Friday Favorites by Lori
Whoo-whee. It’s Friyay! And that means another round up of Friday Favorites! These things have, surprisingly in some cases, brought me much joy over the past few months. Maybe they will for you too. In no particular order, here we go:
1 | COFFEE
Y’all. I love coffee. I love coffee in the morning, as an afternoon pick me up, and in the evening with some yummy dessert. I could drink a shot of espresso and immediately head to bed and fall asleep (#momlife). Coffee sustained me through college, through my first real job, and then when I became a new mom. Then a mom again. And again. And again. And finally again. Now with 5 kids, I just have an IV attached to my arm. JUST KIDDING. I love supporting local, and my current obsession is the morning blend at Staks, roasted by local company J.Brooks.
2 | BROOKS RUNNING SHOES
If you are a runner, than you have most likely owned (or tried) a pair of Brooks. I will never go back to another brand of running shoes. Sure, I’ll still buy some Adidas for cross training or New Balance for bopping around Shelby Farms. But if I’m trying to log miles, than Brooks are far and away my favorites. They’re sturdy yet flexible. Supportive yet light weight. They wash well. They last hundreds of miles.
3 | RE + NEW + ALL CANDLES
Locally made, Re+New+All candles are amazing. They have travel sized (these are my favorites), full sized, and even gift sets of 4 votives. Not only does the company produce a long-lasting luxury candle, but they employ women who have been rescued from being sex trafficked. When you purchase a candle, the money goes straight back to a Memphis woman working on getting a new life.
4 | WEEKLY FRESH FLOWERS
I love fresh flowers. They were a weekly “splurge” that became a necessity. I usually hit up Trader Joe’s or Kroger for a cheap $7 bouquet. The flowers last just about a week (sometimes closer to 10 days if I pick out the dead ones and trim the stems of the remaining flowers) and make me smile every time I walk in the kitchen. You can really blame my husband. Before kid number 4, he used to bring me home surprise flowers almost every other week. He’s romantic like that. Now he brings me home Ben & Jerri’s (smart man). So I just buy my own flowers. WIN WIN!
5 | JAKE & HAYS
I’ve been a dog person my entire life. I bought myself a black lab puppy as a Mother’s Day gift 3 years ago. But this past July, when I was out to dinner with a girlfriend, my husband SNUCK our middle daughters over to a house that had a big, giant, hand-painted sign out front reading “FREE KITTENS!” Yep, you guessed it. They brought home one (Jake). UGH! I did NOT want a cat. We negotiated he would be an outdoor-only cat. But then I got to thinking: it’s not fair for him to not have a buddy (we have 2 dogs). So back I went to the house with the big sign and got a second kitten, Hays. Well, darn it, they grew on me. And now they’re both outdoor AND indoor cats. I snuggle with them. I kiss them. I love them. And they’re just about the cutest things ever. They quickly became favorites around here. I post a lot of kitten pictures over on my personal Instagram page (@mrs.dr.jones), just in case you want to see more of these two. So today, I leave you with…. 2 adorable kitties.
