Friday Favorites #12

Happy Friday! Lots of fun things going on this weekend! Cinco De Mayo and the Kentucky Derby! I have white chicken enchiladas on the menu for dinner tonight and maybe some margaritas if I can gather the ingredients today. We do not have too much planned this weekend besides a soccer game tomorrow morning. Hoping to work in the yard a bit!

Read on for a roundup of things that brought me some joy this week. Have a fantastic weekend!

Suprise Flowers

Ryan’s new jobsite is close to the boys’ school so sometimes he will help with drop off and pick up. On Monday, I asked him to stop at the store on the way home to grab a few things for dinner. Lucas and Ryan came up with the idea together to bring me a bouquet of flowers. It was a dreary, rainy day so I appreciated the sweet surprise! Lucas ran into the house and presented them with a proud smile. He said “Mommy, I picked you out flowers! I know you like pink!” It made my week:)

House Exterior Painted

Our dear cottage has been long overdue for an exterior paint job. At first, we got an outrageous quote so in the end decided to go with Student Painters at a much more economical price. Ryan and I were impressed with their work ethic and how it turned out. Eventually we will get new windows with some white trim, and I think it will really pop! Of course, by then it will need painted again ha-ha. Now that we have a fresh paint job, I am looking forward to bringing the deck to life with our outdoor furniture, some string lights, and potted plants. I think spring is officially here now but who knows in northern Michigan!

Costco Candles

I LOVE to burn candles and actually am one of those teachers who loved getting them as gifts. I usually have at least one candle lit every morning and evening. I typically buy candles at Target or Bath & Body Works, but I happened to see these Bellevue Luxury Candles at Costco a few months ago. First, they all smell amazing. The scents are Vanilla Breve, Mandarin Apple, Chai Tonka, and Ocean Vetiver. They have a strong throw (2 wicks) and come in a pretty glass jar with a lid. The box description says: “Four 12-Ounce Soy Blend Candles, Artisan Fragrances with Essential Oils.”

I am now on my second box and hope they keep making them! The first time I bought them they were $19.99 (great price at $5 each) but a few weeks ago I scored them on sale for $14.99! If you’re a Costco member and love candles, they are definitely worth checking out. Speaking of candles, I also love this electric candle lighter my mother-in-law gifted me for Christmas. It charges with a USB port so never runs out of fuel and holds its charge a long time.

Yeti in My Spaghetti

Last Friday, I mentioned a new cabinet as one of my favorites. For now, I am storing all the boys’ games in it. They were out of reach before, so it’s been like Christmas discovering all the fun games we have to play. The one they have really been loving is Yeti in My Spaghetti. It’s easy to play and always makes them laugh. We have a lot of family fun with it. My only gripe is the box it comes in (cheap and difficult to fit all the pieces in). They just don’t make gameboard boxes like they used to! We’ve been playing Trouble a lot too!

Owen’s Beaver Interest

I have to give credit to grandpa for Owen’s newfound beaver fascination. During his last few visits (you can read about them here and here) he’s gotten the boys very excited about evidence of beavers hard at work. Every time we go on a hike, they point out the chewed trees. We watched some videos about beavers with grandma and grandpa when they were here, and they are Owen’s new favorite animal (he still loves wolves too). Owen was very eager to check out some nonfiction books at the library and we have been learning lots of interesting facts about them. For example, did you know baby beavers are called kits? Also, that beavers cost over 22 million dollars a year in damage?!

The Midwife’s Secret Update/Review

I stayed up past my bedtime on Wednesday to finish this book. I included it in my Friday Favorites last week so thought I would share my thoughts now that I am finished. First, I will say I flew through it as it was quite the page turner. There are many character story lines to follow so it does get a little confusing at times but the family tree in the beginning helps. I will say this book is heartbreaking and an emotional roller coaster to read. It seems that has been the case for quite a few of the books I’ve read this year. I am definitely due for something a little more lighthearted if you have any recommendations!

I would recommend this book because it is well written with believable characters. It was hard to put down and had just the right amount of suspense. I had to know what was going to happen. Just know going into it that it has some tragic storylines that are a little hard to follow at times. I would read this author again and I did add The Girl in the Letter to my list of books I want to read. Check back next Friday for what I am reading next!