5 Friday Favorites: January 7, 2022

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 2022!!!!

I cannot possibly explain how grateful I am for the Christmas week my family had. It felt like a true blue miracle. With Covid and other health concerns and canceled flights and just the general shenanigans and BS that 2021 was known to throw our way, it seemed almost foolish to hope that our plans to have my entire family here from Texas and California would work out. It was like hoping that I would wake up on Christmas morning and look like JLo. 

But that's the thing about hope. It can be so foolish and outlandish and ridiculous. But then I look back at all the things I hoped for . . . and the things that came about and things that didn't. Either way, God was there. So when in fact, God was there AND my family was there? (no JLo face, but I suppose that's a bridge too far) Well, all I could do was just open my mouth in wonder. All I could do was just stare at the ceiling as I woke up and say "How in the world, Lord? How in the world? My parents, my sister, my brother, my brother-in-law, my nieces, my nephews, my boys, and my husband. All under one roof? I still cannot believe it.

But it happened. And it will remain one of the sweetest Christmases of my life.

An additional miracle would be the possibility that I might be on a beach some where as you read this celebrating my 27th wedding anniversary and my son's 21st birthday today. As I write this intro early in the week, this seems again like a foolish hope due to all the canceled flights and Covid lurking everywhere, but as of this minute all the plans are in place, so fingers and toes crossed, prayers prayed, and all that stuff, I'll be in the sunshine as you read this. 

(UPDATE added Friday morning: The above plan crashed and burned. Nobody in this family is on the beach.)

It hovered between 60 and 70 degrees most of our Christmas vacation until the day before school was to begin again when we got pounded with snow. So I'm reaching back into past favorites for some of the great snowy weather things for my favorites today because they definitely came in handy this week.

1. My Favorite Snow Boots

These adorable snow boots are the best. I got them last year and they are so warm. The bonus is that they zip up the side so they are easy to get on and off. They come in about five different colors.

2. Beanie with LED Light

I mentioned this beanie with an LED light a few weeks ago and it is truly a game changer for taking out my dog. No balancing the phone light with the leash and the doggie bag and tripping over everything trying to see where I'm going. The light is really bright and can be dimmed as well. This might be the best Christmas gift anyone in this family received.

3. Belfast

This movie is absolutely delightful . . . which is weird to say since it's set in a Belfast neighborhood in 1969 when violent riots began in the streets due to surging tensions between Protestants and Catholics. The cast is magical. The grandparents are charming and funny. The little boy is absolutely precious. The story is compelling. I LOVED IT. It's in theaters and On Demand. 

4. Episode 148: 10 Things to Tell You Podcast

I haven't listened to many episodes of this podcast, but this episode was a great one for the new year. If you are a person who likes to journal or just reflect on old and new seasons, you'll love thinking about Laura Tremaine's 10 Questions for the End of the Year. Since all of my people were still in town the week between Christmas and New Year's Day and because we still (fingers crossed) are basically on vacation, I won't really be thinking or journaling on these questions until next week. And honestly all ten could take awhile to sort through. Not all of the questions are terribly deep - many are just fun ways to think about the year. It might not be for everyone, but if you like this sort of thing, you'll enjoy the episode.

5. This Kid is 21

He loves dogs. And his grandparents. And movies. And basketball. And his brothers. And pizza and buffalo wings. Oh. And I'm fairly certain he likes beer although tonight will be the first sip he'll try, of course. ;-)

And that face up there in that photo is exactly the face I refer to as the "Oh, come on, Ma! You know you want to!" face. The face that showed up at 3:19 am on January 7th -  our 6th anniversary - the 2nd little baby face that I knew would make me have to muster all the energy in my body and mind not to agree to every little thing he asked. Middle School peer pressure ain't got nothing on this face. It's this face that would be the reason I never minded spending countless anniversaries and my birthday and Valentine's Days in basketball gyms year after year after year because gosh darn I loved to watch him play. It's the same expression I see every time he tries to convince me to skip whatever nutritious thing I had planned to eat for lunch and drive thru Chick Fil A or to let him plug in his phone on road trips so I can "listen to this song you'll like it, I promise" or to watch That 70s Show instead of working or to "drive to Knoxville to visit me and bring my suit please, please . . . I know you told me to take it with me, but you know you want to come to Knox and Mom, we can go get biscuits and gravy at Tupelo Honey." The "Oh, come on, Ma! You know you want to!" face? I'm a fool for it. 

And he's right every darn time. Yes, kiddo. I want to spend all the minutes with you that I can. I know they are slipping away because God's got big plans for you and it might not include road trips and afternoons laughing at Fez and Kelso. I'll just keep praying that those plans include at least a few more drive-thru Chick Fil A runs. #1, no pickles and an 8 count chicken nuggets, Large Diet Coke for me. Extra Chick-Fil-A sauce please.

Cheers to 21, Kid. 

PS 27 Years today with this guy, too, but now I'm just bragging. ;-) 

Have a blessed weekend, Friends!

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