#FaveFiveThings [10.21.16]

Happy Friday, friends!! Who else is ready for the weekend??

We have NO plans this Saturday and we are so pumped. We’ve been trying to get a “do-nothing” Saturday for several weeks now, but fun things kept popping up that we couldn’t say no to! Our philosophy has always been that we have the rest of our lives to sit around and do nothing, but we’ll never regret taking opportunities to spend time with family or do fun things (which, at one point in time, meant we traveled somewhere away from Amarillo every weekend from the end of August 2015 to New Years 2016– talk about some nomads!). We still stick by our philosophy, BUT- if nothing comes our way, then we are perfectly content to hang out and do little to nothing this weekend! This is Steven’s last whole weekend off for a few weeks (he is starting back to work in the wards (the hospital floor) after a few clinic weeks, so they either work 6 days with 1 day off, or 12 days with 2 days off depending on how they work it out among themselves) so we are ready to take advantage of it by relaxing!

And without further adieu, check out these five things!

I Am Second Testimonial- Chip and Joanna Gaines

I love I Am Second videos. Like, I could sit and watch these people’s testimonies all day and just get so fired up about the Lord. There is something so special and sweet about someone describing how they developed a relationship with Christ and I love watching people from all walks of life talk about what that relationship means to them and how it came about.

Now, I’m about to be reeeeeeeal honest with y’all. And we’re going to assume this is a judgment free zone….

I don’t really like watching Fixer Upper.

Well, maybe I should say, I don’t really like watching a lot of Fixer Upper at one time. It stresses me out. Something always goes wrong, they have to find more money in the budget, things aren’t able to go where they were supposed to, yada yada. Y’all. We bought a brand new house for a reason. (Several reasons. One of them being a much lower chance that it is haunted. But that’s another story for another time, friends). I just do not have the constitution to make it through a home renovation process. I love their style! I will sit and look at pictures of finished homes all day, but when they are ripping out floors and testing to see how much of the foundation is rotted, and exterminating unwanted inhabitants out of the home, y’all just need to know that a part of me is internally hyperventilating.

All that to say, I really do like Chip and Jo and the work they do. I love this new renaissance of farmhouse chic style that’s come about, and I enjoy making older things new again and repurposing items. And I loved listening to these two talk about their relationship, and how that has strengthened their walk with the Lord, both individually and as a couple.

This is 100% worth eight minutes of your time, and might just brighten your day. I know it did mine! Visit I Am Second for more inspiring celebrity testimonial videos.

And can I just throw in a side note about how amazing people look in simple black tees, jeans, and white furniture?? Holy smokes, I want to live in that world!

2. ENVI Salon Professional Nail Enamel Dryer Spray

Raise your hand if you could sit perfectly still for hours on end after painting your nails, but would still end up with a smudge or chip or crease (MY HAND IS RAISED SO HIGH RIGHT NOW, Y’ALL). I feel like I’ve tried everything- using the hair dryer, using quick dry polish, using quick dry top coat (which made the top dry quickly, with the undercoat still wet), but nothing works.

One day while I was getting groceries at HEB, I walked past an end-cap display near the beauty department with these on it for around $3. I had no idea if it was worthwhile, but I figured it was worth a try for $3.

Y’all. THIS WORKS. I painted my nails, waited the 60 seconds like it said, sprayed it on, and IT WAS DRY.

Don’t ask me what voodoo Disney magic chemicals are in this. I don’t know. And I don’t care. I just hope I never, ever run out.

3. Weiman Cleaners (Granite Wipes and Stove Top Cleaner/ Scrub)

In my book, it’s hard to beat a Clorox wipe. They are so versatile, and they disinfect, and clean, and you just need the wipe and nothing else. I love me some Clorox wipes.

But– I have learned that Clorox wipes might not be the best choice for everything. For most situations, yes, but there are some that you need something made for what you need.

I was told a few months back that granite countertops need to be sealed every six months to keep them in good condition. I checked this with my mother-in-law, who also has granite countertops, and she said she hasn’t ever sealed hers, but she does use a granite cleaner from Lowe’s often that helps protect them from wear and tear.

When I was looking at HEB for something else (this seems to be a theme today…), I ran across Weiman granite spray cleaner, and then… Weiman granite wipes. Y’all. It’s like a Clorox wipe but made specifically for granite. And, bonus- they smell awesome. I’ve traded these out for my beloved Clorox wipes now, unless there is something that needs to be disinfected. These protect and seal every time you wipe with them.

And while I was on this aisle, I also found Weiman stove top cleaner. We have the glass stove top that I seem to always have gunk on because my pasta pots boil over and whatnot. My Clorox wipes can’t get it off, but this new magic stuff DOES. The spray cleaner gets all the gunk off, and then the polish/ scrub gets anything extra that is caked on around the burners. You can use the scrubby pads that are Weiman brand, or I have also used my regular dish scrubby sponge.

This is just a good ole lesson in using the best tool for the job in order to be the most successful. If you have granite countertops and/ or a glass stove top- try out Weiman products!

4. Johnnyswim- Georgica Pond

I’m gonna be honest with y’all- I had never heard of Johnnyswim before a few weeks ago, and now it seems like they are blowing up everywhere– they played Silobration at Magnolia Silos, were recommended in the first issue of the Magnolia Journal, were raved about on the Big Mama Blog. Okay, so they were blowing up in my little circle of the world. So, I decided to check them out. I came in on this party about the time their latest album, Georgica Pond, was released and I was not disappointed.

Johnnyswim is the duo of Amanda and Abner and just prepare yourself for some soul. Their voices are gorgeous (Amanda’s mom is Donna Summers), and the songs feel new and classic at the same time (this makes sense to me, but I know that seems contradictory). Right now, I am loving “Villains” and “First Try”, but all the tracks are great!

And I will confess, I scrolled through Spotify and gave their Christmas album a little listen on Sunday while I was cleaning our house. They have the perfect Christmas song voices. And y’all know what I’m talking about.

5. Hocus Pocus

Anyone ever heard of a little movie called A Christmas Story? (Stick with me, friends…).

Of course you have. It gets completely overplayed every year to the point that you groan when you see it on the channel guide. Until one year, you actually stop and watch it because you realize you’ve gone so many years without watching since since it gets played so much that you forget how great it is.

Hocus Pocus is the Halloween version of A Christmas Story.

It gets SO MUCH air time every year that you stop watching it because it’s overplayed every year. Or at least I did. And then this year (this week), I decided to make a revisit, and I’m glad I did.

It gets played so much every year because it is a GREAT movie, far superior to anything of it’s time, and hands down one of the best Halloween movies. Bette Midler is arguably one of the greatest actresses of all time, young Sarah Jessica Parker just proves she has always been a fantastic actress and if you don’t laugh out loud watching Kathy Najimy riding a vacuum cleaner instead of a broom, you might not be human.

And funnily enough, this is one of those classics from childhood that I watch as an adult and think, “how was I allowed to watch this as a child??”. It’s milder than some from childhood, but there are still quite a few adult themes. But I don’t remember any of that from back then, so maybe that’s why it was fine to watch. Who knows?

There’s still a week and a few days left before Halloween, so you still have plenty of time to watch it before then! Here is a channel/ time line up for viewing.

And here is Kathy Najimy riding a vacuum cleaner…