Holy cow! It has been a while since I’ve done one of these which is a shame because sharing my Friday Favorites is something I LOVE doing! I’m a firm believer that even if everything about the week just completely sucked, small tidbits of joy can always be found and celebrated (and shared!). Here is what has made me happy happy happy this week:

• Some kick butt friends

I think I talk about this a lot but I have some really awesome people in my corner. Some of them I’ve had my entire life while others I’ve only met a couple of months ago! They bring me joy by teaching me, supporting me, eating loads of dessert with me, helping me, you name it. Some of them are right down the street while others are across the country. It doesn’t matter! They all mean a heck of a lot to me.

• This light

I mentioned that I ordered this light from World Market the other day in this post and I received it in the mail on Wednesday. I am so impressed with the quality! It by far exceeded my expectations. I purchased it on sale but I would argue it’s worth the original price. I think it’s going to look really pretty in our guest bedroom. Especially once I get that shiplap up. 😉

• These mules

You guysssss… I’ve been searching for the perfect pair of mules for months and months now and I’ve finally found them! There are some really cute ones out there but nothing that fit my criteria to justify the purchase. Along with that, I’ve started thinking about what I’m going to have in my fall capsule wardrobe. I’m trying to be really intentional about what I buy. I want everything in my capsule to be worth every penny, versatile, and last from season to season. When I see something I like I always ask myself, “Will I get 1 wear out of this per $1 the item costs?” Even though these mules are $98 I can say confidently, yes. Not only do I think I’ll wear them a lot but I also know just based on how I am that I’ll have these for years and not get tired of them. Even though they’re on the pricey side (in my opinion), I know the amount of use I get out of them will be worth it. They’ll go with practically everything and can be worn from about March through November around here (heck if we ever move back to Phoenix I could wear them all year long)! If you’re interested in these, I’d snag them while you can! I bet they’ll go quick…

I also really love these but I know Stephen would not approve of that purchase right now. HA! Maybe when they go on sale. 😉

I love these too in the cheetah or pale pink options.

I’ll be sharing all about how I make my capsule wardrobe and my summer capsule will be coming in a few days. I know it’s a bit late to share my summer capsule but I want it on here so you can get an idea of how I do this and what works for me!

• Instant Pot

I used to hear people talk all about how much they loved their Instant Pot and I thought yeah okay, my Crockpot is just fine. NO. I WAS WRONG! This thing is so awesome. I’m able to make dinner in one pot in about 20 minutes. Helloooo time saver. Everything I’ve made so far has been great! I think my favorite thing to cook so far has been potatoes. It is SO FAST and they’ve been perfect every time!

• Clean kitchen habit

Since Stephen has been gone these past couple of weeks, I’ve made it a habit of having the kitchen spotless before bed every night. That usually happens when he’s home just because we hate waking up to a messy kitchen anyway but after a few days of making it spotless every night before bed, it started to become a habit for me. It was like something in my brain switched and said, “No matter what, at least the kitchen will be sparkling in the morning.” I don’t get ready for bed until all of the dishes are clean, the sink is scrubbed, and the countertops have been wiped off. The rest of the house might be untidy but at least every morning when I come into the clean kitchen I feel like I’m already winning. I also haven’t used the dishwasher since Stephen left. It’s actually saved me quite a bit of time and I find it oddly relaxing every evening when I clean up. My friend taught me to use the dishwasher as a drying rack to hold the clean dishes instead of playing Tetris with them on our little drying rack. HA! How genius. Although, I will say, I kind of enjoyed the challenge.

• Brown Sugar & Honey Brie Cheese

I made this recipe for us to shoot last week and have been snacking on it since then (if Stephen was here it would be long gone by now). It is SO good! Cut off a slice, heat it up for 30 seconds, add your favorite crackers and you’re good to go!

• Coconut oil in my coffee

About a month ago I started putting coconut oil in my coffee in the morning as part of my routine. I used to do this all of the time about a year ago but stopped for some reason (that reason being Phoenix heat and coffee didn’t mix well for me) and then just forgot about it. I was reminded of it last month when I was mixing some in with Adi’s dog food. I was thinking about how shiny her coat was looking and how much she liked it in her food and then thought, “Wait, I used to do this in my coffee!” So I started again and realized within a couple of weeks that my skin was looking clearer and my hair was feeling softer. I also love the flavor it adds to my coffee. It does tend to separate a bit but I just stir it every now (or not at al) and then it’s fine. I’ve mentioned this before but I also use coconut oil as my makeup remover! It’s my FAVORITE! A little goes a long way, it does an amazing job getting all of the makeup off, it’s inexpensive, and I 100% believe my eyelashes are longer because of it.

• CrossFit Games

Last thing… Are any of you watching the CrossFit Games? I LOLed yesterday at the MARATHON ROW. I repeat MARATHON ROW. I stayed up way too late on Wednesday night watching it in awe. I then proceeded to text Stephen, “This makes me want a rower.” Meanwhile everyone else is like, “Oh h-e-double hockey sticks nah.” HAHA! I just imagine the feeling of only having 200 m left after completing 42,000ish m and it brings a big smile to my face. Now I’m laughing out loud because that’s SO much easier to say versus actually doing it but I still think that would be really cool to do one day………

I hope you all have a great weekend!

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