Friday Favorites

Happy Friday and the end of May!  Today, I am linking up for everyone's favorite, Friday Favorites!

Anniversary

We celebrated our 22nd anniversary last week.  We got some take out from a new restaurant and ate at a local park. 

Our daughters gave us this cool print of what was going on the year we got married & they had our picture printed on it as well. 

My dinner:  salmon, broccolini, and purple sweet potatoes...so yum! 

The last bite of our appetizer :).  This was shrimp in a creamy sauce served with toasted bread. 

And for dessert....chocolate covered key lime pie!  Again, so good!

Meeting Collins!

We loved meeting my great-niece.  She is just the cutest.  We loved seeing them all as a family of 5.  I blogged her a picture from her birthday on this week's What's Up Wednesday.

New light

Oh, it's the little things sometimes that make a huge difference.  We finally got a new light for our entry way and it makes such a difference.  I really like it and my husband installed it for me this weekend.

This is before....

And this is after..... 

Happy last weekend of May!

Monthly Musings ~ May 2020

Today I am linking up with Good Better Best Food and Pink Lady for May's monthly musings all about summer food.

1. Favorite Summer Dish - grilled foods

2. Favorite Cook out side dishes - chips and dip ;)

3.  Eating al Fresco - I only like to eat outside if the weather is not too hot and no bugs.

4.  What Foods Do You Eat in the Summer More?  - Salads

5.  Share your favorite summer recipe

Two recipes I like are below.  The air fryer carrots are made almost weekly  here .

Avocado Chicken Salad

Air Fryer Carrots

6.  Blueberry Pie or Strawberry Shortcake? - Strawberry Shortcake or actually strawberry pie

7.  Favorite summer beverage - lemon &/or strawberry water or lemonade/Sweet tea is also a year round drink.

8.  Ketchup? Mustard? Relish? Mayo? - just ketchup

9.  Gas Grill? Charcoal? Big Green Egg? - We don't own a grill, but my husband will cook over charcoal over a backyard fire pit.

10.  Popsicle or Ice Cream? - Ice Cream

What's Up Wednesday ~ May 2020

What we're eating this week.....

Monday - Chick-Fil-A for lunch and for dinner, grilled sausage, carrots & hummus, cheese & crackers, apple slices

Tuesday - Chicken, carrots, zuchinni

Wednesday - Bacon, eggs, biscuits

Thursday - Tacos

Friday - haven no idea yet :)

What I'm reminiscing about......

Typically at this time of the year, we would have just returned from our church camp.  It was cancelled this year and we are hoping a few other things we have planned stay in tact. I also miss being present in our Sunday School class & looks like we may not meet until the fall for that.

What I'm loving........

I love not waking up to an alarm.  I love hearing my girls laugh.  I love having the summer off work, even though I didn't expect it to come by the way of unemployment.  I love my home and am so thankful for it. 

What we've been up to........

It seems like May definitely went by faster than April. I have done a few more things around the house and a few more outings.  I got an oil change in my car, a hair cut (while wearing a mask) and a trip to Lowes.  I am still doing Rosetta Stone 5 days a week to brush up on my Spanish skills.   I had a great Mother's Day celebration and we have also begin doing some demo on our back porch.  I will post progress pictures as the summer continues!

We had begun a little demo in the picture above.  Below, we are cutting up our old hot tub, which hasn't worked for a while. 

What I'm dreading.........

I am not a fan of extreme summer heat.  About 90 is my limit, but it is often much hotter than that.

What I'm working on.............

I am starting today to paint a dresser for my daughter to take back to college this fall.

What I'm excited about.........

I am excited to have the summer off work and freedom to do a few more things, even if it does require a mask.  

What I'm watching.........

My newest favorite show is Virgin River on Netflix.  I am hooked and cannot wait for season 2 to be released!!  We have also started watching Win the Wilderness where couples compete with survival skills to win a house in Alaska.

What I'm listening to........

I am listening to birds chirping in the morning, Office Ladies podcast every week and 80's music.

What I'm wearing.......

I have transitioned to summer clothes, which is basically now short sleeve shirts with jeans on most days.

What I'm doing this weekend.........

We have been doing Zoom Sunday School for 2 months and Sunday night Zoom meetings with our new church plant.  This Sunday, we will resume meeting for regular worship service and have a backyard outside gathering with our small church plant.  

What I'm looking forward to next month.........

June 1st we will find out about our summer plans and will go forward from there.  At this time, I think we will be in town for the month of June.

What else is new...........

We celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary last weekend, which I will post about Friday.  Also, I am a thankful great aunt to my newest great niece!  Y'all know how much I love my great nephew and niece and now I have another one I love too!  She is precious.  One sweet day, we will get to hold this bundle of joy.

I can't think of a better way to end with that photo :)

Friday Favorites ~ May 15, 2020

We've made it to the end of another week and I am linking up today with Friday Favorites.

I actually got this first favorite last week, but am just adding it to the blog.  One thing we didn't have at our home, but had talked about for a few years was having a keypad added outside our garage door.  I found one last week at Home Depot and installed it myself.  I was super proud and excited to do this project all on my own. It already has proved to be very helpful as we come and go. 

I shared some quarantine memes on Thursday.  Here is another one to add in honor of all the zoom calls!

I have cooked 3 out of 4 nights so far this week (we did leftovers last night).  My mom gave me some potatoes she had and I made my favorite recipe of mashed potatoes.  They were delicious!  Here is the link from Pinterest where you can find the recipe.  It is also very easy!  Side note:  I didn't have any sour cream, so I substituted with some greek vanilla yogurt and it was still just as good.

Another favorite is some new pillow covers.  I wanted a little bit more of color so it is less expensive to buy pillow covers than new pillows.  This is the before of our sofa...

And the after ....

Another favorite from earlier this week is my youngest daughter was able to go to her high school to meet a teacher and pick up some of her supplies.  It did her heart good to be encouraged and just be on school property for a little bit of closure to this school year.  

My last favorite is a post I did on my Mother's Day.  Since that post, I received another gift, which is a drawing of our family from my daughter.  I love it.

Here is the original picture she used as a reference. 

Happy weekend and hope you all stay well!

Quarantine Memes

Today is short and sweet through quarantine memes I have seen that stood out to me.  So glad for the gift of laughter!

Happy  Wednesday!

Mother's Day ~ 2020

Good Monday to you.  I wanted to document this Mother's Day since it did have a little different feel to it.

I had a lazy day, with some good food, no cooking or cleaning, and time with family, so it was a good one.

My husband made me brunch and my daughters cleaned up the kitchen. It was fun to hear them get into a groove of cleaning with their random playlist going in the background.

I watched a Hallmark movie from the mystery channel, which was one of a series I had not seen.  These totally have a different feel to them, but it was still good.

I had made myself dessert on Saturday to enjoy, and I was so glad I made that in advance. I made Strawberry Pretzel Salad, which has several steps and takes some time, but it is one of my favorites.

I texted with some friends and family, then the girls and I drove to see my parents, about 30 minutes away. We gave my mom her present, which Brook painted.

I received Knockout Rose bushes for myself and my husband planted them for me. I am excited to have flowers in my yard!

We got take out for dinner and watched Jerry Seinfeld's new comedy on Netflix.  He is one of my favorites and so funny.  The content is fine, but there is some cussing, so I would rate it PG-13.  I laughed a lot through this and would recommend it. 

Afterwards, I took a walk with my oldest and that was about it for the day.

Once again, it was a beautiful day, for which we were so grateful.

Happy Monday and week to you!

Friday Favorites ~ May 8, 2020

Today I am linking up with Friday Favorites sharing some favorites and activities from the week.

Lawn Mower

First, we got a new lawn mower, and yes, this is a favorite.  Ours broke year before last and we just had an old push mower, so to get a new self-propelled mower was a favorite.  I usually mow the grass at our home to give me some exercise and now that I am not working at the moment, I have the time as well.

Before...

and after

Blogilates

I have been looking for a online home workout series that isn't too intense.  I really like this series so far and it helps considering I am on day 100 of desserts I think :).

Planner

I picked this up at Walmart a few weeks ago for $2!  I know it seems silly probably to have a planner considering the present times, but I have loved using it.  Now that I am unemployed, it has helped to write down projects and goals for each day, which helps give me a feeling of purpose and productivity, even if it is all the little things.

Measuring spoons

I had some old measuring spoons I had for years and it was time for some new ones, especially with all the baking and cooking these days!  I ordered this set from Target and they match my Pioneer Woman cookware too.  They are the perfect set for under $5!

I love how all my small measuring spoons hang on these handy hooks ordered last year from Amazon.  These are inside a cabinet door and have held up great. 

When Calls the Heart

I am a fan of this show and loved the ending of the season episode a few weeks ago.  I know this wasn't from this week, but that doesn't mean I haven't watched this ending once again several times this week. #teamnathan

Puzzles

I have always been a fan of puzzles and this is puzzle number 3 for me during stay-at-home time.  However, this puzzle was 1000 pieces in comparison to the other 500 piece puzzles, so it took me a little longer to complete.

New Morning Mercies

This is the devotion book I read and earlier this week, I shared some highlights from some favorite devotions recently that have really encouraged me during this time.  Hopefully, it will encourage some of you as well.

https://memphisbridges.blogspot.com/2020/05/encouraging-devotions.html

It's been a good week of relaxing, taking walks with my daughter and I also took a walk with a friend this week in her neighborhood. That was so fun just to be in another neighborhood and talk with a friend!  I also finished my 2019 scrapbook that I mentioned I hadn't even started last week, so that was good.

Hope all the moms out there have a Happy Mother's Day and that we all celebrate those women in our lives who have been special to us.

Encouraging Devotions

Hi.  I hope everyone had a good weekend.  Even though I think most of us are still taking it slow and not going out too much, it is nice to hear of places gradually opening.  I know the struggles are there and recovery will be long, but am hoping those whose health is not compromised will be able to get out a little more slowly and safely with masks and of course, washing our hands.  

In the midst of the uncertainties and waves of emotions we have felt from minute to minute and day to day during life and especially the past 7 weeks, I wanted to share some highlights from devotions which have encouraged me.

All of these quotes come from the devotional book New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp.

"The same God who planned that the worst thing would be the best thing is your Father.  He rules over every moment in your life and in powerful grace He is able to do for you just what He did in redemptive history.  He takes the disasters in your life and makes them tools of redemption. He takes your failure and employs it as a tool of grace.  He uses the "death" of the fallen world to motivate you to reach out for life.  The hardest things in your life become the sweetest tools of grace in his wise and loving hands.  So be careful how you make sense of your life.  What looks like a disaster may in fact be grace.  What looks like the end may be the beginning.  What looks hopeless may be God's instrument to give you real and lasting hope.  Your father is committed to taking what seems so bad and turning it into something that is very, very good."

"God's care comes in a variety of packages.  His care is not always a cool drink and a soft pillow. God's care is not always relief from circumstances, release from trouble.  There are many moments in our lives when the very thing that causes us to wonder about God's care is his care.  He knows that trouble will reveal our hearts or display his glory.  Often trouble is a tool of care in the hands of the One who knows best what we need.  He cares, therefore, make sure your definition of his care is not too narrow."

"You and I don't have a clue what is around the next corner, let alone where we will be and what we will be doing a decade from now.  But even though we know for sure about our lives and we experience constant surprises along the way, we need not give way to panic. Yes, our lives are out of control, but that doesn't mean they are out of control.   Since God is the Author of every detail of your story, since he writes into your situation, location, and relationship, then he knows exactly what you're facing and precisely what grace you need to face it in the way he has planned.  His sovereign control is the guarantee that you will have everything that he has promised you.  His sovereign control means he knows what you need because he has planned for you everything that you're now facing. His sovereignty is your surety because he can guarantee the deliver of his promises only in the location where he rules.  Because he rules over all things at all times, he can guarantee that you and I will have what he has promised us in the places and at the times they are needed. "

"Yes, the Father will ask you to do hard things and he will bring difficult things your way, but he is worthy of your trust and he loves you dearly.  Today your heavenly Father reaches down to you and says:  I know you don't understand all that you face, but remember, I love you.  Trust me and you will find peace that can be found no other way".

There is hope my friends!!  I hope this brings hope and encouragement to you and will share more of this in another post.  These are some good quotes to reflect on this week.  Have a great day.