Hodgepodge ~ 11/26/24

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!  Linking up for a THANKS edition of Hodgepodge with Joyce. 

1. Talking turkey...are you cooking the turkey this year? Does ham belong on a Thanksgiving day menu? When it comes to gravy do you pour it over your whole plate, skip it altogether, or land somewhere in between? Cranberries-homemade or jelled right out of the can? Do you look forward more to the main course, the savory sides, or the desserts? 

My niece is cooking the turkey this year.  We have ham at Easter and at Christmas, but not at Thanksgiving.  I am not a gravy or cranberry eater, so if these are available, I will pass on both.  I am looking forward to a good turkey, because I don't eat it that often.  I do love dressing and all the sides!  

2. Holiday movies...tell us your favorite and what it is about the film that makes you love it. Is it the film itself or a memory it stirs? 

I love Four Christmasas, Elf, Christmas Vacation, The Holiday and then the Hallmark/GAC Christmas movies.  I love laughter/feel good movies this time of year, or really anytime of year!

3. A favorite way to give back and help others? 

I enjoy that my job is a way to give back and help others every day.  This week, I hosted the dinner we served at our local children's hospital.  I am thankful to be serving there every month.  

4. Name a place or setting you encountered this month that made you feel grateful. 

My birthday party this month was one of the most special nights I have had.  Being in a room listening to people encourage me made me feel so grateful for having such a strong support system here through the hardest season of my life.

5. Knowing what you know today, if you could redo yesterday what would you do differently? 

I would probably clean up my room so I didn't feel as scattered and messy today when I look around the room!

6. Spill your own random thought here. 

I would love your prayers as my girls and I experience our first Thanksgiving without my husband/their father with us.  My brother and his family are in town and we are looking forward to other family time though.  

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!  I am so thankful for this blog community of friends and wish I could give you each a hug!

Talking About it Tuesday ~ Graceland

 This morning I am sharing about the home of Elvis Presley, Graceland!  

I had the opportunity to go on a tour of Graceland Friday to see all the holiday decorations.  For some of you who may be new here, I am an Elvis fan.  I worked at Graceland as a tour guide for my summer job when I was in college.  Elvis was also my first concert.

This is a famous painting of Elvis and the only one he had commisioned.

Here are a few pictures of inside the house...

To the right when you walk inside is the living room.

To your left, is the dining room.

These are pictures of the famous jungle room.  This had wall to wall carpet to make it acoustically sound for recording.

In the basement is the TV room. This is the room that had 3 tv's, which was a lot for that day.

Across the hall is the pool room, which had pleated fabric on the ceiling and walls.

There are museums on the grounds which display many different things, like his outfits, cars and gold records.  It is interesting to see how his outfits changed over the years.

This is the leather suit from his comeback special of '68.

There is also an area highlighting his 31 movies and 2 documentaries.

This is his American Eagle jumpsuit from his Aloha in Hawaii concert.

Elvis bought this pink cadillac for his mother.

Look at all of those gold albums and awards!

Did you know the 3 Grammy's Elvis won were for his gospel music?  He won 2 for How Great Thou Art and one for He Touched Me.

It was such a fun time to go visit Graceland again!

Hello Monday ~ November 25, 2024

 Hi friends!  Oh, the last few days have been nonstop it seems with mostly fun stuff, mostly :).

I missed posting Friday as I just couldn't make one happen after a night out last Thursday.  Here is a recap of a few things lately........

Brook and I are working our way through this puzzle.  I'll be honest, it is not our favorite brand. The pieces can fit a thousand different ways, so it is definitely a challenge!

I tried an Oreo Coke Zero.  I don't recommend it.

Brook and I did a little more birthday shopping and I got this set from Sephora.

I picked out this necklace from the Color bar at Kendra Scott.

Thursday night, I attended a cocktail party auction, which was a fundraiser for the nonprofit where I work.  The food was great and I was able to try a sample of several drinks.  It was fun being with my co-workers!

I made 2 trips to Trader Joe's last week and got a few fun things,  One was this snack, which was excellent!

I also bought a set of resuable food storage bags on my 2nd trip.  Jennifer and I went in there together after meeting for dinner Sunday night.

Saturday night, my girls and I went downtown.  My oldest came in town Friday night because she had this on her bucket list.....wait for it.....

We saw Justin Timberlake in Memphis, his hometown!

We went to eat beforehand then enjoyed the DJ before the show.  Justin is a greaat entertainer and is talented with his voice, dancing, playing the guitar and the piano.

My oldest left Sunday, but will be back for Thanksgiving.  

I will have a recap tomorrow of a fun thing I did Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving Monday!

Monthly Musings ~ November 2024

 I am joining for the Holiday Fun edition of Monthly Musings with Holly and Patty.

Any holiday parties on tap?

I will have a gift exchange party with the ladies from my church.  It is always a fun night of laughter and good food!

There will also be a time of gift exchange with my co-workers, but it will be a low key event.

Best holiday prep advice?

Do a little bit at a time from grocery shopping, buying gifts and wrapping gifts.  Take a deep breath and enjoy the season!

Share a holiday appetizer recipe that is a crowd pleaser.

For something sweet, I love rolo pretzels with M&M's.

For something non sweet, I like to make thses stuffed mini peppers.

What holidays do you celebrate in November and December?

I celebrate Thanksgiving in November and Christmas in December.  I also celebrate my birthday in November, which falls on the holiday of Veteran's Day!

Favorite holiday beverage?

I have made this drink the past several Christmas mornings

Ingredients:

2 cups orange juice

2 cups cranberry juice

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup ginger ale

Mix everything together in a large pitcher and serve over ice.

Want to make this boozy? Pour it over Champagne or Prosecco to make a holiday mimosa, or use it as a mixer with vodka. 

What part of holiday prep is a total struggle for you?

The struggle this year will be facing my first holiday without my spouse.  I am taking it one day at a time, one event at a time, one memory at a time. 

Go-to holiday outfit?

My go to is something sparkly, leather pants, or red/green, depending on the event.  I still love comfy though!

Do you send out holiday cards?

I use to send out cards, but I haven't the past 2 years due to some hard years.  I now look at it at from the aspect of all the money I am saving!  Trying to have a positive outlook! 

Black Friday shopper?

Yes, I have always been a Black Friday shopper even back when it was actually on Friday, ha!  I try to get most of my shopping done the week of Thanksgiving and usually spend any birthday money I have during the sale.  

Do you listen to holiday music before or after Thanksgiving?

I haven't exclusively started listening to Christmas music, but I don't mind it when I walk in a store and hear it! I will start next week probably listening to it more.  I like to find the channels on XM radio and listen. 

This was a fun post to talk about the holidays!

Hodgepodge ~ November 19, 2024

 Good morning!  I hope your week is going well so far.  I am linking up today with Joyce for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. What was your favorite part about growing up in your hometown? 

I loved growing up in my hometown, which was a small suburb of Memphis, but actually in Mississippi.  The city isn't so small anymore! 

I grew up living in a home filled with love.  I lived 5 doors down from my church and elementary school.  We walked to a neighborhood pool and ball fields, rode bikes to friends houses and loved the simplicity of it all.  I have such fond memories of my neighborhood and childhood thankfully.

2. Do you prefer 'material' gifts or 'experience' gifts? If you answered experience, tell us about one you've received and truly enjoyed. 

I like both!  I like a material gift that is useful or consumable.  I also love an experience gift, even a visit to the nail salon.  I have been gifted a trip before and it was wonderful.

3. Is brown a color featured prominently in your home decor? Your wardrobe? What's a favorite brown thing you own? Of the brown foods listed here which one is your favorite and/or most often consumed... brown sugar, brown rice, pretzels, coffee, dates, cloves, German chocolate cake, whole wheat bread?

I have 2 brown chairs I bought this year that I like. 

 I have a brown shirt and brown leather pants.  Here I am last year on Thanksgiving in the pants. 

Of the food listed, I would say brown sugar, but I don't consume that too often as it is just in some baking recipies.  It is isn't listed here, but I eat a chocolate Built Bar most every day.

4. Which 'Charlie Brown' character do you relate to most? If you're not sure, you can take a fun quick quiz by clicking here-Which Charlie Brown Character Are You?  or the one found here-Charlie Brown Quiz. I got the same answer on both. 

I got two different answers, Snoopy and Charlie Brown! I am not surprised as I feel like my emotions/reactions have been all over the place this year. 

5. What's a favorite item you've purchased this year? 

I love this charger by my bed and not having to use cords.

This is also one of my all time favorite purchases...an electric lighter to use for candles.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I am so thankful to have my youngest daughter home and back in the house with me this week!  It has just been wonderful to have someone here when I wake up and go to bed and to know I can get at least one hug a day!  

Hello Monday ~ November 18, 2024

 Happy Monday morning!  It was a busy, fun weekend.  Here is a little recap...

I worked Friday morning, then grabbed some frozen yogurt, redeeming my birthday promotion.  I then went and walked a few miles with a friend.  It was a beautiful day!

Friday night, Jennifer came over and she helped me assemble my new Christmas tree.  We sorted through some of my Christmas decor, but I am still working on some of it and will post pictures in a few weeks. There is a sneak peek of the tree at the end of this post!

Saturnday morning, I worked at a Touch a Truck Event.  There were all kind of trucks and community service vehicles for children to enjoy.

This is a cool coffee truck that travels in the city in a restored Airstream.

I had a chicken spinach artichoke quesadilla from a food truck for lunch, which was so good.

The highlight of the day was my youngest daughter arrived home safely after her 9 1/2 hour drive! 

I went out Saturday night to hear some live music and also was able to visit with a friend who was in town.

Bathroom selfie for the night

I went to church Sunday, got a few things done around the house in the afternoon, and Brook went with me to church that night for a Thanksgiving dinner.  Here is a sneak peek at the tree.  Notice I had a dog visitor for the afternoon, which was so fun to see him again.

It looks to be a week with a mix of busyness with work, but a little more downtime at home this week too, which I am looking forward to so I can get a few things done.  

Have a good day!