friday favorites #24: week of may 20, 2016

How is it possible that we are at this point of the year already? School got out yesterday. Of course, my school year isn't over until I submit the yearbook. T-minus 10 days. I tend to go a little loopy around this time of the year, so here are five things that are keeping me sane during yearbook crunch time.

1. "Can't Stop the Feeling"
If you haven't heard Justin Timberlake's new single yet, you must. Right now. It is SOOO catchy. And you can't help but dance when you listen! This one has been on repeat while I work on yearbook.


2. Pioneer Woman kitchen stuff
Every single time I go to Walmart, I buy something else Pioneer Woman. It'll stop someday, I'm sure, but I'm loving the things I've gotten so far! This goes with "finding lovely"--I love eating off of pretty dishes, and the Pioneer Woman line is certainly lovely ... and very affordable!

This is my new favorite coffee mug, and I LOVE these placemats--they're reversible!

#Isisthecat is a huge fan of the placemats. I keep one placemat on the table all the time for my meals, and it has become Isis' new favorite grooming spot. If I have you over for a meal, I promise that I'll wash the placemats first :-)

3. Taking a Kitty Break

It's no secret that I love cats. I have much love for my three goobers--Hammond, Skaara, and Isis--which is immediately apparent if you look at my Instagram account. But I also love other cats, especially kittens. So when my mom suggested I take a kitten break tonight, I was all for it!

These kittens were born at the school I work at, and the shop teacher set up a place for them in the shop. Aren't they adorable? I don't know what the plan is for them, but I hope they find great homes!

4. Gardening

When I was a teenager, I swore (SWORE!) I'd never garden. My parents had an enormous garden, and every year, we kids would spend countless hours picking and snapping beans. (Well, we kids minus Blendy. The baby got out of a lot of things...) One year when I was about 15, Dad informed me that he was "giving" me two rows of green beans to care for. I suggested that since they were "mine," I'd just let them die. Needless to say, that didn't go over too well.

Anyway, flash forward nearly 20 years, and I've decided that I do want to garden--on a much smaller scale. I've planted beans, carrots, cilantro, and two tomato plants. 

This may not look like much, but it's my carrots and green beans. I love checking on them every day--sometimes multiple times :-)

5. The Parent Trap and The Parent Trap II

No book recommendation this week because the only thing I'm reading is yearbook pages. When I'm finishing up the yearbook, I often work from home with something playing in the background. It's difficult to decide what to watch--I want the background entertainment, but it needs to be something I don't need to pay super close attention to, or I won't accomplish anything. Today, I watched The Parent Trap (both the Hayley Mills and Lindsay Lohan versions) and The Parent Trap II. I've seen both versions of The Parent Trap multiple times (though never in such close succession), so it was easy to concentrate on yearbook while they played. Not so with The Parent Trap II. I was captivated ... and, therefore, accomplished hardly anything in the two hours it played. It again stars Hayley Mills as twins Susan and Sharon, but this time as adults. Sharon is divorced and planning to move from Florida to New York with her 11-year-old daughter, so her daughter and her daughter's best friend decide to play matchmaker. The story is fairly implausible, but it's so fun! You can buy it on Amazon, or you can find it pretty easily on YouTube.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and feel free to let me know your own favorites! I'm linking up with the usuals: Erika, Christina, and Karli.

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stranded: book edition

It's time for the 2nd edition of Shay & Erika's "Stranded With!" Today's topic is books. What three books would I want if I found myself stranded on a deserted island?

1. The Bible

This was an easy one--surely if I was stranded on a deserted island, I'd want a Bible with me. But I had to think about which one of my Bibles I'd want. (Seriously, how blessed are we to live in a time and place where we can own multiple copies of God's Word?) I would take my NLT Note Maker's edition.

I've had this Bible for more than 10 years, so much of my spiritual journey is chronicled in it. I'd be able to look back at where I'd been, as well as continue to write about I learned, which, on a deserted island, would probably be a lot. (So we'd have pens, too, right?)

2. Meant to Be Mine

Surely I'd need something entertaining. I've read Becky Wade's Meant to Be Mine twice now, and I think I could read it many more times without becoming tired of it. While Lori Wick's Sophie's Heart will always hold a special place in my heart, I think Meant to Be Mine has taken its place as my all-time favorite book. It's such a great romance! (See my review.)

3. Family Medical Guide

At first, I thought that I wouldn't want this particular edition of the Better Homes & Gardens Family Medical Guide, seeing as it's copyright 1973, but when I mentioned it to a coworker, he said that much of the info, especially in the first aid section, would probably still be useful ... and the other stuff could be really entertaining.

This book belongs to my parents, and I used to pour over it as a child. For some unknown reason, this page was my favorite:

Maybe I subconsciously knew that I would have loads of digestive difficulties throughout my life!

Regardless, I know I would want a medical reference on the island, as I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have access to my friend (sometimes frenemy) Google.

So there's my list. If you had to choose three books to take to a deserted island, what would you take?

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