Friday Favorites

Hey friends!  I just typed Happy Thursday but then I came to my senses and realized that we just had a Thursday.  It's Friday!!!

Time to name a few of this weeks favorites. Let's get started.

1.  This drawing of me and Kambree under the clouds on a nice day is my number one favorite this week.  She smiled this morning and told me that she drew my arms with "too much muscles" but she encouraged me that if I worked out maybe I would get big muscles like the drawing. 

2.  Kroger Clicklist is definitely a favorite this week.  I have been adding items to an online cart for a few days and I'll finalize the order and pick it up tomorrow afternoon.  I won't have to step foot in the store and they'll load everything in my car.  There is usually $10 fee but right now there is a digital coupon for free pickup over $35 if you pickup Monday - Thursday.  I highly recommend Clicklist.

3.  My home office has been looking like a junk pit, it's been a catch-all for all things.  As we changed the house from Halloween to Fall to Christmas more and more stuff/junk has been moved to my office.  This evening David went through and cleaned my office, he found a new home for several items and he even found a few gifts that I had stashed but forgot about.  My cleaner office is making me happy right now.

4.  Phone calls with friends have made me happy this week.  In addition to a couple of calls early in the week, my friend Kellie called me this afternoon while I was at the park with Kambree.  I sat on a park bench and chatted with her and it was refreshing.  I actually LOL'd several times.  

5.  Kambree and I had an unplanned girls night out today.  That's what she calls it anytime just she and I go do something, or even if we just chill at home and watch a movie.  I think what qualifies a night as girls night out to Kambree is chicken nuggets.  We went to the park.

The weather was so beautiful.  

I thought this picture came out so cool. 

We went to Wendy's for dinner then she had gymnastics.  

We played I Spy while we ate.  

At the end of gymnastics they practice cheer jumps.

We ended the night with face masks before reading in bed.  She told me that she had a bad dream last night and we prayed for protection over her sleep.  

After just a few minutes she wanted that mask off.
She didn't like that it was so tight.  

Alone time with my girl before a busy weekend is a favorite for sure.  

Well that wraps it up for today.  I'll be back Monday with what I'm sure will be a fun update from our weekend.  Have a great weekend!

I'm linked up with

An Extraordinary Day

Hi friends!  Thanks for reading today.  I hope you were able to get at least one gift idea from yesterday's gift recommendations.  Today I want to tell you about my Wednesday, it was a good one.

After we all got out of the house, I headed to a doctor appointment.  My appointment was scheduled for Thursday afternoon but I moved the appointment to Wednesday morning because I was concerned about a painful area on my foot.  My Podiatrist said that I'm just over-doing it and to try to elevate and rest my foot a little more than I am.  He said that the sore spot is not cause for concern.

After my doctor appointment I headed to work.  On the way to work I stopped at 7-11 for some popcorn and a drink.  While I was in the store a man came over to me and was talking to me in Spanish.  All that I could understand was cerveza - beer.  The man must have asked me in Spanish four times if a particular type of beer was a good one and he realized that he was getting no where with me since I don't speak Spanish.  He spoke perfect English but assumed that I would hablo the espanol.  I believe that is was 9:50am when all this happened.

I went to work after my doctor appointment and after the 7-11 interrogation.  It was a good day at work and I'm very glad to be working at home the rest of this week.  

My dear friend, Linda, text me and we had a short text conversation.  Later she text asking if she could bring me a Starbucks later in the evening - yes please.  I was concerned though.  Not that Linda doesn't do thoughtful things, because she definitely does.  The day after my surgery she brought dinner and dessert and she cooked us brunch too.  It was just odd that on a random Wednesday she'd offer to bring me a drink, so I began to become concerned that something was wrong.  I figured that she was bringing a drink and coming to give me some bad news.  See what the Enemy does?  He'll make us create a worst case scenario out of a really sweet gesture.  Linda brought me a hot chestnut praline chai tea latte and a chocolate croissant too.  We visited while Kambree gave Linda a hard time about not bringing her a cake pop.  

When Linda left I started going through Kambree's backpack and looking at papers and checking for homework.  I found a drawing that Kambree did and I thought it was cute.  I set it aside because we had to get busy with shower and reading.  While Kambree and I were laying in her bed reading she mentioned that she drew me a picture.  I asked her what it was and she said it's me and her under the clouds on a nice day.  Y'all!!!!  I thought the picture was cute but I figured it was her and Daddy, you know girls and their Daddies.  I am so touched that she made me such a special picture.  

While all this evening stuff was going on David was grilling chicken wings for dinner.  He made wings and green beans.  He did the dishes too - woohoo!  Sorry, no picture.  We had the kind of dinner where we stand and eat and talk. 

Sometimes it's the ordinary days that create the most extraordinary memories.   Some days life will be hard and some days life will be easy but if we are open to it I think we'll find that life is beautiful.

Thanks for reading today.  I hope that you find the extraordinary in your day.  

A Few of My Favorite Things

Yes, it's Wednesday!!!  Wednesday feels like an accomplishment following a long holiday weekend.  Getting back in the groove and catching up has been something else.  Kambree was not happy Monday morning but she did much better Tuesday morning.

I am having a writing block so I thought I would share a few gift ideas.  These are things that I would enjoy receiving or giving.  

First is this Dash Popcorn Machine 

I read a blog review of this air popper and I am sold.  The measuring cup fits at the top of the machine and butter can be melted in the cup while the popcorn is popping.  Sometimes I just want popcorn for dinner and the microwave popcorn gets expensive and is full of junk.  At just $19.99 I think this machine is worth a try.

Next is ESARORA Ice Roller for Face & Eye Puffiness, 

This would make a great stocking stuffer or a gift for a girlfriend.  Or treat yourself!  Do you ever wake up and look in the mirror and think what in the world is going on here?  Well I do and I would definitely like to give this a try.

Next is something for the man in your life.  Not that women don't need illumination, we just don't appreciate it as much as men do.  David received this SureFire Sidekick Ultra-Compact Triple-Output Keychain Light for Christmas last year and it's really great.  It's not a cheap flashlight but it's very bright and SureFire has amazing customer service.  

How about something for your favorite bookworm?  I have this LuminoLite Rechargeable 3000K Warm 6 LED Book Light .  This rechargeable book light works great for nighttime reading and it's just $12.99.  

For the grand finale there's this Revlon Oval One-Step Hair Dryer & Volumizing Styler . I have this hair dryer/styler and I think it works very well.  The only complaint would be that the handle is large but even with my small hands I can manage well.  I was never able to blow dry my hair with any level of control before receiving this dryer.  I highly recommend it.  There are a lot of YouTube videos available too.

Well there you have it;  A few of my wish list items and a few of my favorite things. Happy shopping!  See you tomorrow.

Note:  There are affiliate links in this post.  Should you purchase using my link there is no additional cost to you.  Thank you for supporting this blog.   

Telephone Talk

Hello Tuesday and hello friends!  Thanks for stopping by.  

I thought we'd talk about talking on the telephone.  How often do you pick up the telephone and give someone a call?

It's OK, you are among friends.  I usually prefer text over an actual telephone call.  I currently have 43 voice mails that I have not listened to. I see that I have a missed call and I call them back - or I text them.  

I have a friend, Sheri, that does call and we end up having really good conversations.  None of the topics covered would have been brought up in a text "conversation".  Now I'm not totally knocking texting, it's fine for staying in touch but you can't hear the heart or the laugh in a text.  LOL just doesn't translate like an actual giggle does.  Friends, know that I have a rule that I don't send LOL unless there was actually out loud laughter.  

Have you ever poured out your heart in a text and received the thumbs up emoticon or just LOL?  Doesn't that reaction leave you feeling let down?  I mean, I just laid out some important details and you send an empty reply.  Well, this would not happen on an actual telephone call.  There would be discussion and confirmation of details.  

I'm only kind of embarrassed to admit that when I receive a thumbs up emoticon as a reply I always think of this guy.  Every. Single. Time.  

I wonder if you have sent someone a text and they reply with "thx" - seriously what will you do with all the time you saved?

When I was a young girl me and my friend Tammy would prank call boys all the time and it was so much fun.  We'd LOL for real.  One of my first boyfriends and I would talk on the phone for hours.  This was when the corded phone was in the main living area of our home.  So, the whole family was sitting there listening to anything that we said.  Actually there wasn't much talking going on, it was just fun to be on the phone together sharing giggles.  

So, my friend has opened my eyes to the value of actually making a telephone call.  The value of actually hearing a voice and the emotion.  I think I'll make an effort to make a call instead of send a text.  What about you?  Do you dodge the phone calls?  Do you respond to calls with texts?  Are you a Fonzie?  Let me know your thoughts.  

Weekend Rewind

Happy Monday!  

Is anyone ready to get back to routine after the long break?  Me neither!  I have enjoyed the easy mornings and leisurely pace.  Here's how the weekend went.

Friday morning Kambree and I cuddled in bed and watched The Christmas Chronicles .  It's a new Christmas favorite.  Later that morning Kambree had a naughty list scare and she helped me around the house.

Later Friday evening we colored and watched the Christmas Chronicles again.  We picked up pizza and had a fun evening.

Saturday morning Kambree lounged in my bed while I got ready for the day.  

See the coloring sheet - it's part of Christmas Doodle Town created by Andrea at Momfessionals there are several houses, barn, store, church, etc. They are easy coloring and can be personalized, etc.  

Later on Saturday one of Kambree's friends came over and we went to the park.  

The park is in the process of turning into a Christmas wonderland and we were able to get a few pics.  

The girls took their skates and had a lot of fun.  We went to Chick-Fil-A and hung out and the parents of Kambree's friend came and we visited for a while.  They took Kambree with them to run errands and get ice cream.  The girls had a lot of fun together.

On Sunday we attended church with my cousin Cristy.  Cristy's son, Blake, got baptized.  A few of my long-time friends were there too and it was good to see everyone.  After the service Kambree went with Carolyn for a little while.  We spent Sunday afternoon doing stuff to get ready for the week and we watched - wait for it - Christmas Chronicles - again.  

I sat staring at this view a lot.  

Right now I am watching the first episode of Dirty John on Bravo it's based on the true story podcast Dirty John by Wondery.  I would recommend listening to the podcast, it's a good one.

Well if you are still reading - wake up now. Have a great week!!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!  Happy Black Friday, if that's your thing.  

How was your Thanksgiving?  We went to David's Dad and Stepmoms and we took three dogs with us.  Several people bring their dogs every year and we usually bring DD, Patch, or Tiffy.  This year we left DD at home and let Sammie make the trip.  We had a good visit and we got home late.  Aunt Debbie took the picture of Kambree, she usually gets a really good picture of Kambree every year.  

I have a few favorites to share with you this week.  Let's get started. 

1.  Taking Sammie to visit Nana and Papa was definitely a favorite.  Everyone there fell in love with him.  He's a gentle giant and he's very lovable.  I was nervous to take him because he's so huge and I suggested that he needed to stay in the covered porch and not in the house.  Nana wouldn't hear of it though and Sammie was in the house getting love all day long.  Here is one of my favorite pictures of him.

2.  Call it lame but I'm going to call our well stocked pantry and freezer a favorite.  I was able to make a cake, creamed corn, and glazed carrots for our Thanksgiving contribution.  Not to mention the other daily meals.  I haven't made a grocery trip since before my surgery, so I call this a win.

3.  I have enjoyed seeing some of my favorite bloggers post their gift guides, but I have especially enjoyed that one of my favorite podcasts has posted two gift guide episodes.   The Big Boo Cast posted episode #124 and episode #125 .  There are some great gift ideas in both of these episodes.  I listened while I worked and it was fun to be able to click on the link in the show notes while I listened.  Now this isn't some deep topic podcast, but if you want to hear two good southern girlfriends chat - then this podcast might be for you.  

4.  I'm going to name this favorite for the sake of looking back and remembering.  I usually lay with Kambree as she's going to sleep and most nights that's OK but some nights I just want to say go to bed and she's in bed.  Well that happened tonight!!  I mean she was melting down because she was so tired but she did it.  Sammie was in bed with her and she rolled over and went to sleep without me being there.  I told David that I was going to make a big deal about this in the morning and really brag on her.  Y'all, I know the days are long and the years are short but some days are REALLY long.  

Well, that's all I have for today.  Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving!  I pray that you have a day of being with those you love.  I hope there is a lot of laughter and plenty of rolls!  

See you back here on Friday!

Safe travels!

Like Thieves in the Night

Well Tuesday was the big day.  David got all the Christmas stuff out of the attic and our tree is up.  It's not fully decorated but it's fluffed and most of the berry picks are in it.  My goal is to have the garland and the fragile ornaments on the tree before Kambree can get hold of it.  Now don't come at me with stuff like - let that baby decorate the tree or poor Kambree - she has her very own tree and we add ornaments to it every year.  Plus she doesn't totally leave the big tree alone.  She just can't help herself.  Our tree has the option of clear lights, color lights, or blinking combo and I prefer the clear but Kambree puts it on color as soon as she walks in the room.  

I like our tree up right before Thanksgiving because I want to come home from Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy the holiday weekend with one less thing to do. I've been told that I always have a beautiful tree.  I have several different types of garland and I pay special attention to the swoop of each strand.  I have collected ornaments for years that have sentimental value and that I really love.

Many years ago I was in a situation where the only solution that I had was to leave.  To just walk away from every material thing.  I had a bag of clothes but not much more.  When a person is in a situation like this unless you have money to really fight it's quite possible that you will lose everything.  I had no regrets about leaving the man at all but some of the stuff really bothered me - including the Christmas decor that I so cherished.   

It was Christmas time and things weren't totally settled so I still had rights to the house etc. but just couldn't get in to get my Christmas decor.  So we came up with a plan - we knew that if I could get him in an email conversation it would mean that he wasn't at the house.  This would give my cousin, my friends husband and her stepson an opportunity to go get my Christmas decor.  That's just what they did - I was able to tell them exactly where to find everything and they delivered all my Christmas treasures to me.  

One of the other things that I left behind were photos or items that were gifted to me. As I was going through the Christmas totes I found a photo album.  There was no reason that a photo album should have been in my Christmas totes but I am so glad that it was.  This would have been the photo album that I most cherished and I am so thankful to have it.  

Every year when I decorate the tree it's a bit of an emotional experience for me.  I remember that all was not lost.  I remember the love of those that collected my treasures for me.  I feel the restoration and the hope that the Christmas season brings.  

Thanks for stopping by today and I pray that you'll have calm as you prepare for Thanksgiving.  Have a blessed day! 

P.S. I didn't share the name of which cousin, but I bet you can figure it out if you know me.  

Friendsgiving

Happy Tuesday Friends!

Last Friday evening a group of my friends gathered for Thanksgiving.  We were missing several but we still had a very large group.  Most of us were a ladies group at a church, we were the Teacup Ladies from Eastridge Park CM Church in Mesquite.  A few have joined our group that weren't part of the original group.  We see each other several times a year but as I recall this is just our second Friendsgiving.

What is a Teacup Lady you might be asking.  When Lisa held our first meeting she collected matching pairs of teacups and saucers.  Lisa had them wrapped and used them as centerpieces on the tables.  At some point during the event we all unwrapped a teacup and saucer and whoever had a teacup and saucer that matched ours became our prayer partner.  I remember that we moved and sat by whoever had our matching set.  We were to keep our teacup set somewhere where we would be mindful to pray for the group.  

Carol Lee, Mandy, Yolanda
Kim, Linda, Lisa, Sonie, Kellie, Cristy
Doris, Ms. Kathy, Laura, Ashley, Ms. Doris, Jackie, Melanie, Charlotte

We met at On The Border in Mesquite and I wish that I had asked our server for his name because he did a great job.  I had the grilled shrimp tacos and they were pretty good.  I did take a picture but not until I had taken several bites.  Doris that was sitting beside me laughed as I tried to make my plate look untouched.  

We planned our Christmas gathering, a Favorite Things Party at Mandy's house.  She's in pink and is sitting beside me in our group picture.  I have known Mandy since she was probably eight years old.  It's been so fun to stay so connected with her all these years.  

Kellie filled us in on our retreat details.  Our retreat will be in March and all the details are being worked out now.  Kellie is a "master planner" and we basically just have to show up.  

Carol Lee, Kellie, and Ashley

Cristy got a few pictures of her end of the table.

Cristy and Charlotte

Cristy, Charlotte, Ms. Doris, Jackie, and Kellie

I sat across from these ladies.  These are some of the strongest ladies that I know. They have such perseverance and I have learned a lot by knowing them.  Funny side note about Carol is that most all of us call her by her first and last name any time that we speak to her or refer to her but no one else is called by their first and last name.  

Linda, Ms. Kathy, and Carol Lee

We talked and we laughed.  Women were switching seats to have chats with different women.  There were lots of hugs and it was great to be together.  

Have you attended a Friendsgiving?  Do you have a group of friends that you are thankful for?  I believe that we all crave connection and we just have to push ourselves to make friendships a priority.  I'm sure glad that we were able to get together for Friendsgiving and I am excited for our Christmas get-together.   

Weekend Recap

Hello Friends!  How was your weekend?

My weekend was pretty lame but Kambree had a great weekend.

Our weekend started early on Friday morning with the Turkey Trot at Kambree's school. Carolyn, David's Mom, and I rode together and watched from about the center point of the route.  David met Kambree at the start and ran with her.

The kids had early release right after the trot so Carolyn took her on a trail ride with friends.

Kambree, Ady, Ashley and Mady

I worked and had Friendsgiving later Friday evening.  I felt fine but after I got home from Friendsgiving I started feeling sick.  I woke up Saturday morning feeling awful.  I had a headache, cough, body aches, and all I wanted to do was sleep.  This was my view all day.  

Carolyn and Kambree hit up Old Navy for their $1 Christmas sock sale on Friday and they brought me a pair but right now I only need one.  My entire day was spent on the couch sleeping.  

I woke up feeling some better Sunday morning and made it to church.  Kambree was still at Grandma's so I picked her up and we had a good day at home.  One of our smoke alarms was beeping and we needed batteries so we ran to Dollar General.  While we were there I was behind this little old lady

Ladies, do not be afraid to mix patterns because look at this little fashionista.

We went to Dollar General for one thing and left with about ten things because I took us down the Christmas aisle.  One neat thing that we purchased was this scratch and reveal ornament set.  These held her attention for a long while and can be done while watching TV.  The end result is cute and I may go back and pick up a couple more. 

I am going into the office tomorrow because I have a meeting but I'm concerned about the length of the drive.  My doctor did tell me that if I feel like I can safely drive to go ahead for quick trips but I have a 1.5 hour commute typically.  I do hope that traffic will be light since it's a holiday week.  I have a driving shoe but it doesn't offer as much support as my boot and my foot really aches after even short trips (like to run to Dollar General).  Anyway all that to say that David may drive me - he's cheaper than calling an Uber!  I'll let y'all know how it goes.  

Have a great week!!