Friday Favorites: April 15

Friday Favorites is a series where we share small, seemingly mundane moments from the past week – little details, often overlooked, that comprise this thing we call life.

Oh goodness, what a week!

In light of MAJOR looming deadlines over at the bungalow, I’ve been struggling to be consistent with blogging (also with eating, dressing, showering and “adulting” in general – but that’s probably more than you care to know.)

Not that I force myself to write if I have nothing interesting or entertaining or helpful to say, but I have been told by several readers that if there was ONE CHANGE they would love to see on the blog, it would be more regular posting.

So after much consideration, and with great hesitation due to my already-insane schedule, I’d like to start a Friday Favorites series where we could share about what’s being going on in our lives for the past seven days.

The truth is, in between the “official” posts and Instagram snaps are a million seemingly mundane moments, and although they don’t necessarily warrant a new post, they comprise this thing we call life. So with that in mind, I would like for us to start sharing these little details and hope you’ll find them useful or encouraging or inspiring or just plain entertaining – because not EVERYTHING has to serve some great big purpose.

Does that sound like a plan?

Great, let’s get on with the riveting overview of my week.

• Have you ever installed penny tile? I have been driving myself crazy trying to figure out what sort of trim to pair with it. Any tips? Speaking of tile, I scored more than 70 square feet of 8-inch white ceramic tile – very similar to an option from Daltile – for a whopping $20 today at a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. That equates to less than $0.29 per square foot! Excuse the overuse of exclamation points, but these sort of deals don’t come around very often!
• Anyway, recently someone on Facebook shared the following, much-needed reminder, and I have been pondering it ever since: “I’m tired of people romanticizing overexertion. Exhausted is not the new chic, coffee (though a delicious necessity) is not a food group, and running on fumes is not admirable. Why do we hold pedestals for sleepless nights, breakdowns, and inner turmoil? Are those really things to aspire to? Self-care, balance, the ability to know when your body, mind and spirit need to take a step back – those are things we should admire. We have to stop blurring the line between ‘commitment’ and self-endangerment because too many people are burning out before they have a chance to truly shine.” So much truth in a few sentences! Can you relate?
• There’s a chance that our next vacation may be to Russia – specifically Moscow and St. Petersburg – so I’ve been pinning bucket list items like a madwoman. Last time I was in either of those cities was more than seven years ago, so I’m excited to re-discover it at a different stage of my life. Have you ever been? Do you have any recommendations?
• If you’ve ever tried to scrape burnt butter from a pan, you will LOVE this little trick I discovered a few days ago. After soaking the pan in water, crumple a piece of aluminum foil so that it has rough edges and use it to scrape away the remains of food on the pan – much more effective than fingernails and a whole lot less painful too!
• On a more personal note, my sweet, dear grandmother, who is 93, suffered a heart attack a few days ago, and although she is recovering, the doctors are saying that due to her age they won’t be able to put in a stent like originally planned. So if you’re the praying kind, please keep her and our family in your mind over the next few weeks as the doctors figure out how to proceed.
• To finish off with positive news, I am working on a few incredible projects in collaboration with some of my favorite brands, including Wayfair, Livex Lighting and PureModern. I can’t spill the beans just yet, but stay tuned to the blog to find out more! (There I go with the exclamation points again…)

Now it’s your turn.

What have you been up to this week? What’s occupying your space/time/brain/life these days? Any interesting plans for the weekend?

Can’t wait to hear from you. Hope your weekend is lovely.