Thursday Things #150
Nifty gadgets, never will I ever, and poems and prayers.
Every other Thursday, I share a handful of good things I'm loving, reading, watching, listening to or just discovered. AKA the random good stuff we’d talk about over coffee or text if we had one another’s phone number. I'm glad you're here!
Bring on the random goodness, we’ve got a mixed bag today friends. I’m still not over last night’s episode of Survivor (IYKYK) and listen, I won’t spoil the entire thing except to say a standing ovation is in order.
They all finally did what they should have done on literal Day One AND ALSO my long, long time favorite is gone. Two of the remaining five deserve to win and can make a solid case, in my opinion, but no one comes close to the masterclass that is now on the jury.
Anywhoooo I shall stop because you aren’t here for my Survivor commentary. (Though hello do you watch it because if so can we please chat in the comments I have so many thoughts.)
Let’s jump in, yes?
— — —
Never will I ever.
Should you find yourself painting a room in the foreseeable future, I am telling you: this is the game-changer, time-saving tool you didn’t know you needed.
Yes, yes, you can use an angled paint brush. That’s true. But why would you when this handy dandy tool is available? I bought it on a whim because it looked like it might speed up the painting process, working well and quickly for corners and for very clean lines around the crown molding. My brother can attest that I did indeed gasp with gratitude after the first swipe, and when we finished the room he looked at me, pointed at the trimmer, and said “That was worth every penny.”
Indeed. It. Was. (It’s less then $8.) (There’s a version specifically for corners, but what we had worked great.)
Well this is nifty.
“Buy a toaster” has been filed under “Do that at some point” on the To Do list for nearly two years now. Far from an emergency, really nothing more than an inconvenience whenever I randomly thought “a toasted bagel sounds good right now”, with a bunch of unexpected expenses playing wack-a-mole each month and the serious impact of inflation on a self-employed solo income budget… well, it just kept getting pushed down to, you know, pay for gas.
This one happened to go on sale recently and it became my splurge for the month. I know it’s narrow to save space but how nifty to also quickly toast a baguette! (I had a bagel for breakfast six days straight—making up for lost time, apparently.)
A gift for another (or, perhaps, yourself).
While we’re on the topic of kitchen gadgets, if you happen to need a new set of knives, might I recommend these? I can’t begin to explain what happened except to say my old (dishwasher safe, used and washed dozens of times) set came out of the dishwasher completely ruined the month before the toaster, so allow me to share the unexpected splurge of the month prior.
Being an adult—what a joy sometimes, no? 😉 Frustration combined with inflation combined with sarcasm aside—this set has proven to be fantastic. I got them on sale and they’re still 60% off. If you need to grab a gift for a college grad or perhaps a summer wedding shower, these could be a good option!
Recent Instagram favorites.
Let’s wrap-up with a large round-up, yes? For 15+ years, I’ve loved linking to other creators via email and sharing via social. As we get close to the Thursday Things summer break, there are so many saved pieces that there isn’t enough email inbox space to share each one… a truly wonderful ‘problem’ don’t you think? Too many good things?
One hundred and fifty is just a number, but it’s also meaningful and telling to me—faithfulness to keep writing, yes, but also faithfulness from you to keep reading, to keep showing up and sticking around and sharing. What more appropriate way to close out Thursday Things #150 than to link to words from others—creators who are adding beauty and light and goodness to feeds that are often wild and overwhelming and noisy.
TT #148 round-up theme: videos
TT #149 round-up theme: beauty and art
Today? Good words.
Oh, how we need them. God, help us write them and speak them.
Every so often, I share a handful of posts that encouraged, inspired, moved or stopped me in my tracks. Even if you aren’t on Instagram, if you click on a post you should be able to open/view. Most of these poems and prayers have multiple slides, so I’d encourage you to tap through and read in full.
Kate’s poem won’t slip into the email like the others, for who knows what technological reason, but you can click here for the full piece. It’s worth it.
Sometimes, I like to go back to (non-new-year-new-you) January posts several months in. It’s a gentle reminder and a kind reframe:
In case you’d like a few more words: This past calendar flip, I shared a blessing to end the year and then one to begin… eighteen days in because sometimes we need to catch our breath amen. There’s also this one, five months in.
We’ll let Wendell close us out today . . .
Shall we do without hope? Some days
there will be none. But now
to the dry and dead woods floor
they come again, the first
flowers of the year, the assembly
of the faithful, the beautiful,
wholly given to being.
And in this long season
of machines and mechanical will
there have been small human acts
of compassion, acts of care, work
flowerlike in selfless loveliness.
Leaving hope to the dark
and to a better day,
receive these beauties freely
given, and give thanks.
- Wendell Berry
See you next time!
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