Good morning and, SPOILER ALERT:
Gooo Gabby! :D Sorry, I’ve had just about every Olympic event spoiled by media headlines, so I wanted to give you a heads up in case you DVRd last night’s women’s gymnastics individual all-around competition, where Gabby Douglas won the gold medal!
Gabby trains here in town and we could not be more proud of our little “Flying Squirrel”. I actually met her a couple years ago (she went to my Mom’s school and was in her office when I went to visit her once) and, like a little squirrel, she is ridiculously tiny. I’m only 5’2 and I felt like I was towering over her. How she gets to flying to those heights, I’ll never know. What a freaking stud – you go girl!!
Geez, I seriously don’t know what I’m going to do with myself after the Olympic are over. Oh wait, yes I do. Do more than sit on my butt from 7-11pm. I just love ’em so much! :D
Seeing as how the summer is winding down though (sniiiiff) we’re going to have to kick the DVR into high gear this weekend so we can get out and enjoy these last few weeks of summer fun. Got a couple of activities on the docket.
What are you up to this weekend?
Whatever it is, I hope you have a blast and, in the meantime, please enjoy my favorite finds from around the web and beyond in this week’s Friday Favorites!
Favorite song: Phillip Phillips “Home”. NBC played this song during nearly every single Gaby montage this week (she moved to Iowa from Virgina when she was 14 to train – hence the lyrics just know you’re not alone/I’m gonna to make this place your home – at least that’s what I got out of it ;) ) which made me weep EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Every time!
Favorite idea: Angel Food French Toast. Now WHY didn’t I think of that? Decadent!
Favorite finally: Braid Bun for Short Hair. Finally a cute ‘do for us short haired gals. :)
Favorite sip: Key Lime Pie Mojito. Great recipe here – sounds uber refreshing!
Favorite improve: How To Stain Builder-Grade Cabinets. I semi-loathe the builder grade cabinets in our home, and this finish looks so luxe, don’t you think? Perfect for sprucing up our bathroom/hiding the hair dye I accidentally smeared on the vanity 3 years ago…
Favorite photo: Siena Market. I gasped when I saw this picture – it looks nearly identical to the tiny town market Ben and I went to everyday on our Amalfi Coast vacation, straight down to the gorgeous fresh fruit display out front!
Favorite MMMM: Chocolate Birthday Cake. LOOK at the luscious icing dripping down the sides of this cake. Wait ’til you get a load of the filling. ;)
Favorite getaway: Club Med – Maldives. Absolutely unbelievable. Can you imagine?!
Favorite tip: No More Icky Pans. Now to track down the secret ingredient that will save all my rusting baking sheets!
Favorite Fall: Stuffed Shells with Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Ricotta. RIGHT? I tried to hold off posting this until closer to the Fall, but I just couldn’t help myself. Love this blogger’s recipes!
Favorite room: Industrial Rustic Room. Love this mix of brick, wood, and steel – awesome style.
Favorite awww. Ben nearly wept when he saw this picture. He wants a bulldog more than anything!
Favorite indulge: Bloomin’ Onion Bread. Bread, cheese, butter, onion, herbs. Need I say more?
Favorite fit: Sworkit App. I can’t wait to try this app which allows you to set the length of your workout, and which areas you want to target, then walks you through exercises in real time. Sounds awesome!
Favorite sweet: Watermelon with Ginger Syrup & Lime Zest. I’d love to try this with the remaining 22 cups of watermelon I have sitting in my fridge!
Favorite feature: Island End Cap Refrigerator. Absolutely must have in my future dream home!
Favorite swap: Morning Cocoa Rolls. CHOCOLATE rolls instead of cinnamon rolls in the morning. What a way to wake up!
Favorite sip: Nutty Hazelnut Iced Coffee KCup. Obsessed with this iced coffee flavor. I’ve been having one nearly every morning for the past two weeks! PS: Enter code LUCKY1-8131 at www.GreenMountainCoffee.com for 10% off storewide until August 8!
Favorite spin: Spinach Artichoke Pasta. Skip the dip and give me a giant bowl of this pasta instead. Holy cow does this look good!
Favorite DIY: Toilet Paper Roll Painting. I love the rustic look of this painting technique. It’d look so nice on a series of tall/thin canvases, I think.
Favorite refresh: Mango Lassi and Strawberry-Honey Yogurt Popsicles. Creamy, cold, refreshing. I would devour these.
Favorite style. All the things!
Favorite find: Brownie Batter Parfait. You have GOT to see this recipe – it is off the chain!!!
Have a happy weekend everyone!
OMG, one of the BEST Friday Favorites posts! You had me with the Stuffed Shells, then the Club Med, add the Bloomin’ Onion Bread and seriously, I didn’t think it could get any better…then you added the Island End Cap Refrigerator and chocolate cake…I thought the only thing she’s missing is fashion and I saw the Chanel bag and that put the post over the top. Seriously, the only thing missing is a hot guy (too bad your married or we might have had that too, lol). All of the food looked amazing and the Key Lime Pie Mojito…so refreshing. Nice post!
Yay now I know what that song is. I’ve been teary eyed all week. Especially when they play that song, someone wins, someone cries, and when they receive their medals. I love the Olympics and am so glad that another Iowa trained athlete won!
That is SO COOL that you have met Gabby. It seems like the tallest girl I saw was from Russia – I think she was 5’4″. Everyone was 5’2″ or less.
I agree with you on the Olympics. I think I was more emotional than Gabby last night. She is so great!! I’m going to miss the Olympics, but maybe I can start getting to bed at a decent hour. That photo of the bulldogs is priceless.
I saw that short haired updo on Pinterest this week and was soo excited!
Also I love the fitness apps you post- they always sound so neat!
This post was loaded with all sorts of amazingness. First of all, Gabby. It seems like every single blogger I’ve come across is posting about her today. And for good reason – she is incredibly talented and worthy of that gold in every way!
Also, the food. You have me craving about one million different things right about now. The angel food french toast, chocolate birthday cake, stuffed shells and spinach artichoke pasta look especially incredible.
Mmmm…Siena…
Loved it so much that we named one of the girls after it! HIGHLY recommend a stop there next time you find yourself in Tuscany… Open air store fronts everywhere you turn, plus the best piazza in Italy!
I totally downloaded that song after I heard it on the Olympics the other night. <3
Key Lime Mojito?? Sign me up!! I also couldn’t stop cooing at the puppy photo. I’ve been doing lots of puppy research lately, maybe next spring :) Have a wonderful weekend!
My husband also has an obsession with bull dogs – I have to admit, they do look pretty cute.
This doesn’t really have anything to do with Friday Favorites, but I also live in Des Moines and my husband and I have been trying to decide on a restaurant to eat at on Tuesday to celebrate our anniversary… we want to try somewhere local that we haven’t been to before. Any good local suggestions??
Miyabi 9 is always my go to. If you don’t like sushi though, I’d try Lucca, Centro, or Cool Basil!
One of my favorite things about Friday’s is reading your Friday Favorites. I freaking LOVE them!!! Thanks so much!!
That soap used to be at SuperTarget and you can get it at drugstore.com I believe. Phillip Phillips won American Idol this year and I believe “Home” was his winner song. If so, then it is definitely the best song for a winner the show has ever had. I love the “settle down” part.
I had no idea he was an AI winner! Good for him!
I just clicked over on that Chocolate Birthday Cake recipe, and oh my goodness. Cannot.stop.salivating.