Hey y'all,

It's FRIDAY! We made it to the weekend. I originally had a packed weekend with an event on Sunday night, however, the event was canceled so that means a weekend of Barre3, church, teaching my Pre-K Sunday school kids, reading, and book club with friends. Here are five things I am loving this week:

one. Emily Ley Simplified Planners.

On Wednesday, Emily Ley unveiled the new covers of the simplified planner for the year. I am so torn this year between navy blooms and garden party. I have until Wednesday to make my decision and purchase my new academic weekly planner. I think I am torn because navy blooms remind me of the navy floral pattern of my first simplified planner and garden party reminds me of the watercolor floral pattern I have now. I even posted a poll for friends to vote on Instagram and out of 35 votes, Garden Party was the winner but I am still not sold.

two. O-Venture Key Ring.

So I first heard about the O-venture key ring from Andrea of Momfessionals. She raved about them last year and I thought it was a neat idea but not a necessity. Well, when the O-venture rings were on GMA's steals and deals a few weeks ago, I snapped one up for 50% off.

It's been so convenient to have my keys on my arm when I am carrying all the things-purse, lunch box, groceries, etc. I also have been loving it for the times I have been pet-sitting and I'm taking the dog for a long walk.




If you are a Lilly fan, I know Lifeguard press will be releasing a similar Lilly keychain this spring.

three. Library Trips.

This year I have really made the library a priority and have enjoyed running by to grab my holds or wandering down the aisles. This week I snagged the first four books in a series since I accidentally read book six this past weekend! Whoops!

four. Trader Joe's flowers.

I don't know about you but fresh flowers could be a love language for me (and if you have read The Language of Flowers, this month's book club book, you know each flower has a meaning). Trader Joe's is one of my go-to's but don't knock the regular grocery store arrangements either. My local Harris Teeter often has flowers on "Manager's Special" which makes them 50% off and they just need a bit more pruning but last just as long. I picked this arrangement up at Trader Joe's this week and I am loving the ranunculus (radiant charm) colors!

five. The Fresh Market.

If you are a single gal, or you don't love meal prep, I would check out the Fresh Market. I recently fell back in love with the store after not going for years. I love the "Little Big Meal" deal which is everything you need for a meal for 4 for $20! I grabbed the chicken parmesan a few weeks ago and the fajitas last week. While I am skipping the stir-fry this week, once Wednesday rolls around I will be in store to grab the burger deal (buns, meat, cheese, fries, and fruit).
I have also been loving the all-in-one Market Meal Kits. This week I made the chicken parmesan penne with summer squash! I actually made three lunches out of the kit rather than the recommended two so it was only $5 a meal with everything prepped. I just had to saute the meat, veggies, then add the pasta and sauce. Quick and delicious!

Hey y'all,

I have to mark this past weekend which was full to the brim so let's throwback to what occurred.

Friday

Following work on Friday I headed straight to my friend Kathryn's house to meet up before our church's women's conference. We ate dinner and then hit the road to downtown Durham. The conference doors opened at 6pm so we went to the registration table then found a seat in the lounge of the Durham Convention center where I gave Kathryn lessons on Insta Stories.


The doors opened and we headed to the market to pick up our shirts and look at the various vendors. We both fell for the booth of Fashion and Compassion. This is a boutique in Charlotte that focuses on transforming women's lives in seven countries. Kathryn is in love with the Seaside Peace Basket and I love this Esther necklace since Esther is one of my favorite books of the bible. It reads "For such a time as this" from Esther 4:14.

Hey y'all,

I turned my blog off for a while as I was wrestling with if I wanted to continue this little creative space. While I love the connections blogging has brought me, seriously, two IRL friends came from the internet (hey Christie and Ashley), I know blogging has evolved so much since I started back in college. I have had many iterations of a blog and finding my niche has been hard. So, here we go, I am focusing on all the things I love: the Lord, cooking, barre, community, clothes, organizing, books, and my cat.

So here we go, I would love to know more about you and things you would love to see! I'm working on recapping my reads for the year, my favorite faith resources (request), my FASTer Way to Fat Loss journey, and adventures of a 29-year-old single girl in the Triangle (wandering grocery stores, libraries, and other places).