Sun-washed Shackets on Friday

Happy Friday!! Happy Best Day of the Week!! On most Fridays, I try to keep things light and frivolous. On Fridays, I discuss the fun, material stuff in life. On Fridays, I list a favorite product, or book, or website, or whatever, that has added some zest to my own life. Please share your favorites (if you are so inclined) in my Comments section.

On an aside, my aunt recommended the movie Genius to me, which is about the relationship between the writer Thomas Wolfe and his longtime editor, Max Perkins. (who also was the discoverer/editor of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway) I watched the movie last night and I enjoyed it greatly. The reason why I bring it up today, here on the blog, on “Frivolous Friday” is that at one point in the movie, Thomas Wolfe laments about how ridiculously unimportant and frivolous his job as a novelist is, in light of the horrors of war, and of The Great Depression. Max Perkins tells Thomas Wolfe that he believes that it was the storytellers, around the fires of ancient men and women, who kept the tribe feeling safe and focused and occupied, while dangers lurked all around them in the way of wild creatures and harsh weather. In that way, perhaps the storytellers helped to keep the tribe inspired, cohesive, and distracted, (and maybe even alive) when they needed to be. The point being, perhaps nothing really is frivolous in life, right? Everything has its meaning and purpose. Nothing is important, and everything is important, all at the same time.

So in getting back to today’s “frivolity”, my favorite for today are “shackets“. I’ve noticed many people wearing them around, particularly as winter is slowly morphing into spring. Shackets are shirts that are heavier than most shirts, so they double as jackets, but they are not so heavy, as to be needed to be taken off when worn indoors. Shackets are usually flannel and they make a lovely, convenient compliment to an otherwise plain outfit of a turtleneck and jeans. A shacket is a must-have for every wardrobe.

And a bonus favorite: I have moved on from my once, tried-and-true favorite Eucalyptus Spearmint Bath & Body Works wallflower plug-in refill scents, after years of trying all different aromas. My new favorite: Sun-washed Citrus. It smells amazing and it is actually long lasting! If these refills can make a room, where two sweaty young men housed their dirty clothes/shoes (and God knows what else?) for their entire teenhoods, while their huge, loyal, earthy smelling Labrador retriever slept with them every night, now smell like a beautiful, refreshing orchard that you actually want to spend a fair amount of time in, Bath & Body Works Sun-washed Citrus Wallflower Refills, are nothing short of aromatic miracles.

Have a fabulous weekend, friends! See you tomorrow.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Friday, I’m in Love

“Hi, Friday.  I’ve been looking for you since Monday.” – Dea Vita

I’ve spent some of this morning looking for my daughter’s Halloween candy bag to admittedly sneak a couple of pieces.  She’s the only one of my kids who still goes trick-or-treating.  She went “all out” dressing like a pirate this year.  So, even though she is almost 15, she worked for her candy and she deserves it.  My son admitted that he’s been looking for her bag, too.  My husband said that she probably has one of those doorbell cameras on it.  Kids from big families learn quickly to be very protective of their own stuff, particularly food.

While we’re talking about our “stuff”, new readers, I change it up on Friday by discussing three of anything (usually consumer items) that I think add to the good quality of my life.  I encourage anyone to share the love of their favorite items in the comments section.  Shall we begin??

Bath & Body Works Wallflowers Stress Relief Eucalyptus + Spearmint Refill –  I live in a male dominated home with two large dogs.  Our home naturally smells, shall I call it “earthy”?  I walked into an old antique store once, which was filled with a lot of old, decaying stuff.  It smelled so good in that place, miraculously!!!  I asked the clerk why the store smelled so good, and this is when I discovered the Wallflowers, but most particularly the Eucalyptus+Spearmint scent.  My daughter swears that the Hot Cocoa refill smells the best, but I always go back to E+S.  Trust me, it’s a great aroma and works wonders in a home filled with stinky sneakers, cast off gym clothes, fishing gear and whatever the dogs dragged in.

Building the Best You – Two Year Discovery Journal by Caroline Harper – I don’t know if this book is still in print, to be honest.  Still this journal is the only journal that I have been able to keep on a consistent daily basis for over 5 years now.  Why?  Because all you have to do is answer 6 simple questions every day and there is just a small space to answer the questions. (think – three word answers, tops) Then the next year, you answer the same questions next to the same day of the previous year.  Intermittently (every three months or so), there are more thought-provoking questions and on the next page those same questions are there for you to answer the following year.    If you reliably keep up with writing in this journal (and it is very easy to do), it is so simple to spot areas in your life where you may be “stuck in a dysfunctional pattern”, but also shows you areas where you have grown and matured.  I found it in Barnes and Noble one time and after using it faithfully and in fears of it going out of print, I ended up buying around 20 of them.  (40 years worth!).  I’m currently working on my third journal.

Dollar Tree Chinese Paper Lanterns – Talk about “bang for your buck”, literally!!  These lanterns are adorable and festive and have so many different cute patterns on them.  They have LED lights at the bottom and hooks on the top so you can hang them anywhere that you want to add an element of fun, nostalgia, or whimsy.    The one I am looking at right now has an “under the sea” motif.  Sometimes it’s the littlest of things that can give you the biggest of “pick me ups.”  My daughter and I just love them!

Have a great weekend, my beloved readers and friends!

“I don’t care if Monday’s blue, Tuesday’s gray and Wednesday too. Thursday I don’t care about you. It’s Friday I’m in love with.“
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