five friday favorites #4: week of oct. 31, 2014

IT'S FRIDAY!!! Can you tell I'm excited? This week has felt particularly long for some reason, and I'm super ready for the weekend. I'm also excited to see all the trick-or-treaters who will come to my door this evening, and I'm super excited about something that's happening tomorrow, which I'm sure will make next week's Friday Favorites (so be sure to come back ...).

Below are some of the things I've enjoyed this week:

1. Official Raging Heat Webmercial
I've been a fan of Castle since the beginning ... and this might be my favorite thing they've ever done! Had me in stitches during Monday night's episode, and, well, I'm giggling again just thinking about it!

2. Crockpot Potato Soup
This is quite possibly the best--and easiest to make--potato soup ever. I didn't think to take any pictures while I was making it, except for this one:

I had bacon in the oven to make bacon crumbles to use as a garnish, and Skaara really wanted some. He sat like that for about 10 minutes before giving up.

Anyway, this soup is fantastic! I made a few modifications--I didn't have an onion, so I used flakes; I didn't have cream or half and half, so I used whole milk; I left out the chives; and I threw in some leftover gouda (a previous Friday Favorite!) with the sharp cheddar. It's absolutely delicious! It's a good thing I was taking it to a meeting, or I would have been tempted to eat three or four bowls--it's that good!

I had the leftovers for lunch today. Mmm-mmm good!

3. Butter London Nail Polish
I'm usually pretty cheap when it comes to nail polish. $3.50 Avon sale? Sold. I tend to balk at anything over $7. But I recently got a free full-sized Butter London polish as a gift with another purchase, and I. Am. In. Love.

Shay Shull, one of my favorite bloggers (and the sister of Bachelor Sean Lowe), swears by Butter London, so I knew it would be good. I just wasn't sure if it was worth the normal $15 price tag. It absolutely is.

I have been wearing this polish for one week, without a top coat, and it still looks great! With a top coat, my Avon polishes last maybe a week, but with lots of chipping. (FYI, this color is Ladybird.)

4. My Cat Babies
So they could be a favorite every week (as you well know if you've been reading my blog or following me on social media for any length of time), but I've especially enjoyed them in this last week. It all started when Hammond jumped up on my lap and fell asleep while I was blogging last Saturday morning:

Every evening this week, I've ended up with all three cats asleep on my lap. Maybe they're looking for warmth, as I keep it pretty cold in my house ... I'm cheap :-)

5. "This Is Reality" Podcast
You may remember The Bachelor's Jason Mesnick as "The Most Hated Man in America" (which is complete bunk, by the way). I, along with millions, thought he was total scum for dumping Melissa on national TV and then asking runner-up Molly for another chance.

Jason & Molly kind of faded off my radar screen until I heard they had started a podcast where they talked all things Bachelor. It's so fantastic! They give lots of insider information and talk about their experiences on the show. And now? I think they're totally awesome.

Their most recent episode, which I listened to this week, talks about the Australian Bachelor, who is now being called "The Most Hated Man in Australia" ... for "pulling a Mesnick." (I always thought "pulling a Mesnick" was sobbing over a balcony rail, but apparently the term can also be used when you dump your fiancee for an ex.)

If you're even remotely interested in the Bachelor/ette world, I highly recommend you check them out. You can listen to all of their episodes here or through a podcasting app (I use Podbay).

What are your favorites this week? Be sure to hop over to the linkup and check out other people's favorites, too!