I LOVE These Things: A Good Friday Night, The Kitchen & Insta-Weed {And That Doesn’t Mean Pot}

HELLO.

You thought I’d disappeared from the face of the earth, didn’t you? In some ways, I had. I was obsessing over this NEW THING for the last few months. It was taking all of my time and energy. But finally, this week, I was able to take it out of the nest, perch it on my fingertips and see if it would fly…and fly it did.

There are over 170 women I’m mentoring through Adore Your Wardrobe eCourse and we are having SO MUCH FUN. The course officially started on Tuesday and it has been a blast watching women of all ages and sizes start to really understand WHY a shirt or jeans looks right or not so right on them for the first time. They are having a great time and I am having a great time. The course is currently closed for registration, but if you are interested in learning more when we reopen in May, you can sign up HERE.

But since my baby bird is flying, it means I can spend some more quality time with YOU and get back to talking about the things on my mind and what has brought me joy this week…so here we go.

1. The Insta-Pot.

Before I go into my new love affair with this small-kitchen appliance, I feel the need to embarrass my almost 13-year old son.

When the Insta-Pot arrived from Amazon, it literally came in a brown box with giant lettings that read… “INSTA-POT”. Once it arrived, I brought it in the house, put it on the island and then went back to work,  deciding I’d open it up later. Fast-forward to when my son gets home from middle school.

After our normal…”How was your day?” “Grab a snack.” “Have you washed your hands since you’ve been home?” dialogue we go through every afternoon, he stops, looks at the box and starts getting the giggles.

I look at him weird and say, “It’s an Insta-Pot.”

The giggles turn into laughter.

Me. “What is so funny?”

Him. “The name. So does it grown instant marijuana? Why didn’t they just call it Insta-Weed?”

Which then makes him laugh so hard, he ends up on the floor.

Yes. We’ve evolved. From bathroom humor, to drug humor. It’s the same, only different. I believe he just enjoyed saying marijuana out loud in an out-of-context-sorta-way.

SO….regardless of my son’s sense of humor…I’m in LOVE with my new small kitchen appliance. We’ve only used it for a few things in the week we’ve had it, but everything it has cooked has been AMAZING. The RICE!! The FREAKIN’ RICE!! How did I not comprehend how good rice could be? I’m anxious to mess with it today, as I’m making Barbecue Barbacoa in it. We’ll see if I’m as talented with cow as I was with grain.

(And it’s back on sale for less than $80 on Amazon.)

2. Friday Night Lights.

I realize that by listing this as one of my weekly things, that it makes me look like I’ve lived under a Netflix rock for the past five years.

But I don’t care.

I love this shoe. I love Tim Riggins. I love Matt Saracen. I love Coach. I love Smash. I love Tami. I love Tara. (I get annoyed by Jason, Lyla, and Julie. Can’t Matt just date Tyra…oh, that would be better.)

Call it my small-town Nebraska roots. Call it Kyle Chandler. Or call it my love of football, but this is my new guilty pleasure with a half-bottle of wine (just like Tami…love her pours). And I realize this update is short and sweet, but it’s because I’m probably the last person on the RDM email list to see it. So you all already know about it and are shaking your heads and muttering…”Kelly, you live under a rock.”

PS: I’m only done with Season 1. Don’t ruin it for me…I’ll find you and hunt you down.

3. The Kitchen House.

I needed a good book. It has been a LONG TIME since I’ve had a good book and my soul was ACHING for one. The Kitchen House was recommended to me from several friends and the price was right (hello, $1.99 Kindle Book).

And I love a good period piece. Especially when it is set in the South or the West.

Here are the details:

Orphaned during her passage from Ireland, young, white Lavinia arrives on the steps of the kitchen house and is placed, as an indentured servant, under the care of Belle, the master’s illegitimate slave daughter. Lavinia learns to cook, clean, and serve food, while guided by the quiet strength and love of her new family.

In time, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, caring for the master’s opium-addicted wife and befriending his dangerous yet protective son. She attempts to straddle the worlds of the kitchen and big house, but her skin color will forever set her apart from Belle and the other slaves.

Through the unique eyes of Lavinia and Belle, Grissom’s debut novel unfolds in a heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story of class, race, dignity, deep-buried secrets, and familial bonds.

It’s SO GOOD. SO GOOD. The characters are complex. The family is a mess. You have all sorts of cross-overs…illegitimate daughter, servant white-girl, drug addicted (and hateful) wife, all tied-up in Plantation-era South.

Grab the second half of the bottle of wine from Friday Night Lights and finish it while reading this book over the weekend.

Plus….

This week you loved:

• This Facebook Post
• This Pinterest Image
• This Article

See past editions of I LOVE These Things.