Friday Favorites

HAPPY Friday, friends!     Erika and I are so happy that lots of y'all are linking up with us and if you're linking up with us make sure you grab our graphic, link back to one (or all!) of us and share your own Friday Favorites post.

Earlier in the year my phone was dragging and lagging and anytime I would go to take a photo an error message would pop up saying my storage was full. I deleted apps, deleted tons of photos and adjusted my phone settings to "optimize storage".  It wasn't until a week or so later that I realized what I had done and when I realized I couldn't undo it I was crushed.  In optimizing my storage I had lost my text thread with Manda.  Gone.  

Words of encouragement I'd sent her when she was doing treatment that she had replied to with concern about MY day... as if somehow anything I was going through could pale in comparison to what she was dealing with.  A video of Miley eating breakfast at my house saying "love you, mama" that I'd sent her while she was doing a drug trial in another city to which she had responded with the most loving words or her baby girl.  Conversations between her and I working through details for kids parties she knew she wouldn't be there for.  A text telling me she was dropping off a birthday surprise on my doorstep a week and a half before she passed away - Manda was ALWAYS thinking of others even when no one would have blamed her for thinking only of herself.

While I may not have those texts anymore the memories of our conversations still make me smile and make we want to live more like she did.  She loved and trusted Jesus completely and fully and His love shone so brightly through her.  

Love and miss you, Manda!!!

To the Moon and Back Lunch

Last Sunday I put together a fun lunch for Valentine's Day.  I found the plates on the Sugarboo website last year and the idea just kind of spiraled from there.

What's Up Wednesday

 Today I'm linking up with  Shay and  Sheaffer to talk a little bit about what's been going on around here!

Snowstorm 2021

While this week has been hard in so many ways we have felt SO BLESSED for so much this past week  - for protection and provision, for our fireplace and for running water, for fully restored power and minimal damage to our house. 

Seeing the utter devastation in our own town and across our state has been gut wrenching and overwhelming but at the same time it's been uplifting to see so many neighbors helping neighbors - people opening up their homes and sharing resources and looking out for each other.

I've been blown away by the huge outpouring of love shown to so many people who are struggling and 

if you're looking for ways to help families directly please check out  this google spreadsheet that was started by Sharon McMahon (@sharonsaysso on IG).  People are sharing their exact needs and how you can help them right now. 

I'd also encourage you to check out  the McKinney Little Free Pantry as they're meeting immediate needs which are increasing daily and will be ongoing as people get back on their feet.

_________________________________________

I wanted to write this post because, honestly, I want to be able to look back and remember some of the details and I know this is going to be one of those events that our kids are going to talk about and remember for years to come.  

Sunday we got a dusting of snow and we knew that we were in for a few long days with record breaking cold and the possibility of rolling power outages.  Dave and I woke up around 1 a.m on Sunday night/Monday morning because our smoke alarms were all chirping.  The power was off and we figured that this was the start of the rolling blackouts.  Mason and Griffin both made their way downstairs after all the smoke detector drama (Luke slept through all of that!) and after about an hour we thought it was weird that our power wasn't back on but we said a little prayer that it would come back quickly and fell back asleep.  We woke up in the morning literally able to see our breath in our bedroom.  Turns out the power had never come back on.  Our pool was completely frozen over and there was a fresh layer of snow.

Weekend Recap - Valentine's Weekend

Well - I feel like I've lived a month in the past week and was struggling with where to pick back up with my blog so I've decided just to pick up right where I left off.  Seriously feels kind of bizarre that this was only like 10 days ago but here we go!

Friday afternoon I was so excite to get to help with the second grade ice cream Valentine's Day party.  Which was ironic because we were actually able to leave the ice cream out on the deck while we waited to set up because it was SO SO SO COLD!

Friday Favorites

Well - we made it to Friday!  WHAT. A. WEEK.

Today my only FAVORITE is the McKinney Little Free Pantry.  They're meeting local food needs immediately and you can support them through PayPal or shopping their Amazon wishlist.  Food needs are high right now as stores here are super low and kids are home from school.  Needs will only be increasing as people struggle to find temporary housing after being displaced, pay for the damages incurred at their homes, and deal with wages lost due to businesses being closed.

You can click HERE to make a donation and/or shop their wishlist!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

We're warm and safe!

THANK YOU to so many of y'all for reaching out and checking on us this week - it's been an adventure to say the least but as of now (Wednesday night) we're WARM!  Not sure if I'll be back here tomorrow or not (crossing my fingers we'll still have power!) but I'll definitely be back next week.  

SO MUCH to be thankful for!!!  Stay warm, friends!!!

37 ;)

Last year on my 36th birthday I shared 36 things you may not know about me and today I'm sharing 37 things that bring me JOY as a nod to my word of the year and hopes of LOTS of these things this next year!

1 - Snuggling a sleeping baby

2 - A sip of tea that's borderline too hot but exactly right

3 - Oversized sweatshirts

4 - Hearing my kids laugh when they're playing with each other

5 - God "winks"

6 - Warm sun on my skin on a chilly day

7 - Holding hands

8 - The sound snow makes when you're walking through it

9 - Glassy lakes

10 - A really good pen :)

11 - Fresh flowers

12 - Freckles on sunkissed noses and cheeks

13 - Sunday afternoon naps

14 - Watching my kids do what they love

15 - Vacuum lines

16 - The smell of laundry

17 - Fall leaves

18 - Open doors/windows

19 - When a student has a "lightbulb" moment

20 - Snail mail 

21 - Hanging out in a hammock

22 - Raisinettes at the movies

23 - Walking in the grass barefoot

24 - When you go underwater and sounds get muffled

25 - Clean counters

26 - Reading outside

27 - A picnic

28 - Gilmore Girls

29 - Dinner on a patio

30 - A fountain diet coke with nugget ice

31 - Live music

32 - Witnessing my kids unprompted politeness/kindness

33 - After dinner walks

34 - Sunscreen smell

35 - Making food my family loves

36 - "God winks"

37 - Family reading time

HAPPY Monday, friends!!!  I'd love to know something that brings you JOY! Let me know in the comments :) 

Friday Favorites

HAPPY Friday, friends!     Erika and I are so happy that lots of y'all are linking up with us and if you're linking up with us make sure you grab our graphic, link back to one (or all!) of us and share your own Friday Favorites post.

This week has been a crazy one - lots of fun activities at school, a set of new classroom pets and an impending ice/snow storm.  WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?!?!

This quick pic from last weekend is at the top of my FAVORITES list because I love that G loves all things girly and face masks with matching headbands was high up on her weekend priority list :) 

White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

It's no secret that we LOVE a good mac and cheese at our house and while my kids are completely partial to what we've dubbed "Mason Mac" I do try to branch out from our trusty Velveeta every so often and we all LOVED this white cheddar version.

Amazon Lately

I heard about this room scent on IG and OH MY WORD it's way better than I had even imagined.  I do use essential oils (mainly thieves for cleaning and lemon for getting sticky gunk off of glass) but have been diffusing this just for the scent and it is HEAVENLY!  I love love love candles but only burn them when I know I'm going to be home for extended periods of time (so they can burn down evenly) so I love that I can have this on whenever.  

Magic Popcorn: valentines Day Edition

 For years we've ben "jazzing up" our movie night popcorn with little add-ins... goldfish crackers, chocolate chips, candy, fruit snacks, etc. and I had a reader tell me that she started doing it with her son who dubbed it "magic popcorn".  Magic popcorn is now the official name of "popcorn with stuff in it" as my kids used to call it ;)  I put together a fun little surprise for the kids (and honestly, for Dave and myself as well) for some game and movie time over the weekend and it was such a simple way to add some festive fun.