Friday Favorites

Can you all believe this is the last Friday in February?! 2017 seems to be flying by, and I can’t seem to keep up. Blogging has been so sporadic for me, but I am happy to be joining in with everyone again this week for another Friday Favorites post!

I am linking up with April, Christina, Natasha; and Erika, Narci, and Andrea. Thank you for stopping by!

ONE: I wanted to share a couple recent recipes I’ve made. These are Pinterest finds, and ones that I would check the “Tried It, Loved It” box!
My mom and I made these gluten free crepes for Valentines Day, and they were delicious. I made some savory ones as well for our dinner, and these were dessert. They were filled with a little cocoa almond spread from Trader Joe’s (like Nutella), and sliced strawberries. I drizzled additional cocoa almond spread on top, along with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Then last night I made a Lowcountry Boil. The weather was calling for a front porch dinner! The instructions from this recipe were great. I did make a few changes: I used chicken sausage, I used more water in the pot and doubled the amount of Old Bay. Once everything was finished and it was out on our serving platter I squeezed 2 lemons all over and sprinkled some additional Old Bay and fresh parsley on top. We dipped our shrimp in cocktail sauce as well. It was really yummy and a fun way to spend a Thursday evening!

TWO: Last weekend we decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and go to Crowder’s Mountain. We invited some of our good friends, Moira and Steven and their girls, packed lunches, and hit the road. Davis and their daughter, Emerson, are just little lovebirds and best friends! With 2 four-year-olds and 2 babies, we were a bit of a hot mess! Moira and I even had to nurse the babies while sitting on a rock on the side of the trail. At least we had a pretty view! It was really a great day, and I’m so glad we got out for an adventure!

THREE: Let me tell you about one of the greatest baby purchases we have made! Two of my girlfriends encouraged us to try this for sleeping, and I am so glad we did. Have you all heard of the Baby Merlin Magic Sleepsuit?! If you have a baby who is around 3 months, who’s getting a little too big for a swaddle, but still doesn’t sleep through the night, this is for you. We have yet to “officially” sleep train Ridge, for various reasons. He typically wakes up 1-2 times per night, but this suit absolutely helps him fall and stay asleep for much longer stretches than he used to do. Plus he just looks so cute in it. 😉 We call it the marshmallow suit!

(This picture is from over a month ago. He wasn’t quite 3 months old, but now it fits him much better.  The suits are meant for 3-6 month olds and they have another size for 6-12 months).

FOUR: I wanted to share a few Mama Essentials with you all! I mentioned this on my Instagram story last week, and I wanted to give direct sources. Any busy mom knows that these are absolutely necessary: coffee (DUH), dry shampoo, and concealer. You know how I mentioned that Ridge still wakes up to nurse? Yeah…the dark circles under my eyes are legit. Anyway, on days when my hair is in serious need of a wash, but I am out of time, I double up on my dry shampoo. I use Batiste plus Oribe dry texturizing spray.
The Batiste really works to get rid of any greasiness, and the Oribe is awesome for volume and lift and helps my hair hold curl. I told you recently that I love the Anastasia concealer, but I wanted to mention that I recently purchase the color one shade lighter to make my eyes look a bit brighter. I mix shades 1.0 and 1.5 and the combo is great! (These have plenty of concealer in each little tub – they will last for a long time). Oh and coffee (DUH)! A friend gifted me a Yeti tumbler and said that it is an essential for any busy mom, and I completely agree! I had no idea what I was missing! You know how as moms we have to constantly reheat our coffee?! Well with a Yeti, you don’t have to do that! Genius!

FIVE: I did a little shopping over President’s Day weekend, and I had to share my finds. I ordered a blouse from Asos and a couple pairs of earrings from Bauble Bar. The statement earrings are to wear for a wedding weekend I have coming up, and the blouse is just because, and it’s Carolina blue!

I also wanted to mention that I finally fixed my blog so that people can subscribe via email again! The box is on the sidebar, and you can simply enter your email address to keep up with recipes, healthy tips, and of course the occasional and completely random Friday Favorites post!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!