Happy weekend, everyone!
Today I am linking up with April, Natasha, and Christina; Karli; Erika, Narci, and Andrea for Five on Friday, Oh Hey Friday!, and Friday Favorites.
ONE: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who commented on my blog and on instagram, and sent me texts and emails after we shared our news yesterday! We are thrilled and feel beyond blessed and grateful! I seriously could not have been happier yesterday! We should find out whether we are having a boy or a girl in a little over a month, and we will definitely share! Either way, I can’t wait to see our sweet Davis become a big brother!
TWO: Speaking of Davis, sort of, do you all like country music? If you love it like I do, or even if it’s not your favorite, you should listen to Tim McGraw’s new song “Humble and Kind.” We heard it in the car the other day, and I just can’t help but pray those things for our children. It’s a great message, and I don’t know if it’s my pregnancy hormones, or just because I’m a mom, but it about makes me teary every time I hear it!
Also….I finally bought some Ray Bans! They have been on my wish list for a very long time, but since I have never owned nice sunglasses, I was hesitant to purchase. I saved up gift cards from Christmas and my birthday, and bought this pair! I love them! PLUS, they are currently on SALE!
Don’t worry – my car was completely stopped when I took this.
THREE: Todd and I are working on eating closer to a paleo diet, and I wanted something new for dinner this week. We are not doing it strictly by any means, and we are adjusting to no grains/sugar/dairy slowly. I do have to say, not eating dairy the past few days has been great! We will “cheat” every now and then, and if I feel like I need to eat something off the ‘diet’ I will! I just want to eat much cleaner. Anyway, I made a version of these turkey sweet potato burgers from Dashing Dish, and they were delicious! My changes: I added about 1 Tbsp worcestershire, and left out the garlic powder. I grilled them, served them over baby spinach, topped them with tomato and avocado mashed with salt and lime. Davis loved them as well!!
P.S. Costco sells organic ground turkey!
FOUR: Honor Roll Designs has some new looks!!! One is dedicated to the Summer Olympics, specifically the gymnastics team! When you all were younger, did you watch the Olympics? I remember that Sarah and I were so into watching gymnastics! Remember these names from the 1996 USA Gymnastics team?…Kerri Strug, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Amy Chow, Amanda Borden, Jaycie Phelps, Dominique Moceanu! This shirt is in honor of them! Also, I recently bought the Gap shorts pictured (in a size up) for the warmer weather.
FIVE: We were able to go down to Topsail Island last week with some of our family. It was a weekend dedicated to improving and cleaning my grandparents’ beach house, but we also had a little fun on the beach. Davis LOVES the beach, and it makes my heart so so happy!
Also, if you need any more convincing to visit my favorite place, read this article by my cousin, Allie! 9 Reasons Why Topsail is the Best Beach in NC
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Thank you again for all of the amazing support!
Love the ray bans! I think that’s the exact pair I’ve had my eye on for so long. Have a great weekend:)
Thank you, Kate! I was hesitant to purchase, but now I am loving them!!
I want ray bans!! And they are on sale…
Yes!! ?? And they never go on sale!
Love love love the new Tim song!
I’m kind of obsessed. 🙂
I guess I should start by saying I found your blog through Pinterest while looking for clean eating recipes. I enjoy seeing what you’re up to, even though I don’t know you. (I hope that’s not creepy.) I actually only follow your blog and that of Tim Challies. Anyway, my family has been going to Hilton Head and staying in Sea Pines for several years. Your comments about Topsail have peaked my interest. If you’ve been to HHI, can you compare the two for me? If not, what I’m curious about are the waves (my teens think the water in Sea Pines is too calm–though I love it that way), and the trees/nature. HHI has sooo many trees and natural beauty. They don’t have tall street signs and billboards. I don’t like high rises and big crowded beaches. I looked around the Internet a bit, but couldn’t really discern anything about those two topics. I know there’s not a lot to do that would be considered touristy, but we just like to be outside on the beach or riding bikes enjoying the scenery.
Marla, this comment was so sweet! Thank you for reading my blog – it means a lot to me. I’m still a bit in disbelief when I hear that people follow my blog or make my recipes. 🙂
My husband and I went to Hilton Head 4 years ago and really enjoyed it. We did enjoy the natural park and trails. Topsail doesn’t have sidewalks for biking like Hilton Head does. HHI is more established and upscale than Topsail. Topsail feels more homey I guess. Since Topsail is a small island, there aren’t many trees, but there are water views from almost everywhere. The southern tip of the island, what we call “The Point,” is great for nature lovers. It’s where the waterway/sound meets the ocean. The beach is large, and the water is gorgeous with interesting tide patterns. If you like to enjoy nature on the water, I recommend renting kayaks or paddle boards and taking them out on the sound. We love to do that! The water is calm on that side, but so beautiful! We’ve seen dolphins, lots of birds, etc there. We also regularly see dolphins out in the ocean. The waves can be really awesome in Topsail. In fact, it’s a surfers’ destination. Topsail doesn’t have any tall billboards or buildings, but it does have fewer restaurants. It’s a much smaller place. We have a couple go-to restaurants, but we mostly stay home, enjoy the beach, and cook our dinners. We typically stay on the beach until the sun goes down, playing corn hole, etc. Wilmington is a 30 minute drive, though, if you wanted to get out to a city.
If you do looking into Topsail, I’d be careful of going too north on the island. Some of the beach has been eroded by storms. Our house is close to central Surf City.
I hope this helps!
Thanks for replying! That is super helpful info.
Of course! Good luck with the trip planning, Marla!
Love the song “Humble and Kind”! Makes me teary too! It does have a great message – and is a good reminder to us all. Such a great prayer for your children….Dad and I have been very blessed with children who model this song! 🙂
Congratulations on your big news! What an amazing testimony you have of God’s faithfulness. I’ve followed your blog for a couple of years now and so look forward to all of your updates and posts on fashion, food and just life updates. So fun to follow along with your sweet family. Love Ray-bans, love Tim’s new song, love that yummy new meal idea. And I’m expecting in October too! Take care 🙂
Thank you, Leslie! You are so sweet to follow along. It is very humbling to me that people actually enjoy my blog. 🙂
Congrats on your baby news!! How wonderful!
SO excited for you guys! God is so good. 🙂 And those Ray-bans! I may have to get a pair!
Thank you, Stephanie! Yes He is!!