Friday Favorites:
Poultry, Pastries, and Perfect Eyeliner

Happy Friday, Friends! What does your Memorial Day weekend look like? Although I'd love to be relaxing on a lake, I know it will end up being a tricky balance of attacking our ridiculous to-do list and enjoying some leisurely family time. Whether you're sanding and painting (like us) or flipping burgers and soaking in lots of vitamin D (like my fantasy version of us), please join me in praying for the men and women who have died serving our country, as well as their friends and family. I am so thankful to live in the U. S. of A.

I want to apologize for my shortage of posts lately... I can't tell you how many drafts I have begun and then abandoned due to a boy-related interruption. I've scratched off quite a few big items from my to-do list: we've (pretty much) wrapped up our school year, celebrated a golden birthday, administered a standardized test, opened registration for theater shows for our homeschool community, and begun the search for caregivers for our Classical Conversations community. I'm relieved that all of these things are accomplished, but I'm also so, so tired. It's Dan's busy season at work, too, so we've both been running ourselves ragged. You know what cheers me up though? Long weekends. And all of these things below...

  1. Chickens!
    "Mama, we only eat dead chickens, right?" -- Logan, age 4

    The boys and I embarked on an end-of-the-school-year adventure to a local farm yesterday. They were expert chicken-catchers because they had had practice earlier in the week when we visited my friend Sarah and her children on their beautiful farm! I'm kicking myself for not taking a single photo at Sarah's, so I'll just steal one from one of her Facebook posts.


    I mean... WOW.

    Sarah gave us some of her chickens' eggs as a parting gift. I am obsessed and have to admit I haven't eaten a single one yet. They're just too pretty to eat! Look at the speckled olive-colored one in the center.


    I love the idea of having our own chickens. Our family eats a dozen eggs in one sitting. (My four-year-old will eat four eggs all by himself!) Beyond the number of eggs that we consume, the quality of farm fresh eggs is much higher, and I think it would be a great source of chores and responsibility-training for my little men. We did check our ordinance, and chickens are not allowed in our neighborhood, so I will just have to content myself with other people's chickens. [I'm pretty sure I just heard all of my neighbors breathe a collective sigh of relief.]

    But what I'm really loving--much more than silky-feathered poultry or gorgeous speckled eggs--was spending time with my cherished friend. Sarah is one of the sweetest, most talented, and generous people I know, and I was elated to spend a morning with her and her kiddos.

  2. The Great British Baking Show
    Image credit: http://www.pbs.org/food/features/great-british-baking-show-hosts-judges/

    The men in my life (mainly my hubby and dad) will tell you that I can be a weeee bit high-maintenance. It takes me a while to get my hair and makeup set in the morning, so I like to pass the time by having the "telly" on in the background. Netflix recommended The Great British Baking Show as a program I might enjoy, and they were not wrong! (Netflix also frequently recommends every variety of Power Rangers ever filmed. I have a pretty strong suspicion that my account is being used by a certain 7-year-old.) Anyhoo, this show has taught me how little I know about baking, and the hosts crack me up on a regular basis. It's jolly good fun. By the way, if you saw my post on Instagram about British handpies, I'm happy to tell you that they look much more appetizing after they've browned up in the oven. (Oh, and they tasted amazing!)

  3.  Himalayan Crystal Salt Lights
    Natural Himalayan crystal salt lights are supposed to have mental and physical health benefits. Honestly, I think of these the same way I think about essential oils. I'm not totally convinced that they work, but I figure they can't hurt, and they sure look/smell pretty! (EO lovers, please don't attack me with pitchforks!) I've been wanting to buy two Himalayan crystal salt lamps--one for the living room and one for the school room. However, I don't really have a great place for either, especially considering I have very curious young boys who can't seem to resist touching pretty things. My solution was to purchase a Himalayan crystal salt nightlight for the master bedroom, which is the only room in the house that is strictly off limit to the boys. That way, my hubby and I can enjoy the benefits (if they're not imaginary) of the Himalayan crystal salt, and we don't have to worry about it being destroyed. I love it, but I do have to warn you that it gives off a lot of light. That doesn't bother me (and it may be a bonus for some), but I know it might bother other people.
  4. Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in "Intense Black"
    If, like me, you've ever thought that you're too much of a klutz for liquid eyeliner, Stila's Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner is the one for you! I've always loved the look of liquid eyeliner, but I don't have the steadiest hand with it, and it always looked heavy and ridiculous on me. Turns out, all I needed was the right product (it's got a thin marker-like tip for easy application) and the right method. The secret is applying it to the top lashline only. To keep my eye makeup looking natural, I use a soft brown pencil for the lower lashline.
  5. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with KidsNot too long ago, my hubby and I would have described ourselves as "not really Disney people." And while we're not totally on board with everything Disney produces (the tween shows with sassy protagonists having more sense than their imbecilic parents, for example), I have to admit that I have been having a lot of fun planning our trip to Walt Disney World this fall. It wasn't fun at first though, let me tell you. I have a very limited experience with Disney World (see #6 from this post), so I was incredibly intimidated by the entire process. Slowly, though, with a lot of help from this book and a great deal of aid from friends who are much more knowledgeable about all things Disney than I am, we chose a resort, set the dates for our stay, and made some killer dining reservations. (We got reservations for breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table and dinner at Be Our Guest!) Next up: familiarizing ourselves with the attractions and shows and figuring out which rides to use our FastPasses on. Oy.

Happy Memorial Day weekend, Friends!

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