Friday Favorites #2

 

Friday is here, again! 

    

I'm back with Friday Favorites #2. If you missed my reasoning and Friday Favorites #1, you can check it out HERE. These posts are proving to be super fun for me to write! I hope you enjoy reading them. It's all about the little things!

Alright, here we go for Friday Favorites #2.

Starting with...another show that Shane and I started watching together and that we are way behind the times on, we know! We finally got on board with The Crown and oh my gosh, we are both so into it.  I did try this show a few times before but I couldn't get past the first episode because I had to try so hard to focus on what they were saying with their British accents. It's definitely a show that I can't multitask and do something else during, but we've been putting closed captions on and that has helped a ton! I'm not a Royals diehard, but I do keep up with them and I am interested in them, so this is super fun to watch. We're loving it!

I guess this favorite kind of goes along with The Crown favorite? It's...tea! I was never a huge tea drinker, but as I've gotten more into coffee lately, I find myself wanting a "warm" drink throughout the day- especially at this time of year. I've always liked the idea of tea. It sounds so comforting! I even got a teapot on our wedding registry because I liked the thought of it. In order to put it to use, over the past few years, I would go into phases of sometimes having Sleepytime Tea before bed or I bought a lot of different flavors that I had a few times but I didn't get around to drinking much after that. 

However, I've found some flavors/kinds that I'm really liking lately. My favorite is Vanilla Chamomille Honey and I also just tried an Apple Cinnamon Spice one that is good for this time of year! I think the real reason why I'm liking them so much is because I discovered drinking tea the "English way"- with milk or even a splash of heavy whipping cream in it, yum! What flavors/kinds do I need to try?? I'm definitely new at this.

Okay, when I first heard that clogs were coming back in style this fall season, I have to admit that I wasn't a fan. However, I saw a few pics of some bloggers wearing theirs and they just looked so cute and modernized with otherwise current outfits. I couldn't resist finding some online for a good price. They're the perfect fall transitional shoe for this awkward in-between shoe time of year, and they elevate my look just a bit; they've been perfect for Sundays at church!

These ones as well as some other cute options linked here.

Well, don't let this favorite give you any ideas because we are unfortunately not pregnant yet, but Shane's mom knows we are trying after our miscarriages and she said she went to a craft fair and she just couldn't resist. How cute is this Louisiana themed onesie? So perfect for our Louisiana memories and that side of our family! I don't even let myself look at baby items, and we definitely aren't trying to jump the gun by getting baby gifts already, but it was cute that Shane's mom just couldn't help herself! She also got us a girl onesie and headband. I guess she officially is starting our baby stockpile that we had put out of sight, out of mind...for now.

Alright, I'm saving the best for last here. Please don't think I'm being preachy or giving us praise here, because we did the absolute bare minimum that we should have or could have done in this situation, but I do think this is worth sharing as a good reminder to us all...

A little background: we have an older lady neighbor here in our apartments who has really taken to the dogs. Whenever she walks in or out of her apartment to her car, she passes Cash and Caylor that are often outside on our patio (with the door to inside open). Over the past few months, she's started talking to them, petting them, and then asked if she could give them treats. Soooo, they now absolutely lose their minds whenever they see her or her car, and she pulls out treats for them from her purse or car every. single. time. she goes by...sigh. However, we don't know her well at all and we've only said a few very quick words with her in passing- but nothing more than that. She often makes comments like "The dogs make my day!", "I'm going to miss them so much when you move", or "It sure is nice to be loved".

A few Saturdays ago, Shane was going out to his truck and he came back into the apartment all teared up right after. To summarize, Cat had stopped to talk to him and she burst into tears. Basically, she's a former Army nurse that can no longer work and has PTSD. On this particular day, it was her birthday and her kids wouldn't talk to her/call her or anything. She said that she doesn't even want to live anymore and that Cash and Caylor are the only things keeping her alive and it's the best part of her day each day when she sees them. Now, keep in mind that she sees them for literally maybe 5 seconds at a day, so this was kind of surprising to us.

In that moment, Shane asked if he could pray for her, and so they did that together. Later that day, we went to get her a Dunkin Donuts gift card and a birthday card. Again, we should have and could have done SO much more than this, so please don't think we're tooting our own horns here. Basically, I more than understand how depressing/isolating/messed-up your brain and emotions can get when you're alone in your house for days on end without even seeing or talking to another human, so I have a heart for people that are in that situation ALL the time. I truly do.

Anyways, my Friday Favorite is that the next day, Cat had taped this card to our front door. She was very embarrassed about her little breakdown to Shane, but I told her that trust me, I more than understand. I guess I'm sharing this because it was heartwarming for us and also a huge reminder that doing even the littlest thing can truly mean everything to someone else. I often barely glance up at her from my work when she's giving attention to the dogs, but this was my own reminder that we very well could be her only happiness and socialization for that day, so the least I can do is chat for a few minutes. She did later say that her son and daughter-in-law ended up calling her later in the day on her birthday, so that gave me some peace.

Our pastor's latest series at church as been on generosity and there have been SO many good points made and messages through that. A few Sundays ago, he talked about the importance of unplanned generosity. Also, what are we really doing to sacrifice for the generosity of others...especially for those that we don't know well? Shane and I tithe (give offering) of 10% of our earnings as most Christians do and as the Bible references many times, but what are we doing for other people beyond that? What are we actually sacrificing and giving up for ourselves in the name of others? Not much. When am I being generous to others at unexpected times? I guess our neighbor Cat helped some unplanned giving to fall right into our laps on that Saturday...and we are so glad.

Well, some more randomness for ya and then this Friday Favorites ended on an uplifting note! Hope that carries into the rest of your Friday and that you have another great October *almost Halloween* weekend!