Hey friends! Friday is here! How are you holding up? Did you have a good week? A crazy one? The mayhem that is May is certainly in full swing over here with various school events and activities popping up left and right. One particularly cute event? Muffins for Mom at Rhett’s preschool!

I think he nailed it with those answers. I certainly do love ice cream, sleepovers, hugs and “I love yous.”

Today I’m off to the big kids’ school for an end-of-year picnic with Chase and then the weekend begins! For all the mothers, grandmothers and mother figures out there, I hope your weekend is especially wonderful! Now let’s dive into this weeks roundup of favorites, shall we?

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Boxes of Birthday Cards + Thank You Cards

My mom was the queen of always having cards for various occasions on hand. If we ever needed a birthday card at the last minute for a birthday party or a “thinking of you” card to give to someone going through something challenging, my mom would whip out her stash and we would go “shopping” through her arsenal of cards. I’ve taken to doing the same thing because so often we forget we need a card until the last second. I recently ordered this box of birthday cards and have been so impressed. They’re all simple yet beautiful and higher quality than a lot of other bulk birthday cards I’ve seen out there. I also ordered this giant box of thank you cards from Amazon last year that I’m still loving and working my way through. Hooray for little shortcuts like these that seem to make life a little easier!

• ALOHA Chocolate Cherry Bar

I know I’ve raved about ALOHA bars for years but I love so much about these bars from their clean ingredient list to their protein and high fiber (10g!) content. They’re also a big hit in out house as every single member of our family eats one nearly every single day. Needless to say, we go through a LOT of these bars!!! Over the holiday season, I ordered a ridiculous number of boxes of white chocolate peppermint ALOHA bars (my absolute favorite flavor) and I’m happy to report we still have a few boxes remaining. I am aware, however, that my stash won’t last forever and there are a few other go-to flavors in my ALOHA arsenal as well. And now there’s a new (to me) one!! Chocolate cherry!!! Hot dang, this flavor blew me away! If you are someone who likes dark chocolate and a strong cherry flavor, add this one to your must-try list. It has major dessert vibes and quickly claimed a spot in my ALOHA top three: 1. White Chocolate Peppermint 2. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip 3. Chocolate Cherry. YUM. Also, for anyone hoping to try ALOHA bars, my link should get you 20% off, but I think the discount may only apply to first-time customers. Worth shot though!!

• Recent ALDI Finds

Fellow ALDI lovers, how good is the ALDI Finds section lately!? I swear every time I browsed that eclectic aisle, I walk away with something I never knew I needed. And these past few weeks I feel like the ALDI Finds have been especially good! I found a cute little drawstring/crossbody woven bag, a few Disney finds (ya know, just in case we do another Disney cruise or a trip to the Disney parks), Fourth of July/Memorial Day decor and some gardening supplies.

Also, can I just give my mom a shout out for this adorable little stocking stuffer? She gave me this embroidered quarter keeper for my ALDI quarter and it’s been one of those oddly helpful finds I keep in my purse so I’m never left digging around for a quarter. (For those who aren’t ALDI regulars, you use a quarter to unlock your shopping cart and you get your quarter back once you return your cart.)

• The Love Haters by Katherine Center

Genre: Romance / My Rating: B

There was a lot I liked about this book — a peek into the job of a rescue swimmer in the United States Coast Guard (probably my favorite part of the book), “The Gals” (a group of retirees who live in a cottage compound of sorts in Key West), and the easy-to-read, breezy nature of the book (exactly what I was looking for after reading Yesteryear — yeesh). The Love Haters wasn’t the best romance book I’ve read but it was a fun, lighthearted escape novel I enjoyed. It follows Katie, a woman on a very reluctant journey to self love, who finds herself on assignment for work to film a promo video for the Coast Guard. The tricky part? She doesn’t know how to swim and assured her boss she does because she needs this assignment to keep her job. Oh and the rescue swimmer she’ll be filming? Hutch is her coworker’s incredibly good looking older brother who has no idea she can’t swim.

• April 2026 Top 10

Sharing your top 10 blog posts + favorite finds from April!

Top 10 Blog Posts

• Our First Disney Cruise: Disney Fantasy 5 Night Cruise
• Cottage Cheese Baked Pasta
• Lasagna Recipe Using Cottage Cheese
• Fri, 08 May 2026 13:47:28 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07gSy9Od4mFrGI1Zni5pjlPY?utm_source=follow.it https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/rEWKlIZB07gEFBPI5FwCUDcODhEWHFgj?utm_source=follow.it

  Cookie-loving friends!! Gather around! I have something you’re going to want to reach through your screen and grab the second you see it.

  

  See what I mean!? Are these no-bake oatmeal cookies calling to you or what!?

  Unfortunately since grabbing cookies through the computer or phone screen is not a possibility (yet!? I mean, who knows these days…), hopefully you’ll be (almost as) excited to know that the no-baked oatmeal cookie recipe I’m sharing with you today is one you can whip up in no time at all. It’s one of those “emergency” desserts I like to keep in the back of my mind when my sweet tooth starts raging but turning on the oven and pouring a ton of time into a recipe is less than appealing. Wait, is this why some genius cookie lover out there invented no-bake cookies?! Whatever the reason no-bake cookies became a thing years and years ago, I’m certainly glad they’re an option for us cookie lovers out there who may not be fueled with the desire to turn on the oven and make a mess of our kitchen.

  

  This no-bake cookie recipe is a quick and easy way to enjoy a sweet treat without requiring an oven, which is all the more appealing during those hot summer months or when your oven is already occupied by dinner. The cookies come together in minutes using ingredients that are staples in many pantries—we’re talking oats, peanut butter and, of course, sugar.

  No Bake Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

  If you’ve ever had a no-bake cookie that was either too crumbly or too sticky-gooey, you know not all no bake cookies are created equal. I hate to admit it, but a perfect no bake oatmeal cookie recipe depends on quality ingredients and precise timing of a sweet-but-smooth syrup you’ll make to bind everything together. But have no fear! I’ll walk you through this recipe to ensure you have a perfectly chewy but not-at-all-gooey no bake oatmeal cookie in your hands in no time! 

  What Are No–Bake Oatmeal Cookies

  These no-bake oatmeal cookies are stovetop cookies made with  granulated sugar, butter, milk, peanut butter, and oats. Unlike a traditional cookie that relies on flour and eggs, these no bake cookies use a boiled sugar syrup to bind everything together. No oven required! 
  
  The texture of these cookies is chewy and soft, yet firm enough to hold its shape. Since the oatmeal cookies I’m sharing with you today are “Monster” style no bake oatmeal cookies, they are loaded with chocolate chips and M&Ms. Note: These mix-ins can easily be swapped for your preferred mix-ins — think white chocolate chips and dried cranberries, sprinkles, etc. (You can also make them chocolate no bake cookies by adding cocoa powder if that’s more your style.) Also, if you like the idea of these no bake Monster oatmeal cookies but are looking for something a bit more bite-sized or nutritious, you might also enjoy these no bake peanut butter oat balls