5 Friday Favorites: February 16, 2024

 

It's time for my Friday link up with  A Little Bit of Everything and Momfessionals. 

On Fridays I share things that made me happy from the week - a photo, a song, a quote, a beauty product, a recipe, a pair of cute shoes, etc. If it's a product, sometimes it's something I actually own and sometimes something I just saw online that gave me a smile. Sometimes it's serious and sometimes it's silly. I suppose I believe that God is in the simple details of life and yes, I can even find Him in a tube of lipstick

Hello and Happy Friday. Man, this week flew by. I hope everyone enjoyed all the Super Bowl Shenanigans, Valentine's Day, Ash Wednesday, pancakes and what not. We had a pretty boring week around here, but boring can be a blessing.

Here are some of my favorites from this week.

1. How to Stay Married

I just finished the book, How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told by Harrison Scott Key and it was so so so good. It's vulnerable, hilarious, sad and hopeful. All the things. Key has an amazing way of infusing humor into tragedy and there is nothing I am here for more than laughing in the middle of a meltdown. He also has some really profound statements to make about marriage and faith including these gems:

"The human heart is a terrain that cannot be mapped by reason alone. Virtue cannot solve the riddle of marriage. All I really know is this: the most powerful force in the universe is love and the strangest is forgiveness. I will never fully understand either, but then I still don't know exactly how elevators work and I enjoy elevators all the time."

"Maybe I let bad things happen because for many years I had the emotional intelligence of a potted succulent. Maybe so. There are a lot of maybes in this book. Sometimes maybe is all you have to hold on to. That's all faith is, an enthusiastic maybe. A passionate probably. A hopeful hopefully."

2. Suits on Netflix

Is this the best show I've ever seen? No. Is Meghan Markle a good actress. No. Am I enjoying this show? Yes. It's February. Everything is boring. The bar is low. 

3. Whole 30 Chicken & Mushroom Soup

Photo: The Whole30 Fast & Easy Cookbook

Steve was out of town last week so I thought I'd do something really crazy . . .just throw caution to the wind and be my own independent woman doing whatever the heck I wanted. So, what I did was I made Whole 30 Chicken and Mushroom Soup from this cookbook. You see, because he won't eat mushrooms. Listen, we all need to sow our wild oats once in awhile.  

2 slices of Whole30 compliant bacon, chopped

1 package of (8 oz,) fresh cremini or button mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

4 cups of Whole30 compliant chicken broth

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 cups of chopped cooked chicken

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Cook bacon in large pot of medium heat, stirring frequently until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Heat the bacon drippings in the pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, onion, salt and pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender, 4-5 minutes. Stir in broth and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Simmer covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken and thyme and heat through, about 1 minute. Top servings with bacon.

4. Wishbone Earrings

These Wishbone earrings from Park Lane's newest collection are my favorite to wear lately. They are so cute, the perfect size, and very lightweight. They come in gold or silver and are only $36. 

5. The Baseball, The Children Who Become Grown Men, & The Very, Very Good God

We had so much fun getting to see Drew play in his first college game last weekend in Brevard, North Carolina. As you can see, the kid still really has a hard time enjoying the game. The photo above is seconds after he got hit in the head with a pitch. Mama gasped. He, instead, smiled, looked toward his teammates in the dugout, stuck out his tongue, and took his base. Some things never change.

As a bonus, we also got to see his buddy and roommate, Maddox, who he has played with on and off since he was 7 years old. It is such a blessing that they ended up at the same school on the same team. I have often mentioned how blessed we have been by the friends we have met through this game. So, when I peeked into the dugout and saw the boys/men there, it took everything I had not to lie down in the grass outside the dugout and cry like a maniac. Because five minutes ago, this was Drew and Maddox:

And now this is Drew and Maddox:

I don't even know what to say. It annoys the fire out of me when moms tell younger moms who are in the trenches, "Don't blink." I don't think it's helpful when you're covered in baby vomit, can't go to the bathroom alone and eat leftover chicken nuggets every night for dinner. 

So all I will say is that it appears that I did, indeed, blink. And here we are. But do not let your heart be troubled, young Mama. When you open your eyes, it can be startling, but it is still a beautiful, blessed adventure.  

Have a wonderful weekend!

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