Tag: favorite things

Friday’s My Favorite

Buddy the Elf’s Manager: Why are you smiling like that?

Buddy the Elf: I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite!

Buddy the Elf’s Manager: Make Work your favorite. That’s your favorite, okay? Work is your new favorite.

Ha! It’s Favorite Things Friday and there is no way, ever that work is going to make the list. Smiling can make the list on Favorite Things Friday, but not work. Nuh-uh, no way, no how. New readers, on Fridays, I keep things light and happy and smiley. There are no deep thoughts on Fridays. I typically list about three things, songs, apps, websites, twitter feeds, etc. that make the experience of my life just a little bit grander. I would love for my readers to get involved in the comments section and add to the favorites list so we all can have an even grander experience is this game called Life.

Today, I am going to expand my list a little bit because I’m only going to discuss nail polish colors. Now, I have hideous fingernails and I’m too lazy, impatient, cheap and rough with my hands, to get acrylics. However, I have always had pride in my feet. I think that I have decently pretty feet. I also love a good pedicure, even more than a massage. Even though “work is not my favorite”, if I had a dream job, I think it would be naming nail polish colors. I think those people are among the most creative people in the world, and I’d love to be part of that colorful crowd! Here goes:

In the brown family: Essie Partner in Crime (a dark, chocolate brown) and Essie Mink Muffs (a light, chocolate milk brown). Also, OPI Krona-logical Order (a greyish, earthy brown).

In the orange family: This is my only go-to in the orange family and I go-to it a lot! Essie Playing Koi (an dark, autumn-like, rusty orange)

In the green family: My skin tone looks terrible with light greens, but this rich, foresty, dark green is fabulous!! Essie Stylenomics

In the blue family: Blue is another tricky color with my skin tone, which bums me out, because I love the blues on other people. That said, I can get away with this light, sky blue version. OPI No Room For The Blues

In the red family: I know Russia is a touchy subject these days, but this is the only red that works for me. Dark, mysterious, maroon-ish and metallic. OPI Midnight in Moscow

My two long-term favorites of all time: Essie Smokin’ Hot (a fabulous milky, dark lavender) and OPI Nein! Nein! Nein! Ok, Fine! (a gorgeous, sophisticated grey)

To give you a frame of reference, I am a natural brunette with brown eyes and medium skin tone. I often have been asked if I am Italian (one very southern woman once asked me if I was in the EYE-talian Mafia, true story), Spanish (a lot of people just start talking to me in Spanish), Middle Eastern, and Native American (this one is more related to my maiden name). Truth be told, according to DNA tests, I’m not at all exotic, much to my dismay. I am mostly English and Irish and a little bit of German. Anyway, readers please share your favorite polish colors!!

Buddy the Elf answering his father’s office phone: Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?

Come on readers, what’s your favorite color??? Happy Friday!!!

The Friday Happy Dance

MONDAY Y U NO FUN FUN FUN LIKE FRIDAY? – The Joke Cafe

Friday’s back!!!!!!!!!!!  Isn’t she beautiful?!?  It’s Favorite Things Friday here at Adulting – Second Half!  Before I get started on to describing my three favorite things for today, new readers, I try to keep in light on most Fridays, by describing three things/apps/websites/songs, etc.  that I find just adds to the deliciousness of my life.  I encourage you all to mention your own favorite things in the Comments section and please check out previous Friday posts for other good ideas for a Friday uplift.  Come on now, share the love!!  It’s Friday!!

Reminder, the Salvation Army bell ringers are back in full force.  I know that a lot of us don’t carry around cash anymore, but if you find the Salvation Army to be a good, worthy cause, start collecting your extra change and throw it into your purse to later throw into those red cauldrons.  I’ve worked very hard on my “addicted to pleasing” personality this year, but I’ve learned that I still have a long way to go, when experiencing a Salvation Army bell ringer this week.  I did have change and I did give on my way into the store, so on my way out of the store, I felt the need to LOUDLY remind the bell ringer, as well as all of the other shoppers within earshot, that I had given already on my way into the store.  Okay.  Was everyone supposed to stop and applaud for me?!  Was I supposed to all of the sudden sprout some wings?!  At least I was very self-aware in that moment and I most likely turned as red as the Salvation Army cauldron.  As I’ve said before, I’m a work in progress.

On to the reason why you stopped by today – Favorite Things Friday!!!  Here we go:

The Body Shop Satsuma Body Butter – I was at the airport this past weekend and I got a glimmer of Christmas past.  Years ago, I was at the airport and I glanced down and stared at my bare legs, aghast!  They were a dry, scaly mess!  So I popped into The Body Shop and asked for an emergency solution.  They recommended a tub of this stuff and it is amazing!!!  So I scooped some up again this weekend and I was lucky enough to catch it while it was still on Black Friday super sale price.  This is another one of those items that smells so incredible, you have a hard time not dipping a spoon into it.  The consistency is dream-like and it makes you feel so smooth, amazing and it makes you smell citrus-ly clean!  Love it!!

CoolSnowGlobes – Now, my northern readers might want to hit me for recommending these snow globes.  I currently live in Florida, so I actually miss the snow sometimes.  I bought a Winter Evening Snow Globe from this website a couple of years ago.  This snow globe is so lovely and peaceful, I keep it out all year to remind of the good, quiet, peaceful parts of a snowy night.  There are so many cool snow globes to choose from on this site.  These are NOT cheap, plastic-y globes.  They are keepsakes.  This site will even make you a custom snow globe.  Embrace the globe.  Shake, rattle and roll!

Nature’s Lovers twitter feed – If you can look at just three images on this site and not smile, I’m seriously worried about you.  If you want to be reminded how amazing our world is and how incredible God’s creations are, just spend five minutes scrolling through this feed.  This is like going to the best zoo, the most amazing safari, the most gorgeous farm, the lushest gardens and jungles, all at the scroll of your mouse.  This is a guaranteed smile and gasp of awe, every single day.

“I just cannot imagine my week without Friday.” – WishesGreeting

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!!!

A Little Friday in Your Coffee

“I put a little Friday in your coffee.  You’re welcome!” – as seen on the internet

So, I got a text alert yesterday informing parents and kids at my children’s high school that ordering food through Uber Eats to be delivered to the high school, is not allowed.  There is an 8-year difference between my eldest and youngest child.  It’s amazing the changes in text alerts from the high school that have happened in just those eight years!  I’m pretty sure that we didn’t even get text alerts in the first couple of years that my eldest son was in high school.  We live in a fast-paced, quick-changing world, for sure.

Anyway, it’s FRIDAY!!!  Yeah, baby!! New readers, first of all thank you for coming.  It warms my heart to connect with all of my readers every morning.  I love starting my days thinking of you and being grateful for our connection!  I keep it fun on Friday.  I call Fridays – FTF – Favorite Things Friday.  On Fridays, I list three favorites of mine that I think are wonderful additions to my life and therefore, I recommend them to you.  PLEASE tell us some of your favorites in the comments section.  Fridays usually put all of us in the consuming frame-of-mind!

Just got paid, Friday night
Party huntin’, feelin’ right
Body shakin’, all around (Body shakin’ all around)
No one thinks when I’m gettin’ down  – Johnny Kemp

Here we go:

Tusk Leather Products –  Probably two decades ago, is when I first discovered Tusk leather wallets.  I purchased the most beautiful Tusk checkbook cover I have ever owned or will ever own again.  Tusk leather is so so soft, so well-done and the neatest part of their collection that is that there is usually a special “twist” in their products.  Meaning my gorgeous checkbook cover has a brown alligator look on the outside, but has a vibrant, bright red soft leather interior.  I also have a fabulous lime green zebra print passport cover made by Tusk that has a vivid orange interior and a lush dark purple make-up bag.  I will never give these items up, no matter how tattered they get, that is how much I love them.   Just yum!!

Bar Necklace by My Name Necklace – So when you are at informative, intellectual websites and you see those annoying flashing advertisements on the side of the website, usually flashing products that you have already looked at but passed on, do you wonder to yourself, “Oh, please, who gets sucked into clicking on these ads and buying those things??”  Ummm, me.  I admit it, and now I am recommending one of those products.  As you all know by now, I have four kids.  I purchased this bar necklace that has all four of my children’s names engraved on each side of the bar and I love it!  It’s become one of my favorite pieces of jewelry and I have A LOT of jewelry.  This website has so many variations on engrave-able jewelry and it’s nice quality and won’t break the bank.  Their items would make great gifts for any mothers on your list.

Kenra Blow-Dry Spray – I read about this hair product in an article about the best-selling, most highly rated products on Amazon.  It claimed to cut the time that it takes to blow-dry your hair, in half.  I’m not sure that the time has been cut in half, but it is definitely a shortened amount of time.  The smell of this product is so lovely and I love the effects it has on my hair and my mood and my joints (from not having to hold up my blow dryer for such a long time!).  Try it, you’ll like it.

As always, we end on a serious note on Friday (not!):

“It’s amazing to me how much exercise and extra fries sound alike.” – Penny’s Passion

Happy weekend, my friends!!  Love you!!

 

TGIF TGIF TGIF

“Thursday doesn’t even count as a day, it’s just the thing that’s blocking Friday.” – anonymous

We got past our blocks!!!  Happy Friday!!!  New readers, I keep it very Friday on Fridays.  Meaning, I don’t go heavy and deep.  On Friday, I discuss three favorite things of mine and explain a little why I think that these items are so fantastic.  On a different note, although participation has been spotty, I do encourage my readers to comment about their favorite items in the comment section.  Recently, someone dear to me, apologized for commenting on my blog and said that she didn’t realize that the comments were public. What?!?  Why?!?  I LOVE COMMENTS!  I see the numbers and stats of people reading my blog.  I know you are out there.  I would LOVE to get to know you better!  I would love discourse and new perspectives on my quirky thoughts.  Please don’t ever, ever hesitate to comment.  You can even disagree.  I can take it.  I’m tough, especially on Fridays.

On to Favorite Things Friday:

ELLE magazine – As beautiful as the fashion layouts are in this magazine, I don’t subscribe to it for that reason.  I don’t wear $4,000 blouses.  I love to leaf through all that beauty and style, quickly, to get to the reason why I will always subscribe to Elle.  I love the advice column by “Auntie E” – E. Jean Carroll.  Her answers to fascinating questions are always so sure, confident, illuminating and inspiring.  I’m pretty sure there is no one in this world who has more moxie and panache than E. Jean.  She’s 74 and appears to be one of the most “hip, with-it” ladies this side of the Mississippi.  She’s hilarious, kind, direct and on-point.  E. Jean Carroll has a great website covering her column, as well, and has created other businesses along the way, like a game app and a dating service.  I’m a huge fan of Auntie E.

Think Smarter twitter feed – This is like getting your daily mantra for life, every day.  Each day, whoever created this amazing feed, finds one totally amazing thought-provoking post that just makes my jaw drop.  I typically think about the post for the rest of the day, in a good way.  If you think you already know all there is to know about life, follow this feed and you will be humbled.  “Think Smarter” is the perfect title for it.  Love it!

Digest Gold – It makes me nervous to suggest dietary supplements on my blog.  I think I should add a disclaimer to talk to your trusted doctor about anything you ingest.  That being said, if you have digestion issues, this over-the-counter supplement made a world of difference for me and so, I recommend that you try it.  No matter what age I have been throughout my life, my stomach has always been geriatric.  I think I have probably had IBS since I was about 8-years-old.  I would do anything for a harmless, painless needle that I could use intermittently to pop my gut and let all that air out, ideally quietly and discreetly.  Anyway, Digest Gold has made a big difference for me in the ways of comfort and relief.  I take it daily.

” ‘I’m so sad it’s Friday.  I wish it were Monday already’ said No One in history ever.” – anonymous

Frinally!

“If Friday had a face, I would kiss it.” – Empowered Partnerships

Happy Friday, my friends!!  “Frinally!”- Empowered Partnerships (again)

I can’t kiss anything today, actually.  My lips won’t pucker due to the tooth/gum surgery I had yesterday.  It’s like a flashback to the traumatic time back when I was a teenager and I had my impacted wisdom teeth removed.  I look like Alvin’s or Theodore’s girlfriend.

Friday always puts me in a good mood, in a good mental space, but today is more of a low-key, chill, good mood.   It might have something to do with the pain meds . . . .

New readers, first of all, thanks for reading!  I love all of my readers.  You make me feel so happy and heard.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Fridays, I stay at the superficial level and write about three favorite things such as products, songs, twitter feeds, etc. that just make my life a little more peachy!  Please check out previous Fridays for ideas.  There are so many Favorite Things Fridays now, it might as well be a catalog.

Here goes today’s favorites:

Rubbermaid Animal Stopper Garbage Can – I don’t like writing reviews on Amazon, but this garbage can is so effective, I think that I did take the time to write a review about this one.  We keep our garbage cans on the outside of our house.  We had a giant raccoon who decided to become a next-door neighbor to our garbage cans.  He felt like he had hit the jackpot and our garbage became his nightly buffet, like he was on a cruise or something.  His ability to spread garbage on our lawn was legendary.  Every morning, we wondered what kind of mess we would be waking up to and we would fight over who got to clean it up that day. We tried all the different anti-animal sprays on the market.  We tried all sorts of bungee ties and different garbage cans and this is the only garbage can that actually worked!  Ranger Rick finally moved on.  There are claw and teeth marks all over our garbage can and it was tipped on its side a lot of days, but that masked bandit could not get this garbage can lid off!  Worth every penny!

Lancome Advanced Genifique Yeux Light-Pearl Eye Illuminator –  Yikes, try saying that three times while chewing some peanuts.  I really wish I didn’t like this under-eye treatment.  I’m all about being able to get away with drug store brands if I can, but this stuff is really good.  I have never found an eye serum I have liked until now.  Now, no cream is a miracle when you are approaching 50, but this is the first one that I saw a marked difference in the skin under my eyes within a few days of using it.  Pricey, yes.  Worth it, yes.  The Lancome counters at the department stores and at Ulta, carry samples of this, so ask for some samples first to see if it works for you.  Then, break open the piggy bank and treat yourself.  It’s Friday!

Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Thin & Crispy Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies – When my husband and I first got married, we lived near to a Pepperidge Farm Outlet.  That place made me as happy as our friend the raccoon was, before we got the Animal Stopper garbage can.  I love all things Pepperidge Farm, but this particular flavor of cookie is over-the-top yum.  It’s a new-ish addition to the Pepperidge Farm Family of All Things Delicious.  A bag of these cookies doesn’t last a hot minute in our household (unless you find a good hiding spot for the bag.  SHHHH!)  Come on, moms, don’t pretend like you don’t have your own little hidden hideaways for “treats for harried heads of household.”

Okay, time to get back to icing my cheeks.  Feel free to send sympathy and love to me via the Comments section and add favorite things of your own while you’re at it.  I won’t mind at all.

“May Today Be The Fridayest Friday That Ever Fridayed.” – Lilybels.Co.Uk

A Friday is Born!

“Why is Monday so far away from Friday but Friday is so close to Monday?”- Unknown

But let’s not focus on the negative . . . . It’s Favorite Things Friday!!!!  I just reserved movie tickets for my husband and I tonight, for the movie A Star is Born.  We might get little cricks in our necks but at least we can sit beside each other.  I am very excited (not sure about my husband, but he is a good sport)!

New readers, I share three “favorites” of mine every Friday.  These favorites can be anything: products, tips, songs, movies, whatever!  I encourage my readers to post their favorites in the Comments section.  Please check out former Favorite Things Friday postings, as good things never go out of style! 

Thinking about A Star is Born got me to thinking about all of the songs I love to sing out loud to when I’m driving.  James Corden knew what he was doing when he created “Carpool Karaoke.”  Last night, after I picked up my daughter from her tennis lesson, we belted out out Florida Georgia Line’s Cruise.  Earlier this week we were in unison with Billy Joel’s Piano Man.   Yesterday, I made a fool of myself rocking to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama.  Tom Petty’s Won’t Back Down and anything by Everclear tend to make my Carpool Karaoke list frequently as well.  Creep by Radiohead is a good one, too.  Readers, do you have any Carpool Karaoke suggestions to make this Friday even more complete???

Hey, did you just skip down to the Favorite Things Part?!?

Here goes:

Huichol bracelets –  I love bracelets!  I love stacking bracelets!  I love beaded yoga bracelets and gold bangle bracelets.  I have small wrists so bracelets that are adjustable or that secure with knot are good for me.  Do you remember the 80s when Madonna turned us all on to rubber bracelets?!?  My sister wore so many of them it’s a wonder that she could bend her arms.  Anyway, I think Huichol bracelets are going to make a BIG COMEBACK.  I noticed that an online store that I like to peruse was offering Huichol bracelets featuring horses and they were sold out.  And they were asking almost $70 a piece for them!  Ladies, forget that!  Go to Etsy.  For half the price, the selection is amazing!  What is a Huichol bracelet?  You’ll know it when you see it.  You’ve had them before.  These are the beautiful beaded bracelets made in Mexico.  Get yourself one!  It’s Friday and believe me, they are going to be the new “it” thing and you’re going to be “in the know” because of what is on your wrist.

Morning Glamour Satin Pillowcases –  I think when our moms all had Beehive hairdos, everyone slept with Satin pillowcases to keep their hair in check until the next weekly salon appointment.  Well, I don’t have a Beehive, but I don’t wake up with snarls and mattes in my hair anymore. Supposedly these pillowcases help stave off wrinkles, too.  I do love the cool, crisp feel when I lay my head on my pillow.  At the very least, these pillowcases make me feel very retro-glamorous.

Palm Beach blooms Room Fragrance – I’ve mentioned before that I love anything that smells good.  Smelling might even be my favorite sense.  This spray smells so amazing!  I keep a bottle by my desk, in my car, in my bathroom (of course), and up my nose (kidding).  Seriously, as a “scented candle/ perfume/ plug-in-aholic”, for this to make my top five favorite scents of all time is saying something.  It is kind of hard to find. It is made by apfrangrance.  It comes in an adorable little royal blue bottle.

In honor of A Star is Born, I’m going to end FTF with a Lady Gaga quote:

I am a walking piece of art every day, with my dreams and my ambitions forward at all times in an effort to inspire my fans to lead their life in that way.

Hello Friday!

Happy Friday!  “Sassy, classy, and still kickin’ assy!” – Maxine

“I know every day is a gift, but where’s the receipt for Mondays? I want to exchange it for another Friday.” -Anonymous  

So, my daughter has been telling me for weeks about an item that she thinks that I should add to my Favorite Things Friday blogpost. (New readers, I show my ultimate superficial side on Fridays, by pimping retail stuff that I like and I encourage you to share about the stuff you like, too, in the Comments section.)  So, I was going to add her item today until I saw that it has been discontinued. (Please see my previous blog post Where Did You Go? for a rant on how terrible it is when our favorite things get relegated to the Discontinued box.)  As per my rant, I saw that this previous cheap drugstore item, now retails on ebay for around $32 and my daughter saw one on Amazon for over $700 this morning.  If you have “funny money” to burn, the item is called Band-aid Friction Block stick.  My daughter claims that this has been a lifesaver protecting her from the painful blisters that all of her new school shoes have been causing on her pretty little feet.  I hope that she uses this block sparingly, because this is the last one that we’re going to spring for, at those prices.

Let’s go for some more realistic recommendations on Favorite Things Friday:

Natural Life Toothbrush Cover – I love the entire line of stuff from Natural Life  It is such a cute, upbeat, wholesome company.  Natural Life is like the Chick-fil-A of cute, girly stuff, in my mind.  I’m sure I’ll feature other items from Natural Life down the line, but I had to start with their wonderful toothbrush covers.  They are like adorable hair clips for the top of your toothbrush.  The plastic cover clips over your toothbrush, protecting it from germs, broken blush, and exploded face cream, when you travel.  I have two of them.  One says, “No More Cooties!” and it has flowers and rhinestones and the other says “Llive Happy” and it features an adorable llama.  It’s things like these that make being a female so much fun!

Avalanche Travel Dog Bowl –  In case you haven’t noticed in previous blogs, we have two dogs.  We are slaves to our dogs.  My friend has dubbed our lab, “Prince Ralphie.”  This collapsible silicone dog bowl, is perfect for when we take our dogs on hikes, the beach and other adventures, like escaping from hurricanes.  (Thoughts and prayers go out to all of our dear friends in the Carolinas and Virginia and all other areas being affected by Florence!  Hurricanes are horrible.)  Anyway, these bowls are silicone and collapsible, so they are light, easy to carry and easy to store.  They are perfectly easy to set up and fill with water and food for your furry princes and princesses!  Then, when the fur babies are finished, the bowls are very easy to clean.

La Croix Sparkling Water – After being a Diet Coke addict for years and burning a couple of holes in my stomach, I decided I needed to change some of my habits.  I drank a lot of water, but then I got bored.  I missed my fizz fix.  I tried all of the sparkling waters on the market, but this is “the one”.  I keep coming back to La Croix and it totally satisfies me.  My husband feels the same way.  No calories, no salt, no artificial anything, and yet it still satisfies.  It’s an acquired taste if you are used to a lot of sugar and flavor in your drinks, but once you accept the change, there’s no going back.  La Croix is the bomb!  It’s got that perfect amount of “sparkiness” that I like in my healthy drinks.

Okay, one more Friday funny and then let’s all go have a really nice weekend!

“Every Friday I feel like I deserve a new addition to my closet for all of my hard work during the week.”

Funny, but true.  Go get yourself a cutesy toothbrush cover, at least.

 

 

Woop! Woop! Friday!!

RIP – Burt Reynolds   Gosh, lately it feels like RIP has become a feature on my blog.  I am also getting a realization of my own aging, as my kids were like, “Who’s Burt Reynolds?”  I clearly remember the Cosmopolitan spread.  Don’t you?

Here’s the Friday funny – “It’s Friday.  Time to go make stories for Monday.”

Here’s the Favorites Things Friday part (for those of you new to my blog, this is where I feature my consumer side and recommend my favorite purchases, every Friday.  Feel free to check out previous Fridays for recommendations and please feel free to share your own in the Comments section):

Buggins Natural Bug Spray – I love the idea of “all natural” anything, but the old-fashioned, raised on chemicals part of me sometimes is a tad skeptical that “all natural” works just as well.  This stuff does work just as well as any chemical bug spray!  My husband and I discovered this at an outdoor restaurant that also serves food to dogs. They had bottles of this on the tables.  I thought it was a kind, cute touch, but then I fell in love.  I would buy Buggins for the smell alone.  It smells so good!

Oxo Measuring Glass – I always feel a tad ridiculous offering up any cooking or baking recommendations because it feels like I’m Ronald McDonald telling Julia Child how to prepare her bouillabaisse.  That being said, I do make Minute Rice on a frequent basis, and this cup is the best for measuring, because you can’t mess up.  Instead of trying to keep your hand steady and bringing the measuring glass to eye level like you’re in Chemistry class, all you have to do is look down on the glass as you’re filling it with water and the measurement is perfect.  It is a patented glass.  It’s that good, plus it has a good rubber grip handle, so less chance of flour spills that would take hours to clean up.  You’re welcome, Rachel Ray! 😉

Lumify Eye Drops – I have one eye that frequently looks like it has been exposed to a toxic blend of smoke, pollen, and cat hair on a regular basis.  It’s mostly just the one eye.  I must wink a lot.  Anyway, I have tried every eye drop on the market and this stuff is the bomb!  It is a relatively new product from Bausch + Lomb.  They make the promise that it will keep your eyes clear for eight hours and so far, I agree with that statement.   I imagine certain people in California and Colorado are going to be stocking up on this product.  Just saying.

I saw another Friday quote.  It said, “Friday is my second favorite F word.  My first is Food, definitely Food.”  I agree with that statement.  I’m headed to another favorite tonight.  Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp has started.  I’m with Bubba on this one!  Shrimp tastes great no matter how you prepare it and I’m all in!!!

Have a great weekend!  Thanks for reading.  Readership goes up every day and I thank you for that.  As much as I love writing, it’s nice to know that I’m not just writing to cyber space. 🙂

 

FTF

FTF – Favorite Things Friday!  Were you thinking it meant something dirty??  There are so many acronyms these days.  Thank goodness for being able to google the Urban Dictionary or I may not be able to communicate with my kids in text form.   On a different note,  I saw this quote on one of those funny napkins yesterday:

“This salad tastes like I’d rather be fat.”

I don’t think that salads were created for Fridays.  Friday is all about letting loose, letting your hair down, and “sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy”!  My favorite days are days when everyone is really happy and Friday has the best chance for being that day! 🙂  On to favorite things:

The Daily Skimm – A good friend from college recommended this daily email service and for me, it is the perfect amount of daily news.  I avoid watching the news like the plague. (especially these days – it’s just all too depressing)  This gives the highlights of the major headlines of the day without going into too much detail. The summaries are light and funny and include links if you want to go into a particular news story at a deeper level. So, I am able to remain informed without getting too obsessed and too downhearted.  My husband and I have a daily morning routine, in which I read The Daily Skimm aloud to both of us while he is getting ready for work.  It’s a daily moment that I treasure.   Here is a link to join, if you are interested:  http://www.theskimm.com/?r=fdfcd0ab

Spirituality and Health Magazine – I discovered this wonderful publication when I had a job merchandising magazines.  (btw, that was the best part time job ever- it was like getting paid to exercise and read!  LOL) I love the articles, ideas and book suggestions in this magazine.  Mostly though, like most of the magazines I subscribe to, I have one feature that I turn to first and is probably the primary reason why I subscribe to the magazine.  That feature in this magazine is a monthly column by Rabbi Rami Shapiro called Roadside Assistance for the Spiritual Traveler that I think is just great.  The author is a very wise, insightful man and his answers to questions always make me think and reflect.  Rami Shapiro is also the author of several books.

SpiritCups by Capital Cups – Over the many years of school/sports fundraising for my four kids, I have cringed at some of the items we were supposed to pimp to our family, friends and neighbors.  Usually my husband and I decided to just take “the hit” ourselves because we couldn’t look ourselves in the mirror asking our loved ones to buy filthy expensive wrapping paper that tore the minute you touched it.  However, being mostly past the fundraising years, this is an item that I would actively look for a cute, sporty looking kid in the neighborhood with a clipboard and uniform, to sell to me.  The cups we have purchased from this company are all decked out in our favorite teams’ logos and they last FOREVER!  These are our go-to daily cups for everything we drink.  They are dishwasher safe and unbreakable.  My eldest son quit playing football when he was about 12 and we still have the cups that we purchased from his Pop Warner days and they are still in good shape.  He’s 22 now.  I’m not sure if you can purchase them just as a consumer, but if you are in charge of some fundraising, look into selling these cups.  They are great!!

I’ll end on a Friday quote I saw recently:

There’s just one legitimate synonym for Friday: boom shakalaka!

Thanks, as always for reading and sharing my day!

Friday! Favorite Things!

Happy Friday!!

Rip dear Aretha Franklin.  Nothing but RESPECT.

My second son heads back to college tomorrow.  He’s a busy, social man.  He’s always on the go, with future plans always churning.  So yesterday, I decided that I would love to have lunch with him before he goes back. (when you have four kids, one-on-one time is special and hard to come by)  Early in the morning, I went into his room while he was still asleep and asked him if he would like to have lunch with me.  He said, “Sounds great.”  I figured I would get on his schedule before he got up, got on his phone and started planning away.  So, an hour or so later, when he got up, he said, “Mom, was I having a dream or did you say something about lunch today?”  LOL   We did go to lunch and it was great.

Without further ado, Favorite Things Friday:

Goat’s Milk Soap Bar with Sponge from Lori’s Soap and Sponges – I live by this cute little town in Florida called Tarpon Springs.  It has the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the United States.  Every year it has an epiphany celebration where young boys dive into the gulf searching for a cross which will bring good fortune to their families for the entire year.  The town is also known for its natural sponge industry.  In fact, their high school mascot is The Spongers.  Anyway, the only soap we use now, are these soaps.  They are infused with olive oil and they have so many wonderful scents.  Coco Mango is my favorite.  The soap bars are attached to a natural sponge, so the sponge works as almost an exfoliator while the soap seeps through it.  I am a big believer in the little luxuries in life and these are one of those wonderful luxuries!  They make my shower experience one that’s very hard to leave.  You can order them online if you google Lori’s website.

Gourmet Garden Garlic Stir-In Paste –  Now, I am nothing close to being a good cook, so I am sure that there are chefs out there who can do wonderful things with this stuff.  I’ll tell you what we use it for, though, and I always have a tube of it in my refrigerator.  We love to press our sandwiches on our George Foreman Grill (another favorite thing, for sure!).  Why do sandwiches taste so much better when they are pressed?  I think it infuses all of the flavors together and makes the cheese so hot and melty and delicious.  Anyway, we spread some of this paste on top of the bread, before we press the sandwiches and it takes the taste sensation to a whole new level.  They have a really good Ginger version, as well. These are found in the refrigerated  produce area at your local grocery store.

Wild Birds Unlimited eliminator Bird Feeder – I am a nature/animal enthusiast.  I love almost all animals except that I’m less than thrilled with squirrels. (sorry, squirrel lovers)  This is the only bird feeder I have ever owned, that effectively stops the squirrels from draining my bank account from constantly having to buy more bird seed.   The squirrely squirrels now just have to wait patiently at the bottom of the feeder, hoping that the many beautiful birds that come to our “Avian Cafe by the Lake” will drop their crumbs for them.  I recommend Cole’s Blue Ribbon Blend bird feed if you want a large, colorful variety of birds to come and add a little dried meal worms (yuck, I know) if you want woodpeckers.  I got my feeder at the Wild Birds Unlimited Store and I order my bird seed from Amazon.

The blog is getting more readers every day!  I so appreciate your support!  Feel free to add your favorites in the Comments section. 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!!!