5 Friday Favorites: June 12, 2026
It's time for my Friday link up with A Little Bit of Everything and Momfessionals.
On Fridays I share things that made me happy from the week - a photo, a song, a quote, a beauty product, a recipe, a pair of cute shoes, etc. If it's a product, sometimes it's something I actually own and sometimes something I just saw online that gave me a smile. Sometimes it's serious and sometimes it's silly. I suppose I believe that God is in the simple details of life and yes, I can even find Him in a tube of lipstick.
Hello. Well, here’s some news I haven’t shared.
Tomorrow we’re moving out of the house we’ve lived in for 10 years and away from the town we’ve lived in for almost 27 years. I don’t think I’ve actually said it out loud very often because I am a person who loves to live in denial when change is on the horizon. Or like, 24 hours away. This move is all exciting and fun. It is the right decision and Steve and I are blessed that we have the chance to start a new season of life wherever we want to go, but I definitely haven’t allowed myself to sit still and process this fully. I’m a champion at pushing all the emotions down deep. The problem is that apparently moving is one of the top 5 most stressful life events. Which means that several times this week all those emotions I pushed down came out sideways.
The truth is that we are very slowly easing into this new chapter. We will be living at our lake house which we have had for over twenty years and which is less than two hours away before we decide on where we want to settle next. And Steve will be commuting a couple of times a week to this area so I will be back a lot. I mean a girl can’t be expected to find a new hair stylist after going to the same magician for twenty years. And how will my McDonald’s drive-thru Diet Coke dealer make it through the day without seeing me and my $1.90 addiction every morning? I’ll be back a lot.
Anyhoo, not much happening at all here today. EVERYTHING IS FINE. Here are some favorite things from this week.
Fat Boy Churro Ice Cream Sandwich
Is the name of this Ice Cream Sandwich problematic in the year of our Lord 2026? Perhaps, but I will say it’s an appropriate name and if you are in the business of eating your feelings, I highly recommend these. I feel like I mentioned them before, but they are worth mentioning again. My nephew was visiting our lake house a few months ago and when we showed up he had left these in the freezer. Now he is my favorite human ever.
2. A Dress for Lydia
My beloved Pastor and many of my dear Bible Study friends are gentlemen who are so kind to slog through this newsletter every week. I am so touched by their loyalty to read through the girly stuff. This week in Bible Study we studied about Lydia “who dealt in purple cloth” and my pastor wondered if this week’s favorites might include a nod to Lydia. This is for you, Lydia! A perfect dress to wear anywhere this summer - perhaps by the river where the Lord opens your heart to hear a word from Paul that moves you so much that you have your entire household baptized. (PS it comes in many other colors as well, if you’d rather open your heart to the Lord while wearing something other than purple. I don’t think He’d mind.)
3. Travel Dispenser Bottle
Steve and I will be traveling a lot this summer so I need to find a solution for all the hair/skin/body products that will be going with me. I found this on Amazon. It has four small pump bottles that fit in one cylinder.
4. Plastic Cups for Summer
As we will be at the lake for several months, we hope to have lots of visitors. I found these party cups by Santa Barbara Design Studio and they’re so fun. They have lots of cute options if you’re hosting anyone this summer. I think these are cute, too.
5.”Put on some lipstick” & Other Things She Taught Me
ALERT: I’m tired. Which means I’m emotional. Which means I’m rambling. Please proceed with caution.
A couple of weeks ago at a memorial service we attended for our friend, Rob, his daughter spoke. She was so strong and so impressive, but there was one thing she said that struck me the most. I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Especially in the last few days when my emotions have gotten the best of me.
I don’t have the exact words she said, but she mentioned to the congregation that at one point in the days following the loss of her dad, she felt his calming presence and realized that he had not missed teaching her a single thing. Her dad had been taken from her, but his spirit, his lessons and his love were all accessible to her. They could never be taken away because they were inside of her. In that moment, I felt like she was assuring her family, her friends and herself that even though she missed her dad terribly, he had equipped her to move through the world even without him. All the answers to the questions she might want to ask him were embedded into the very essence of the woman he had raised her to be and even into the woman she would become.
There were so many things said about her dad that day, but those words were the most profound for me personally. I thought of them so many times this week - lessons from a 26ish year old girl that a woman three decades older than her really, really needed to hear.
I lost my mom over three years ago. But there are still some days that not having a mom even when you’ve lived on the planet for 57 years can blindside you. Sometimes when you’re just sitting at a stoplight feeling physically and emotionally exhausted and anxious, you reach for the dashboard to call your mom because her phone number is still programed into your car. And before you know it you have to pull your shaking hand away from the dash, grip the steering wheel and pull over to have a level 10 meltdown.
I sobbed for awhile in a parking lot wishing desperately that I could hear her voice just one more time. How was I expected to navigate this life with all its change and uncertainty without a mom?
Then Rob’s wise daughter’s words came to me. It was true that I had everything that my mom would say to calm me down in that moment inside of myself. Of course, I wanted to talk to her, but she had done her job and now it was my job to pick myself up and get on with the rest of my day. So I sat still, closed my eyes and listened for her voice in my head.
“Take a deep breath and count to 10. One day at a time and if that doesn’t work, one hour at a time. What it really comes down to, Jennifer, is do you trust Him or do you not? Which is it? Now, go put on some lipstick and then get outside and get some fresh air.”
I took a deep breath and counted to 10. I wiped my face, pulled my lip gloss out of my purse and opened the car windows. I was okay. Because my mom didn’t leave anything out. She taught me everything I needed to know. From how to make my grandmother’s cornbread dressing at Thanksgiving to how to recover from a meltdown in my car to how to treat people whether they bag groceries or build corporations. Most importantly she taught me how to build my life on the One who will never fail me. And all of that is right inside of me.
If you’re missing someone, maybe you’re not as lost and confused as you think. Maybe you have everything you need inside you. Maybe you just need to get quiet and listen for that familiar voice. At the very least, I’d say go grab a new lipstick. It can’t hurt.
And PS if you happen to read this sweet Maddie, thank you so much for your beautiful reminder. Your words were such a comfort to me this week. You and me? We got really lucky with the parents God gave us. They did the job He asked them to do and they did it well. There’s nothing more they needed to say. You’re going to be okay and so am I.
Y’all have a blessed weekend.
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