For a girl that's always lived in the north, March is one of the best months of the year!  Don't get me wrong, I love all four seasons.  I love the beautiful fall colors and I can't even imagine a winter without snow, but there is no feeling like the first few days of spring!  My March Friday Favorites are pretty much a celebration of Spring!

The First Warm Run

I am not sure our friends from California or Florida can truly understand the feeling you have on the first warm run of the season!  After months of being bundled up, going outside on a run without a hat and gloves... is absolutely glorious!  One of the things I love most about living in Illinois, is the never-ending supply of trails and parks to explore. It was fun to explore this State Park that I had never been to before - there is so much beauty in nature!

Decorating for Spring

I love decorating for spring!  Pulling out all the bunnies, bird's nests, and Easter eggs, puts a smile on my face! 

I am a firm believer that you can never have too much moss either (seriously I mean that...you can never have too much moss).  Just like the faux snow fills my containers in winter, moss lines the bottom of my glass containers in spring. ( How cute is the lavender flower arrangement above?  I got several from the adorable Paper Merchant in Geneva, IL)

Bulbs Peaking Through the Ground

I am a gardening girl at heart (as you can see in a post from last year), and outdoor flowers are my favorite.  Walking past a spot of ground that was covered with dirt and mulch, and seeing green bulbs breaking through is truly the "Aha" moment of spring.  That is when the promise of warm weather is a "sealed deal"!  (Again, I am not sure any of my southern friends can truly understand the excitement we feel when we first see green peaking through the ground after a long winter.)

Sentimental Decorating

When I say sentimental decorating, I mean I love decorating my home with items that MEAN something to me.  They are usually collected items from travel, or things that have special meaning.  Every time I look at the decorations, they make me smile!

My family lived in Pennsylvania for 14 years and we developed many treasured friendships during our time there.  Before we moved to Illinois, one of my close friends gave me this antique Pepsi bottle crate with Johnstown, Pa stamped on the end.  It is now filled with candles, hydrangeas, faux succulents, and of course moss, and it is a permanent fixture in my home.  Now, every time I walk past it, it reminds me of the sweet time our family spent in PA!  

My New Personal Iced Tea Maker

Meg and I took a quick shopping trip this week and I stopped in DAVIDs TEA to replenish my Carrot Cupcake Tea.  While we were there, we found these awesome Ice Tea Presses and we are obsessed!  They make brewing iced tea so easy!  All you do is put the loose tea leaves in the bottom and pour over hot water, then fill the top with ice.  Once the tea has steeped to your liking, you push the ice container down into the tea, and voila...you have iced tea!  The beauty is that you don't have to wait for the tea to steep before leaving the house.  Just put the tea and hot water in the bottom and fill the top container with ice, and you can head right out the door since the ice is kept separate until the tea is done brewing.  I would highly recommend the herbal Caribbean Crush Tea from David's too - it tastes great iced.  

My Never Ending Search for the Perfect Coffee Shop

One of the things I love about Chicago is that it has a mind blowing amount of amazing restaurants and coffee shops.  Obviously you can tell by the name of the blog, coffee is a good friend of mine!  One of my favorite excursions into the city is to meet my daughters and explore a new coffee shop.  We recently tried Heritage Bicycles General Store on Lincoln Avenue and loved it.  The atmosphere in the shop is rustic and they made a great pour-over coffee!  There was an adorable outside seating area that perfect on this sunny, but brisk, spring day since it was heated by a fire.

I am so thankful spring is finally here and I can enjoy all the fun things I love to do outside!  We'd love to hear some of the things you are enjoying with the warmer weather - let us know your Friday Favorites!