5 Friday Favorites: July 31, 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.

Well, this hasn't been my favorite week, to be honest. This is a week which holds the anniversaries of the deaths of a good friend of mine, as well as the child of another good friend of mine. So, the last week of July has, for a number of years, been a somber week for me. Add all that grief to the fact that it's still very Covid-y and Racism-y and Argue-y out there and I'm finding that this seems to be the most true thing that I can say about this week:

There were a few things besides lying on the floor that made me smile this week though. Here they are:

 

1. The Vanishing Half

Reading fiction is really the only thing I can concentrate on these days. I'm even having a hard time watching tv lately. I read The Mothers by Brit Bennett a few years ago and really liked it, so when I heard about her new book, The Vanishing Half, I snatched it up and it is so good. Here's the description from Amazon:

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect?

2. A Fake Apple Watch

I've never wanted to spend the money on an Apple Watch and really don't want to be looking down at my wrist every time I get a text because I'm already too attached to my phone. However,  I do like the idea of being able to track my running mileage, heart rate, and steps on a watch. I had a FitBit years ago, but it broke and I was too lazy to go through the process of trying to get it fixed.

This is why I can't have nice things.

Anyway, I saw Annie F. Downs recommend a fake Apple Watch she got from Amazon on her Instagram stories. It's only $35.99. I'm not a math genius, but that seems a whole lot less than the real thing. (update: The one I bought isn't available now, but this one seems to be very similar.)The instruction manual says it can do all kinds of things from logging exercise data to monitoring my heart rate to tracking sleep to controlling the music on my phone. I've had it for three days and so far the only thing I know is that I can tell time on it and it looks cute. Since I often get bored with trying to figure out the bells and whistles of technology, my goal is to have my son sit with me until I completely understand all the things it will do before he goes back to school. I'm sure he would appreciate your prayers for patience during this difficult endeavor.

3. Cheesy Shrimp & Grits 

Cooking is getting really old, isn't it? At the beginning of this pandemic I kind of had some fun with it, but now I am just looking for the fastest and easiest way to throw edible things on the table. I found this recipe for Cheesy Shrimp & Grits earlier this week and it was so simple. Also, this is not a picture of the meal I made. It wouldn't be that pretty. I stole this picture from the internet. 

4. My New Texas Mask 

First of all, in regard to masks, let me share this meme that really, really, really resonated with me when I saw it last week.

 

So please forgive me for this picture of me in a mask. My point is just to express my love for the Texas Longhorns, not to yell at you about wearing a mask or not wearing a mask because somehow I think if you are capable of reading words on a blog like an adult human being, you likely understand the concept and don't need me to give you my thoughts - or hashtags - or graphs - or self-righteous anger. 

Yes? Carry on. 

Lord, deliver us from all the opinions. 

Anyway, since nothing else is fun in the whole ding dang world, maybe we can have fun with masks. Weeks ago I mentioned my friend who manages a shop in Chincoteague that offers some really cute ones that I think are now back in stock. You can get them here, but you have to hustle because they sell out fast. 

My dad sent me this Texas Longhorns Mask and it makes me happy except when I think about the fact that college football is in danger and then it sends me into a downward spiral. Amazon has a whole bunch of Texas Longhorn Mask options. I'm not sure why you wouldn't want one for yourself, but if you don't, I'm sure you can find one for some other (lesser) university. 

5. If My Brain Had A Morning Meeting

Speaking of downward spirals happening in my brain right now, there might not be a better depiction than this right here. Every week I think I'm going to delete Facebook forever. I find that Instagram is a much kinder, less opinionated place. Still, I use Facebook to share this blog and sometimes it delivers a gem, like this one.  Please don't miss it. This woman, Tiffany Jenkins, is brilliant. If the video below doesn't work, go HERE.

It is worth watching the whole thing. You won't regret it. Promise.

 

Here's hoping y'all have a wonderful weekend and mostly that your brain chills the heck out for a couple of days. 

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.