five finds friday (dates with otto & beaded earrings & friends)

In the course of one day, a load of mess can happen.

In the course of one week – well, even more mess. Right?

This week it was a broken water pump in our well.  Deep down in our well. Life with teenagers. (Someone this week declared teens to be a little Jekyll and Hyde sort of situation – and that feels like the most true thing I have heard in ages.)

But here it is – Friday again.

funny

Wrapped up rewatching The Office.

With beets – to honor Dwight.

PSA: They were disgusting.

fashionable

Sure – it’s earrings again.

Are you even surprised?

I love all sorts of beaded earrings lately.

And it was fun to discover one of my favorite little local shops – Goose Feathers – has a wide selection of beaded earrings – all for only about $16!

flavorful

We’re adding some recipes to the chalkboard wall framing the dining room.

It’s fun to see the favorites up there.

And – pretty handy to not have to locate the recipe anywhere.

faithful

There might have been a couple of rants offered up to my kids from my mouth this week.

Maybe some were holy, mostly they were not.

How about I state the obvious?  Single parenting isn’t a party.

It’s lonely.  It’s exhausting. It’s thankless. It’s cuss word hard work.

How kind of God to give me a whole tight little circle of friends who take my calls, respond to my text messages and listen to my voxer messages. Who pray with me when I ask and who pray for me when I forget to ask. Who check in and offer sympathy, understanding and a place to talk it out and walk it out and live it out.

And – who bring me Earl Grey tea with a little milk on the side on a Thursday morning.

feels

Every kid at my house currently attends youth group.  

Except one.

So one night a week, by default, Otto and I have a little date.

It’s just he and I.

We don’t always do some fun event, but we just spend time together. 

This week it was errands – library, then a quick stop at TJ Maxx and then there was time for his request – Yogurt Mountain.

He’s easy to please.

And he’s easy to be with.

Sweet chatter. A lot of fishing talk. And Nerf guns. And a good deal of discussion about animal traits and insects and which creature runs the fastest and frankly, I cannot truly recall all of it.

But I like being with him. Holding his hand. Answering his questions. It’s a good pause in our weekly busy.

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