five finds friday (may is sort of mean, also there’s a lot about potatoes in this one)

May is a bully of a month.

She’s bossy and demanding.  She has lists upon lists to complete. She says – finish that math curriculum.  Wrap up that history course.  Better turn in that project deadline before your summer plans.

But then.

She’s all sunshine and temptation.  She’s luring you out of doors and whispering in your ear to ditch all those pesky duties and to run with the breeze, to frolic in the field, to wade in the stream.

And just when you give in to her siren call, you’re like a dog on a leash. You’re yanked back into reality with your deadlines and your grades to turn in and your classes to wrap up and your projects to roll out the door.

Come on, May. Why you gotta be like that?

funny

I was by myself at Five Guys.

I wanted fries.

Just a small order of french fries.

So that’s what I ordered.

I couldn’t help but laugh when the cashier took my order and shouted back to the cooks, “Solo Little Fry”.

I repeated the words to her, without thinking. “Solo Little Fry.”

She laughed and said them again too.

I was order Number 40.

When my order was up I heard the cook say, “40. Solo Little Fry”.

I kept laughing.

Now, as I am sitting here typing this, Solo Little Fries long since devoured (the proper way – with vinegar and salt and dipped in ketchup) I am wondering why I thought that was so funny.

fashionable

You ever get in a clothing slump?

I mean, as an adult, not as a high school student?

Because I have.

And, I am.

Currently.

I’m in one of those –  “Eh. Why do I own the clothes I own?”

I look in my closet at the clothing hanging there and I think, “I don’t care for you – any of you. Why did I buy you?”

I’d say 80% of my t-shirts are grey.

Anyway, that’s my excuse for bailing on this fashion post this week.

I don’t have any good words here.

faithful

Over a year ago some friends and I said, “Maybe we should do this crazy thing.”

And that crazy thing turned into Meadowlark Collective.

This sweet and challenging and lovely homeschool gathering.

Next week we meet for the last time of this school year and it’s sort of shocking.

We did it!

Well, GOD did it!

flavorful

Everyone at our house loves the potato.

We love it fried. Roasted. As a chip. In a tot formation. As a Solo Little Fry. 

And, of course, mashed.

Mashed is the best, maybe.

But mashed potatoes always feel like a chore.  Like a treat. Like extra work and a big deal.

But – recently – we discovered a new method to make mashed potatoes so much simpler.

In fact, they are on the menu for a regular old weeknight meal.  That’s how easy this is.

Mashed Potatoes. In a crock pot.

It’s all about that slow slow crock pot cooking the potatoes while they soak in delicious and flavorful broth.

At the end of the process we used a pastry blender and it was easy breezy with just the right texture and a dreamy flavor.

(I didn’t take any photos.)

Plus, using the crock pot meant you weren’t overheating your kitchen and you had extra burners if you were cooking other things.

(I’ll definitely pull this idea back out for big family meals and gatherings.)

feels

A couple weekends ago Otto and Bergen went on a fishing trip.

(Those boys continue to be obsessed with fishing.)

Before they left, I wrote a little note to each of them and slid it into their bags.

When they returned, I asked if they had discovered the notes.

Otto grinned with that face I adore.

He didn’t say anything but he nodded his head.

Berg told me later, “Mom, Otto found your note and carried it inside his hat the entire fishing trip.”

I know it’s a little thing, but it was also a precious thing to me.

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