animals

A Few Favorites

Hey hey! It’s currently Thursday morning as I type up this post and I think I have the pets all settled in and relaxing (for now…). Does anyone else have animals that are just straight. up. hyper. first thing in the morning?

Black cat sitting in laundry basket

I have to take my fasting blood sugar right when I wake up and every day, without fail, Malcolm tries to knock my lancets, test strips, or glucose monitor off the table while I’m pricking my finger, haha. Then I’m also trying to wrangle Mavis and Lola… one of which is barking, whining, wanting to go outside, trying to jump on the couch, chasing Malcolm, or begging for food. Our little zoo is a wild place to be in the morning!

Something I’ve been trying to remind myself when I get overwhelmed with the animals is that I can choose joy and contentment, even when things are crazy. Would I like our house to be quiet and clean? Yes. Would I like to start the day without chasing after animals the second I get out of bed? You bet.

Black lab mix and cocker spaniel puppy with bandanas

These animals are mine and Jimmy’s fur babies and we love them, even when they’re crazy. Instead of getting frustrated when they’re acting up, I remind myself what our pets mean to me, and give thanks for the joy they’ve brought to our lives. Am I perfect at this? Nope, definitely not. It’s a work in progress, and I’m okay with that. It’s a blessing to live with our little fur balls, and I never want to forget that, even during the hard moments.

Alright, off of that tangent and onto a few favorites from lately!

1. Walmart grocery pickup.

Walmart Grocery Pickup

I’m still going strong with ordering our groceries online from Walmart and picking them up. I’ve found the whole process to be super easy, simple, and convenient. I really like that I can see exactly what the bill will be while I’m shopping. It definitely helps me stay within our budget!

2. Full Circle Detail Brush. 

Full Circle detail brush for cleaning

Is anyone else a cleaning nerd like me? I don’t know what it is, but cleaning makes me so happy. There’s nothing like giving the sink a good scrub and getting it all shiny or mopping the floors until they gleam. I just love it.

I bought this detail brush for cleaning the kitchen and immediately ordered another one for the bathroom once I used it. The top part is a scrubber and the bottom is a scraper-type tool that’s amazing at cleaning crevices.

3. Homemade laundry booster. 

Borax, arm & hammer washing soda, and felts naptha soapHomemade laundry booster made from borax, washing soda, and fels naptha soap

Okay, one more cleaning related favorite! I made homemade laundry booster last weekend and it’s making our clothes smell amazing. It was pretty simple to put together, and I don’t think I spent more than $10 on all the ingredients. Is anyone interested in the recipe?!

3. Shark Week and Battle Bots. It’s Shark Week this week!! Enough said, right? Jimmy and I have also been enjoying watching Battle Bots on the Discovery Network each Friday night. Do you have any favorite TV shows?

4. Mavis is feeling better! 

Cocker spaniel puppy with cone

Little May May has been recovering so well from her surgery. She has been such a good girl with keeping her cone on and definitely has her energy and spunk back. I’m taking her to have her stitches removed on Monday morning, so hopefully all goes well with that!

5. Grace, Not Perfection. Remember how I said I picked up a few new books and Grace, Not Perfection by Emily Ley was one of them? It’s such a great book! I’m really enjoying the fact that it’s so interactive, with spaces to write and reflect on the author’s writing and prompts. I definitely recommend it!

I feel like I could share a million other favorites and updates, but this post is long enough! I’m off to start my day, which is probably going to include real estate work and wrangling animals 🙂

What’s a favorite of yours lately?

Currently: December 2017

Current book Sisters First by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush. I’m about halfway through and really enjoying it. It’s neat to have an inside look at the Bush twins’ life. Also reading II Peter during my devotion time!

Current mood Relaxed. Jimmy and I both took two days off of work to have a staycation together and it’s amazing. I slept until 8:30 am yesterday!

Current indulgence Naps snuggled up with Malcolm. And wearing clothes that don’t match whatsoever 😉

Girl sleeping with black cat

Current need Texting gloves. It’s getting cold here in Pittsburgh, so I’m always wearing mittens or gloves when I walk dogs. The only problem is that I need to be able to take pictures and text my clients without freezing my hands off (dramatic, I know).

Current blessing Jimmy and I had a family from our church over for lunch in late November and it was such a lovely time with Christian friends.

Current beauty product Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Nail Coat. I’ve been trying to paint my nails once a week, and this top coat works wonders for two reasons: it drys super fast and really protects the polish underneath from chipping.

Coffee in catfinated mug from Kirkland's

Yay for non-chipped nail polish!

Current procrastination Getting my hair trimmed. I keep trimming it myself to save time. I know it’d be good to have a professional do it for once.

Current goal Getting our house decorated for Christmas this weekend. It’s going to be an interesting holiday season with trying to keep Mavis and Malcolm from destroying our Christmas tree 😉

Current obsession Dove milk chocolates. I love having these after a meal for something sweet. Yum!

Dove milk chocolates

Current craving Meeting mine and Jimmy’s cousins’ son. They just adopted a ten-year-old boy from China and I cannot wait to meet him!

Current food We’re getting a HomeChef delivery today! We are continuing to test out all the different meal kit delivery services. I’ll report back soon 🙂

Current excitement I photographed a gorgeous property for my family’s real estate business. It’s a huge horse stable facility (I feel like there’s a more official name for that?!) with acres and acres of land for horseback riding. It was so peaceful.

Brown and white horse overlooking field

Current drink Coffee! Really enjoying the Organic Honduras Whole Bean Coffee from Aldi.

Current prayer Jimmy and I do a lot of communicating and working with a family at Shiloh Christian Children’s Ranch, which is a safehaven for abused and neglected children. The homeparents told us that this time of year can be especially hard for the children living with them, as it can bring up memories of trauma. We’re doing a lot of praying that this holiday season would be a great one for the children living there.

Current confession I love this picture of my brother and Mavis napping together in my dad’s truck. I’m also a little jealous she actually napped with him. Mavis is usually looking out the window when she rides on my lap!

Man and puppy sleeping together

Current question What are you doing this weekend?