Good morning from Black Mountain, North Carolina!
A couple of weeks ago, I planned a mountain vacation for our family as part of Ryan’s birthday surprise. We’ve made it to the mountains two years in a row with my family but when schedules didn’t allow all of us to connect for a week away again this year, I didn’t want to miss out on spending time in the mountains in the fall since it’s my absolute favorite season of the year. The mountains simply call to me as the leaves begin to change and since I know Ryan feels the same way, I planned a long weekend away for our family of four (Sadie included, of course). We’re also calling this weekend away an anniversary celebration since Ryan and I celebrated 7 years of marriage on Monday! Woop!
We’re planning to fill our time here with hiking, exploring, eating and relaxing. I’ll be sure to recap the fun on the blog next week and give updates on Instagram along the way! For now, I wanted to share a few things that are making me smile this week in true Things I’m Loving Friday style. As always, please feel free to comment on this post and tell me about one thing you are loving right now!
Have a great weekend, my friends!
Things I’m Loving Friday
- Low Maintenance Halloween
This year was the first year Chase really understood trick-or-treating and he fully embraced this sugar-filled holiday! We met up with friends to eat pizza and trick-or-treat together and it was a blast! Chase very quickly caught onto the concept and we had to hold him back from running ahead and hitting up all the houses on the block (while he simultaneously ate a bazillion Skittles, his candy of choice this year). While Chase dressed up as an elephant last Saturday for his school’s trunk-or-treat celebration, I wasn’t sure the elephant head would last for trick-or-treating so I Amazon Primed some sweatbands for our family, high socks for Chase and made us race bibs on Microsoft (you can’t see ours but they said “Mom” and “Dad” with our birthdays as the numbers) and we called ourselves runners for Halloween.
(My friend Lauren snapped the above picture as a man in a huge T-Rex costume walked by. Our toddlers were transfixed!)
I actually first got the idea for this costume for Chase a while ago when Chase became 100 percent obsessed with my basket of race medals after he found them in my office. He refused to take one off for hours and wore it to play and help me cook and even made me wear one as well. Thankfully the runner costume was very toddler-friendly, with the exception of the headband sweatband which Chase thankfully fully embraced once he saw Mom and Dad put sweatbands on as well. He loved being a runner and would make “pshew, pshew” speedy runner noises as he ran from house to house. It was such a fun Halloween!
- Holidays at the Biltmore Estate
Chase and I had the best time at the Biltmore yesterday! Ryan’s work schedule is a little bananas right now, so he actually ended up meeting us in the mountains in the late afternoon after some important meetings but Chase, Sadie and I headed up to Black Mountain a little early. Once we were unpacked and settled in our cabin, we hugged Sadie goodbye and Chase and I were off to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville.
We visited the Biltmore with my family last year and I really wanted to see it all decked out for the holidays, so Chase and I spent several hours on the property, gazing at the gorgeous Christmas trees that lined nearly every corridor and soaking up the stunning mountain views. I think we made it through the house in record time (having a two-year-old as your travel buddy will do that to ya), but Chase absolutely loved running around the gardens, visiting the chickens and goats on the estate’s farm and sharing a delicious double chocolate chip muffin with Mom.
- Leg Day Tripod Workout
I am normally not the biggest fan of leg days at the gym but Wednesday’s Burn Boot Camp leg day tripod workout was actually kind of enjoyable… in a sick and challenging way. I think the tripod format helped with the flow of the workout a lot and I need to keep it in mind for the circuit workouts I create for myself in the gym. We spent 12 minutes going through the first tripod before moving onto the next. The workout went by quickly but definitely challenged me!
- The Girl Before by JP Delaney
I briefly mentioned this book in Tuesday’s blog post but I ended up reading for FOUR hours one night this week and finished it in two sittings. (Yes, I was up WAY too late reading. I paid for it the next day.) The Girl Before was an easy read and really pulled me in. The book follows the lives of two women, Emma and Jane, one in the past and one in the present, who find themselves renting the most beautiful house, One Folgate Street, after they have both experienced tragedies in their lives. After Jane moves in, she quickly learns about the death of Emma, the woman who lived in the house before her and becomes entangled in the same experiences, people and lies as the girl before. As Jane tries to figure out what happened to Emma, she begins to question whether her death was truly accidental and a suspenseful journey unfolds.
- thredUP Giveaway Winner
Big congratulations to Emily, the winner of the $250 thredUP giveaway! “I have found such cute stuff in Thred Up. They have some Kut from the Kloth jeans I have been eyeing.” Emily was emailed first thing this morning. Thanks so much to all who entered! And don’t forget you can still use the code PBF40 to get 40% off your first thredUP purchase. (This code is available to the first 100 PBF readers who redeem it!)
- Friday Flashbacks
Simple Shrimp Dip (As the holiday season unfolds, keep this tasty appetizer in your back pocket for a delicious dish to bring to a party!)
Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Bars (I made these bars for a friend earlier this week and ended up doubling the recipe so we could have a batch as well. Love these bars so much!)
Question of the Day
What is one thing that is making you smile this week?
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Have a wonderful long weekend away. And Happy anniversary! Can’t wait to read a recap next week and hear about all the fun things and places you visit.
Please keep the vacation recaps on instagram coming! We’re heading to the mountains today with our little man (14 months) and dog as well so I love seeing your kid friendly stops! We’re heading to the Biltmore on Sunday and apple picking on Monday but the rest of our time is pretty open for hiking and exploring.
So fun! You will LOVE the Biltmore! Where are you going apple picking!?
This week, I am smiling because of some technical, business and blog relating things that I am finally figuring out how to do, haha. Such a nerdy thing to be excited about, but those tech things drive me crazy! It feels good to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel 😉
Hope you have a great weekend!
Biltmore estate is gorgeous! Love your Halloween costume – very comfortable 🙂 happy Friday!
I am so excited for some ThredUP shopping, thanks so much! Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend in the mountains.
I’ve always wanted to visit the Biltmore estate, I bet it’s beautiful at Christmas time! Enjoy your weekend in the mountains!
Oh my gosh, – mountain getaway sounds incredible! Im so jealous! I love your halloween costumes! Such a cute and handsome family. Enjoy your weekend up there!
Enjoy your mountain getaway! This is the perfect time for it! I can’t wait to see all the hiking pictures!
I love your costume for Chase! What a cute idea! And seriously, that picture of the toddlers is hilarious!
I started yoga teacher training and that is really making me smile this week as I geek out on all things yoga! Love it!
That’s awesome! Hope your teacher training goes well! I’ve heard it can be really intense but completely amazing!
That book is on my to read list! And that shrimp dip looks amazing!! Have so much fun on your trip!
Those runners costumes are the absolute greatest! Chase’s smile literally melts my heart.
I’ve been looking for a new book to read since the one I just finished was a bit of a letdown, so I’ll have to check out The Girl Before!
One thing that made me smile this week was definitely the smell of a cinnamon maple coffee cake I baked yesterday for my hubby. Between the cooler temperatures outside and cinnamon-maple smell, I was LOVING the fall vibes in our house!
That sounds amazing! Now you have me craving coffee cake!
I saw your pics on Instagram from Halloween! Too cute, the elephant was precious too!
And I LOVE THE BILTMORE!! I can’t wait to bring my girls (me and the hubby went last year and it was decked out for Christmas. Beautiful!)
Happy Anniversary! Congrats on 7 years!
Thank you!
Happy Anniversary!!! Congratulations on 7 years! I love your Halloween pictures! Too cute!! I’ve always wanted to visit the Biltmore Estates, it must be gorgeous at Christmas time! Ahhh I just bought The Girl Before this morning!! I can’t wait to dig into it!! I hope you have a great long weekend getaway!! Xoxo
The pictures of Chase and his friends in their costumes made me happy 🙂 I can’t wait to take our little guy trick or treating next year!!
Happy Anniversary Julie! Have a great time in the mountains. All your photos on Instagram look beautiful.
One thing I’m loving this week is Autumn Gold Grain-Free Granola. It is DELICIOUS and I can’t stop eating it. I bought it at Costco but I think they sell it other places too (and it’s paleo-friendly!).
I guess we must be the only ones we thought Biltmore was a rip-off? Online they talk about carriage rides and have brochures with pictures of kids and horses, but no where does it say you have to reserve the carriage rides in advance (months) and it costs extra. Well it’s already $70 to visit?! Then visiting the “farm” is honestly a joke. There are no horses to pet — they are all running in the fields (8000 acres of land). The only things they had were chickens and goats. Given the fact we live in Iowa, 99% of our neighbors (in town and in the country) have chickens and goats! Not really “farm” animals… The only other thing to do in the village for a child was have ice cream, so we considered all of that a bust. I’m pregnant so the free wine tasting didn’t appeal to us and the restaurants didn’t appear kid-friendly or cost too much to justify the wait in line.
The gardens were blocked by wedding/DJ/reception preparation so we didn’t get to see much close to the house and since it’s 400 steps to get anywhere we were tired of carrying the stroller and gave up.
The house is of course beautiful, but we were in and out in under 2 hours with our daughter so overall it wasn’t worth it to us. Maybe if we were able to go alone and do adult activities… but I’m not sure we’d ever try it again.
Chase is so cute with his sweat band on!
Sounds like you guys are going to have a fun weekend away in the mountains.
Even though it was low maintenance, Chase was still the cutest runner!
Chase is an adorable little runner! And that mini getaway looks beautiful! One thing making me smile this week is running, actually! I have my first 10k tomorrow in D.C. and I just picked up my bib, and I am SO EXCITED. Another thing that’s been making me smile is cozying up on the sofa with my boys (boyfriend, dog and cat) after a day of work and just relaxing. 🙂
Seeing a little Purdue cheerleader makes me smile. BOILER UP!
This week my son started a new daycare and it’s been fabulous!
Years ago I went to the Biltmore Mansion with my family and my brother was probably 4 or 5 years old. When we walked outside to the side gardens, a little boy ran past us and my brother took off behind him. My parents and I were stunned that he was off so quickly but laugh about it now because he has no idea what made him chase after the kid. Something about those gardens must make little boys want to run!
Julie, Love your blog! Chase is a little doll. Would you consider writing about tips for traveling with a dog? I know Sadie is part of your family and would appreciate ideas for smooth travel with dogs.
Thank you!
The Biltmore is beautiful! I went there as a kid.
I love Biltmore! You gotta get the Wassail spice blend again since you’re already there! Sooooo gorgeous. (I also love eating at Tupelo Honey cafe in Asheville). Always love your recaps.
That pic with Chase’s little friend with her tongue hanging out is so precious! Ahhhhh!! So funny and so cute! What adorable little peeps you have in your world. Love your runner costumes with the medals. Such a great idea!
Have a great weekend!
Love seeing that Boilermaker!!
Chase looks so small! 🙁
His small size is something I’ve talked about on the blog many, many times. He’s been tiny since he came out and it still stresses me out a bit but our pediatrician is not concerned.
I did that workout after you shared it!! So GREAT!
I picked up The Girl Before per your recommendation and I also finished it quickly this weekend – very good read, thanks!
Chase’s costume is perfect!!! I love low-key Halloween costumes that you can throw together with some Amazon purchases.
And fall is by far the best season. The mountains call out to me this time of year too.