Friday Free For All

Even when the days are all pretty much the same, Friday still makes me happy.

I hope that all of you are staying safe and well. Thank you, too, for all the lovely comments on my “Challenges and Blessings” post; they warmed my heart and I was glad to hear that so many of you feel the same way.

Today I wanted to share a few things that have made our time at home much more enjoyable. I’ll be linking to items whenever possible; retailers both large and small need our help right now and the sales that they’re offering reflect their need to move inventory. While we never promote gratuitous spending, this is the time to buy if you’re able to.

We’ve gotten into the habit of keeping a puzzle set up on the dining room table. When my kids need a break from online classes, they head over and add a few pieces. We knocked out a 500 piece puzzle in just two days (ok, 498 pieces; the dog ate two), so just upped our game to a 1000 piece.

If you don’t have a great local store to purchase from, then visit my friend Sundi who owns Mockingbird on Broad; she has a great selection of puzzles and will ship anywhere. She’s been dropping our puzzles off on the front porch since her shop is closed right now and every few days she’ll get more in and update her website.

This is a picture from better days, when I wore makeup, jewelry, and a bra on a daily basis. BUT, the point is that the Barefoot Dreams cardigans that Amy and I love so much (and I’m wearing in this photo) are perfect for days when you go from bed, to couch, to kitchen, to bed. When times are good again, you can dress them up a bit, too, but if you don’t have one, the time is now because they’re on sale with free shipping. This is the exact one I’m wearing in the photo above.

I also really like this one that comes in burgundy or olive:

And this one is Amy’s favorite:

They have plenty of other styles, plus lounge pants, blankets, and more, but you get the idea. The price is right!

Next up is the surprise winner of the great toilet paper shortage of 2020: the bidet.

I installed mine yesterday and it was super-easy. I won’t call out all of my friends who have bought one by name, but there are quite a few and they’re all pleased with their purchase. When I ordered they said they’d ship mine by April 20th but obviously they underpromised and overdelivered since it arrived on March 31st. You can learn more or shop HERE, and if you sign up for emails you’ll get $5 off.

If your kids are old enough to understand rummy (I’d say ages 10-12 and up), then you need Rummikub right now. We’re keeping a running tally at our house, just like Amy’s family does with their Uno tournaments. When the evenings are warm, we move things onto the porch. And if you have other favorite games, I’d love to hear them so I can include them in a future post!

Last but not least, despite my joke above, I do put on makeup and jewelry most days because that’s just part of my daily routine. I know that these adorable gingham capris will make me the most stylish person in the socially distanced line at the grocery store, and they’re 50% off right now (shop here). They’re from J Crew; their stores are closed right now and while I’m not sure if they’re still financially able to pay their store employees, I know that they made that effort for the first two weeks they were closed down, so I’m happy to support them.

Last but not least, if you’re counting the minutes to cocktail hour every day, (same!) check out our section of drink recipes.