Things I’m Loving Friday #602

It’s Rhetty Spaghetti’s birthday eve!! Tomorrow our youngest little man is turning S-I-X so you know we’ll be celebrating the heck out of our little guy all weekend long. We’re leaving the day’s plans up to Rhett and they’re also a little weather depedent so we’ll see what we get up to! We also have plans with friends this evening so this weekend should be a good one all around.

For now let’s dive into this week’s roundup of favorites, Things I’m Loving Friday style! Keep on scrolling to see a short roundup of the things that are making me smile most this week!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Moves+ (the Moves Workout App + Now with Meal Planning!)

As some of you may know, last year I fell in love with the Moves app for my workouts when I was looking for a well-rounded expert-backed program that incorporated strength work but also mobility training. I had TFL pain in my hip/glute and working with a physical therapist helped me realize mobility work was no longer “optional” for me from a longevity standpoint if I want to be injury-free.

I don’t have endless hours available to me to do workouts + physical therapy exercises + mobillity + some cardio + flexibility work so I wanted to find a solution that would allow me to combine a lot of these things into one timeslot in my day. The Moves app checks all of these boxes and I absolutely love it. And now it just got BETTER because now there are macro-friendly meal ideas incorporated right into the app with the addition of Moves+. This was a no-brainer add-on for me as I loved the recipes the app shared through their challenges. Now having access to 300+ meal ideas in an easy-to-read and easy-t0-follow format has me feeling all the more jazzed about this app. It’s such a valuable resource and I cannot recommend it enough!!!

Also, for anyone who is already a Moves app subscriber ($20/month), the addition of Moves+ ($25/month) is optional and prorated with your existing subscription, so you’re not paying twice! And it includes the Move Together fall challenge (typically $50 and so worth it!!) for free!!

• DIY Birthday Wrapping Paper

From picking out presents to making homemade cards, we try to get the boys involved in the gifting process when it comes to their friends’ birthdays. We like to think that this encourages the boys to think more deeply about their friends and their likes and interests. It also makes birthday gifting less of a mom or dad task and more of a responsibility for the boys when it pertains to their friend’s birthday. (Ryan and I both genuinely enjoy gifting to others andreally hope to pass this down to the boys.) They’ll often make little gift toppers (name keychains or melty bead keychains are a favorite!) but also really like decorating presents when I wrap them in this black kraft paper and set them up with some acrylic paint markers. Sometimes they’ll decorate the presents with stickers or puffy paints (when we think ahead and they have time to dry) but in general they just seem to enjoy personalizing the outside of the gifts they give and I love seeing their creations!

• Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

I know I’m far from alone in feeling like the world lost a bright light following the passing of Dolly Parton this week. She radiated generosity, love, kindness, intelligence, and a spunkiness we collectively all seemed to recognize and adore. As an avid reader, I remember when I first learned about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, an organization founded by Dolly dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting free books to children from birth to age five. I was so moved by the organization’s mission and have loved watching it grow; it now spans five countries and gifts millions of free books each month to children around the world. I wanted to highlight this program on my blog again here just in case you’d like to sign up to participate or join me in donating to such a wonderful organization in Dolly’s memory.

• The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel

Genre: Historical Fiction / My Rating: B 

I typically adore Kristin Harmel’s historical fiction novels and while I had no trouble flying through this novel, I felt like it was very predictable and the big reveals were not in the least bit surprising to me. That being said, it’s the kind of novel that will make you feel like someone is sitting on your chest as tears stream down your face because it’s impossible not to be moved by the story. It’s also a unique take on WWII historical fiction as it follows the life of Colette Marceau from her early life in Paris during the war as her mother Annabel, a descendant of Robin Hood, teaches Colette the family tradition of stealing jewels from the cruel and evil to help aid those in need. Annabel’s efforts to aid the resistance results in her arrest by the Germans on the same night Colette’s younger sister disappears during their raid. What follows is a life-long struggle for Colette to find answers to the questions that have plagued her for years; questions with answers that finally feel within her grasp when the bracelet that went missing along with Colette’s sister resurfaces at a local museum exhibit.

• Weekly Looks

This was a reader suggestion I figured I’d try out! (Thank you to Meghan for this nudge!) She suggested I share some of my recent looks in my Friday blog posts from time to time and then I can do a bigger roundup in my more comprehensive Recent Looks posts when I have a moment to assemble a bunch of looks in one place in a longer format blog post. I loved this idea and figured I’d try it out today! (The looks you see below include outfits from last week and this week since we’re playing catch up.)

I have outfit links listed below but if you’re interested in my jewelry, you may find the jewelry I wear (or rotate through) every single day here: Everyday Jewelry

Skirt: Athleta / Bodysuit Tank: Nuuds (I just leave it unclipped!) / Rope Tie Sandals: Amazon / Bag: Clare V.

Pants: Amazon / Bodysuit Tank: Nuuds / Sandals: Amazon (SO COMFY)

Jeans: MOTHER / Bodysuit Tank: Nuuds / Shoes: Lulus / Bag: Clare V. (FYI the porcelain flower bag strap is back!!! It’s my all-time favorite for adding color and interest and feminity to a bag.)

Pants: Beyond Yoga / Tee: Albion Fit (PBFINGERS10 saves 10%) / Denim Jacket: RUTI (gifted –PBFINGERS15 saves 15%) / Sneakers: Nike

Pants: Albion Fit (PBFINGERS saves 10%) / Bandana Bag: Walmart / Jelly Shoes: Steve Madden / Top: Forever 21 (sooo old)

• Friday Flashbacks

Carrot and Apple Slaw (Easy to make, fresh and vibrant and pairs perfectly with any protein option out there! I love prepping this one ahead of time for lunches because it passes the leftovers test.)

Lake Norman State Park Hiking (This old blog post got a little refresh this week so I wanted to highlight it here for any local friends who might be looking for a good hiking spot in the area!)

QUESTION OF THE DAY

What is one thing making you smile this week?