5 Friday Favorites: April 24, 2020

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 or Bible verse, 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.

Whew, what a week.

In addition to my one trip to the grocery store, I did a curbside pick-up at PetSmart. I know, I know, I need to slow down this hectic pace and stop and smell the roses. TGIF, am I right?

To be honest, though, I actually had a third outing this week. Drew and I got in the car (it's this big box with wheels and you push a pedal and it takes you places. It's kinda cool.) He had a friend who had a birthday and we followed some other people in these boxes with wheels and we drove by his house and waved out the window and saw friends and smiled and clapped and it was glorious. It was an event that lasted exactly 1.4 minutes and I seriously thought I was going to need to sleep in the next day, it was so exhilirating.

Also, here's a little side effect of being in the house for 40-some days that I noticed during this little outing. It's called, "I forgot how to drive." As we left the neighborhood, there was a cop driving behind me. I was really cognizant of that fact and was watching my speed intently. Then, I proceeded to blow right through a stop sign. I don't know what happened. I just know that I ran RIGHT THROUGH IT. Like some kind of sociopath. With a cop driving right behind me.

And then what happened was that I said to Drew, "Well, we're about to get pulled over because I am a criminal and a threat to society."

The officer followed behind me for awhile and then I turned left and he turned right and I ended up in my driveway with nary a ticket nor a warning to be seen. He didn't pull me over.

I do not understand the grace and mercy of the Lord. Or of the Loudoun County Police Department.

So, to be honest, I would say that the fact that I violated the law in full view of an officer of our fine county and did not get ticketed was my favorite thing that happened this week.

Here are the other favorites of the week.

1. Unorthodox

I've been spending a lot of time watching Will Ferrell movies, reruns of The Office and That 70s Show, and movies wherein men shoot each other and save the world because I basically live in a fraternity house. So I decided that maybe my brain needed to be expanded a little bit. Unorthodox is only four episodes on Netflix and it is so, so, so good. It's based on a memoir of a woman who was raised in a Hasidic Jewish community in New York and escapes her arranged marriage to start a new life in Berlin. The story is fascinating and the lead actress is amazingly talented. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

2. Doing My Nails by Myself

Let's be honest. This is not really a favorite from the week. I feel like when I get to go back to the nail salon, I'll be like one of those dogs greeting a soldier coming back from the war. Cue all the sad violins. This is a first world problem. I understand. But it is a problem, no less. 

If this quarantine has taught me anything, it's that the sweet women who give me manicures and pedicures deserve a bigger tip. I know it sounds so ridiculous, but I honestly cannot remember the last time I took my toe nail polish off by myself which means I have not laid eyes on unpolished toes in years. (Please roll your eyes now. I deserve it.) This also means that I don't own a lot supplies or nail colors, so this week I started looking around to order some things.

I have seen a few bloggers recommend this foot mask. I haven't purchased it yet, but I'm thinking about it. There are some less expensive options here and here.

I love this slate blue color. I'm not sure I am skilled enough to paint that dark of a color on my fingernails by myself, but I should be able to put it on my toes.

This OPI Funny Bunny polish is a great white color that I wore all summer. I might want to get it just so it can remind me of a time when I'd never heard the terms "social distancing" or "PPE" or "Everything in the whole world is canceled".

I actually do own Essie's Skinny Dip and this is a fool-proof polish to use right now because it is basically clear with the slightest hint of pink in it. 

3. Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps from Healthy Little Peach

healthylittlepeach.com

When I did the Whole30 program a couple of years ago, I started following a bunch of food bloggers on Instagram including Healthy Little Peach. She has some great recipes and I spotted this one earlier this week. These Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps are so good and better for me than the bag of Cheetos I ate for breakfast the other day.

14 butter lettuce leaves

1.5 lb. ground beef

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, diced

1/4 cup coconut aminos (I used soy sauc which is not Whole30 compliant)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed ginger

Cashews

Carefully rinse butter lettuce leaves and be careful not to tear. Heat 1 tbsp. of sesame oil over medium high heat and add garlic and ground beef. Cook until beef is crumbly and browned. Drain grease and transfer beef to a bowl and set aside. Add red bell pepper and water chestnuts to the pan and cook until peppers become tender, about 3 minutes. Add beef to pan with peppers and water chestnuts and combine. Add remaining ingredients, combine, and cook together for about 3 more minutes. Arrange lettuce leaves on a platter and add a spoonful of beef mixture and a few cashews to each leaf.

4. Latuza Short Pajama Set

It's all joggers and pjs these days around here and as we're moving into warmer weather, I've been wearing my very favorite short pj set from Latuza that I have mentioned here approximately a billion times. I noticed this week that there is a new Latuza Ladies Short Pajama Set that is really cute and a different style than the one I have. These are the softest pajamas I have ever owned and they keep you really cool at night. They come in lots of options including short shorts, longer shorts, pants, short sleeve, and long sleeve combinations and some great colors. I'm thinking it might be worth buying a couple of pairs since it doesn't seem like we'll have anywhere to go for awhile and you cannot beat the price.

5. Build My Life - Pat Barrett

This is a great song. I heard Pat Barrett sing it on this Good Friday special which is in its entirety well worth your time, by the way. It's been stuck in my head ever since. Pretty good words to have stuck in my head with so many other thoughts swirling around these days trying to crowd out the truth of the goodness of our God.

Have a blessed Friday, Friends! If I can give you any advice for the weekend, it would be that if you go out, watch out for those red octagonal shaped signs that say "STOP" in white letters. Then push that pedal on the left. Got it? Good luck.

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