Five Fave Finds

Another Friday! After today I only have 1 more full day of work left and then 2 half days. Same as my youngest daughter. Courtney, after today, has just 2 regents exams left. (French 3R and Math 11R). One week from today we will be packing up the car, the bikes and the kayaks and heading off to Acadia National Park and Bass Harbor Cottages for our one week vacation. And boy do we all need this vacation. Because when we get back: bam....we are back into the HizKidz Praise Ministry and all that entails for Summer Camp. Yeah. We don't stay idle for long in this household!!

Here are 5 fave things I found this week:

This pic of my teen daughter and I. (taken in mid-May) It is so hard to believe that after her next 3 exams she will be a junior in high school! In 3 weeks she will be qualified to get her learning permit! She is the light of my life (well, along with her little sis) and is such a great help around the house and with her sister. She has grown to be strong in her faith, has great friends and is a high honor student who is very responsible with all the various roles she is currently playing. This is just after we both had hair cuts....she is keeping hers this length but I am growing mine out. Again.

This "hot weather" drink. My favorites are the iced tea with lemon and this raspberry lemonade. Each container makes 12 quarts with 4 2-quart tubs per container. I bought it for $3.19 and this drink will last me about a month or maybe 2 depending on how much of it I drink. Typically I can make 2 quarts and it lasts me a little over a week as I mainly drink water. This is a nice option for lunch or a late afternoon snack. I also like to drink a large iced glass of it while out doing yard work or just in from power-walking. There are only 5 calories per serving. There is no caffeine but there is aspartame which is not recommended for consumption if you are pregnant or nursing.

This hand soap (Cleansing Rosemary and Mint) by Pure and Natural. Now, I realize I featured the Clean Well soap a couple of Fave Fives ago. But get this: I can no longer find that hand soap anywhere in my town! So...I am forced to try a new one. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE this. The other is still my fave but this is a close 2nd. The scent is heavenly and it is hypo-allergenic. It is biodegradable (very important if renting a cottage or camping in the woods/near the lakes/ocean), comes in 100% recycled packaging (YAY), is paraben free and is not tested on animals. 98% of the ingredients are natural. AND the company gives $100,00 annually to the World Wildlife Fund! So...in purchasing this product you are helping to take care of the world that God created! I paid $3.99 for a 8.45 oz bottle but it sells for a bit lower in some discount stores. (I bought it at a grocery store which tends to mark this stuff up) A little goes a long way tho. I have told my daughters that when they wash their hands with this (I have it at the kitchen sink) they only need one small squirt with the pump. I plan on purchasing more to have at the cottage we are renting in Acadia.

These chips! They are a much more nutritious choice than regular chips or crackers but they do contain salt so beware of that! The flavor I am currently into is Garden Salsa. They have a touch of spice and wow...they are nice! They go great with a sandwich or just plain with some fruit and cheese. I love this snack option!

Have you discovered the Ashley Wilkes Stockingdale series yet?? My teen and I discovered Book One last autumn. What a hoot! I usually do not like Christian fiction and especially romances. I just never got into them....I think they are so trite. BUT....this particular series is like reading a comedic play. It's a bit trite but oh so funny and kind of "real life" for singles in the church. Very typical of what life is like for some singles and it is just plain funny..... I bought this book pictured above (#2 in the series) for Courtney's Easter basket. She read it in 2 days. I am currently reading it. Ashley is a Christian single 30-something just dying to get married. She is dating an engineer who is afraid of committment. This book will keep you laughing your head off....... We discussed owning the series but we have decided to just borrow them from the library. We are looking forward to #3. Hopefully our town library will have it!