Today I’m sharing a Friday Favorites post with some of my favorite things from the past week.
Happy Friday! It’s hard to believe that it’s already Friday. This week feels like it’s flying by while last week felt like it was never going to end. Time goes by so differently right now. Hopefully this week went by quickly for you too.
As usual for Fridays, today I’m be sharing some of my favorite things from the past week. Even with everything that’s going on right now, I’m still able to find things to be grateful for and enjoy. It’s a good reminder every week that even though there’s a lot of anxiety and uncertainty in the world right now, there are still things that I can be grateful for.
Spolumbo’s sausage
We ordered a bunch of Spolumbo’s sausage this week. While the Spolumbo’s dining room and stores are closed because of the pandemic, they’re still offering pick-up, take-out, and deliveries. This showed up via contactless delivery on Wednesday afternoon. We had ordered it the day before so it arrived pretty quick.
Spolumbo’s is known for their sausage and is a company that’s local to Calgary. It was really nice to be able to support a local small business and still stay safe by having it delivered.
We dropped some off (from a distance) with some friends of the family. Needless to say, we’re fully stocked for sausage for the next few months. We bagged the sausage up into smaller packages and labelled the bags with what kind were in them. We got chicken apple, mild Italian, and Spicy Italian flavors.
The Giver of Stars
This is one of those books that I’ve been having a hard time putting down. The Giver of Stars (affiliate link) follows the story of a packhorse library in Kentucky. I’ve found the writing to be really great and I’ve really enjoyed the characters. This is actually the first book I’ve read by Jojo Moyes. I’m looking forward to reading more from her.
Here’s the summary from Goodreads.com:
Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically.
The leader, and soon Alice’s greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who’s never asked a man’s permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky.
What happens to them–and to the men they love–becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. These heroic women refuse to be cowed by men or by convention. And though they face all kinds of dangers in a landscape that is at times breathtakingly beautiful, at others brutal, they’re committed to their job: bringing books to people who have never had any, arming them with facts that will change their lives.
Doctor Sleep
For anyone who’s enjoyed reading The Shining or watching the movie adaptation from the 70’s, you have to watch Doctor Sleep. Stephen King wrote the book (affiliate link) a few years ago and a movie was made after the success of the It movie. While I haven’t read the book yet (thought I do have a copy of the ebook on hold at my library), I definitely will after really enjoying the movie.
Doctor Sleep follows Danny Torrence as an adult. He connects with a girl who also shines and together they fight a group of people who prey on people who shine. I loved the story and the characters were great too. I thought the actress who plays Abra was perfect for the part. If you haven’t read or watched The Shining, I would definitely suggest you do that before watching this movie. It’ll make a lot more sense if you do.
Fabric masks
I’ve dusted off the sewing machine and have been making fabric masks. The WHO and Canadian government have both encouraged wearing face masks. I’m lucky enough to have a sewing machine, fabric, and all of the other supplies I need to make masks, so that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been giving them to family and friends. They’re definitely not the same as medical grade masks (and I think those should be reserved for healthcare providers), but at least these fabric ones are better than nothing when used in conjunction with proper social distancing, good hygiene, and avoiding touching your face.
If you’re in Calgary and would like some masks let me know! You can email me at getfitfiona(at)gmail(dot)com. I’d love to be able to get them into the hands of people who need them. I can do contactless pick-up by leaving them in a bag with your name on them on the front steps. They’re reusable as long as you wash them between uses. I put them in a mesh bag to keep the ties from getting tangled up in the washing machine. I have lots of less “girly” ones (solids and stripes) just in case florals aren’t your thing.
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog – I appreciate it!
What’s a Friday favorites item of yours been from the last week? Share it in the comments below.