Five Friday Faves

1. PIZZA HUT

Seriously, our little family's favorite food! I ordered it on my app, while walking at the park in Atmore. They have the $7.99 carryout 2 topping deal again! I veered from our usual of cheese with extra cheese and added ham and pineapple and a garlic butter crust flavor! Ignoring the little pieces I had cut for her, Danielle grabbed a slice when I wasn't looking and "ate" it like a big girl tonight for the first time! Mostly she gnawed off the cheese and made a big mess, but she was so pleased with herself.  Daniel, on the other hand, wasn't so pleased with my order this go around..."What's this grass they have scattered on our pizza?!" "Ummm..Gulp. It's uh...I thought garlic butter crust flavor would be awesome! Sorrrrrry! They sorta got carried away when liberally applying it! Won't happen again!" He was a good sport though, and ate it!  

Mostly though, my favorite thing about this meal is the ABSENCE OF DISHES! And that my sweet hubby tells me often to just pick up a pizza so I can have a break from cooking and cleaning up! #lovehim

2. NANA

She gave me the best gift today! An uninterrupted hour to work on taxes! Danielle, the Duchess of Grump, had really been exercising her royal right to whine pitifully if I wasn't near enough or holding her ever since she starting running fever yesterday, so it was a blissful break even though compiling tax data is not high on my list of favorite things. Thanks again, Nana!!! 

(She didn't run fever today, but still acted like she didn't feel well..erupting molars??! I don't know..)

3. FRESH CUT FLOWERS

I dumped a seed packet of tiny white flowers in my porch pots last fall and they never bloomed until this spring! They are kind of unsightly in the pots, but make a lovely whimsical bouquet when picked! Today I added 3 red roses from our knockout bush, and this combination has just "sparked joy" every time my gaze lands on it!

4. NEW HAIR BRUSH

I love my new mint green and pale pink brush from TjMaxx!

I'm a "finisher" by nature and boy howdy, I "finished" my old brush!

 It was purchased from Fred's in Atmore years ago, and had seen it's very last day! Now it resides in Danielle's bathroom basket and she plays and chews on it while I get dressed. So really, I guess it isn't quite "finished" yet!  

5. SAYING NO

I'm still learning how to do this, albeit painfully. I was telling Daniel this week that "I'm not ever saying yes to doing ________ again!" And he replied that it had taken me 18 years to finally reach this conclusion...sigh. Slowly but surely, I'll be lesser of a "yesser!"

Our little princess is ONE!

It is so hard to believe that only one short year ago, 

our little Danielle Nicole was a fresh newborn baby who purred and hiccuped so sweetly!

Now she is an adorable but fiercely independent little toddler teenager who wears size 5 shoes and almost runs everywhere! 

She is the light of our lives, and I could type pages of her antics and of how much we love her! 

But I won't...at least not tonight, or rather this morning.

Happy Birthday to our baby girl!

(BTW, I did also just finish the final edits on the 10 page document titled 

"The Birth Story of Danielle Nicole" 

Message me if you would like to read it! It's detailed, but not too graphic!)

a bowl full of donuts

Now THIS is cereal done right, y'all!!! 

When I saw this box at Piggly this afternoon, my donut-loving soul just melted. $4.99 or not, I have no resist in me when it comes to donuts AND sprinkles! 

And I thought surely Danielle will love them too! First chance I had, I poured a bowl of milk and dumped in the adorable mini donuts! 

WOW- that perfectly fake cake flavor blended so well with whole milk and they didn't even sog up too fast! 

(Sog is the main reason I refrain from cereal. Shudder.)

 I enjoyed several fistfuls dry too. This may just be a new pantry staple. 

Good ole impulse buying! 

Maybe Walmart Pickup isn't the answer to all of life's problems...

*This is not a sponsored post even though I wish like crazy that it was! 

All is Well

You know how sometimes you have that feeling that all's right with the world and there really is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? That's how I felt today! I didn't expect to; it was just was of those rare days that actually gets better and better instead of worse for once! And nothing huge or glamorous happened. Just sweet daily life! Daniel ended up taking the day off instead of working like he had planned. He suggested waffles for breakfast, which carb-loving me jumped right on! I threw chopped pecans in mine. Sublime! Then we all pittered around the house, just relishing togetherness. I hadn't properly "sorted" (as the Brits would say) my kitchen all week, so I washed up non-dishwasherable dishes for a good while. Danielle took an amazing 2.5 hour nap! After our lunch of Kraft shell macaroni and cheese and leftover brown sugar spiral sliced ham with horseradish, we cleaned up out in the yard and Daniel cranked up the lawnmower for the first time this year! Danielle was delighted to help mow the dog pen. At one point, she really pushed on the right lever and they leaped out of a straight stripe! Then she and I chillaxed on the front porch watching Daddy mow; she in her Little Tikes swing and I perching on the Pelican cooler I had just cleaned up from last week's oysters. We ate Mayfield Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream and soaked up the sun. The weather just kept getting better all day too. I had been pining for fresh pine straw in all the beds, so once Daniel was finished with the yard, he and Danielle drove the white truck back around behind the house and I raked up a large haystack of the free much-needed mulch. I distributed it around the front porch while Taby stomped happily after her daddy pruning trees. She LOVES being outside. And as I watched her toddling around, I couldn't help thinking, "Is this really my beautiful life? It's just too perfect...I'm beyond blessed." (disclaimer - I have MANY moments when life seems quite real and I have no problem believing that it IS my life lol.) Anyway, snap back to reality. Our yard, beds, and porch now look loved and cared for at last. They really look good if I may say so myself! Especially the porch with its new pale blue $5 metal table from Family Dollar! Danielle had wilted after her afternoon of adventures, so I put her down for a late nap. Then I sat on our front porch like a true Southerner and watched the sun go down as I ate a Cutie, drank water, and read in Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin. Love that book. Levon Kimmons had come over, so Danl was out shooting the breeze with him. Supper was Zatarain's Cilantro Lime Rice, Walmart shrimp grilled on skewers, cheese green beans, and Reese Pieces store-bought cookie dough cookies barely baked, then frozen. Outlandishly delicious! And now day is done, gone the sun. All is well. Amen.

Sharnjean's Seasonal Shortlist!

I'm funny about feelings. 

Ever the analyst, I'm constantly scrutinizing as to whether or not I'm "feeling" the right feelings for the occasion. Like Christmas, for instance! When I was a teacher, festive fol de rols filled the air everywhere with the program, and parties, and presents, and caroling, and one couldn't help but have a magical mood! (Most of the time!) But now at the beginning of this holiday time, I realized that I would have to make the magic happen mostly on my own! If I didn't consciously Christmasize, I would be Grinching about quite grimly. Elaborate amounts of time or money to promote the proper perception were not an option, so I came up with this simple 6 item shortlist to add seasonal spirit to each and every day! 

I'm loving the word "shortlist" ever since adding a gift to my Google shopping shortlist. Especially the playful part defined as "winnowed from a longer list of possibilities."  Awww...the whimsical wistfulness of  unending possibilities!

short list

or shortlist

• Examples
• Word Origin

noun

1.

a list of those people or items preferred or most likely to be chosen, as winnowed from a longer list of possibilities.

1. SPRINKLES. 

Add holiday sprinkles to EVERYTHING! Blop Coolwhip on coffee, add some tiny sugar holly sprigs & berries, and you instantly feel like singing "Joy to the World!"

(Be like me and buy up on Christmas sprinkles after the 25th when everything is 75% off!)

2. SING CHRISTMAS CAROLS INSTEAD OF LULLABIES.

Instead of crooning "Mama's Gonna Give You a Mockinbird" while rocking Danielle, I've switched to "Silent Night," and I feel just a tiny bit like Mary must have felt...the awe of my own tiny (aka huge) baby. And then the feelings of thankfulness that I can lay her down to sleep in a soft crib instead of in a scratchy manger of hay.

3. CHANGE YOUR PHONE WALLPAPER & LOCKSCREEN.

I have these on mine and every time I see them they give me a glow.

4. GIVE SOME MONEY TO EVERY SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGER YOU SEE.

There's just something so simple and satisfying about walking up to the red bucket, plunking in some pennies (or bills), and giving the ragged ringer a hearty hail of "Merry Christmas!"

5. SEIZE THE SCENT.

Make your house smell Christmasy! I put cinnamon oil in my Scentsy burner, and have also been burning fir branch candles.

6. REMEMBER THE REASON FOR THE SEASON.

Even though I wish to make cute crafts, sew festive frocks, and bake bunches of baked goods, none of these things are truly the backbone of this bustling time 'o year. If I can lower my expectations, and just make sure there's room for Him in my inn,

 it will be the merriest Christmas ever!

WALMART PICKUP CHANGES LIVES!!!

I had intended many mental blog posts ago, to next write about the stuff I scored at Aunt Donna's garage sale. And maybe I will yet, but right now I am bubbling over to blog about WALMART PICKUP! My life will never be the same. I had been wanting to try it out ever since receiving a $10 off code in the mail. Alisha had also been expounding on the joys of grocery pickup, saying how awesome it was saving time and money since it curbs impulse buying! Two things I never seem to have enough of: TIME and MONEY. I'm so going to do this! So Tuesday night I loaded my virtual buggy, selected a 4-5 pm time slot, redeemed my $10 off, checked out, and went to bed. Rhonda and I plodded about Pensacola during the only monsoon in months (#thankfulforrainboots) and arrived at Walmart a few minutes after 5. A Walmart Grocery employee had already called to let me know that my order was ready! I checked in on the Walmart Grocery app en route and whipped into an empty Pickup parking space, feeling so sad for my sister as she had intended to bask in this luxury as well, but had suffered the misfortune of checking out at 10:11 am instead of 9:59 am. This caused her time slot to expire, because the same-day cutoff is 10:00 am SHARP. This was a painful lesson to learn. Rhonda bustled in to handpick her own items, while Danielle slept peacefully on in her car seat. Almost immediately, a chipper Pickup employee came wheeling my parcels out to meet me. I agreed to the one substitution she had made, (Full-size Viva paper towels instead of "choose-a-size") scrawled my e-signature, and gleefully accepted the new-customer goody bag which contained a bottle of water, Quaker oatmeal thingy, small bag of BBQ chips, Tide sample, 3 oz bottle of Vaseline lotion, and a shampoo and conditioner sample!  I asked Kassie if she likes doing this grocery pickup thing, and she replied that she loves it! I had read in the FAQs that they aren't allowed to accept tips, so I did what I could for her and gave her a 5 star rating on my follow-up email. She said she'll get to get a little something in the store if she gets a top score! My bag of frozen raspberries had not thawed, the avocado she picked out was beautiful and unbruised, and the fresh strawberries looked super! For the first time ever, going to Walmart was the highlight of my day! Well, the second highlight; the first one was hearing that Danielle no longer has ear infection! Yay! At least she won't be in misery from her ears while she simultaneously cuts 5 teeth! 

Back to the Walmart Pickup thing, you all really should try it out!!! And since I desperately love to make piles of money without working very hard, I'd really appreciate it if you'd sign up under me by using this link.  http://r.wmt.co/eGUUk You'll get a $10 off code and I will too! So hurry and sign up today! The first 10 of you will get the blessing of helping me along on my pathway to riches! :) (Only 10 referrals allowed per calendar year) 

Taking Time to Think

Saturday was the annual Fish Fry at the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department. So enjoyable, as always. Miss Smith and I got our usual to-go boxes of a fillet of fried fish, fillet of grilled fish, and a piece of chicken! No decision this way, just the chance to enjoy it all! I did feel rather complicated when the cashier asked, "For our records, are you getting fish or chicken?" "Well....both!" "OK, for here or to go?" "Well...I'm getting a to-go box so I can take home any leftovers, but I'll be eating here!" Keeping it simple has never been my talent. Maybe that's why she gave us all non-winning tickets! Oh well, I'd rather win nothing than some junk or clutter that I don't need! (Wow! Did I really just type that?! Maybe I am slowly becoming FlyWashed...but the bags of loot I scored at Aunt Donna's family garage sale wouldn't prove that...I could do a whole post on my treasures!) Anyway, after a Walmart grocery run for Miss Smith, I dropped Danielle off at Aunt Rhonda's and donned my camo and grabbed my bow before meeting Daniel to get my hunting instructions. I had forgotten to bring the bag that contained the artificial scent killer, so we crushed some cedar (leaves?? they don't seem leafy...maybe I should say sprigs??) and rubbed them in my hair and on the back of my neck. Major ITCH. Then I climbed the ladder and sat happily nature-watching while basking in the bliss of having time to just THINK. I can honestly say I have never been bored a minute in my life. It feels sorta Dr. Suessy, but oh, the thinks you can think! I love to have the chance to just think and think....I thought about past memories good and not so good, projects I want to do.... projects I will skip this year (sadly I shelf the adorable pumpkin family I had visually created) I mentally clean-swept our home of current clutter and relished its "new" look, I thought about God and His plans for me, I thought about how fast our little baby is growing up... that the days with her being this needy and clingy seem long, but that the years are short, and I need to consciously enjoy her tugging at my skirt and live in this moment...that this will be the only Fall that she is 7 months old! And that it doesn't matter how much my friends with babies can accomplish, I shouldn't compare and complain, because I am doing the very best I can.

Then I thought I heard a deer approach...crunch...step...crunch...step....BE STILL, my beating heart! THUD, THUD, POUND, POUND....slowly I turned my head to view with disdain, not a deer, but a fat o'possum! So I watched him creep around nibbling on my deer's corn while the squirrels fought like two-year olds, the birds chirped, the leaves fell, and the stars came out. Then I wrapped it up by thinking that even though I am still a bow-huntress with no bragging rights, it had been a most successful THINK. From now on instead of going hunting, I'm gonna go thinking! I know I'll always be successful at that! We even heard in church Sunday morning that taking time to think is a key to success, spiritually and financially! So really, going thinking should become a priority! If I ever do happen to snag a deer, it'll be a bonus!