TGIF! Welcome back to the weekend! I'm linking up with Erika to share my favorite things from this past week. This is a longer the normal Friday Favorites so I'm going to jump right in.

Favorite #1

I celebrated my six month anniversary of blogging on March 21st. It has been an interesting journey and life has been so utterly busy I am not all that sure how I managed to keep up with consistently posting at least three times per week. Almost immediately after creating my blog I encountered a significant life change that could easily have stopped me in my tracks within a month of even starting. However, I decided not to let that situation divert my path and I remained focused on just getting the words out of my head, whatever they were. I remained focused on God and the peace that only He can bring. I remained focused on helping others as a means of keeping my mind off of what I was processing. I am thankful that I did. It hasn't always been easy. And there are days I just want to stop writing and rest my brain...or rather, I want to write poetry. But, what good is that? What purpose do I serve on this earth if I am not walking in love and serving others? I will surely pass away without making an impression if I focus on myself. So, I have kept writing. Sometimes it's silly things like these Friday Favorites, but sometimes even these posts have significant and heartfelt information in them. Sometimes I write more heartfelt posts about the topics I study or the books I have read. I most definitely write about recipes and cooking choices. Where will this journey take me? When will I stop? Only God knows. I hope to remain at His will in this process so that every piece that I share helps someone, anyone and that it is for His ultimate glory in whatever way possible. I still believe strongly that every piece I write has the opportunity to do that. Every piece. I still believe in my blog's name, and that every piece fits.

Side note, I thought the anniversary date was Wednesday so I was not prepared on Monday to take cute photos as I most definitely do not wear patterns like this very often. I'm truly a solids kind of girl. Anyway, I took some fun photos with the help of my friend, Konni, despite the dress and flats I wore to work that day. ;) This is one of many...

Favorite #2

I'm loving this Xhilaration Maxi dress from Target. It's super feminine and flattering. It's lightweight and airy for the impending summer (and high 80's temperatures we already have in Houston). Plus, I can get by without wearing wedges or heels as it just skims the floor when I wore it with my Tory Burch Miller sandals. This, my friends, is a rarity for me with maxi dresses. I'm 5' 4.5" (yes, I claim that extra 1/2 inch!) so most everything is long on me. I'm standing on my tip toes for the pic. Not sure why I did that! Anyway, if you want to order it online Target does have free shipping!

Words cannot express how thrilled I was to get so much time with my friend, Karen, this week. She's not only one of the best persons I know, but she used to meet me at 5am to work out. I miss our early morning chats, but I know we're both equally happy to catch up over a glass of wine or other libation.

Favorite #3

If you follow me on any form of social media you likely saw my Saturday morning sunrise picture. I cannot emphasize enough how special it is to watch the sun come up and see the different colors in the sky, feel the cool(er) breeze, and hear the city begin to stir. There is something extremely powerful with sunrises to me.

I start my day(s) very early during the week, and usually do not sleep in much on the weekend between wanting to see this or to have quiet time before being productive with the day's tasks and events. I shared thoughts on this this week in a post about balancing home and work life that you can read about here, but it actually links back to a post I shared late last year about productivity. I'm not suggesting that everyone wakes up as early as I do, but I do encourage you to consider beginning to wake up a little bit earlier each week so that you do not waste the day away. Just my thoughts. I'm a task oriented planner at heart.

Favorite #4

I tested out this recipe that @PaleoCastle shared on Instagram for a microwavable, single serving cake in a mug. I was busy baking my Paleo Chocolate Chip Muffins which is a nine muffin serving and thought to myself, why not give this a try in one of the open muffin cups remaining in my twelve muffin pan? So I did just that!

Recipe

1 tbsp almond flour
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 egg
1 tbsp coconut oil
stevia, honey, agave, or pure maple syrup if you're eating Paleo and not Whole 30

I mixed the ingredients together without any form of sweetener, added it to my muffin pan and baked at 375* for 15 minutes. To test my experiment, I added the Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips to the top of it immediately after removing it from the oven and used a spoon to spread it across the top of the "cake" as it melted. The result: very good and easy to make for a single serving. It tasted like a pancake to me though, so I suspect you'd want to add a sweetener to it to make it taste more like a dessert cake. That being said, it was so super easy I can foresee this being my dessert treat go-to without the sweeteners or "Paleo" chocolate on top but using almond butter or whipped coconut cream instead. Whichever way you tinker with this recipe, you'll find a way that suits your pallet and nutritional restrictions.

Favorite #5

I made this Paleo artichoke dip on Saturday, but I substituted the ghee for coconut oil instead so that it was Whole 30 and completely dairy free for a friend of mine. It was super easy to make and incredibly flavorful. Let's just say it was a major hit as there wasn't a dab of it left over! It will definitely be added to my line up of party foods to make! And quite frankly, I may attempt to make it in small batches for myself sometimes. ;)

I picked up this Primal Kitchen mayo from Whole Foods that you can find less expensive there than Amazon (which is shocking), and served it with Almond Nut-Thins, Gluten Free Bagel chips, Parsnip Chips from Trader Joe's (for me, and they were a hit too!), as well as regular corn chips and pita chips for the rest of the folks. I linked in each of these items to Amazon, but ordering food products from Amazon does not always work out to be cost effective and especially are not in any of these. I linked them so that you could see what the product looks like so you know what to look for when you go to the store.

Favorite #6

I've gotta say that when I pull something out of the closet that I've had forever and get compliments on it, I feel pretty good about having kept said item around so long. I also do not care one bit about when white jeans should or shouldn't be worn as they're always classy and crisp so you can rest assured that my five pairs (WHAT?) make an appearance throughout the year.

I was writing poems and reading my One Year Bible after work and got sidetracked on time. I realized I only had 20 minutes to freshen up (read, wash off makeup and start over) and get to the restaurant to meet my friends. Somehow I just yanked this outfit out of my closet and didn't think twice to reconsider any of it. #missionaccomplished Thankfully I also put on my self tanner a couple of nights ago because pasty is never in style. Fair = beautiful. Pale = not so beautiful. There is a difference.

It's not the best picture of me below, but you should be used to this by now. A friendly tip about those heels, they're so comfortable! Nine West shoes always, always, always feel great on my feet. I've included everything about my outfit along with similar options in this link here:

http://www.shopstyle.com/collective/everypiecefits/42762560

Unfortunately the exact top is not available as it's from many moons ago, but I included similar ones.

You can shop the look by clicking on the pictures above as well. Below you will find my collection of "date night/dinner" outfits and below that I've included my "spring" styles because I felt like this outfit should be posted in both categories!

Favorite #7

My last item is about social media.

I am feeling excited because I have officially launched a second Instagram page @everypiecefits specifically for my poetry. I began writing when I was 13 and kept them throughout the years. I have had significant chunks of time where I didn't write at all. I have always wanted to share them and one day publish them, mainly with the acknowledgment that they may help someone feel like they're not alone in what they're feeling. It's a strange feeling to read through stuff I wrote and feel so emotionally distant from the person I was at varying ages and quite frankly pretty embarrassing! But, I am going to take the time to continue to type them up to share them as it will also prepare me for the next step of potentially publishing them one day. Feel free to follow along as I release them but remember this is a no judge zone! Thank you to everyone who has started to follow it already and for your words of encouragement. It is humbling to share emotions, especially from so many radical times in my life that I can't even relate to sometimes!

I also finally set up my Twitter account for the blog. I swore to myself I'd never Tweet, but it's happening. I do not yet have a grasp on the platform itself and am bound to make some silly, clumsy mistakes in posting as I learn what a Tweet even is and why, oh why, do I need to use it? Anyway, if you're on there feel free to sync up with me. I'm not sure yet how to search for anyone. I'm @everypiecefits on there as well. Surprised? ;)

Well that sums up my favorites from this past week. What were the best things that you experienced this past week?

I feel grateful about the week I've had, the people I've gotten to spend time with, and the wonders God works into my life every day. As noted above, thank you to everyone who has provided words of encouragement regarding my 6 month anniversary and sharing my poetry. It means a lot to me, sincerely. I would appreciate it tremendously if you all continue to share my blog and my poetry with others. It's not only the way my blog will grow, but the more it is shared the more likely it will reach someone it can impact.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!! Cheers!

XOXO

Every Piece Fits

For fun: