Friday Favorites: Wonky Eyelashes Begone + Brownie Perfection

Hey, Friends, we made it to Friday. High-five for us!

Last Thursday, my mom watched the boys so I could go to the chiropractor and get a "maintenance" adjustment. I walked in feeling fine, but the next night I woke up in terrible pain, all the way from my hips to my upper back. I couldn't even roll over without excruciating pain! I made another appointment with the chiropractor, and he promised he'd "patch me up." Well, the second appointment did help my back, but my hip was still killing me! There was not one night this week in which I didn't wake up just from the sheer pain of it all. The moral: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Obviously, my hip is not making me happy these days, but what is? I've got lots of goodies to share today!

Beth Moore's Bible Study: David, Seeking a Heart Like His

I actually started this study with our church's Women's Bible Study Group at the beginning of 2016. Whelp. I couldn't finish with the group because I got pregnant with Theo, and the first-trimester energy drain just took everything out of me. I picked it back up a couple of months ago and am really enjoying it! We've all known the story of David and Goliath since our Sunday School days (perhaps the part about David chopping off Goliath's head afterward was left out), and we also probably know about David's sin involving Bathsheba and later his mistress' husband, Uriah. But did you know that one of David's own sons, Absalom, tried to overthrow his father-king and that David actually fled Jerusalem without putting up any kind of fight? Later, while his army was battling his father's army, Absalom was riding through the forest on a mule. His hair got caught in some branches, and his mule just kept on walking with his master hanging by his hair! Some of David's warriors found him, and, well, let's just say it didn't end very well for Absalom. I love how Beth Moore introduces me to parts of the Bible I haven't previously explored in-depth, and I also love how she connects dots that I wouldn't think to connect. For example, David's men throw rocks over Absalom's body. I would have skipped right past this if Moore hadn't drawn my attention to the irony in how Absalom had previously used rocks to build a monument to himself and also how the Israelites used rocks to teach lessons, both good and bad.

Before working on this study, I didn't think I had much in common with David. However, after his spiral of sin regarding Bathsheba and Uriah, David seemed to become more reserved in terms of making sure the members of his household were righteous. Beth Moore speculates that David, aware of how much he had sinned in his past (even though he had repented, accepted God's punishment, and seemed to have moved on), felt hypocritical in calling out the wrongs of his family members and demanding justice. Abbie at M is for Mama has a great Instagram post in which she talks about hearing a pastor say that "the most UNloving thing you can do is watch a person follow his/her sin all the way to destruction without ever saying a word because you don't want the backlash." I can relate to that, and I think David could too.

If you're looking for a guided way to dig deeper into God's Word, I highly recommend this study!
Eyelash Growth Enhancer & Brow Serum
Embarrassing story alert! Years ago, a product called "Lash-tisse" (if I recall correctly) was released to the market. The product promised to lengthen and thicken eyelashes, but it was pricey, and you had to obtain a prescription for it. Not too long ago, I found a serum on Amazon that was very inexpensive and had great reviews. Being the mascara-loving person that I am, I decided to give it a go.

To apply the serum, all I had to do was draw a thin line of it above my upper-lashes, just like liquid eyeliner. (You can also apply it to your lower lashes and eyebrows, but I just stick with the upper-lashes.) I applied the serum and then inspected my lashes the next morning. (As if one night was going to make a huge difference, haha!) During this inspection, I realized that the lashes on my left eye were significantly shorter than the ones on my right! Now, if you saw me at the grocery store, I don't think you would have noticed, but if I applied a coat of mascara and asked, "Do the lashes on one eye look longer than the other?", you probably would have answered yes! (I know this because I asked Dan that very question. I'm a delight to live with!)

Since coming to this realization, I have only been applying the serum to the lashes on my left eye, and it looks like they've caught up with the lashes on my right eye! Not only do I have symmetrical eyelashes, but I also have evidence that this stuff works! The serum was only $14.99 when I purchased it on Amazon, and it looks like it's gone up in price since then. If you've got wonky eyelashes like I did, though, I totally think it's worth every penny!
This Recipe for Double-Chocolate Brownies + The Secret to Perfectly Moist Brownies

I have a CC Essentials meeting tonight with several of my homeschool mom friends, and the night's theme is "Pajamas and Chocolate." In preparation, I whipped up a batch of my favorite double-chocolate brownies! Now that I know how easy it is to make homemade brownies from scratch, I don't think I'll ever go back to a mix! I love this recipe because it uses all REAL ingredients and, of course, because they are fudgy, chewy, chocolatey perfection. (By the way, I leave out the nuts.)

Years ago, I was a chronic "overbaker." I was worried that the brownies weren't quite done enough, so I'd pop them back in the oven for a minute or two. The result? Dry, overdone brownies. I eventually learned that the secret to the best brownies is to err on the side of being underdone rather than overdone. When in a 9x13 pan, I take these out promptly at 35 minutes.

Here's another tip! To avoid greasy gross "overspray" on your kitchen counter when you grease your pan, open up your dishwasher and place the pan on the backside of the door. Spray the pan with cooking spray! The overspray ends up on the inside of your dishwasher door and gets washed away when you run the next load!
Slim-Fit Earplugs

I actually purchased these earplugs for Shane when he was going to the MercyMe concert. (I'm a paranoid mama who would do something like that!) My hubby actually took Shane to the concert, so I don't know whether Shane actually wore them, but I have sure been enjoying them! I first used them when Dan and I were allowing Theo to learn how to put himself back to sleep. (He was fourteen months and still waking up four times a night, you guys!) I then found that they were really handy when Dan was having an extra snore-tastic night. When we recently visited Wisconsin Dells, I had a difficult time falling asleep because the people above us were either professional jump-ropers preparing for a competition or some very hyper children. (I'm guessing it was the latter, but you never know.) I popped in my earplugs and was asleep within minutes!

When inserted properly, they are very comfy. To insert, you roll the soft, spongy plugs between your fingers so it's a nice, squished little roll. Put it into your ear canal and allow it to puff up and drown out all of those obnoxious sounds! I must have really narrow ear canals because I sometimes even find the slim-fit to be a bit wide, but I can usually get them in without difficulty.
This Alphabet Puzzle

I have very particular criteria when it comes to the books and puzzles I use to teach my children phonics, more commonly known as "letter sounds."

* If only one vowel sound is taught, I prefer the short sound to be taught (since it's the harder one to learn). Books that introduce both the short and long sounds randomly drive me a little batty. For example, "e" is for "elephant" and "i" is for "ice cream." CRINGE!

* The letter "x" should be shown at the end of a word, making the /ks/ sound, like it's typically found in the English language. How many times have you seen an alphabet book say, "X is for X-ray!"? OK, yes, x-ray does technically begin with the letter "x," but when beginning readers come across this letter, this is not the sound it will likely make in a word. The same thing is true for "X is for xylophone." Xylophone does technically begin with the letter "x," but this letter does not typically make the /z/ sound as it does in xylophone. DOUBLE CRINGE! Much more often, readers will find the letter "x" at the end of words, such as ax, mix, box, fox, vex, etc. So! I greatly prefer the phonogram "x" to be presented at the END of a word, making its typical sounds /ks/.

As you can imagine, my strict criteria make it difficult to find alphabet books and puzzles that meet my approval. (This is actually a good thing because it helps me weed out the myriad of alphabet books, puzzles, and toys we've collected over the years.)

I found this Melissa and Doug Alphabet Train Puzzle at a rummage sale, and I am so pleased that it meets all of my phonics-loving guidelines! This one introduces the short sounds of the vowels ("A" is for alligator, "E" is for elephant, etc.), and the "x" is featured at the end of "fox." My boys have all loved this darling, sturdy, super-long floor puzzle, and it's truly an excellent buy for pre-readers who are learning their letter sounds. M&D have released a newer version, but I haven't seen this one in person, so I don't know if the new version fits all my criteria like the old one.