So, I’m putting a pinky toe out into the deep to join Moxie Wife’s new Five Favorites link up. I love the idea, but we’ll see if I keep up with her on frequency of posting them!
I know I haven’t been doing so well lately with posting regularly. Baby girl is due in a little over seven weeks, so all around I am really slowing down a little at this point on all fronts.:) I hope you enjoy my Five Favorites this week!
Blessings on each of you!
1. Iced mochas
I’m a big iced mocha fan. Oh yes. My out-at-the-coffee-shop-night-out treat. My drink of choice for optimal writing, blogging and radio show work. Michael loves iced mochas too. With both of us liking them, though, we have to keep our budget in mind! A couple of times I have big jugs of real iced coffee at home from a great Pioneer Woman recipe, but I found that Michael and I are fine just brewing strong coffee in our tiny four-cup coffee maker, filling a glass with ice, then adding skim milk and chocolate syrup. Really healthy, I know, but still cheaper than McDonald’s or Starbucks! And we both skip the whipped cream, chocolate shavings and caramel drizzle, if that makes you feel any better for our sake. 🙂
2. Shabby Apple
How precious is this dress?! I don’t have any Shabby Apple items in my closet (yet!), but I hope to one day! Their clothes are beautiful, feminine, classic–and modest. I feel/am two-months-left-of-pregnancy-didn’t-stay-in-the-ideal-weight-gain-limits huge right now, but when my baby weight starts to come off in a few months, and I get a waist back and can fit in more than one pair of pajama pants again, I’d just love to have a new dress for nice events. I have a little money saved from a generous Christmas benefactor or two that might be going toward something special from this site:)
3. Father Elijah
I read this book when Michael and I went on our mommy-and-daddy-only cruise last fall, and I loved it. My poor hubby had to put up with me all-but-buried in this book for most of the cruise–poor guy! I can’t recommend it for light reading, but for a rich, action-packed, thought-provoking, prayer-provoking, solid Catholic fiction read…this book was amazing.
4. Leah Darrow
We recently had Leah on my radio show, Faith and Good Counsel, and I absolutely loved her interview with us. Her story (similar to my own modeling story) includes being on season 3 of “America’s Next Top Model” and modeling for a couple of years in New York. She had a major conversion of heart one day at a photo shoot and called her father, who dropped what he was doing to drive more than 2,000 miles to go pick her up! I wish I could take her out for coffee and get to know her better. She had some incredibly powerful things to say about striving for real womanhood and true beauty in the face of a culture that has twisted and torn down Godly beauty. Leah’s website gives a little better description of what God is calling this lovely woman to do these days. Definitely keep an eye out for her–she is going places. 🙂
5. Sense and Sensibility
I remember being so bored and lost during this movie when my mom and aunts would watch it. (It came out back in the dark ages (1995) when I was still pretty young I guess:). At some point, though, I watched this movie again and got it. I practically depend on this movie when I am laid out with the flu or some sick bug or another (and have time to actually lay down and watch a movie). When I’m feeling really sorry for my poor, sick self…chicken soup? Nah. Sense and Sensibility? Yes, please!
ooooh my mouth is watering reading your iced coffee recipe. It is definitely going to be made by myself in about 20 minutes! 😉
also I laughed in agreement at the "didn't-stay-within-the-ideal-weight-gain" description of yourself – I feel like I can always relate to this! But you know what, I feel good, I like the way I look, I'm eating really nutritiously – its just when I step on the scale or read the strict rules in "What to Expect When You're Expecting" that I feel bad. I hate that pregnant women feel like they havvvve to be gaining weight at the exact same pace and rate… its not at all realistic!
So you go, Erin! your shameless admittance of the way things are is encouraging to me and makes me feel better about myself. And you have a track record of bouncing back quite quickly to looking as gorgeous as ever so you have every reason to be shameless! 😉
blessings
Let me know how you like it! I thought it was pretty good iced coffee. That Pioneer Woman is amazing with food, isn't she?!
Thanks for the encouragement! I definitely struggle just a tiny bit right now with feeling so clumsy and waddle-ey and not-fitting-in-anything-ey, but at the same time I am more and more excited to meet my baby girl so soon!:)
By the way, since I have your attention in this roundabout way…CONGRATULATIONS ON BABY BOY #2! I saw your blog post about it. You have such a sweet and beautiful mother's heart…all three of your boys are lucky beyond words to have you.:)
Erin,
this is a great idea. Thanks for the shabby apple link. I see that they have midi skirts (which are kind of hard to find!)and I'm already on the lookout for Father Elijah.
Andrea
My mom actually let me borrow Father Elijah on her Nook. Hope you find the book and a nice stretch of quiet time to read it:)