Five Friday Faves for May 2020

I'm here on the last Friday of this month to share some of my random favorites that have gotten me through this month. This past Sunday was my husband's birthday and I put him together a Google Slides show. I spent the month reaching out to many of our friends and loved ones to contribute whatever they wanted to be in the presentation and then editing and putting it all together. It was hard to keep my big mouth shut and even harder to edit it while he stays home. A few times he walked in on me editing and I had to quickly close the page. Haha! I took to editing before he woke up and after he went to bed after that. Good thing I'm a night owl...though the earlier mornings were brutal. He's worth it, though! Seeing his face when I hit play was all I could possibly want. It was so nice seeing what everyone sent in.

Being a quarantine birthday, I tried to make it as special for him as I could. His sister and BIL dropped off a birthday cake. He picked chicken wings and pizza for dinner and got to watch a James Bond movie of his choice (not a shocker, because that is his favorite franchise). And even getting to choose which film he wanted, he still chose my favorite (For Your Eyes Only) of the series over his own (The Man With the Golden Gun). What a fella. For gifts, he's got some new hockey books to enjoy and a new electric razor for when it comes time to shave the quarantine beard and go back to the office!

Have any of you celebrated a quarantine birthday? I'd love to know how you or your loved ones made the day special for you. I know about the birthday parades, but many of our friends and family are long-distance and I needed a way to include them!

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Staying Home Playlist - Songs I'm Loving Right Now

I'm staying home. A lot. Dance parties in the kitchen while cooking and singing sessions in the shower are definitely up there on my list for preferred mental breaks! I probably could have added more than these ten songs, but these are the ones truly wearing out my play button. I'm holding out for the new Gaga and Killers albums! And if rumors are right about an Adele album in the fall, I'm ready. So ready.

As always, when I share songs I'm loving, I appreciate when you do the same. Let me know what you're listening to so I can give it a listen! While this list is mainly pop, I do listen to a bit of everything. Y'all should see my Spotify plays. They're all over the place! LOL!

• The Man by Taylor Swift - So good.
• Blinding Lights by The Weeknd - My favorite of his new tunes. Catchy in the best way!
• Break My Heart by Dua Lipa - Gah, this and Physical are my jams. You can't NOT dance.
• Adore You by Harry Styles - This and Watermelon Sugar have my heart, but they hit differently.
• Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish - So beautiful with an impact.
• Caution by The Killers - Classic Killers vibes and that's a good thing.
• Stupid Love by Lady Gaga - I tried Rain On Me, but my 2am brain didn't like it. I'll see if it grows on me. Love this one!
• July by Noah Cyrus - Noah's ballads are amazing.
• God Only Knows by The Beach Boys - This along with  Kokomo are my fave Beach Boys tunes.
• Break Up Song by Little Mix - I love a catchy chorus and this one delivers!

Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink in Lover

Are you working from home right now and have numerous Zoom calls or meetings each day and you want to make getting ready for them a breeze? These liquid lipsticks can definitely help. I'm telling you that you can put these on for your first meeting at 9am and they'll still be going strong after lunch and coffee breaks for your 4pm conference call. They don't budge!

I have five of these bad boys now and don't even think that I don't have my sight on others to get in the future! I've already featured Loyalist, Heroine, and Dreamer. You can click those to take you to the related post or you can click the "Maybelline" tag to see everything on one page. After this, I do still have to get around to talking about Pioneer. My personal favorite is Loyalist, but Lover is definitely up there.

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InstaMonth for April 2020

We are in May now! Time is operating at a strange pace for me right now, for sure. Is it fast? Is it slow? It's a little of everything any given minute. We are still staying home and will until Toronto and Ontario decides otherwise. Even then, I can't help but feel uncertain that we are all going to do it too quickly. I know there are those out there who have a different opinion. My own home state has the worst rating in the US in social distancing. Just this past week, "grandma killer" was trending on Twitter because someone wants their freedom so badly and is refusing to stay home. I personally can't wrap my head around it. I really can't.

People are losing their lives, their loved ones, and are getting sick for weeks with what many have deemed the "worst thing they have ever gone through". I understand the uncertainty, financial problems, and all of that. I just don't understand the way of thought behind the protesting, fake coughing on someone and laughing, having parties and BBQs with friends, etc. Selfishness and stupidity is running rampant and it worries me tremendously. It feels so disrespectful to those out there on the front lines, those working their essential jobs, to those who have seen COVID19 firsthand, and even to those like us who are doing everything they can to stay in and stay healthy.

We have a long weekend here coming up and I am so excited about it. I know that sounds crazy with us being at home everyday, but that is while still working. My husband even added an extra day to make it a five day weekend/staycation for us. A nice little mental break! Don't underestimate the power of a vacation day even if it is just spent at home. A day of doing nothing is actually something!

And y'all, would you believe it snowed this past weekend and a little this morning? In May?! I don't think I've ever seen snow in May. It snowed on May 9th, which was my grandmother's birthday. Whenever I see snow, I think of her because I'd always get so excited to see it and call her about it. I'm from the south, so I still find myself treating snow as some kind of rare delicacy. I feel like she was sending me down a little sign from heaven and that was an uplifting feeling.

Anyway, I'll get into the post. Here are a few pictures from my Instagram (@wendybanner) during April. With the algorithm not always working for me, I like to also share them on my blog. My feed has been focused a lot more on skincare and self-care recently. If you'd like to follow each other, I'd love it. My double-tap game is strong! :)

Latest H&M haul.

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Blog of the Month for May 2020 - Sandie's Stash

In April, Charline from Charline Has a Blog was my featured blogger. You can read that post and see other past featured blogs under the "blog of the month" label! Being my blog of the month gets you a designated blog post, a sidebar button, and a mention on my Twitter account. The sidebar button stays up all month long. I don't believe in necessarily making bloggers pay for advertising and I'd much rather show you blogs that I really enjoy reading. And I hope you end up enjoying them too!

This month, I'm featuring Sandie from Sandie's Stash. I've been following her blog for quite some time, but I don't think I've featured her yet. This seems like the perfect time! She talks about her latest hauls and things like what was in her latest Boxy Charm box. She keeps her blog going all while working a job in the ICU at a hospital! As a germaphobe, I could never work in a hospital. Lol! If you stop by her blog, feel free to let her know I sent you! :)