Welcome to the Friday 5!
Every Friday I will highlight 5 things I am currently loving. This can be anything from habits that are currently serving me, clothes, apps, people I am currently loving, podcasts, food, mom hacks and everything in between!
What I am currently loving:
Smartless Podcast
If you are looking for a podcast to kill an hour and giggle, this is it. This podcast is hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. Based on the ads on this show, I think they are really going for a male demographic, like Autozone and E.D. meds, but I just love it. One of them invites the guest for the week and the other two don’t know who it is until the show starts. The way the three of them banter is hilarious. There is not typically a specific topic, they just start talking. They are just having candid conversations with other celebrities or influential people. Some of the episodes are pretty political, they interviewed Vice President Harris the day before she was announced as running mate and Stacey Abrams. And whether you agree with that person’s agenda or not, it’s an interesting conversation by 3 guys who are not “reporters.” My favorite episodes are Dax Shepard, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Ricky Gervais and Will Ferrell. Give them a listen and I promise you will be entertained. Warning, do not listen with kids in the car.
Sonos Speakers
When we moved in our house almost 7 years ago, one upgrade I wanted to make was adding a home entertainment system. We had someone come out and price it for us, but what we wanted to do was just so expensive. At the time, we weren’t sure how long we’d be in this house and didn’t want to make the investment. Shortly after that we were in New York and stumbled into a Sonos showroom. We were so impressed with the sound and that everything worked off Wi-Fi instead of being hardwired. There is no pesky receiver to deal with either, everything is controlled from the Sonos app on your phone. This also meant that we could move the speakers anywhere in the house and take them with us when we move. This was exactly what we were looking for. Sonos has a wide range of speaker sizes and set ups, but we just went with the smallest speaker, the Sonos One and a sound bar for the TV. We have speakers in the living room, kitchen, our bedroom and bath as well as the girls’ room. While Matt would tell you, we don’t really use them, I use them all day. See this post for my addiction to Spotify playlists for all times of day. I love playing relaxing music in the bathroom when I take a bath and the girls use their speaker every night listening to Disney music as they sleep. You can add to your system at any time and have as many or few as you want. Set up is easy, we did most of it in one afternoon.
Creamed Raw Honey
This was a total random find at the farmer’s market. We have started going to a local farmer’s market on Sunday mornings after church, it’s a fun tradition to do with the girls. I love seeing the local vendors and getting a little local produce. I buy local honey that I use in my coffee every day here and happened to notice that he had a solid honey. I asked him what you would use it for. He mentioned it was great on toast or sandwiches because it doesn’t drip off or make the bread soggy. Genius. I always make the girls peanut butter and honey sandwiches for lunch and this was perfect. The girls love it, we use it for sandwiches and on waffles. So, find your local beekeepers and see if anyone sells it. If you are local, check out Bee Sweet Honey at the Madisonville Farmer’s Market on Sunday mornings.
The Merly Denim Jacket from Able
When I was 17 my mom bought me a jean jacket from The Limited(which no longer exists apparently). It was $100 and I couldn’t believe she spent that much on the jacket. But let me tell you, I wore it for 10 years until the collar literally fell off. I got her money’s worth for sure. I didn’t realize it till I couldn’t wear it anymore that a good jean jacket goes with everything. I wore it to work with dress pants, with sundresses, with fancy dresses to dress them down, over gym clothes to look a little pulled together, you name it, I wore it with everything. I spent over a year looking for another good jean jacket. The fit is key. It cannot be one of the old school boxy jean jackets, that’s a great look but not near as versatile in my opinion. Then I started seeing tons of influencers talk about the Merly jacket from Able. At $148, I wanted to try it to see if it was worth the investment. I found it at one of my favorite locale boutiques, Emma’s Shoes, and it is worth the hype. It is distressed, but not too much. The cut and fit of it is brilliant, it frames your waist and hits at just the right spot on the hips. I can wear it over sweaters, sundresses, gym clothes or a cocktail dress. It almost always lives in my car and I throw it over everything. If you are in the market, look no further. I even bought a second one in off white. And if you don’t know Able’s story, read it here. It is an amazing company based in Nashville, employing mostly women and paying fare wages, in an industry that typical does not.
Cashmere Robe
This is a luxury item, I know, but I wanted to include it this week in case you wanted to ask for something really special for Valentine’s day. Might I suggest treating yourself for Valentine’s Day? Matt got me a cashmere robe a few years ago for Christmas after I jokingly circled all sorts of extravagant things in the Saks Fifth Avenue holiday catalog. Honestly, I almost told him to take it back, but after wearing around the house on Christmas I couldn’t think of returning it. Other than my first sip of coffee, putting on my cozy cashmere robe when I wake up is my favorite part of the morning. It is so cozy and makes my morning special. I am always cold in the morning, even when it’s the dead of summer, so it is perfect. Saks no longer makes the one I have, but this one from Restoration Hardware is exactly the same and comes in several colors. If you are looking for something special for yourself, this is it.
I hope you found something helpful or inspiring in this week’s Friday Five! I’ll have 5 new favorites to share with you next week, have an awesome weekend!
