Friday, November 5, 2021

5 Friday Favorites: November 5, 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, Everyone! What a week - we had the World Series, elections in Virginia, Halloween, and the kid was off of school basically for the entire week. Also, if you must know, the Texas Longhorns continued their downward spiral. They are becoming really, really good at losing in all the ways - blowing a huge lead, never really being in it, losing by lots of points, and losing multiple games in a row. Man. They are excelling at it. Super proud of them. Honestly, I feel for them. Those guys are all doing the best they can. They don't need some random woman whining about it while she eats chips and salsa on the couch. In any event, basketball season starts Tuesday. And the hopes and dreams of Longhorn Nation - or at least one nutjob in Virginia - will be refocused on a bunch of 20 year olds bouncing a ball around. Bless their hearts.

In other news, it is for real cold here now, so I'm pulling out all the jogger sets and all the boots and all the sweaters. It's kind of exciting. I mean, I suppose it depends on your definition of exciting. 

Here are some favorites from this week.


1. Hooded Sweater


I haven't ordered this hooded lightweight sweater, but saw it recommended by another blogger and was happy to see this burnt orange color that they call "caramel". Sweaters are tricky for me because I seem to have an allergy to wool, but the materials list looks okay on this one. Reviews also say that it is thin which is great because Hello, 50s, why you gotta make me feel like my insides are on fire? I think it would be great under a blazer or a utility jacket like this one. If you aren't a Longhorn or they make you sad, this also comes in beige, black, red, grey and olive. 

2. The Morning Show



Steve and I have been watching The Morning Show all week. I know we are late to this party, but it's really good. Also, a bonus - one of my very, very best friends from high school, Michael Grady, is the Director of Photography on a bunch of the episodes which ensures that we are never allowed to "skip the intro", so that we can see his name and I can freak out about how he was in the same room as Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. I mean, I also freak out because he is incredibly talented, of course, but RACHEL FROM FRIENDS???!!!! Holy Moly.

3. Hooded Flannel Jacket



In the next installment of "What in the heck can I get my sons for Christmas besides a Chick-Fil-A gift card?" I present this hooded plaid flannel jacket. Last year I bought every one of my boys a hooded flannel shirt, but this one seems to be heavier. All the boy moms know that once they hit middle school if you ask them to wear a coat when it's 30 degrees outside, they will look at you as if you've asked them to donate a kidney. This is lined with berber so they'll be warm, but none the wiser.

4. Last One

I was talking to a friend recently about teens and what an alarming shift it can be when they become middle schoolers. We talked about how hard it is for us as parents. . . how we can get our feelings hurt when they pull away. I had included these words from Frederick Buechner - who I must quote more than any other person on the planet - back in 2018 on a post. I thought this was a brilliant insight from Buechner 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. 

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.




They do come back around . . . in fits and starts, I'd say. But they really do.

5. Permission to Grieve


I had the amazing honor to fill in for a pastor friend of mine at his church while he was away on Sunday. I was welcomed with open arms by Aldie Methodist Church and was humbled to deliver the message Sunday morning. The last 18 months have been a bit much and I think we all have a zillion emotions that come out in different ways. For the most part, I think they're all under a umbrella of grief. I am so grateful that the Lord gives us permission to grieve and helps us find a way through it.

Y'all have a great weekend! Go Horns. Please?

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.

No comments: