improved PBF Books Page located under the Favs tab to find a continually-updated list of books I really enjoyed reading. I will update the page regularly to include new finds I’d recommend to anyone looking for a great read!
- My Sister’s Secret by Tracey Buchanan
The book on my nightstand this week was My Sister’s Secret which I read thanks to one of your recommendations! The book follows the lives of three sisters and one sister’s daughter’s quest to learn as much as possible about her mother and father who passed away when she was young. The storyline held my interest (even if it was rather unbelievable) and the author did a good job of unveiling pieces of the mystery surrounding the death of one sister slowly without frustrating me while still keeping my interest piqued. And as someone who loves scuba diving, I especially enjoyed the main characters’ shared love for diving.
- Quick Access Button
This one is a weird one, but if you work in a profession that requires you to quickly access documents, photos or spreadsheets you’ve recently uploaded, created or edited, I have a shortcut we must talk about: Quick Access.
I randomly stumbled upon this feature when I was creating a photo collage for the blog and fell head over heels in love with it. Rather than sifting through various folders for documents and photos I need when I’m working, I first check the Quick Access short cut and nine times out of ten the image or document I need is RIGHT there because I’ve recently edited the photo or updated the document. Hallelujah!
P.S. I’m keenly aware that the vast majority of you may already know about this shortcut and think I’m living under a rock, but for those of you who had no idea this little gem existed, I am sharing this here for YOU. Let’s bond in our lack of knowledge surrounding anything technological, shall we?
- Friday Flashbacks
Abstainers vs. Moderators (A peek into how understanding whether you’re an abstainer or a moderator might be able to help you live a healthier life.)
One Week Meal Plan: How To Prep 5 Healthy Dinners (A breakdown of how I prep and plan five healthy weeknight dinners for our family.)
Question of the Day
- What is one thing that is making you smile right now?
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So nice you get to spend the week and weekend with family! Omg what a perfect day with donuts and frozen custard! I love visiting cities and try new food places.
Omgsh Quick Access seems amazing!!!! If you’re living under a rock, I’m right there with you because I’ve also never heard of such a thing!!
That is wonderful that your family is coming to visit this weekend!! Been praying for you – and hope a weekend with your parents is just what you need 🙂
-Sarah http://www.thefrugalmillionaireblog.com
It’s so handy!! Hope it helps save you some time, too!
You should get Chase a Schoenhut Piano!
I must admit I didn’t know what that was and just Googled it — how adorable!! He would love it, I’m sure!
Those donuts! I love exploring new towns and finding all the best cafes, bakeries, restaurants and shops. It is one of my favorite things to do!
yumm those donuts and custard look so good! I’m loving iced coffee right now 🙂 I mix it with some evaporated milk or chocolate milk for a creamy sweet treat
Mmm, those mini donuts look SO good! Chase is so sweet with the piano too 🙂 One thing making me smile this week is my son’s newfound love for making pterodactyl noises lol – he is cracking himself (and us) up!
Sounds like Chase had a lovely visit too! Love that he enjoyed the piano so much! <3 Hope you have a wonderful weekend with your mom!
Yay for a great week! One thing making me smile is my Brother and his Fiance are coming to visit tonight!!!
Quick Access is a great new tip! Here’s one for you: If you double click the format painter icon when trying to switch out text, it will keep formatting each new section you highlight. It saved me so much time when trying to change the format of multiple items!
One thing making me smile–the weather. It’s 70 degrees and sunny here in DC. Spring is my favorite season, so I’ll take it.
Oh my gosh, I had no idea about that Quick Access button – that is going to save me so much time; thank you! I am so excited about your books page. Your quick trip sounds like just what you needed. I hope you have the best weekend with family!
One thing that is making me smile right now is the fact that I get to go meet one of my best friends new babies tomorrow – she was born on Monday. 🙂
I have family in Raleigh, too, so I’ll have to keep that cafe in mind! Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy this weather 🙂
Sola is the BEST!! Can’t decide what I like more – the coffee or the mini donuts!
LOVE the Quick Access tab! It’s a life-saver! One thing that’s making me happy right now is your Instagram story of Chase laughing and laughing and running around your house. Oh my gosh his little giggles and smiles are so contagious! 🙂
I am so glad you reposted the Abstainer and Moderator blog post! I somehow missed it last year even though I have been reading your blog for 7+ years. I love the Happiness Project and her podcast with Elizabeth. I have actually thought about starting a MeetUp group in Charlotte for people who want to share ideas and participate in “happiness projects” throughout our area (i.e. volunteering, grabbing coffee at a new café, play a board game, etc). Have you heard about Gretchen’s new book The Four Tendencies? I’d be interested to know where you identify with that as well. I’m definitely a Questioner which has helped me to better understand myself and also how to be more supportive of my husband who is a definite Upholder. I love learning more about personality styles!
Can’t wait to check out some of your book recommendations. I am always on the hunt for some good books!
I saw your goodberry’s photo on Instagram and was so jealous! I grew up in that area (living in Jacksonville, FL now) and every time I go home to visit I try to go to goodberry’s! My favorite is the vanilla concrete with Heath bar!
It was so, so good! Wish we had one around here!
Those donuts look amazing!! I love exploring new cafes and bakeries. So much fun!
Sounds like you had a great trip, even if it was short.
It’s snowing again this morning (I’m so ready for spring), but the snowflakes are big and fluffy and so pretty. They almost don’t even look real. It definitely made me smile when I first saw them out the window.
So glad you had a nice visit and the image of Chase at that piano, I have no doubt Mimi was right there smiling thinking of you at the same age.
I just had a huevos ranchero taco for breakfast and that put a big ol’ smile on my face. 🙂
I love all your book recommendatinos, PBF is always the first place I come when I want a new book thanks for making it easy to find yoru recommendations!
Juli from PaleOMG and Vanessa from Fed & Fit just did a podcast about abstainers vs. moderators the other day!! I highly recommend listening to PaleOMG Unsensored podcast for it!
the abstainer/moderator thing is something i think about ALL of the time.
it’s 60 degrees in NYC right now so that’s DEFINITELY making me smile!
Listening to one of my favorite podcast is what is making me smile at this precise moment:)
excited for your book recommendation page! I’ve searched a few times in your past posts for book recommendations so this is super handy 🙂
I am SERIOUSLY loving the book page. Great idea, and love the layout! Simple, beautiful, easy, and solid recommendations, too. <3
So glad you like it, Vanessa! Thank you for the kind feedback!
I’m so excited for the book page! yayyy!!! Also loving the look of those mini donuts from the coffee shop. It looks like you had a great visit with your aunt and uncle, so sorry that you are navigating the uneven road of guilt. So glad your parents are with you this weekend, to lighten your load!
Hope you have a great weekend!
Ugh, I meant GRIEF, not guilt. I wish I could edit my post, but hopefully you know the spirit in which it was meant. <3 to you through the uneven grieving period.
One thing that’s making me smile is the weather! It’s so beautiful and sunny here in DC, and there’s such a lovely breeze! I’ve also been implementing positive thinking by being mindful and happy in the moment, as opposed to stressing about the future. As a military girlfriend, it’s easy to get wrapped up in what if’s and lose the joy in the now. It’s helped so much!
http://www.poweredbysass.com
Please keep us posted on sweet Sadie and how she is doing 🙂
Julie, I have been thinking about you. Thinking back on my experience after my miscarriage, I remember the first few weeks were so, so hard, and then maybe my worst breakdown of all was when I should have been 26 weeks pregnant. I can’t remember exactly why. It is such a hard thing to go through. I promise you that eventually you will not hurt every day. You will always carry the loss of your baby with you, but I know there are amazing things in store for you and your sweet family. Hugs! Sara
Thank you so much, Sara. <3 I am so sorry you've been through this as well. Thank you for sharing your experience with me.
OMG, I didn’t know about the Outlook hack and I use Outlook DAILY. Life changing!
Happy friday! x
Izzy |http://www.pinchofdelight.com
I love that you made a book page!! I am always looking for new books to read and this page will be so helpful! I have been following your blog for a few years now and you are a big reason I decided to start my own blog! Even though I’m terrified. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
The weather is definitely making me smile! I live 2 minutes from Sola and Goodberry’s is delicious! Hate I missed you 🙂