Don’t worry. I won’t do a repeat of last year’s April Fools pranks. I got a little too much flack for that one. Plus, I think that you all might be too prepared this year. 🙂
My weekend is pretty filled-up with quite a few fun activities, so my blog posts will likely be a little shorter than usual for the next few days. Please forgive me if I seem distracted. As always, though, thank you for your support and validation. I love the connection that we have here at the blog. It is a constant in my life (and hopefully yours, too). I treasure my blog and I treasure you, my readers.
With that being said, today, I only have one favorite to share. My husband and I were recently at one of our favorite local hangouts and they had hired a singer, whom I found to be particularly good and soothing and entertaining. She has one of those deep southern drawls, with a bluesy edge, which is my favorite kind of country singers’ voices. Please give Aubrey Wollett a listen. Apparently, she has a decent following not just in Florida, but also in Nashville. Have a fabulous Favorite Things Friday!! Enjoy at least one of your favorites today or discover a new favorite! This is a precious day of your life.
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
I was watching a video showing Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson, being asked about how she would inspire children of our nation to reach the great heights that she has reached in her career and in her overall life. She choked up when she answered the senator’s question. Ketanji Brown Jackson made a point that sometimes it is the smallest gestures that make a huge difference in people’s lives. She relayed the story of being a black young lady from Miami, with a public school background, being at Harvard University for the first time, during her first semester freshman year. She was not used to the cold weather of Boston, nor the abundance of prep school kids who grew up with an entirely different background that she had, and she was terribly homesick. She was questioning whether she really belonged there. Jackson said that as she was walking dejectedly on the campus, an anonymous black woman came up to her, out of nowhere, looked her straight in the eye and said to her, “Persevere.” Obviously, she never forgot that moment. Ketanji Brown Jackson was relaying this very story about a stranger, as she was choked up with emotion, to a senator during the hearings to see if she will become the newest justice of The United States Supreme Court, and to be the first black woman ever to achieve this role.
Today, I don’t want to talk about favorite things like I usually do on Fridays. Physical things are great. They make life fun and interesting and creative and tactile and sensory. They evoke happy feelings when we are experiencing using and admiring the things that we love. There is nothing wrong with physical things, particularly our favorite things. But today, I pose this question. What are three of your favorite things that people have done for you that have left a lasting impression on you, and possibly even changed your life??
This morning my friend shared a text of a beautiful jar, created for her, by her daughter for her birthday. It is filled with little pieces of paper saying different things that she loves about her mother. It reminded me of my third grade teacher, who every week, would make a poster with one of us students’ individual names at the top. All week long, the other students would go up and write what was uniquely special and interesting about that particular student. At the end of the week, each student went home with their poster, filled with pride and happiness that their unique qualities were noticed and admired and appreciated. I never forgot that experience. I loved my poster and I was so happy for every “student of the week”, in anticipation of their feelings of joy and connectedness.
Sometimes it is the littlest gestures that mean the most. When my husband and I were first married, we were visiting people, and we ended up having a difficult, tumultuous, emotional time with these people. I was dejected as I got into the shower, anticipating an even more upsetting evening as we were all heading out to dinner. My husband had just showered before me, and as I reached for the soap, I saw that he had carved, “It’s okay. I love you,” into the soap. It is these small, kind gestures that make me fall in love with him again and again.
Use some time of this glorious Friday in your life, to reflect on all of the small but meaningful kindnesses bestowed on to you, and also reflect on kindnesses which you felt compelled to bestow on to others. This is love in action. What are some of your most favorite memories of kindness and inspiration and hope in your life? This will flood you with wonderful, hopeful feelings in this time, in the history of the world, which we so desperately need more of these feelings of lovingness to abound.
(And if you are so inclined, I would love if you, my readers, would share some of your stories about these kindnesses in my Comments section.)
Have a great weekend!!!
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
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.
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 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.
Today I am not feeling my usual Friday vibes. I have already spent most of my morning being a crazed “Karen” (justifiably so) to Verizon’s customer “service”. So, while I typically list a few of my favorite things, or beauty products, or food items on Favorite ThingsFriday, I’m sorry, but I’m just not feeling it today. It’s going to take a brisk morning walk in beautiful nature to get me back to my usual Friday mojo. So, instead, here are a few of my favorite snarky posts that I’ve seen this morning online:
@MastersRex, Twitter
@MastersRex,Twitter
@woofknight, Twitter
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
*****Happy 21st birthday to my baby boy! If there was ever a year that highlighted just how precious you (and your siblings and your father) are to me, this is the one. I’m in total awe of you. You are amazing. Let’s rock this birthday!
Happy Friday to everybody!! Happy “Favorite Things Friday!!” On most Fridays, I try to keep up with the fluff n’ stuff in life. On Fridays, I list three favorite products, or TV shows, or songs, or books, etc. that wow me. On Fridays, I’m a material girl living in a material world. If you are so inclined, please share your favorites in my Comments section. This time of year, we could all use some gift ideas. Here are my favorites for today:
A NewDay Fuzzy Pearl Slippers – I’m currently rocking these babies on my feet as I write this blog post, and they. are. wonderful!! You can get these fun, fabulous slippers (if they aren’t already sold out) at Tarjhay (Target). I bought mine in beautiful powder blue, but they come in other lovely colors, as well. These slippers are incredibly comfortable and hilariously cute. They are made of faux fuzzy sheep’s wool, adorned with rows of faux pearls. These are the type of slippers that I may even buy two pairs of, because I know that I will be so sad when this pair wears out. Treat your tootsies! Your feet deserve this holiday gift, after a year of reliably getting you all around, to all of your places.
Lay-N-Go Magic Cosmetic Pouch – I haven’t even gotten mine in the mail yet and I already know that I am going to love it. In my experience, cosmetic bags are either too small (I need a lot of products to make this face come alive) or they are too large and clunky. This pouch is a cloth bag, that when opened, expands to be a cloth tray, so that all of your products are laying out, easy to find on a tray. Then, when you are done making up your face, you just pull the drawstrings and the tray turns back into a pouch, holding all of your magic elixirs. Brilliant! You can order one from Target, Amazon or Claire’s.
The Closet Safe Hanger – I recently bought this stealth contraption at a craft fair (and you can find cute ones on Etsy, or more industrial ones from Amazon). It was the last one left, because they were selling so quickly. This is a coat hanger that doubles as a place to keep things like your jewelry or your cash or your passports, well hidden from any would-be thieves. It has a zipper pouch to hold these items in it, but you would never know this, once a coat is hung on to the hanger. It is a good thing to bring along on a trip, to hang your coat on, at a hotel. Shifty and Nifty!!!
Enjoy your Friday, friends!!! See you tomorrow!!!
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
