Hey mates! Friday is right here and it’s truly my birthday eve! (Is {that a} factor? No?) I’m turning 39 on Saturday — my remaining yr in my 30s whaaaat — and we’re spending the weekend away as a household. Our plans are a bit uncommon however I’m so freaking excited! As soon as Chase is out of college at present, we’re heading off on a wilderness retreat in western North Carolina. It’s a real retreat with no wifi, cell service, televisions, and so on. and we can not wait. I believe the boys will likely be in heaven and this sort of factor is correct up our alley, although we aren’t actually certain what to anticipate! I hope to share extra on the weblog subsequent week however till then, I’m off to pack earlier than squeezing in a exercise and a playdate at a neighborhood farm earlier than our weekend enjoyable begins.

Get pleasure from your weekend, my mates, and carry on scrolling when you’d like to take a look at this week’s roundup of favorites, Issues I’m Loving Friday model!

Issues I’m Loving Friday

You understand these little family issues that bug you that you simply by some means reside with for much too lengthy? That was me with two of the always-moving-around rug runners in our dwelling. The runner in our kitchen and the runner within the upstairs hallway all the time appeared to shift round and I’d discover myself placing them again in place repeatedly all through the day. No extra! I lastly discovered one thing to maintain them in place that doesn’t contain completely affixing them to our flooring. Hiya rug gripper pads! I purchased a pack of eight of those pads off Amazon and wasn’t certain in the event that they’d work nicely or not however I’ve been so impressed. They have been loopy simple to make use of (you utilize peel off the again and stick them to the underside corners of your rug) and suction nicely to the ground so your rug doesn’t transfer an inch. They’re easy and efficient and now I’m simply kicking myself for not ordering them sooner.

Once we constructed our dwelling, one of many areas we knew can be closely used was the open play loft area on the high of the steps. Having by no means had a devoted playroom earlier than, we had a sense our boys would use this area like loopy and we have been proper. One factor I’m glad we didn’t do? Replenish the area with furnishings. We used my previous IKEA workplace furnishings on the perimeter of the room for toy storage however stored the center of the room utterly clear for play! The one issues we purchased for the area since we moved in have been two Pottery Barn loungers (dimension giant) and a checkered rug. I figured it was time so as to add a bit extra shade to the area in a kid-friendly manner and about two weeks in the past, I ordered two prints off Etsy (this rainbow smiley face one and this fruit of the spirit one), framed them in Goal frames and hung a felt multicolor garland above our leopard gecko’s cage to show a number of the boys’ artwork. (I hung it utilizing these damage-free command hooks.) Then, final week, I ordered a inexperienced storage bench for added toy storage but additionally to supply one other place to take a seat by the window within the play loft that’s not on one of many bean baggage.

I really feel like every of those additions added a pleasant pop of completely happy shade to the area in a manner that felt playful and youthful. Our boys stated they like them, too, so I’ll think about them a win!

Style: Ladies’s Fiction, Romantic Comedy 

My ranking: B

The Cheat Sheet was my most up-to-date audiobook hear and I’m nicely conscious the truth that I listened to this guide could also be skewing my evaluation. I had a very exhausting time with each the female and male narrators on this one however tried exhausting to miss their narration as I beforehand learn and liked When in Rome and Follow Makes Excellent by the identical writer. (Each of these books I learn versus listened to on audiobook.) Anyway, I say this to say, I believe I maybe felt extra simply irritated by the characters and annoyed by the shortage of believability within the story as a result of their voices irked me. Hopefully those that hearken to audiobooks often perceive the place I’m coming from with this one! I say all that to say, if I attempt to take away the affect the narrator’s voices have on my evaluation of this guide, I’d boil it right down to this: You’ll positively need to droop your sense of perception to lean into this one however The Cheat Sheet is one other enjoyable learn I believe those that sometimes like candy not-too-steamy romance novels (suppose Hallmark film model books) would get pleasure from.

The guide follows longtime finest mates Bree Camden and Nathan Donelson who’re head over heels in love with one another however each satisfied the opposite particular person has them firmly planted within the dreaded “pal zone” with no plans to ever allow them to out. Nathan is a well-known NFL participant who simply broke up along with his newest mannequin girlfriend whereas Bree is a dance instructor who simply broke up along with her boyfriend. For the primary time, each Bree and Nathan are concurrently single and neither know fairly what to do about it. Then, after a tequila-fueled evening out, Bree spills her emotions to a gossip reporter, spawning a viral video that has everybody satisfied Nathan and Bree would make the most effective couple. When Nathan’s publicist agrees and presents the pair with a profitable sponsorship alternative, they resolve to present a pretend relationship and signal a contract to fake to be in love for 3 weeks. Nathan and Bree lastly have an excuse to discover a romantic relationship with one another which appears like a dream however will they permit themselves to lean in or second guess each transfer the opposite particular person makes and destroy their pretend relationship and the friendship they cherish a lot?

Style: Sci-Fi, Suspense, Thriller

My ranking: B

I learn this guide a month or so after studying and completely loving Darkish Matter by the identical writer. It’s protected to say my hopes for Recursion have been excessive however I can absolutely admit I’m having a tough time giving Recursion a good shot as a result of I liked Darkish Matter a lot. Recursion simply felt too much like me. From the very starting, I seen related themes which made the guide more durable for me to purchase into, nonetheless, I consider I’d’ve totally loved this guide had I not learn Darkish Matter first. It simply felt too lengthy and too much like Darkish Matter for me to totally get pleasure from and by the top I felt just like the guide was simply dragging. I can nonetheless recognize its creativity and suppose it’s a guide many would love however when you’ve already learn Darkish Matter, I’d skip this one.

From Amazon: 

Actuality is damaged.

At first, it seems like a illness. An epidemic that spreads by way of no identified means, driving its victims mad with reminiscences of a life they by no means lived. However the pressure that’s sweeping the world isn’t any pathogen. It’s simply the primary shock wave, unleashed by a shocking discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is just not our minds however the very material of time itself.

In New York Metropolis, Detective Barry Sutton is closing in on the reality—and in a distant laboratory, neuroscientist Helena Smith is unaware that she alone holds the important thing to this thriller . . . and the instruments for combating again.

Collectively, Barry and Helena must confront their enemy—earlier than they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos.

Simple Coconut Granola (So good by the handful but additionally sprinkled on high of yogurt or a smoothie.)

My Skincare Routine (Nothing fancy, however a easy skincare routine I’ve come to like and stay up for doing each evening)

Query of the Day

What’s one factor making you smile this week?