Happy Friday, Friends.
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.
1. Pesto and (Cauliflower!) Gnocci
My very kind and patient mother-in-law has tried her darndest to help me sustain an herb garden for a few summers in a row despite the fact that I never remember to water plants. I also often forget she's planted them for me and end up buying herbs at the store. However, this year she planted them right next to our sprinkler system so that my neglect wouldn't be a factor and I was much better about remembering that I had an actual garden in my own backyard. The basil plant was glorious this summer and I picked some of it this week and made my very own homemade pesto.
Have no doubt that I quickly texted at least four people and told them of my accomplishment and asked very pointedly that they in turn shower me with much praise and congratulations. They did their jobs well.
I had bought this cauliflower gnocci at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago and was highly skeptical of it because I feel like cauliflower is wearing out its welcome lately. In any event, I cooked it up and spooned the pesto over it and IT WAS AMAZING. Please send your congratulations to jlpskinner@gmail.com. Here's the simple recipe I used for pesto. I got it from a website and I'm sorry I can't remember where. I hope they don't sue me.
2 cups basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated parmesean
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Process it up in a food processor.
2. Trader Joe's Citrus Body Wash
You know that panicky feeling you get when your phone battery starts going lower and lower? That's how I feel when I start running out of body wash. Thank goodness that my trip to Trader Joe's blessed me with a brand new one that I love. The Refresh Citrus Body Wash smells amazing and is a perfect scent for summer. (I know it's technically Fall right now, but it's also exactly 92 degrees outside my window at the moment, so it is obviously still summer.) It is "a therapeutic blend of orange blossoms and grapefruit" and since I just admitted that I get anxiety from 1st World problems like running out of body wash, I think it's clear I need some sort of therapy. This will be perfect. Unfortunately, you can't buy from Trader Joe's directly online, but I did find it here.
3. Homemade Jewelry Cleaner
I found this homemade solution to clean jewelry at Living with Landyn here. If you don't follow Landyn on instagram, hop over and find her. She is a lot of fun and gives some great tips on recipes, working out, decorating, fashion and random life hacks like homemade jewelry cleaner.
Grab a glass container and fill it wiht 1/2 cup Windex and a few drops of liquid dish detergent. Heat in microwave for 1 minute. Place jewelry in there. I left it for about 20-30 minutes, then scrubbed it with a tootbrush. I don't understand chemistry things and whatnot, but I do know something magical was happening in there. My rings which had been smothered in sunscreen all summer were as sparkling and bright as the first time I saw them.
Grab a glass container and fill it wiht 1/2 cup Windex and a few drops of liquid dish detergent. Heat in microwave for 1 minute. Place jewelry in there. I left it for about 20-30 minutes, then scrubbed it with a tootbrush. I don't understand chemistry things and whatnot, but I do know something magical was happening in there. My rings which had been smothered in sunscreen all summer were as sparkling and bright as the first time I saw them.
4. ZXZY Lace Top
I follow Sheaffer Told Me To for fashion ideas and often it is not great for my wallet. However, she has been doing posts on Amazon styles and I saw her post on this blouse a few weeks ago and was intrigued because it looked so cute on her and only costs $16.99. Now I have had some hit or miss moments with clothing from Amazon, but this was a hit. I've worn it so many times lately and always get compliments on it. A woman at Trader Joe's asked me if I got it at Anthropologie. It's a soft cotton fabric and really keeps its shape. Also, did I mention 16 dollars and 99 cents??? So worth it. I bought the white, but it comes in lots of different colors.
5. Face Time
First of all, before I get into the absolute miracle and blessing that is Face time, let me just tell you what happened to me when my college freshman texted me from the waiting room of the Health Center at the University of Tennessee this week. I was seconds away from this:
He told me that his roommate was taking good care of him. He assured me that the nurse was really nice and brought him some ginger ale. They took a strep test and blood work. Come to find out, it was just a bad cold and sore throat. Shockingly, he was not going to die from this ailment.
Still, I needed to see his face and that is why Face Time is a gift to moms the world over.
(I will pause here to say while I love seeing my sons' faces on Face Time, why is it that I always look like a steaming pile of garbage in that upper corner of the screen? What the heck is going on with my neck and my eyes and my forehead? Lord have mercy. Is there any sort of filter option? My vanity comes out BIG TIME when I'm face timing.)
Anyway, while he sounded like he had just swallowed a package of cigarettes, he did, in fact, look like he was going to make it. He even held up all the medicines that he had been prescribed so that I could use my imaginary medical degree to determine if they were appropriate.
Shout out to Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or Thomas Edison or whoever came up with this technology. It helped me be a little less of a freakshow.
Have a blessed weekend, Friends.
He told me that his roommate was taking good care of him. He assured me that the nurse was really nice and brought him some ginger ale. They took a strep test and blood work. Come to find out, it was just a bad cold and sore throat. Shockingly, he was not going to die from this ailment.
Still, I needed to see his face and that is why Face Time is a gift to moms the world over.
(I will pause here to say while I love seeing my sons' faces on Face Time, why is it that I always look like a steaming pile of garbage in that upper corner of the screen? What the heck is going on with my neck and my eyes and my forehead? Lord have mercy. Is there any sort of filter option? My vanity comes out BIG TIME when I'm face timing.)
Anyway, while he sounded like he had just swallowed a package of cigarettes, he did, in fact, look like he was going to make it. He even held up all the medicines that he had been prescribed so that I could use my imaginary medical degree to determine if they were appropriate.
Shout out to Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or Thomas Edison or whoever came up with this technology. It helped me be a little less of a freakshow.
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.
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