Five on Friday [The Rest and Relax Edition]

Happy Friday!  No nonsense today, let's just get right down to it.....

ONE
It's been a crazy week at the hive, complete with a trip to the ER one evening (everything, thankfully, is fine) and a different romantic evening of snaking the kitchen drain.  Ugh.  So happy that it's Friday.  The doc says it's time to rest, relax, and de-stress, so hoping to accomplish that this weekend!

Honoring a Dear Friend

Last week was filled with much love and big surprises.  We all had such an incredible time honoring a dear, dear friend on her retirement.  I've been trying to determine the best way to explain the numerous surprises, but still haven't come up with something really clear....so here it goes.....Bestie MHDRL surprised her mom and flew in from Texas on her last day of school.  We had told Dear Friend D that we would bring dinner and champagne to celebrate, but little did she know we were also bringing her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson!  She was stunned for the first surprise. 

On My Bookshelf [The Dead Will Tell]

I've mentioned before that I enjoyed the Amish mystery series by Linda Castillo and just finished reading her latest.  The very first one, Sworn to Silence, is still my favorite, but this one didn't disappoint.  (Although confession time: I did only read this one during the day....when it was light out....this one seemed a little more gruesome than the others....I mean, it's called The Dead Will Tell...)

Five on Friday [6.19.15]

Happy Friday!!!!  It's going to be a long, long weekend, however.  We have 500+ tennis players from all over the Midwest coming for a closed tournament.  And rain is predicted.  Lots and lots of rain.  If you wouldn't mind doing a little non-rain dance for me it would be greatly appreciated!  Now, let's get down to this week's Five on Friday...

ONE
Bestie MHDRL came into town last week to surprise her mom for her retirement.  It was a spectacularly fun week complete with a surprise party, a trip to the Children's Museum, lots of snuggles, and lots of giggles.  Perfection.

Porch Rules

Porch rules have popped up all over Pinterest and I've been itching to recreate something for our back porch.  I found the perfect little spot on an antique plant stand that simply needed something a little extra.  These porch rules fit the bill perfectly.

Edamame Salad

This weekend was full of big surprises, big celebrations, and big love.  I promise to elaborate more later this week, but for now I want to share the edamame salad recipe that I took to one celebration.  It's so, so easy and the perfect addition to a summer bbq or a light summer lunch.  The sweet friend who shared the recipe with me also serves it as a dip with Tostitos.  Both are delicious.

Monogram Cell Phone Case

I have a confession...I never really had a cell phone until I got married.  I had a pre-paid job for a bit before that, but I was definitely late to the game.  As it is, I often forget it in the car for hours or over night and sometimes don't remember to take it with me in the morning.  But my new adorable monogrammed case makes it worth toting around.....and it couldn't have been simpler! 

North End BBQ and Moonshine

Working in a school, we never rarely have time to have a nice lunch out with the girls.  Well, we did just that yesterday at The The North End BBQ and Moonshine.  I think I should preface this post with the explanation that my mama was from Memphis....I'm a little picky about my bbq, but this place was good!  It's just a hop, skip, and a jump away from my house and I've been hearing rave reviews, but somehow had yet to visit.  I'm sure it won't be long until my next visit.

Five on Friday [6.5.15]

Happy Friday!  This week seems to have flown by!  I'm so sorry I've been a MIA.  School ended, tennis started with a bang, and I had an unexpected trip to Memphis all at the same time.  I'm looking forward to a productive (hopefully) little weekend though.  Now, here's this week's Five on Friday.

ONE
I love a little summer Happy Hour and I have a new favorite cocktail this summer.  You must try these easy vodka mojitos.  They're delicious!  Of course a monogrammed glass makes everything taste better!

On My Bookshelf [Danger in Plain Sight]

During a girls' night recently my sweet friends shared the books they've enjoyed lately and Danger in Plain Sight caught my attention.  I've read an Amish mystery series before that I really enjoyed, so I thought this would be no different.  I have to say, although I did enjoy this book, I wish I had known it was a series before I started this particular book.  If I had, I would have started with the first book. That being said, it's still the type of book you can read without having read the others.