Friday Favorites {7.16.2021} -

Happy Friday, y’all! I hope everyone had a great week and is ready for a great weekend!

We had a pretty quiet week this week. On Friday night, the kids took a long bubble bath, and then we put Henry to bed and let Livy have a little one on one time. She wanted to do all things girly so I painted her nails and toes and then French braided her hair for the first time while she played in my old make-up. Then she snuggled with us for a movie for a while (we’ve gotten her hooked on the original Space Jam). She’s getting so big and it’s just more and more fun to hang out with her as she gets older.

Steven was on advanced call and VA call last weekend, so we were in town, but he didn’t have any procedures scheduled, so we spent a lot of time driving around the countryside around us looking for cows and sheep (one of kids’ favorite hobbies, haha!) and hanging at the park.

On Saturday around lunch, we found ourselves at Dairy Queen and these two devoured chicken strip baskets and a chocolate brownie Blizzard (Steven and I helped with that Blizzard a little, but those two definitely took the majority!). The chocolate brownie flavor is definitely our favorite!

Cinnamon Roll Sunday mornings are a favorite as well, and I opted for no food coloring this week, haha! (To read about my debacle with red, white, and blue tie dye cinnamon rolls, click here 😉 ) Boudreaux is constantly on patrol for any possible scraps, with no exception on Sunday mornings!

After church and Sunday school, we decided to hit a favorite for lunch- Rosa’s. We went up to the one in Waco instead just for something to do, and it was super crowded but really good! (I think that’s the sign of a good Rosa’s- packed with people). Henry loves throwing down on some fresh homemade tortillas, and Sunday was no exception!

July 1 was the start of the medical new year, so we had a little get-together on Sunday night with all the fellows in Steven’s department so the new families could get to know everyone. We met at this really cool local pizza place that has a shaded playground and big screen outdoor amphitheater, plus really good pizza, so it’s always a favorite! It rained a little off and on so the littles couldn’t spend the whole time on the playground, but it was still fun to meet the newbies and welcome them to fellowship life! (and Henry had the most fun just walking up and down the stairs down into the amphitheater 😉 )

The rest of our week was fairly normal and uneventful! We had dance twice this week because Livy fell going in last Thursday and didn’t want to stay for class so we did a make up on Tuesday and our regular class on Thursday. We got there early on Tuesday so I let her in the front seat for a little pre-class dance party to get pumped up!

After dance, we ran up to one of our favorite places here, Sam’s, for some fried seafood. As we finished up our meal, our waitress came by to tell us that an older couple had bought our meal on their way out, and I almost starting crying at our table. It was just such a tangible reminder of kindness and generosity after a somewhat hectic day, and the only downsides to it were that they left before we could tell them thank you and that we were the only ones left in the restaurant so we couldn’t pay it forward. But it was seriously one of the nicest things and we are so appreciative, kind strangers, wherever you are! <3

We were all craving a little something sweet on Wednesday night, so Livy helped me make brownies. Brownies are a favorite to make together because I usually make them in just a regular bowl instead of the mixer so it’s easier for her to help. I prepped all the ingredients- putting the mix in the bowl, measuring all the liquids, and cracking the egg- and she poured it all together and mixed it up. It makes my heart so happy that she loves helping in the kitchen and I hope we get to bake and cook together for many, many years!

We actually didn’t have any commitments on Thursday other than evening dance, so it was really nice to get a full day at home to get everything in order and prep for a busy week coming up. We are going to be out of town this weekend picking up some new cows (we are SO excited for these!!) and taking them back to the ranch, and then Steven is on hospital call next week, which is always busy. On top of that typical busy, the kids also have swim lessons Monday through Thursday so next week is going to take some planning, preparation, and flexibility! We are going to be tired by the end of next week, haha!

One last favorite for this week- last fall I read the 3 part series called Tom Brown’s Body featured in Texas Monthly about a missing teen in Canadian (in the Panhandle, close to where we lived when Steven was in medical school and I was finishing grad school). The case has yet to be solved, but there are so many parts that are just fascinating. I had heard several people say the podcast series about it (also by Texas Monthly, narrated by the article reporter) was really good, so I decided to check it out just to see if it had any updates from the print story. It didn’t really, but just hearing everything come to life was SO interesting and did give some additional detail and depth to what I’d already read. I highly recommend listening to it! And once I finished Tom Brown’s Body, I jumped into Boomtown, another series by Texas Monthly. This is about the historic boom the Permian Basin was experiencing just prior to COVID, and I find it equally as fascinating! Steven’s parents live in Midland and were involved in oil their entire careers prior to retirement, so hearing all the history and connections have just been so interesting as well! I’m only 3 episodes in with Boomtown, but am really enjoying it. Check them out if you are looking for a limited podcast series!