Five Favorites

Happy Saturday, friends!

I really, really missed telling you about my five favorite things last week while I was sick with allergies, a migraine, and then gone in St. Louis, so compiling my five favorites this week was extra fun.

I hope you enjoy!

1. Goody Ouchless Ribbon Elastics

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I first saw these hair ties when I saw Aly and her mom in Omaha. I noticed a really cool ribbon-y bracelet on Aly, and I thought it was something from J Crew or Banana Republic and didn't think much of it. 

Then I saw that same ribbon-y bracelet holding up her hair. Duh, Emmy, it was a hair tie.

I immediately knew I had to get my hands on some of those bad boys, as I rarely put my hair up anymore simply because I hate wearing elastics around my wrist.

These are so pretty, and I love that they don't crinkle or rip out your hair when you take down the pony. I wouldn't wear only one of these during a run or a hardcore workout because they're not that strong, but I'd definitely consider wearing one over a normal hair tie simply for the fashion aspect.

I love them.

2. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

One of my students read this book and absolutely loved it, so I impulse-purchased it when I was at Barnes & Noble with my mom and sister a couple of weeks ago.

I impulsively threw it in my purse to take to St. Louis with me "just in case," and I nearly finished it by the time we got to St. Louis.

I devoured it.

It was so good, friends. I know that YA fiction is not "for everyone" (although I have a hard time understanding why not), but I absolutely loved this book. I thought it was just so real -- the first relationship between an awkward guy and even more awkward girl. I loved that the characters were imperfect and flawed, and I appreciated that the ending was not very "clean" and left a lot of questions in readers' minds.

As soon as I finished the book, I wanted to talk to my student about it. And, I want to give it to all of my other students to read: so good.

3. Bees Beechwood Spatula

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We really like bees in my family: our last name starts with a B, so it's just natural that we like bees. I don't know. It makes sense to us. Don't judge.

For instance, check out my mom's blog signature:

Yep: a bee.

And this is a gift that I bought for my sister a couple of years ago:

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Yep: another bee.

We like bees, okay?

But back to the spatula. I was at World Market a couple of months ago and saw the cutest collection of bee stuff: the spatula, a spoon, measuring cups, a cookie jar, etc. I knew that I had to have a bee something, and if I was going to have a bee something, so was my mom, my sister, and my sister-in-law.

I seriously love this spatula. I use it nearly every single day -- at least once -- and it has yet to fade a bit. Not only does it look cool, but it also feels good. I'm picky about kitchen utensils, and this one is a definite winner.

4. Gym Bag

I think I've mentioned before that I was the cheerleading coach for three years at the school where I teach. And as a reminder, I coached for three more years than I cheered myself.

One of the perks of coaching was a bunch of swag. I have more navy and white cheer shirts than I know what to do with. I also have a warm up jacket with a huge sparkly silver R on the back and plenty of jackets that have "Coach Emily" embroidered on the chest. Don't be jealous: I'm sure I can spare one for you.

But in all seriousness, I absolutely love the cheer bag that I received for all of my hard work bought. I haven't coached cheer for the last five years, but I've used this bag countless times. It's perfect for heading to Omaha for the weekend or bringing workout clothes to work for an after-school change. I think this is one of my better investments.

5. Simply Balanced Fruit Twists

Simply Balanced is Target's wellness brand and offers a great line of all-natural and preservative-free foods. The ones I've tried thus far (the fruit twists pictured above) and the twisted fruit ropes are really, really tasty. And, the fruit twists are awesome -- and perfectly portable -- for fuel for long runs.

I bought a thing of Simply Balanced almond butter as well but haven't opened it yet. I'll keep you posted.

What are some things you're loving lately?

Find previous "Five Favorites" here:

• Five Favorites 6
• Five Favorites 5
• Five Favorites 4
• Five Favorites 3
• Five Favorites 2
• Five Favorites 1