Hello, everyone!
It was a b-e-a-utiful week here in central Iowa, and today’s supposed to be the nicest day yet with temps climbing up into the mid 50s – yeehaw! I’ve made sure to get out and soak up some vitamin D each afternoon with a quick walk around the neighborhood since we all know this won’t last very long. I believe I saw a high of, um, ELEVEN early next week? BLARG!
At any rate, if you need me today, I’ll be twirling around in the sunshine. ;) Hope you’re able to do some of the same, and in the meantime, please enjoy my favorite finds from around the web in this week’s Friday Favorites!
Click the light blue links to visit the original source.
Favorite treat: Easy Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes. Normally I’m a 4:1 ratio of cupcake to icing kind of gal, but holy buckets I would totally reverse the rule for these babies. Mouthwatering, and adorable!
Favorite spring: Michael Kors Persia Sandal. Say it with me now, SPRING! What beautiful, fun embellishments on these casual wedges, right?
Favorite bite: French Toasted Sausage & Pear “Hot Dogs”. I recently blogged about these sausage and pear stuffed French toasted sandwiches for BHG’s Delish Dish blog. They are TO DIE FOR. Ben and I could not stop stuffing our faces with ’em. A must-try for any French toast lover!
Favorite space. This is the mail center I’ve been dreaming of! A must-have in our next home so I can finally get rid of the piles of stuff that always seem to accumulate on the kitchen counter.
Favorite dunk: Pretzel Rolls with Beer-Cheese Sauce. Ohhhh myyy gaawwwwsshh. I’d like to dip my entire arm in that cheese sauce…
Favorite sip: Citrus Margarita. Don’t these drinks look perfectly thirst-quenching? Loving the orange-salt rimmed glass, too.
Favorite fashion: Marc Jacobs Classic Q – Percy. Obsessed with the coral and gold color combo on this bag. It’d be perfect for my spring break trip!
Favorite wake-up: Vegan Blueberry Muffin Pancakes. Complete with streusel topping!!
Favorite furball. Temptation…
Favorite slurp: Beefy Nacho Soup. Warm and filling, this soup would be great for the arctic blast coming our way next week.
Favorite accent: Finnia Curtains. Call me crazy, but I think these curtains are absolutely adorable (plus they’re on sale!) I think they’d be cute for a kids room, or to provide a fun burst of color in the living room.
Favorite sweet: Italian Lemon & Olive Oil Pound Cake. Mmmm, luscious and full of bright, lemon flavor.
Favorite fitness: Brazilian Butt Workout. Yep, still obsessed with butt workouts! I did one earlier this week and can barely walk (in a good way!) Here’s to big booties!
Favorite DIY: Shutter Mail Center. I found a TON of old shutters when Ben and I were out antiquing a couple weeks ago, thinking they’d make an awesome mail sorter/picture holder. Inspired to actually pick one up next time and put it to good use!
Favorite combo: Whiskey Walnut Blondies. Ahhh, I can practically taste that vanilla-y hint of whiskey in these dense and gooey blondies. So yum!
Have a GREAT weekend, everyone!
that furball is adorbs. Thanks for sharing my pancakes! Those are seriously my new fave stack!
I love reading your blog and your approach to balanced, healthy eating and what seems to be a positive approach to health. Friday favourites are also awesome, and I noticed the Brazilian Butt workout (will have to try). But then I noticed the “get thin or die trying” tumblr link on it and checked that out, which promotes to a very unhealthy approach to weight control and links to many eating disorder websites. I am not trying to judge those with them but just know as a young female, who has found a great balance in my health journey) that those sort of promotions on weight control can be very influential (in a negative way) on girls who struggle with weight issues or eating disorders.
This is just a food for thought on what links appear on your blog, I will continue to follow it and assume no harm or promotion was meant by it, but others may assume you do. Maybe have the post with no tumblr link on it at all?
Have a great day!
That beer/cheese sauce is calling on me to make and bring to the superbowl party coming up! Holy delish!
OK, wow, the pretzels and the cheese dip! Holy wow yum!!!!!
Next point. Please don’t think I’m trying to be bitchy or mean or leave a bad comment. Not my intention AT ALL because I love a good workout too. But the source of the image is a website called Get Thin or Die Trying. My sister suffers from an eating disorder and when she was in treatment, A LOT of the girls she was there with were devotees of websites like this that have really terribly unhealthy names and are all about thinspo/anorexia worship.
I LOVE the different workouts you post and I know you are all about a healthy lifestyle. I’m only pointing this out because I think it’s bad for readers to see this posted on a healthy living website and to think that websites like this particular Tumblr promote a healthy lifestyle, when in fact they promote really dangerous and unhealthy body relationships.
Take that for what it’s worth from a longtime reader and fan of IGE.
Xx,
Sarah
Hi Sarah, I totally understand your concern. I found the workout on Pinterest, and totally missed the title of the blog when I sourced the image. I’ll change it to the pin instead!
Thanks for responding :) I’m a little more sensitive to it than most people, and I get that. It’s just something that I always notice. Keep up the great blogging!
Those vegan blueberry pancakes look to die for! What a decadent breakfast!
Funfetti, beer cheese, and margaritas all on one list?!?!?! You are a girl after my own heart. And those curtains are amazing. Such an easy way to add a lot of color to a room. HAPPY FRIDAY!
Help a fellow Des Moines girl out and tell me where you found shutters antiquing! I’ve been wanting to do that mail project for ages. :)
There are a TON at Found Things in the East Village!
Oh I’m so glad I’m not the only one who twirls in the sun ;)You crack me up! Our weather here in Colorado was similar and I couldn’t help but daydream about spring. This would have been more effective if I didn’t have Christmas lights dangling from my roof. (Don’t judge… they’re coming down now that the snow has melted.)
The confetti cupcakes make me think of my all time favorite cupcake place, Scratch Cupcakery!! And their new location is opening in West Des Moines TODAY!!! Seriously check it out if you need some cupcake love!
Ummm, WHAT?! Where? MMMM!
Here is a link to their Facebook announcement, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151374792326392&set=a.10150597785546392.422270.174357711391&type=1&theater
This places is owned by a young woman (native Iowan!!) that I went to high school with. Makes me love the place even more!
OMG I am unnaturally excited about this – totally hitting it up, cough, TODAY.
BEST CUPCAKES EVER… My husband and I live in Cedar Falls and were beyond thrilled when we heard Des Moines was getting one! When we move in the next few months you can bet you know where I will be!
So many good favorites this week! I love those cupcakes and the tiny tiny start sprinkles. And the margaritas look like the perfect addition to Friday night.
I am so excited about the warm weather here in the Midwest today, but I too am dreading the temperatures predicted for next week…um, can you say BRUTAL??
I am loving those funfetti cupcakes. No matter how old I get, they will always be my favorite. They make me feel like a kid again :).
Super cute puppy picture..what a doll!
It’s supposed to be really nice here in Texas today too. Hope you have fun in the sun! Love the look of that nacho soup for a not so sunny day!
I’m in love with the shutter mail holder! Talk about Pinterst :) Can I just eat a plateful of the Italian Pound Cake, then do the Butt Workout 4,000 times? ;)