Friday 5+1 (5 Things I Love + 1 Thing I Don’t) – 8.25.17

I’m writing this on the eve of taking my oldest son to college.  Everything is packed up and ready to go, and I have been feeling really nostalgic today.  Thinking back on the past 18 years, and how the past four years seem to have accelerated at warp speed.  At the same time, many of the emotions I’m having right now, are similar to what they were before he was born.  I remember leaving our house as a couple to go to the hospital, thinking about how we would be returning as a family of three.  I was nervous, excited, and uncertain about the changes that were ahead of us.  As we move to this next chapter, it’s the same thing – our family unit will be changing, and while I know we will all adapt, there will most certainly be a period of adjustment.  Thank goodness for texting, email and FaceTime, right?

In the meantime, it’s as though his entire life is flashing before my eyes, to the with the song “Blackbird” by The Beatles as the soundtrack. 🙁

So, think of us today, and say a prayer that I don’t ugly cry while we’re there, or turn into the Old Spice Mom like in these hilarious commercials.  I’m planning on keeping super busy once we get over this hurdle, so I hope to get back to a more regular posting schedule.  For now, let’s get on with this week’s Friday 5+1!  This post contains some affiliate links.

The Best College Dorm Gift Ever

While I can’t take credit for coming up with this idea, I’m so glad that I discovered it (through the Grown and Flown Facebook page).  While our younger pup, Murphy/my moment of temporary insanity drives me crazy on a regular basis, my son adores him, and he is more “his” dog, than anyone elses.  He’s joked about taking him to college, so when I saw that you could have cardboard photo cutouts made, I was all in.  

It’s hysterical, and my son absolutely loves it and was completely surprised.  You can see that Murphy apparently thinks that he’s going to college, and the cutout is going to stay home to keep us from missing him.  It was super easy to order through Shindigz – a site I wasn’t familiar with, but wish I had found prior to our graduation party this year.  All I did was take a photo of Murphy, upload it, and they walk you through everything else!  Lots of great party supplies, favors and ideas, including the amazing cardboard photo cutouts.  I thought about having a photo cutout of me and my husband made for my son’s dorm, but I don’t think he’d find it as funny as we would. 😉

Ziploc Flexible Totes

These Ziploc Flexible Totes have proven to be invaluable in getting ready for our college move.  They fit a ton of stuff (we’re using them for clothes), and the great thing is that when we’re done using them, they fold up and store away easily until you need to use them again.  

We figure they’re good for hauling his clothes to school, and will also be good for storing seasonal clothes that he doesn’t need right away.  They’re about a third of the price of the “space bags”, and really serve a great purpose for the big college move.

InstantPot

I shared my fascination with the InstantPot on Amazon Prime Day.  Well, I bought one and now understand what all the fuss is about!  This thing is a game changer, people.  

I love that I can pull together a delicious dinner fast, and I feel like I have a new enthusiasm for cooking too.  I was definitely in a serious food rut, and I’m having a lot of fun trying out new recipes and figuring out all of the things my InstantPot can do!  So far, one of my favorite recipes is for these French Dip sandwiches.  Better than anything that I’ve ever made in my Crockpot!  

There are loads of recipes on Pinterest, so maybe you need to add the InstantPot to your Christmas list.

The Book of Polly

I mentioned in last week’s Friday 5+1 that I’ve been on a roll with audiobooks with a southern theme to them, and just wrapped up another one this week – The Book of Polly.  I know I’m drawn to the great southern narration in this book, but the story is a good one, with well developed characters that you come to adore and make you laugh out loud.

Here is the description courtesy of Amazon – 

“With a kick like the best hot sauce, this is the laugh-out-loud story of a girl determined to keep up with her aging, crazy-as-a-fox mother.

Willow Havens is 10 years old and obsessed with the fear that her mother will die. Her mother, Polly, is a cantankerous, take-no-prisoners Southern woman who lives to chase varmints, drink margaritas, and antagonize the neighbors – and she sticks out like a sore thumb among the young, modern mothers of their small conventional Texas town. She was in her late 50s when Willow was born, so Willow knows she’s here by accident, a late-life afterthought. Willow’s father died before she was born, her much older brother and sister are long grown and gone and failing elsewhere. It’s just her and bigger-than-life Polly.

Willow is desperately hungry for clues to the family life that preceded her, and especially Polly’s life pre-Willow. Why did she leave her hometown of Bethel, Louisiana, 50 years ago and vow never to return? Who is Garland Jones, her long-ago suitor who possibly killed a man? And will Polly be able to outrun the Bear, the illness that finally puts her on a collision course with her past?

The Book of Polly has a great blend of humor and sadness, pathos and hilarity. This is a bittersweet novel about the grip of love in a truly quirky family, and you’ll come to know one of the most unforgettable mother-daughter duos you’ve ever met.”

It’s just one of those books this is just a great story, and I really enjoyed it.

My +1 for the week – Lottery winners going public

I didn’t win the Powerball prize this week, but if I had, you wouldn’t know if I had, because I would NOT be going on television showing my face, my name, and setting myself up as a target for every scam artist in the nation.  Not to mention that with that kind of money, I would be worried for the safety of my family and myself for that matter.  People are crazy.  I would get my ducks in a row and set up some sort of anonymous trust or hire an attorney to do the dirty work for me.  I think in some states you have to go public (which I think is silly, especially when we’re talking about this much money).  But if I had to go public, I would wait a few months (on a beach somewhere far, far away) for all of the hype to die down and do it oh-so-quietly.

Think of me and my family tomorrow my friends!  

Jenny

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