Five Loves on Friday!

Happy Friday, friends!  I'm looking forward to sharing my favorite bits of these past seven undeserved days God has blessed me with! So let's get right to it! ...


1.  Little One's Night

My parents had Princess spend the night last weekend so that she can join them early the next morning for an out of town swap meet.  This gave Jason and I an opportunity to give Little One our undivided attention. :)  We started the night grabbing dinner at one of her favorite restaurants Chick-Fil-A (SO GOOD!) and headed to one of our favorite Summer spots, the lake!  Afterward we surprised her with a stop at Culver's for some frozen custard. (I have always have a stash of the free scoop tickets that the girls have gotten from kids' meals there over the years.  Makes for a fun surprise now and then!)  Next we made the drive to Trader Joe's.  We had never been and were very excited to finally check it out!  What a fantastic store!  We grabbed some eats we'd never tried and anticipated taking our tastebuds on an adventure later that night.  As soon as we arrived back home we suited up for a splashin' good time in the pool.  We concluded the evening trying those new nibbles.  First new to us eat - falafels.  Not a fan, I'll leave it at that! Ha.  The second new thing to nosh was shrimp gyoza.  While I usually steer clear of shrimp, I did enjoy these.  Best for last, a new (to me) delight, Trader Joe's dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds.  I'd been wanting to try these for a long time after hearing missglamorazzi rave about them continually.  They were super yummy! (Yes, I used the word "were" because they did not last here for long! ;))

Mmm!

2.  Belated Father's Day Picnic
My parents invited us over on Wednesday night for a cookout in {belated} celebration of Father's Day.  We enjoyed a fantastic evening together filled with delicious eats, fun conversation, much laughter, and the giving of gifts created with love for my two best guys!!  The girls decorated some new apparel for Grandpa Bob.  Little one created a hat for him, and Princess decked out a tee in his honor.  My parents gifted Jason a t-shirt as well, along with a big batch of his favorite sweet from my mom's kitchen, her homemade chocolate chip cookies split between a Disney tin and a retro Mickey Mouse cup (so fun!), and a box of his favorite candies for good measure!  It was a sweet night all around!

A beautiful summer evening with family!

3.  These are the moments that make my heart smile...

Little One requested a "cannon ball" from daddy.  This snapshot makes my heart happy!  I adore my family and I'm so thankful for every moment we enjoy together!  (:

4.  Girls Day Out
The girls and I had such a fun girls day out and about this week!  Princess and I got in about 3 miles of walking (& plenty of talking :)) during Little One's morning taekwondo class, then we headed out for some shopping goodness!  We started at Hobby Lobby picking up supplies for the gifts in #2.  The girls also spotted some {budget friendly} treasures.  Princess' eyes lit up when she saw this painting and at around 70% off I was able to get it for her bedroom.  That made both of our hearts happy! (Smiley, her parakeet, seems to like it too! ;))  Little One found a cute lit'l fur ball (marked down to $2) so she left with a fluffy new friend. :)  

Here's a look at some of the other fun had in those fabulous aisles...  

Anyone get the "Don't Blink" reference? (See two snapshots in the bottom right.)  That was the girls' idea! Ahaha! They are so much fun!!

More Girls Day Snapshots...

Loving the DEALS:  For the first time ever I made money off a trip to Target! (I went there to return some things and resisted buying anything! Still in shock over that one! ;))  We enjoyed donuts marked down because they were at the "best buy" date at the store = half a dozen donuts/just over a dollar! (...and they tasted fabulously fresh!)  We lunched during Taco Bell's Happier Hour and all eat for just over $6!  (Sadly their machine for $1 freezes was defrosting ...but my non-soda drinking girls were happy with ice cold water on that hot day = freebie!)  All in all it was a day filled with fun, laughter, and bargains with my favorite girlies!!!

5.  Beauty and Rest

Check out this breathtaking sight from my front yard last night, a double rainbow!! Rainbows always fill my heart with such gladness and thanksgiving as they remind me of the faithfulness, patience, and lovingkindness of God!  

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth {Genesis 9:16}

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.  Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life." -  Genesis 9:13-15

During clear days and stormy nights alike, my soul finds such rest in Him as I know His Word is faithful and true!  Do you have such a hope?  It is rooted in the unshakable foundation of Christ alone.  Ultimately it comes from the peace of knowing that I have been made right with Him, not by any work I have done, but through what He has done on my behalf.  The grace He offers truly is amazing!!!  To learn more visit NeedGod.com.

Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to visit!  Have a beautiful weekend!

Join me in the adventures to come!

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Linking up with:

Lauren Elizabeth | H54F

The Diary of a Real Housewife | Friday Favorites

Hello! Happiness, The Good Life, A. Liz Adventures, & Carolina Charm | Five on Friday

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I'd love to come check out your Friday 5 too! ;)