high 5 Friday: Oct. 3, 2014

I thought I would give high 5 Friday another try. I think it will be a good addition to #Blogtober :)


1) For the past couple of weeks I have been ordering the London Fog steamer (a.k.a. London Fog Latte or Earl Grey latte) from my local coffee shop. I usually will get a chai tea latte this time of year but I am really digging the London fog.












2) My hair hadn't had so much as a trim in about 10 months. It was getting very unruly so I had to make a trip to the hairdresser's this week to tame the mane. I am glad to get that over with. I am not one who enjoys the process of getting my haircut, but I am always happy with the outcome.

3) For many years now, I have been a big fan of dark, fall nail colors. I like navy, dark purple, burgundy, oxblood, chocolate brown, & hunter green. I will have to paint the digits this weekend.

4) Here is the Bible verse I have been thinking about this week:
  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,    plans to give you hope and a future.  - Jeremiah 29:11 
I try to focus on the fact that God is always in control. Good times or bad it makes no difference.  


5) I am also thankful that the Lord has been watching out for my family. Dad was in a car accident last week & was unharmed.

Did you have any favorites from the past week?

I hope you have a great weekend!
God bless!

high 5 Friday, 5/22/2014

Hello dearies! How was your week? It is starting to feel like summer in your neck of the woods? Have you been rockin' shorts & a pair of cheap sunglasses? (Insert ZZ Top song here).  Maybe you have this Monday off for Memorial Day, therefore having a long weekend, & have plans for a mini vaca?  
If you are curious about what I did this past week, here is a list of my favorite things that happened in my life.

1) A Jo-Ann's Fabric & Craft Store opened in my town! About 7 minutes from my house! You have no idea how happy this made me. Until last Friday, we did not have a craft store in my town.  The closest craft store was about a 30 minutes drive on a ridiculously congested highway. Yuck! Now I have a store at my back door! I am so excited :)

2) Mulberries are blooming. This my not mean much to you but this is a sign in my household that a super delicious treat is on it's way.   You see my dad is a one who loves to experiment. He experiments in many ways including when it comes to food. Many people I know make home-made ice cream in the summer months. Most make, or start out making vanilla ice cream. Why not? It is a very reasonable starting point, especially for a beginner. But not my dad. No ma'am. He decided to use the mulberries that started blooming in our yard. None of us had ever heard of mulberry ice cream, but my dad wanted to give it a shot. This is some of the most delicious ice cream I have ever tasted!
3) I am really loving the Spotify app. I heard about it a couple of weeks ago & have been listening to all kinds of music lately while getting ready, cleaning, baking, etc.

4) I am happy that I am on the cusp of finishing a crochet project. :-D

5) I am enjoying the iced coffee season. I have had a couple chilled coffee drinks this week <3

I hope you have a great weekend!

Check out the link party 

God bless!

high 5 Friday

Happy Friday Everyone! How was your week? I hope it was great. How was mine? Pretty nice..

1) Mother's Day. It is always nice that we take time to remember & be thankful for our moms! I love my Momma dearly.

2) Baking cookies is one of my favorite hobbies. I love it! I love trying new recipes & techniques. It is hard to beat a fresh, made-from-scratch cookie. Recently I discovered a new technique for baking cookies. Oh joy! So excited! I will post more about this in the future ;)

3) Earlier this week one of my "adopted" brothers (who is a member of our music band) return home for the summer from college. He spent a few hours at the house laughin' & jammin' with the fam :)

4) Referring back to Mother's Day; we had a Sunday dinner with the family in honor of our moms. It is wonderful when you can enjoy good food & good times with loved ones. (We are Baptist; We love to eat).

5) I love the warmer evenings. It is so relaxing when you can spend time out on your porch taking in creation.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Try the link party :)

God bless!

high 5 Friday

Hello dearies! Happy Friday to you all! I hate that I have been slacking on my blogging. I want to write more than just once a week. I will try to do better.
I hope you have all had a wonderful week. I know I did. Here in North Carolina, the temperatures have been pushing 90°F. Summer is coming. Surprise! I don't like being out in when it is super hot, but I have been enjoying taking the dogs for walks in the morning before it gets hot. The temperatures have been ideal for me in the mornings.
Are you ready for Mother's Day? Don't forget it is coming up this Sunday. Remember to do something special for that special lady that you are blessed enough to call "Mom" (or whatever you call her).

Week in review

1) My grandmother (a.k.a Nina) turned 80 years-old this past Monday. We celebrated her birthday by having a family & friends over for a semi-outdoor lunch. The weather was beautiful & there was a lot of love shown to my grandmother. I am glad she had such a nice time.

2) I have really enjoyed my Julep Maven subscription. I have been going through a nail polish crave in the last few months, & Julep has been helping get my fix. I am really loving this beautiful blue polish I received in this month's box, called Jeanne. It is a happy, summery, robin's egg blue. So fun.
If you are interested in subscribing to Julep Maven, click here.


3) We have had a nice taste of summer before it gets too hot. Perfect time to rock the shades.

4) I finished shopping for my Mom's Mother's Day gift, yeah!

5) I am glad that I have a plan for what I will fix for Mother's Day lunch. I found a similar recipe on-line: Chicken Eugene from allrecipes. I think this is a predominantly "Southern" dish. I have only tried it with the dried corn beef, chicken breast & cream of mushroom soup. I have never used beacon & sour cream in this dish, but I am sure it is delicious. It is simple to prep & I can put it in the oven before I leave for church & it will be done be the time we are back home. It is a wonderful recipe for inexperienced cooks. I serve the chicken over rice & with steamed broccoli.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Have a wonderful weekend! 

God bless!

high 5 Friday

Happy Friday People! I hope you are enjoying the beginning of May 2014. Let's review my top five highlights of the past week, shall we?

1) I was able to have a little jam session with one of the bros this Sunday afternoon, after church. It is always nice to make music! I played my ukulele & he played his guitar. I need to post a video of his playing. My brother is an uber talented guitarist!


2) From Monday, until Thursday morning our area was on high alert for a severe thunderstorm. This storm had done some horrible damage, even costing some lives in other parts of the country. The weather experts were predicting that we would have sever thunder storms, hail & tornadoes. We were all on the lookout and preparing. I mowed my grandmother's like a wild woman I went so fast. My dad prepared the lawn for rain. All my area saw was a light shower Wednesday night.
So I am thankful we were spared a terrible storm.

3) My mom had a successful cataract surgery last week, and received a good bill of visual health from my boss, an optometrist, Yesterday at her post-op. Hurray for good vision!

4) I finished watching the first season of the British reality show An Idiot Abroad. This is a travel show that follows someone, Karl Pilkington, who never travels & captures his reactions & utter confusion to the new cultures he experiences. I watched most of the episodes by myself & would laugh out loud. I love Karl. He makes the funniest observations. Being a Southerner, I feel that Karl is the British equivalent of what is know around here as a "good ol' boy". I also watch the show just to hear Ricky Gervais' awesome laugh.

5) I have been looking forward to celebrating my grandmother's 80th birthday this weekend. I am hoping for a nice time with friends & family!

How was your week? Any fun weekend plans?
Check out some more high fives from the past week on Lauren Elizabeth's blog!

God bless,

high 5 Friday

Happy Friday lovely people! I hope you all had a beautiful first week of April. It has been a wonderfully sunny week here in N.C.. I just noticed yesterday that there is that oh too familiar yellow/green layer of pollen covering all the vehicles in view. I am sorry allergy sufferers :-/
But in keeping things light & happy, here are my five favorite happenings from this past week:

1. I saw the movie God's Not Dead on Tuesday night. It was a wonderful film. I, as a Christian, highly recommend it. It was so uplifting, & it blessed me that evening. I really made me think of this verse: So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. -Matthew 10:32-33


2. While mowing my grandmother's yard, I barley missed running over this baby bunny. He was so sweet & precious. I am so glad that my aunt knows someone who was able to keep him until he is ready to be on his own.


3. I loved the colors in my April Julep Maven box! I have been using the blush I received for the last couple of days. I am hoping to paint my nails with the polish this weekend.


4. The Dogwood trees around my house are starting to bloom. I wouldn't say that Dogwoods are my favorite tree, but I do really love them.You know Easter time is on it's way whenever you see dogwood flowers in the South. I have heard people use the Dogwood to tell the story of the crucifixion. The flower has four petals, like the four sides of a cross. The flower has a center that looks somewhat thorny (representing the crown of thorns). And the most common color of the flowers' is white (Jesus washes you whiter than snow). 


5. I had my yearly physical this week (which is not fun) & received a clean bill of health (good to hear). I am not trying to brag, but am trying to show gratitude for the fact that I am, at this moment, healthy. I have many friends & family who are not blessed with good health, & I realize that we are not promised a lifetime full of health. Most people I know, & probably most people you know, have died do to failed health. I try to keep in mind that my hardiness is not infinite & I should appreciate what I am blessed with right now, & know that it can flee at any moment. 

Remember to check out Lauren Elizabeth's blog, & see her post & link-up list of other's blogs (&/or link your blog to the list!).
God bless!

high five for Friday

Happy Friday, peeps! I hope you all have had a wonderful week, and or have a fun weekend ahead of you. We have made it to the last weekend of March 2014! Can you believe it? I don't know how the weather has been in your neck of the woods but around here it seems that when ever we take one step forward with a nice sunny, spring like day, we then take about two steps back soon after that with cold and wet days following. I recently discovered a blog by Lauren Elizabeth. I have really been enjoying her site. She has a link-up party every Friday, High Five Friday, where she lists her 5 favorites of the past week and gives other readers the chance to link-up their blog and share their 5 favorites. I thought this is a great & fun idea, so I decided to participate this week. Be sure to check out Lauren's blog to see her High Five Friday, & a chance at discovering some new blogs to enjoy. 1. My little brother & sister-in-law treated us to Smashburger Monday night as a very sweet thank-you gesture for helping them move into their new house. Smashburger is a delicious burger joint, with a very cool atmosphere. My whole family thinks this place has some of the best, if not, the best burgers we have ever tasted. Their burgers are made from fresh, 100% Angus beef, and the burgers are prepared a ton of different ways!  When you have a taste for one, there is not much that can beat a good burger! ( I would have taken a photo of the hamburger, but I ate it too fast. You'll have to settle for this cool sign instead). 

2. Here is another food reference, hehe. I purchased this gelato by Talenti at my local grocery store the other day out of pure curiosity. To the best of my knowledge, I have never tried gelato (aka: Italian ice cream) before. Yummy! I bought two pints; Sicilian pistachio (seen below), & sea salt caramel. Both of these flavors are delicious & super creamy, & the ingredients taste very fresh. This is a little pricey treat, I paid about $4 for each pint (so I will save my next purchase of Talenti for a "special" occasions), but it is super tasty. I have taken my time and held back the urge to devour the whole container in one sitting.  I ate about 1/3 to 1/2 each pint in a sitting at a time over the past week. The lid is a screw-on, therefore resealable. I finished the pistachio first, cleaned it out & have been using the container to store cotton swabs in my bathroom. So,, really the $4 was an investment in bathroom storage ;)

3. My sweet little maltipoo, Owen, had a haircut recently, & this has been very beneficial in our cuddle time. Less stinky hair

4. I am loving all of the new blooms. My dad loves flowers. He planted a ton of hyacinths last year, & they have started to pop up all over the yard. I love the deep blue color of most of the flowers, & and the surprise pop of the fuchsia hyacinths that are scattered amongst them.


5. My last favorite of the week is this Youtube channel I rediscovered the other day. The channel is The Tommy Edison Experience. Tommy, who has been blind since birth, explains his perspective on life and certain experiences as a blind person. He talks about his childhood, how he doesn't understand what colors are, & explains how he can function without sight. He has a great sense of humor: he has a video of him making play-doh sculptures, guessing the color of scented markers, & he even shows how he uses Instagram. Yes, you can follow a blind man on Instagram (check it out)!  He really makes me smile. I love his outlook on life & his great personality. You should check out his channel!



Have a great weekend!
God bless!