five friday favorites #16: week of april 10, 2015

It's Friday, and oh, how grateful I am! I had four days off for Easter (Friday through Monday), so this week shouldn't have been bad. But it was. Nothing bad happened; it just felt so. incredibly. long. I'm sure part of the reason is that all of my time after work has been going into another project--see #3 below. So my brain isn't exactly getting a break after work, which makes me really, really tired. I went to bed at 9:30 last night. 9:30! I wasn't even doing that during speech season ... but then my brain wasn't working this hard during speech season, either.

Suffice it to say, I'm thrilled it's Friday--and I'm thrilled that I actually am getting this posted! As usual, I'm linking up with Erika, Karli, and April.

1. Skaara
Oh, how little I knew when I posted my last Friday Favorites two weeks ago! Just as I posted my Instagram photo of the happy cats following the vet visit too soon, I also spoke too soon when I said all the cats were healthy. Little did I know, Skaara was in the process of developing a raging urinary tract infection, which turned me into one emotional cat owner. (Seriously. My sister, the one who I'll text and Facebook message and Gchat with but rarely speak to on the phone, called me just moments after I sent her a text saying I'd bawled the whole way home from the vet--I had to leave Skaara overnight for testing--and then I proceeded to bawl through our whole conversation. I was a complete wreck.)

Fortunately, Skaara should be fine ... if I feed him insanely expensive urinary-formula cat food. Which I will. Obviously. I mean, how could I refuse this face?

2. The music of Nashville
I know, I know ... Nashville has already made several Friday Favorites appearances! (Here. And again here.) But I just recently rediscovered it now that I have more free time with speech being over for the year. What I'm really, really loving about it now is the music. And, thanks to Spotify, I can listen to the music whenever I want! I did end up buying "Don't Put Dirt on My Grave Just Yet," simply because I love it so much :-) I prefer the version Juliette did with Luke Wheeler for the military, but that one wasn't available for download. (It is available on YouTube, and the clip also includes a good Deacon/Rayna moment. You're welcome.)



3. My editing project
I love editing--proofreading, copy editing, content editing, all of it. So I was thrilled recently when I was asked to help edit a book ... and I'm getting paid for it!

So all that free time to watch Nashville that I mentioned before has evaporated for now, but that's OK :-)

The book is an account of some Nebraskans who fought in World War II, and so far (I'm about 1/3 of the way through), it's fascinating! Once the book is published, I'll be sure to tell you how to get yourself a copy.

Skaara sometimes makes working difficult, but that's OK--I'm just glad he's still with me!

4. Cashew Milk

Since I've been on Trim Healthy Mama, I've basically given up lattes. See, dairy milk isn't "on plan," and I cannot stand almond milk in my coffee. Blech! But I just discovered cashew milk, and it's actually drinkable! (This is huge, trust me.) It is so mild that it doesn't really flavor my coffee, it just makes it creamier. So I've started making a few lattes again--with cashew milk, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract. Delicious!

*Lest a THM purist see this post, I'll clarify that coconut sugar isn't "on plan," either, but I'm choosing to adapt THM to fit me. I'm not really comfortable with artificial sweeteners, so I'm choosing to use very small amounts of stevia (which is "on plan") along with honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar.

5. The Bound Heart

If you are a fan of romance, then you need to read The Bound Heart. It is simply fantastic! It's book two in Dawn Crandall's Everstone Chronicles, and it would definitely be very helpful to have read the first book, The Hesitant Heiress, first. Fortunately, The Hesitant Heiress is also very good!

But The Bound Heart is something special. I guess you could say I connected with it on a very deep level. It's a serious story about sin and its far reaching consequences, the lies we believe, and the power of forgiveness ... but it's also so incredibly romantic! It's the best book I've read so far this year. Check out my review, and then go get yourself a copy!

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."