Friday Favorites {#265}

Hello and happy Friday! Also…

We’ve had a great week of summer, and it was nice to not have too much our agenda. With today being a holiday, I’m not sure who all is blogging, but I can’t miss a Friday Favorites post with Andrea and Erika.

Here are some favorites from the week:

We have two hydrangea bushes in our yard, one in the back and one in the front. The backyard one rarely seems to bloom, but the one in the front yard is so pretty.

Trav told me I should snip a few blooms, so I can enjoy them in the house, and that’s just what I did. The pink is so pretty, and hydrangeas are one of my fave flowers.

Speaking of flowers, this lovely bouquet arrived, and these flowers are oh so pretty.

So pretty that I bumped the hydrangeas to another spot, so I can enjoy these in the family room..

We had one more update to the hall bathroom. This picture of the kids in the bathtub is one of my faves. We had it in a simple black frame, and once we put the bathroom back together, I wasn’t sure what do to with the photo. Trav even told me I had to find a place for it in the new bathroom because it’s just a favorite of ours. So, I found this pretty gold frame at Michael’s and we hung it this week. It’s the perfect finishing touch to this small blank wall.

Hadley and I had a couple of errands on Monday, and she likes driving me around. We tried a new coffee shop, and the first iced coffee that I saw on the menu was “the teacher.” It has vanilla, lavender, and honey, so I knew I’d like it…and I did! It hit the spot on a hot afternoon.

Hadley left for camp this week, and I sure am missing her. Look at this cute group of “Lucky Charms.” She will be home on Sunday, and we can’t wait to see her!

I was highly influenced by Amy when she shared her Aerie finds. Cornflower blue is my favorite color recently, so I just knew I needed to snag this sweatshirt. Aerie was having a sale, so I snagged the shorts too! I probably could have sized down in both, but I rolled the shorts once, and they fit perfectly and I liked the length that way. And, as you know, I love an over-sized sweatshirt, so I’m keeping both as is.

Yay! for pool time this week. I went to our pool a couple of days, and then Hayden and I went to my sister-in-law’s mom’s pool at her house to swim one afternoon. The temps have been hot, but not too bad…and even better when we’re just floating in the pool.

I shared a few July book trackers on Instagram. I love when others use them to share what they’re reading. They are saved to an Insta highlight, and feel free to tag me if you use them.

Favorite Foods:

Is she a food blogger now? I had a few recipes that I really liked this week.

Sunday, I wasn’t sure what to make the rest of the week, so I placed a quick Kroger delivery to get us through the weekend. I decided to try a slow cooker recipe I’d seen on Tik Tok. (@therapybysourdough)

In your slow cooker, put 6-8 chicken thighs. Then, add 5 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of garlic powder, 1 1/2 tablespoons of seasoning salt, and 2 table spoons of brown sugar.

Cook on low for four hours. Then, I steamed frozen broccoli in the microwave and when it was time to eat, I added the broccoli to the slow cooker. I microwaved Trader Joe’s Jasmine rice, and served dinner on the cooked rice.

This was easy and delish, and I will definitely make it again!

Then, as I was making my grocery list for the rest of the week, I was scrolling Pinterest and saw this recipe that I used to make all the time a few years ago. It’s perfect for low carb days that I try to do on Mondays and Tuesdays.

I made a batch and had some for lunch both of those days with this chips and and apple and peanut butter. Homer really wanted some too!

Lastly, I was trying to find an easy meal to make on Wednesday, and I stumbled upon these meatball subs. I just knew Hayden and Trav would love them, and they were a hit! I ended up buying mini hoagies which held three meatballs…perfect! These will also be added into the dinner rotation!

Favorite Mom Meme:

I will actually miss this once all the teens are driving…

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

Well, you knew I would have to share a few 4th of July throwback photos.

I love the 4th of July, and miss the days of the kids dressing in red, white and blue. Heck, at this point, I miss the kids just being home on the 4th. Hadley tends to be at camp most of the time on the 4th.

Weekly Recap:

I had a few posts this week! Also, if you read my SSYS post on Wednesday, I’ve updated it to include a few favorites if you’re interested in trying out that online shop.

I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July weekend…(for those of us in the US!)

See you back here on Monday!