5 Friday Favorites: July 20, 2018

Happy Friday, Friends. 

It's time for my Friday link up with A Little Bit of Everything, Grace and Love, 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! Here are some of my favorite things from this week.

1. JCrew Pajamas (ON SALE!)

I have put myself on a spending freeze lately. I'll have you know that this is happening right in the middle of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, so if you'll keep me in your prayers that would be great. Although, I do want point out that more often than not, I feature things on this blog that I never actually buy, but just think are cute and I love to share the cuteness with my readers. However, I do actually own these pajamas which I bought a couple of months ago when they were 40% off. Also, if you must know, our A/C wasn't working then, so I really felt like I needed shorts/short sleeves to sleep in at night, making this purchase more about survival than really anything else. They are so soft and fit great and come in three different colors. Today they are 30% off with the code FRIDAY.

2. Drunk Girl by Chris Janson

Don't let the title turn you off. I know. I felt the same way. I heard this song last week and when I initially heard the chorus, I started to be all appalled about it. Then in the midst of clutching my pearls in horror, I actually listened to the lyrics and got choked up. It takes a minute to get it, but I really appreciate the writer of this song and how he approached this. It's a very sweet and meaningful song and certainly conveys the compassion that I believe many men can and do have, despite the ones who get the most press coverage. 

3. Feta Black Bean Dip

photo from www.flythroughourwindow.com

This is one of my favorite summer recipes that I found years ago on a blog called Fly Through Our Window. It makes a TON so unless you're hosting the entire neighborhood, I'd say just half it. 

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed

3 15 oz. cans Shoepeg corn, drained and rinsed

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 8 oz. block feta cheese, crumbled

Whisk sugar, apple cider vinegar, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Add beans, corn, scallions, cilantro, and cheese and mix well. Serve with tortilla chips or Fritos.

4. Listening to Your Life by Frederick Buechner

I know I have suggested about ten devotionals here on this blog, but I really can't get enough of them. My mom sent me these daily meditations years ago and consistently sends me quotes from many of Beuchner's books. My friends and I thought raising toddlers was hard. Physically, yes. Mentally and emotionally, many of us have decided that raising teenagers takes the cake. I thought this was a brilliant insight from Beuchner on our adolescents and how difficult this time can be. Even when it's practically impossible and we need to do it with gritted teeth and clenched fists, we have to try to give them some grace, mommas. This passage was so convicting for me this week:

The ancient druids are said to have taken a special interest in in-between things like mistletoe, which is neither quite a plant nor quite a tree, and mist, which is neither quite rain nor quite air, and dreams, which are neither quite waking nor quite sleep.

Adolescents can have the same glimpse by looking in the full-length mirror on back of the bathroom door. The opaque glance and the pimples. The fancy new nakedness they're all dressed up in with no place to go. The eyes full of secrets they have a strong hunch everybody is on to. The shadowed brow. Being not quite a child and not quite a grown-up either is hard work, and they look it. Living in two worlds at once is no picnic.

5. This Precious Photo From Twitter

Now that you're all weepy and emotional about your teenager, I present you this photo that I saw on Twitter last week that gave me all the feelings. It's apparently from 1955 and titled "A Few Seconds Before Happiness."

You're welcome.

Have a great weekend, Friends!

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