5 days.

I don't know if I've had five days packed full of this much goodness ever! The last few days have been full of blessing after blessing...and I'm sitting here trying to absorb it all.

Friday
My sweet momma came up on Friday hoping to close on her house. She didn't. But we aren't letting that get us down. She will soon and that is going to have to be enough. But I'll tell you this, when I buy I house...I will not be using bank of america. It's been so hard on momma and they haven't helped her at all. It breaks my heart she's having such a hard time with this. But spending time with momma is always good for my heart. We had dinner out at my aunt & uncle's house. We ate more than we should and laughed more than we thought we could. I am so blessed by my family.

And I got to see my beautiful Samantha C. She drove up to The Hill this weekend to see some friends [me being one of them] and it was so nice to  sit around and catch up with her. She's the master of puppy chow, which I got to enjoy later in the weekend, and a master of words. I love this girl with all my being!

Saturday
I have been awaiting this day for quite sometime now, ya'll. The beginning of football season marks so much more than another chance for the Hogs to redeem themselves. It's cook outs, scarves, sweaters and smores, chills in the air, hot chocolate and fire pits [we know how i feel about a good fire pit] But this was such a good Saturday.

Mom and I woke up early went to the square and got to enjoy all that the Fayetteville Farmer's Market has to offer. How I love the people there and the good foods. I got to wear my favorite sweater, drink good coffee, see the wonderful people and enjoy the chill in the air. After that we headed out to Prairie Grove for this wonderful craft fair. It was at the PG Battlefield State Park. Such a beautiful area filled with booth after booth of talented people selling the most interesting things. We walked around for hours. A few turkey legs were purchased [NOT by me] and a lot of good memories were made.

And by 6 o'clock that night I was sitting in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium calling the Hogs. I wasn't planning on going to the game, but a college friend happened to have an extra ticket and offered it to me for FREE. Yes, thank you! So I got to see old friends and enjoy a good game. Life was full that day.

The Hogs won, of course. They paid TN Tech enough to come make them look good, I'm sure. After the game, some dear friends ended up in my back yard with me and the roommate sitting around the fire. It was a late night filled with tears, scripture, walls, laughter and hugs. God is so good.

Sunday
We woke up after a few hours of sleep, took showers to try and remove the smoke smell out of hair...to no avail. But made it out to New Heights for church. I am so blessed by this church and its people. The service was nice and provided me a reminder of how BIG God really is. The church is opening up a coffee house & global store. They went into detail about the plans and how it came to be. Such a neat story. Mama Carmen's will be the name. I love it.

After church, NH had a free lunch catered and boy! was it good! BBQ at it's finest. Thank you Penguin Ed's. A great time for fellowship. I enjoyed every second of it! But what kind of southern girl would I be if I didn't have a smile on my face with a plate of BBQ, baked beans, cole slaw and sweet tea sitting in front of me?

Monday & Tuesday
I'm combining these two, for the sake of a ridiculously long post. :) I should learn to post more often instead of giving you my week in review. [my reviews are never short]

Monday I went back to that craft fair and ended up buying a few things. I couldn't resist the second time around! And it was still just a good the second time. The roommate came with this time and that is always fun. This was right up her alley. Homemade soap and spoon rings!

That night I got to spend my evening with Gretchen having dinner and coffee. Some girl time was much needed and getting to know someone so great is never a bad thing! I am so blessed by her friendship and laughter. We surprised some of our boys and stopped by their apartment to find them watching a football game, which we enjoyed just as much. It was a great night.

Aaaand theeeeen...Tuesday evening was spent with the fabulous Beth. A night filled with a home cooked meal [spaghetti & chocolate chip cookies] and wonderful conversation. Again, getting to know someone so great is never a bad thing. Beth becoming a part of my life has been one of my favorite things.

I have been so encouraged by the last 5 days. I had allowed my circumstances to steal my joy and that was just plain dumb. No circumstance has changed but I finally opened my eyes and have been so blessed by what was already around me. Things that have never changed.

And that most importantly includes a God who is bigger than me. Who provides redemption and forgiveness once I let Him.

thursday favorites.

i didn't want to wait until friday to post a few of my favorite things from this week.

1. The Flying Dog

my sweet momma made her way up here for a visit earlier this week and we found ourselves on a pretty serious search for some thrift store finds. mom's idea of a find is old pillow cases for $.56 each [which she buys 12 of them] and you love her for it. and mine is this pretty lady. if she didn't cost more than i make in a week, she would have found her way into my home. but the flying dog is by far of the most magical places i've ever seen. i've been twice this week. and it doesn't help that it's so close to my house! oh dear, someone help me!

2. soul food

last night the roomie and i made enough food to feed  the 5,000. as we were running around town we both had quite the hankerin' for some good ol' soul food. and when i say soul food i don't play around. on the menu last night was grilled chicken [the only semi healthy part of the meal], fried okra, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, corn bread and sweet tea. and my momma taught me early how to make a  good sweet tea. i truly thank my Maker for being born in the south! as we realized how much food we were going to end up with, i made a quick call to a friend of mine and 30 min later 3 hungry men come walking through my front door. with extra okra in hand, too! needless to say, it was a wonderful night of food and fellowship! and it ended with a wonderful little storm. so grateful for that!

3. a sound mind

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Tim. 1:7

i'm putting this as one of my favorite things because sadly i've had less than a sound mind as of late. and well, i'm claiming my sound mind in the name of God. i'm not sure how it all got so bad, but it did. and this week i finally got a hold of myself and my mind and turned it back to God. it's kindof nice knowing things are on the up & up. ladies, i think we don't realize how Satan attacks us. we're emotional beings and what better way to start us on the down hill, but to make us think we are flat out crazy. Beth Moore talks about that in some of her podcasts. she speaks a lot of truth about it, in ways only she can, and it really hit home with me. 

i am sane. most days! and when i'm on the verge....just give me a sweet tea and a few minutes to recite the Lord's prayer 18 times and i should be good.