Friday Favorites ~ August 29, 2025

 Well, here we are at the end of the week and the end of the month.  September ushers in the season of fall, we feel it and begin to see it in October and November, which ushers in Christmas.  Y'all, then 2026 is coming!  Okay, I will slow down now and focus on a few favorites from the week and a few random favorites from the month.

I worked Monday morning and a favorite was being at the office alone and listening to Darius Rucker while working.  I enjoyed a long conversation with Tanya that afternoon and it was good to catch up with her, so that was a favorite!  Brook and I had dinner with my parents that night.

I worked Tuesday and Wednesday was a long day of legal proceedings for me.  I was so mentally tired that I laid down in bed at 5.  I didn't want to answer another question for the day.  

I discovered that Darius Rucker has a Christmas album, so I listened to that Wednesday night to relax.  Won't He do it?

Yes, Darius and Jesus are getting me through this week.  I have listened to Darius 90% of my music this week and no complaints from me.  My co-workers may be ready for some variety though, ha!  

I read these sayings and they were encouraging to me.  I think sometimes we all focus so much on what we accomplished.  This will give you freedom and grace from to-do list and what you accomplished lists!

A few other favorites this week was receiving a gift from a friend at my door when I came home from work Tuesday and a sweet card in the mail from Amy.  These were both so encouraging to me after a long day Wednesday and a rough few weeks.  Okay, years. I am so thankful for this and for a hug I can still get from Brook while she is at home!

A few highlights of this month have were spending time with both my girls when Isabella was home for a few days.  The four of us (the girls, my daughter's boyfriend, and myself) played cards one night and it was a lot of fun.  I was asked not to post any individual pictures!

And yes, my other highlight was seeing Darius.  It may be a while before I stop this obsession.  Sorry, not sorry.  

Have a great long weekend & thanks for reading!

Hodgepodge ~ August 27, 2025

 Happy Hodgepodge Day!  Happy you are here!

1. When someone finds out what you do or where you're from, what's a question they always ask? 

If someone hears I am from Memphis, they may ask if I have been to Graceland.  Yes is the answer, since I use to work there while in college!

When someone hears what I do, they usually comment what a good mission that is and how hard the work can be mentally.

2. Did you participate in 'Greek Life' when you were in college, or have children who did? If so what was your experience like? Taking another tack...have you ever been to Greece? If not, is that a destination on your bucket list? 

I was a Kappa Delta in college.  It was a good experience for me while I was there and spent time on leadership of my sorority.  The college friends I keep in touch with are all sorority sisters.  

I have never been to Greece, but ironically while writing this blog post, I am watching a movie set in Greece!  Have you seen "Find Me Falling" on Netflix with Harry Connick Jr.?  It is a rom com and a cute movie.

All the pictures from Greece look amazing.  

3. Do you like Greek food? If so what's your favorite dish?  

 I had Greek food today for lunch.  I haven't ventured much into it, but I usually have a gyro, minus the pita.  I enjoy feta cheese on a salad. I like Tazikis restaurant chain and also Cava, although we don't have one here.

4. What incredibly common thing have you never done? 

I have never had my hair colored or tasted beer.

5. What is a telltale sign that you're upset? 

I eat unhealthy, I may go for a drive, I plan a trip, I get down on myself, I call a friend to vent....any or all of these things may happen!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I have recently purchased a few other brands of eyeliner and often used eye shadow as an eyeliner, but I finally went back to my trusted favorite eyeliner brand, Stila.  I recommend this as it comes in so many colors and is so user friendly to use.

Have a great day!

Hello Monday ~ August 25, 2025

 Happy Monday my blog friends!  I hope you had a good weekend.  Mine was a busy one and was good! Here are some highlights...

Friday night, I met up 3 friends that I use to homeschool with way back in the day.  All of our lives look so different now but we love getting together a few times a year.

Saturday morning, I was up bright and early to work at a 5K.  The weather was good and we had a great turnout of supporters.

After waking up so early, I spent the entire afternoon resting in bed.  I got up later to get ready to go see Darius Rucker in concert with Jenn.  The concert was at an outdoor amphitheater.  Once again, the weather was great and it is such a fun place to see a concert. We brought in our own chairs for lawn seats and you can also bring in a cooler.  I hadn't been to a concert here in a while.

I saw Hootie and The Blowfish in 2003 but this was first time to see Darius on his own.  My first words afterwards were I will never not go see Darius Rucker in concert anytime he is near!  It was so, so good!  Also, I may have a little crush on Darius.  He is an amazing performer.

If you are wondering, his shirt says Al Green!

I stayed in Sunday morning and then met Jenn and another friend of ours for lunch.  It was a fun visit!

I ran a few quick errands and spent the afternoon at home watching tv before going to a dinner at church.  Since I had missed that morning, it was good to see friends last night.

Have you seen Darius/Hootie in concert before?  Who was your favorite concert?

Thanks for reading and hope you have a good day!

Friday Favorites ~ August 22, 2025

 Well, we've made it to another Friday friends!  

My week began with lunch on Monday with friends and I followed it up with fro-yo.

I was at home every night, except for last night and I painted my kitchen! So basically, there was a dime size hole that I needed to fill in my wall.  I don't have the original paint color, so I painted the whole kitchen!  Have you read the book, "When you give a mouse a cookie?" 

This is the before...

And the after is below.  The new color is Agreeable Gray and it brightens it up from the original taupe color.

Here is the finished look...

This is the wall by the kitchen table before.

This is the table area finished.

It felt great to do this and clean up my space.  I am going to work on cleaning my floors this weekend.

Other highlights this week were margaritas and dinner with a friend, a long talk with Amy, and seeing my sister and her family, which means my nieces and nephew and all the greats. 

I have a busy weekend and I am thankful for fun plans and cooler weather.  Can't we all be excited about this???

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend!  Thanks for reading!

Hodgepodge ~ August 20, 2025

 Good morning and Happy Wednesday!  I'm joining in with Joyce and the Wednesday Hodgepodge today.

1. What's worth standing in line for? 

When I answer Hodgepodge, I often like to say things that pop into my head first. So, here is what I thought of first...I will stand in line at an amusement park ride, well if it is under 30 minutes :).  I would also stand in line to meet a celebrity.

2. Tell us about a favorite food related memory. 

I don't eat green beans because of a childhood memory of a neighbor's mom who made me try them.  I didn't like them then and I haven't had one since. Now I am realizing this topic said favorite food memory, ha!  

Once in the mid-90's, I was on a trip to California by myself.  I was at a restaurant and wanted to order the fries, but they came a la carte and seemed pricey.  I wanted to make sure they were "good" fries before I splurged, so I went to a stranger's table and asked if I could taste a fry.  I would never do that now!  By the way, I did order the fries!

Most recently, my favorite food memory is eating this amazing key lime pie!  Especially for breakfast one morning :).

3. What are some things you find particularly peaceful or calming? 

A good hug, being told it's all going to be okay, staring at the expanse of the ocean (especially from a cruise ship), being in the mountains and bonus if there are fall colors

4. Is there something you do now that gets you just as excited as it did when you were a child? 

Maybe eating frozen yogurt?  Although back in the 70's, it was ice cream I was eating instead.  There are lots of things I see that bring back fond memories from childhood like kids riding bikes, honeysuckle, and all the throwback pictures of corded telephones, albums, big stereos and tvs, orange/green/yellow kitchens, etc.

5. To what degree are you in touch with friends from grade school? high school? college if you attended college? 

Once a year, one of my elementary through high school friends and I meet up with our 5th & 6th grade teacher for a meal.  This was our 4th year to meet this summer. It is always such a fun time! 

I keep up with high school friends on Facebook, but not many in my daily life.  I do keep up with my college roommate and suitemates.  The 4 of us met up a few years ago and it was so fun! My roommate and I try to meet for a meal once a year.  She only lives about 30 minutes from me.  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Last week when making my smoothie, I was almost a sprinkle away from adding taco seasoning to my smoothie!  I meant to grab my flax seed, but grabbed this instead.  Thankfully, I noticed this beforehand or I would have had a spicy smoothie!  Needless to say, my mind has been all over the place lately!

Hope you have a great day!

Hello Monday ~ August 18, 2025

Hi friends and Happy Monday!

I am sharing a little about my weekend with you today.

Thanks for reading!

Friday, I had a doctor's appointment then met my parents for lunch afterwards at Humdingers. Are you familiar with this chain?  It serves fish and chicken and I have been a few times.  Each time, the food has been really good.  I had redfish with pineapple salsa and salad, which was delicious.

Later that evening, I had an early dinner with Jenn, taco soup and a margarita.  She went out afterwards and I came home to relax.  I have had a lot of things going on behind the scenes that are quite intense at the moment, so my bandwidth is pretty small these days.

As a Memphis girl, Saturday was the 48th commemoration of Elvis' death, so it is something I always  recognize on 8/16.

I stayed inside all day Saturday trying to catch up on a few things at home.  That night, I went with Jenn to see Teddy Swims.  It was hot, but we had our fans and it was bearable. He puts on such a great show and has an incredible voice!  His songs are full of big emotions and seem to come from a lot of hurts and joys as well.  It had my mind and heart spinning.

The name of his tour is called, "I've Tried Everything but Therapy" since that is also the name of his most recent album.  They had this wall there where you could write in your answer with chalk.

Jenn spent the night at my house since I still have an extra room for guests.  We parted ways Sunday morning and both went to church.  Afterwards, I went to a wedding shower for a former co-worker with my current co-workers.

I love what butterflies represent with new beginnings and love seeing them around the butterfly bush at my mailbox.

Can you see the one on the bush and the one that flew away?

I hope it is a beautiful day for you!

 

Hodgepodge ~ August 13, 2025

 Happy Wednesday friends!

1. August is National Golf month...do you play? Do you enjoy following golf? Have you ever been to a professional tournament? 

I took golf lessons one summer way back when I was in my mid 20's, but I don't play golf.  The Fedex Golf tournament just ended in Memphis this week, but I have never been to watch.

2. Astronaut Jim Lovell of Apollo 13 fame passed away this past Thursday. Are you interested in outer space and what's happening today in terms of space exploration? If space travel became common in your lifetime would you go? How do you personally relate to the idea of exploring something vast and mysterious...does the idea excite you, intimidate you, or something else? 

Oh my goodness!  I actually had this picture to share as my random thought this week and here it is as a question!  I have been a space fan for the past 15 years.  Brook had an interest in space and we visited 3 space centers in one calendar year (Houston, TX; Huntsville, AL; Cape Canaveral, FL). I have shared this before, but she had a space birthday party one year. I had a poster of the International Space Station that use to hang in my laundry room and we would watch all the departures and arrivals of the Soyouzs to the ISS on the NASA channel.  I am so interested in space travel and if I didn't health conditions, I would definitely go. 

3. Describe your communication style in three words. 

Well, I did a deep dive on communication styles and they are passive, aggressive, passive aggressive and assertive.  I feel like I am a mix of a few of these, depending on the audience. But 3 words?

4. Do you have a favorite cookbook? A favorite celebrity chef? Do you watch any cooking shows on TV? 

My favorite celebrity chef is Ree Drummond. I like to watch the Pioneer Woman, but I haven't watched it this summer.  I went to her lodge and the mercantile in 2019 and loved it.

5. As a child did you have any back to school traditions? If so, did you carry on those same traditions with your own children? Do you have any back to school traditions you've started on your own? 

I feel like we did the typical school shopping for supplies and had a new outfit.  My girls were homeschooled, so it was a little different.  We did try to have a special dinner and fun activity on the first day of school.  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Whenever I do my Amazon post, I will mention this, but I love my vibration plate I recently ordered.  I try to get on this 3-4 days a week.  Are y'all familiar with this device? In case you are wondering, from the internet, here are some benefits of using this: 

Vibration plate machines offer a variety of benefits, including increased muscle strength and flexibility, improved bone density, and enhanced circulation. 

That's all for today....thanks for reading!