(OK, I’m coming back on here about four or so hours after putting up this post so that I can tell you that it turned out to be one of “My Favorite Comment-Sections EVER”! I’m not kidding. You guys are the world’s biggest blast. But, I’m now in the shopping mood again.)
Good Monday Morning, Sweet Things!
I hope you had a wonderful weekend and that you were able to observe some Sabbath rest and be still for a few moments, knowing that He is God. I had an usually wonderful weekend with unexpected joys. For starters, this was a weekend off. That means I got to awaken slowly on Saturday with no plans whatsoever then had an impromptu call from Amanda saying that she had a few hours to hang out. Turned out Melissa did, too. (The joys of having her back are too many to count!) As we were trying to think of what we wanted to do (and were shopped out and grossed out at the thought), Amanda said, “Let’s go see Aunt Gay’s new apartment!” I’m hoping it won’t be long before you get to know my big sister here on the blog. She has a story that might hit those of us presently slogging around in faithlessness with a fresh bolt of lightening. Her boys (25 and 15) also headed over to her new place at the same time and the thought of us all being together was better than a bubbling plate of cheese enchiladas with chili gravy running all into the rice and beans. (Man, I hate that I just did that to myself.) The six of us were inseparable in the early years when my mom, our Queen of Everything, was still alive and in complete control. (I say that with great affection…and without deception.) I have almost as many pictures of my sister’s boys as I do my own girls. Then a whole lot of life happened and that’s a story for another time. We had a blast together Saturday and laughed our heads off, which has always been a Green (my maiden name) family trait. What we lacked in emotional health, we made up for in humor. As my older brother, Wayne, says, we all have a keen sense of the absurd. And I might add, we earned it.
If you only knew the whole story…but, then again, you could say the same thing to me. Some whole stories don’t need to be told in public but they do indeed need to be redeemed. (To me, the line is drawn where the glory to God and the good to the listeners profoundly exceeds the pain of the testimony. If the listener will likely be left with graphic visuals and oppressive thoughts or pervasive sadness, we need to refrain from telling it in detail. In those occasions, generalities are best. We don’t have to tell people everything to tell them an important something. We also have to be very sensitive to the other people – often family members – whose secrets are inadvertently told as we tells ours. These are HUGE issues that need to be worked through with great sensitivity. Mind you, I’m talking about audiences here. I’m not talking about counseling sessions. We do indeed need to find someone trustworthy and mature in the faith, with a gift for counsel, to hear our whole story.) All this to say, if you’re alive enough to read this blog, you’re story is not yet finished and you’ve got time for a really great turn in the narrative that leads to a brilliant finish. I know that for a fact.
OK, can you switch tracks really fast? I thought we’d do something fun today. I was thinking again yesterday while I was putting on my make up and getting ready for church how ticked I am that L’Oreal discontinued the mascara Melissa and I used to use. It was our favorite EVER and no other mascara does lashes like it did. It’s so annoying when that happens. And what a double whammy after my favorite pen got discontinued! Some of you remember that nail biter. No wonder it’s been such a hard year. (Of course, I’m being ridiculous. I don’t want to insult those of you going through tremendously hard times. Like many of you, last year actually was really rough but, oh, that it would have been over pens and mascaras.) I decided it would be fun today to share your favorite ___________ ever. By all means, don’t share something that’s been discontinued or you will dangle a plastic carrot in front of your Siestas. Beyond that, it can be anything! (Suitable to this blog, of course) It can be your favorite mascara. It can be your favorite book. It can be your favorite recipe. It can be your favorite meal. It can be your favorite memory. It can be your favorite song. Share ONE FAVORITE THING of yours (only 1!) with your Siestas today. It may mean that some of us find a new favorite something this very day.
Start it like this: My favorite (fill-in-your-blank) EVER is… (then, for crying out loud, tell us)
I think this is going to be fun. I’ll start with a really stupid one.
My favorite lip plumper EVER is Sally Hansen “Lip Inflation.” It’s dirt cheap and it feels like you’ve rubbed Tabasco all over your mouth. If it plumps like it hurts, move over Angelina.
What’s your favorite something, Siestas??
My favorite Beth Moore Bible Study Series EVER is Wising Up…I didn’t just study wisdom, I GOT me some wisdom, Beth!! Bless the Lord!
My favorite thing is Red Velvet Cake with cooked icing. I have two sisters – my mom used to make them only on birthdays…. The birthday girl always got to eat the leftovers (it was even better the next day)!
I have a pair of “all time favorite” shoes that I have had since I was a freshman in college. (that was 1978) You laugh but it’s true. In fact I have them on right now. They are one of those styles that never go out of style and they are just so comfortable and bring back such memories. I have had them resoled a few times, I’ve had to buy laces a few times and get new insoles a few times. However the brown leather has held up quite nicely. You would never know they were that old. I know what you’re thinking- but no they do not smell. Yep, I’ll enter heaven with these babies!
p.s. please don’t dis-siesta me!!
My favorite hummus EVER is Sabra spinach and artichoke! Cannot get enough!
My favorite face lotion EVER is clean and clear morning glow. I look bright, sunshiny and happy whenever I rub it on in the morning… which is a huge improvement from the bleary-eyed, messy-haired, grumpy me that first rises from my bed i. I am soooo keeping this stuff next to me on my honeymoon so my poor future husband isn’t shocked by the REAL morning me!
My favorite book EVER is Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by CS Lewis.
My favorite place to relax is sitting on a beach at 5am with a good cup of coffee and my camera! Can you hear the waves? Can you taste the salty air? Can you feel the breeze on your face? Can you believe that our God made this for us to just enjoy and take it all in?!
I need to get back to the beach!
My favorite song EVER is It Feels Like Redemption, and I promise I’m not trying to be the teacher’s pet. I only heard the song for the first time yesterday. If you were to meet our tech team at church, you’d know like I do that they are all rock stars. Picture this, girls, the choir is singing It Feels Like Redemption when the camera pans to individual members as the IMAG suddenly has a double screen with half showing the choir member and on the other screen that member’s redemption story appears line by line. I don’t know that I’ve ever been more moved by a choir number.
ok………so I’m late on this one……….
my favorite meal (was my birthday choice meal every year when I was a kid)
fried chicken
green beans
mashed potatoes
biscuits
sweet tea
chocolate pie
all homemade by my mom………..all delicious 🙂
my sister even made it for me the bday before my son was born and I went into labor the next day. Didn’t even realize it was labor……..thought I had just eaten too much. hahaha
(btw, my mom is still able to make it just doesn’t get to as much now!)
Oh.my.word…being a southern girl from Arkansas…I just drooled all over my desk. That is one of the greatest meals ever! And of course, “homemade by mom” can never be beaten.
My favorite movie is “While You Were Sleeping” with Sandra Bullock….love to watch that movie with my hubby during the Christmas season!
My favorite…Avon Beyond Color Plumping lip Conditioner with double the retinol and SPF 15. My Avon lady, who quit selling, brought half a dozen that she had left on hand and just GAVE them to me yesterday. OH happy day!
My favorite grocery store is my HEB. I love shopping there!
the first time someone sent me out to shop at HEB I HEARD “A-Gee-Bee” so I drove all OVER Midland, Tx looking for a store called AGB. I finally pulled over, called my sister in law and begged for directions. when I arrived at the correct parking lot and actually looked at the sign, I laughed till I nearly peed.
This San Antonio girl, home of H-E-B, loves this!
My favorite CD ever is Steven Curtis Chapman’s Beauty Will Rise.
One of my favorite things is to hear my three year old whisper in my ear “I wub you bery much”.(“I love you very much) With his chubby lil’ cheek pressed next to mine, if Glory is anything like it, SIGN ME UP!
On those afternoons when I can’t think straight…a venti extra hot non-fat no whip caramel macchiato with extra caramel.
My favorite song EVER (currently) is “Lift Up Your Face” by Casting Crowns. I just can’t get enough of it. I’m not a big fan of rock but I rock out to this song whenever it comes on the Christian station. I just LOVE it and the lyrics are even better!!! “Just over the horizon a new light is shinin’, Salvation’s on its way…” Praise Jesus!!!!
My favoritevflowers are tulips. They will one day be my wedding bouquet.
My favorite time of day is crawling into bed and picking up a good book. (especially when my sweet husband has turned on my side of the electric blanket!)
My favorite food: my family’s (and i’m talking extended family) buttermilk biscuits. several years ago, my new year’s resolution was to make biscuits more often. it’s the only resolution i’ve ever kept.
My sweet 9 month old’s smile. He can melt your worst day away. At our house we ask if you need a “Landon” fix to make your tears go away!! What a precious blessing during trialling times.
My favorite everyday thing is my hubby getting up before me and making coffee, and Coconut Creme coffeemate,mmmm. My favorite once in a blue moon thing is going to flea market\antique shops and touching everything, then finding that one little treasure I didn’t even know I needed, then giving it to someone who admires it.
My favorite memory ever was this past April: a first-time [entire] family camping trip – and first ever for the nieces & nephews.
I love that my nieces & nephews & i discovered that marshmallows are “not from this world”… because they indefinitely grow into strange creatures in fire. 😀 We wondered how something so unnatural could be SO tasty!
…and i cannot describe the joy in sleeping in a tent shaken and bent back & forth by gusts of wind – it was like God rocking me in a cradle. It was a perfect camping trip. 🙂
My favorite dessert ever is the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. I could eat a whole cake by myself if it didn’t put me into a diabetic coma. It is so delish!!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this cheesecake! Always order it with a glass of milk 🙂
My favorite thing ever was hearing my husband say “It’s a man-child”!!! when the doctor held up our son (who is now almost 21)! After years of infertility treatments and multiple surgeries, we were blessed with that little 8 pound “man-child”! We tried for years to give him a sibling and we finally decided that we were meant to be a family of three (four with our dog)! That man-child is a college student now…1000 miles from home…so now my favorite thing ever is….well you know what it is…spending precious time with my man-child!
The very best sound is that of my son praying for the first time (at age 4 1/2), “Jear Jesus, my fammy” He didn’t speak for almost 4 years and was recently diagnosed with autism.
I celebrate with you. My son has PDD-NOS. It’s those “normal” “everyday” things that we celebrate too…like my 7-year-old finally being able to get dressed by himself. 🙂 Blessings to you and your family.
My favorite memory of my dad is going to Disneyland and going through “It’s A Small World” over and over again with me because I loved it so much, and my dad loved me so much. Now that I’m grown, I realize how much he loved me because he couldn’t have loved the ride that much. Now when I go, I feel as if he’s sitting there next to me as I ride it.
My favorite Icee is the Dr. Pepper Icee!! They are hard to find but oh so worth it!
My favorite ice cream (which is my fav food!) is Bruster’s Nutty Coconut! That was my lunch today:)
My favorite lipstick is Cover Girl’s #542, lip stain and gloss duo. This stuff really works and is so much less expensive than Lancome or Este Lauder. $7.99 at Walmart.
Tazo Awake tea is my favorite way to start every day… with turbinado sugar and half and half. Delicioso!
I can’t believe I didn’t write this one first. Let’s just say yesterday could have been my favorite Sunday at church EVER! My son, who is going to be a daddy in August, put his phone up to my ear and said, “Listen to this, Mom.” Do you know what I heard? The strong, steady heartbeat of my first grandbaby – music to my ears. I’m already beyond smitten!
My favorite book ever is “A Voice in the Wind” by Francine Rivers. And I’ve read a lot of books! This is great Christian historical romantic fiction!
My favorite perfume is Amazing Grace by Philosophy!It’s unique, clean and has a hint of power:)
My favorite product is Mary Kay Eye-Makeup Remover. A tiny squirt works miracles! Miracles, I tell you! I’m surprised it hasn’t found me a husband yet. It’s that good. 🙂 😉
It is that good! I just ordered a new bottle this weekend.
I have to keep 2 bottles ahead or I panic!!
My favorite thinking/resting/looking place is in my porch swing with a cup of coffee. Especially love the sunrises and the sunsets.
My favorite thing is SNOW DAYS. When you go to bed with a ton of stuff to do, but wake up to the Glory of God and no school. I love having all my children at home and no schedule to keep. Granted, 5 weeks straight this winter made me slightly stir crazy, but now I long for another big snow!
Your post took me back Lexington LPL last summer. Thanking God for that awesome weekend, and your sisters’ story. Thankful.
My favorite thing is Diet Coke and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups from the freezer. What a combination!
I use mostly MAC make up, but my FAVE mascara is Maybeline Volume 7X!
My favorite movie ever is Seven Brides for Seven Brothers!
My favorite store is the purple and green “99 cent store” oh what you find and people think you paid tons for it. loveeee it.
My favorite breakfast on the go is McDonald’s new Maple Oatmeal with fresh fruit!!! Yummmmmy! Makes me want some now.
This is one of my new favorites too! It surpised me pleasantly the first time I tasted it!
My favorite hand soap is Kroger brand and it’s called “Honey Citurs and Shea Butter” … sounds lame, but it smells SO yummy. You know it’s good when a 6’4″, 250 pound manly man comes out of your bathrooom and tells you how much he likes your hand soap!
My favorite daydream is of being a grandmother (and I’m 26 years old). 🙂
My favorite place to go is camping at Lake Bruin State Park. The sunsets are so beautiful with the silhouettes of cypress trees against the sky. My heart fills with gratitude at God’s beautiful creation.
My favorite dessert is the Creme Brulee from Bonefish Grill. It ascends to the level of FOOD PORN! So good that I gotta get on my knees afterword and repent!
Much Love Siestas!
Casey
My favorite “ah ha” book to conceptualize how a husband and wife (and often other significant relationships as well) relate to one another… “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. Quick read. Simple concept. Changed. My. Life.
One of my favorite things is a ponytail holder!!!!!! I wear two on my wrist at all times incase one breaks!!!!!! I also know a great mascara!!!
Best running/walking/wicking(?) socks EVER and I love to jog so I’ve tried them all are “bolga” hidden comfort. Your feet will not sweat, not smell, and you won’t get blisters. At least I never have, up to 20 miles (as far as I’ve tested!). I am making a list of all these exciting ice cream flavors and candle scents!
My favorite thing ever is hearing “Mammie! Mammie!” from the lips of my almost two-year old twin granddaughters, Madelyn Brooke and Emma Claire. It makes my heart do flip-flops!!
My favorite company that has all the products I use for everything is Young Living! My favorite oil is frankincense! My favortie lip balm is the cinnamon! My favorite cream is the genisis hand and body lotion!