Five on Friday - Gorgeous Gold Frames, All the Colors of the Dark Book Review, and More

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Happy Friday, y’all!  For some reason this week has dragged on and on, so I’m relieved that it’s finally Friday!  I’m co-chairing the Mother/Son dance at our school tonight (even though Jacob is too old to attend) and then I hope to get some things done around the house this weekend. 

But first, some favorites!

O N E – New Frames for My Desk

I’ve had three very old, beaten-up frames on my desk for years that housed pictures of Brian and the kids, and I decided that it was time for an upgrade after Maui passed away because I didn’t have a picture of her on my desk (although she’s in several other pictures around my office).  I wanted to find frames that fit perfectly under my monitor, and I needed four of them so I could have a picture of me with each member of our family.  I found these frames on Amazon, and they. are. stunning.  The quality of these is incredible… one of my favorite Amazon finds ever!  They look exactly like the picture on Amazon’s website, but they are even more beautiful in person.

Each frame is 4x4 (although they do come in many other sizes), so they fit perfectly under my monitor, and each frame contains a mat for a sleek, uniform look.  I framed my favorite wedding picture of Brian and me, one of my favorite pictures of Jacob and me at the beach from when he was a baby, my very favorite picture of Olivia and me from her newborn session, and a recent picture of Maui and me that we took for Christmas cards.  I love having these front and center all day while I work… they have definitely been a favorite this week!

T W O – All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

I just finished this book earlier this week and I thought I’d share it because I loved it so much.  If you’re looking for something with substance, then this one is for you.  The book is very long, but don’t let that deter you – each chapter is only 1-2 pages (occasionally 3) – so there are many half-pages in there which cuts the overall length of the book down by a lot.  I appreciated the short chapters because it allowed me to pick it up and read 2-4 chapters even when I only had five minutes to spare.  That said, sometimes when I had longer amounts of time to read, the shorter chapters kind of drove me nuts since the short chapters allowed the author to skip around a lot in the storyline.  Overall, though, the plot was riveting, the storyline itself was so beautiful, and contrary to what some people have said in their reviews, I was very pleased with the ending.  It has a little bit of everything – love, mystery, thrill, beauty, and tragedy – and I highly recommend it… 5/5 stars!

From Amazon,

1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the smalltown of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing.

When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.

Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.

A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession and the blinding light of hope.

 

T H R E E – Sharon Says So on Instagram

With all of the craziness going on in our country the last couple of months, I have been very intentional about how much news I am consuming and which sources I obtain my news.  I started following Sharon Says So on Instagram back in 2020 during the pandemic / election, and she has been my go-to for headlines, deep dives, and explanations for the things I don’t fully understand ever since.  She is one of the very few whose Instagram activity I consume daily, and she has been such a blessing, especially these last couple of months. 

She believes in reporting facts, speaking the truth (and not her truth, but the actual truth), and preserving the principles on which our nation was founded.  She is kind, smart as a whip, witty, verrrry knowledgeable about our government and how everything works, and she has the biggest heart on the internet.  She has raised hundreds of thousands (maybe millions?) of dollars via her social media accounts these last few years since I started following her… she is a true gem.

I have mentioned her several times on my blog, and I share her posts in my Instagram stories often, so many of you may be familiar with her simply because I love her so much.  But here I am, sharing some of her work again, because she is a favorite of mine every day.  It’s refreshing that there are still people on the internet who are honest, have integrity, and have good values.  She is someone who I would entrust our country with entirely, but unfortunately, she has stated multiple times that she has no desire to run for president.  Haha.  Can you blame her?  So, I’ll just continue to follow her on Instagram and be grateful for all the good she does there.   

She shared this post the other day, and it is such a great reminder for everyone.  We should all be doing everything we possibly can to protect democracy, and we should always, always choose principle over party. 

 

F O U R – Olivia’s Painting for Her Friend

One of my favorite things from this week was this drawing.  One of Olivia’s best friends had to have her beloved cat of 15 years put to sleep on Monday.  Olivia hangs out/sleeps over at her house often, and she loved Rolex like her own.  She was so sad for her friend that she decided to paint this picture of Rolex, and she gave it to her the day after they had to put him to sleep.  She painted this from memory and it absolutely looks exactly like their cat.  It is shocking how accurate her painting is.  So this is a favorite for many reasons – watching my girl use the creative gift that God gave her, watching her have empathy for others, and watching her show kindness to someone who is going through something difficult.    

F I V E – Maui’s Instagram Post

And finally, Sunday will be four weeks since we lost our beloved Maui, and I am still in shock because four weeks later, I am still getting notifications constantly on this post.  I don’t put much effort into Instagram as 99% of my effort goes into this little blog, so my Instagram posts don’t get much engagement.  Most of my Reels have thousands of views, but static posts?  They hardly ever get any engagement, and within 24-48 hours they get buried in the Instagram algorithm never to be seen by anyone again. 

Except for this one.  For some reason, this static post has been my most-viewed (17,061 and counting), most-liked (3,775 and counting), and most-commented on (1,073 and counting) post of all-time by a long shot (including my Reels), and the funny part is that I didn’t even do anything special to boost it or use any hashtags other than Maui’s personal hashtag that I created for her years ago.  The craziest part is that I am still getting notifications four weeks later. 

It just tickles me that Instagram loves our girl so much, and reading and responding to all of the kind comments has been a favorite for these last four weeks.  <3 

I miss her so dang much.

Friday Funnies

On the Blog This Week

 What I Wore – February 2025

Our Week – The One with a Lunch, Jacob's First Golf Match, a Work Dinner, an Afternoon Downtown, and Severe Weather

 Top Ten... Songs of 2024

Happy Friday, y’all! 

*Linking up with A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites.