Hi friends. Welcome.
So glad to be back with you this final Friday in April.
I’ve been a bit hit and miss lately but turning up here on a Friday is one of my very favourite things to do.
So anything lovely planned for the weekend? I’m gonna be eating some Indian food with my girl (her request so I’m not saying no) and spending some time near the ocean cause that always does me all sorts of good.
First things first though – – – –
A Good Word
Light that candle. Wear the perfume. Fill the bath with the fancy stuff. Eat spaghetti on the good dishes. Tear the tags off that dress and wear it anyway. Cut all the lilacs and make a bouquet. Make the nail holes and hang those pictures. Open that dusty bottle of wine. Here’s to today.
A Good Look
Embrace those weekend feels – if not in body, then in spirit
More of this cuteness here
A Good Idea
from Brandy Wallner
Friday Night Favourites
Lots of people talk about morning and evening routines, but Fridays arrive with their own magic don’t they?! And pandemic times or not, they’re still a way to mark time; signaling both an end and a beginning. So here’s to celebrating Friday nights with plans of rest or plans for gathering. Cheers to our Friday Night routines, whatever they may be!
My own trip down memory Lane has me visiting football sidelines and as a kid we went grocery shopping at Fedco every Friday night. Followed by dinner out with my mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa at Coco’s. As an adult, I’m not sure how the heck all the food in the car didn’t spoil. Lol
As a teenager, Fridays were for cheering sideline at football games or the TGIF Line Up on ABC
In my 20’s and most of my 30’s it typically meant finding a good happy hour with friends after work or curling up to watch, Fringe.
Married days (pre-Covid) meant inviting friends or family over for dinner. But now, our traditions are marked by small, but meaningful routines…I do my best to close up shop by 4pm, pour myself a glass of wine by 5, and start making pizza with the hubs by 7.
So what’s your Friday night routine look like? Got a way that you like to celebrate and commemorate a week of hard work?
Share it! Someone in a Friday rut may thank you for the idea!
A Good Read
from Cup of Jo
What’s Your Second Chance for This Year?
In January 2020, before there was any worry of staying indoors for the foreseeable future, I was on the hunt for a new hobby…
I do this every new year, hoping to enrich myself and learn something new — one year it was to go to at least one Broadway show a month!
Last year, I had the idea to finally try my hand at a pottery class. I’ve always imagined myself as the kind of person who walks around in overalls and a crop top underneath, pottery clay smeared lightly across my cheek as I sat at a wheel and made mugs and bowls to my heart’s content. But, last year, it was not to be. As soon as I had settled on the perfect pottery studio, lockdown started and it wasn’t for just two weeks like we all thought. I was bummed as my hopes of being a master potter diminished with every month.
I’d forgotten all about it, until a few weeks ago when I noticed that the pottery studio I had been interested in was opening again, with COVID restrictions. I looked at the available classes and found a beginner’s course with one more vacancy. That day, I ordered an apron and planned my future midweek morning walks to class.
Taking this second chance made me realize all the other second chances I would have this year, as more and more people get vaccinated, and the world opens up little by little. I’m looking forward to dancing on a sweaty dance floor with a piña colada in hand, seeing plays in a theater, and sitting in a quiet café. All the things I put on hold last year are almost on the menu again, and I feel grateful for the possibility of experiencing them all – – – Keep Reading and scroll down to enjoy the reader comments
Learning to See the Beauty in My Mother’s Chore List
My mother, Lynne, has always been a strong advocate for women’s rights and education. The second-oldest of four siblings, she grew up in the industrial city of Pontiac, Michigan. She earned her MBA while raising two children and working full-time, proving what women, especially Black women, can accomplish despite the odds. And despite her incredibly limited free time, her house was always spotless — especially the kitchen.
The kitchen had to be in peak condition because it was always on display and in use. When you enter the foyer of our home, you see our living room first — a space filled with artwork, family photos, and two comfy couches. However, anyone entering the Mills household (family, friend, or frenemy) never walked straight into the living room: Nope, it was always the kitchen. Brightly lit and cozied up with a round table and neutral color palette, the kitchen is where everything happened.
As is the case in many Black households, Saturday mornings did not require an alarm. The radio blasted Mom’s favorites — Anita Baker, Toni Braxton, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye — and we knew what time it was. Time to get up and get to work. Having already been up for a couple of hours, she would feed my brother and me a quick breakfast of eggs, bacon, and biscuits. If she had a gathering scheduled for that night, though, we had to make it extra snappy with our choice of cereal – – – – keep reading.
That’s it for this week friends. Hope you’ve enjoyed.
Have a beautiful weekend, rest up, do something you love xx
Water Into Wine 
Hi Trace. Love the dog! So exuberant.
The kitchen chores also spoke to me. I like a clean dining table and clear kitchen bench. When the dishes are done that’s awesome.
To me the clear table means it is ready for anyone to sit at be it family friend or person in need. I like it being used.
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I agree. A clean table is like an invitation
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