This week has flown by, which has been amazing. The beautiful weather has also been a plus. As most weeks go, things have been busy, but really, really good. I’ve been able to be at our Pure Barre studios a lot, spend some time with Maggie and Kevin, and spend some time doing freelance work. (I always love when I have extra time for that!) Oh, and Winston folks: Did you catch my post this week about my love for a/perture cinema?
One more quick thing before we jump into this week’s Friday Favorites: I would love to connect with you on my curiouser & curiouser Facebook and Instagram channels if that hasn’t happened yet! I try to post content that’s engaging and fun and thoughtful — an extension of the community I want to create within this blog. I also share lots of peeks into my day-to-day life within my Instagram Stories. Plus, right now I’m doing a Wardrobe Challenge for the month of May (which might be familiar to some of you who have been reading this blog for a while), and for the first time I’m documenting that via Instagram rather than my blog. You can keep up with my daily looks (the challenge is to not wear the same thing twice during the month of May, forcing me to be more mindful and to shop my closet) within my Stories and Highlights. (Oh, you can also head over to the Shop section of my blog to find links to some of the items I feature in my Challenge!)
Okay, moving into Friday Favorites! Here are some things I’ve been loving this week:
- I tried this new Trader Joe’s vegan freezer meal, and it was SO GOOD! I highly recommend having one or two of these on hand for those days when you just don’t have time to cook but want something tasty (or to keep at work for those days when you just don’t have time to make a lunch).
- Kevin and I are SO excited that one of our favorite musicians, Josh Ritter, will be performing in Winston-Salem this August (through UNSCA). He’ll be putting on an acoustic show at the Stevens Center, and you can snag tickets here if you want to attend. (Let me know if you’re coming — I’d love to see you there!) Fun fact: Kevin and I have been fans of his for years, and included one of our favorite Josh Ritter songs on our wedding mix (the favor we gave to our wedding guests):
- A friend introduced me to the brand Budhagirl this past week, and I’m such a fan of what they stand for: mindful glamor. I especially love these bangles (they’re flexible rather than metal, so they can be comfortably worn just about anywhere and are easier to get off and on), and love the ritual behind them that Budhagirl suggests: “Each of the nine gold bangles is meant to represent an intention for your day. As you put them on, you are affirming your intentions in the morning and when you remove them in the evening, thoughts of gratefulness for your day.” What a neat idea!
- I’ve talked about Green Chef here before (a meal delivery service that I’ve used several times and LOVE), but wanted to give it another shout-out because it’s made my week so much tastier! I love that Green Chef offers vegan options (but not exclusively!), and they’re always so easy to prepare. So far this week, I’ve made (and really enjoyed) the Chermoula Mushroom Kebabs with Bulgar Salad. YUM. Green Chef makes my weekly meals FAR more creative!:
- Some of you requested book recommendations, so I wanted to share a few! I’m currently reading (and loving!) this book
, but if you’re looking for some other suggestions you can check out my #bookakread2018 hashtag on Instagram to see what I’ve read so far this year. (I have lists for 2017 and 2016, too!)
, but if you’re looking for some other suggestions you can 
- Last but not least, I shared this in an Instagram Story earlier this week, but wanted to include a link here as well. I spent the 2017/18 school year volunteering through the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce/Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools Corporate Volunteers program. You are paired with an elementary school student or two (K-2nd grade) and spend one hour per week reading with them and doing activities related to the book you read each session. I LOVED my time spent each week at Bolton Elementary, and found the one hour per week commitment to be so very doable. If you’re looking for a meaningful way to plug into the Winston community, you might want to consider being part of this for the 2018/19 school year!
I hope you have a wonderful, restful, productive, and FUN weekend ahead!
