Friday Thoughts
January. WHAT A MONTH. What a month.
How are you? That question has depth. I really would love to know: how are you??
It’s been a while since my last Friday Thoughts post, and considering they are some of my favorite posts (simply based on everything you guys share with me in the comments), I knew I wanted (needed?) to get one up today.
It might be just past midnight on Friday night but we’re still calling this a Friday Thoughts post! 🙂
1. New Year’s Resolutions
Yeah, yeah, I know it’s basically February, but how are those new year’s resolutions going?
Confession: I don’t set them. I learned years ago that I hated new year’s resolutions because they just made me feel guilt, pressure, and failure. I like goal-setting, but I don’t like the pressure of setting all.the.goals on January 1.
I started out this year young and full of hope. I was going to finally write a cookbook! And tackle several other projects (blog and not-blog related).
I was days away from signing a contract for a cookbook when January really hit. It’s hard to sum everything up, but let’s just say that 2022 hasn’t been the greatest start to a year in the history of ever for me and my family.
Unexpected illnesses. Unexpected job losses. Unexpected commitments. Unexpected reasons to take deep breaths and also look for blessings. Unexpected deep-reaching, soul-searching (and soul-sucking) challenges at every level, it seems.
So, I’ve had to regroup a little and really believe in the words: there is a time and season for everything. And right now, right in this moment of January 28, my time and season is to just make it through. And I can do that.
How is 2022 going for you? I REALLY WANT TO KNOW.
2. Microblading
Very unimportant question here, and yet I’d really love to know. Eyebrow microblading? Have you done it? Do you recommend it?
I have a history of thyroid disease (I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Disease and thyroid cancer in 2008; I had surgery, radiation, and have had a lot of struggles regulating my thyroid hormones since then).
Among the many (!!) areas of life it affects is my eyebrows. That might sound strange, but thyroid + eyebrow thinning or hair loss is really common. And it’s frustrating and annoying.
My poor little eyebrows have gotten worse in the last year and I’m considering microblading but I’m skeered.
My sister has had it done (she has many of the same thyroid issues I do), and hers look natural and amazing, but I’m nervous, because I just know I’m going to end up looking like Bert from Sesame Street (no offense, Bert, you’re my favorite).
Thoughts? Advice? Pros and Cons?
Any other eyebrow tips? I don’t wear a lot of makeup so trying to pencil in eyebrows with some kind of “tool” has me more nervous than microblading, tbh.
3. Things I’m Loving
This gurgle pot {aff. link} my mom gave me for Christmas. It is honestly the most clever and fun gift. My kids have never drunk (drank?) so much water in their lives. The pot gurgles as you pour, and that gluggety-glug sound apparently never gets old. So fun. I have a white one but there are some color variations online (here and on Amazon if you search “gurgle pot”).
These sugar cookies. They are next level delicious. I have made them probably eight times in the last two weeks for various events, and they just never get old. A sweet friend told me last week that when she eats one it is like taking a bite out of a fluffy cloud and a rainbow at the same time. So. I made an Instagram reel dedicated to that.
This sweet and sour licorice. {aff. link} I posted on Instagram about it last fall. But I’m still over here, four months later, inhaling bag after bag. Sweet and sour candy is my fave. And these little nubbins of licorice with their sweet and sour coating are just downright amazing. I buy 12 bags at a time on Amazon and occasionally share.
4. Winner of a Christmas Gift
While we are on the subject of winning items…this year for Christmas I decided to give each of the kids a 3-month subscription box. It was hands down the unexpected big hit of Christmas. Turns out, my kids get giddy at getting a package in the mail with their name on it (instead of the daily Amazon prime delivery updates all addressed to, ahem, me).
- Ramen noodle box for Jackson (17)
- SnackSack for Walker (16)
- Breakfast Club box for Cade (14)
- Eureka Crate (from Kiwi Co) for Ty (13)
- Doodle Crate (from Kiwi Co) for Camryn (9)
We’ve only gotten through one month but every single one has been a hit and perfect for the kid who got it.
The snack box has been SO fun and unique (and yummy!).
I’ll admit one of the ramen flavors in J’s box had me side-eyeing (but he loved it).
The Kiwi crates kept the kids busy for hours, and Cade, the resident chef around here, was thrilled about his make-your-own breakfast (although I should have thought this one through because I think there might be coffee in most of the boxes – we don’t drink coffee, although it’s one of my favorite smells ever, so it looks like he’ll be gifting the coffee to a few of his favorite teachers at school).
PS: the other big hit of Christmas was the homemade puzzle boxes Brian made each of the kids and the Comfy they each got on Christmas Eve. We’ve had to have a few talks about where and when it’s appropriate to where said Comfys. As in, not church.
5. Wordle
I almost don’t even dare ask, but have you gotten on the wordle train yet?
We are recent converts (it took me one day to become obsessed – I love word games). While we aren’t “those people” (haha) sharing our stats on social media…and actually since my teens don’t have social media…we are keeping the sharing to a family group text.
I have a feeling it’s about to get very competitive. 🙂
6. Wrestling + Volleyball
We are a wrestling family. And this time of year is busy, busy with high school wrestling.
All three of my high schoolers are wrestling. It’s the best of times (I love watching them, even if I cringe a lot and sometimes, even after 12 years of being a wrestling mom, still shout things like “rip his arms off!!” despite them telling me that is NOT helpful wrestling advice and could I please just watch quietly or stick with half nelson encouragements?) and the worst of times (this season has been plagued with injuries and a lot a lot of stinky wrestling gear).
Don’t worry, they’re much more excited than their facial expressions show in this photo. (Sidenote: teenage boys and photos, amiright?)
In case you follow wrestling and care (it’s ok if you don’t), we have a 98-pounder, 145-pounder, and 120-pounder.
It brings back memories of these years when they were much younger and had no qualms about running around our 950-square foot house in northern Minnesota in their singlets all.day.long. Oh wait, they still do. Again: TEENAGE BOYS, AMIRIGHT??
And while we’re on the subject of nostalgic wrestling pictures (this is my blog, and I guess I’m going down a wrestling rabbit hole today and no one can stop me), this is one of my favorite pictures of all time a few years ago when all four of the boys were wrestling in the club season. I think I’ll put this on my phone as my desktop to remind me that on the hard days of parenting and life, there have been a lot of great times, too.
In other news, little sis is playing volleyball for the first time and loving it! It’s a new experience for all of us (don’t worry, I keep my mouth shut and haven’t yelled the same alarming phrases as I do at wrestling tournies), and it has been so much fun.
AND she gets to be on the same team as her cousin who happens to have her exact same birthday so in the language of 9-year old girls: ohmygoshthisisthebestthingeverrrrr!!!! and I concur: it is the best thing ever.
7. Losing Friends
In the midst of everything January has brought to us, good and bad, we lost our incredibly dear friend, next door neighbor, and adopted grandmother this week. 💔
You’ve seen her here on the blog (on this cake post) and here on this Friday Thoughts post talking about her son, Jared, who was fighting a battle with early onset Alzheimers disease (and who passed away last fall).
Carol has been an integral part of our lives for the last 7 1/2 years since we’ve lived here.
Her loss was sudden and unexpected. I’m sitting here looking through teary, glazed eyes trying to write this. It doesn’t seem real yet. And it doesn’t seem fair.
Carol was the wisest and kindest of women. Over the years, she became a treasured friend and confidante. I will miss her tremendously (so will all of us, particularly Cam, who walked over and sat on Carol’s back deck several times a week to talk with her about kittens and school and how to deal with pestering brothers).
Her family meant everything to her. 12 children. Over 70 grandchildren. And 10+ great grandchildren.
I hope I can be like her as I grow up. She was remarkable and we will miss her fiercely.
8. Fill in the Blank
How would you finish this?
I WISH ________________________________
I think I’d go with:
I wish I could have the self-control to freaking go to bed before midnight.
And.
I wish I could take away the pain and injustices in this world for those I love.
This was a long Friday Thoughts post. If you made it to the end…well, like I always say, you deserve a prize. A cookie. 12 1/2 cookies! I appreciate you. So very much.
You are the strongest “Buffalo” I know.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your sweet neighbor. We have several elderly neighbors and I know the days are coming and I cannot stand the thought. I hope you can find peace in your happy memories of her and your time together. I always look forward to your Friday thoughts post. I love how real you are. You are a breath of fresh air. I hope things get better for you following such a rough January.
I am deeply sorry for your loss. I wish you all my sincere condolences as you grieve.
I feel your pain on the thyroid! I have had it since my 20s, so does my mom and all of my maternal aunts. My first symptom of being low is hair loss, and I am very sensitive when my TSH gets over a certain threshold (that’s well within the “normal” range). My best advice is NO GENERICS!!! Every endocrinologist I even had has only prescribed name brand, they all say that results can vary too much with generics. I’d love to hear about the eyebrows!
I am so sorry for the loss of your neighbor. Losing friends is so very hard. But leaning on your faith (as you do) and your other friends will get you through. I love your blog so much! And I am so thankful for your fabulous recipes. They are all so good. I cook from your recipes several times a week with tons of compliments. The latest one everybody loved is the Beef and Broccoli Ramen noodle dish. I made it for the family last Friday night and every single person was raving. We started off January with my baby grandson getting Covid at daycare. Thank the good Lord that he only had a mild case and is feeling better now. But still – very scary. Blessings to you, Mel, and your family. You are doing a great job and please know that we are walking this path with you. We truly are here for you. Much love, Brenda
There is a lot to respond to but for today, I’m zoned in on the eyebrows and Hoshimotos. I recently was diagnosed with that and I completely understand about the disappearing eyebrows. My doctor told me to go off gluten because it would help. I have been surprised as I have spoken to others who have Hoshimotos that have NOT been told they should go off gluten. I’m curious if you have ever been told that by a doctor? Anyway, I’m curious to hear what you decide to do about your eyebrows. I also am not a fan of trying to pencil them in every day. I hope this year gets better for you and your family. It’s sad to lose a friend, especially unexpectedly.
Love reading your Friday comments. Sad losing a friend/neighbor. A large bump in life for sure! Yes I had my eyebrows done and loved it as I felt so much better when I would get up in the morning and look sort of good
That photo of you and your boys at the end just makes me so happy. I have four sons and one daughter with autism, and how I hope to have the same delightful interactions some day with those boys as is so evident in the picture of your son animatedly telling you something. I am so sorry about all the grief in your life. Thanks for sharing and being real.
In case you didn’t already see this – someone created a way to play all the archived games of Wordle while you wait for the next day’s challenge!
https://www.devangthakkar.com/wordle_archive/
Enjoy’
I’m so sorry for your loss. Losing people you love is never easy. She would want you to pick your head up and move forward. Don’t sweat the church organ thing, this happens to everyone occasionally. No one is perfect no matter how hard we try. I want to thank you for the wonderful recipes that you have shared. Especially the key lime cheesecake.
Mel! I live your Friday thoughts and this one was no different! Let me say… I’m do…I’m sorry for your loss… that is so incredibly sad… but can we talk about brows..I have lupus and sometimes my meds make my hair fall out… when I was 12 a neighbor made a statement about my uni brow…I shaved them off.. basically I’ve never had an eye brow since that time… during covid lock down I got a wild hairto try and grow brows…I didn’t plan on much success… but I thought I’d give it a shot and then go thr micro blading route.. my sister loves hers…I tried GRANDE LASH MD for two months… faithfully and they grew back…I upkeep this by using it for a month or two during the year… while they aren’t bushy
.. I’m very happy with them! Best of luck and I hope 2022 cuts you a little slack after this month! Love you so much!!! Jill
Thank you for mentioning the food crates! My oldest turns 16 next week, and I’ve been searcing for something fun for him. I think he’ll love the snack one!
I went into January waiting to find out if my breast biopsy would come back benign (it did!). It was a long wait between the first mammogram right before Thanksgiving and January 6th before I finally had my answer. We had a big snowstorm, and lost power for 24 hours the first week of January that dragged out getting that answer a few extra days.
I turned 44 in mid January, and the next day woke up sick. Its been about 10 days and I’m still recovering from it. Hopefully February will be a better month!
I turned 44 in mid-January too!
It has been a year and the first month is not even over. 2nd week of January we had 4 COVID funerals in our small rural community. Two in our small church congregation. So rough. I am sorry you last your friend after you just lost your dear friend the year before. Life is just hard so just love as much as you can and show kindness. It is so needed! Sorry no eye brow advice and my 4 kids all run cross country, track and one also did basketball. I just yell GO! Or GO faster. They appreciate that I know. Love you Mel. Been with you for over 10 years and you bless my family’s life daily with your recipes because I make at least one recipe of yours daily. You are a rock star and don’t forget it!!!
Sending you love and hugs for a wonderful post. My heart goes out to you and your family ❤️❤️
I will be trying those sugar cookies but will be adding lemon zest to both cookie and frosting as I can’t help myself!
My New Year has started out well, I celebrated my 72nd birthday with my dear cousin who took me out for lunch at an outdoor seated restaurant. First time in two years and it was so much fun! All my family called with good wishes so it was a wonderful day
Hoping the rest of the year will be better for you and your family ❤️
Hey, friends. I just sat down for a bit and read through all your comments so far. I wish I had the time right now to respond to each and everyone personally. Thank you for all that you have shared in your comments. Your joy, your heartbreak. The things that are going well…and the things that aren’t. So many of you are going through unspeakably difficult challenges, and I truly wish I could help in some way.
Thanks for sharing quotes that have helped you, your faith, and so many other things that have also lifted me up as I’ve read them. Words don’t fully encompass how grateful I am for this community. THANK YOU. XOXO
Hi Mel !
Happy (or maybe not) New Year ! I’m sorry for your loss and sadness that started your New Year.
I was happy to see 2022 because my 2021 had three major surgeries, so I will let you know about my 2021. All of a sudden, after bouncing around like I was 30 years old, my body decided to let me know “yeah, you’re not 30”! I had my first surgery on July 9. It was a total knee replacement. ( I had thought my 45 plus years at the gym would have saved me from all the surgeries I’ll be mentioning, but arthritis had different plans)) After hearing all the horror stories about a TKA, I was petrified! But I had a good surgeon and my 45 plus years of working out, helped me make a remarkable quick and relatively pain free recovery! I was back at the gym after only 3 weeks ! On Nov. 3, I had a 6 hour back surgery called a laminectomy for spinal stenosis which had caused me to feel like my right leg was on fire after walking only a few minutes. Again, I left the hospital in only two days and was able to walk 3 miles in just two weeks. The third surgery was not so much fun because 4 weeks after my back surgery, I fell coming down my back stairs right on my back and busted open my incision. I called my surgeon and he met me in the ER and I had a three hour surgery to repair the damage the very next morning. After feeling sorry for myself, I decided to move forward and recognize all the things I was grateful for, and how I had been blessed during these surgeries ((except the bonus one) I am blessed with a body that thinks major surgery is a walk in the park! I had the best surgeons for my surgeries and I am now pain free ! So all in all, after thinking 2021 was not a good year, I realized 2021 was a year that healed. Hint:When I go to the hospital, I go bearing three gift bags filled with all sorts of goodies. One for my surgeon, one for the nurses station that receives me, a total wailing mess, and a gift bag for the nurses who would care for me after my surgery. I made at least 8 gift bags! So I guess I try to focus on my blessings and the things I can be grateful for in the times when it’s hard to see those blessings.
I live near Boston, MA and we have lots of friends that live here and than go back to Utah. When they leave, the Ward gifts them this beautiful Googling Cod from Shreveport Crump Lowe. Check it out! It’s similar to what your Mom gave you.
Thanks for your post, and I hope the rest of 2022 brings you more happiness than heartache.
Linda T.
Oh, how I love to read your Friday thoughts, it does lift me UP. Seems like I’ve had a number of friends lose loved ones recently, too, it is hard. I was called to bring a cake to church for a funeral dinner. I made your Best Chocolate Cake. I’d never made it before, but I trust you. Honestly, I don’t bake many cakes, and I refused to take a box mix for a grieving family. At least when I licked the bowl, it was delicious. Thank you for testing all these recipes on your family, I appreciate their willingness for the cause. Hope your February is a bit happier.
When you started your post by noting how rough January has been, you could have been writing about my month. There have been silver linings along the way and I’m clinging to them tightly! My big brother passed away. (Silver lining: the crazy snow week stopped just in time for me to drive to Seattle to be the support his wife needed.) I caught covid on the way home and had to quarantine. (But the other 3 people in my house didn’t get it.) And then having dear friends in our little community lose their dear mother/grandmother – your own sweet Carol. That family has been through so much in the past year+. So, yep, it’s been a difficult beginning to 2022. But what is there to do but learn grow and make the best of it? Here’s to the sunny days ahead. Thank you for your candor.
I Love Friday Thoughts. I am sorry for the hard stuff and hope you have a better birthday month next month! My I wish statement would be “I wish we could be prepared or forewarned with how to deal when things are hard.” On a lighter note, I also love the smell of coffee. My seven year old just came over and said, “what are you reading?” And I said, “Mel’s post.” And he said, “Oh I know Mel!” I consider you like a sister I am not related to. My whole family follows you and we love you and your recipes. ❤️
Thank you for your post. I am so sorry about losing your dear friend and neighbor. You were so blessed to have each other. If Cam gets to play with her cousin on the same team that must mean you guys have family really close by, yahoo! That’s awesome!! Your post made my day. You’ve lived in Idaho for 7 1/2 years? Is that a record? I’m unpacking boxes today from our move last June…that arrived in November. Anyway. Big hugs and thank you sooo much for all you blog. Seriously.
Mel,
Microblading + powder brow is where it’s at! Half my brows are blonde and it took me a while to pull the trigger but not having to do your brows make up is so great, you should totally do it!
I wish Mel had a randomizer button on her site like Deb from Smitten Kitchen has. Man I love ‘shaking the magic 8 ball’ just to see what comes up.
I wish I had time to cook all of Mel’s recipes! I can’t because the ones I’ve tried are are on frequent repeat at our house. (we just destroyed a bowl of your black bean hummus!)
I wish I could love my neighbors and friends and random internet strangers as hard and as deep as Mel does.
I wish all ward organists knew how grateful I am for their service, missed notes and all!
I love these. Thank you for being open and honest. Here’s to love and kindness winning
I’m a wrestling mom too and for the first time ever I have only one child wrestling! (160 lbs) and for the first time, this particular son does not have to cut weight. Phew. It’s such a relief not to have exhausted stinky starving children! My older boys are 24, 24 and 22, 17 and 10. They wrestled at 220, 195 and 182 in high school and they always had to cut weight for tournaments. Especially the 182 weight class. It was awful to have them go for days (and workouts) without drinking or eating. I’m a few years ahead of you. They will be on to the next hard thing in no time. It’s just as hard to watch painful young adult experiences as it is to watch a child squirm his way out of a half Nelson. Having been through the sweat and tears and disappointment snd triumph as young teenagers helped them develop the skills to handle the really heartbreaking things that have come their way as young adults. Mothering is just hard! But also great.
For the record—downy unstoppables is the saving grace for stinky wrestling clothes!
And yay for a cookbook!
https://crisanbeauty.com/products/crisan-lash-brow-and-lip-set
You might like this for your eyebrows!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, Mel. We like it.
My son recently joined his schools wrestling team and I’m nervous. It helped to read your post about your boys. I’m sorry for your loss. These last few years have been tough. Hang in there.
Love you Mel. Thank you for sharing your life and your talent and your sorrows. We are all right there with you.
Thinking about you! I also play organ in church (husband is still bishop). Not many callings require you to get up in front of people week after week and put yourself out there like that. You are awesome for doing it. I wish I could get myself to bed early, too. 🙂 So sorry to hear of Carol’s passing.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Wisdom gleaned from life’s experiences. I just said goodbye to my 5th child for two years. All of his older siblings have served missions as well. It doesn’t get easier, except that now I know what a blessing this will be in his life and ours. Baking is my outlet. My stress reliever. Whenever I’m searching for a recipe yours is a great resource! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your recipes
I am a first time Missionary Mom…it’s hard. I had no idea how hard it would be. I figured since my kid was making a good choice I would just feel blessing raining down, which I do but it’s still way harder than I thought. It’s hard to watch them struggle and not really be able to help or give helpful suggestions due to cultural differences. I know it a common feeling but I thought I’d jump in here for a short therapy session with another mom. Good luck with your youngest!!
For the brows check out “Powder Brows” instead of doing the microblading.
I’m sorry. I read all of your posts, but haven’t taken time to comment lately. And I kind of fell off the Instagram train, but I do go search up your posts every so often. So sorry about your friend. When it rains, it pours! **Hugs**
Mel, I enjoy your posts (and your food)!
I’ve never been a resolution person either, but I have found picking a word of the year to be good for me. It’s one word that directs my year. I haven’t done a lot of work to get my word either. I pray and think about it, and it tends to come to me unexpectedly. This year is re-center.
I’m sorry for your losses and how 2022 is continuously taking it’s half out of the middle. 🙁 Your neighbor sounds delightful, I had a neighbor like that too growing up. Sweet memories.
I’m so glad there’s someone else that like sweet and sour goodies! I once had a (former) friend try to convince me that it’s just for kids. Pish posh!!
Wordle- just learned about it- haven’t explored it
Eyebrows- I know nothing of microblading- sadly I look like Groucho Marx if I don’t groom them, I didn’t know that people lose their eyebrows until my stylist told me I am lucky to have something to pluck and shape as annoying as it is… makes me sneeze just thinking about it. lol
I wish people would put down their phones and be in the moment with the people in front of them. I’m not anti-technology by any means and I love that we have the option to document everything and share our lives and preserve our memories. It definitely serves a purpose. But there has to be balance. I’m going to find that in 2022 for me.
I could read your posts all day! I have kids begging for breakfast but I’m enjoying my casual reading this Saturday morning! 🙂
We also have a “Carol” next door. She feels like my adopted mom. Helped teach me to shape bread loaves while trying out your Quinoa Wheat Bread recipe. Taught me to trim rose bushes. Plays piano duets with me. Is a grandma to my kids. I also hope to become like her! Sending love your way.
I wish… I knew what to write. Soooo many complicated thoughts and feelings this year 2022. Guess we’ll just keep pushing forward. Onward and upward! ❤️
Microblading? Do it. My eyebrows got up and left when I was in college. I waited 20 years and really debated about it for half of those. I had it done one year ago and it has been wonderful.
This isn’t an area where you want to find “a deal” or find someone who does it out of their basement. Find someone with good reviews who will listen to you.
Best of luck!! I love your recipes and reading your blog. Thank you for being inspiring, and real.
Anastasia brow pencil. The absolute best and a game changer for me and my sister. No other pencil comes close.
Awww Mel……here’s a (((((((HUG)))))) ❤️ I know just what you mean. Very sorry for the loss of your friend and the current every day real struggles. I’m right there with ya! I wish……my daughter who just finished her PhD last August could find a job…..like a real job…..with benefits type job! Been a frustrating time for sure. Seems Ike the last two years have been a continual struggle for everyone. That’s great your boys are in wrestling and your daughter in volleyball. THAT is what its all about…..helping and supporting your kids. Being there for them on the day in and day out stuff! So good for you! I am no help on micro blading…..sorry….I’m kind of a low key make up person……a bit of blush and a coat of lip gloss and I’m out the door! Take care of yourself and your family and hang in there……with the rest of us! Hugs from AZ……Lynn Peck
I love these mash up posts. I am so very sorry for your loss of your dear friend. My heart goes out to you and your family.
I don’t have any microblading recommendations, but I have been using the DIME Beauty brow enhancing gel and it has definitely re-grown my brows. Mine were very sparse in the outer 1/3 and I can see new growth just from using the gel when I apply my makeup. Just a thought if you weren’t ready for the microblading.
I am going to get micro blading done! I was scheduled for the end of November, but found out 1 week before that I had to wait longer since I just finished Acutane.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend. Sending a virtual hug to you.
Super cute kiddos pictures!
No clue about microblading! (I have crazy eyebrows.) Friends have done it & love it.
I wish… I could figure out this gut issue I have. And I also wish we could get a house. Lot of steps involved but I’m tired of living in a tiny place as our kids get bigger.
Happy 2022 to you & your family! Thank you for your amazing website & recipes. Has been my go to for many years 🙂
Yesterday I printed off your chocolate chip cookie recipe made with melted butter, and also the chocolate chocolate chip cookie recipe. My goal was to make them for daughter from Iowa and 4 grandkids coming for a visit today. Unfortunately COVID hit our daughter, and that basically changed all of our plans. But, I have a brother and his wife coming on Tuesday, so all is not lost (although she does not like desserts of any kind). My husband with Parkinson’s is not supposed to eat chocolate, but I know that he will at least have to sample one or two. Who can resist a recipe from the Famous Mel.
Thanks for getting on here and sharing what’s real. The good and the hard and everything in between. It definitely feels like life is ramping up doesn’t it? Like we are needing to learn all the things right now! Thank goodness for cookies and church.
Hope the next month has less sad times. Kudos to you for putting what’s important to you first and foremost. Thanks for reaching out and sharing with all of us. ❤️
First of all, I’m so sorry for your loss. You are so beautifully tied to your community, and I’m sorry when a piece of it is gone. Like CS Lewis said, the joy now is part of the pain later.
Secondly, I got my eyebrows micro bladed and I love it. I’m not high maintenance in any way (farm wife, mother of 6, living a parallel life with you) but it has made me feel so much more comfortable when I don’t bother to put makeup on. At least I have eyebrows now. I would say two things from my experience: make sure they let the numbing agent sit for a good long time before they start, and don’t do the full tattoo look. The first time I felt every slash and it made me squirm quite a bit, but when she refilled them, she let it sit much longer and I barely felt it at all.
Lastly, I’d love to send you something I made, an appreciation for all the things you share with me. If you’ll email me directly, I’ll send it your way.
I am so sorry for the passing of your friend and the job loss. Sending prayers and virtual hugs.
I’m so impressed that you can stay awake past midnight without being a coffee drinker. I sometimes need a cup around 3pm just to make it to 8pm. I call it my afternoon cocktail!
As for the cookbook, please do your homework to make sure this is the right kind of project for you. Perhaps network with some other food bloggers who have gone that route to understand the commitment, deadlines, expectations, etc. Keep doing you!!!
I have nothing to say except I feel your pain on the organ. I’ve had to train myself not to make faces when I make mistakes otherwise people would wonder what I was doing up there. Hang in there!
I only have two wishes right now although I could have many. Number one Is I wish my beautiful blonde wife was still alive and with me. Number two is I would love to see ALL politicians both local and federal to have only two terms like the president has. We need new people in there otherwise our country is lost to socialism.
Where did your sister get her eyebrows microbladed? Sounds like the lady who did hers is a great eyebrow artist. I have heard great things about a lady named Mel at Allure Artistry. https://allureartistrycosmetics.com/
I’ve always wanted to see her when I lived in Utah but now I live in NM and so its a lot further away. But I would totally trust her.
https://www.instagram.com/browsbycamillewardle/?hl=en
She’s the best!
Hi Mel, if you follow @hellomeridian, she just posted about the best microblading place in the valley. It’s called The Brow Club, there I just looked it up for you. Lol
We discovered Gurgle pots about 8 or 9 years ago, they are our absolute favorite dinner item. Everyone that comes over for dinner falls in love with them. We’re at the age where some of our nieces and nephews are getting married and we’ve decided it is our wedding gift that we will give everyone.
I love the subscription box idea!
So sorry that your neighbor passed. This winter seems full of unexpected death and sadness, not even Covid related. It can be so hard to not feel pulled down by it. Your animals and good food are wonderful highlights in a very dreary world. Creating can be one of the best anecdotes to sadness. Much love from Boise
Microblading – had it done and vote Yes! A friend came to visit, and every morning I looked at her and thought, “you put on makeup for breakfast?”, and teased her about it – she said, “Nope, just microbladed eyebrows!” I had it done, and then my daughter was so impressed that she had it done. It’s been a couple of years, and I continue to be glad it did it!