It is not going to be a wild Friday night here at our household. My daughter got her bony impacted wisdom teeth removed yesterday morning, and in solidarity with her, in order to just want to veg on the couch together, I got my booster Shingles shot yesterday afternoon. We are both doing alright, but we are played out, to say the least. A lot of life events have been happening this week, and my whole family is a tad drained, physically and emotionally. We need rest and healing.
So, on that note, as much as I love Fridays and I love posting my “Favorite Things Friday” favorites, today I only have one favorite to share before I crawl back on to the couch next to my sleepy little Chipmunk Cheeks. This week, I tried this fabulous new hydration drink. It’s called Lemon Perfect Water. Lemon Perfect Water’s motto is “It tastes like you are drinking vacation.” And that is the absolute truth. These waters are sugar-free, and they taste fabulous. They remind me of a healthy version of those fresh-squeezed lemonades that you buy at state fairs. They come in many flavors and they only have 5 calories in each bottle. Go to the store, buy your vacation in a bottle, and drink up!!! Have a great weekend!!
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
Good morning, friends. Happy Friday! Happy Favorite Things Friday!! The above picture is from one of my only two favorites for the day. That picture above is of Apollo, who is an orphaned black rhino. Due to poaching and hunting, there are only about 5,000 wild black rhinos left in the world. Apollo is taken care of by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an organization that is dedicated to taking care of orphaned elephants and rhinos, in order that they can be released back into the natural world, to be wild and free. Learn all about the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust here, at their website and watch their delightful videos of the precious, resilient, tough, very much alive orphans. https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/
In times of trouble, I find so much solace in animals and in nature. Don’t you?
Remember, little ones have big hearts. Little ones are amazingly resilient, resourceful and full of life. It’s hard to keep little ones down. Little ones are our future. Let’s all do everything that we can do, to make sure that it is a beautiful future worth having.
“And though she be but little, she is fierce.”
– William Shakespeare
“Mighty things from small beginnings grow.”
– John Dryden
“The world is moved along by tiny pushes of each honest worker.”
– Helen Keller
“Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut, that held its ground.”
– David Icke
And this is my new favorite song. (I find a lot of solace in music, too. Don’t you?) This song is a lovely way to bring in the weekend. Have a wonderful weekend. We’re all under the same sun.
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
I’m sorry, friends. In light of what is going on in the world these last couple of days, I am not feeling my usual lighthearted, “let’s just focus on the material stuff” Friday mojo. Like so many of us, I’ve been spending a lot of time reflecting on what is happening in the Ukraine. I’ve been noticing my feelings, and I have been spending a lot of time praying for everyone around the world who is suffering from pain, fear and disillusionment.
I’ve taken this current horrific situation going on, and I reflected on its “microcosm” that by now, at our ages, everyone has experienced at least once, in each of our lives:
“No one is coming to save you. This life of yours is 100 percent your responsibility.”
It’s a cold, hard truth and the first time that this truth smacks you in the face, it is so scary and dark and lonely and painful to fully realize this truth. It’s brutal. But then, the redemption occurs. This is the very moment that you learn to trust yourself. This is the very moment that you learn that you can rely on yourself. This is the very moment that you come to know your strength and your determination and your resilience like you never have before. You never feel more fully alive than when you fully realize your own worth. You realize that you are worth fighting for, that you deserve more than what you have been allowing, that you have people (and higher spiritual forces) who love you, and who support you, and who want to help you in your cause. This is the moment that you realize that you love yourself, and that you value yourself and there is no one who knows you, and what you need better than you. There is no one who will take better care of you, than you. This is the moment when you realize your own worth. This is when you experience your own personal freedom and victory. This is the day that you realize your greatest champion on Earth must be you. When this occurs, all the forces in the natural and in the supernatural are by your side, and the wind is at your back. You are filled with an energetic, wise knowing and confidence that you deserve to be the fullest creative expression of your truest self and you will let nothing will stop you from realizing your highest form of being.
Today is an excellent day to focus on your favorite being in the whole wide world, to focus on the person who was with you from the very beginning of your birth here, and who will be with you to the very last breaths of your stay here on Earth. Today is an excellent day to focus on your favorite being in the world who has been with you through every single up and down that you have ever experienced in every single day of your life. Today is an excellent day to be thankful to your favorite being for all of the experiences shared, the warm, supportive relationships created, and for the creative journey currently being experienced in the here and now. Today your favorite anything, should be YOU! Everything that you need, is inside of you. Your navigation system is forever connected to the Highest Loving Intelligence that exists. Trust this fact. Trust yourself. Love yourself. Your superhero is You. And you are more incredible and worthy and capable than you ever give yourself credit for being!
And also for today, my daily mantra on the blog is directed specifically to the warmongers in this world:
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
I’m a big believer in trying to make every day a good day, but come on, on Fridays, “the good part” just doesn’t take much effort, does it? Friday is my favorite day of the week, mostly because I love the feelings of freedom and anticipation. On Fridays, here at the blog, I list my favorites. Typically, I try to list around three favorite products, or books, or TV shows, or whatevers that have helped to make my life interesting and enjoyable. Please share some of your favorites in my Comments section. It’s always fun to discover new favorites.
My favorite reading this morning:
“We cannot wake up and know who we are, as we are always building it. Much remains unreconciled, an indication of being alive.” – Holiday Mathis
Friends, we are all works in progress. That’s the joy and the process of living. Cut yourself a break this weekend and just experience the experience without judgment. Please, don’t take yourself so seriously. Be grateful that you have all of the ingredients: mind, body, and spirit, in order to fully experience the awesomeness of living a life on Earth. That’s honestly all there is to it.
My favorite story of the week:
My friend asked her mother-in-law if she believed in “love at first sight.” “Absolutely!” her mother-in-law replied. “It’s happened to me 14 times!” I imagine that there was a pregnant pause at this moment. I know that my eyebrows were raised listening to my friend tell her story. I thought to myself, “Wow, now that’s what I call a romantic!”
My friend’s mother-in-law continued, “The first time that I laid eyes on my three sons, and my eleven grandchildren and great-grandchildren, I completely experienced love at first sight. No doubts about it.”
Some people are just so awesome to their very cores, aren’t they???
My second favorite story of the week: (This time I was eavesdropping at my physical therapy session. My regular readers know that I do this. Tsk. Tsk. It’s a bad habit of mine, but you must know, we writers tend to eavesdrop. Facts.)
The young male physical therapist was lamenting to his older female patient about how much his young sons fight and argue. The woman mentioned that her own sons are now in their forties, but when they were young and they were fighting and fussing, she would take two chairs, sit them down and make the boys face each other. She would then say, “Compliment each other, until I say stop!”
Now, the woman admitted that this activity never went the way that she had planned. One boy would start with, “I really like how ugly your hair looks today.” And then the other brother would try to creatively top his brother’s “compliment” with something even better, like, “I really like how you keep proving to me that you are even stupider than I thought you were . . . ” The woman told her PT that the boys got a big hoot and holler out of this activity and they would end up in fits of laughter, and they would be buddies all over again in a matter of minutes. The brothers would bond over clever and witty insults disguised as compliments. (As a mother of three sons, I know that this has to be a true story. Boys get a charge out of insulting each other. I’ve never quite understood it, but it does create a bro-bond like nothing else does.)
When I hear stories like these, I always think to myself, “Why didn’t I think of that???” It almost makes me want to go back to mothering young children. (“Almost” being the key word here.)
My favorite product of the week:
My husband and I went to the grocery store together to pick out a pile of junk food to enjoy while watching the Super Bowl last Sunday. Russell Stover chocolates were “buy one/ get one” at our local Publix. How perfect, his and her boxes of chocolate, even before Valentine’s Day!!! After devouring two boxes of Russell Stover Assorted Milk Chocolate Covered Nuts this week, my husband and I both agreed that we have been way too snobby about Russell Stover candy. I wish that I didn’t love this candy as much as I do. I wish that I was still a chocolate snob who hadn’t eaten 26 pieces of Russell Stover chocolate this week. My husband even noted that the candy was not perfectly molded to the point that it almost looked like it was homemade. Go get you some Russell Stover chocolates today, if there is any left. It is sure to be on sale after Valentines Day.
That’s all from me for today. Remember that favorites come in all different packages and many favorites are absolutely free. List your favorites today. This activity will bring a smile to your face. I promise you. This activity is one of my favorite things to do because it brings the joy of my favorites bubbling up to the surface, all over again.
See you tomorrow! Have a great weekend!!!
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
Happy Friday, friends! I have an early appointment this morning, so I am going to have to make this a short post. On Fridays on the blog, I keep to the superficial stuff in life, and I typically list three things, or products, or songs, or TV shows, or books, or movies, that have made my life more fun and interesting. In the interest of time, I will only be listing one favorite of mine today: faux fur purses.
I live in Florida and I carry around a faux fur purse, so you can, too. And you should! I am currently carrying around my very luxurious, super soft and cuddly Anita Bitardi faux fur purse and it is fabulous. I get so many compliments on it. People just can’t help themselves wanting to touch it. I keep myself and others warm with it (for instance the girls tennis team took turns cuddling against it, at yesterday’s extra long tennis match that went until dark). My friend told me that I should get a sign for it: “Emotional Support Purse.” (but really ladies, aren’t all of our purses “Emotional Support Purses”?)
Seriously, though, I bought my first amazing faux fur bag when I was in my thirties and I was living in Charlotte, NC. The area which I lived in, had one of those super cool, old-fashioned, Ace Hardware stores reminiscent of Little House on the Prairie, that still had a post office inside of it. I loved wandering around in that store, perusing the “what-I-might-finds.” One day, I noticed something furry on the bottom shelf in a dark corner in the store. Honestly, it startled me. I thought that it was some sort of animal. So when I went to investigate, I pulled out a fabulous faux fur backpack. I loved that bag!! I used it every single winter until the fur got worn off and the rest of the fur was all bunched together in clumps. (In other words, I used it way past its expiration date.) I think that I might have cried when I finally threw that backpack in the garbage can, ten years later, here in Florida.
From that moment of finding my first glorious faux fur backpack, I have made a point of carrying around a faux fur bag every single winter. It is so comforting (my other friend said I could use my current faux fur bag as a pillow on a trip.) I look forward to the first cold days when it seems mildly appropriate to start carrying a faux fur bag around, and then I carry it around for a long, long while until the days when the fur really starts to look a little bit ridiculous with my shorts.
You need a faux fur bag. Trust me on this. The groundhog says we have several more weeks of winter, so treat yourself! Have a great weekend. See you tomorrow!!
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
I thought that this meme was funny, but truthfully, I’ve had a good week. I hope that you have, too! But of course, even if you had a lousy week, do not fret. It is Friday!!! Happy Friday!! Happy Favorite Things Friday!! On Fridays, I don’t deeply ponder. I purchase, I prance around, and I plunge into pleasure. On Fridays, on the blog, I typically list three favorite things, or songs, or websites, or shows, etc. that make my heart sing and I hope that you will share some of your favorites, too. I only have two favorites to share today, as I am a little pressed for time. Without further adieu:
Professional Wooden Slant Board for Calf Stretching – My piriformis muscle is all out of whack, so for the first time in my life (thankfully), I am going to physical therapy. My physical therapist is a great young lady, but she laughed coyly, when she told me that I’m a tad blunt and direct. In that moment, I came to the realization that I may have become one of those cantankerous old dames with bad hips. She asked me, “What is your goal with your physical therapy?” I said, “To fix the damn pain in my butt cheek.” Anyway, I still think that we’re friends. She introduced me to this slant board yesterday at PT and it was the best feeling stretch I have ever experienced in my life. It helped everything. My physical therapist said that she, herself, uses the slant board every day. So, I went home and I promptly went to Amazon, and purchased one for myself, so that I, too, can use it every single day. (Supposedly, it is great for plantar fasciitis, too.) Another good tip that I learned at PT is that I cross my legs too much. Apparently, I am too sexy and yet too modest, for my own good. When you cross your legs, you get unbalanced and your bones do more of the work than your muscles. Supposedly it is best to always stand and sit with balance. (And I am now coming to the realization that I am becoming one of those cantankerous old dames who talks too much about her ailments. Sigh.)
Mark & Graham monogram store – I know that you Southerners, in particular, love you some monogrammed stuff. I happened upon this website the other day and apparently, you can purchase anything in the world, with a personalized monogram. This is like a classier, easier to navigate Things Remembered. Remember “Things Remembered” at every mall in 1980s America??? Honestly, Mark & Graham is a great website, fun to peruse, because who doesn’t like a nice personalized “something something” as a gift for others, or even for yourself? Monograms make ordinary things special to you.
Have a great, fun, interesting, enthralling, yet comforting weekend! I’ll be here tomorrow, if you need me.
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
Hi friends! We made it!! Happy Friday!! Happy Favorite Things Friday!! On Fridays, I keep it on the surface. On Fridays, I typically list three favorite things or songs or books or whatevers that have made my own life a little bit more interesting. What are your favorites? Here are my favorites for today:
Parker Thatch “143” sweatshirt – I fell in love with Parker Thatch, back when the company was called Iomoi (which stands for “I owe me”) and they mostly sold really cool and quirky stationery. Parker Thatch is much easier to pronounce. I miss their stationery, but I came across this offering and I think that it’s wonderful. Unfortunately I noticed that only the XL is still available, but my guess is that they will get more of these sweatshirts in stock, with Valentine’s Day right around the corner. The hyperlink isn’t working, so just Google “Parker Thatch 143”. It is worth going there just for the story of “143”. Most of us think that “143” originated with Mister Rogers, but honestly, it all started with a light house in Boston back in the 1800s . . . . Parker Thatch is a pricey place, but it is fun to check out their website. It’s stylish and cool and interesting.
One Love Baseball Caps – Staying with the theme of love (don’t forget about Valentine’s), I love wearing my “One Love” baseball cap. I particularly enjoy wearing it when I am hiking. It is such a good reminder that together, we all create “One Love.” It makes me feel better about everything and everyone when I wear it. Seriously. You can get your own “One Love” trucker cap at this website:
https://www.portsandz.com/onelovelandingpage
Genuine Fred Subversive Cross Stitch – My son got me a Daily Sampler Desktop Affirmations by Fred, for Christmas. And I love it. I enjoy changing it every single day. Today’s sweet little cross stitch sampler, sitting right by me, as I write my blog post says this, “What Fresh Hell is This?” Fred also sells subversive sponges and bag clips. This is the kind of kitsch that I just love. Funny is fabulous.
Friends, I forgot my tagline the last few days on the blog. Until I find a better one, here it is (Remember, you are a vital part of “One Love”. Do you. Do your part.):
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
Happy Friday!!! Happy Favorites Things Friday!! On Fridays, I try to keep things light and on the surface. I typically list three songs, products, TV shows, books, etc. that have brought intrigue into my life and I strongly encourage you to tell us about one or two of your own favorites, so that we all have new fun experiences to explore. Please check out previous Friday posts for more favorites. Here are my favorites for today:
Yellowstone – If you haven’t gotten hooked on this series, get hooked this weekend. The character development, the scenery, the love stories, and the incredible writing (see this article for some amazing quotes from the show: https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/news-entertainment/a37211255/yellowstone-quotes/ ) make this a television show that is hard to stop watching after just one episode. Get caught up on all four seasons before season five (hopefully) arrives this fall. I have to admit that it took me watching two or three episodes to get captivated with Yellowstone. Watch a few episodes before you make up your mind about the show. It gets better and better as it goes along. (Fun fact, the writer of the show, Taylor Sheridan, also has an acting part in the series, and he also wrote one of my favorite movies of all time, Hellor Highwater. I think that Taylor Sheridan’s greatest gift as a writer is creating multi-faceted fictional characters who are deeply flawed, yet totally lovable despite all of their flaws. His characters have depth. They are all interesting and intriguing, in each of their own unique ways.)
Wordle – If you haven’t gotten hooked on this game yet, get hooked now. (Supposedly it’s all of the rage, even with celebrities, like Jimmy Kimmel.) Go to wordle.com and play the game. You get six chances to get the five-letter “mystery” word correct, and there is only one word to guess, each day. A great hint is to start out with a word like “adieu” or “audio” to get a feel for what vowels are in the word. This has been an excellent way to keep my hyper-competitive brood in touch with each other on a daily basis. We report (there is a share feature) our scores to the family chat almost every single day. Since you, my readers, love to read and to write, I think that you’ll be excellent at this game. I (sheepishly) have to admit that I am pretty good at it, myself.
Light-Up Flamingo Floats – I bought these hilarious floats at Christmas-time because my son said that our backyard Christmas decoration game, was sorely lacking. They are floating flamingoes with solar lights, so at night, they’re all lit up. We’ve long since put our Christmas decorations away up in the attic, but I haven’t had the heart to stop the flamingoes from floating away in our pool. The flamingoes have a festivity about them, that still brings a smile to my face, every night. I purchased mine on Amazon. Even if you live up north, I think that these pink flamingoes would look hilariously ironic in the snow, if you are wanting to make your neighbors giggle.
Have a great weekend! See you tomorrow!
“Your grandfather used to say you can’t fix a broken wagon wheel, but you can use the parts to make a new one.”—John Dutton, Yellowstone
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
Hi friends! Happy Friday!! Many of us will be enjoying a wonderful three-day weekend! Isn’t that grand?! I have a busy morning so I am going to have to cut my usually Favorite Things Friday blog post, a little short. Today I will be only sharing one favorite of mine, but it is a good one! One of my mentees is really into stickers. She likes more of the anime sort of sticker, but in looking for a fun sticker book for her, I came across a sophisticated sticker book for my middle-aged (but still a kid at heart) self. I just had to buy it! Here is today’s favorite (New readers, please check out my previous Favorite Things Friday posts for more cool things to try and to buy!):
John Derian Sticker Book (hardcover) – John Derian is a curator of images and prints from 18th and 19th century natural history books. He has made this amazing book, full of beautiful, elegant images. What is even more special, is that many of these images are real stickers. I’ve already had fun with some of these stickers when writing out my Christmas thank you notes, and then adorning them with these quirky, beautiful stickers. I remember the days of a childhood, collecting stickers with my sister. Smelly stickers were all the rage then! These aren’t smelly stickers, but they are special and unique. Here is a quote from this delightful book which I totally relate to: “Sorry to appear insistant (sic), but I must have my trinkets. This is the last chance.”
You must have your trinkets this weekend, friends!! Enjoy your trinkets!! Be insistent about it. See you tomorrow.
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
Good morning! Do you realize that this is the first best day of the year??? This is the first Friday of 2022! Enjoy it! It’s meant to be enjoyed. Fridays on the blog are not for deep thought (deep pockets maybe, but not deep thought). Actually, my favorites are not typically all that expensive, but they are fun! On Favorite Things Friday, I list three favorite songs, apps, books, products, etc. and I would love if you would share some favorites with us, too in my Comments section. A lot of us have some Christmas money and gift cards to spend and we need some ideas of good stuff to get! Here are my favorites for this fabulous first Friday:
Kleenex, Dayquil and Nyquil (I’m kidding. I’m almost over my bout with COVID. All is well here. I just have a little bit of lingering congestion.)
GFF Fake Grass flip-flops – My husband purchased a pair of these for me and my daughter each, for our Christmas stockings. I think that he was going for the laugh, but it turns out these shoes are more than a giggle. These flip-flops may be the most comfortable pair of flip-flops which I have ever owned. They get even more comfortable the longer I wear them because the “grass” gets trampled down in just the right spots to nestle around my feet. Those of you who are living in a Winter Wonderland right now, might want to get a pair of these GFFs so that you can walk on grass whenever you want to, just to remind yourself that spring is right around the corner. Another bonus about the GFF flip-flops (see Amazon for purchase) is that they are far more affordable than their Dolce and Gabbana counterparts (shown below which go for over $700) :
Medisafeapp – This is another one my husband found. My regular readers know that our youngest son has epilepsy. He is currently on three different medications that must be taken at specific times of day and evening. (My son is doing much better than he was doing in the fall. He is back to school. Thank you for all of your love, support and prayers. We feel ’em!) Anyway, my anxiety-filled badgering of my son about his medications was driving all of us crazy, to say the least. This phone app has hilarious choices of alarms to remind a person to take their medications (my son chose the Brooklyn guy to yell at him, as his alarm choice. “Dude, take your effing meds! What?!? You wanna die?!” was apparently better than his mother’s sweet, hysterical nagging – go figure!) and it requires you to check off all of the medications you have taken before the alarm stops going off regularly. Then, it gives you the option to allow others to go on the app to see if you have taken your medications and which ones and at what time. (This means no more annoying texts and calls from Mom.) I was proud to see that my son was right on time this morning with taking his medications (and he doesn’t have to know that I’m checking up on him). It’s honestly the best medication alarm phone application we have ever used. It affords peace of mind for all of us. If any of your loved ones, young and old, have to take regular medications for their health and safety, this is wonderful.
Crush Rings Phone Game – This is my new phone game obsession. It’s like playing tic-tac-toe with colored rings. It’s one of those simple games that doesn’t take so much thought that you can’t do other things while playing it, like chit-chat and watch TV and drive (kidding!!). Crush rings is fun and relaxing. (It’s been particularly good to distract me from being sick.) You are not bombarded with too many ads, and one game can go on for hours, if you are good at it. If you like sorting games and pretty colors, this is the game for you.
Have a great weekend! See you tomorrow!! Stay well!! Be well!!
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
