How is it already Friday? What a whirlwind this week has been! I’ve been getting some fairly consistent feedback that these Friday Favorite posts are a FAVORITE of yours, so I’m going to keep doing them! I love writing them and it’s always fun to make a round-up of things that we are enjoying!
Favorite Moment: Tera got a big girl haircut and she now looks like she is so much older! Oh, my heart!
Favorite Kid Quote: This kid does not have a quote, because he is still silent…but deadly. Within the space of 15 minutes, this kid dumped an entire bag of coffee on the floor. Then, while I was cleaning up the coffee, I turned around to find him double fisting two freshly baked cookies. A few minutes later, I found him standing at the sink holding a knife! A KNIFE!!! Earlier in the day, he got ahold of two markers and drew a giant arc of marker rainbows across the carpet. I cannot keep up with him. Neither of my other kids ever did anything like this. Pray for me.
Favorite Amazon Purchase: Since I make muffins every Sunday night, I decided to try out some silicone muffin liners. I haven’t tried them yet, but I’ll let you know how it works out! Oh, also…I bought these disposable muffin liners too…I die over ALL the colors!
My Favorite Blog Post (that I read): I didn’t read many blog posts this week, so I don’t have a favorite post to share. But I do have a favorite blogger to share! Do you follow Erin at Simple Purposeful Living? She’s a fantastic, genuine, online presence, and I think you will fall in love with her and her simple, purposeful tips (she really does live up to her name!)
Your Favorite Blog Post (that I wrote): You loved the two posts I wrote about games: family games and kid friendly games!
Favorite Instagram account: This January is feeling so dreary to me (and also never-ending), so I just wanted to shout out a bright and cheery account that you must follow: @eatprettydarling! I don’t love food accounts, but I love this account!!! I know Katie in-person and she is truly amazing at what she does. Her stories are fabulous and you will love her as much as I do!
Favorite Podcast Episode: I love Lisa-Jo Baker and her co-host Christie Purifoy on the Out of the Ordinary Podcast. I feel like I am friends with them when I’m listening to their podcasts, and I would LOVE to attend a podcast live event of theirs. I love how they have open, honest, vulnerable, but also inspiring conversations and I’m always encouraged after I’ve listened to one of their episodes. I especially enjoyed the last two episodes they have put out: A New Year’s No and A New Year’s Yes.
Favorite Book I Read: Unfortunately, my reading wasn’t great this past week. I started reading Lady in the Lake, and I stuck it out even though I just didn’t like it. Then, I picked up The Nest, which was a total dud and I DNF. Then, I picked up The Paragon Hotel, which was also a dud and I DNF! I was feeling annoyed with dumb books when I finally picked up To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and it was just what I needed. High school drama, quick turning pages, and the perfect clean YA chick flick. I enjoyed it so much I already snagged the next two in the series from the library!
Favorite Scripture: We just finished reading through Psalm 78, which is about Lessons from Israel’s Past. It talks about all that God did for the Israelites and how as soon as they had their needed provision, they started to grumble and complain. It hit me hard because I saw myself so clearly in the Israelites. If I just look back, I can see where I prayed and begged God for certain things that He gladly provided for us, but before I could take the time to thank and praise Him, I was already onto complaining and begging for something new.
Favorite Zillow Find: We are still searching for our favorite rental property, and have even looked at some for sale!
This one was a high contender for the gazebo in the yard and the plenty of space in the house. Even though it was within our budget, we couldn’t quite swallow the price tag, but I think this will feel like “the one that got away”
This 3 bedroom home is only listed for 44k but I don’t even know why it’s listed- just check out the interior AND the listing description! Why would you say THAT in the description?
Of course, when @cheapoldhouses on Instagram featured this Dayton property, people were VERY excited about how large and gorgeous it is. I asked Theo about the neighborhood, and he said that while he’s been on many calls to that area, it’s actually one of the neighborhoods likely to be transformed if Dayton continues to grow and pull itself up. I really hope someone buys it and restores it! UPDATE: Looks like the house is pending! That’s exciting!!!
And just for fun, sometimes I like to look at houses whose bathrooms have more square footage than my entire house. LOL. What do people do with that much room in their house?
Favorite Recipe: Last night I went out with some friends and left Theo at home to fend for dinner with the kids. He’s perfectly capable of cooking and taking care of the kids, but I know how overwhelming it can get right around dinner time. Still, he whipped up this chicken Alfredo noodle dish and he said the kids asked for thirds! Meanwhile, I highly recommend Spinoza’s as a favorite place to eat out around here!
Favorite Thing I Wore: My MIL is very thoughtful, and has a habit of collecting little things that she sees that she knows each of her daughter in laws might like. Whenever she comes to visit, she has a small bag full of things- it might be a trinket or something she found that my husband made when he was a kid. It might be a lamp or a butter dish or an item of clothing. Sometimes I don’t love the item (and she’s never offended), but sometimes it becomes my new favorite thing. This last time, she brought me some clothes and in the clothes was this chunky knit sweater. YOU GUYS. I cannot stop wearing it. Theo says it looks like I’m wearing a blanket and has told me I probably shouldn’t wear it in public (LOL). And yet, he tried it on himself and agreed that it was incredibly comfortable! And then one day I came out of the kitchen to find Tera wearing it! When my family isn’t stealing it from me, I wear it around the house all day long. The tag says Forever 21, but I’m guessing that it’s old. I found similar ones from Forever 21 here, here and here. Amazon does have a similar one that you can buy here in multiple colors for about $35.
And that’s it for this week! Do you have any other favorites that you would like to see next week? Let me know and I’ll include it in my roundup!
I’m curious to hear what you think of the reusable muffin liners. I bought some but thought they were hard to clean.