5 Friday Favorites: October 15, 2021

 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.

Happy Friday, Friends.

Well. Well. Well.

It was quite a weekend for your girl. It occurs to me that there are people in the world who do not watch college football - those who never even give it a second thought. I'm not sure I have ever envied those people as much in my entire life as I did this weekend. 

Actually, that's not true, because if you do pay attention to college football you know that it was a weekend full of more amazing moments than any fan could ever want. The fan bases were unbelievable and the games were epic. That scrappy Arkansas team made the decision to go for two to win instead of kicking a field goal to tie it with one second on clock and ended up losing to Ole Miss. Joe's Penn State Nittany Lions and Iowa had an epic battle of two undefeated teams with Iowa coming out on top just barely. Kyle's Tennessee Volunteers put a world of hurt on the Gamecocks. Michigan barely escaped being beat by Nebraska by winning in the last two minutes. And the Aggies. THOSE DARN AGGIES. They knocked off Alabama in a game that will go down in history.

 

Oh and also the Longhorns blew a 28-7 lead to lose to our longtime rivals the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Showdown or Shootout or another word I'd like to call it that starts with S - H and ends with Show.

Any of my Catholic friends want to escort me to confession today?

Here are some favorite things from the week that didn't make me walk around the house for four hours on Saturday night like this:

PS Before you keep reading, I just want to acknowledge that I just read over this whole post one more time to edit it and I feel like the overall tone indicates that maybe I'm holding on to some residual anger from the weekend. Like it seems like I'm yelling. My apologies. Proceed with caution.

1. Tyler Glamorous Wash - Diva Laundry Detergent

I have mentioned this laundry detergent a number of times. Goodness, I love it so much. It smells amazing. It makes your laundry room smell amazing. If I'm doing the laundry, I can even smell it when I am in my garage or walking through the house. It is stupid expensive, so I kept telling myself it wasn't worth it. Then I read a trick online and it worked. I just use unscented detergent pods and then put a capful or two of the Diva wash in the load. That small amount is plenty to make my sheets and towels smell great, so the bottle will last awhile. I was so grateful this week that I had bought it because it washed the scent of sadness and salty tears off the sheets I slept in on Saturday night.

2. This Vase with these Fake Tulips and this Beaded Thing

Why do I not write for a interior decorating magazine? It's a mystery. I obviously don't know what to call this combination of stuff, but you get the idea. I cannot remember where on Instagram I first saw these fake tulips in this vase, but it was probably SisterStudio. Anyway, I found the vase at Target a month or so ago and I cannot for the life of me find it online. Here are some similar ones on Amazon. The fake tulips are here and the beaded garland comes in a two pack - both on Amazon. I haven't decided exactly where to put it in my house because these are the kind of decisions that give me an eye twitch, but it could work on my kitchen island or on a coffee table or on my kitchen table. Anyway, everytime I saw it this week it was a little pick-me-up chipping away at my football sadness. 

3. Cole Slaw with Poppy Seed Dressing

A few weeks ago I mentioned this Pulled Pork that I made in the crockpot and a friend commented that she liked the cole slaw that I always serve when we have bbq. I got this recipe from my sister and I don't have a photo, so I just put a photo of the dressing. I AM A VERY SKILLED FOOD BLOGGER, OKAY?

Here's what you need. I don't know the measurements. Just wing it and I promise people freak out over this stuff.

A bunch of red grapes sliced

A few handfuls of chopped walnuts

A couple of bags of cole slaw mix

Some sliced green onions

Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing

4. Target PJs

I saw these pajamas at Target the other day. I didn't buy them, but they're so cute. They come in this green and also a red stripe and a shorts option. They would be perfect for Christmas time, but I know we're not ready to think about that right now. Especially because thinking of the end of December makes me think of college bowl games and then I get sad again. BUT OF COURSE I ALSO THINK OF THE BABY JESUS. OF COURSE, I DO. Geez. Get a grip. 

5. The Best 35 Second Video of the Entire Week

Did I want some team some where in the land to beat Alabama? Yes, I did. Did I want it to be the Aggies? No, I did not. 

I love my Aggie friends, but I was born and raised a Longhorn and there has never been a moment I have cheered for A&M that I can remember. NEV-ER. In fact, I am so petty that when I heard they were winning Saturday night, I took my bratty little self to bed muttering something about a final nail in the coffin of the day. I pouted and grumbled myself to sleep. 

But then I saw this video of the kicker's family and I sobbed my eyes out. I watched it at least twenty times. His mom closing her eyes and praying the whole time - not even watching the kick? His wife screaming her lungs out and then collapsing in grateful tears and THEN jumping on to the field like some kind of track star? 

This is what sports has the power to do for just a minute - or 35 seconds. It can make you deliriously happy for people you do not know who are cheering for a team you've never cheered for a day in your entire life. I saw some folks on Twitter making some comments like "How could you be that happy about a ball going through a couple of poles?" You know what I say to people like that?

This world is full of sadness and despair and pain. So you have to make an effort to find your happy anywhere and anytime you can and you have to grab it with both hands. Nothing is too silly to celebrate. If it's not sports, that's fine. Find something else that makes you cry and laugh and cheer and shake your head in disbelief. I promise it feels a lot better than writing a snarky tweet. 

So here's a sentence I never thought I'd write. The moment the Aggies clinched the win on Saturday is officially my favorite thing from the whole darn week. Who woulda thunk it? Man, 2021 just gets weirder and weirder. 

Y'all have a great weekend and find something that will make you so happy you'll scream your lungs out and hurdle a fence to celebrate it.

Hook Em Horns.

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