TGIF, am I right? I am excited to be heading out of town today to spend the weekend with my (girl) cousins. Sun, fun, girl-talk, vino, pool time, relaxing...doesn't it sound amazing? I sure think so. I'm wrapping up the week by linking up with Andrea to share my favorites from the past week. In no particular order...

Favorite #1

A quiet Friday evening...

Oh, how I enjoyed this so much. I felt pretty overwhelmed last week and by Friday evening I was aching for a quiet night in. I declined plans to do anything, focused on a few errands, caught up on my bible reading, and baked a couple of Paleo desserts for someone I was having over for lunch on Saturday.

In fact, Saturday morning I got up at 5am to read, start lunch in the Crockpot by 6am, and went out the door for a quick run at sunrise. It was a glorious start to the weekend. I realized that one of the reasons I enjoy baking/cooking is because it takes my mind off of everything else and thus feels sort of therapeutic.

One of the treats I baked was these Paleo chocolate chip cookies. I used coconut sugar, oil instead of butter (2 tbsp coconut oil and 3 tbsp olive oil because I ran out of coconut oil and that's what I had on hand), and I did not use the molasses nor pecans. I baked mine for 14 minutes, but 12-13 minutes would have likely been just fine by the time they cool off and harden.

Favorite #2

As you well know I am loving the Mixed Tape: Love, Sex, and Marriage series at Hope City right now. Last weekend was the 4th part of a 6 part series and we had a guest pastor who flies in from Florida frequently to speak at our church. His main points were to seek God first and when your heart is full of His word, then it will overflow into your relationships. It doesn't matter where we are in our journey, they Holy Spirit will meet us where we're at and help us through, guide us, and to grow. We need to be careful to pray for the full armor of God every day to protect ourselves and our relationships to build hedges against temptations such as cheating and pornography. We need to have close fellowship with an accountability partner/friend who will check in with us regularly to make sure we're being true to ourselves and to our relationships.

It was a good sermon and I am STOKED for this weekend's message about soul ties. It is the message that seriously changed my perspective on the topic. I'll be out of town and miss the service, but will most definitely watch it/listen to it multiple times next week because it is priceless information.

Favorite #3

One of my besties came to town on Sunday and we had the best time catching up all afternoon and evening, staying up until midnight! Oopsie was I tired for work the next morning. But, I love our chats and the time flies by much too fast each time. We went to a couple of stores she doesn't have near where she lives, went out to dinner (forgoing our favorite restaurant Ruggles Black ONLY because they're not open on Sundays), looked over healthy recipes, and then chatted over hot tea. It was wonderful.

Because I've had comments about my earrings, you can find the exact ones here and similar ones here that are the same brand but not as long.

Favorite #4

Christmas music.

Tuesday evening on our way back from dinner, boyfriend randomly put on Christmas music in the car and proceeded to discuss Christmas decorations. If you know anything about me, then you know I melted into a giant nostalgic pool of excitement and emotion right then and there. With the air conditioning cranked up high enough and a good enough imagination, one can dream of Christmas in August. Yes. Why, yes I can. It's never too early to listen to Christmas music. So, when we parted ways I also played Christmas music on my drive home and until I went to sleep. Call me crazy, but it makes my heart happy.

In fact, I might just pick one day a week from here on out to listen to Christmas songs for the remainder of the year. It's been long enough. I could use a little magic in my spirit each week other than a tasty glass of vino. ;)

Favorite #5

Sampling new products.

I am a creature of habit and when it comes to makeup or hair products, I tend to have buyers remorse quite frequently. Most hair products don't wow me and I have the most sensitive skin ever so most products irritate my skin, cause a rash, flare up my rosacea, or break me out. That also includes the prescriptive products I've received from the dermatologist for rosacea...so I'm sort of a problem child. That is why I love being able to sample products like all of the freebies from Sephora, Ulta, or Macy's orders for makeup samples and hair product samples.

One of my friends, Kim, reached out to me recently about a product line she's been using and loving for a while called Monat. I hadn't heard of it! Of course I was thrilled to give the products a try as I have no true hair care routine and anyone that knows my beauty "secrets" knows I don't have any. ;) I should note that I've known Kim for essentially 21 years as a close family friend, so when she asked me to try the products that she personally uses and loves, I put a lot of trust into it.

Well along came the samples from Kim, and I will say that three days in to using the samples and I am pleased. I need more time to try out the oils and hair masques as well as the different types of shampoos but thought I'd go ahead and mention this to you all so that you can check it out in case you're in the market for a new hair care line. Monat products are naturally based, are paraben and sulfate free, do not have chemicals or dyes that will damage your hair, and do not test their products on animals (thank you very much). I'll be giving you more feedback later this month! Meanwhile, if you have any questions you can find Kim's contact information on her site and she'll answer any questions that you have.

Well that sums up my week in a nutshell. I am proud to admit that I felt like I had less to talk about because I succeeded in my goal of getting down time and I slept SO GREAT this past week which is unheard of for me. Hooray! How was your week? Anything stand out as your favorites that you'd like to share? Comment below!

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend ahead. May it be fun, relaxing, God-filled, and blessed.

XOXO

Every Piece Fits