(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 lip balm ever – burts bees.
Mine too!!! I just posted that as my favorite 🙂
So many favorites! How fun to think about them all. Okay, my favorite sound is heard on this hiking trail in Central California where there are a lot of trees. When the wind blows and you hear nothing else but the wind in the trees it is somehow the most peaceful and gentle sound I’ve ever heard.
My favorite treat EVER is ice cream! It can be ANY flavor, ANY brand – if it icy and creamy – I WANT IT ALL!! 🙂
My favorite thing to drink right now is peach green ice tea from Arbys. Very Good!!
What a great idea for a blog page! Just one thing?! That is nearly impossible. My favorite things EVER is getting ready in a dressing room before a Musical Theatre production. Awaiting the rise of the curtain as the audience falls hush behind it produces all of the most amazing feelings wrapped into one — excited butterflies in the stomach, pure excitement, passion, and the joy of getting to bring a story/character to life for others — I just love it. Whenever I walk into a dressing room or on a stage, I feel like I am “home.” 🙂
My favorite food is guacamole.
Do you know I love Guacamole too?! So fresh and yummy! The recipe I use is from Laura Bush. Tragically (can I call this a tragedy? ), I have become allergic to avacado!! Since having my 4th child, they make me violently ill. I’m convinced this was Paul’s “thorn”. LOL I’m kidding about that last part, of course. 😉
My favorite thing for my heart’s health is Maggie Moo’s Ice cream. It’s good for my heart because it makes it happy!!! 🙂
My favorite month is May. I live in Virginia where March and April can be fickle friends, warm and welcoming one day, then brisk and cold the next. May, well May in central Virginia is like a gift that you get to open each morning when the sun comes up. All that blooming and growing and birdsong and sunlight. It feels like a big loud “YES!” from God, just when I need it most.
Carrie,
I’m with you on this one. If I had my wish, it would ALWAYS be mid-May. BTW, I live in NC, so I know what you mean about March/April, especially March. Can you tell I’m ready for Spring?
I use to live in NC and I was ready for May by May no doubt, but now that we are back ‘home’ in NH and no longer on base i am ready for May in Jan LOL SO much snow this year and so many times BELOW the zero that 1 degree started getting exciting just to be above LOL I miss the south so much….but home is no longer where the Marine Corps sends you…
My favorite thing is sitting or walking with special friends and just listening to each other and laughing and sometimes crying! Which, brings to mind a favorite quote by Walter Winchell “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out”.
Somebody already said PG Tips tea, so I won’t use that one. But every morning when I wake up, I think about Jesus, about my mom who’s in heaven with Jesus, and the big ol’ mug of PG Tips with milk and sugar I’m going to have as soon as I get downstairs.
My favorite flowers are lilacs. There’s nothing better after these long, hard Midwest winters than when May comes, and the scent of lilacs fills most yards. I like to just walk up and bury my face in them. I carried a huge bouquet of them at my wedding, and I’ve got 4 lilac bushes in my yard. Lilacs. The best.
I’m a die-hard PG Tips girl, too! I hit the jackpot when my scratch-and-dent grocery got a boatload in. I literally have over 1,000 PG Tips teabags in my house right now. Please don’t let them make me go on one of those hoarding shows!
I love PG Tips…learned about it from a good friend. We’ve spent many hours sitting and chatting with a cup of that tea.
I steep my PGTips exactly 2 minutes if I want to drink it without milk which I generally don’t put milk in it, any longer than I have to put milk in it.
That scent takes me right back to my childhood in my grandparents yard with there fence line of Lilac bushes. God is SO very good! What a memory you have conjured for me – thank you! God Bless!
With 5 kids I tell each of them, ‘You’re my favorite (insert name) in the whole world.’
Since my kids aren’t things let alone cosmetics I need to rave about the L’oreal mens hair care line. With my crazy curly hair, those products give me control without crunchiness and I looooove it. Specifically : L’oreal FX Minerals, Modeling Gel-Cream.
Are you kidding me? I’m always looking for curl control without crunch! GREAT tip! (I’ve just discovered Aveda’s curly hair products, but they are price-y!)
I’m going to check that out (my pic shows the straight version of my hair)
Oh my gosh!I have spent 50 years trying to tame these curls, even threatening to chemically straighten for this summer. I will definitely try these products. Thanks ladies!
My favorite day so far this year was this evening. Sitting at the dining room table, the power had gone out due to a thunderstorm, as it often does here in South Asia. My 14-year-old daughter and I played five rounds of Uno in near darkness. Precious, silly moments. Thank you, Lord for such a wonderful daughter.
My favorite place is at the ocean. It is both mysterious and majestic. Love to watch and listen to the waves crash on the shore any season and in any weather!!
My favorite chees is goat!
My favorite cheese is goat!
Mine too! 🙂 Have you tried it on the Jalapeno chips? I also love it on Ak-Mak crackers, in salads, in Lasagna, or anything that calls for Feta cheese. I get it at Costco, Whole Foods, or Trader Joes… I checked the price at a local grocery store recently & it was like triple the price!
My favorite person under 3 feet tall is my grandson, Noah. My heart just bursts with love for that little boy. He is handsome, kind, loving and smart – the whole package. When his father was a little boy, I would just pinch myself, because if you could buy a son at a store, I would have purchased him. I feel the same way about Noah, if you could buy a grandson at the store, I would buy him! I feel so unbelievably blessed to have Noah and Matt in my life and in my family. Thank you, Lord!
My favorite smell is sheets that have been dried outside on the clothes line!!!!
Praise God I’m a country girl 🙂
Kathy
Dow, Illinois
ooohhh that is a good ol smell ain’t it?!
OH my got lots, but I will pick my Herb Companion magazine. I just love it. My son got a subscription years ago for me and I still take it.
Pam, Campbellsburg In.
My favorite ANALAGY for life:
Do you know the muffin man?
I’m a crummy person
This I know is true
I’m hoping all the people
Will say I’m crummy too
You see, here’s my perspective
Of what crummy is about
It’s just that you’re a chunk of:
A big thing that’s now without
Lets just say one has a muffin
Smelling good and piping hot
It’s the nose and mouths desire….
But funny…. crumbs are not
But find someone who’s hungry
And the crumbs may life sustain
Because all good there in the muffin
….still in the crumbs remain
To the crumb it does not matter
And it never tries to hide
Because it knows the contents
The master baker put inside
I’m sure that if you asked a crumb
Of which he’d rather do……
Stay within the muffin?
Or sustain a life or two?…..
I’m sure the crumb would tell you;
It ain’t easy but it’s fun:
If I’d stayed with muffin
I’d be feeding only one
– Kaptain Obvious
Glory to Jesus Christ! My favorite treat is a spoonful of Nutella. Girls if you have not tried this tasty confection, you need to. It is creamy chocolate goodness with just a touch of hazelnut flavor. Thinking about it makes me wish I had a jar right now.
Getting a spoonful right now . . . . .
Wish I could share… I had coupons and was compelled to buy not one but two jars of it. Goodness. The truth of the matter is it won’t last long.
Hmm… Williamsburg, VA; Panera Bread’s chicken noodle soup; American Eagle jeans; Bath & Body Works Cashmere lotion products; and my wonderful hubby. 🙂
My favorite thing is DEFINITELY my ipod. I have had the absolute BEST times with God when it’s just He and I and the truth coming through those little ear buds in my favorite language — MUSIC!
My favorite flowers are peonies!
Kim
My favorite Bible study is Living Beyond Yourself. I was a newbie Christian (at the tender age of 57) when I took it and Jesus spoke to me through Beth’s teaching. He really did some house(soul)cleaning!
My favorite bed is my OWN! I’m finishing up a week of live-in babysitting with 5 grandchildren. Mama and Papa get home tonight and, boy, am I gonna enjoy sleeping in my own bed!!!
My FAVORITE lotion is Johnson’s baby lotion (pink bottle)… it takes me back to wonderful memories of my children when they were babies!!!
My favorite candy EVER is Brach’s Peanut Butter Bar! I was so bummed that my boy had none in his Halloween treat bag that I ran out the next day and bought a bag of my own.
Favorite treat EVER to cool off in the Florida heat: an ICEE. Layered coke flavor and cherry flavor = ICEE cherry coke!
Me too! I love a good icee in the summer time and of course coke/cherry is the best!
My (new) favorite thing is the seat warmer embedded in my leather car seat. Last week it was -25 celsius in Alberta (-13 F that would be for you Americans) and I couldn’t help smiling as the seat warmed up and warmed me up far faster than the car’s heater ever could! On a deeper level, Randy Alcorn’s book ‘Heaven’ has me captivated and filled with fresh anticipation for heaven!!
Colleen I totally agree! Our new car has seat warmers and it is like a slice of heaven.
I love seat warmers too and I also live in Alberta!
My favorite perfume Ever is “W” from Banana Republic. I love it. I get so many compliments. Women always asking me what perfume are you wearing.
My favorite…sitting in the sand at a lake, river or ocean, running the sand through my fingers and enjoying the water view/sounds.
Favorite product for chapped lips, dry skin, etc.. is Aquaphor Healing Ointment. Great for babies delicate skin too. I have jars and tubes in all my bathrooms and kitchen. Great product!
My favorite mascara is Clinique’s long pretty lashes mascara. I am in the 40 crowd, if you thought your Clinique days were over, I still go to Clinique for make-up!
My hubby says that I have too many “favorites” and that everything is my favorite, but it really isn’t true! 🙂 My favorite restaurant though is in fact Panera…it is just so yummy and with the you pick two your options are limitless…broccoli and cheddar soup or turkey artichoke panni or fuji apple salad. I am making myself hungry! And the unfortunate part is there is no Panera down here in Guatemala. So one of you siestas needs to go eat some for me today!
YES!! Panera is where my best friend and I would go…for breakfast bagels, or lunch (and I’m making myself hungry as I think about it!!)
You and your bestie should take a special trip for me! It is SOOO good! 🙂 Enjoy!
I agree! I am an Army wife currently living in Naples, Italy. I SOOOO miss Panera Bread Co. Please eat something yummy for both of us. 🙂
This sounds cheesy but at the moment it was what came to the surface when I asked myself about my favorite thing so I’m going with it.
My favorite thing is to feel my boys’ little arms around my neck, their head on my shoulder and the words “I love you mamma”.
My most favorite thing ever is when my kids say love you more when I tell them I love them.
My favorite book ever “Dear and Glorious Physician” by Taylor Caldwell. It is historical fiction about the life of Luke – the author of the gospel. It is an amazaing story.
My favourite song ever is ‘O Praise Him’ by David Crowder Band. I played that song on repeat for days after I was saved!
I love the piano intro to the song….literally makes me dance every time!!! It makes me sooo happy.
My favorite thing is a hike in the woods. Nothing clears the body and soul and well.
My favorite “go-to” recipe EVER is Black Bean Salsa. It belongs to be dear friend Ellen, who lives in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It even appears in the Pine Bluff Junior league cookbook, Southern Accents. Here it is:
2 cans of black beans, rinsed
1 can of Rotel (pick your heat intensity)
1 can of shoepeg corn, rinsed
1 cup of salsa (pick you favorite)
5 green onions, chopped
cilantro-as much or as little as you prefer, chopped
1 small can of green chiles, optional
Combine all ingredients and enjoy!
My favorite thing is my Pilot P-700 ink pen with fine point and purple ink. I always use it at work. They can be pretty hard to find. I even hide it when I leave work everyday so no one carries it off. Pastors are the worse to leave things behind and carry things off. You would think they have other things on their minds??haha!!
HAHAHAHA!
My favorite thing is my “happy place”….and that is MAUI!!! I love it there and have many fond memories of time spent on that beautiful island. When I need a vacation from the stresses in life I close my eyes and imagine being on the beach, listening to the waves hit the shore, hearing the seagulls and island birds, smelling the hibiscus, and feeling the warm sun kiss my skin…and I am happy. Thank you, God, for creating such a glorious place for us to experience a hint of paradise while we’re still earthbound.
My favorite sound/smell EVER is rain. Whether a gentle spring shower or full-fledged rainstorm, it matters not, I sleep deeply.
My favorite thing is a vibrant sunset that fills the entire sky. I never feel the veil is thinner then when I watch one like that!
One of my very favorite places to go is Galveston, Tx with my guy. (I know, I don’t get out much)We just have so much fun there.
I just love this idea! Thank you for making, or rather asking us to do this today!
I have to say my Favorite Thing is “The first cup of coffee in the morning”! I absolutely love it that my precious husband makes our coffee every morning! And I love that first cup!
My favorite ice cream is Breyer’s mint chocolate chip. I am 41 years old but when I visit my parents, they still stock the freezer with it. I am expecting my first child next week, so maybe she will become a fan as well.
My favorite book is Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”
My favorite chapstick ever is the Chapstick brand. I went to college in West Texas where chapstick is a must, and the addiction stuck more than 10 years later! My husband gets a kick out of watching me apply layer after layer, apparently he thinks only one layer of Chapstick is necessary and the extra layers are frivolous.
This makes me laugh b/c my Dad carried chapstick with him in his uniform pocket everyday! I can picture him putting it on his lips and I can smell it! 🙂 Thanks for the memory!
My favorite things ever are plastic bins. You know, the ones with drawers, the ones you put wrapping paper in, the ones you can put files in, the ones you store toys in, big ones, small ones, short ones, tall ones. I love them all!
My favorite concealer is ERASE PASTE from “Benefit!”