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.
Hi, Friends. I'm back! We had a great time in the Outer Banks sharing the week with our people and celebrating my sweet in-laws' anniversary. We missed our Kyle and some other nieces and nephews who are all out there adulting in the real world, but were happy for those who could make it to the beach. The weather wasn't great, but we got a few days of sunshine and it was so much fun to have all of the generations together.
Hot Tip: One way to infuse some light and joy into an otherwise gloomy morning was to wake up to the pitter-patter of the little feet of my great-nieces, Kaylin and Ellie and great-nephew, Beckham above our room everyday. If we're honest, Beckham prefers stomping to pitter-pattering and it made me laugh every single morning. It was a bit of deja-vu for me and I loved it.
Since I got back I've been working with an amazingly brilliant (and very patient) website designer to get a brand new website set up. I thought I'd have it ready today, but I think it will be next week. There you'll be able to sign up for Friday Favorites to be sent to your inbox each week. You'll be able to get updates on the book I've been working on (for what seems like 134 years). I'll also have videos of many of my past speaking events available in one spot and a contact page if you are interested in having me speak at your church, mom's group or women's retreat. I'm really excited to share with y'all and hope you'll share with your friends as well. Also, rest assured, your girl is doing the superfreak about these new adventures which require stepping out of her comfort zone. This is a surprise to exactly zero people.
Alrightly, here are some favorites from the last (couple of) weeks.
1. Aetrex Vania Arch Support Platform Sandal
The crappy weather lent itself to some shopping trips. My niece was a superhero because she found an A+ shoe store just down the street from our beach house. I had never heard of Aetrex shoes, but these sandals are ridiculously comfortable and I've worn them just about everyday. There were so many cute styles to choose from and all were equally comfortable. I found some other great options available on Amazon here.
2. The Housemaid is Watching
I read The Housemaid earlier this year and when I first started this one, I was thinking that I knew exactly where it was going and was ready to chuck it because I thought it was just going to repeat the same story. However, it took some crazy turns that I absolutely did not see coming. Listen, this is not high brow literature, but I was all the way in.
3. AE Empire Waist Embroidered Midi Dress
Another find from the OBX outlets. This embroidered dress comes in two different colors and it is so pretty. The skirt is lined and it's super comfortable. It's less than $40.
4. Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Deodorant
I've mentioned this deodorant before and it is stupid-expensive, but it is definitely what heaven's anti-perspirant must smell like.
(If in fact, one needs such a thing in the sweet by and by which I think is unlikely even though I have no theology to back that up. Revelations mentions no more death, mourning, crying or pain, but strangely leaves out any reference to BO. This seems to be a glaring omission by John the Apostle, but it is what it is.)
A little warning if you want to give it a try. Mine lasted a really long time, but it finally ran out, so I went back to Ulta to get another one and accidentally purchased the "aluminum-free" version. ALERT: I do not mean to disparage a product that is well meaning in its intention to keep us safe, but when I tell you it smelled like a cat's litter box, I am not exaggerating in the least. Shoutout to the fine folks at Ulta who gave me a full refund since they didn't have an "aluminum-full" one in the store. I found it for 15% off here.
5. OBX Fun
I was terrible about taking pictures at the beach. Also, sadly for you, dear reader, it is not my place to post the littlest members of our brood here on the world wide web and since I failed to ask permission, I apologize because those little munchkins are extraordinarily gorgeous, so you're missing out. Although we missed Kyle, Drew got a chance to spend some time with him in Nashville last weekend. Joe and Drew left the beach early on Thursday since Joe was broadcasting the USC Upstate College baseball game at the Clemson Regional tournament on Friday. They checked out a Minor League game in Spartanburg, South Carolina Thursday night and then Joe dropped Drew at the airport on his way to Clemson so he could fly to Nashville to meet up with Kyle and his buddy and teammate, Maddox. Two of our friends play ball for ETSU and Vanderbilt and they were playing in the Nashville regional. So Maddox and Drew stayed with Kyle in Nashville and saw some great baseball. This is a long, wordy way of saying that this family's schedule continues to be utterly and completely controlled by the baseball. I was so happy the boys got to spend some time together that I didn't mind them leaving early. I demanded proof-of-life photos each day so I've got some of those mixed in with some of our favorite times from the week away.
PS It's Steve's birthday and he has endured a lot with me in the year of our Lord 2025 - our 31st year of marriage. He's legitimately the kindest, steadiest, most humble man I know. I don't write much about him because he is super private. He doesn't do social media. In fact, earlier this year he finally had me set up a Facebook account because he felt like he might be missing out on updates from his extended family. That account lasted for about 3.5 hours. He asked me to shut it down before the day was up because too many people noticed his account and were trying to friend him. ;-) I wrote about him here years ago. It's all still true. I love him a whole lot and I'm so lucky he sticks with me. It isn't an easy gig.
Disclosure: The View From Behind Home Plate is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn small fees by linking to amazon.com. Post might contain other affiliate links as well.
1 comment:
Jenn, your thoughts about deodorant, or the lack thereof, in heaven reminded me that a lot of the world doesn’t know anything about deodorant, and don’t necessarily care they might have an unusual fragrance about them. Enough said. I am really enjoying your postings.
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