Friday Favs {and my word-finally!}

Here it is FRIDAY and I haven't posted my WORD from last week! It's not that I don't have it picked out...I just kept putting it off then I forgot about it...you know...
So...here it is the WORD that best described my life last week...

GRACIOUS

Gracious means merciful, compassionate, pleasantly kind, and courteous.

I am so very grateful for the love and mercy my Heavenly Father has been showing my family and me. I feel like He has graciously been pouring His blessings down on us. Even though times are tight and stressful I continue to feel His love in abundance. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Drumroll please as I announce my Friday Favs....{lol} 

1.  I have been a BIG fan of Hungry Girl for several years now.

 Not only do I get her daily, motivational e-mails but I her first book. I highly recommend Hungry Girl for delicious, nutritious food ideas. And if you are on Weight Watchers she assigns a Points value to every recipe-cool!


2.  Excedrin Migraine
What would I do without this stuff??!

Unfortunately I get migraines { a lot} and without health insurance it's nearly impossible to pay for my prescription meds all the time. These little pills help fill in the gaps and I am so thankful they work.

3. My day wouldn't be complete without my caffeine fix {see why above}. These are my two favorites...

And this one...{wish i could find that shirt. love how "old school" it is!}

 4. There is one show I have enjoyed more than any other this winter..."The Biggest Loser'. Talk about inspiring. And really, I think the main reason it has spoken to me so much this year is the fact Dave and I are on our own weight loss journey. I learn so much listening to Jillian and Bob talk to the contestants! Here are my biggest inspirations this season... This is Daris. He has come such a LONG way!!!

 And then there is Ashley....she is soooo strong!!

 The finale airs Tuesday...but I won't be home....so I'm gonna DVR it and have a friend over on Wednesday afternoon!!

5. Speaking of weight loss. I have lost 2 more pounds this week for a total of 13 pounds!!!! I am soooo loving this!!:) 

6. Just gotta share this project I created a couple of weeks ago. I made one for a friend who needed some cheering up and one for me! The one I made for Lauren is a bit larger than mine. Here it is, sitting on  my kitchen counter. It makes me smile!

Now for a close-up...

These are just butterflies I punched out of scrap paper with a bunch I won from EK Success lots of years ago!!! 

The inspiration for this came from one of my favorite "life artists" Ali Edwards.

7. Remember this photo I shared with you yesterday??

I took my Mom and Emma here Wednesday after school. It's an Iris Farm and it's GORGEOUS!

 

 

We had never been here before. It was one of those things where I was looking in the paper and ran across an ad for "Rainbow Iris Farms". 

It was a short drive over the border into Iowa and then a few twisty turns about 4 miles on an old, gravel road. These iris's were breathtaking {on a gloomy, old, blustery day!}

Iris's are my Mom's favorite flower EVER!

She just loved it and ended up buying quite a few bulbs to plant in the fall.

These purple flowers are my favorite!!

These aren't iris's but aren't they cool?!

Me and Em...love this photo!!:) What was so fun about our journey...is that it felt like an adventure. This reminded me how much fun {and how important} it is to just get out and do things!!

8. My last Friday Fav today is nothing short of amazing {to me!!} I have been a HUGE fan of American Idol ever since it began. This year, however, I haven't felt connected or passionate about any one Idol. All that changed with ONE song Tuesday night. All I can say is.... INCREDIBLE!!!

**See video below!!!!

And there you have it!! Lots of Friday Favs fun!!

Ladies. I appreciate you all so very much!! Thanks for all your kind comments. reading my blog and just so you know...I love your blogs, too!!