5 Friday Favorites: December 10, 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.

Hey, Friends! Happy Weekend! We've got some fun to come this weekend and I can't wait. Kyle should be coming home from Knoxville in the next few days as his exams ended this week. We're going to see Eric Church with some friends in DC. And then I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to deliver the message at a local church this weekend where I spoke earlier this fall. So I guess we're going to two different churches in the next few days. ;-)

Here are some of my favorite things from this week.

1. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Sufjan Stevens

I heard this song Sunday and have listened to it countless times this week. I don't know if Sufjan Stevens is a person or a group, but the vibe of them/him sounds very Friday Night Lights adjacent and I love every single thing about a Friday Night Lights vibe. I am reading a devotional by Melanie Shankle right now where she writes, "How many times have I missed what God is doing in the name of doing all the things I think I'm supposed to be doing? I don't want to miss Him this holiday season." 

So, if you're feeling like maybe you're missing something - like maybe the whole entire reason we're doing all this holiday madness - as I often did this week, I recommend finding a night to park in front of the prettiest Christmas lights you can find and turning this up as loud as you can. Instant calm and bright. 

2. Cranberry Walnut Baked Brie

Shay Shull's Mix and Match Mama website has been my go-to place to find easy holiday appetizers and desserts. Last week I brought this Cranberry Walnut Baked Brie to a party and it was as easy as can be and so good. Also, the red cranberries make it Christmas-y. 

3. The Prettiest Christmas Time Top

Speaking of holiday parties one of my friends was wearing this beautiful green top the other night and it is from Amazon and only 20ish dollars! It comes in every color under the sun, but this green is gorgeous in real life. I think this top would look great with gold jewelry and I've got some ideas. :-)

4. My Favorite Park Lane Jewelry This Week

I continue to have a blast as a stylist for Park Lane Jewelry. This week, I've got some favorite gold necklaces that would look great with the green Amazon top. This Honey necklace is adorable. It's two strands in one necklace and it's perfect for everyday or for a holiday party. 

The Influencer necklace is a David Yurman inspired piece that is one of the most popular necklaces in the collection. I love it. A friend of mine actually wore the silver and the gold together the other day and it looked really great.

PS. The company says orders by December 15th will arrive by Christmas with standard shipping. That makes me a little nervous with all the shipping issues I keep hearing about, although honestly, I'm not seeing any problems with anything I've had shipped. If you want to order for Christmas I would recommend getting the order submitted by Monday, the 13th to be safe. 

5. Temperature-Control Smart Mug

I saw a post on facebook about this Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug and the poster was saying how lazy a person must be to spend money on this and not get up to heat his/her coffee. And I contemplated this for a few seconds and then I thought: 

#1: I am lazy. #2: My desk is upstairs and I have to go up and down the stairs to the kitchen to heat up my coffee all the darn time. #3: I am lazy. #4: My husband reads the paper every day with the dog sitting on his lap and every time I come downstairs he asks me to heat up his coffee so as not to disturb the dog and it annoys the fire out of me. #5: I am lazy, my husband is lazy, and my dog is really lazy. This mug is stupid-expensive, but I don't have anything to give the man for Christmas or for our 27th anniversary which is coming up in less than a month. If it works it's gotta be less expensive than Marriage Therapy and it might just get us to 28. 

Bonus: Your Frederick Buechner quote for the week

Buechner's words on the Annunciation and Mary's response are perfectly perfect:

"Be it unto me according to thy word," she finally says, and jewels blossom like morning-glories on the arch above them. Everything has turned to gold. A golden girl. A golden angel. They are on their feet now. Their knees are bent to a glittering rhythm. Gabriel's robe swings free about his ankles, and his scroll flies out from his waist like a sash. Mary's hands are raised, palms forward, and Gabriel reaches out to take one of them. They are caught up together in a stately, golden dance. Their faces are grave. From a golden cloud between them and above, the Leader of the Dance looks on.

The announcement has been made and heard. The world is with child.

OH MY GOODNESS. The world is with child?! The world is with child. How does the man come up with such beauty using the same language the rest of us all have access to? Gosh, he's amazing.

That's all for today. Y'all have the best weekend!

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