Friday Favorites #80

Hello! Hello!

A happy Friday to you all! I hope you had a wonderful first full week of February! We are just under a week away from Valentine’s Day, are you planning on celebrating this weekend or waiting until the day of? I’m planning on doing a little bit of both. As we await the weekend, I’m sharing from favorite things from this past week as I like up with Erika and Andrea.

I have some snacks, shows, books and fascinating reads. Let’s dive right in!

Lost and Found in Paris- I picked up this book after seeing it pop up on a few blogs late last year and was expecting a chick-flick/rom-com-esque story and I got so much more than that. Lost and Found in Paris is about a young woman who travels to Paris for work after a major shift in her relationship. She’s hoping to find herself and deliver a piece of artwork to a client. When the artwork goes missing, she’s forced to go on a bit of a treasure hunt around Paris with someone she meets in the city of lights. Through the course of the book, she learns more about herself than she was every anticipating. I loved this book and it’s in the running for a top book of the year.

My Life with the Walter Boys– This mini-series came on Netflix at the end of 2023, and I had it on my watchlist for a while before I finally got to dive in. Once I started, I finished it in a week and really enjoyed getting to know the characters and the story. It’s all about a young girl who moves in with a large family filled with boys, all of whom she’s never met. She’s forced to navigate high school, new friendships, a budding relationship and some drama along the way. It has some high school drama vibes (very PG-13), but a cute show to get lost in over the winter months.

Reese’s Dipped Animal Crackers-If you like a perfect mix of chocolate, peanut butter and crunch, this may be the snack for you. I have seen these on the shelves for weeks if not months and finally decided to give them a try and really enjoyed them. I have a huge, sweet tooth and chocolate and peanut butter is one of my favorite combinations. I loved the sweetness and saltiness these snacks provide. I will definitely be getting them again, plus how can you resist anything from Hershey’s?!

Roasted Chickpeas-From indulging to healthy choices. I also saw these on the shelves at the grocery store and was intrigued. I love Everything Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s (even though we don’t have one near us, whenever I am near one, I always get their seasoning.) These roasted chickpeas are the perfect snack to munch on if you are looking for something healthy that cures a salty fix too. I have just been enjoying them on their own, but I think they would taste great in a salad too.

Hard Seasons and Wild Hearts– I have always been a fan of Brene Brown and her books and Ted Talks. She’s been pretty quiet over the last few months, and she came out with a long essay last week talking about what she’s been up to and where she plans to go from here. In this essay she discusses the challenges and hurdles she’s overcome and how she’s still healing, recovering, and learning from them. Not only did I appreciate the update, but I also found the advice about overcoming the tough seasons in life and how to move past them to be relatable too. Definitely worth the read.

That’s a brief glimpse into life nowadays and things that have been bringing unexpected moments of joy! This weekend, I challenge you to find the pockets of joy every day! Happy Friday!