Friday Favorites

Favorites on this (gasp!) last Friday in January...

1. Flowers and coffee, coffee and flowers

 Really, there's nothing better than the two of these combined. Together they can save any day and make it instantly better. After yesterday morning started off with a broken house heater and a shattered glass bowl that made a disaster of the kitchen, I decided I needed a little pick-me-up. A drive-thru Starbucks followed by fresh blooms from Costco was just the ticket. By the way, I heart Costco for flowers - they have the best prices and the flowers are always gorgeous. Bonus - our Costco has a Starbucks in the same shopping center, and it's all on the way to Sweet P's preschool.

I tried both the Smoked Butterscotch Latte and the new Cascara Latte this week, and give both a thumbs-up! The Smoked Butterscotch is similar to a Caramel Macchiato, but not as sweet (which I actually prefer). The Cascara Latte is actually a pretty light drink. They syrup used in the drink is made from sugar and dried coffee "cherries" (the fruit which produces coffee beans). The flavor is very subtle - overall similar to a Vanilla Latte. Nutrition wise, the Cascara Latte is slightly lower in calories than a Vanilla Latte (190 calories for a tall) and the Smoked Butterscotch Latte (made with a butterscotch syrup containing cream) comes in at 270 calories for a tall (slightly less than a Mocha Latte at 290). 

2. Talking as Fast as I Can
Last week, I wrote that I had placed a hold at our library for the recent release Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham, and I was not so patiently waiting for it. The way our online holds system works, you can only tell how many total holds have been placed, not where you are in line. There were a number of holds already in the system when I placed mine, but the number kept growing and growing every time I checked in, so I had no idea how long I had to go. Color me surprised when my name came up yesterday! I can't even count the number of times I've watched the full series of Gilmore Girls (I like to just have it streaming in the background whenever I'm doing laundry or other housework), and Lauren Graham is just my favorite - so my expectations for this book are high!

 3. Sweat, smile & repeat

Going along with my "I'm going to take care of my body" New Year's Goal, I've been getting my sweat on - which really does get smiles. Mentally and emotionally, a workout does so much good. I totally and completely need the accountability of a time and a class, so my go-tos these days are (still) Pure Barre (especially the kicked up cardio platform version):

And I've been mixing it up with group Pilates more and more. The weekday class that fits into my schedule with Parker's preschool is the advanced class, though, and I'm not gonna lie - at points I think I'm going to fall off my machine (there are serious standing and balancing portions and all sorts of gymnastics going on while holding hand weights) but I can also say I feel fabulous afterward ;)

4. Smoothie bowls for days

I'm back on my smoothie bowl kick - partly because they're so tasty, partly because they're so pretty, and partly because the highs this week were close to seventy degrees. I've been making them more creamy versus fruity lately (more plain greek yogurt, less fruit) but still super thick. This one was 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, 3/4 cup frozen mixed berries, 1/2 frozen banana, 2 Tbs. natural peanut butter, and a pinch of salt. I used my food processor to mix it all, but a heavy-duty blender will work also.

5. Welcome to the Symphony

Earlier this week, I wrote about our recent outing with Parker to see our own Huntsville Symphony Orchestra (original post found here). I so loved all the comments on classical music, and how some readers are doing the same thing with their little ones! Parker is still talking about the music we heard (his favorite from the night was Vivaldi's The Goldfinch), and this book is back on repeat: 

I seriously cannot recommend it enough for teaching kids all about orchestras and classical music (bonus, it's discounted on Amazon right now). 

Enjoy this last weekend of January!