Prime Purchases ~ November 2020

 Good morning!  I am linking up with Tanya for Prime Purchases.  I have worn the heck out of Amazon this past week with online Christmas shopping.  With that in mind, there is a lot I won't be sharing since most of my gifts have been purchased here :).

Document holders

I have used these to help organize papers as I have been learning Quick Books.  I really like they are clear and have a zipper to protect the papers.

Advent Devotion book - The Christmas We Didn't Expect

I am looking forward to starting this Advent book today!

Kindle Tablet cover

This is a great cover for a Kindle and it also has a built in stand.

Appetizer Forks

These are perfect for serving appetizers, especially during Covid times when we are trying creative ways to serve.  

Tablecloth

I ordered this tablecloth for our round kitchen table originally for my 50th birthday party, but it will be something I can use year round.  So far, it has washed very well.

Looking forward to seeing what others post and also sharing some of my Christmas purchases next month!

Weekend Wrap Up ~ November 30, 2020/Thanksgiving Recap

 I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday week!  I took a few days off from blogs due to family time, so I will catch up this week, but it was a good break from the computer.  We spent the holiday with family in North Carolina.  It was great to be there and even though it was a long drive, it was good to have a road trip.  I didn't take many pictures, but here are a few to share.

We met our college girl there. She and I explored a little bit of South End with my sister-in-law.

Thanksgiving Day we ate lots of carbs took a walk, and then had a girls night binging episodes of The Crown.

It was just the girls Thursday night because the guys left for an early fishing trip Friday.  My husband caught this catfish! 

We lived in North Carolina the first 5 years of marriage, so I always try to see an old friend.  I was able to meet up with a friend whom I worked with while pregnant with my firstborn.  She and I reminisced about our old work and having our babies at the same time.  It was so fun.  After our visit, my girls and I did some shopping with my sister-in-laws.

At the end of our trip, we visited with some friends in South Carolina for a meal, but didn't get any pictures there.  Then we stayed with our daughter at her house at college.  It was fun too and makes us look forward to us all being home for the Christmas holiday.

Hope it's a good Monday as we transition back into normal routines!

What's Up Wednesday ~ November 2020

 Today I am linking up for What's Up Wednesday, November style.  

What we're eating this week..........

Obviously in light of Thanksgiving week, this week's menu looks very different from most weeks!

Monday - crab cakes, chicken, roasted veggies, mashed potatoes

Tuesday - out

Wednesday - at my sister-in-laws

Thursday - Thanksgiving

Friday - leftovers/out ??

Saturday - out 

What I'm reminiscing about........

When we didn't have to worry about quarantine, how many people were gathering and all of these current Covid restrictions.  

What I'm loving........

I am loving Christmas lights and decorations!!  I love seeing lights in yards and lights inside my own home. This will help the holiday season seem more normal.

What we've been up to...........

Basically it seems the month of November was spent celebrating my birthday!

What I'm dreading..........

Today, just trying to stay positive and not dread anything.  

What I'm working on..............

I am working on selling some old clothes, always cleaning/organizing, and looking at potential new jobs for me next year.   Any ideas for part-time, work from home jobs??

What I'm excited about...........

I am excited for a break from normal routine this Thanksgiving week! Oh, and season 2 of Virgin River will be released on Netfilx Friday!

What I'm watching/reading...........

I started off the month reading, but have slacked off these past 3 weeks.  

Some of the books I am reading are Becoming Us, Made to Crave, and The Red Tent.  I have lots more I want to read, so I need to make this a daily habit!

I do much better at watching than reading :). I am watching most of the Hallmark Christmas movies.  I am a few behind, but will catch up at sometime during the season.  I look forward to watching favorite Christmas movies with the family this season.  My husband and I have really enjoyed Schitt's Creek. We are still in season 1, but it is so funny.  

What I'm listening to..............

Y'all know I love my weekly podcasts.  I am still listening to the same ones from last month.  

I am also listening to Christmas music on XM Radio, local radio and even the TV!

My favorite is still the Gwen Stefani album and Josh Groban's "O Holy Night".  I listened to Dolly Parton's Christmas album this week and really like it too!

What I'm wearing.............

I am wearing jeans with sweaters/tops most days.  I recently bought some jeans at Wal-Mart and have been most pleased!  Here I am in a pair with my 50 birthday shirt from my sister.

What I'm doing this weekend............

This weekend we will be wrapping up a visit with family for Thanksgiving.  We are looking forward to it!

What I'm looking forward to next month............

In December, I am looking forward to the birth of a new great niece, my brother and his family coming in town for Christmas, Christmas celebrations with family and our oldest coming home from college!

What else is new................

Super thankful for the little gifts in such a hard year.  What a great time to reflect on these things.  Thank you for reading and being a blogger friend!  Wishing you and your family a happy holiday week!

Weekend Wrap Up ~ November 23, 2020

 Happy Thanksgiving Week!  

Today I am linking up with Tanya as we begin a new week.

This weekend was full of another birthday celebration (yes, I am celebrating this entire month!), Christmas decorations, church and a hot tub!

My mom and sister planned a family birthday party for me at my sister's house Friday night.  I was able to celebrate with my sister and her family and my parents.  My brother lives out of town, but I will see him Christmas.  They pulled out some old photos, memorabilia from 1970 and my sister gave me a fun t-shirt to wear!  And always a highlight, I had time with my great nieces and nephew!

I started earlier in the week decorating the house for Christmas and we put up our tree on Saturday!  I may decorate today....or later this week.  Here is phase 1....

Sunday, we went to church and then had a Thanksgiving feast with our new church family Sunday night.  We have been attending a new church plant on Sunday nights and are thankful for this group.

After church, my husband, daughter and I got in our new hot tub!  We ordered this 6 months ago and then it took 5 months for it to arrive and time for us to get it connected.  

Enjoy the day!

Friday Favorites ~ November 19, 2020

Happy Friday! Today I am linking up with Friday Favorites for a few highlights.

ONE

This week I highlighted some birthday activities, such as roller skating, a night away and an awesome 50th birthday party.

TWO

Here is a sample of some of my birthday gifts:

This is a gift from my oldest daughter....2 of my favorites...Elvis and The Office!

From my younger daughter, I got this cool book called The Story of my Life.  It has writing prompts throughout to write your life story.  This is right up my alley and I will treasure it.  I also got a new beauty blender :).

I received this fruit arrangement from my in-laws and it was beautiful and delicious!

I also received candles, beauty products and a few other things from friends this past week and a half.  

THREE

Art Instagram Account

Go follow this art account on instagram.  This is the most recent post which is a drawing of a photograph.  She is so talented! @brookbridgesart

FOUR

And if you need a laugh this week........

Have yourself a great weekend!

Tuesday Talk ~ 50th Birthday Party Decor

 Today I am linking up for Tuesday Talk and am talking about my 50th birthday party.  

With this being an unusual year for gatherings, we wondered how to celebrate and decided to invite 8 couples over to our home.  We had a friend and my daughters help with decorating and I prepared the food, thanks to Costco!  It was so fun to be with friends and they were all happy to have an event.  We were able to stay on our back porch for most of the night and had grouped chairs together so that people would feel safe.  My daughters helped serve the food and I tried to be creative with serving of the food.  It was a super fun night!

I have admired the balloon garlands and my husband surprised me with this creation that was on our front porch.

Blowing out birthday candles, safely :)

Now to the decorations....

Throughout the house, we had flowers and pictures.

It was great weather and we had a fire inside.

The food was served on our dining room table.

Here are pictures from our back porch.  We had a dessert table and a drink station out here.

Dessert table....

Drink station....

Sweet friends brought some gifts for me as well.

I am thankful for a fun night of celebrating!