five finds. on a friday. (eyelashes. chicken pot pie. basketball.)

Monday seems like a very long time ago.

Was it?

Maybe.

funny

It’s getting more and more difficult to have a nightly family read aloud time. 

But mostly I keep persevering because it’s important to me.  Yes, the books themselves matter.  But the IDEA of it matters more to me.  The time that we all sit in the same space for half an hour when maybe we’ve hardly seen one another all day. The time to be quiet together and to listen to good words together and to hear the same story and to have routine and tradition and familiar to end our day.

I read books that I think matter.  Books that make us smile or make us cry or make us feel something.  (Mostly books make me cry.  My kids don’t weep often for books.  It’s a flaw I see in them.) 

I tend to veer toward books with strong messages.  But I forget that sometimes we need books that make us laugh.

A friend suggested PG Wodehouse, of whom I had never heard, and when I saw a copy at our local used bookstore for a very low price, I picked it without even reading the back cover.

That’s what we’ve been reading at night for a while.

It’s old.  And British.  And the author loves the word ass.

But it’s funny.

Berg especially found it laughable every evening.  Some of the phrases even crept into our conversations. (Not ass, hopefully.)

Turns out, it’s a good thing to laugh together before bed.

flavorful

I love chicken pot pie.

London has been making it at our house since she was about ten.

She loves it too.

But I have not personally ventured into making it from scratch territory.

And, technically, I didn’t make the crust from scratch but I’m calling this a home cooked meal anyway.

And – it’s so good.

I used the Instant Pot to cook the chicken. Thighs. Low cost, flavorful. Had some left over for another meal this week. Made broth at the same time basically. Win. Win. Win.

This is the recipe.

Favorite Chicken Potpie

Mine didn’t look like this but it looked pretty enough and – more importantly – it tasted fantastic!

fashionable

I tried something this week for the first time.

Eyelash extensions.

That’s right.

It sounds crazy.  And I hardly even wear mascara so it’s extra crazy.

But, although I forget to take the time, I do like the look of mascara and it’s the only thing in the field of make up that I enjoy.

So – I had an opportunity through work to get the extensions and I figured – why not?  I’ve been cuorous bout them for years.

It was relaxing to lie down for the hour and a half it took to have them completed and it didn’t feel like anything – you could hardly tell they were being put on.  (What was incredibly difficult was to find an hour and half to do this. You would be shocked at how long Ashley and I have been working to find a time that fit both of our schedules.)

Here’s me and my little wee lashes before.

Let’s focus on the lashes and not the wrinkles in my forehead.

And here’s me and my full lashes now.

The difference is pretty significant – right?

These are kind of high maintenance luxuries to me – and yet – I have to admit, I love them.

It’s small and simple but it eliminates one step in a routine and I do think (of course it’s vanity but here we are) that my eyes look . . . . brighter? perkier? more alert? . . . . with these lashes.

Well, who knows how long I’ll have them – but it sure is a fun little ride for now.

How many times can you say that getting eyelash extensions is a perk of the job?

faithful

There have been many circumstances in my life that force me to rely solely on God. 

I could list them, but my fingers would grow weary of typing.

One of those circumstances, one of those gigantic situations where I come to the end of myself every single day of my life, is in the task of parenting.  Yes, particularly as a single parent, although I know for certain that parenting with a spouse also still pushed me to the limits as well.

Parenting is the hardest of work.

It never takes a holiday. There’s no time off for good behavior. 

It. Is. Relentless.

I am forever grateful to a God who answers my cries – both the ones I cry out loud and the ones I cry in my mind.

I wish it were easier.

Who doesn’t wish this?

And so I also thank God for little windows of grace and relative calm with my children.

Even when it only lasts for an hour.

feels

Otto is playing basketball this season.

He’s the first in our family to play basketball.

It’s fun to cheer him on, to see the high fives, for him to learn camaraderie and good sportsmanship.

In fact, this season I told him I only want to ask him one question after every game.

Were you a good sport?

Because this handsome baby of the house has some weak muscles in the good sportsmanship department.

But he sure is cute.

When he first put on his jersey, he commented – “I didn’t realize basketball was played without sleeves.”

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