Friday Favorites Week of 9.30.16

I can’t believe today is the last day of September, this month definitely flew by. I have heard several other bloggers and friends say that they refuse to have anything pumpkin until October, so if that’s you, I hope you treat yourself to some pumpkin goodies and all sorts of Fall activities this weekend.

I picked up a pumpkin pie bagel from Panera last week, even though the weather was 90 some degrees, I wanted to celebrate the first day of Fall. And last weekend I got some of our Fall decor up and purchased Mums for the front porch. Now I just need to partake in some Fall activities!

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This weekend I plan to do some self pampering with a much needed mani/pedi and celebrating my husbands 30 something-ish birthday, hehe. His birthday isn’t until Tuesday but weekends are for celebrations right?!? We hope to go out to dinner and I’ll make his favorite cupcakes for dessert and we’ll of course probably watch a lot of football together because that’s one of our favorite things to do 🙂 But today is Friday and when I often try to share some of the food, fitness, and things around the web I’ve been loving lately and linking up with Heather for Friday Favorites.

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Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop

My local Safeway finally carries other flavors of Boom Chicka Pop besides regular and white cheddar. Don’t get me wrong, those flavors are delicious, but I LOVE the sweetness of kettle corn. Only problem is I can eat the entire bag in one sitting! If your local store doesn’t have these flavors you could order them on their website, or when in doubt I always find everything I’m looking for on Amazon.

La Croix

I know I’m late to the La Croix party, but that’s just because all I wanted was a lemon flavored seltzer water. And I noticed at Target last weekend they finally had lemon in stock and it was on sale, WIN! It was just as delicious as I thought it would be. I have suddenly turned into a sparkling water snob, but hey it’s WAY better than drinking a soda right.

Charcoal Masks

My sister was the first person that got me into using Charcoal on my face when she visited last month. My skin felt really bright and clear after I washed the mask off. Charcoal is known to help release toxins from the skin and I’m willing to try almost anything when it comes to beauty. So I found these self heating 1 minute masks I thought would be fun to try. I love how the mask actually warms your face as you rub it in. I could have left it on for way longer than a minute because the warm sensation felt so amazing.

Seasonal M&M’s

How did it take them so long to create seasonal flavors? I used to eat dark chocolate M&M’s all the time in college to keep myself awake when writing papers or studying. I know they are definitely not a healthy choice, but I am loving all the fun flavors they have been releasing. I wasn’t a huge fan of the s’mores just because it tasted too artificial, but these Boo-terscotch ones are pretty good and the name is so cute! The mocha flavor that comes out around the holidays is my favorite though.

Yoga

Did you know September was National Yoga Month? I tried to continue my summer routine of doing yoga once or twice a week and used Beachbody On Demand to access videos from their Yoga Retreat Program. Through On-Demand there are three weeks worth of different yoga videos. It’s great for beginners as the first week covers the basics and fundamentals of yoga. I started doing the videos from week 2 and 3 since I didn’t really feel the need to go through the beginner parts. I’ve really been enjoying the 30 minutes of stretching and hope to continue the practice into October. I’ve been enjoying yoga so much that I’m actually considering signing up for a yoga school like Marianne Wells. I find yoga so relaxing and I would love to be able to run my own classes in the future. It would be so fun!

3 years as Homeowners

I literally can’t believe we’ve owned our little townhouse for three years exactly today. Its been a great starter home for us and I love living in a small community. I know we’ll eventually outgrow this house though. At that point, it will be interesting to get a valuation from a company like Sydney property valuers metro to see if we have added value onto the property with the amendments we’ve made. I certainly hope we have! For now, though, this house fits us perfectly. I still have decorating and painting to do for certain rooms, why does filling and decorating a home take oh so long? I just want to snap my fingers and have my house look just like my Pinterest For the Home Board. I don’t know if you’ve seen those photo print wall hangings that you can order online, but I really love them and think that they could make the rooms in the house just pop! I’ve got a few digital photos that I think would look great blown up to gallery-quality wall art size. With that said, I’m looking into buying some Bumbejax acrylic prints as I’ve seen the stunning results achieved by others who have bought their products.

Around the Web

The Best Pumpkin Products at Trader Joe’s I need to make a special trip for these because they all sound delicious!

Total Body BOSU Workout In most workouts I come across I know all of the moves, but I have never tried a lot of these and have been considering getting a BOSU for my home gym. I might have to now because this workout looks that awesome!

Apple Cinnamon Muffin Tops Anyone else think the top of the muffin is the best part? Ellen created this healthy muffin top recipe that I can’t wait to try.

Simply Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes this is the cupcake recipe I always use when making a vanilla based cupcake and I’ll be making them this weekend for my hubby’s birthday. Follow me on Instagram to see what I’ll fill and top them with, warning you’ll want me to send you one! I also made these Chocolate Chip Cookies for a work gathering today. I used to use a vanilla pudding mix in my cookies, because the cornstarch makes them extra soft and chewy. Sally’s recipe is basically the same thing except she just measures the actual cornstarch. They are so delicious and always a hit.

Friday Flashback

Buffalo Chicken Meatball Recipe. Much healthier than ordering wings and perfect for any Fall or Football gathering.

Are all the rooms in your house completely painted and decorated to your liking?

What’s your favorite pumpkin product or treat?

What’s something you’ve been loving lately?

26 Comments on Friday Favorites Week of 9.30.16

Rachael
September 30, 2016 at 11:40 am (7 years ago)

Congrats on 3 years as homeowners!!! It’s such a cute house and your porch looks so pretty and festive for fall. I am definitely going to look for that charcoal mask now, my best friend got me started on them but I refuse to pay for the crazy expensive tube at sephora. Have fun celebrating your hubbys birthday this weekend?
- sweetandstrong
  September 30, 2016 at 2:24 pm (7 years ago)
  
  Thanks Rachael! Yea I love the benefits of charcoal, but they definitely aren’t friendly for your wallet. But I thought these were a good find.
Heather @ Polyglot Jot
September 30, 2016 at 12:24 pm (7 years ago)

I love the sweet kettle popcorn too! I usually have pumpkin stuff as soon as its fall–even if the weathers still warm. Favorite treat is probably pumpkin coffee and pumpkin bread!
Your town home is so sweet! You should do a home decor post–from the looks of your photos, you have such a cute home!
- sweetandstrong
  September 30, 2016 at 2:25 pm (7 years ago)
  
  Aw thank you so much Heather! And yum I haven’t made pumpkin bread in awhile, I might need to do that this weekend.
Cindy
September 30, 2016 at 1:49 pm (7 years ago)

I just got into La Croix this week too! Same flavor. How funny <3
- sweetandstrong
  September 30, 2016 at 2:30 pm (7 years ago)
  
  Haha too funny! Yay for Party Water 😉
Emily
September 30, 2016 at 3:13 pm (7 years ago)

It seems like houses are a bit of a continuous project, kind of like our lives. 🙂 We get little ideas and we change something; and then we change something a year later.

I love pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins and pumpkin pie; I would love to try that pumpkin bagel from Panera. Panera bagels are epic! 🙂
- sweetandstrong
  September 30, 2016 at 3:27 pm (7 years ago)
  
  This is so true Emily, thanks for making me feel better about not having my house completely decorated. And you MUST get the pumpkin bagel from Panera, it was delicious!
Susie @ SuzLyfe
September 30, 2016 at 4:02 pm (7 years ago)

YAY for Lacroix! You know I adore it. I basically go through a case of the coconut a week, with a few other singles in different flavors thrown in for good measure 😀 Oh, and get the s’mores crispy M&M’s–my new favorite! And PS, they now have Boom Chicka in pumpkin spice… speaking of, that bagel looks amazing. Have a great weekend! Happy 3 years of homeownership!
- sweetandstrong
  October 2, 2016 at 4:01 pm (7 years ago)
  
  Yes! I haven’t tried the coconut yet, I’m always iffy with coconut flavored things since I don’t really LOVE the taste. But weird I love pina coladas….. And now I need to find the crispy s’mores and yes I saw Boom Chicka Pop makes fall flavors, I can’t keep up with finding and trying all these seasonal items, lol.
Jessica C
September 30, 2016 at 6:40 pm (7 years ago)

Love your fall mums! And that apple cinnamon muffin top recipe looks delicious! I am in the baking mood and will have to try it! 🙂 Have a great weekend of birthday celebration!
- sweetandstrong
  October 2, 2016 at 3:59 pm (7 years ago)
  
  Thanks Jessica! How genius is it to make a recipe just of muffin tops!
Meghan
October 2, 2016 at 8:16 am (7 years ago)

Congrats on 3 years of homeownership! Your front porch looks great! I love decorating for fall & Halloween, definitely my favorite! I want to try the buffalo chicken meatballs they look delicious!
I had read about the charcoal masks…I’ll have to try one before my sisters wedding. I really like to use a clay mask. I get it from Mom’s Organic Market. It is amazing! Leaves your skin so smooth it’s unbelievable. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
- sweetandstrong
  October 2, 2016 at 3:56 pm (7 years ago)
  
  Yes clay and charcoal masks are all the craze right now. They’re so refreshing. And let me know if you try the buffalo meatballs, they’re one of our favorite recipes!
Janice @ Salads4Lunch
October 2, 2016 at 1:54 pm (7 years ago)

Congrats on 3 years in your home! We’ve been in ours for 10 years and have not painted a single wall, replaced any light fixtures nor window covering. I’m starting to think it’s time to though now that the kids are out of the colouring on walls stage. Have fun decorating!
- sweetandstrong
  October 2, 2016 at 3:54 pm (7 years ago)
  
  Thanks Janice. I love decorating, I just overthink everything and it really does take so much time! You should definitely get some walls painted, it makes a room feel completely different!