favorites on fridays

Favorite Countertop Spray: Meyer's Clean Day Lemon Verbena Countertop Spray

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I posted a couple years ago that my favorite spray was Method, but I needed a change.

I have been loving this spray.

It smells fresh(like spice and lemons)and it has an added special Vegetable Protein Extract, which is a natural way to remove odors.

Plus . . . it reminds me of Laura on Little House. (anyone with me?)

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(Laura loved lemon verbena and I think of her every time I smell it or see it.)

I do feel like I should add that you should spray it sparingly or the scent will overpower you.  I like the scent, but too much of a good thing . . . is too much. :)

Oh . . . I got mine at Target, but you can just google it and order it on-line.

favorites on fridays

Happy Friday everyone!
I think Spring has finally sprung in Chicagoland!!
I planted some annuals in our containers in the front, which leads me to this Friday's "Favorites on Fridays" post.

Favorite annual to plant in a container: Lemon Symphony
(even the name is beautiful!)

I am just in love with these flowers.
Look at the purple in the middle.
When the sun is shining, the petals are open and when the sun is not shining (which has been quite a lot until just recently) the petals are closed.  It is fun to watch.

I planted them with some purple and yellow violas. (and a few orange marigolds to bring out the little bit of orange in the middle of the lemon symphony)

I will be doing a post soon about how to plant flowers in containers, so stay tuned. :)

linking up with:

favorites on fridays

So . . . did you watch the royal wedding??

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I didn't get up early to watch it, but I have been watching coverage of it today.

Truly beautiful.

In keeping with the whole princess theme, I thought my "Favorites on Fridays" post should be about . . . well, princesses (and kisses)!

Favorite Book to Share with my Daughter about Purity: The Princess and the Kiss written by Jennie Bishop.
 

It tells the story of how a princess received the gift of a first kiss from God when she was born and her parents kept it safe for her while she was growing up. When she became old enough, they gave it to her and urged her to use it wisely and only to give it to the man she would decide to marry. Well, of course, several different men tried to sweep her off her feet with money, looks, and opportunities, but she chose a farmhand with a good heart to give her kiss to . . . oh my . . . I know that we have a few years before Caroline will be thinking of giving kisses away to boys (-SHUDDER-), but what a beautiful way to teach her the importance of purity.

"Love . . . comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."

I Timothy 1:5 NIV

favorites on friday

My favorite this Friday is this Friday . . . Good Friday.
Today we remember the greatest gift of all:
"I owed a debt I could not pay,
He paid a debt He did not owe."

favorites on fridays

Happy Friday!!
Did this week fly by for you, too?
I was crazy busy preparing for company and making a new mommy some dinner today, so I am reposting this favorite of mine.


Favorite Pick-Me-Up Snack: Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds

I like these almonds because they are sweet without being too sweet. They are just cocoa roasted as opposed to covered in chocolate and they have 6 grams of protein and only one gram of sugar per serving.  My whole family loves 'em!!

favorites on fridays

(is it Friday already???)

Favorite Veggie Burger: Don Lee Farms

We joined Costco this week.
My sister is a Costco junkie and she has inspired me to join because of all her great finds there.
Luke and I went on our first shopping trip there the other day.
I'll have to admit, I was a little overwhelmed, but I decided to just pick out a few things. (I wanted to fill my cart, but I was good.)
One of my finds, was this package of veggie burgers.
I am always on the hunt for healthy, good tasting veggie burgers.
I like to keep them in my freezer and pull them out for lunch or when my family is eating something that I should not be eating (like hot dogs or mac-n-cheese).
I've tried a lot of brands and I'll have to say, this is my very favorite brand now!

Here is the ingredient list:
Fresh vegetables (carrots, onions, celery, bell peppers); bread crumbs (wheat flour); sunflower seeds; flour; salt; carrageenan; soybean oil; spice; natural flavor.


Not bad . . .

The package says that they are microwaveable, but I like them best when I spray each side lightly with cooking oil and heat them on a skillet until the edges are a little crisp.Guilt-free yum.


Enjoy!!!

Favorites on Fridays

Favorite Coffee: Trader Joe's Fair Trade Organic French Roast Decaf


I cannot drink caffeinated coffee.
The doctor has told me I am allergic to it.
I get the cold sweats, I feel faint, my heart races, I feel awful.
I can tell within minutes if the nice person at Starbucks has made a mistake and has given me the real deal.

When I am at home, I choose to make Trader Joe's Fair Trade Organic French Roast Decaf because:

1. it's organic (I don't have to worry about chemicals)
2.  it is naturally decaffeinated (cold water process rather than chemically treated)
3. I think it tastes (and smells) great!!
4. the price is right

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Favorites on Fridays

Favorite Lip Gloss:  C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries

Well, as many of you know . . . I turned the big 4-0 recently.

I received several fun gifts from my sweet friends.

One gift was a set of three lip glosses from Bath and Body Works.

I had no idea that I was going to like them so much.

They are very, very minty, which I love.



I keep one in my junk drawer in the kitchen.

Mentha Lip Shine

100% Natural Mint

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I keep one in my makeup case.  I like to put the lip gloss on several minutes before my lipstick.

Mentha Organics Sheer Lip Tint

Just Blushed

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And I keep one in my purse.

Mentha Lip Shine

Vanilla Mint

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I didn't have chapped lips at all this winter because I was always putting on the lip gloss! 

I just love how they smell and feel.

It's the little things, right??

:) 

Favorites on Fridays

I decided to start doing Favorites on Fridays again!!

Favorite Kid Shampoo : Circle of Friends

One day as I was giving one of my babies a bath, I was reading all of the ingredients listed on the bottle of baby shampoo.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate just didn't sound good to me and I found out I was right.  (If you are interested in reading about the dangers of these two ingredients, look here.)I know that some of you will think I am a little crazy being worried about stuff like this . . .
you're right. :) 
I am. 
And that's OK. 
We all have our "issues".


All of Circle of Friends' shampoos are tearless, made with natural botanicals, and are FREE of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate.
They are a little pricy, but they last a long time and I think it is worth it. 
And they come in really cool fragrances.  Our favorite is raspberry, but they come in chocolate, pineapple, banana, mandarin orange, blueberry, and even root beer!

 

In the summer, we use their swimmers' shampoo to help with the chlorine damage.

The little boy on the bottle even looks like Luke. :)

We get our shampoo at Kidsnips, a fun place for kids to get their hair cut.  But you can also get them here.

p.s.... I am not getting paid for this endorsement. (but maybe I should be??)

Favorites on Fridays

My Kids' Favorite New Fad : Silly Bandz

These silly shaped rubber bands (I think they are actually made out of silicone) are such a hit with kids these days! Look around and you will see them on so many kids' wrists. They like to collect them and trade them. I was at Jake's recess the other day and the kids were standing in little circles trading them! I wonder how long this fad will last. (Once again, another idea I wish I had come up with!!)

Favorites on Fridays

Favorite Peanut Butter: Trader Joe's Organic Creamy Peanut Butter (salted or unsalted)

I love this peanut butter for a few reasons.

1. It is organic, which is important for peanut butter because peanut crops are rotated with cotton crops, which use a lot of pesticides.

2. It only has peanuts. (and salt, if you buy the salted) I never buy brands like Jif or Skippy because they have partially hydrogenated yuck and sugar in them. :(

3. It tastes GREAT!!

Favorites on Fridays

Favorite Shampoo and Conditioner:

Suave Color Care

I always thought you had to spend a lot of $$ on shampoos and conditioners until my hair designer (thanks, Kirsten!) told me that she uses Suave on herself. I gave it a try and it works just as well (if not better!) than my $14 bottles (each). Suave Color Care is less than $2 a bottle! (at Target, my favorite store, of course!) I love the smell, too!

:)

Favorites on Fridays

Kids' Favorite TV Show : Minute to Win It

The kids LOVE this show!! It is a game show where the contestants must complete a task in 60 seconds in order to advance to the next level of the game. The "tasks" are hilarious and are things you could do at home with things you have lying around the house already. They are great party game ideas!! (imagine what a youth group could do with these ideas!!) Here are some examples of the tasks:

* get 3 white balls in a row on a 3 x 3 set of cups while bouncing them into the cups, however the contestant must alternate to a different colored ball after every successful landing and avoid getting three in a row of the other color - - - seems impossible!!

*the contestant must inflate a balloon then release the air in a controlled fashion to blow a series of cups off a table

*with an empty tissue box attached to their waist, the contestant must shake 8 ping pong balls out of the box without using their hands . . . this one is hilarious!!

*the contestant must knock over a series of juice bottles with a ball that is in a pair of pantyhose. The pantyhose are worn over the head and the contestant must swing the ball back and forth to knock the bottles over . . . so funny!!

It is on NBC on Sundays and Wednesdays at 7:00.

Favorites on Fridays

Favorite Pair of Jeans: Banana Republic Boyfriend Slouch Jeans

I have been searching for a pair of jeans that fit three criteria:
1.) they must cover me up "back there" when I bend or sit
2.) they must be comfortable
3.) they must make me look less fat than I really am :)

These really are a great pair of jeans. I roll them up to be capris. (they are supposed to be rolled up) I wouldn't really wear heels with them, though. (that pic is not me, by the way . . . ha!) I like the worn out look . . . isn't it funny that we pay good money for that look?

Favorites on Fridays

Favorite Easter Candy: Brach's Classic Jelly Beans

I was walking down the seasonal aisle at Target last night (yes, I go there now) and I was overwhelmed at how many kinds of candy there were. I try to stick with the basics at Easter . . . chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, Reese's Peanut Butter cups, Robin's Eggs, and good ole' classic Brach's jelly beans.
I guess I like the classic candies because that is what I rememebr finding in my basket as a child. I remember being so thrilled that I was allowed to eat candy in the morning before church. And I remember how I loved digging through that easter grass in my basket for just one more jelly bean and being so excited when I found one, even if it was black. ;)

Favorites on Fridays

Favorite Maple Syrup: My Brother's (and his family's) of course!!

Steve and his family make maple syrup every year from the trees behind their home. (they have LOTS of trees!) It is a very long and hard process and the results are definitely worth it!! They produce a very rich and dark syrup that we love. I will NEVER buy another bottle of Aunt Jemima again!

If you would like to purchase a bottle like this, e-mail me at FiveKoz@sbcglobal.net . They are $15. Way cheaper than in the stores and way better!! :)

Favorites on Fridays . . . Like Oprah's "O" List, But Not Really

Favorite Thing to Hide From My Kids and Nibble on When They are not Looking: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Mint UFOs

Oh yum . . . I just discovered these next to the chocolate chips at Trader Joe's. They are soooo good . . . they have natural peppermint oil in them, just the right amount. I can't wait to start experimenting with using them in cookie recipes. But for now, I will just keep on nibbling on them when no one is looking. :)

(I actually have been sharing them because I can't hide the chocolate peppermint smell on my breath. . . nuts!)

Dark chocolate IS a blessing to me . . . small blessings are good, too!

Favorites on Fridays . . . Like Oprah's "O" List, But Not Really

Jake's Favorite Book Series: Red Rock Mysteries by Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry

Jake cannot put these books down!! There are 15 in the series and he is on book 14. What will we do when he is all finished?? The kids in his class love them, too. He likes the suspense in them as well as the good Christian messages. He reads at least an hour every night . . . I have to get him to stop!! (I used to have to MAKE him sit down and read 20 minutes. . . shows you they are gooood books!)

Favorites on Fridays . . . Like Oprah's "O" List, But Not Really

Favorite Fast Food Breakfast: Jamba Juice's Steel Cut Oatmeal with Blackberries and Blueberries

Have you tried this?? Oh . . . . soooo good! Don't look at the sugar content or the amount of carbs . .. just enjoy this hot cup of bliss . . . seriously. It has a brown sugar crumble on the top that makes it taste like blackberry cobbler. Can't think of a better way to start the day. I'm going to try to make a healthier version of the topping.

Favorites on Fridays . . . Like Oprah's "O" List, But Not Really

Favorite Christmas Indulgence : Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark

Oh my . . . what could be better?? I get so excited each year to see if any of John's students give him a tin of this for Christmas. (I never buy it for myself because it's more than $20 per tin!) I have bought cheaper versions of it, but the ingredients are not good for you at all . . . partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil (--shudder--) The ingredients in the WS brand are pure and simple.

yum.